How We Live

 1 Thessalonians 3:8 For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.


8 ὅτι νῦν ζῶμεν ἐὰν ὑμεῖς στήκετε ἐν κυρίῳ.

Paul is writing about how he was concerned for the Thessalonians. He was afraid that they had fallen to the temptation that Satan threw at them. This is how he sums it all up. The word he uses in hope is στήκετε. This word is derived from a word derived from ἵστημι, which indicates strength. That is why it has the sense of standing firm or persevering. In other words, the Thessalonians' perseverance was life to Paul.

I had a hard time relating to this until I got involved in a church plant. The more I interact with people the more I appreciate this. I didn't go to seminary for my sake. I went to seminary so that I could more accurately preach and teach God's Word and help people. I do not exist for myself either. No Christian does. My job is to die to myself daily to help others live. There is nothing so encouraging as trying to help someone and see the good effects of that help.

Of course, this also  means that we need to be ready for the converse. There will be times when people do not stand fast and that will be like a slow death to us. Sometimes it will be like a punch in the stomach. You can't have the good without the bad. Nevertheless, I think that Paul clearly emphasizes the positive here. Seeing the Thessalonians live served as a great encouragement to him.

Hopefully anyone out there reading this loves his pastor and wants to serve him. We cannot manufacture obedience to the Word, but when it is manifested in our lives it most certainly is an encouragement to your pastor.

Pursuing Holiness

Colossians 3:1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.


1 Εἰ οὖν συνηγέρθητε τῷ Χριστῷ, τὰ ἄνω ζητεῖτε, οὗ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ καθήμενος·

Paul follows up his argument from chapter 2 by starting another one. He uses a first-class condition. Basically he is asking the reader to assume that he has indeed been raised with Christ. If this is indeed true, and let's assume it is, then you should seek the things that are above. He then goes on to explain more about that.

I think that we can safely turn this around. If we seek the things that are above we have probably been raised with Christ. However, if we do not seek the things that are above then we likely have not been raised with Christ.

I am all for preaching grace. In fact, I hate the non-gospel of legalism that pervades so many churches. Most churches in America are basically centers for moralistic therapeutic deism. They have a vague sense of who God is, but they think that they get to Him by behaving better. The answer is not to do better.  The answer is to repent and believe.

But this verse shows us where that should go. If we have been raised with Christ then He should be our chief pursuit. There is nothing else for us to pursue as important as pursuing Christ. This should consume us and be the focus of our lives.

Is it for you? It is for me, though I fall short more than I'd like to admit. Yet I take solace knowing that the pursuit of Christ is the deepest desire of my heart. And when I waver I know that I can go back to Him and He will get me back on the narrow path. This is not something I do, but something He does in me.

Restrictions

2 Corinthians 6:12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections.



12 οὐ στενοχωρεῖσθε ἐν ἡμῖν, στενοχωρεῖσθε δὲ ἐν τοῖς σπλάγχνοις ὑμῶν·

Some exegetes make a big deal of the word σπλάγχνοις. It does technically refer to ones "guts" or "bowels." This was the word that was used to describe the heart of a person. It describes what makes a person tick, if you will. Paul describes how they were στενοχωρεῖσθε or "were restricted" in their feelings.

As we seek to plant a new fellowship within the body of Christ we are looking at various church constitutions. I read one that is based on the template provided by the Christian Law Association. This appears to be a favorite of those who are of the more Independent Baptist persuasion. I find the tone fascinating. Basically, it assumes that we want nothing more than to fall headlong into sin and, therefore, we must set up fences far enough away from sin so that we won't even get close to the sin.

That's all well and good, but what it fails to account for is the affections of the heart. It assumes that we will feel no affection for God. In fact, it doesn't even address that we should. All this does is then create a bunch of Pharisees who are good at being good. It doesn't deal with the matter of the heart.

We all need rules or else the New Testament would not have any. However, obedience starts with the heart. It begins with a heart that desires more of God. And as we experience more of Him then the temptations of the world begin to fade away. We are not as tempted to sin when we are satisfied in Christ. So rather than focusing on rules, let's instead focus on our σπλάγχνοις.

True Transformation

 2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.


18 ἡμεῖς δὲ πάντες ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν δόξαν κυρίου κατοπτριζόμενοι τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα μεταμορφούμεθα ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν καθάπερ ἀπὸ κυρίου πνεύματος.

This is the end of an argument Paul makes as he contrasts Jews and believers. He discusses how Moses kept a veil on his face to hide his loss of glory. He also talks about how the Jews cannot believe because their hearts are hardened and the same veil remains. And then he talks about how this veil is only lifted by Christ.

This is another one of those times where being a 21st century American Gentile can get in the way of really grasping the depth of a biblical truth. Keep in mind that the New Testament was written in a Jewish context. The whole question about the Judaizers in Acts 15 and the book of Galatians came about because the Jews considered it absolutely vital to be a Jew if one was to have access to God.

Now Paul comes along and destroys all of that. Not only do we have access to God, but we have it with ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ. This was unbelievable to the Jews. Moses couldn't even look at God directly and now you're saying that we can behold His glory with unveiled face?

The answer is a resounding yes. And as we continue to behold His glory we are transformed by the experience. We end up looking more like Him as we spend more time beholding His glory. This is something that can only come to us through the power of the Spirit.

Where are you with this? Are you beholding His glory regularly? Do you have an unveiled face? If you do, pray that you would continue to seek His glory. If your heart is still hard and your face veiled what stops you from repenting and turning to Christ?

True Freedom

 1 Corinthians 7:23 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.

23 τιμῆς ἠγοράσθητε· μὴ γίνεσθε δοῦλοι ἀνθρώπων.

This verse appears in the middle of Paul's argument about how we are to deal with relationships. Husbands and wives own each other's bodies; therefore, the sexual relationship should not be withheld except by mutual agreement and then only for the purpose of prayer. Then he goes into a long discussion of marriage. He says that marriage is a good thing, but if you are called to be single that is even better. Despite what the Roman Catholics teach regarding their priests, there is only an extreme few who are called to be single. No matter what, Paul would never call for the dissolution of a marriage.


What does this verse mean? It tells us that our allegiance is to the Lord. Although this is an unpopular concept here in America, we are born as slaves. Specifically, we are born as slaves to sin. The whole advertising industry banks on this fact. We are slaves to our own desires, which is why the promises of a bigger TV, a bigger house, a better vacation, or a younger and more attractive lover are so appealing to us, for example. We are slaves to ourselves until Christ redeems us.


A myriad of metaphors exist for this concept. An easy one for most Americans to comprehend is a mortgage. Our houses cost so much money that it takes 20-30 years to pay for them. Now imagine you received a letter from your lender informing you that your mortgage was paid off. It's so incredible to be unthinkable, right? Yet that is kind of what happened at the cross. The only problem is that only scratches the surface.


The problem here in America is that we are so accustomed to our freedoms that we don't really understand our slavery. We are going to be slaves to someone. Will it be to Satan or to the Lord? If you are in Christ then Christ purchased you with His blood. Do slaves have an option as to whether they will do their master's will? Go back 200 years and ask anyone with dark skin here in the South and I think they will give you a pretty clear answer that they don't have much choice. If they disobeyed there were consequences. We'll get into that more later when we get to the concept of fathers disciplining their children, but the point is that we don't have a choice.


And the good news is that, unlike the Southern slave of the 19th century, our master is perfectly kind and good. He may ask us to do things that are uncomfortable, but they are all for our good and for His glory. The men and women enslaved in early America could not always say that. And certainly the modern slave to Satan cannot say that.


We have true freedom through our slavery to Christ. We were bought with a price so that we might serve and worship Him. Let's enjoy the blessing of serving our Lord, amen?

The Old Self

 1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

11 καὶ ταῦτά τινες ἦτε· ἀλλὰ ἀπελούσασθε, ἀλλὰ ἡγιάσθητε, ἀλλὰ ἐδικαιώθητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν.

Paul had just explained again about how all kinds of sinners would not inherit the Kingdom of God. Then he uses a wonderful word in  ἦτε. This is the imperfect form of "to be." What Paul means here is that there was a time when our lives were characterized as sexually immoral, swindlers, etc. Then he uses the very strong adversative ἀλλὰ. It is terrible English, but the most literal translation of this would be, "And this is the way some of you were, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified." There is no grammatical reason for him to use the word three times, so it is a good guess that it is for emphasis. Paul is creating a stark contrast between the former life and the new life in Christ. 

As I wrote previously, there is an assumption in Paul's writings that the Christian will have experienced a changed life. We can call ourselves whatever we want, but if we are truly new creations in Christ then our lives will show it. To paraphrase an old children's song, if you're saved and you know it then your life will surely show it.

Please understand that I am not promoting a works-righteousness as the disciples of Zane Hodges may accuse me of doing. Nor am I saying that the Christian walks in perfect obedience. The book of 1 John certainly contradicts that idea as does the testimony of my life. But all of these things represent ways of life. Is my life characterized by sin now or is it characterized by freedom? That's really the question I need to ask myself.

The good news is that if I am truly in Christ then as far as God is concerned I will ultimately be seen as perfect because Christ is perfect. He represents me as the great High Priest as well as the perfect atoning sacrifice for my sin. It is not based on my performance. However, if my life does not change then I need to question what my salvation really means to me.

This seems to be a theme in 1 Corinthians. He is challenging them in the sense that if they want to call themselves Christians then their lives should be Christlike. The challenge is no different for us today.

Do Something!

 1 Corinthians 4:20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

20 οὐ γὰρ ἐν λόγῳ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλ᾽ ἐν δυνάμει

Here Paul is addressing the folks who are arrogant about what they believe, but are not doing anything about it. Sadly, this seems to describe many who profess an orthodox faith in Christ. It's ironic as I sit here in my basement writing this post because this could be said of me at times. Paul is basically asking what they are doing with their faith. 


Perhaps I'm particularly sensitive to this after finishing seminary, but this can be a serious problem. Liberal churches seem to get the power part down really well. They are socially-conscious and do what they can to help people. They demonstrate the power of the gospel quite well, though their theology makes one wonder if they are trying to earn salvation somehow. I can't really speak to their hearts, so this is just a guess.


But I've had the parking lot discussions with classmates about how things should be. I've read blog posts and the discussions in the comments afterwards. I've heard stirring sermons about Christ's commands to action. And then I look at my own life and wonder where it all is. What am I doing with all of this? I am working with my family, which is my first priority. I am also working on a church plant and that will be a venue for ministry as well.


The point is that Christians are expected to be about the business of doing. We cannot enjoy the blessings of Ephesians 2:8-9 without reading the next verse. We were created to do good works. The works do not change our standing before the Lord, but they do flow out of it. 


What are you doing?

How We Must Live

Romans 6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

22 νυνὶ δὲ ἐλευθερωθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας δουλωθέντες δὲ τῷ θεῷ ἔχετε τὸν καρπὸν ὑμῶν εἰς ἁγιασμόν, τὸ δὲ τέλος ζωὴν αἰώνιον.

This is the chapter that begins with the rhetorical question as to whether we should go on sinning so that grace may abound. Paul responds with the emphatic  μὴ γένοιτο, which is translated "by no means" in the ESV. I think a stronger translation is something like, "may it never happen!" or "let it never be so!" though of course neither of those flow as nicely in English. 


The point is that Paul uses this chapter to explain what it means to be a child of God. The key phrase here is νυνὶ δὲ ἐλευθερωθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας δουλωθέντες δὲ τῷ θεῷ. The words ἐλευθερωθέντες and δουλωθέντες are both aorist passive participles. They get a verbal sense to them with the pronoun νυνὶ. What he is saying is just what the text says in the ESV. He is saying that two things happened when we were saved. First, we were set free from sin. Second, we became slaves of God.


The reason I want to emphasize this is because Americans in particular tend to minimize the idea of slavery in the New Testament. We might go on and on about what slavery meant in that culture as we try to explain Colossians 3:22 or Ephesians 6:5. No matter how we slice it, a slave was bound to his master. Therefore, he had to do his master's will.


If we are truly saved then we are slaves of God. Now of course slaves disobey from time to time. We will deal with that tomorrow. The point is that we need to be in the mindset of total devotion to the Lord. To think less is to minimize what happened on the cross.


Where are you? Are you a slave of God or of sin? It's going to be one or the other.

Keep the Love

Revelation 2:4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

4 ἀλλὰ ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ ὅτι τὴν ἀγάπην σου τὴν πρώτην ἀφῆκες.

This is one of those verses where different translations communicate very different meanings. That phrase at the end is sometimes difficult. Should  τὴν ἀγάπην σου τὴν πρώτην ἀφῆκες be "the love you had at first," or should it be "your first love?" I can see a pretty compelling argument for the latter, as do the translators of the KJV and the NIV. The word σου is in the genitive, so there is definitely a sense of possession here. It links two accusatives together: τὴν ἀγάπην σου τὴν πρώτην, so they should probably be taken together as the object of what was abandoned. It probably goes with τὴν ἀγάπην, which gives more credence to the KJV. However, that leaves the other accusative just hanging there. 


I can see the reason behind this translation.  John accuses the church in Ephesus of abandoning your love, the first one. This is because both of the accusatives are tied together with the genitive. The KJV translation is perfectly valid too, but this also seems to make more sense theologically, which is important as well.


Basically, John accuses the church in Ephesus of starting out great, but then losing some of the fire while keeping up the motions. This verse hits me upside the head every time I read it now that I understand it properly. This is a microcosm of my spiritual walk. It's not that I ever abandoned my first love, which is Jesus. But it's that I lost the love that I had at first. 


Of course, the cure is the gospel. That's always the cure. We need to remain steeped in it so as to keep the fires going. If we remember who we are and from what we've been saved how can we help but be in love with the Savior? To do less is to severely cheapen grace.

A Pastor's Joy

3 John 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

4 μειζοτέραν τούτων οὐκ ἔχω χαράν, ἵνα ἀκούω τὰ ἐμὰ τέκνα ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ περιπατοῦντα.

John is telling Gaius here that his greatest joy is that his spiritual children are walking in the truth. He uses a comparative adjective  μειζοτέραν to explain this. That is where we get the "than" in English since it is difficult to express this in Greek. The first clause is something like, "I do not have greater joy than this" which is connected to the ἵνα clause. What gives him such great joy? He loves to hear that his children are walking in the truth. Note that he uses the participle περιπατοῦντα, which suggests that he is particularly glad to hear that his children are in a general, continuous state of walking in the truth.


What does this mean for us? It means that we need to walk in the truth. How do we know what the truth it? We learn it by reading, studying, and memorizing God's Word. That's the truth. How do we bless and honor our pastors? Letting them use your beach house for the week is a nice thing, but what they want more than anything is to hear about you walking in the truth.


As someone who is getting ready to go into ministry I can testify to this. I want to see God glorified in changed lives. I know that God's Word is powerful and active. I know that the Holy Spirit transforms hearts. I am fine with someone who wants to apply Galatians 6:6 to me in an appropriate way, but I would much prefer that someone note this verse if they really want to honor me for anything they may have learned.


Any pastors out there who want to comment on this? Is there any greater joy than to hear that your people are walking in the truth?

Christ, not Criss Angel

Luke 23:8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him.


8 Ὁ δὲ Ἡρῴδης ἰδὼν τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐχάρη λίαν, ἦν γὰρ ἐξ ἱκανῶν χρόνων θέλων ἰδεῖν αὐτὸν διὰ τὸ ἀκούειν περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἤλπιζέν τι σημεῖον ἰδεῖν ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ γινόμενον.

Every time I read this verse I am struck by the utter triviality of Herod's thinking. Here he had Jesus, the son of God in his custody. He obviously had heard of Jesus or else he would not have hoped for a sign. All he wanted was to see a magic trick.

Of course, Jesus had experience with this. He had crowds following Him because He became a walking Long John Silvers. He also was a walking MASH unit. They wanted to be fed and they wanted to be healed. They clearly did not want to take up their crosses and follow Him. It's interesting to see how the crowds thinned out after He stopped doing so many miraculous signs. In fact, He eventually told the people that they would get no sign but the sign of Jonah. After all, a resurrection was the best you could imagine.

Before we look down our collective noses at Herod I think that perhaps we should consider how many times we have done the same thing to Jesus. We want the healing. We want the provision. Do we want to take up our cross and follow Him? Do we want to sacrifice or suffer for Him? If we're honest I think we'll admit that we usually don't. I know that I don't.

What's the cure to this problem? We need to recognize who He is. He was born as God incarnate. Not only did He suffer incredible physical agony, but He had to deal with the full force of God the Father's wrath on Him for our sin. We say that we want for this man to be our Lord and Savior. When we realize who He is and what He did, can He be anything less than our Lord?

Already Misunderstood

Luke 2:50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.



50 καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐ συνῆκαν τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς.

This is the end of one of the more perplexing stories in the gospels.  If I had been Joseph I can guarantee that Jesus would have received a spanking for what he did.  At the very least, I can tell you that when we got to "what do you want to tell God you're sorry for today?" I would have prompted him to mention staying behind from the rest of the caravan to hang out in the temple.  This is perplexing because we know that Jesus never sinned; therefore, this was not as sinful as it seems.

Like Joseph, I would not have really understood what He was doing and why.  Here we see that they did not συνῆκαν, which is an aorist active third-person plural.  There is nothing really special about the aorist mood here, in my opinion.  We just see that Mary and Joseph were confused.

Of course, we see this later on in Jesus' ministry.  We don't see any mention of Joseph, but we do see that Mary and His brothers tried to get Him to stop with all His crazy preaching.  They just didn't get it.  They knew that He was somehow special, but they didn't really fully grasp it.

I'm not sure how to apply this other than to exhort all of us to study Jesus.  Read the gospels.  Read what Paul had to say about Him.  Look at His life.  Read the stories in the context of what He came to do.  His job was to inaugurate the Kingdom.  He turned the Jewish world upside-down.  He turns out world upside-down too.  Jesus changes everything.

Personally, I am convicted by the fact that there are some parts of my life that don't seem to be too greatly affected by knowing Him.  At least they are not radically different from the way people who don't know Him live.  That is not to say I must become an Anabaptist, but I also want to give myself completely to Him.  He gave it all.  What else can I do?

Stay Awake

Mark 13:37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake."



37 ὃ δὲ ὑμῖν λέγω πᾶσιν λέγω, γρηγορεῖτε.

This is the end of the parable about the doorkeeper who must stay awake because he does not know when his master will return.  Jesus is giving a very serious command to His disciples and, I believe, to us.  We are to γρηγορεῖτε.  This is a present active imperative.  Another way of thinking of it is that we are to "remain watchful."

What does this mean?  Well, at a certain level all the parables are an indictment against the Jews.  They did not remain watchful because if they had they would have connected the dots between the Old Testament prophecies and the coming of the Messiah in Jesus.

I think that it also applies to us.  How will you be found when Jesus returns?  Are you active and vigilant in your Christian life?  Or are you napping?  To make a sports comparison, the best players are the ones who never take an at-bat off.  They never take a down off.  They never stop playing defense every time the ball does down the court.  If they are in the game they are playing their hardest.

What about you?  Are you remaining watchful?  Or have you decided to take a nap with grace as your spiritual snuggie?  As with all of the parables, this convicts me because I realize just how much more vigilant I must be.

Entering the Kingdom

Matthew 21:31 Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.


31 τίς ἐκ τῶν δύο ἐποίησεν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός; λέγουσιν· ὁ πρῶτος. λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι οἱ τελῶναι καὶ αἱ πόρναι προάγουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ. 32  ἦλθεν γὰρ Ἰωάννης πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν ὁδῷ δικαιοσύνης, καὶ οὐκ ἐπιστεύσατε αὐτῷ, οἱ δὲ τελῶναι καὶ αἱ πόρναι ἐπίστευσαν αὐτῷ· ὑμεῖς δὲ ἰδόντες οὐδὲ μετεμελήθητε ὕστερον τοῦ πιστεῦσαι αὐτῷ.

This is the conclusion to a parable that I always find compelling.  Jesus is trying to make an illustration to the Pharisees about grace.  He tells them about two sons whose father owns a vineyard.  The father asks the first to work in the vineyard.  He initially refuses, but later changes his mind.  The second one initially says that he will, but then never does it.  Here is Jesus' conclusion.

The application of this for today should be obvious, but of course the blindness of the Pharisees afflicts us all to some degree.  I think that you can mesh this parable with that of the four soils.  How eager we can be when we first hear a teaching or a command!  But then what do we do with it?  Do we apply it and obey it?  Or do we ignore it?

Of course, whenever I read a parable I like to cast myself as one of the "good guys," meaning one of those who are painted in a good light.  But I know that is not always so.  It is much easier for me to read Scripture with an academic or even pastoral eye than a devotional one, particularly the gospels.  Yet here is where God uses His Word to transform us.  My prayer is that I would be broken and obedient.  May I never be one of those people who gives verbal assent, but puts no hands or feet to the application.

Forgiving

Matthew 18:34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."


34 καὶ ὀργισθεὶς ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν τοῖς βασανισταῖς ἕως οὗ ἀποδῷ πᾶν τὸ ὀφειλόμενον. 35  οὕτως καὶ ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ οὐράνιος ποιήσει ὑμῖν, ἐὰν μὴ ἀφῆτε ἕκαστος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν καρδιῶν ὑμῶν.

This comes at the end of a parable Jesus told the disciples in response to a question Peter asked.  Peter thought he was being really spiritual by offering to forgive his brother seven times.  Then Jesus told him that he was to forgive his brother seventy-seven times.  In other words, Jesus was using hyperbole to say that we must forgive as many times as we are wronged.  Then He told this parable about a wicked servant who was forgiven an unpayable debt but would not forgive a much more minor one.

This one always gets me because I know how vindictive my heart can be.  I do not default to grace, even though I often try to remind myself of just how much I have been forgiven.  It's convicting because of the construct ἐὰν μὴ.  This can be translated "unless."  In other words, this verse makes it seem like our acceptance before God is contingent upon how we forgive.

However, I don't think we should interpret this as a works-based salvation, though it would be natural to do so.  Instead, we need to see this as the natural result of grace.  If we have truly been forgiven for our sins by a holy God then forgiving our brother will not be that big of a deal.  It is something that we will be able to do.  In fact, how could we not do it if we truly believe in God's grace?

How are you doing with this?

What is it Worth?

Matthew 13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.



44 Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν θησαυρῷ κεκρυμμένῳ ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ, ὃν εὑρὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔκρυψεν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς αὐτοῦ ὑπάγει καὶ πωλεῖ πάντα ὅσα ἔχει καὶ ἀγοράζει τὸν ἀγρὸν ἐκεῖνον.

This is another of Jesus' parables about the kingdom of heaven.  He is trying to explain to His disciples what it is all about.  I think what we're supposed to get out of this is that it is something extremely valuable.  He does this with a parable that we can relate to very easily.

Let's suppose that you were given an offer where you could have fifty million dollars if you could come up with $150,000.  Obviously you would be skeptical of the offer because get rich schemes are too good to be true.  But then let's say that you got this offer from a source that you considered entirely trustworthy.

Looking around my house, I think I would do everything I could to come up with the money.  First, I'd mortgage my house as far as I could.  I'd sell both of our vehicles.  I'd sell my guitars, my pool table, our fine china, our TV, our computers, the Wii, the PS2 and all its games, and all our furniture.  I would do whatever it took to raise the money.

Why would I be so eager?  I would know that ultimately the payoff is much greater than the loss of stuff.  So it is also with the kingdom of heaven.  If there is something that we won't give up then we don't really understand what the kingdom of heaven is all about.  We may give lip-service to it, but really we don't believe the promise.

This is not to say that we have to become monks.  But if that is somehow God's call on our lives then we need to be ready for that.  Of course, discerning that call is another story, but the point is that we need to be willing to leave it all for the sake of the kingdom.

How about you?  Writing this is difficult as it convicts me.  I can come up with this nifty illustration, but am I living it?  Probably not as much as this parable would dictate.

I Don't Have to Imagine

Revelation 4:9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."

9 Καὶ ὅταν δώσουσιν τὰ ζῷα δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν καὶ εὐχαριστίαν τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ τῷ ζῶντι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, 10  πεσοῦνται οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες πρεσβύτεροι ἐνώπιον τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν τῷ ζῶντι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων καὶ βαλοῦσιν τοὺς στεφάνους αὐτῶν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου λέγοντες· 11  ἄξιος εἶ, ὁ κύριος καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, λαβεῖν τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν, ὅτι σὺ ἔκτισας τὰ πάντα καὶ διὰ τὸ θέλημά σου ἦσαν καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν.

This chapter has to be one of the greatest doxological chapters in all of Scripture.  As you read about these τὰ ζῷα or living ones, you can't help but think of the living creatures in Isaiah 6.  It seems that these have a similar role in that their whole existence is dedicated to praising the glory of the Lord.  What a job!

Earlier in the chapter we saw 24 elders on thrones around the main throne.  They have gold crowns on their heads, so they are clearly not just random people.  The gold crowns symbolize authority.  What do they do when they are before the throne?  βαλοῦσιν τοὺς στεφάνους αὐτῶν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου.  They recognize that they are not God and, therefore, need to bow before the throne.

There was a song a few years ago called "I Can Only Imagine."  It's pretty catchy and became a hit on stations like K-Love.  It even got covered by at least one country singer.  In the chorus the singer wonders what he will do when he gets to heaven and is surrounded by God's glory.  Will he dance?  Will he in awe be still?  Will he stand in His presence?  Will he fall to his knees?  Will he sing hallelujah?  Will he even be able to speak at all?  He can only imagine how he will react.

I can only imagine that the writer of that song never read Revelation 4, Isaiah 6, or many other passages where someone has a theophany.  It's pretty clear what happens when we're in the presence of the divine.  We fall down and worship.  There can be no other reaction.

Now you may think that is fine for the future, but what about right now?  We're not standing in the physical presence of the Lord in the sense described here or in Isaiah 6.  Yet if we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ we have come as close to this as we can while here on earth.  To suggest that we can have any reaction besides worship is preposterous.  To call Jesus one's Savior and not Lord is a contradiction in terms.  To say that is to say that we do not understand who Jesus is.

Your First Love

Revelation 2:3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

3 καὶ ὑπομονὴν ἔχεις καὶ ἐβάστασας διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου καὶ οὐ κεκοπίακες. 4  ἀλλὰ ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ ὅτι τὴν ἀγάπην σου τὴν πρώτην ἀφῆκες.

I recently heard a fantastic sermon on this passage that really cut me to the heart.  The church at Ephesus was basically a model church.  Note that Christ compliments them in verse 3.  However, they had a problem.  They forgot the love that they had at first.

What a stinging rebuke to a seminarian like me!  I remember the love I had for Christ when I started seminary.  Frankly, it went through some serious ebbs during my seminary career.  I have recently felt the fires rekindled, but it is not an easy journey.  It is so much easier to keep it hot then to try to reignite it.  It is so easy to let the cares of day-to-day life as a student, husband, father, and employee pour water on the coals.

The good news is that, like the fire Pilgrim saw, Christ stands in another room adding fuel to the fire.  He will never let the fire completely die for His saints.  That is a huge comfort to me, but I also know that I cannot quench the fire either.  I need to keep enjoying fellowship with Him.

I encourage you to keep fueling the fire if you are white-hot for the Lord right now.  And if you're going through a season where the wick seems to only be smoking without a trace of orange, remember the love you had at first.  Christ will get the fire going again.

Abide in Him

1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

28 Καὶ νῦν, τεκνία, μένετε ἐν αὐτῷ, ἵνα ἐὰν φανερωθῇ σχῶμεν παρρησίαν καὶ μὴ αἰσχυνθῶμεν ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ. 29  ἐὰν εἰδῆτε ὅτι δίκαιός ἐστιν, γινώσκετε ὅτι καὶ πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεγέννηται.

This concludes an incredible chapter where John lays out what I would consider to be a strong argument for what is sometimes called "Lordship Salvation."  Basically, John is saying that those who know Jesus will obey Him.  Those who don't obey Him don't know Him.  Just like in yesterday's passage John uses a third-class condition to sum up his point.  It hinges on the question of ἐὰν εἰδῆτε.

Of course, we know that Jesus is righteous.  Therefore, we know that  ὁ ποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην or the ones doing righteousness are from Him.  Keep in mind that this is addressed to saints.  Therefore, he is referring to those in the Church (note the big C).  I don't mean that body which has its head in Rome, but those who are part of the body of Christ.  We know that those who make professions of faith are truly saved based on their lives.

It is important to keep this straight.  We do not practice righteousness to merit favor.  Rather, we practice righteousness because we are born again.  In other words, we can look at our lives to get an indicator of our spiritual states.  If we don't bear any fruit then we should question whether or not we really know Him.

We also have to balance this with other statements made by John.  We all still sin.  But what is the direction of our lives?  What are the deepest desires of our hearts?  We all fight the "old man" as Paul called his sin nature, but do we operate out of a mindset of loving and serving the Lord?  What motivates your heart?

Justification by Faith

James 2:24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

24 ὁρᾶτε ὅτι ἐξ ἔργων δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος καὶ οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως μόνον.

The title of this post and this verse seem to be at odds with each other, don't they?  This is a verse that the Roman Catholic Church uses to defend their view of the gospel.  In fact, the Council of Trent declared an anathema on anyone who believes in justification by faith alone.  Their view of how one is justified before God is rather complex and I suggest you look it up for yourself to understand just how it is different from that which came out of the Reformation and, if I may say so, that which comes from a plain reading of Scripture.

Yet we have James 2 in our Bibles.  Although Luther did take issue with this book, he did consider it to be canonical.  What do we do with James 2:14-26, and particularly 2:24?  The Greek doesn't help us here.  I suppose you could try to do something fancy with the ὅτι and somehow try to suggest some kind of causation with a translation of "because" instead of "that," but I think that the ESV gets it right.  What to do?

To me, this passage stands as a defense of what is sometimes called "Lordship Salvation," or as John MacArthur puts it, the gospel according to Jesus.  It is clear from reading the Gospels that faith in Christ means action.  How can anyone come to know the living God of the universe and not have his life changed?  Everything about a person changes when they know the Lord.  It has to.  Look at what happened to Moses.  Look at the apostles after the resurrection.  They didn't really "get" what was going on until after Jesus was raised and they received the Holy Spirit.  Look at how bold they became afterwards.

I also think that Ephesians 2:10 helps us.  That verse tells us that we were made for good works.  God didn't save us just to stare at our navels and talk theology, despite what some folks may think.  He saved us to action.

To be clear, this does not mean that we suddenly stop sinning.  What it means is that our hearts change.  We go from being bent toward sin to being bent toward the Lord.  There are times (perhaps extensive times) when we go our own ways, but ultimately our hearts are bent toward the Lord.  That's what having the Holy Spirit is all about.  If we accept the gospel merely as fire insurance we have missed it.  The gospel is about God, not about us.

Also, to be clear, we do not do works to earn merit before God, despite what a Roman Catholic might tell you.  We work because we are saved.  We are not paying off a debt (we cannot), but we are acting out of sheer gratitude.  God is glorious and as I've tried to show through this blog, He is worthy of honor and praise.  If we aren't inclined to that then we must question the state of our hearts.

To me, it comes down to a simple question.  If God is indeed God, how can we encounter Him and not be transformed?  Unlike the apostles we have a completed canon.  Let's read it and be changed by this awesome transcendent God that we serve.