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But It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

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What is God more interested in: your actions or your motives? This is a trick question. So many of us assume that, if we had good motives, our actions are not a big deal. But the Lord is clear in his word that both our actions and our motives matter a great deal.

Consider Saul, the king. He knew he needed to go into a battle. He knew that he had not sought the Lord’s favor by offering a sacrifice. But Saul was not authorized by God to make that sacrifice. Surely, if he broke the rule on who is allowed to make the offering, God would not mind. Surely God would not be so strict on those restrictions.

1 Samuel 13:8-14 – 8 He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. 11 Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12 I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” 13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

OK, it turns out that God was just as concerned about Saul’s obedience as he was about the offering. This move on the part of the king did not please the Lord. and this move on Saul’s part, along with a mess he makes in chapter 15, results in his family’s loss of the throne of Israel.

Consider how applicable this all is to our lives as Christians. What things are Christians compromising right now? What are we willing to think God will be OK with so long as our motives are pure and the results of our actions successful? Where do we decide that a pragmatic victory is worth more than obedience?

I see this in the way that many compromise worship for the sake of supposedly reaching out to the lost. Some churches shape what they do on Sundays entirely around those who are not part of the family of God. But the Lord is clear that worship is about him, not about those who are turned against him.

Or what about the way that many churches and individuals compromise on hot-button social issues for the sake of being received by the world? Should we not be more interested in pleasing the Lord than in gaining a reputation in our community through compromise?

I bet, if you think about it, you can think of several ways that you are personally tempted to cut corners on the things of God for the sake of what you think is a good end. We do not want to be naturally offensive people. We do not want to seem weird to the world. We do not want to look like our standards or our thoughts are several centuries out-of-date.

But the truth is, dear Christian friends, our thoughts and standards are not going to be with the times. They cannot be so and still please the Lord. Our actions have to be based on obedience to the word of God, and not on any sort of pragmatic focus on supposed life or ministry success. God wants us to submit to him, to love him, and to keep his word. Let us remember that doing so is very important, even if we think that we have good motivation to turn to our own ideas.

An Example of Wisdom in an Abuse Case

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If you’re active on the Internet, especially in Baptist or reformed circles, you have been exposed to the discussion of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson’s comments regarding a woman suffering spousal abuse. This conversation, of course, has triggered a great deal of anger, multiple discussions, and many condemnations. Patterson has since issued an apology for making unwise statements.

Without getting into the political Internet rancor regarding Patterson, the SBC, SWBTS, and all the rest, I want to simply point out an example from biblical narrative of a wise response to abuse from one in a position of authority. This is not all there is to say, but it came from my daily Bible reading, and it is a good start.

David was in the service of King Saul. Saul was insanely jealous of the people’s response to David, and from time-to-time, Saul had been overcome by rage against the young man who had slain a giant. But Saul’s son, Jonathan, loved David.

AT one point, David feared for his life because of Saul. And So David came to Jonathan to ask for help.

1 Samuel 20:1-4- 1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?” 2 And he said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.” 3 But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.” 4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”

David expressed his fear, a genuine fear for his physical safety. Jonathan expressed surprise, but when he saw that David was serious, Jonathan pledged to help. From this point, David and Jonathan did the best they could to expose Saul’s intentions regarding David, and this all eventually led to Jonathan helping David to escape from Saul’s murderous intent.

Note that, in this situation, Jonathan did not say to David, “Saul is your authority, so you have to submit to his abuse.” And no biblically thinking Christian gives such counsel. There are certainly times in Scripture where Christians are called on to suffer bravely for Christ, but these commands are in the context of Christians who are in inescapable situations—slaves under harsh masters as an example.

What then should a Christian spouse facing abuse do? First, the one abused or fearing abuse needs to get to a place of safety. You must be aware, however, that often abusers become even more dangerous as you seek to leave the home. Thus, getting away may require careful planning or the involvement of the police. Second, if physical abuse has occurred or genuine threats of harm have been issued, this is a violation of the law. The threatened or abused spouse should contact the police for help. Third, the abused spouse should reach out to the elders of the church to which they belong as a member. The elders can offer prayer, counsel, and support as the abused spouse attempts to deal with the situation. If the couple are both church members, the elders can begin the process of biblical church discipline, calling the abusive spouse to repent of sin.

As a pastor, I would not encourage any person suffering abuse or genuinely fearing physical abuse of any kind to return to an unsafe environment. Instead, I would counsel much of what we see David do with Saul. David got himself to a place of safety and used a go-between to help him in his dealings with the crazed king. When the threat was not repented of and change had not been made, David remained apart from the abuser. David did not attempt to hurt Saul. David simply remained apart from Saul so long as Saul intended him harm.

Obviously, there is more at stake in a modern marriage. The presence of the church and of the legal authorities is a significant part of our situation. But I think that we can see, even in this narrative, a wise principle. If you are endangered by an authority over you, get away and get help. In marriage, this does not assume an immediate move to divorce. But it most certainly assumes an immediate move to safety and a call for repentance.

If you are abused or threatened with abuse:

  • Get to safety (this may require planning and careful timing).
  • Contact the police (the police can help you get to safety).
  • Contact your church elders.
  • Seek reconciliation through repentance on the part of the abuser.
  • Communicate from a place of safety or through a go-between if necessary.
  • Remain in a safe place until credible repentance occurs.

A lesson on Insults

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Many conflicts in our lives are caused by our supposed need to address every insult we perceive that we have received. But the Bible lets us know that it can be to a man’s glory to overlook an offense. Sometimes we need to make a conscious choice not to react to nasty things said about us if those nasty things are clearly untrue.

Perhaps this proverb will help.

Proverbs 26:2 Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.

The picture here is simple. Birds fly over your head. If they do not land on you, they really do not impact you. Well, a curse spoken against you, a nasty thing said about you, one that is not true, is like a bird that does not land on you. If the nasty thing is untrue, it should not provoke you to a reaction any more than does a bird flying past. Undeserved curses do not come to rest.

Now, obviously it requires wisdom to know when to respond to an insult and when to let it go. Some untruths have to be countered for the glory of God and for the defense of our Christian message. But the point we also need to grasp is that not all insults require us to stand and fight. Some are so foolish, so small, so obviously wrong that we can ignore them in the same way we ignore a pigeon.

So, Christian, pray that God will give you wisdom. Yes, when it matters, go to bat. But when it does not matter, let it fly by.

Also, Christian, ask the Lord, when you are offended by an insult, if it should land. Perhaps you are offended because what is said about you has a grain of truth in it. Let that lead you to repentance.

God and the Heart

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When Saul was anointed king, he did not particularly want the job. When Samuel told him what was to come, we have nothing that makes us think that this appealed to Saul. In truth, we see nothing of Saul’s response to Samuel’s prophecy. But, when Saul turned to leave Samuel, God did something that we need to see.

1 Samuel 10:9 – When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day.

God gave Saul a new heart. God, by the supernatural power of God, for the all-important glory of God, based on the perfect plans of God, took action on the heart of Saul. God reached into Saul and changed him. God gave Saul a desire. God did not go against Saul’s will. God seems to have changed Saul’s will so that it would align with the plans and purposes and glory of God.

Does this offend you? Does the concept of God moving your heart so that your desires match his own bother you? I hope not, as this is something that God does with his people. The Lord gives new hearts, new desires, new obedience to whom he chooses.

Here is the truth that Christians need to grasp: God works on the heart, from the inside, in ways that we cannot imagine. God changes human hearts. If the Lord did not do this, all humans, every last one of us, would oppose him because of the stain of sin passed down to us from Adam We would oppose God because of our own self-destructive rebellion. WE would oppose God because of the deceptive work of the devil. But if we do not oppose God, this is because God has given spiritual life to a spiritually dead soul, giving a new heart to a person the Father has given to the Son.

God Works Out Circumstances From Both Sides

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When you and I have problems in our lives that we desire the Lord to help us through, often we fail to have faith in what God can do. We only see the problem from our own point of view, and our understanding is terribly limited. We fail, especially when we do not remember what the Lord might be doing on the other side of our situation, the side we cannot see.

This thought hit me when thinking about the anointing of Saul as king over Israel. If you know the story, you know that Israel sinned against the Lord in their desire for a king. But God told Samuel the prophet that he would give them what they asked for. In truth, God will give Israel exactly the kind of king they wanted, handsome, tall, and strong. Of course, Israel did not ask for a godly king, and they would not get one in Saul.

The way that God brings Saul and Samuel together is what fascinates me. Saul’s father lost some donkeys. Saul and a friend when out looking for the animals. But they did not know that God was using those circumstances to bring them to the prophet, Samuel.

1 Samuel 9:15-17 – 15 Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.”

Samuel, for his part, was told by God to expect to meet Saul on a particular day in a particular town. ?And the Lord made it happen.

Here is where we might find encouragement. God was working on both sides of the issue to bring Samuel and Saul together at just the right place and in just the right time. God told Samuel that Saul would come to him. All Saul was doing was looking for donkeys, but God was moving in Samuel’s life to prepare to anoint Saul as king.

Consider when you pray for something like the salvation of a lost friend or a need that you deeply desire to have met. Do you remember that God is working on the side of the problem you cannot see? Do you remember that, while you are hunting down your lost donkeys, God might be moving someone into place to meet you and change your world? Do you remember that, when you want to witness to someone, the Lord might be doing things in their heart that you cannot see and may never learn about until eternity?

Friends, we should remember that our God is sovereign. God moves in ways we cannot imagine. He can move people’s circumstances to put them right where he wants them, even when we have no idea what he is doing. Let us trust the Lord. Let us pray in faith. Let us remember that God works out problems from more than one side.

Images, Mice, Tumors, and Getting It Wrong

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What happens to religion when mankind is left to fend for himself? We always mess things up. We will come up with the strangest notions of what must be pleasing to God. We will compromise what God commands us not to do. We are simply not good at all when it comes to figuring out God on our own.

In one of my daily readings, the plan I’m working through (the Book-at-a-Time plan from Discipleship Journal) took me through 1 Samuel 4-6. And on this day, I saw two examples of people who, when either ignoring or ignorant of the word of God, made up religious suggestions for dealing with bad situations. Both were wrong. One seemed to work while the other did not. And both show us that mankind, when left to ourselves, will really mess things up.

The first mistake is made by the people of Israel.

1 Samuel 4:3-4 – 3 And when the troops came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.”

In this instance, the people failed to realize that the reason that they were being defeated in battle had to do with the nation’s rebellion against the Lord and his commands. Instead, they developed for themselves a superstitious and almost pagan view that the presence of the ark of the covenant would make them victorious in battle.

If you know the story, you know that God allows the ark of the covenant to be captured by the Philistines, and it remains with them for 7 months. In that time, God afflicts the Philistines with mice and tumors so long as the ark is in their cities. So the Philistines decide to return the ark to Israel.

The enemy Philistines make the second mistake when they try to figure out the best offering to make to God as they send the ark back to its homeland.

1 Samuel 6:3-5 – 3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you.” 4 And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5 So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you and your gods and your land.”

In both instances, Israelite and Philistine, the people make a very common human mistake when dealing with the things of God. The people assume a connection between physical elements and spiritual grace which is not biblical, nor has it ever been. And the people assume that they, by their own creativity, can come up with ways to assuage the wrath of God or prompt God to do for them what they want.

When the Israelites assume that the presence of the ark of the covenant will bring them victory in battle, they are assuming that the physical presence of the golden chest is what was the difference in their defeat. They assume, for some reason, that the presence of a physical object would somehow impact their experience of the presence of God. But the Lord is clear throughout his word that he is not confined in any earthly space. Nor is the Lord’s favor to be earned by any sort of special grace infused into or gained from objects. God has never called Christians to use statues, boxes, pictures, or any other physical element as a talisman to somehow gain access to more of his grace or more of his presence. Such thinking comes from other world religions, and steps away from the true gospel.

Yes, Christians have ceremonies that include physical things: WE baptize and we receive Lord’s Supper. But in neither of these ceremonies do biblical Christians assume that the water of the baptistery or the elements of the supper impart grace to us. The elements are symbols. The act of worshipping the Lord through obedience helps us to honor him and to grow in our faith. But the ceremonies do not somehow spiritually grow us through contact with physical items.

The Philistines also erred when they assumed that their offerings to God of golden tumors and mice would please him. Yes, God was intending to send the ark back to Israel. But God hates idols. God does not command that we worship him by focusing our worship through images. In fact, the second commandment particularly forbids the kind of things that the Philistines did.

The problem for those guys was the fact that they assumed they could figure God out or figure out how to please God from their own wisdom and experience. They assumed that, if an idea seemed good to them, then the idea must be good for God. This is perhaps the most common of all human failings, and it is truly deadly.

Friends, there is one and only one way to really know what pleases the Lord. You must rightly handle and apply what the Lord has given us in the Scripture. The Bible is how to know God and know what God wants. Anything we bring to our definition of God that comes from outside the pages of Scripture must be submitted to Scripture as the final authority. That is not to say that we do not draw wise conclusions from Scripture. All systematic and even biblical theology includes conclusions we come to from Scripture. We use terms not in the Bible. But all our life, all our doctrines, all our practices must be clearly justifiable from faithful exegesis and application of the word of God. That will prevent us from thinking that physical elements impart special blessings. That will keep us from trying to please God by making statues of tumors and mice. And that will keep us from deciding that we can come up with our own ways to please God that God never suggested.

An Example of the Danger of Silence

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The sons of Eli were wicked men. During the days of the judges, when Israel was decaying morally, Eli served as priest. But Eli refused to rein in his children.

The Sons of Eli violated the word of God even as they played the roles of priests in the temple. They committed sexual immorality. They stole offerings that should have been given to the Lord. They threatened people with violence. They dishonored the Lord.

And the Lord made it plain that his judgment, a very strong judgment, was going to fall on Eli and his household because of the sins of the sons as well as for Eli’s refusal to stand against what his sons were doing.

1 Samuel 2:11-14 – 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

We certainly see that the judgment of God is strong against what Eli had done. And we should also think well to understand why. What Eli did, what his sons did, these are sins that are prominent in our world today. We know God hates these things, and we need to be sure to avoid them.

Simply put, Eli’s sons violated the word of God and used the guise of religion to exercise their sinful desires. Instead of submitting to the word of God, these men abused their position, using a portion of the word of God to dishonor God. And Eli, as a man who knew the word of God, was too weak to put a stop to it. He complained about his boys, but he would not stand against them.

Today, in our land, we have men who have risen to positions of power in religious communities. Some of these men are prosperity preachers on brightly lit stages. They may hold a Bible in their hands as they make false promises of worldly blessings and bilk their followers out of their savings. God hates this.

Others may be conference speakers who appear conservative, but who eventually step away from the word of God to press forward their own agendas. They get caught up in a cause, and suddenly the faithful exegesis of the text of the word of God, what they were originally known for, takes second place to the speaker’s new pet cause. This cannot please the Lord.

How about a local pastor who simply refuses to handle the word of God faithfully? There are men in pulpits who rip Scripture verses out of context so that they can shape the local church to their own design. They will pull texts about the victory of Israel’s armies or the building of the temple, and they will make those texts the slogans for the building of fancy church buildings. In doing this, the local church believers will suddenly find that their giving and their serving to fund a building is as important as their worship and study and fellowship and the rest. This cannot please God.

Or perhaps we see men who will simply refuse to allow the Scripture to say what it really says. Leaders, authors, seminary professors, or local pastors suddenly find in the Scripture a loophole to participate in sinful behavior that is clearly, explicitly, unconditionally forbidden. These will pretend that they are compromising the word of God out of love for sinners. But in truth, they are neither loving God, whose standards are violated, nor the sinners, who are facing the judgment of God for their sin.

And many of us will say that we agree. We do not want men like this to have a platform. We do not want pastors who compromise the word of God. We do not want pastors who can give preaching short shrift. We do not want to see men tolerated who lie and bully and manipulate to shape the local church to fit their vision. Nor do we want to see famous denominational leaders or conference speakers allowed to get away with dishonoring the word of God with their preaching.

But, will we be like Eli? Eli complained. Eli did not like what he saw. But Eli simply sat back, bemoaned the sins of his sons, and did nothing to change the situation. Eli did not speak out in public against the evils of his sons. Eli did not rock the boat. Eli did not stand up, even if doing so would cost him friends or reputation. Eli, by his passivity, earned the judgment of God.

Christian friends, we must be willing to stand and speak. We must be willing to address and correct wrongs. We must be willing to oppose false teaching. We must be willing to hold pastors and elders and conference speakers and denominational leaders accountable for their words and their actions.

Do not get me wrong. Every leader has feet of clay. No pastor will preach every sermon or every series with perfection. And you and I should be gracious. We want to believe the best of our pastors. We want to encourage them. And we certainly do not start firing off nasty emails at the first sign of our local leader not being as thorough as a John Piper, a John MacArthur, or an R. C. Sproul.

But when we see a leader compromise Scripture—not just preach it in weakness, but actually turn it upside-down—we have to speak. When we see a leader living in sin through deceit, through intimidation, or through other forms of immorality, we have to stand. When we see a man or woman ignoring the word of God or using the word in a false way to get away with sin, we are guilty if we remain silent.

This is all hard. It requires love and wisdom to know how to speak. But the word of God shows us that tolerating sin in others, especially in those who are sinning with the word of God, is a big deal. Let us pray for our leaders. Let us love our leaders. Let us talk with our leaders privately if we see issues. But when a leader walks away from the word of God or begins to use his authority to abuse others, let us stand strong against that for the glory of God and the good of others.

A Proverb and Plurality of Elders

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While the biblical understanding of elder plurality seems to be becoming more popular and more understood, there are still many churches whose leadership has simply never thought through the issue. Sadly, many of us simply do things the way we have always seen them done, and we may well miss a design of God for the structure and leadership of the body.

I thought of that issue in my daily reading which recently took me through Proverbs 24.

Proverbs 24:5-6

5 A wise man is full of strength,

and a man of knowledge enhances his might,

6 for by wise guidance you can wage your war,

and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Wise people win battles. How? Wise people win battles with the aid of an abundance of counselors. It takes many wise heads to be sure that one myopic vision does not lead to disaster.

Such wisdom in the Old Testament reminds us of the wisdom of God in the New Testament. As the Lord has given us some important truths about the leadership of the church. What we see, on every occasion, is that churches are led by elders. In each case, the wording is plural, more than one elder is involved in leading each congregation.

Titus 1:5- This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—

If the term elder is unusual to you, understand that the word for elder is often interchanged with the word for pastor or overseer. Those words all refer to the same office in the church, describing it with different terms. So, an elder is a pastor is an overseer. If you have one pastor, you have one elder. If you have 2 pastors, you have 2 elders or overseers.

Elder is a word that hints at age, experience or wisdom. Pastor is a word that means a shepherd of the flock. Overseer, also sometimes bishop, indicates watching over, keeping, or perhaps even exercising authority over the body.

1 Peter 5:1-2 – 1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;

Note in those verses that Peter talks to the elders. He urges them to shepherd the flock of God. Shepherd as a verb there is the same as the word that, as a noun, we use for pastor. Peter tells them to exercise oversight, which is the third term which we often make overseer or bishop. In 2 verses, Peter uses all 3 words to speak to the leaders of the church, the elders. You can find the same interchange in Acts 20:17 and 28 where we see elders and overseers watching the flock, a shepherd term.

In case you are curious, the other office in the church is that of deacon. The word for deacon does not indicate authoritative leadership, but is a word for servant. Deacons are servants in the church who take care of important needs in order to free up the elders of the church for their role of prayer, Bible teaching, and spiritual oversight.

Our church is also congregational in its structure. That means that, though we are led by a plurality, a group, of elders, the leadership of those elders is subject to the affirmation of the church. Our elders do not have the authority to force any major decision on the body. The congregation, as a unit, outranks the elders. But, as the elders lead biblically, the congregation will affirm that leadership and follow faithfully.

The beauty of this structure is seen in multiple ways. First, it is biblical. This matches the things we see in the New Testament about the local congregation. Second, this structure allows for deacons to really serve as deacons rather than serving as a committee watching over a solo pastor. And, this structure requires a plurality of elders, more than one counselor to take on the tasks of leadership.

In Proverbs 24, we see that many counselors help. But if a church is structured with only a solo pastor wielding the authority, there is a problem. And if the church has a set of pastors, but one man forces his agenda on the rest, again, there is a problem. The way to have many real counselors is to have a genuine plurality of elders. This plurality must be a true mix of godly men, none of whom has authority over the others, who can work together, counsel each other, keep each other in check, and lead the congregation faithfully. Even then, the congregation under the word of God must affirm the leadership of the elders and not be simply run over by bullies who build their own kingdom for their own glory. Only when we put this all together are we shaping our churches most wisely, most effectively, and most biblically.

Ethnic Reconciliation in Ephesians 2

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open with coffee and notebook

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians contains in it gospel glories that are rich and wonderful. Paul writes of God’s predestining grace, the promise of an eternal inheritance for all Christians, the way we were dead in sins before God made us alive in Christ, and so much more.

Paul also is clear to note that what God has done in the gospel accomplishes some amazing things, things that many in the past would have seen as impossible. Paul sees that the gospel of Jesus Christ, the predestination and salvation of Jews and gentiles, has brought about an ethnic reconciliation that is so amazing, so stunning, so wonderful that the plan to do such a thing is referred to as the mystery of God.

Ephesians 1:9-10 – 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Ephesians 3:1-6 – 1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Notice that the profound mystery of god, the mystery hidden in the Old Testament, is that God in Christ would reconcile to himself believing Jews and gentiles. The mystery is that the people in the Old Testament days did not understand that their entire national religious system was a pointer to a profound work of God whereby he would make a people for himself that is not a Jewish or a gentile nation, but a united family of believers.

And look at how Paul speaks of this reconciliation at the end of chapter 2. What is said here is tremendously important to Christians today.

Ephesians 2:11-13 – 11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

This section says what I have already been pointing out. It is a biblical glory that God has united two different ethnic groups, two peoples who had been violently separated in times past.

Ephesians 2:14-16 – 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

What does the word of God say has happened? Because of the work of Christ, the two have become one people. The wall of hostility has been broken down. The ethnic division has been abolished. How? This division was not overcome through special events focused on celebrating diverse cultures, nor through political maneuvering, nor through repeated apologies for wrongs done by any group’s forefathers. No, the reconciliation is effected by the glorious and mysterious work of Christ. The cross of Christ reconciles what had been divided. The blood of Christ makes one what others could have never imagined as less than two. The work of God in Christ, as Paul says, kills the hostility.

Ephesians 2:17-22 – 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Christ comes and brings peace. Christ unites people of diverse ethnic and historical backgrounds through his cross and his eternal plan. Christ builds us all into one household, one living temple of God. Christ is our reconciliation. All who are reconciled to Christ have become one family, no matter what the history of our lives beforehand.

Why point all this out? There is much talk about reconciliation in the broader Christian community. And I fear that this talk, this emphasis, is doing far more to undermine the work of Christ that God highlights in Ephesians than it is doing to strengthen the body. When a person comes into the family of God, our identity is changed. We become, not American or Japanese, not Chinese or Jewish, not black or white or any other color; we become Christians. Christian is now our identity. What had formerly been utterly divided through the actions of evil and selfish men is now united in a way that the world cannot understand. We are not united, however, by focusing on our differences and putting together events of false reconciliation. Instead, we are united when we see one another as blood relatives, family in the blood of Christ.

One beauty that I have in my life is that I see no skin color, none at all. I’m blind. If a person stands before me, I have no idea if they are lighter than me or darker than me. I have no idea if they have eyes of a different shape or hair of a different texture. I do not know, and I do not care. And, by the grace of God, I can call any Christian brother or sister, because God has broken down any walls that would divide our ethnic groups because of the finished work of Christ.

Do I have ancestors who were evil? Probably. So too do you, regardless of where you come from. Should we pretend that evils and wrongs in the past did not occur? Of course we should not. We should learn from the past and realize that great harm has been done when Christians attempt to define humanity as if different races exist. There is one race—human. Skin color or accent is no longer relevant under the blood of Jesus.

But if we continue to attempt to develop a form of reconciliation through event after event, highlighting differences and ignoring that the Bible now calls us one, we do not honor the reconciliation that Christ has already accomplished.

Note as well that, when Paul speaks of the unification of ethnicities in Christ, the breaking down of the dividing wall between groups, Paul does not suggest that either group attempt to redress past wrongs. Surely the gentiles to whom Paul was writing had wronged Jews. Surely, in other times past, the Jews had wronged the gentiles, even ancestors of gentiles in Ephesus. But Paul did not even look at those issues. Why? Paul did not touch those things, because Paul saw that a miracle had been done whereby divided groups, separate ethnicities, have become one family under the blood of Jesus. And Paul would command nothing be done that would highlight the differences when such a miracle of actual, spiritual, familial reconciliation and unification had taken place.

Christians, may we see that, in Christ, all ethnicities are reconciled. We ought now seek to magnify and proclaim that reconciliation rather than seeking to highlight divisions. May we honor the work of Christ better by embracing one another as family. May we be able to declare to the world that God has killed any past hostility between us and broken down any dividing wall that ever existed through the finished work of Christ. Yes, let us learn from past mistakes of previous generations. Yes, let us see to it that, as far as we are concerned, unfairness and racism be removed from our society. But let this be done because we are already reconciled in Christ.

 

An Odd Blessing

pastortravislv

At the end of the book of Ruth, many things that once were wrong and sad appear to be set right. A family line that has nearly failed has been restored, redeemed by a kind man provided by God. A dedicated young lady, a foreigner to Israel, has become part of the nation in truth.

But Ruth is far more than a sweet little love story. The book of Ruth is about a very strange blessing on a very strange family tree. Consider what is said to Boaz just after the legal issues surrounding his marriage to Ruth are finalized.

Ruth 4:12 – and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the Lord will give you by this young woman.”

How strange is it to see the names Perez and Tamar in a line of blessing? If you do not know the ugly story of Genesis 38, you will miss how odd this blessing really is.

Judah had found a Canaanite wife for his eldest Son. Her name was Tamar. Tamar’s first husband died. His younger brother then married Tamar, and he died too. And Judah was unwilling to allow Tamar to marry his third son and perpetuate the family line.

Tamar took matters into her own hands. She vailed herself like a prostitute, and placed herself in Judah’s path. Thus, Tamar became pregnant by her father-in-law, Judah. And she had twins. In an odd little miraculous turn of events, Perez was born first, and God showed his sovereignty as he built the family line of Judah.

But nothing about that story is nice. It really is an ugly story of the Lord using human scoundrels to accomplish his will. And this is the story that the elders of Jerusalem use to pronounce a blessing on Boaz.

Of course, one way that this story and Genesis 38 look alike is the fact that both bring into the family of God’s promised one a lady from a foreign nation. God uses this to remind us that his plan is to build for himself a people from every nation. There is, in the kingdom of God, now no room for division based on ethnicity, skin color, or line of descent.

But the blessing is also a hint at what God is doing in a larger way. You see, the book ends with a genealogy, the family line of ten generations. And that is a clue to the whole purpose of the book of Ruth. Yes, it is a beautiful story. Yes, it shows us the glory of redemption. Yes, it shows us kindness in the middle of very dark days. Yes, it shows us the way that God welcomes people into his family who could be rejected. But the story of the book is the fact that God moves to keep alive a very particular line, the line of promise.

You see, the genealogy at the end of Ruth shows the ten generations that lead to the birth of King David. We get to see how the tribe of Judah, the tribe that carries the promise of the Messiah to come, gets to the person of King David, the King from whose family line the Messiah will come. Every step in this book is about God preserving the promise to send the Savior.

So, when we think of this book, we need to remember that it hints to us of the fact that, though humanity is fallen, and though we twist things quite badly, God has also always been at work bringing about his eternal plan for his glory. God promised the coming of Jesus. God used scoundrels like Judah and questionable ladies like Tamar to accomplish something we could never have foreseen. God raised up godly men like Boaz during the dark days of the Judges to bring about a glorious rescue of a family line. God welcomed a Moabite woman, a strong lady from a people who were often enemies of the Lord, into his chosen family line, and she became great grandmother to the greatest king of Israel other than Christ himself.

When we see the odd blessing at the end of Ruth, we see the fact that God is sovereign over us. We see that God uses people, sinful people whom he has rescued, to serve him in glorious ways. We find hope that our own lives may be used by God to accomplish great things, even if we have never been great people. We see redemption, mercy, grace, and sovereignty. We see signs that point us to Jesus, and we find hope.