Romans 14 – Accept your brother/sister in Christ without passing judgment

Romans 14:1,4,7-8,10 Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions… 4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand… 7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s… 10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

If you believe Democrats/Republicans are evil, what should your attitude be toward the Democratic/Republican Christian in your church? “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.”

If you are a theologically liberal/conservative Christian, what should your attitude be toward the conservative/liberal Christian in your church? “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.”

If you do not believe women should be in leadership/ministry, what should your attitude be toward a woman who feels God’s call to enter leadership/ministry? “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.”

If you believe homosexuality is a sin, what should your attitude be toward the gay Christians in your church? “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.”

It seems Paul is saying that if we share a faith in Jesus Christ then we are to accept the other’s faith without passing judgment on their opinions.

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment 

Romans 12 – Diversity in Christ

Romans 12:1-6 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly

Thank God for the diversity found among those who have faith in Christ. We all think, speak, and act differently. We all have different priorities. We all have different measures of faith.

We need to be grateful for those who have faith in Christ, but are different from us; especially when we disagree. I am thankful for the more conservative members of my Christian family because they ground me in the Bible, in tradition, and in the surety and faithfulness of God. I am thankful for the more liberal members of my Christian family because they pull me out of the church and into the world; they force me to reach into the lives of the poor, the needy, the broken, and to meet their needs. I am thankful for the charismatic members of my Christian family because they draw me out of my self and into the reality of the awesomeness of God. I am thankful we are all different, because God is greater than our differences.

It can be hard to be thankful when you butt heads with a fellow Christian who is of contrary opinion; but, we should be thankful for the diversity we all bring to our Christian family.

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment 

Romans 4 – Learn to rest in the ambiguity

Romans 4:13-17 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; 15 for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation. 16 For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 (as it is written, “A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.

Romans 4:22-25 Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. 23 Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, 24 but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

The idea of faith being credited as righteousness is one of the most important concepts to grasp as we explore salvation. I will never be righteous, there is nothing I can do to achieve righteousness, and left to my own devices I will wander away from righteousness. However, if I have faith in “Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead”, then I will be credited with righteousness. Righteousness is a gift. It is not something we can make, take or earn.

When we elevate laws over faith, we are missing the point. When we raise dogma over a relationship with Christ, we have turned Christ into a religion. Do not sacrifice the ambiguity of faith for the certainty of law. When we claim certainty, we have traded our faith for a law. Don’t substitute law for faith.

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment 

Romans 3 – Faith, love and action; not legalism

Romans 3:19-20 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; 20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

The purpose of God’s law was to enable humanity to be aware that we are sinful, that we are in need. God’s overarching purpose was for humans to live in relationship with God. If we believe ourselves to be sufficient, then we are less likely to seek out God. The law makes us aware of our need for God.

The law never had any power to save humanity or to, in and of itself, bring anyone closer to God. The law is a catalyst that enables us to pur our faith in God. It is through faith that we are united in relationship to God. The law can not save; only faith can save.

This leads to Paul’s comment at the end of chapter three…

Romans 3:31 Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.

Our faith does not make the law invalid; in fact, we still have a responsibility to work toward living out God’s law. But living perfectly according to the law is not the goal of a Christian’s life. The goal of a Christian’s life is to live under the grace and by the example of Jesus Christ, loving all those we meet, and doing that which God calls us to do.

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment 

John 19 – Consistently in Christ

“After [Jesus' crucifixion] Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.”

Joseph had been a secret disciple of Jesus because he feared that being a public disciple would ruin him. It was only after Jesus had died that Joseph was willing to publicly align himself with Jesus. It was not until he believed Jesus to have failed that Joseph was willing publicly proclaim faith in Jesus. We know nothing else about Joseph of Arimathea. I have often wondered what happened to him after Jesus resurrection. Was he one of the multitudes in the upper room on the day of Pentecost? Was he one of the disciples who ultimately deserted Jesus? We do not know.

It is not good for us to wait until a moment of failure to publicly proclaim our faith in Jesus. On Monday we need to be the same person we were on Sunday. In public we need to be the same person we are in private. In failure we need to be the same person we are in success.

Do not wait for failure to publicly proclaim Jesus. Live every moment of your life so that everyone can see the light of Jesus in you.

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment 

John 16 – Bibliolatry and the Holy Spirit

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

I fear that many contemporary Christians underestimate the importance of the leading of the Holy Spirit in living out our Christian faith. The Holy Spirit was sent to be our guide, to lead us in the ways of God.  But I know too many Christians who reject the role of the Holy Spirit because they claim it is too subjective and experiential. These Christians want an objective concrete truth; so often the elevate the Bible above God (Bibliolatry).

I believe the Bible was given by God to reveal Himself to humanity. I believe the Bible is true. I believe that the leading of the Holy Spirit will not be in conflict with the truths presented in the Bible. But, I believe the Holy Spirit is living and active presence of God who “will guide [us] int all truth”, who will speak God’s words to our hearts and disclose God’s will.

Christians can not live out their faith if they are afraid of experiencing God. We must simultaneously hold onto the objective and the subjective and be willing to accept the ambiguity that will always exist in the presence of God.

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment 

John 15 – So this is how grapevines feel

“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”

If you are a Christian, if you have a faith in Jesus, then I can guarantee that God is pruning you. How is God pruning you? It is very healthy to regularly look at your life and assess how God is pruning you.

The unfortunate part of pruning is that it is usually somewhat painful. God is using people and situations to smooth out your rough edges and make you better able to be a productive member of the family. It is no fun to be pruned, but it is a constant reality.

To use good technical seminarian words, God is sanctifying us; He is leading us toward perfection. None of us are going to reach perfection anytime soon, but it is the end point.

Sin is not usually something we want to give up. It is usually something that gives us some feeling of pleasure, security, comfort, etc. But it is a false feeling. Giving up our crutches and fully relying on God is difficult.

How is God pruning you? What can you do to help the gardener prune you?

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment 

John 4 – Evangelism

“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’…[Jesus said to his disciples] ‘Thus the saying “One sows and another reaps” is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor’…[The Samaritan people] said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.’”

We need to tell people what Jesus has done in our lives. If we keep it to ourselves then we fail to plant, water, or reap the harvest growing in our neighbors lives. If we share what a relationship with Christ has meant for us, we may plant a seed of faith, or we may encourage a seed that was previously planted, or we may help our neighbor make the final decision to turn to Christ.

Everyone needs to be born again as a child of God; to recognize the light of Christ which is calling them toward God. We have a responsibility to represent the light of Christ to the world around us.

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment 

Joshua 21 – The Lord keeps his promises

“So the LORD gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. And the LORD gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.”

There are a number of passages in the Bible you can turn to during troubled times to receive assurance that God is faithful to do what he says he will do. This is one of those passages.

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment 

Joshua 7 – Making an enemy of my savior

“So the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things. Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst.”

I have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, but I still make God my enemy when I disobey.

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment 

Leviticus 27 – Thoughts on reading Leviticus

The very last verse of Leviticus reads: “These are the commands the LORD gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.”

Are these commands for Christians? Are these commands for Americans?

No.

How then should we read Leviticus? I would say that Leviticus exemplifies the lengths God will go to, to enable his people to have fellowship with him. The Nation of Israel needed 613 laws in order to have a relationship with God. God gave the people what they needed at that time and at that place.

God gave us one law in order to have a relationship with God: “Yet to all who received [Jesus], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”.

God will go to whatever lengths are necessary to enable our relationship with him, but God has simplified the process: we must believe in Christ. For some, 613 laws might be easier, but that is not what God is calling us to follow in this time and in this place.

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment 

Leviticus 14 – On pigeon’s wings

“To cleanse the house then, he shall take two birds and cedar wood and a scarlet string and hyssop, and he shall slaughter the one bird in an earthenware vessel over running water. Then he shall take the cedar wood and the hyssop and the scarlet string, with the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird as well as in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times. He shall thus cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the running water, along with the live bird and with the cedar wood and with the hyssop and with the scarlet string. However, he shall let the live bird go free outside the city into the open field. So he shall make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.”

This whole process seems a little weird and mystical. I was good with the whole sacrificial system up until this point. God lost me a little bit whit the rules about leprosy and mold.

However, there is something that really appeals to me in the releasing of the live bird. It is as though you were releasing your disease and letting it fly away into the wilderness.

Some bright morning when this life is o’er; I’ll fly away
To that home on God’s celestial shore; I’ll fly away.

I’ll fly away, oh Glory, I’ll fly away in the morning
When I die Hallelujah, by and by; I’ll fly away.

When the shadows of this life have gone; I’ll fly away
Like a bird from these prison walls I’ll fly; I’ll fly away.

I’ll fly away, oh Glory, I’ll fly away in the morning
When I die Hallelujah, by and by; I’ll fly away.

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment 

Friendly Theology: Barclay’s Catechism – Chapter 4

CHAP. IV.

Of the New Birth, the Inward Appearance of Christ in Spirit, and the Unity of the Saints with him.

Q. Doth Christ promise then to come again to his Disciples?

A. I will not leave you comfortless; I will come unto you [John 14:18].

Q. Was this only a special Promise to these Disciples? or is it not the common Priviledge of the Saints?

A. For thus saith the High and Lofty one that inhabiteth Eternity, whose Name is Holy, I dwell in the High and Holy Place, with him also that is of a Contrite and Humble Spirit, &c. [Isa. 57:15].

For ye are the Temple of the Living God, as God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them [2 Cor. 6:16].

Behold I stand at the Door and knock, if any man hear my voice, and open the Door, I will come in to him, and sup with him and he with me [Rev. 3:20].

Q. Doth the apostle Paul speak of the Son of God’s being revealed in him?

A. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my Mothers Womb, and called me by his Grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Heathen [Gal. 1:15-16].

Q. Is it needful then to know Christ within?

A. Examine your selves, whether ye be in the Faith, prove your own selves; Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be Reprobates [2 Cor. 13:5].

Q. Was the Apostle earnest that this Inward Birth of Christ should be brought forth in any?

A. My little Children, of whom I travel in Birth again, until Christ be formed in you [Gal. 4:19].

Q. What saith the same Apostle of the Necessity of this inward Knowledge of Christ, and of the New Creature beyond the Outward?

A. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the Flesh; yea, though we have known Christ after the Flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any Man be in Christ, he is a New Creature; Old things are passed away, behold all things are become New [2 Cor. 5:16-17].

But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the Truth is in Jesus, That ye put off concerning the former Conversation the Old Man, which is corrupt, according to the deceitful Lusts; and to be renewed in the Spirit of your Mind; and that ye put on the New Man, which after God is Created in Righteousness and true Holiness [Eph. 4:21-24].

***************

After asserting the dual humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ, Robert Barclay now asserts that Jesus Christ is revealed to all people at all times.

Barclay makes the assertion that Christ was not only revealed to the few disciples who traveled with Christ during his life, but to all people who would come after Christ. Barclay quotes Paul’s personal testimony of Christ being revealed to him on the road to Damascus; Barclay also quotes Paul in 2 Corinthians instructing the Christians in Corinth to look for that of Christ that is living within each of them.

For a person to be a Christian, a Quaker, a Friend, they must experience the formation of Christ within. There must be a rebirth of the Spirit into a life with Christ.

It is through the recreation of our hearts and souls that Christ becomes the Lord of our life and we become children of God.

Filed Under Christianity, Church, Religion | Leave a Comment 

Exodus 14 –Struggling to believe in the face of blessing

“When Israel saw the great power which the Lord has used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.”

So the whole ten plagues thing? apparently that didn’t make the people believe in the Lord. And the whole Passover thing? that didn’t make the people believe in the Lord. What about that pillar of cloud and light protecting them from act? well, that didn’t make Israel believe in the Lord. But when God wipes out the army of Israel’s oppressors only then do the people believe in the Lord? This is a tough crowd.

But maybe I’m giving us too much credit. We also quickly forget the amazing things God does for us. We move out of trial and into blessing and we forget the hours of anguish we spent calling on the name of the Lord to save us. Our trials end and our reliance on God wanes.

I always appreciated the asceticism of the desert fathers. The people who would gave up everything and lived in the desert to focus God. The people who would sit for years on a pillar because the trial helped them maintain their reliance upon the Lord.

The greatest act of worship may be learning how to believe in God in the midst of blessing. I suspect very few of us are good at that.

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment 

Exodus 4 – Learning to handle snakes

Ohhh ohhh; I love noticing things I never noticed before. Like this one…

“The Lord said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’ and [Moses] said, ‘A staff.’ Then [the Lord] said, ‘Throw it on the ground.’ So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.”

Did you catch that last part? God did a miracle “and Moses fled from it.” Given, it would be scary to throw your staff on the ground and have it become a potentially deadly reptile; but still, he’s talking to God, he should expect some weird stuff to happen.

How many times in our lives has God called us to do something, we protest, God provides a way to accomplish the task, and we run away like scared little children. I’ve done it; anyone else?

Instead of running away we need to learn to grasp the snake by its tail (as it were). We need to trust that God will enable us to accomplish God’s will.

And just because the chorus is running through my head (and with special thanks to Don Moen)…

God will make a way,
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way.

By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and earth will fade
But His Word will still remain
He will do something new today.

God will make a way,
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment 

Genesis 22 – Two faithful sacrifices

It is after Abraham has driven his son with Hagar away that God tests him by asking if he is willing to sacrifice his only remaining son, Isaac. Ultimately Abraham is willing to do as God commands; however, God does not let Abraham sacrifice Isaac.

God tells Abraham through an angel, “because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

There is a parallel between Abraham’s willingness to give up his son Isaac if God so commanded, and for Jesus to come to earth as the “Son of God” and be sacrificed. The willingness to sacrifice Isaac demonstrated the faithfulness of one man and established one man’s relationship with God. The sacrifice of Jesus allows all people to become faithful and gives all people the opportunity to have a relationship with God.

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment 

Worshiping Through the Stages of Faith

Throughout this paper I hope to focus through the lens of worship on the two ideas of (1) Spiritual development and (2) the dichotic need for both solitude and community in a healthy spiritual life. In this paper I am going to suggest that worshiping through Fowler’s stages of faith might be an effective way of meeting our spiritual needs.

There is a certain integration that naturally occurs between Fowler’s stages and the ideas of the dichotomous need for both solitude and community. Approximately half the stages tend to lead us to worship more in community and half lead us to worship in solitude. If we are able to worship through each of the stages, rather than just the stage we find ourselves in, then we become able to meet our spiritual needs for both solitude and silence.

Filed Under Christianity, Church, Religion | Leave a Comment 

Genesis 16 – Lessons on being faithful

In the previous chapter God had directly told Abram that he would have a son. In spite of this revelation, Abram and Sarai feel compelled to help God along in keeping his promise. Abram and Sarai do not see any way that they will conceive a chile (and God never said the child would be through Sarai), so Sarai convinces Abram to sleep with her servant and conceive a child. Needless to say this caused some relationship issues in the household. Sarai’s servant Hagar ran away out of fear, but God spoke to her and promised to protect her. Even though this child was not God’s promised descendent, God promised to bless him.

How many times have you felt God promise something, but as time goes by you begin to doubt God’s providence. Soon you begin to look for ways you can help God alone in fulfilling his promise. Eventually, you act on your own to enable God’s promise and only later do you realize that the actions you undertook are a poor substitute for what God was waiting to do.

God is more faithful than we are.

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment