2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
17 ὁ δὲ κύριος τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστιν· οὗ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα κυρίου, ἐλευθερία.
I admit that I didn't get a lot out of this chapter when I read it in Greek. But as I review it in English I see the blessed promise of this verse. Paul has been speaking to how the Law brings death. In contrast, we as Christians have the Spirit. The promise οὗ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα κυρίου, ἐλευθερία is incredible. More woodenly it is, "and where the Spirit of the Lord is, freedom." Incredible!
Think about this for a few minutes. Are you in Christ? If so, you are freed from the requirements of the Law. I was going to write about freedom from habitual sin, but I don't think that this is what this verse is about. It is about freedom from the Law. It is almost impossible for us 21st century Gentiles to get our minds around this.
A first-century reader would think, "You mean I don't have to observe the feast days? I don't have to wait for Yom Kippur for my sins to be atoned for?" and other such thoughts. This is so completely contrary to the system that they knew.
This freedom comes by grace. There is nothing we can do to add to it. We cannot merit grace or it would cease to be grace. We are free in Christ. I hope that you embrace this promise with me.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Monday, July 05, 2010
The Aroma of Christ
2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
15 ὅτι Χριστοῦ εὐωδία ἐσμὲν τῷ θεῷ ἐν τοῖς σῳζομένοις καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις, 16 οἷς μὲν ὀσμὴ ἐκ θανάτου εἰς θάνατον, οἷς δὲ ὀσμὴ ἐκ ζωῆς εἰς ζωήν. καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα τίς ἱκανός;
This is some strange imagery, at least to me. What is the "aroma of Christ?" Paul explains it in verse 16. He tells us that to those who reject Christ we are a fragrance of death. To those who accept Christ we are a fragrance of life.
This explains a lot as we talk to people about the gospel, doesn't it? Some folks are going to hear us talk and become intrigued. They want to know more about Christ and they eventually repent and believe. But many are not going to want to hear what we have to say. When we mention the gospel it will convict them of their sinfulness, but they will cling stubbornly to their own desires and refuse to repent. To those folks we are an aroma of death.
I think I have made the mistake of trying to be an aroma of life to those who should smell death. You can spray Glade air freshener in a bathroom and make it smell better, but the underlying smell is still there. The same goes with the aroma of death to those who are perishing. But the important thing is to let them smell it so that we have done our jobs as evangelists. We need to at least let them hear it.
This really convicts me. I keep praying for more boldness. We will see what happens.
15 ὅτι Χριστοῦ εὐωδία ἐσμὲν τῷ θεῷ ἐν τοῖς σῳζομένοις καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις, 16 οἷς μὲν ὀσμὴ ἐκ θανάτου εἰς θάνατον, οἷς δὲ ὀσμὴ ἐκ ζωῆς εἰς ζωήν. καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα τίς ἱκανός;
This is some strange imagery, at least to me. What is the "aroma of Christ?" Paul explains it in verse 16. He tells us that to those who reject Christ we are a fragrance of death. To those who accept Christ we are a fragrance of life.
This explains a lot as we talk to people about the gospel, doesn't it? Some folks are going to hear us talk and become intrigued. They want to know more about Christ and they eventually repent and believe. But many are not going to want to hear what we have to say. When we mention the gospel it will convict them of their sinfulness, but they will cling stubbornly to their own desires and refuse to repent. To those folks we are an aroma of death.
I think I have made the mistake of trying to be an aroma of life to those who should smell death. You can spray Glade air freshener in a bathroom and make it smell better, but the underlying smell is still there. The same goes with the aroma of death to those who are perishing. But the important thing is to let them smell it so that we have done our jobs as evangelists. We need to at least let them hear it.
This really convicts me. I keep praying for more boldness. We will see what happens.
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Act Like Men
1 Corinthians 16:13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
13 Γρηγορεῖτε, στήκετε ἐν τῇ πίστει, ἀνδρίζεσθε, κραταιοῦσθε.
Paul is wrapping up his letter to the Corinthians here. Most of chapter 16 contains personal information, which I used to find quite tedious and boring. However, I now find that it bolsters my faith in the authenticity of the New Testament. It shows that these were real letters written by a real person to real churches. If I were writing a false letter after the fact I certainly wouldn't add all of these personal details. What would be the point other than an elaborate ruse?
The phrase "act like men" comes from the word ἀνδρίζεσθε. This is the only occurrence of this word in the New Testament, but it appears several times in the Septuagint. Generally speaking, the English translation for this word is "be strong" as in Psalm 31:24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!
I find it fascinating to read this in our modern emasculated culture. We have completely blurred the lines between men and women. Traditional manliness is not considered as virtuous as it once was, though there are some who are working to get it back. Paul is sometimes labeled as a misogynist because of his attitude toward women.
But if we agree that he wrote this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit then we have to take note of this little verse. He wants the men to act like men. He wants them to be strong. He doesn't want the men to act like women or the women like men. He wants the men to be men. I think that this exhortation is applicable today as it was 2000 years ago.
How do we apply this? As men we take care of our families by dying to ourselves and serving them. We put away childish things and take responsibility. We steward our time and money well. We serve and protect our families against predators. These may be traditional predators or they may be emotional predators like extended family that create a toxic environment. Whatever it is, we are strong for them and fight for them. Technology may have changed and feminism may have tried to change things, but ultimately it is still our job to be strong for our families.
Paul tells us to "man up." Are you ready?
13 Γρηγορεῖτε, στήκετε ἐν τῇ πίστει, ἀνδρίζεσθε, κραταιοῦσθε.
Paul is wrapping up his letter to the Corinthians here. Most of chapter 16 contains personal information, which I used to find quite tedious and boring. However, I now find that it bolsters my faith in the authenticity of the New Testament. It shows that these were real letters written by a real person to real churches. If I were writing a false letter after the fact I certainly wouldn't add all of these personal details. What would be the point other than an elaborate ruse?
The phrase "act like men" comes from the word ἀνδρίζεσθε. This is the only occurrence of this word in the New Testament, but it appears several times in the Septuagint. Generally speaking, the English translation for this word is "be strong" as in Psalm 31:24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!
I find it fascinating to read this in our modern emasculated culture. We have completely blurred the lines between men and women. Traditional manliness is not considered as virtuous as it once was, though there are some who are working to get it back. Paul is sometimes labeled as a misogynist because of his attitude toward women.
But if we agree that he wrote this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit then we have to take note of this little verse. He wants the men to act like men. He wants them to be strong. He doesn't want the men to act like women or the women like men. He wants the men to be men. I think that this exhortation is applicable today as it was 2000 years ago.
How do we apply this? As men we take care of our families by dying to ourselves and serving them. We put away childish things and take responsibility. We steward our time and money well. We serve and protect our families against predators. These may be traditional predators or they may be emotional predators like extended family that create a toxic environment. Whatever it is, we are strong for them and fight for them. Technology may have changed and feminism may have tried to change things, but ultimately it is still our job to be strong for our families.
Paul tells us to "man up." Are you ready?
Friday, July 02, 2010
Long Night of the Soul
1 Corinthians 15:19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
19 εἰ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ ἐν Χριστῷ ἠλπικότες ἐσμὲν μόνον, ἐλεεινότεροι πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐσμέν.
Where do you go when you have a dark night in your soul? What do you grab when God seems very far away and your faith hangs by a thread? I have times when I look around at my life and the world and wonder if everything I believe is true. Maybe Bart Ehrman is right about the Bible. Maybe the Muslims are right. Maybe the Jehovah's Witnesses are right. Maybe the agnostics and atheists are more intellectually honest than I am. What do I do with all of that?
I run to this passage. Paul makes it clear that everything stands or falls on the resurrection of Christ. If Christ truly was raised from the dead then we have a true faith. If not, then ἐλεεινότεροι πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐσμέν.
So how does this help? There are three possible explanations for what happened to Jesus' body. The first is that He did not actually die on the cross, but merely "swooned." Then when He was put in the cave He revived and somehow managed to get free and died quietly elsewhere. The problem with this is that a professional executioner jabbed His side with a spear and pierced the sac around His heart. They did not break His legs because they were sure He was dead. It is extremely unlikely that He merely swooned.
The second possibility is that the apostles stole His body. There are two major problems with this. One is that there were a lot of powerful people who really wanted to produce a body so as to stop the spread of the new movement. They couldn't do it. The other is that the remaining apostles were all martyred for their faith. Now the 9/11 terrorists were willing to be martyred for what they believed to be the truth, but could you find eleven men willing to die for what they know to be a lie? You might, but it is extremely unlikely.
The final possibility is that the resurrection actually happened and that Jesus was indeed the Christ. That is what I believe because it fits the facts better than any other theory. Ultimately we all have to decide what we are going to do with Jesus. Do we worship Him or not? Everything hangs in the balance. What is your choice?
19 εἰ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ ἐν Χριστῷ ἠλπικότες ἐσμὲν μόνον, ἐλεεινότεροι πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐσμέν.
Where do you go when you have a dark night in your soul? What do you grab when God seems very far away and your faith hangs by a thread? I have times when I look around at my life and the world and wonder if everything I believe is true. Maybe Bart Ehrman is right about the Bible. Maybe the Muslims are right. Maybe the Jehovah's Witnesses are right. Maybe the agnostics and atheists are more intellectually honest than I am. What do I do with all of that?
I run to this passage. Paul makes it clear that everything stands or falls on the resurrection of Christ. If Christ truly was raised from the dead then we have a true faith. If not, then ἐλεεινότεροι πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐσμέν.
So how does this help? There are three possible explanations for what happened to Jesus' body. The first is that He did not actually die on the cross, but merely "swooned." Then when He was put in the cave He revived and somehow managed to get free and died quietly elsewhere. The problem with this is that a professional executioner jabbed His side with a spear and pierced the sac around His heart. They did not break His legs because they were sure He was dead. It is extremely unlikely that He merely swooned.
The second possibility is that the apostles stole His body. There are two major problems with this. One is that there were a lot of powerful people who really wanted to produce a body so as to stop the spread of the new movement. They couldn't do it. The other is that the remaining apostles were all martyred for their faith. Now the 9/11 terrorists were willing to be martyred for what they believed to be the truth, but could you find eleven men willing to die for what they know to be a lie? You might, but it is extremely unlikely.
The final possibility is that the resurrection actually happened and that Jesus was indeed the Christ. That is what I believe because it fits the facts better than any other theory. Ultimately we all have to decide what we are going to do with Jesus. Do we worship Him or not? Everything hangs in the balance. What is your choice?
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Mature Thinking
1 Corinthians 14:20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
20 Ἀδελφοί, μὴ παιδία γίνεσθε ταῖς φρεσὶν ἀλλὰ τῇ κακίᾳ νηπιάζετε, ταῖς δὲ φρεσὶν τέλειοι γίνεσθε.
This will wrap up my writing on the sign gifts for now. I find it fascinating that this is how Paul finishes up his discourse on them. He goes on to talk about how it is more valuable to prophecy than to speak in tongues. It has to do with the minds. My sense is that tongues are an expression of the Spirit. It is not something that we do consciously. I have never experienced it firsthand, but that's the sense I get from Scripture and from the stories I've heard.
Paul tells us that it is all well and good to speak in tongues. After all, he did it more than anyone else. Yet he thought it was more valuable to speak rationally. What I see here is that we are to be mature in our thinking. It's easy to seek after ecstatic experiences. The worship team at my church can work you into a frenzy if you are open to it since the music is quite good. That's fine, but ultimately we need to φρεσὶν τέλειοι γίνεσθε. There is that word τέλειοι again. We need to become "complete, perfect" in our thinking.
How do we do that? The best way is by spending time in God's Word and learning about it. That will help us to grow in the manner Paul commands. Certainly the practice of the Christian faith is more than learning. But that is still a big part of it. Let's be sure to grow in godliness by applying what we learn in Psalm 119, amen?
20 Ἀδελφοί, μὴ παιδία γίνεσθε ταῖς φρεσὶν ἀλλὰ τῇ κακίᾳ νηπιάζετε, ταῖς δὲ φρεσὶν τέλειοι γίνεσθε.
This will wrap up my writing on the sign gifts for now. I find it fascinating that this is how Paul finishes up his discourse on them. He goes on to talk about how it is more valuable to prophecy than to speak in tongues. It has to do with the minds. My sense is that tongues are an expression of the Spirit. It is not something that we do consciously. I have never experienced it firsthand, but that's the sense I get from Scripture and from the stories I've heard.
Paul tells us that it is all well and good to speak in tongues. After all, he did it more than anyone else. Yet he thought it was more valuable to speak rationally. What I see here is that we are to be mature in our thinking. It's easy to seek after ecstatic experiences. The worship team at my church can work you into a frenzy if you are open to it since the music is quite good. That's fine, but ultimately we need to φρεσὶν τέλειοι γίνεσθε. There is that word τέλειοι again. We need to become "complete, perfect" in our thinking.
How do we do that? The best way is by spending time in God's Word and learning about it. That will help us to grow in the manner Paul commands. Certainly the practice of the Christian faith is more than learning. But that is still a big part of it. Let's be sure to grow in godliness by applying what we learn in Psalm 119, amen?
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