It seems like Christianity and Jesus are increasingly under attack. What's going on? What we'll be looking at is what happens when Christians use human wisdom to interpret the Bible, twisting scripture away from its intended message. This blog is dedicated to using Scripture itself to interpret and help us understand Scripture. You are welcome to add your comments and thoughts. Other viewpoints are welcome. Disagreements are welcome.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Are We In Jeremiah 48:11?
"Moab has been at ease since his youth; He has also been undisturbed, like wine on its dregs, And he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, Nor has he gone into exile. Therefore he retains his flavor, And his aroma has not changed."
Then verse 12 says: "'Therefore behold, the days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will send to him those who tip vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will empty his vessels and shatter his jars.'"
What's this about and how does it relate to us?
Verse 11 is describing the wine making process, and using that to describe what has not been happening in Moab.
As wine ferments a sour "sludge" forms and needs to be removed. What was done was to pour the wine into a new jar' leaving behind the "sludge" which is called the dregs. This was done over and over and over, pouring the wine from one jar to another, and removing the dregs from the bottom of the each jar after the wine was poured out. Eventually the result is a sweet tasting, quality wine.
Jeremiah 48:11 is saying that the people of Moab have had an easy life. Things have been good, with nothing to disturb that good life. They have not been poured from jar to jar, which would have purified them. Wine in which the dregs are not removed is a sour, foul tasting wine that is thrown away and the jars that held it are destroyed. Moab is like that, and God is warning them that the time is coming when they will be destroyed.
Isn't America like that? We've had it easy. We've not been refined by troubles. We've not been disturbed by being poured from jar top jar. We are rich, comfortable, enjoying life and ignoring God. We are just like Moab was in Jeremiah 48:11... and we can expect tghe same result -- to be poured out and destroyed.
Can we avoid this? Is there a way to be saved from God's wrath? Yes, God sent Jesus Christ to earth to save us from God.
I used to wonder why God gave us Genesis chapter 1. Why does He tell us what happened at the beginning? Why is it important that we know where everything came from? Isn't it enough to know there is a God and He sent His Son to save us from sin?
No, it isn't. The Bible does not make sense without Genesis chapter one.
An objection I frequently hear is that God must be a wicked, evil, unjust god if he condemns someone to eternal hell for stealing a paper clip. How can people be condemned to eternal punishment for doing one small thing wrong.
Of course we sin much, MUCH more than stealing just one paper clip, but the principle is that if we break just one of God's laws, it is the same as breaking them all and we are condemned to eternal hell. So in theory if the only wrong thing you do throughout your entire life is to steal one paper clip, you are as a result of that theft going to spend eternity in hell. And Genesis One tells us why this is just and right.
Genesis 1:26 says: "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image: in our likeness, and let them rule...'"
Genesis 1:27 repeats this twice more: "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."
In just these two verses God tells us that we are created in His image. We bear God's image. As His image bearers we represent who God is to the rest of the universe... such as the rulers and authorities in heaven (Ephesians 3:10).
What are the Ten Commandments? Are they a set of rules for us to follow? Sort of. But they are much more. The Ten Commandments describe God's character. They describe who God is. That is why as God's image bearer we must live in obedience to the Ten Commandments. If we break these commandments we are misrepresenting who God is to the rest of the universe. That is why if we break just one commandment it is the same as breaking them all. Because by breaking one commandment we have misrepresented God. It does not matter which commandment you break, you have misrepresented God as being something He is not.
That is the true nature of sin. To sin is to break God's law. (1 John 3:4) And to break God's law is to represent the eternal God as breaking His law. It is to wrongly represent the one and only God, who is eternal, as being a liar, a thief, and adulterer, a murder... And the just and fair punishment is an eternal punishment.
That is why Genesis chapter one is important. It tells us who we are... we are the image of God. And it tells us who God is... our creator and the creator of the universe and all that is in it. The One who created the universe just by speaking the word. The One who is so great He can measure the universe with the width of His hand. (Isaiah 40:12)
We all misrepresent who God is. We are all sinners. We are all rightly condemned to eternity in hell. That is the penalty we justly deserve. The only way we can be saved from this penalty is if someone else is willing to pay this penalty for us. If someone else is willing to step into our place and take the punishment we justly deserve.
This characteristic of a non-Christian is very easy to understand. If you deny that Jesus Christ is the Savior, then you are not a Christian.
#7 - "Who is the liar? It isthe man who denies the Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." 1 John 2:22,23
1 John 4:2,3 repeats this:
"This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."
Recognize that "Jesus Christ" is not a name. The term "Christ" is a title. It means savior. It is synonymous with the Hebrew word Messiah. If you deny that Jesus Christ is the savior, then you are not saved. This makes sense because:
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." - Acts 4:12
The previous four posts were about the characteristics of non-believers. In 1 John 2:3 we see what a Christian looks like.
#5 - "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands." 1 John 2:3
Verse 5 continues: "But if anyone obeys His word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him. Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did." - 1 John 2:5,6
The test of knowledge of God is moral conduct. This is a tough requirement. When I first read these verses I was discouraged. There was no way I could obey God perfectly. It seemed as though I was always doing something wrong, so God's love could not be complete in me because of my failure.
The description in 1 John 2:3 is repeated in 1 John 3:24 - "The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him and He in him."
Again in 1 John 5:2 it is repeated again: "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments."
This same characteristic of a believer is also given in other places in the Bible, for example Revelation 12:17 - "So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus."
Again in Revelation 14:12 - "Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus."
There are three characteristics listed here:
1 Faith in Jesus Christ 2 Love 3 Obey God's commandments
We also see that we are to walk as Jesus did. We see this same thing in 1 Peter 2:21 which says - "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."
How did Jesus walk? What did Jesus come to do?
"And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled Himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!" - Philippians 2:8
"'My food,' said Jesus, 'is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.'" - John 4:34
Throughout the New Testament we see that Jesus walked in obedience to God (Matthew 26:39,42, Mark 14:36, John 14:30,31, Romans 5:18,19 and many others).
We can learn a little more from the book of Titus. It says the same thing as 1st John, but in a different way -- "They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good." - Titus 1:16
Here we see that it is life-style, our behavior that sets a Christian apart from a non-Christian. When someone becomes a Christian there is a resulting change in their behavior. We can not be perfect in our obedience as Jesus was. But we can walk the path He walked, striving--out of love--to live in obedience and love through the strength we get from our faith in Jesus Christ. Yes, Christians still sin, but it is a falling into sin, not a willful diving into sin.
Love and Obedience
If you want to summarize the Law of Moses, Jesus boiled it down to just two action items. Love God and love your neighbor. But what does it mean to love? This is too big of a topic for this post, I'll be discussing it in a future post. However, to summarize, the word used for "love" in the New Testament is an action word. It means to love with your actions. It does not saying anything about loving with your feelings. Biblical love is all about doing loving actions. What are the most loving actions? Would you consider obeying God's commandments, doing what God told us to do, to be loving God?
#4 - Love The World, You're Not A Christian - 1st John
The fourth characteristic of a non- Christian is loving the world. (See previous post.)
#4 - "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world." 1 John 2:13,14
In his book, "Manifesto For A Revolution, The Kingdom of God On Earth" Alex Robertson explains what the Bible means when it uses the word "world".
"The devil is never to be underestimated. He is the master of fraud and subversion. All earthly fraud and subversion pays homage to him. As the devil is 'the prince of this world', his false kingdom is also of this world. It involves wealth, power, status and glory in this world--all that the devil has to offer. The true kingdom, as Jesus said, is 'not of this world'.
But is Jesus' kingdom not coming to earth? Yes! He didn't say it wasn't coming to this earth, he said it was 'not of this world.' The earth and the world are very different in the Bible. The earth means the physical creation; the world refers to a spiritual system. God is the king of the earth, but the 'prince of this world' is the devil. The earth is the Lord's, but Satan is 'the God of this world.' (John 12:31, 1 Corinthians 10:26; 2 Corinthians 4:4)"
The things of this world include our culture, the wisdom of mankind, and other religions. Many people claim to be Christians, yet they place culture in authority over God's word. An example of love for the world is point number two of the eight points of Progressive Christianity:
"Recognize the faithfulness of other people who have other names for the way to God's realm, and acknowledge that their ways are true for them, as our ways are true for us."
This expresses the "truth" of our culture. It is called post modernism and involves the belief that each person can have their own beliefs and that all beliefs are equally true. You can have your truth and I can have my own, different truth--and both "truths" are equally true. According to 1st John those who believe this are most likely not Christian.
On the other hand God says there is one truth:
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." - Acts 4:12
The third characteristic of a non- Christian, as described in the book of 1st John is: (See previous post.)
#3 - "The one who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going because darkness has blinded his eyes." 1 John 2:11
In this verse the word "brother" refers to someone who is a Christian. It refers to your Christian brothers and sisters. If you hate another Christian, you are walking in darkness.
Tony [not his real name], a member of our church had been divorced. He had met another woman and asked our pastor to marry him. The pastor declined on the basis that the Bible says you may not remarry while your original spouce is alive. Tony was upset and felt the pastor's manner had been rude when he told Tony he could not perform the marriage. Tony found another pastor who would perform the marriage, and has since refused to step inside the first pastor's church... not even to attend the funeral of a friend.
A characteristic of a Christian is that they are forgiving and do not hate any other Christian.
What is hate? The Bible is not talking about feelings. It is talking about actions. Biblically, hate is the absence of deeds of love. Love expesses itself in concrete actions of love.
"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself." - Leviticus 19:18
Hate is considering your own needs first (1 Corinthians 13:5) and disregarding those who are truly in need (Luke 10:30-37).
Love is putting the needs of others before your needs. Whenever a Christian brother has a true need and you, as a Christian, do not help them, then you have hated your brother and you walk in darkness.
The Ten Commandments give us God's definition of love. For example:
If you love God, there is nothing more important to you than God; you do not have idols in your life; and you never use God's name in an inappropriate manner.
If you love your parents you honor and obey them.
If you love other people you do not lie to them; you do not steal from them; you do not murder--which Jesus defined as being angry at someone. God looks at your thoughts and sees your anger as being the same as murder.
This is why throughout the Bible love and obedience to God are equated as being one and the same thing.
A few years ago I attended a local festival. I walked around asking people the question: "Would you consider yourself to be a good person?" Out of about 300 people I spoke with that day, 290 said they were a good person. Most people think they are good. But the Bible, and our conscience, tells us something different.
If you answered this question by saying, "Yes" you reveal that, as 1 John 1:8 says, the truth is not in you. You are not a Christian.
The Bible tells we all are sinners: "For all have sinned..." - Romans 3:23
There is no one who does not sin. Based on God's standards, there is no one who is good. What are God's standards? Start with the Ten Commandments and Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5,6 & 7). Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever taken something that did not belong to you? (Even something small?) Have you ever looked at another person with lust? Jesus said that if you look with lust you have already committed adultery in your heart. (Matthew 5:27-30) These are just three of the Ten Commandments.
On the other hand Christians know they are not good people, because they know they fall far short of God's standards for good.
"We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands." - 1 john 2:3
If when you face Jesus on judgment day, you feel you are good enough to get into heaven, then you are not a Christian. No one is good enough. We have all failed to meet God's standards and we owe the penalty for breaking His law... it's the death penalty. The only way we can avoid the death penalty is if someone else is willing to pay that penalty for us, on our behalf. And Jesus Christ did that on the cross.
"We are telling you about what we ourselves have actually seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us." - 1 John 1:3
"I write this to you who believe in the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life." - 1 John 5:13
1st John provides a list of characteristics that define someone who is not a true Christians. This series of posts looks at these characteristics as described in 1st John.
There is no scoring used for these characteristics. There is nothing in the Bible that says that if you met any of these criteria, you are not a Christian. John only says that he provides this list so that believers will know they are truly saved.
Here is the first one:
#1 - "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the true." 1 John 1:6
What does it mean to walk in darkness? Most of us believe we are walking in light... we think we are good people. Would you consider yourself to be a good person?
Have you been living with someone or having sex outside of marriage? Then you are living in darkness.
Do you regularly go out to get drunk or use drugs? Then you are living in darkness.
Are you looking at pornography, or spending a lot of your time reading romance novels? You are living in darkness.
Do you regularly use the name of God as a cuss word? Do you download copyrighted music from the internet? Do you regularly tell lies? Then you are living in darkness.
These are just a few of the clearer, easy to see examples.
In general...
If you are not actively trying to live a life in obedience to God, and struggling with sin, then you are living in darkness.
If you are not putting effort into knowing God, reading your Bible regularly, then you are living in darkness.
You can not claim to have fellowship with God and be willingly involved in sinful behavior. Sin separates us from God. You can not have fellowship with God when you are separated from God.
Do you know what it means to live in obedience to God? Do you know what sin is?
Definition of Sin
To sin is to disobey God, meaning to break God's laws.
"Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact sin is lawlessness." -1 John 3:4
We are all sinners. We all break God's laws.
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." - 1 John 1:8
The difference between a Christian and a non-believer is that a Christian falls into sin and struggles with sin. A non-believer dives willingly into sin.
I previous commented on an article called "Blaming Our Ugliness On God". I was unable to provide a link to that article because the magazine that published it had it in a members only section. This week the article was reprinted in another publication and is now available online. You can read it in the UM Nexus.
Previously I used the article to illustrate a few points about a United Methodist Church. The following examines the complete article: Blaming Our Ugliness on God by Scott Campbell.
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"Do not conform any longer to to the pattern of this world [our culture], but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." - Romans 12:2
Mr. Campbell discusses the fact that Scripture was used to support evil such as apartheid in South Africa and slavery in American, and rightly condemns that practice. Historically both apartheid and slavery in America were cultural practices (things that people desired to do) that were then justified through the faulty use of Scripture. In both of these examples culture was used to give meaning to Scripture. This is called isogesis, which is reading into the text the meaning we desire the text to have.
With isogesis we put our human wisdom above the authority of God, and that is wrong.
"There is a way that seems right to man, but the end is death." - Proverbs 14:12
Mr. Campbell then later states, "It is curious however, how quickly such ironclad injunctions [Scripture as the source of knowledge] seem to lose their power when culture leaves religious law behind..."
He now calls for our understanding of what Scripture means, as expressed in church law and creeds, to be guided by our culture, the very thing he previously condemns.
Church law, doctrine and creeds can be flawed should they in any way contradict Scripture. After all they are created by fallen people. However, when in agreement with Scripture they provide a tool that summarizes Scripture so that it may easily be remembered and applied in our everyday lives. Mr. Campbell presents no evidence that the church law, doctrine and creeds he refers to in any way contradict Scripture.
The main point of Mr. Campbell's commentary is that certain classes of people should not be disqualified from ministry. He then proceeds to misrepresent Scripture and the practices of conservative churches.
For example, he implies that conservative churches exclude women from ministry. He has apparently never spoken to leaders of conservative churches. Conservative churches do not exclude women from ministry and in no place does the Bible say that women are to be excluded from ministry. Although Mr. Campbell does not provide Scriptural references, I assume he is referring to 1 Timothy 2:12, which states: "But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man..."
Based on the context, the Biblical prohibition given here is that a woman can not be in authority over a man concerning spiritual matters. Paul provides Scriptural support for this based in Genesis chapter three.
This does not exclude women from ministry. It does mean a woman may not pastor a church that has men in it, as the pastor is in spiritual authority over the congregation. However, there are hundreds of other ministries women may be a part of and lead. For example, if a woman feels called to the pastorate, she should lead a church that specifically and exclusively serves women and children. Women are Biblically involved in missions, as worship leaders, in social ministries, teaching other women, church administration and any ministry that does not place her in a position of spiritual authority over a man.
Mr. Campbell claims conservatives are hypocritical in their interpretation of the Bible because they do not enforce a literal injunction against women speaking in church. I assume he is referring to 1 Corinthians 14:34. However, when read in its context, this verse refers to people who are being disruptive in church. The actual injunction is against speaking out so as to interrupt a church service in a disruptive manner. The Bible does not prohibit women from speaking in church. In fact this same chapter Paul encourages everyone, including women, to speak in tongues and to prophecy in church, both of which involve speaking in church.
Mr. Campbell brings up the issue of sexual orientation and serving God. The real issue here concerns whether or not someone is a Christian. Before we are saved, before someone becomes a Christian, we are an enemies of God (Romans 5:10). An enemy of God can not serve God... not because they are prohibited from serving God, but because it is impossible for an enemy of God to serve God. Why is that? It is rooted in who we are and what makes a person a Christian.
Who are we? We are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). We God's image bearers. Through the church we represent who God is to the universe (Ephesians 3:10).
Who is a Christian? Someone who has repented and is trusting in Jesus Christ for their salvation (Mark 1:15)
Is someone who believes in Jesus Christ a Christian? Not necessarily. Even demons believe in God and shutter. (James 2:19)
Is someone who calls Jesus Christ Lord a Christian? Not necessarily. Not everyone who calls Jesus "Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21)
To be a Christian we must repent, which means to turn away from sin (turn away from disobeying God), and we must trust that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sin. This does not mean we stop sinning. It does mean we resist sinning; that although we may fall into sin, we no longer willfully dive into sin. Whether your willful sin involves a sexual sin, or another type of sin, until that sin is addressed and repentance is seen, you are not qualified for ministry nor will you enter the kingdom of heaven. (1 Corinthians 6:9,10)
What is offensive to God is sin. It is so offensive that it keeps us totally and completely separated from God. Nothing can overcome our sin except Jesus Christ. Only by turning away from sin (repentance) and toward Jesus Christ can we escape the consequences of sin.
When we embrace sin, as God's image bearers we are representing God as embracing sin. That is the ultimate evil. That is why sin is so offensive to God.
What about love? The Bible equates love and obedience to God as being one and the same thing (see John chapter 14). Biblical love is an action, and that action is obedience to God. If we love the worldly system, love our culture and human wisdom, then the love of God is not in us (1 John 2:15). But if we are living to obey God, striving to obey all of God's commandments not just those we choose to obey, then we have love in us (1 John 2:3-6)
Love is conforming ourselves to the character of God. God's laws show us the character of God. If we do not desire to be conformed to the character of God, we are not loving God. As His image bearers, if we do not desire to be conformed to the character of God, we are misrepresenting God, making us enemies of God and unable to serve God.
"I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, 'I am rich. I have everything I want. I don't need a thing!' You don't realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." - Revelation 3:15-16 (NLT)
This is a verse you'll find on the home page of our main web site. This is also a good verse to help us see how understanding the historical background helps us understand the verse.
Jesus is speaking in these verses.
Jesus is telling the church in Laodicea two things. The first is that they are not "hot". We know from other scripture that we should be on fire for God. We should be spiritually hot. Apparently the people in the Laodicean church are not enthusiastic and bold for the Lord.
The second is that Jesus is telling the church in Laodicea that they are not cold. If we just read these words, it does not make sense. Nowhere does the Bible say we should be spiritually "cold". Why would he saying that to be cold is a good thing?
Why does Jesus say "I wish you were either one or the other!". Jesus wants them to be either hot or cold. I think we are missing part of the story.
We do not always know the background for a verse, but in this case the background is well known. Laodicea was located between two other cities. Seven miles north was Hierapolis, a city known for it therapeutic hot springs. Ten miles south was Colosse, a city known for its cold, refreshing spring water.
Laodicea did not have a water source within the city. Water came via a Roman aqueduct from a source three miles away. When the water arrived in Laodicea it was lukewarm. It was neither hot and therapeutic like the water in Hierapolis, nor was it cold and refreshing like the water in Colosse. The water was lukewarm and not pleasant to drink.
The hot water was useful because it was therapeutic. The cold water was useful because it was refreshing. What Jesus is saying is that like the lukewarm water in Laodicea, the Laodicea church is not useful, they do not have any beneficial characteristics. Because they are not beneficial to Jesus Christ, he is going to "spit you out of my mouth" (verse 3:16).
This understanding of what Jesus is saying fits with all of other scripture. It it did not fit with all other scripture, we'd know we had our interpretation wrong. Knowing the historical and geographical background has helped us to understand what is being said. In this case Jesus Christ is saying he wants us to be actively living our lives in obedience to him. We should be "doing" and not be living our lives in a "lukewarm" manner.
