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.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Does God Obey All Of The Ten Commandments?
Does God keep the sabbath? Apparently not.
Jesus had healed an man who had been ill for 38 years, and he did it on the sabbath. (John chapter 5) When questioned by the Jews Jesus said, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working."
God works on the Sabbath! Isn't that a sin, not keeping the Sabbath?
We read in Hebrews 1:3 that Jesus (God) is holding the universe together: "...and upholds all thing by the word of His power."
So Jesus must be working seven days a week, because the universe does not go on pause every seven days. Colossians 1:17 says the same thing:
"He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."
So God breaks the Ten Commandments... or does He?
In Mark 2:27 Jesus says, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath."
What about Genesis where it says the God rested on the seventh day? In fact, some people say the God is still resting and that we are still in the seventh day. That can't be true because the verses we just looked at say that God is working on the time. So what does Genesis say?
"By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He Rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done."
Genesis just says that God rested from the work that He had done. By the way, does God need rest? No. And notice that it says He rested from "what He had done." This is talking about God having completed creation, and as an example to us He rested from His creation work, but He did not stop doing everything else that He does. God continued to work... on the seventh day.
So is God giving us a commandment He does not follow Himself? What's the purpose of the sabbath?
Let's read Exodus 31:14 - "You shall surely observe My Sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations."
Now God not keeping the sabbath is starting to make sense. It is a sign between God and mankind. It does not make sense to have a sign between God and God. But what is it a sign of?
Ezekiel 20:12 repeats what was said in Exodus 31:14. And then God repeats it again in Ezekiel 20:20. That's now three times God has said exactly the same thing. But these two verses ad some additional information. We are to keep the sabbath so that we remember, so that we know, the God is our Lord. The sabbath serves as a reminder that God is in charge and that we need to obey Him. By keeping the sabbath we are demonstrating our agreement that our salvation comes through our obedience. Since God is perfect He does not need to remind Himself. But, since we are not perfect, and we are under the New Covenant - saved through the blood of Jesus Christ - we are not obligated to keep the sabbath.
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.
The question that separates Christians from non-Christians is, would you consider yourself to be a good person? Non-Christian would say "yes" and because they are basically good they will get into heaven. Evolution teaches that mankind is basically good and as we evolve we continue to improve and become better people. Liberal "Christianity" teaches the social gospel, that through our own good efforts we can make this into a good world.
But here is what scripture says:
"God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if there is even one with real understanding, one who seeks for God. But no, all have turned away from God; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not even one." Psalm 53:2,3
"For I was born a sinner-- yes, from the moment my mother conceived me." Psalm 51:5
There is not one good person on earth. No one is good but God. (Luke 18:19)
We think we are good because we compare ourselves with human standards. Our problem is that the standard is not a human standard, but God's standard. Instead of looking to each other, our focus must be on God... and we have fallen far short of God's standards. We have broken all of the Ten Commandments. We were created in the image of God, but are miserable representatives of who God is. We are sinners and we have nothing in us that can save us from God's just punishment.
Johnny Cash sings an important message... you can go on for a long time, but sooner or later God is gonna cut you down.
We all are going to face God on judgment day. Here is a statistic that never changes. 100% of everyone alive today will die. When you die you will face Jesus and be judged. What are you going to tell him? This song is not just about the "criminals" and "evil" people in this world. It's about you. The Bible says you (and me) are wicked. You've broken God's laws and you will face judgment, and the just penalty for breaking God's laws... hell.
When people realize they have disobeyed God (realize they are sinners) a common response is to say, "I've made some mistakes, but God forgives mistakes."
Is this true?
It is true that God forgives, but God is also just. This means there is justice. Justice means there are consequences resulting from our actions. The consequence of disobeying God is the death penalty. This is spiritual death or what we call hell.
Let's say someone has broken the law. It's a serious crime. This person has raped and murdered a small child. They are now standing before a judge. They say to the judge, "Yes, I did this crime. But you are a loving judge. You are a good judge. You are a forgiving judge. Because of this you will let me go free." What is the judge going to say?
He will say, "Yes, I am a loving judge and I hold no grudge against you. Yes, I am a good judge and that is why I am sentencing you to life in prison." The parents of the child may have forgiven this person. He still goes to prison. When you break the law there are consequences. For there to be justice there is a penalty that must be paid. That is true with civil law here on earth, and it is true with God.
"But", people then say, "I've never done anything as bad as that. After all, I've never murdered anyone. Sure I've made some mistakes, but God would never send anyone to hell for a few minor mistakes."
Have you ever been angry with someone? For example, when you are driving in traffic? Or when you are in a store and someone cuts in line in front of you? Or if someone says something really stupid? Jesus said that if you have been angry at another person, that is the same as murder.
God looks at your heart.
Have you ever looked at another person with lust? Jesus said that if you look with lust, that is the same as committing adultery.
God looks at your heart.
Have you ever told a lie? The Bible says that all liars have a place in the lake of fire.
When you break God's law there are consequences. Yes, God is loving. Yes, God is forgiving. Yes, God is justice and justice demands that there be consequences for breaking the law. When you break God's law the consequence is that you deserve to go to the fires of hell. And we all have broken God's law.
Most Americans think they are Christian... but is that true?
Are you a Christian? Are you truly a Christian or are you just calling yourself a Christian because... you've never thought about it. Or your family was Christian. Or you believe in God. But are you truly a Christian? Watch this video.
Are you a Christian? Feel free to comment on this video using the "comments" link below.
But as I pointed out in that post, it is impossible for any of us to obey God's commands perfectly. In fact, the law was not given to us so that we can learn to obey it perfectly, the law was given to us so that we will know we are unable to obey God's law (Romans 7:7) and as a tutor that leads us to Christ (Galatians 3:24).
"I would not have known what sin was except through the law." - Romans 7:7
I explained in that previous post that while Christians do sin, it is because they fall into sin, they do not dive into sin. Christians struggle with sin, they do not accept sin as being good and right.
Here is today's verse:
#9 - "He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God." 1 John 3:8,9
If we look at the original Greek for this verse, it has a deeper meaning than we get from the English translation. This verse is talking about having a continuing lifestyle of sin without repentance... without a struggle with sin.
The example that jumps right out is that of homosexuals being ordained as ministers, priests and bishops. To be a leader in a Christian church you must be a Christian. A homosexual who has turned away from homosexuality, and who is no longer practicing homosexuality can be a minister, priest or bishop. That person may even fall back into the sin of homosexuality... that is something that happens with fallen people such as us.
On the other hand, a homosexual who says, "I'm gay and I'm proud of it." is not a Christian and thus can not be a church leader, or even a church member. Instead of repenting of their sin, turning away from, and struggling with it, they are embracing their sin. That's what this verse is saying. If we embrace our sin... plan our sin... and do not struggle with our sin... then we are not a Christian.
One point I'd like to be very clear about: I said that a homosexual may not be a member of a church. This is true. The church is the body of Christ. If you are not a Christian you are not a part of the body of Christ, you are an enemy of God. However, that does not mean homosexuals are not welcome in church. Everyone is welcome to attend church services, classes and events. The doors are open to you. Come learn about Jesus Christ and how he died on the cross to pay the penalty you owe for disobeying God.
"By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me [Paul] also..." 1 Corinthians 15:2-8
"God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if there is even one with real understanding, one who seeks God."
"But no, all have turned away from God; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not even one!" (NLT)
No one seeks God. Many people think they are seeking God. But is that true? Yes, they are seeking a god, but they are not seeking THE God. They are seeking a god made in their image. They a seeking a god that is acceptable to them. They are judging god based on their human standards. Many find a god who is what they expect a god to be... They may call that human created god "god", or Jesus, or Allah or say that it is nothing such as in Budhism. But it is not the God who created the universe... the God of the Bible.
God is very easy to find. He reveals Himself to us through what He has created, and more specifically through the Bible. God is not hiding. The truth is we don't really want to find Him. We are born enimies of God, yet we still feel our need for God, so we search until we find the man-made god that best suits our desires.
Turn to God. Recognize that you are sinning... that no one does good, not even you! You have disobeyed God and the only way you can be saved from the consequences (hell) is let God save you.
