13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
Far too many of us think, willingly or not, about the Bible as a big, fat rule book. This comes in the kinds of questions we often ask of the Bible. What does it say about giving, about sex, about marriage, about divorce, about whatever else crosses our minds. We buy little topical books to help us utilize the Bible as an encyclopedia. But God never intended that his word would be for us a topical dictionary or guidebook for life, not at least, in the way that many of us want to use it.
It was making the Scripture a set of rules, of “Do this but don’t do that” commands that tended to bring out of Jesus and the apostles some of the strongest words. Yes, God has rules, standards of what is right and wrong. But those standards are not burdensome or illogical. In fact, those standards are summed up by Jesus and by Paul in one command, the command of love.
In looking at how we are to treat one another, Paul in Galatians 5, makes the rules fairly simple. Love one another. If what you would do to another person is unloving, don’t do it. There is no question about using a certain kind of language. There is no question about marital faithfulness. The point that Paul brings forward, the point which must govern our first thoughts about the rules we follow, is, “This action, is it loving?”
Think it through, you cannot gossip about someone and love them at the same time. You cannot cheat on your spouse and love her at the same time. You cannot have sex with someone without a marital commitment to them and love them at the same time. You cannot lead someone away from God’s standards of righteous living and love them at the same time. You cannot physically abuse someone and love them at the same time.
It’s not all negative, though. You can teach your children to follow God, and doing so is certainly loving. You can love your spouse and let others see that this mirrors Christ’s love for his church. You can care for your parents in their old age, loving them in good times and bad. You can put a stop to a gossip’s tongue both out of love for the gossip and for the one who is the target of the gossip. There is much that we can do, and will do, if we love one another.
Some, of course, would attempt to pervert this statement about love into license to sin. They might argue that it is unloving not to let them be as they naturally are, even if God has forbidden their natural behavior. Such license is not love. Love is looking out for someone’s best interest. Sometimes they will not appreciate that. Love is pointing people to God. Love is telling people that they need Jesus. Love is telling a person that sin robs them of their joy, no matter how loving they have made it seem in their own minds. Love does not let a person walk over the edge of a cliff, no matter how much they want to do so. Love leads people to Christ.
So, examine yourself today. How can you love others? What words do you need to say? What actions do you need to take? What conversations do you need to cut off in order to be more loving toward others? “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Gal 5:14).
The Offense of the Cross (Galatians 5:11)
Galatians 5:11
But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.
In Galatia, the Christians were finding themselves misled by those who wanted to impose the Jewish law on them. These religious teachers told the Galatians that they had to surrender to certain religious rituals in order to truly be forgiven by God, to be saved, to be children of God.
Paul’s response to these men was one of great heat. The moment something is added to the cross of Christ, the truth of the cross of Christ is lost, denied. Every religion in the world believes that those who are made right with their deity are made so by their performance of right actions or duties. Christianity is the only religion in the world where the justice of God is preserved while not allowing for a person to earn their way to God by performing right actions or rituals.
Paul said, and this is what has my attention this morning, that to add works to the cross removes the “offense of the cross.” For some reason, our world is offended by the cross of Jesus. I don’t think this is about the blood or the ugliness of the cross, though many are offended by that. The cross is offensive to the world because it both declares that we are guilty and under the wrath of God while declaring that there is nothing we can do on our own to make ourselves right with God. The cross calls us sinful, guilty, damnable. The cross tells us that the only way for us to be right with God is to totally surrender to God and place our trust in Jesus alone. The cross tells us that, though we often want to fix ourselves and do things our way, the only way for us to be right with God is to let go of all our hopes for being good enough to get to God, and to fall on the mercy of God in Christ.
No religion would naturally think of the cross. No religious teacher would say, “OK, here’s the thing. You cannot do anything to please your deity. Just trust that your deity has done it all for you. If you trust, you’re in. If you refuse to trust him, you’re out. You don’t have to pay me for this. You don’t have to become a slave to me for this. You just have to trust.” But, such a message is God’s message. He has chosen to do things in a way beyond our comprehension. God has saved his children by himself, for himself, to himself, and from himself.
When you present your faith to another, do you include the offense of the cross? Think that through. If your faith offers no offense to the world, you are probably missing the cross. If you make your faith about success in this life and not about Christ, you are missing the cross. If you make your faith all about the love of God with no wrath, you are missing the cross. If you make your faith about doing good deeds, obeying rules, refraining from certain things while performing certain actions, you are missing the cross. Our goal is not to offend, but the offense of the cross is the gospel.
Weak like Peter, Forgiven Like Peter (Mark 14:66-72)
Mark 14:66-72 (ESV)
66 And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, 67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. 69 And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” 70 But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” 71 But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” 72 And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
We all know the story of how Peter denied Christ. One moment, Peter had been with Jesus, at the table, declaring that, no matter what , he would stick with Jesus. We all remember Peter’s bravery in the garden, cutting off the ear of one of those who had come to arrest Jesus. As one author once said, “There’s Peter: flash the sword then deny the Lord.”
But haven’t’ we all been just like Peter? Every guy that I have ever known has been like Peter. How many times have you looked in your mirror or boasted to your friends about what you would say if so and so dares come into your presence only to chicken out when you are finally face-to-face with your nemesis? How many times have you given yourself a pep talk about how you are winsome and charming, and how the girl is sure to go out with you if only you will ask,, but when she walks into the room, you can’t speak?
Or, let’s take this out of guy territory, and let’s place it at the feet of all believers. You know the gospel. You love the gospel. You’ve perhaps even gone on mission trips where you boldly shared the gospel. But then there’s your neighbor. If you share the gospel with her, she might be offended. Or, there’s your Christian friend, doing something you know is wrong. But if you confront him, maybe you’ll look like a legalist. Suddenly, all that resolve you thought you had seeps away like ocean waves flowing back down the beach and into the sea.
The point is, we all know what Peter is going through here. Sure, maybe you would have done different if you were in his sandals that night, but then again, maybe not. Peter was tired, confused, and scared. Perhaps Peter reasoned that he would do Jesus no good by simply being arrested and beaten in front of him. Without question, Peter sinned greatly in this detestable denial; let’s not forget that. But, let’s also realize that he was not in a comfortable place, and we have often failed in our own uncomfortable places.
Then, if you are able to give Peter a little grace, remember this too: Jesus forgave and restored Peter. That’s the ultimate end of this story. Jesus sought Peter out. Jesus showed Peter that Peter’s love was not as vibrant as Peter would have bragged, and then he sent Peter on with the task of feeding the sheep, the early church.
Jesus knows you. He knows that your mouth writes checks that your actions will not cash. He knows that you are not nearly so brave as you pretend. He knows that your tummy flutters and you stammer sometimes when you should be bold as a lion. He knows you, and if you are his child, he saved you. God chose a very weak, foolish, frail people to be his children. God’s grace is sufficient for us in our greatest weaknesses and failures. Yes, we are weak in the knees like Peter, but, if we have come under Christ’s grace through faith in him, we are now and forever the children of God, heirs according to the promise, heirs of eternal life.
No, I would not urge you to be like Peter. Stand strong when you get the chance to proclaim your allegiance to the Lord. When the door is open to share the gospel, go through it. But if, for some reason, you fail to seize the opportunity, remember Peter. Peter was wrong. Peter was a wimp that night. Peter failed miserably. And, Peter was forgiven, restored to Christ, and used in his service to glorify God.
Donald Miller, Father Fiction – a Review
Donald Miller is, without question, a name that his easily recognized in modern Christianity. Some love his works; some, not so much. Father Fiction is my first reading of Miller’s works, and my own response is mixed.
In this work, miller talks to young men about growing up without a dad in his life. The Authors own father was not present in his life, and this led to him struggling through many important developmental issues.
Positives
Many authors Endeavour to adopt a style that is conversational in tone. Sadly, most make the reader feel like they are struggling to manage this feat. Not Miller. Miller’s style is easy-to-read. As a reader, I found myself feeling like I was listening to a guy sitting across my living room or addressing a small group. This makes the pages fly by, and gives a great note of realism to Miller’s work.
This book has some very helpful, down-to-earth, advice to offer. Miller talks with frankness to young men about the need to grow up, to take responsibility for life, and to not let their past determine their future. The author speaks strongly about the need for young men to learn to pay their bills, to study for themselves, and to treat women and sexuality appropriately. There is an undertone of devotion to God that flows through these pages as the thing that will make all this actually able to come right.
Negatives
While there is a sort of God undertone in this book that comes to the forefront, it is not nearly as prominent as would have made me happy with the work. Miller very seldom sites the holy Scriptures, and thus his writing smacks of Dr. Phil’s advice as much as it does Christian writing. Perhaps this is intentionally geared by Miller for a lost audience, but as a believer, it seemed that Miller gave good advice without going to the real source of power for life-change.
In a couple of instances, miller borders on crudeness. Of course, this is not at all uncommon for authors in Millers subgenre. His particular statement about what makes a “real man,” the possession of—shall we say—the proper physical equipment, is very edgy and not something I would particularly like an immature person to be spouting. Don’t get me wrong, I understand Miller’s point, and he is not nearly as edgy as several others in his field. However, this section stands out, and I consider it more negative than positive.
Recommendation
Father Fiction has the potential to speak with piercing clarity to many young men. If you have a young man in your life who is struggling with the lack of a father figure in his life or who is giving himself to too long an adolescence, this book might help. There are certainly points in the book that spoke to me, and I had a dad at home, and I’m glad to have heard them. However, I wish the book had a better use of Scripture and a more developed theology in evidence. Also, it could be used poorly by someone who is too immature to handle earthy language without it doing him harm.
For this review, I read the excellent audio book from www.ChristianAudio.com.
Delighting in God’s Commands (Psalm 112:1)
Psalm 112:1
Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commandments!
We live in a world full of people who bristle at the idea of God daring to command them to do or avoid anything. This is strange. These same folks seem to take it as their right to order God about in their prayers; yet, let them be confronted with the word of God, and they battle against the concept that the Lord of all creation might dare expect anything of them.
One way that this response to the authority of God is so sad is that battling the authority of God is a sure way to keep yourself from being blessed. Look at the words of the psalmist. He opens this psalm with praise to God. He is clearly glad to offer God glory.
The psalmist follows up his praise with a beatitude, a statement of blessing. Who is blessed? One thing is for sure, the one who is blessed is not the one who ignores the commands of God. No, the blessed one is the one who fears God. The blessed one is the one who greatly—not just a little bit—delights in the commands of the Lord.
For the lost or worldly person, the idea that the commands of God are pleasant should seem strange. However, to the Christian, the concept of the sweetness of God’s word should be as clear as day. So, Christian, ask yourself, “Do I greatly delight in the commands of God?” Do you love when God calls you to change? Do you think, when you read God’s holy standards, “Yes, Lord, this is truly perfect!” God’s word is perfect, you know. God’s standards are the perfect picture of what is right. Let us learn to fear God and greatly delight in his commands. Along this path is joy and blessing.
E.M. Bounds: Man of Prayer – a Review
I’ve heard the name of E.M. Bounds many times, though before reading E.M. Bounds: Man of Prayer by Lyle Dorsett, I could not have told you anything about him. Bounds, a moderately influential Methodist minister and author from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s, served God in Missouri, Tennessee, and Georgia while authoring a dozen books, several of which are still in print today. Bounds is most widely-known for his works on prayer.
Positives
Dorsett is concise and to-the-point in his journey through the life of E.M. Bounds. Sadly, there is simply not much factual data for him to have gathered. Happily, Dorsett does not take it upon himself to bring in a great deal of speculation and imagination to make his small book a larger work. He describes Bounds’ life, marriages (once widowed), and ministerial career.
What most interested me was Dorsett’s description of Bounds’ involvement in the Methodist church in the south during the initial rise of theological liberalism in the 1890s. Bounds was unwilling to accept the low view of Scripture that was invading Methodism from Europe.
Negatives
While interesting, I cannot say that this book inspired me. If anything, Dorsett’s work has made me want to pick up one of Bounds’ books on prayer. But, for the most part, the book feels like reading a long and informative magazine article about the life of a name you kind of know, but not very well.
Recommendation
If you have read Bounds and would like to know his life story, I’d guess that this is about the best book you could turn to for that knowledge. If you just like reading biographies, even those without a great deal of drama, this is a fine choice. Otherwise, you might not find this book riveting.
The audio recording of this book from www.christianaudio.com is very well done. I found this narrator one of the easiest to listen to that I’ve heard. And, because the book is short, it only required a download of 2 files—much better than the large number of files in some books.
Don’t Fix the Gospel (Galatians 1:10)
Galatians 1:10
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
With the rise of theological liberalism in the nineteenth and twentieth century’s, American Christianity found itself in danger of losing the biblical gospel. Any student of that age can document how scholars, first in Europe and then in the United States, began to question the Scripture and its teachings until an entirely different gospel emerged.
What most do not consider, however, is that these men who denied the atonement and the necessity of mankind to have personal, saving faith in Christ, they were not trying to destroy the gospel in the process. No, if one reads the writings of these men or sees transcripts of their messages, one will find that these men actually believed that they were saving the gospel. They were updating the message of the Bible for a new, enlightened humanity who believed more in science than superstition. Liberals did not intend to destroy the gospel at all; instead, they wanted to save the church.
The problem is, the gospel does not itself need to be saved. Any tweak of the gospel in order to make the message of Jesus Christ more palatable for the lost is actually going to end up stripping the message of, well, the gospel. The cross is foolishness to the lost. The blood of Jesus is an offense to those who do not know Christ and have not come to him for grace. Anything that will sweeten the gospel to the lost is very likely a removal of the heart of the gospel.
I’m not here speaking of contextualization, speaking the gospel to people in words and ways that they can understand. I’m not saying that missionaries cannot learn to dress and speak like the people to whom they are witnessing. But when the changes come in the fundamental message of the gospel, the changes are devastating to the cause of the missionary. As Paul said, trying to please man makes one no longer a servant of Christ.
The gospel is very simple. God is. He is our Creator and Judge. God is holy and loving. We have all rebelled against him, failing to live up to his standards. We have earned, through our rebellion, his wrath for our sins. God must punish our sins because he is perfectly just. God sent Jesus Christ, God the Son, to earth as a man to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Jesus took our place, paid the penalty for our sins, and satisfied the wrath of God for our rebellion. Anyone who will believe in Jesus and turn from their sins will be forgiven by God—salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. This is the gospel, and it must not be changed.
David’s Dancing (2 Samuel 6:20-22)
20 And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” 21 And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will make merry before the Lord. 22 I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be based in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.”
Some passages of the Bible become known more for their legend than their fact. Such a passage is the above event from 2 Samuel 6. When David finally followed the biblical instructions for moving the ark of the covenant, what did he also do?> Did he, as some people still readily claim, dance naked before the Lord and the people? I think it likely that you will have heard someone make this claim, but is it truth? Or, as is so often the case, is the story of David’s Full Monty performance actually more like the warping of a secret in the old telephone game, becoming more and more corrupt as it is retold by careless people?
It seems, from a cursory examination of the passage and a few commentaries, David did not dance in the buff. Instead, he was wearing a linen ephod, a priestly garment. “And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod” (2 Sam 6:14). Part of the point of priestly garments, if you recall, is to keep them from exposing nakedness (Exo 28:42-43). Thus, David did not show off anything that would be inappropriate to see.
David’s wife was embarrassed by his behavior, not because David was lewd (though that could be implied in her accusation), but because he behaved in a manner that she did not feel was befitting his station as king. She did not like the idea of the king taking off his symbols of authority and dancing around like a commoner.
Add to this discussion the idea that David was “undignified” in his actions. This is not saying that David was out-of-control, mad, or crazy in any way—regardless of what some popular worship songs have suggested. No, the point is that David would not hold himself aloof as king and refuse to worship the Lord and celebrate the Lord’s glory. The call is not for us to be silly in our worship services or to be chaotic or disorderly in any way; the call is, rather, that none of us assume that we are of too lofty a station in life to humble ourselves before God in the same way as the poorest person on earth.
Oh, and while I’m poking at this story, let me also say that I do not believe that this passage is in any way an argument that dance should be used in modern worship services. The dancing that was done was akin to the kinds of dancing that might occur as celebration in any event. People dance in the aisles of a stadium when their team wins a game. David and others seem to have spontaneously danced for joy. IT was not programmed. It was not an attempt to interpret a song for the benefit of the congregation. It was simply dancing for fun, out of overflowing joy at the presence and honor of God. Such need not be programmed. I’m not calling dance wrong. I’m simply saying that this passage is no argument for the inclusion of programmed dancing in our formal services of worship.
So, stripping the legend from the facts, we still can learn a great deal from David’s actions. He was the king. He did not, however, assume that his kingliness prevented him from humbling himself before the Lord. IT is good for the people of God, when they come to worship, to let go any thought of social rank and to simply, as one body and family, offer praise to God as humble servants of the King of kings.
Randy Alcorn’s "The Treasure Principle" – a Mini Review
Randy Alcorn is no stranger to financial success, financial loss, and sacrificial giving. In The Treasure Principle, Alcorn shares with his readers six important keys to joyful and free Christian giving.
Positives
It is very possible that many Christians do not even recognize the hold that materialism has upon their lives. Alcorn’s work helps us to see just how devastatingly attached we are to our things, and how sadly we miss the joys of giving.
Alcorn challenges us to realize that God is the true owner of everything while we are merely his stewards. We will give more freely and rightly when our mindset on giving changes. Alcorn encourages us to realize that all the money we have is God’s. Instead of thinking, “What does God want me to give,” we should think, “How much would God want me to keep of his money?” This mind-shift is very helpful for believers.
Negatives
Not much is negative in this book. It is possible that Alcorn is too simplistic or sweeping in his statements. This negative is not damaging for most readers, however, only for those who read this book without discernment.
Recommendation
It would be very good for almost any Christian, especially in western cultures, to read through and strongly consider Alcorn’s The Treasure Principle. Perhaps it would open our eyes and hearts to giving for the joy of the eternal reward and the glory of God. Yes, readers should be careful and consider their steps wisely, but this is true of any book. Without question, believers should consider how God would have us worship him through giving in the midst of this difficult financial time.
I am grateful to www.ChristianAudio.com for their excellent downloadable version of this book. They also have a free download of conference audio from Alcorn on this book (I haven’t’ listened to it, but I’d suppose it contains much of the same material for $0 and in a 50-minute lecture).
A Biblical Assisted Suicide, and the Consequences (2 Samuel 1:6-10, 14-16)
2 Samuel 1:6-10, 14-16
6 And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. 7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8 And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9 And he said to me ‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’ 10 So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”
14 David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” 15 Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. 16 And David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’ ”
Here is a passage that I have never personally heard cited in the debate over assisted suicide, but which might indeed apply. A young Amalekite claims to have come across King Saul who was wounded, but not dead. (It is possible, by the way, that this man is lying to make himself look good.) The Amalekite says that Saul cried out to him to be merciful to him and end his life before the Philistines reach him. Apparently thinking he is doing something good, the Amalekite claims to have put Saul out of his misery and then come to report to David.
David, for his part, pronounces immediate judgment upon the Amalekite. Saul was alive according to the claims of this young man, and the Amalekite reached out and took Saul’s life. David seems to have no room in his thinking for this to be OK, even if Saul was miserable, even if Saul was already dying, even if it would prevent Saul’s further suffering. What mattered in this instance, according to David, was that the young man had slain the Lord’s anointed, and this was simply unacceptable, regardless of circumstances.
Of course, one might try to argue that this was a special circumstance because of Saul’s rank as King. I would counter, however, that, according to the testimony, the king had requested this assistance. The problem is, this assistance should not be sought nor should it be rendered. The Amalekite falls as a murderer because he stretched out his hand to take another life without there being any of the extenuating circumstances in which the Lord will allow this to be done (i.e. in battle, for justice, in self-defense, etc).
It seems that, if David is acting as God would have him act (which seems to be the intended teaching of the author of 2 Samuel), we should learn that God does not want us to take action to end the life of another person made in his image simply because that person wants us to. God is the Master of life and death. God has written every last one of our days that he has ordained for us (Psalm 139:16). It is right to leave this issue in the hands of our God.
It is always possible that you are reading this after having chosen to assist another’s death, and you feel incredibly guilty over what you have done. Remember that the Lord’s mercy is great. Jesus Christ died as an atoning sacrifice for all of the sins of all of God’s people. If you will repent of your sin, confess it to Christ, turn to Jesus and trust in him for mercy, he will forgive you. This does not excuse anything, but it will result in you being cleansed for your sins and made into a child of God.
Pastor Travis Peterson 