GOD's Mission to have a Bride predates Creation. We know this because Luke tells us that Jesus was slain before the foundation of the world, and we know that He gave His life to redeem mankind. As we study the entirety of the Text we see GOD's Mission displayed through typology from the Garden all the way to Apocalypse, but nowhere is it more pronounced that when first spoken to Abram in Genesis 12. GOD told Abram, I'm going to bless you, but that wasn't all that He said. GOD continued, this blessing I'm giving you is so that through you all the nations of the world will be blessed.
GOD gave Abram (the father of the faithful) a blessing wrapped in responsibility.
Jesus reiterated this responsibility when He gave His Commission: go… make disciples… teach them everything I've taught you. In other words, take what I've given you and give it to someone else. GOD's Mission to Abram in the Old Testament is the same as Jesus' Commission to the 1st Century Community, and—subsequently—to us.
When we received this Treasure that we house in our jars of clay, we did not with it receive an admonition to horde the Glory. The jars of clay were porous, thus they leaked their contents. Paul's reference to clay jars was to illuminate the typology of our own Spiritual clay jars leaking the Glorious Treasure onto the hurting world in which we live.
Jesus didn't redeem us for us to simply possess salvation. He redeemed us so that we would take salvation to the world. It's past time for those who claim to name the name of Messiah to stop simply having good church and to effectively start being the Church. It's time for the culture to shift, from the minority of the congregation being the Bible study teachers, to everyone who has been Spirit-baptized to actively be discipling people on a weekly basis. It past time for us to shine Jesus to our hurting world by demonstrating His love to them by feeding them, clothing them, visiting them. It's time for the most important thing that we do as the Redeemed to stop being about our gatherings (church services), and to finally be about what gives our GOD good pleasure, new births. It's past time for our preferences to cease determining our activity (or lack thereof). It's time for us to forget about our opinions about GOD and actually start doing what He Commissioned us to do: go. It's past time for us to stop making little pentecostal duplicates of ourselves and our tired, Text-less philosophies, and to start making disciples of Jesus Messiah. It's time for us to be rather than to have.
Church is not a verb, thus it is impossible to have church (either good or bad). The Church is a proper noun, thus must be performing the action of blessing the world around us with the blessing with which we've been entrusted. What would happen in our world if, collectively, GOD's Community would being to leave the confines of the church buildings and start actively being the Church? How many lives would be radically altered for GOD if we would shine His Love rather than our religion; go to where they are rather than forcing them to always come to us (as if we can do anything for them in the first place)?
Is this call to be the Church resonating with any of you?
Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Showing the World a Big Jesus
It's been a month or so since I've posted anything, but this is a subject for which I feel a lot of passion, so I thought I'd share it.
Acts 3:1-4
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
The Temple and the Hebrew
There are several significant items at the beginning of Acts 3. The first thing that I notice is that Peter and John were on they’re way to the Temple first thing in the morning. The next thing that comes to my attention is the lame man who had been carried to the gate of the Temple to beg for alms. Something that comes to my attention from a layer or two deep is the the fact that both the Apostle's frequenting the Temple and the lame man being carried to the vicinity of the Temple were apparently common occurrences. In fact, there's a good chance that Peter and John had seen this same man on previous Temple trips.
The Temple was an integral aspect of the daily life of the 1st Century Hebrews. The Temple represented the central theme of the Hebrew lifestyle. This lifestyle was not a religion, rather an entire existence. The Temple was where you talked to GOD, where you worshiped GOD; and GOD was everything to you. The Temple was also located in the center of the city, and all daily activity moved in and around it.
This placement of the Temple within the layout of the city, and the high importance of GOD in the lives of the Hebrews, insured a GOD-thought in their minds on a regular basis. If they went to the market, they had to pass by the Temple. If they were going to visit a friend on the other side of town, they had to pass the Temple. If they were going on a journey outside of the city, they had to first pass the Temple on the way to the gate of the city.
This bring to my mind several questions. How important is the house of GOD to the Community today? Have we forsaken the assembling of ourselves together for matters of convenience? Is work and responsibility more important than daily communion with GOD and the people of GOD? Sure, I'm aware that the church building is by no means the only place to interact with GOD and/or His people, but this great significance to our designating a place of communal worship, and to a place where GOD places His name (do the study, it's fun).
The lame man was taken to the gate of the Temple for a reason. He knew that he had the best chance of receiving in the place where people were congregating and passing through. He was not there by accident nor happenstance. He had gone to the Temple seeking (hang on to this thought, we're coming back here in a bit).
The Temple of Flesh
There is great significance in the words that Peter said to the lame man in verse 4. Peter knew the lame man was looking for something to help him out. He also knew that the lame man was looking for money; money which Peter didn’t have. Understanding all of this, why then would Peter say: Look on us?
Is it possible that Peter’s words are a foreshadowing of Paul’s teaching to the Community at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 3, 6 and 2 Corinthians 6? In this Text Paul tells us that our bodies are the Temple of God (1 Cor 3:16, 17 and 6:19). He also teaches that as the Temple of God we have no agreement or interaction with the idols of this world (2 Cor 6:16).
When Peter said, Look on us, he was telling the lame man, you don’t have to look at this Temple of stone anymore to find the answers; instead, look to the people of God, because the Answer lives inside of us. Peter was not only giving instruction to the lame man, he was also giving instruction to the modern-day Church. The Answer this world is looking for is not found in our buildings nor our monuments, but in our lives, but the world will only find the Answer in us when we place God and the things of God at the center of our entire existence. When our world looks to us they won’t see us, but they will see God through us (Matt 5:14-16). Like John the Baptist said, He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30).
Acts 3:5-7
And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
The Expectation & the Answer
It’s important to note that the lame man looked to Peter and John expecting to receive something. Our world is like this lame man; they need something, anything to get through the hell that their lives have become. The world is looking to GOD's Community expecting us to give them an answer.
What are we showing them?
When Peter made the statement, look on us, the lame man’s focus was taken off of the man-made Temple and centered on the GOD-filled Temple. Peter’s statement of identity impacted the man who had a need. When we say to the world, we are the people of God, we are telling them to stop looking everywhere else for the answers.
Are we prepared to give the Answer?
The lame man was not asking to be healed; he simply wanted something to help him get through that day. Peter gave him Someone Who got him through the rest of his life. The Community can’t help our world out with a fix, but we can show them Someone Who can change their lives forever. Peter and John gave us the example of what we should show the world: they showed the lame man a Big Jesus.
Acts 3:18-21
But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
The Big Jesus
Jesus did not come to the world to do a small work. We make a mistake when we trivialize the life-work of Jesus into something as simple as strictly salvation. While it was the primary purpose of Jesus Messiah, salvation was only one aspect of His Mission. Peter shows us in verse 21 that not only did Messiah come to seek and to save, but he also came to restore all things. What is this restoration that Peter is referring to? What is the significance of this restoration in my life, and your life, and the lives of everyone around us? What is Jesus really talking about when He says, I have come that you might have life, and this life I give is more abundant than anything that you’ve ever imagined (John 10:10)?
To understand this mystery we have to think Hebrew. Peter was referencing an ancient Hebrew teaching that had been passed down from generation to generation. The teaching was that at the advent of the Messiah all things would be restored to YHWH's original creation: harmony with YHWH. The Hebrews believed that Messiah would bring this restoration by establishing an earthly kingdom that would bring all creation back into perfect harmony with GOD: or what they called Eternal Life.
We have to remember that GOD never intended for man to be separated from Him. Since the fall of man, GOD has desired for man to be restored back into this harmony. Salvation is the first step in this restoration. Peter reiterates this point in 2 Peter 1:5-9. The faith is the first step toward salvation, but we can’t stop there; the process of restoration is a journey that brings each one of us individually back into perfect harmony with GOD. Deliverance from sin is only part one of the Answer. The Answer continues with complete and total restoration to GOD.
The world in which we live has been sold salvation by every religion and philosophy out there. They are asking for more than just religion. They want something more than just safety, they need something that will bring them back into harmony with GOD. We are not called to shine our world a small Jesus that can only touch their lives spiritually; we are called to shine them a Big Jesus that can restore every part of their existence. When we reduce Jesus to simply a religious answer, we are reducing His impact in both our lives and the lives of everyone in the world. The Answer of Jesus is not a small answer. Jesus is the Answer to every part of life.
As the Body of Messiah, are we shining our world a Jesus of religion, or are we shining them a Jesus of reality?
Are we showing the world a small Jesus, or are we showing the world a Big Jesus?
Monday, May 17, 2010
Isaiah 1 — Deconstructed
My daily devotions this week are through the Book of Isaiah. This is one of my favorite Old Testament books, and it serves as a thumb-nail glance at the entire Story of GOD as depicted in the 66 books of the Bible.
One of the most powerful themes that leaps off the page (or in my case, the computer screen) when I'm reading the first chapter of Isaiah's prophecy is this: GOD is ticked off. The first 39 chapters of Isaiah are basically a prophecy of judgement against Judah; a nation that has assumed itself secure from judgement because of its covenant relationship with GOD. However, GOD tells Judah that the covenant cannot protect them from His judgement when they have broken it through idolatry, injustice, cruelty and by their following after ideals which oppose GOD's Law.
I'm using The Message paraphrase here primarily because it's easier to grasp the nuance of the Text, and I appreciate how it has been interpolated into current nomenclature. This does not, however, mean that I value a paraphrase of the Text over a translation.
Verse 2 launches us into the fray:
Heaven and earth, you're the jury: Listen to GOD's case…"*
The case GOD makes is pretty straight-forward and summed up in His opening statement.
I had children and raised them well, and they turned on me. The ox knows who's boss, the mule knows the hand that feeds him, but not Israel. My people don't know up from down… My people have walked out on me, their GOD, turned their backs on The Holy of Israel, walked off and never looked back.**
After He describes in great detail the condition in which He views Judah, GOD begins pleading with His people to stop what they're doing, in His name no less.
Why this frenzy of sacrifices? [GOD's asking.] Don't you think I've had my fill of burnt sacrifices, rams and plump grain-fed calves? Don't you think I've had my fill of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats? When you come before me, whoever gave you the idea of acting like this, running here and there, doing this and that—all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship?***
There are several questions that come to my mind when I read through this section of Chapter 1. Question 1: didn't GOD institute animal sacrifices? What could have made GOD sick of a practice that He had instituted Himself in the Garden?
In my opinion GOD is saying two things here: I'm sick of what worship has become, and I have a plan to change this because your sacrifices aren't enough (Messiah). This being said, I can't help but place myself in this story. Has my worship to GOD become ritual and rote? Are my sacrifices of praise not getting past the tips of my upraised hands? Have I been simply going through the motions, acting as though I'm worshiping GOD yet never truly changing anything? Am I making GOD nauseous with my praise and worship? Does my life make Him sick?
Question 2: what is the sheer commotion in the place of worship that He's referencing in verse 12?
I have heard people posit that this is GOD demanding reverent worship rather than exuberant, active praise (ie, running, jumping, etc.). This is not necessarily a theory with which I agree; especially in the light of the example of David's worship. However, I do have to wonder if often times we are more ready to run around the church simply for the sake of running more than as true, heart-felt expressions of adoration for Jesus Messiah.
Could the commotion in verse 12 have been a reference to the commotion connected with the preparation of each worship experience (ie, the getting ready for church whatnot)? Could it be that the preparing to go to the House of GOD—and the preparing of the building itself for the worship experience—should involve more reverence? Should I and my wife dedicate the time spent in dressing ourselves and our four daughters for a church service as an aspect of worship, rather than the frantic frenzy that is Sunday morning at the Young house? Should the tech team tune the sound system, adjust the lighting, warm up the video equipment reverently? I'm not saying this is the answer, just simply asking the questions. I could be taking this Text waaaaay out of context. I'd love to hear your feedback.
The reason these questions are in my mind is because of the next few verses:
Quit your worship charades. I can't stand your trivial religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—meetings, meetings, meetings—I can't stand one more! Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You've worn me out! I'm sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I'll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I'll not be listening. And do you know why? Because you've been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody. ****
Evidently, GOD viewed Judah's worship process as a charade. It is important to note that the primary reason that GOD rejected Judah's worship was because of the backslidden state. Their worship was not rejected because of the form of worship, but because they continued to go through the motions of worship (ritual, rote, habit, religion) despite the fact that their hearts were no longer connected to YHWH. GOD says that they were playing at worship (religious games). He then describes the religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—meetings, meetings, meetings—I can't stand one more! But didn't GOD institute the Sabbath? Is this saying that conferences and meetings are wrong? Are we wearing GOD out with all of our religious hypocricy?
The answer to these questions cannot be to simply do away with the Sabbath (Divine Rest), or to stop holding all our conferences (wait, that actually may be a good idea. I'm just saying…), or to cancel our staff meetings, etc. Or can it? What if our understanding of true Sabbath is completely and utterly wrong? What if we're so busy meeting with the planning committee for the planning of the committee meetings at myriad quarterly conferences that we've forgotten that there is a GOD somehow supposed to be connected with all of our efforts, and that He has a Mission? Again, I'm not saying this is the answer, only asking questions.
GOD says, I'm sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. He then says, When you put on your next prayer-performance, I'll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I'll not be listening.
Ouch! GOD has a way of cutting to the bone (I can faintly hear Ace Ventura yelling, It's in the bone! It's in the bone… but I digress). GOD has the audacity to call my prayers performances (remember, I've placed myself into the story). Does He really mean that no matter how loud and long and often I pray He won't be listening? Doesn't He recognize my humility? I mean, doesn't He see that I've got everything right? I tithe, I don't miss church services, I dress the part, I act the part (when I'm around other church folk), I can throw the gratuitous contrived tongue into my public prayers with the best of them… isn't this what He's wanting? Is it possible to go through all the motions and get everything in the ceremony correct, yet still be backslidden?
GOD answers these questions with one of His own: And do you know why? Because you've been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody. What does this mean? Who am I tearing to pieces? How can my hands be bloody when I can't see the the blood on them? Am I so blind to my own actions? Have I become so accustomed to the carnage that I no longer see the visceral dripping from my own hands? Is this really how GOD sees me?
GOD then provides the solution to the mess in which Judah had so firmly ensconced themselves:
Go home and wash up. Clean up your act. Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don't have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless.*****
The next few verses also provide hope in their seemingly hopeless situation:
Come. Sit down. Let's argue this out. [This is God's Message]: If your sins are blood-red, they'll be snow-white. If they're red like crimson, they'll be like wool. If you'll willingly obey, you'll feast like kings. But if you're willful and stubborn, you'll die like dogs. [That's right. God says so].******
When I place myself into the story, I can see that GOD is calling me to repentance. But not the typical I'm sorry for my sins quasi-repentance to which I've grown so accustomed. GOD is calling me to true repentance. True repentance consists of three distinct and integral processes: confession of my sins; rejection of my sins; and submission to GOD's Purpose for my life. Confession is not enough, I have to turn away from my carnal nature, and turn to GOD. Repentance for too long has been relegated only for the sinner coming to GOD, but even those of us who've been cleansed from our sins and baptized by His Spirit and into His name can also enjoy the blessing of repentance. Paul called this dying daily.
The underlying theme of Isaiah 1 is that GOD's people had drifted far from Him, but were so entrenched in their religion that they failed to see that the GOD of their religion was nowhere around. Their obedience to His institution of sacrifice had become nothing more than habitual action. They had lost their wonder of GOD. They had lost their reverence of just how awesome and powerful He truly is (I changed tenses purposefully, as GOD is timeless, therefore always present, even in our past). Yes, obedience is better than sacrifice, but sacrifice simply for the sake of sacrifice is no better than no sacrifice at all.
GOD says, Come. Sit down. Let's argue this out. If my life is one way, He can make it another way. If my worship is false, through repentance I can make it pure and He'll accept it. If I'll willingly obey, GOD will honor and glorify me. But, if I'm willful and stubborn, I'll pay the price for my sin, thus negating His sacrifice.
Just an aside: if GOD is so willing to sit down with us and work out our misunderstandings, how come we are so reticent to do the same?
In going through this Text I am both humbled at how well GOD knows me, and amazed that He still reaches for me. I've made His worship ritual. I've busied myself by playing religion. I've ignored His heart and love for the defenseless and down-and-out. I've ran from good to passionately embrace wrong. My hands are bloody from my tearing people to pieces with my words. I'm arrogant. I'm full of pride. He called me to His Purpose, yet I've chosen my own credenda instead.
GOD forgive me. I'm rejecting myself and choosing You. I'm running away from the temporal and embracing the eternal that You've prepared for me. I'm washing myself of the desire for the latest thing (1:24-31) so there is only room in me for Your Truth.
I'm choosing Your Abundant Life over my existence.
* Isaiah 1:2
** 1:2-4
*** 1:11-12
**** 1:13-17a
***** 1:13-17b
****** 1:18-20
One of the most powerful themes that leaps off the page (or in my case, the computer screen) when I'm reading the first chapter of Isaiah's prophecy is this: GOD is ticked off. The first 39 chapters of Isaiah are basically a prophecy of judgement against Judah; a nation that has assumed itself secure from judgement because of its covenant relationship with GOD. However, GOD tells Judah that the covenant cannot protect them from His judgement when they have broken it through idolatry, injustice, cruelty and by their following after ideals which oppose GOD's Law.
I'm using The Message paraphrase here primarily because it's easier to grasp the nuance of the Text, and I appreciate how it has been interpolated into current nomenclature. This does not, however, mean that I value a paraphrase of the Text over a translation.
Verse 2 launches us into the fray:
Heaven and earth, you're the jury: Listen to GOD's case…"*
The case GOD makes is pretty straight-forward and summed up in His opening statement.
I had children and raised them well, and they turned on me. The ox knows who's boss, the mule knows the hand that feeds him, but not Israel. My people don't know up from down… My people have walked out on me, their GOD, turned their backs on The Holy of Israel, walked off and never looked back.**
After He describes in great detail the condition in which He views Judah, GOD begins pleading with His people to stop what they're doing, in His name no less.
Why this frenzy of sacrifices? [GOD's asking.] Don't you think I've had my fill of burnt sacrifices, rams and plump grain-fed calves? Don't you think I've had my fill of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats? When you come before me, whoever gave you the idea of acting like this, running here and there, doing this and that—all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship?***
There are several questions that come to my mind when I read through this section of Chapter 1. Question 1: didn't GOD institute animal sacrifices? What could have made GOD sick of a practice that He had instituted Himself in the Garden?
In my opinion GOD is saying two things here: I'm sick of what worship has become, and I have a plan to change this because your sacrifices aren't enough (Messiah). This being said, I can't help but place myself in this story. Has my worship to GOD become ritual and rote? Are my sacrifices of praise not getting past the tips of my upraised hands? Have I been simply going through the motions, acting as though I'm worshiping GOD yet never truly changing anything? Am I making GOD nauseous with my praise and worship? Does my life make Him sick?
Question 2: what is the sheer commotion in the place of worship that He's referencing in verse 12?
I have heard people posit that this is GOD demanding reverent worship rather than exuberant, active praise (ie, running, jumping, etc.). This is not necessarily a theory with which I agree; especially in the light of the example of David's worship. However, I do have to wonder if often times we are more ready to run around the church simply for the sake of running more than as true, heart-felt expressions of adoration for Jesus Messiah.
Could the commotion in verse 12 have been a reference to the commotion connected with the preparation of each worship experience (ie, the getting ready for church whatnot)? Could it be that the preparing to go to the House of GOD—and the preparing of the building itself for the worship experience—should involve more reverence? Should I and my wife dedicate the time spent in dressing ourselves and our four daughters for a church service as an aspect of worship, rather than the frantic frenzy that is Sunday morning at the Young house? Should the tech team tune the sound system, adjust the lighting, warm up the video equipment reverently? I'm not saying this is the answer, just simply asking the questions. I could be taking this Text waaaaay out of context. I'd love to hear your feedback.
The reason these questions are in my mind is because of the next few verses:
Quit your worship charades. I can't stand your trivial religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—meetings, meetings, meetings—I can't stand one more! Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them! You've worn me out! I'm sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I'll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I'll not be listening. And do you know why? Because you've been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody. ****
Evidently, GOD viewed Judah's worship process as a charade. It is important to note that the primary reason that GOD rejected Judah's worship was because of the backslidden state. Their worship was not rejected because of the form of worship, but because they continued to go through the motions of worship (ritual, rote, habit, religion) despite the fact that their hearts were no longer connected to YHWH. GOD says that they were playing at worship (religious games). He then describes the religious games: Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—meetings, meetings, meetings—I can't stand one more! But didn't GOD institute the Sabbath? Is this saying that conferences and meetings are wrong? Are we wearing GOD out with all of our religious hypocricy?
The answer to these questions cannot be to simply do away with the Sabbath (Divine Rest), or to stop holding all our conferences (wait, that actually may be a good idea. I'm just saying…), or to cancel our staff meetings, etc. Or can it? What if our understanding of true Sabbath is completely and utterly wrong? What if we're so busy meeting with the planning committee for the planning of the committee meetings at myriad quarterly conferences that we've forgotten that there is a GOD somehow supposed to be connected with all of our efforts, and that He has a Mission? Again, I'm not saying this is the answer, only asking questions.
GOD says, I'm sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. He then says, When you put on your next prayer-performance, I'll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I'll not be listening.
Ouch! GOD has a way of cutting to the bone (I can faintly hear Ace Ventura yelling, It's in the bone! It's in the bone… but I digress). GOD has the audacity to call my prayers performances (remember, I've placed myself into the story). Does He really mean that no matter how loud and long and often I pray He won't be listening? Doesn't He recognize my humility? I mean, doesn't He see that I've got everything right? I tithe, I don't miss church services, I dress the part, I act the part (when I'm around other church folk), I can throw the gratuitous contrived tongue into my public prayers with the best of them… isn't this what He's wanting? Is it possible to go through all the motions and get everything in the ceremony correct, yet still be backslidden?
GOD answers these questions with one of His own: And do you know why? Because you've been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody. What does this mean? Who am I tearing to pieces? How can my hands be bloody when I can't see the the blood on them? Am I so blind to my own actions? Have I become so accustomed to the carnage that I no longer see the visceral dripping from my own hands? Is this really how GOD sees me?
GOD then provides the solution to the mess in which Judah had so firmly ensconced themselves:
Go home and wash up. Clean up your act. Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don't have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless.*****
The next few verses also provide hope in their seemingly hopeless situation:
Come. Sit down. Let's argue this out. [This is God's Message]: If your sins are blood-red, they'll be snow-white. If they're red like crimson, they'll be like wool. If you'll willingly obey, you'll feast like kings. But if you're willful and stubborn, you'll die like dogs. [That's right. God says so].******
When I place myself into the story, I can see that GOD is calling me to repentance. But not the typical I'm sorry for my sins quasi-repentance to which I've grown so accustomed. GOD is calling me to true repentance. True repentance consists of three distinct and integral processes: confession of my sins; rejection of my sins; and submission to GOD's Purpose for my life. Confession is not enough, I have to turn away from my carnal nature, and turn to GOD. Repentance for too long has been relegated only for the sinner coming to GOD, but even those of us who've been cleansed from our sins and baptized by His Spirit and into His name can also enjoy the blessing of repentance. Paul called this dying daily.
The underlying theme of Isaiah 1 is that GOD's people had drifted far from Him, but were so entrenched in their religion that they failed to see that the GOD of their religion was nowhere around. Their obedience to His institution of sacrifice had become nothing more than habitual action. They had lost their wonder of GOD. They had lost their reverence of just how awesome and powerful He truly is (I changed tenses purposefully, as GOD is timeless, therefore always present, even in our past). Yes, obedience is better than sacrifice, but sacrifice simply for the sake of sacrifice is no better than no sacrifice at all.
GOD says, Come. Sit down. Let's argue this out. If my life is one way, He can make it another way. If my worship is false, through repentance I can make it pure and He'll accept it. If I'll willingly obey, GOD will honor and glorify me. But, if I'm willful and stubborn, I'll pay the price for my sin, thus negating His sacrifice.
Just an aside: if GOD is so willing to sit down with us and work out our misunderstandings, how come we are so reticent to do the same?
In going through this Text I am both humbled at how well GOD knows me, and amazed that He still reaches for me. I've made His worship ritual. I've busied myself by playing religion. I've ignored His heart and love for the defenseless and down-and-out. I've ran from good to passionately embrace wrong. My hands are bloody from my tearing people to pieces with my words. I'm arrogant. I'm full of pride. He called me to His Purpose, yet I've chosen my own credenda instead.
GOD forgive me. I'm rejecting myself and choosing You. I'm running away from the temporal and embracing the eternal that You've prepared for me. I'm washing myself of the desire for the latest thing (1:24-31) so there is only room in me for Your Truth.
I'm choosing Your Abundant Life over my existence.
* Isaiah 1:2
** 1:2-4
*** 1:11-12
**** 1:13-17a
***** 1:13-17b
****** 1:18-20
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Galatians 3
Have you ever noticed how people completely ignore biblical Truth and principle so that they don't have to face the fact of their personal misunderstanding of the Text? Textual awareness and understanding vs religious and denominational ignorance; this ought to make for a good discussion.
One of—in my opinion—the greatest lies ever perpetuated by our enemy is religion. You see, religion lies to her followers, fooling them into believing that they are following GOD, when in truth they are sold out to a lie. The deeper sadness here is the fact that GOD gave humanity His Truth and far too many don't even recognize Him.
Someone once said that the Text is the story of GOD wanting to reconnect with humanity, personally (the "personally" applied to both GOD and each individual). GOD personally became flesh so that He could personally become sin so that He could personally redeem each and every person, personally. When we deny the humanity of Jesus we deny the true power of salvation. Without the shedding of Jesus' blood there could be no redemption for sin. GOD's flesh had to bleed. Spirit can't bleed. The Spirit had to become flesh; thus the intensifying power of Jesus' human-ness. To all my fellow monotheists, don't be afraid of Sonship. The role of the Son proves beyond all measure the Unity and One-ness of our GOD. However, to truly understand Sonship you have to be willing to truly study the Text and history to discover why the phraseology of referring to Jesus as the Son of GOD was used in the New Testament.
So, if the Text is GOD's story of reconnection, then He must have included His Purpose within the various letters. I believe that He did. While there are many examples of GOD's Purpose throughout both the Old and New Testaments, one of the most powerful examples of GOD's thought-process is found in Paul's letter to the Galatian Community. The study of the Galatian Letter is of critical importance to Christians today. Not only to we learn of a departure from the Gospel in ancient days, we also see that there is a similar error being proclaimed today. Many Christians have accepted this divergence from the Gospel, not knowing the seriousness of their error and misunderstanding. We have to understand the importance of identifying the Galatian Error so that we can recognize similar false teachings that are becoming more and more widely accepted. The time has come to identify false teaching for exactly what it is—a departure from the Gospel, thus a departure from Salvation.
The Community at Galatia was somewhat divided into two regional groups. For this to make sense we have to agree upon the approximate date of Paul's writing the letter. The date of authorship helps to define the region of Galatia. The difficulty in determining what Paul meant by the term Galatia results from the fact that Galatia can be used in two different ways: 1) as a reference to the whole Roman administrative district (especially the southern part of this district); 2) to designate ethnic Galatia (only the northern part of the district). For example, Paul used the Roman provincial names in his letter, while Luke—in his Acts of the Apostles—used the ethnic designations (Acts 14). Because of this we can infer that Paul is speaking of the larger territory which included the southern portion of Galatia. Why is this important? This designation is important because the Jewish population was greater in the south than in the north, thus a problem with Judaizers would be more likely in that region. In his letter, Paul assumes his readers have a fair knowledge of the Torah and Judaism in general, an assumption that would be more likely in the south. Also, because of Luke's reference in Acts 14, we know that there was considerable opposition to Paul's preaching in the cities of South Galatia. This would date this letter slightly before the Jerusalem Council (circa 50 AD). Around this time Paul and Barnabas had embarked on their first missionary journey, traveling to the South Galatian cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. The team then returned to Syrian Antioch and spent a considerable amount of time in the locale (Acts 14:28). Peter had come to Antioch to see how this community was doing and fell into hypocrisy when some other Jews arrived from Jerusalem. Paul then rebuked Peter publicly (Galatians 2:11-21). While in Antioch, Paul must have received word that some of the community were falling prey to the teaching of the Judaizers. The arrival of Judaizers in Antioch would have intensified Paul's concerns. Because of this timeline, we can conclude that Paul's letter to the Galatian Community was written some time before the Jerusalem Council. The fact that there is no mention of the Council's decision in His letter to the Galatians also provides strength to this contention.*
So, by now you're wondering what all this has to do with this article. The connector between this brief history lesson and this article are the Judaizers. The Judaizers were a group of Jewish Christians in the 1st Century who preached to the Gentile Diaspora the need to conform to the Torah, even after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. There's not a lot of specific knowledge about this group, but most scholars agree that the group originated in Jerusalem, and that at least some were Pharisees (Acts 15:5). No one knows how organized they were as a movement or any of the names of the individuals within the movement. The most important thing that we do know about them is the fact that they attempted to make Jews out of Gentile Christians. The importance of this group is not so much what they taught but the reaction to their teachings. Paul attacks their teachings head-on in his letters. He wanted to demonstrate to these diasporic communities that Jesus had instituted a new covenant, thus fulfilling the Torah (Law) and making null and void the activities performed under the Mosaic Covenant. To break this down, the Judaizers taught that because the Jews were GOD's Chosen People, when a non-Jew was Spirit-baptized they must become a ceremonial Jew (via circumcision and tradition) in order to access Salvation. In essence, Salvation is based on works rather than on faith.
We have now come full circle back to the introduction of this article. The Judaizers preached a religion of works-based sanctification: the better you are, the more of GOD you have. Sound familiar? Walking with GOD was saddled with a list of actions that were acceptable and necessary and any variance from these confines constituted rebellion and back-sliding. The Judaizers essentially said, live by our rules because we are GOD's mouthpieces. This didn't sit well with Paul. We see him attacking this religious bigotry in his letters to Galatia, Corinth, Colassae and Rome. When a Judaizer would yell Torah, Paul would declare Grace. The Judaziers denied the fact that Jesus had fulfilled the Torah at Calvary, that His Passion ripped the veil to allow Grace to cleanse humanity. The Judaizers denied the power of faith and preferred works.
If you study Paul's Galatian Letter you'll find him painstakingly demonstrating Jesus' fulfillment of the Torah and the advent of Grace. He points out that anyone who tries to live by his own effort—independant of GOD—is doomed to failure. He then provides Text to prove his contention: Utterly cursed is every person who fails to carry out every detail written in the Book of the Law, [Galations 3:9-10, quoting Deuteronomy 27:26]. Paul then drops the bomb in verses 11-12: The obvious impossibility of carrying out such a moral program should make it plain that no one can sustain a relationship with GOD that way. The person who lives in right relationship with GOD does it by embracing what GOD arranges for him. Doing things for GOD is the opposite of entering into what GOD does for you. Habakkuk had it right: The person who believes GOD, is set right by GOD—and that's the real life. Rule-keeping does not naturally evolve into living by faith, but only perpetuates itself in more and more rule-keeping, a fact observed in Scripture: The one who does these things (rule-keeping) continues to live by them. [Galatians 3:11-12, The Message. Paul first quotes Habbakkuk 2:4, then Leviticus 18:5].
In verses 13-14, Paul shows us that Jesus-Messiah [literally the Salvation of YHWH] redeemed us from the cursed life of rule-keeping by absorbing that life into Himself. Jesus became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse of the Law. But, the only way to receive GOD's life (l'chaim: true life over existence) is by believing, by faith.
The purpose of the Law was to keep a sinful people in the way of Salvation until Jesus-Messiah came. The Law was not a first-hand encounter with GOD, but was administered through a middle-man, Moses. But, relating to GOD via an intermediary runs contrary to GOD's promise to Abraham. This original promise is the direct blessing of GOD, and was then, and must now be received by faith. Paul points out that the Law fulfilled the role of a tutor who escorts children to school and protected them from danger or distraction, making sure that the children actually arrive at the place for which they set out [Galatians 3:23-24]. But he doesn't stop there, he continues, But now you have arrived at your destination: by faith in Jesus-Messiah you are in direct relationship with GOD. Your baptism in Jesus-Messiah was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Salvation's life, the fulfillment of GOD's original promise, [Galatians 3:25-27, The Message].
There are those who would negate faith and the power of true relationship by saddling every member of the Community with addendums to the New Covenant, but any addition to this Covenant negates it. The New Covenant established by Jesus-Messiah says that He would fill us with His Holy Spirit to keep us and lead us by the hand into all Truth. This Covenant says that there is no way that you or I will ever be able to be good enough, but because of Grace our sins were forgiven once and for all. This New Covenant says that when we sin (and we will because we are flawed flesh and not yet perfected) that all we have to do to return to right relationship with Jesus is repent (confession and turning away from our sin and turning to His Abundant Life); our repentance allows Grace to kiss Mercy, thus enabling our faith to usher us back into GOD's holy Presence.
Stop trying to be good, you'll never make it. Start living life within the confines of Jesus-Messiah's New Covenant; a Covenant of Grace and Mercy through faith in an Eternal GOD. The Law is fulfilled, don't step back under it. If you do you're damning yourself to an eternity of failure, because you'll never be able to make it. Jesus never intended us to die trying to prove ourselves worthy of His Grace and Mercy; He already knew we could never be worthy. But… He is worthy, He is perfect, He is complete, He is pure…
All we have to do is believe.
* Here are a few authors that you can read to find out more about this subject:
1. Cf. William Barclay, The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, Rev. Ed., 1976), pp. xi-xiii.
2. F. F. Bruce,Commentary on Galatians (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1982)
3. R. A. Cole, The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1965)
4. Herman N. Ridderbos,The Epistle of Paul to the Churches of Galatia (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1953)
One of—in my opinion—the greatest lies ever perpetuated by our enemy is religion. You see, religion lies to her followers, fooling them into believing that they are following GOD, when in truth they are sold out to a lie. The deeper sadness here is the fact that GOD gave humanity His Truth and far too many don't even recognize Him.
Someone once said that the Text is the story of GOD wanting to reconnect with humanity, personally (the "personally" applied to both GOD and each individual). GOD personally became flesh so that He could personally become sin so that He could personally redeem each and every person, personally. When we deny the humanity of Jesus we deny the true power of salvation. Without the shedding of Jesus' blood there could be no redemption for sin. GOD's flesh had to bleed. Spirit can't bleed. The Spirit had to become flesh; thus the intensifying power of Jesus' human-ness. To all my fellow monotheists, don't be afraid of Sonship. The role of the Son proves beyond all measure the Unity and One-ness of our GOD. However, to truly understand Sonship you have to be willing to truly study the Text and history to discover why the phraseology of referring to Jesus as the Son of GOD was used in the New Testament.
So, if the Text is GOD's story of reconnection, then He must have included His Purpose within the various letters. I believe that He did. While there are many examples of GOD's Purpose throughout both the Old and New Testaments, one of the most powerful examples of GOD's thought-process is found in Paul's letter to the Galatian Community. The study of the Galatian Letter is of critical importance to Christians today. Not only to we learn of a departure from the Gospel in ancient days, we also see that there is a similar error being proclaimed today. Many Christians have accepted this divergence from the Gospel, not knowing the seriousness of their error and misunderstanding. We have to understand the importance of identifying the Galatian Error so that we can recognize similar false teachings that are becoming more and more widely accepted. The time has come to identify false teaching for exactly what it is—a departure from the Gospel, thus a departure from Salvation.
The Community at Galatia was somewhat divided into two regional groups. For this to make sense we have to agree upon the approximate date of Paul's writing the letter. The date of authorship helps to define the region of Galatia. The difficulty in determining what Paul meant by the term Galatia results from the fact that Galatia can be used in two different ways: 1) as a reference to the whole Roman administrative district (especially the southern part of this district); 2) to designate ethnic Galatia (only the northern part of the district). For example, Paul used the Roman provincial names in his letter, while Luke—in his Acts of the Apostles—used the ethnic designations (Acts 14). Because of this we can infer that Paul is speaking of the larger territory which included the southern portion of Galatia. Why is this important? This designation is important because the Jewish population was greater in the south than in the north, thus a problem with Judaizers would be more likely in that region. In his letter, Paul assumes his readers have a fair knowledge of the Torah and Judaism in general, an assumption that would be more likely in the south. Also, because of Luke's reference in Acts 14, we know that there was considerable opposition to Paul's preaching in the cities of South Galatia. This would date this letter slightly before the Jerusalem Council (circa 50 AD). Around this time Paul and Barnabas had embarked on their first missionary journey, traveling to the South Galatian cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. The team then returned to Syrian Antioch and spent a considerable amount of time in the locale (Acts 14:28). Peter had come to Antioch to see how this community was doing and fell into hypocrisy when some other Jews arrived from Jerusalem. Paul then rebuked Peter publicly (Galatians 2:11-21). While in Antioch, Paul must have received word that some of the community were falling prey to the teaching of the Judaizers. The arrival of Judaizers in Antioch would have intensified Paul's concerns. Because of this timeline, we can conclude that Paul's letter to the Galatian Community was written some time before the Jerusalem Council. The fact that there is no mention of the Council's decision in His letter to the Galatians also provides strength to this contention.*
So, by now you're wondering what all this has to do with this article. The connector between this brief history lesson and this article are the Judaizers. The Judaizers were a group of Jewish Christians in the 1st Century who preached to the Gentile Diaspora the need to conform to the Torah, even after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. There's not a lot of specific knowledge about this group, but most scholars agree that the group originated in Jerusalem, and that at least some were Pharisees (Acts 15:5). No one knows how organized they were as a movement or any of the names of the individuals within the movement. The most important thing that we do know about them is the fact that they attempted to make Jews out of Gentile Christians. The importance of this group is not so much what they taught but the reaction to their teachings. Paul attacks their teachings head-on in his letters. He wanted to demonstrate to these diasporic communities that Jesus had instituted a new covenant, thus fulfilling the Torah (Law) and making null and void the activities performed under the Mosaic Covenant. To break this down, the Judaizers taught that because the Jews were GOD's Chosen People, when a non-Jew was Spirit-baptized they must become a ceremonial Jew (via circumcision and tradition) in order to access Salvation. In essence, Salvation is based on works rather than on faith.
We have now come full circle back to the introduction of this article. The Judaizers preached a religion of works-based sanctification: the better you are, the more of GOD you have. Sound familiar? Walking with GOD was saddled with a list of actions that were acceptable and necessary and any variance from these confines constituted rebellion and back-sliding. The Judaizers essentially said, live by our rules because we are GOD's mouthpieces. This didn't sit well with Paul. We see him attacking this religious bigotry in his letters to Galatia, Corinth, Colassae and Rome. When a Judaizer would yell Torah, Paul would declare Grace. The Judaziers denied the fact that Jesus had fulfilled the Torah at Calvary, that His Passion ripped the veil to allow Grace to cleanse humanity. The Judaizers denied the power of faith and preferred works.
If you study Paul's Galatian Letter you'll find him painstakingly demonstrating Jesus' fulfillment of the Torah and the advent of Grace. He points out that anyone who tries to live by his own effort—independant of GOD—is doomed to failure. He then provides Text to prove his contention: Utterly cursed is every person who fails to carry out every detail written in the Book of the Law, [Galations 3:9-10, quoting Deuteronomy 27:26]. Paul then drops the bomb in verses 11-12: The obvious impossibility of carrying out such a moral program should make it plain that no one can sustain a relationship with GOD that way. The person who lives in right relationship with GOD does it by embracing what GOD arranges for him. Doing things for GOD is the opposite of entering into what GOD does for you. Habakkuk had it right: The person who believes GOD, is set right by GOD—and that's the real life. Rule-keeping does not naturally evolve into living by faith, but only perpetuates itself in more and more rule-keeping, a fact observed in Scripture: The one who does these things (rule-keeping) continues to live by them. [Galatians 3:11-12, The Message. Paul first quotes Habbakkuk 2:4, then Leviticus 18:5].
In verses 13-14, Paul shows us that Jesus-Messiah [literally the Salvation of YHWH] redeemed us from the cursed life of rule-keeping by absorbing that life into Himself. Jesus became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse of the Law. But, the only way to receive GOD's life (l'chaim: true life over existence) is by believing, by faith.
The purpose of the Law was to keep a sinful people in the way of Salvation until Jesus-Messiah came. The Law was not a first-hand encounter with GOD, but was administered through a middle-man, Moses. But, relating to GOD via an intermediary runs contrary to GOD's promise to Abraham. This original promise is the direct blessing of GOD, and was then, and must now be received by faith. Paul points out that the Law fulfilled the role of a tutor who escorts children to school and protected them from danger or distraction, making sure that the children actually arrive at the place for which they set out [Galatians 3:23-24]. But he doesn't stop there, he continues, But now you have arrived at your destination: by faith in Jesus-Messiah you are in direct relationship with GOD. Your baptism in Jesus-Messiah was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Salvation's life, the fulfillment of GOD's original promise, [Galatians 3:25-27, The Message].
There are those who would negate faith and the power of true relationship by saddling every member of the Community with addendums to the New Covenant, but any addition to this Covenant negates it. The New Covenant established by Jesus-Messiah says that He would fill us with His Holy Spirit to keep us and lead us by the hand into all Truth. This Covenant says that there is no way that you or I will ever be able to be good enough, but because of Grace our sins were forgiven once and for all. This New Covenant says that when we sin (and we will because we are flawed flesh and not yet perfected) that all we have to do to return to right relationship with Jesus is repent (confession and turning away from our sin and turning to His Abundant Life); our repentance allows Grace to kiss Mercy, thus enabling our faith to usher us back into GOD's holy Presence.
Stop trying to be good, you'll never make it. Start living life within the confines of Jesus-Messiah's New Covenant; a Covenant of Grace and Mercy through faith in an Eternal GOD. The Law is fulfilled, don't step back under it. If you do you're damning yourself to an eternity of failure, because you'll never be able to make it. Jesus never intended us to die trying to prove ourselves worthy of His Grace and Mercy; He already knew we could never be worthy. But… He is worthy, He is perfect, He is complete, He is pure…
All we have to do is believe.
* Here are a few authors that you can read to find out more about this subject:
1. Cf. William Barclay, The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, Rev. Ed., 1976), pp. xi-xiii.
2. F. F. Bruce,Commentary on Galatians (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1982)
3. R. A. Cole, The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1965)
4. Herman N. Ridderbos,The Epistle of Paul to the Churches of Galatia (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1953)
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