But What If...

As a Christian, have you ever had one of those moments when the thought hits you like a ton of bricks, "What if all of this is not true? What if it's just made up?"

I haven't been hit by that particular ton of bricks lately, but it has happened before. And it's likely to happen again. Fortunately, it doesn't take too much effort for me to resolve the issue. Pretty much, I just look at the nearest tree. Or, baring the availability of a tree, I glance up at the sky. And Psalm 19 immediately comes to mind.

Psalm 19: 1-4

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world.

What the Psalmist is saying, in much prettier words than I could come up with, is that the very existance of creation makes the existance of a Creator obvious. And every single person, of every single language, in every single location in the entire world, knows it. Even those who might exist at the ends of the world, far away from the written language of Scripture or the organized nature of church, are aware that God exists. In fact, the sky, and the arch of the sky (that would be the firmament) not only speak to the existance of God, but they declare His glory. (Chill bumps!) Every single day, and every single night, creation "speaks" and "reveals" knowledge; specific knowledge: knowledge of God's existance and glory. (Chill bumps again!)

Rom 1:20

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse" (emphasis mine)

Here in Romans, the Bible gets even more specific. Not only does creation declare that God exists, but now we see that the "things that are made" understand what is being said.

So why do some persist in disbelieving? Paul goes on in the next verse of Romans to give us an explanation.

Rom 1:21

"because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened."

Foolish, darkened hearts. That's the simple answer. The complicated answer involves a lot more than foolish, darkened hearts. But, I'm content to let Paul's words stand as he wrote them, because, although simple, they are vividly true.

It seems to me that I always have these flashes of doubt when I am riding around in my car, thinking. It makes me wonder where people went to do their serious thinking before cars were invented. For a walk maybe, or sitting in a rocking chair? Perhaps while staring into the leaping flames of a fire? It doesn't matter, I suppose. I do my serious thinking while driving to the grocery store. Which is probably a good thing. Because, while I am gripping the steering wheel of my car, another verse comes to mind and shuts down the argument completely.

2 Peter 3:10,11

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness," (emphasis mine)

I think that my car falls into the catagory of the "works" that are in the earth. And according to 2 Peter, my car is going to melt, or better yet, dissolve. That kind of puts things in perspective. Truth of God? Lasts forever. Steering wheel of my car? Melting like cheese on a hot burger.

And so, my friends, I can drive on with a light heart. It is real. All of it.

There is No Neutral

As part of some research I've been working on, I'm reading through the book of Romans. I love the way my Bible describes Romans, in it's introduction to the book. "Its compressed declarations of vast truths are like coiled springs--once loosed, they leap through the mind and heart to fill one's horizon and shape one's life." (I really wish I wrote that sentance.)

One of those coiled springs has indeed been leaping through my mind for the past few days. It is found in Romans 8:7:

"Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be." (emphasis mine)

The first part of that sentance contains a very strong word, "enmity." The actual Greek word used is "echthra." According to Stong's, the definition of ecthra is: "hostility; by implication a reason for opposition: - enmity, hatred."

Hatred is about as far from indifferent as you can get. I can't be the only Christian who has been influenced by the messages of this world. According to wordly (or carnal) wisdom, there are an awful lot of good people in this world. And if you happen to come across one who is "not good," then the explanation for their lack of goodness must surely lie in some unhappiness or mistreatment in childhood, etc.

And I would agree that we are surrounded by nice, gentle, considerate, peaceful, moral, and generous people. That lady who cut in front of me at the grocery store doesn't make the list, but still, there are plenty of others who do. It's tempting to start thinking that there is nothing wrong with our nice, but non-religious, neighbor. It is even more tempting to go down the line of reasoning that because they are "good" by the standards of this world, that surely an eternity of conscious punishment, seperated from God, is far from what they deserve.

But as is often the case, what seems obvious, and what makes sense to our human minds, is just plain wrong. Because according to that little phrase in Romans 8:7, the carnal mind is locked into a relationship of hatred toward God. There is no neutral territory. Carnal, by the way, simply means "of the flesh." Its implications include everything that has to do with this world, and the desires that naturally result in our worldly, fleshly, lives. We ususally associate it with sexual connotation, but its true meaning is much broader than just sexual lust.

I have, on occassion, been very carnally minded about all sorts of things; like shoes (Cole Haan shoes if you must know), and a flat stomach, and a condo at the beach. None of which I currently posses. (Well, except for some Cole Haan shoes that I got on clearance, but that is a whole other topic.)

Getting back to serious business, though, if a person is carnally minded, then they hate God. It is as simple as that. For all the veneer of respectfullness and good-citizenship, those who are not renewed by the Spirit are at war with God. It might not seem obvious to our human eyes, but you can bet that God is fully aware of every skirmish.

And now that this particular coiled spring from the book of Romans has leapt through my mind, I see those around me in a slightly different light. Not in the light of judgment, but in the light of reality. There are no Switzerlands in this war. Everyone is in the trenches on one side or the other, aiming and taking shots. And my goal is to cause as many defections from the side of the enemy as possible.

James 4:4

“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”

Christian, What Do You Believe?

There are all sorts of Christians in the world. We come under many banners, ascribe to various theories, and the "flavors" of belief we offer are almost endless. Which, nowadays, is not necessarily such a bad thing. A few hundered years ago you were liable to get yourself burned at the stake, or worse, if you happened to fall on the wrong side of a doctrinal issue. The right side, of course, was determined by whoever happened to be in power at the moment.

But one problem that arises from all of this diversity of thought and theology is this: Who can really be called a Christian, and who is disqualified from taking that label based on what they believe?

It can get sort of thorny. Are Mormons Christians? I don't agree that they are, but I think there are many Mormons who would take issue with me. Perhaps some non-Mormons as well.

One particularly distasteful (to me) breed of Christian thought goes something like this: My beliefs and my theology are perfect. Everyone else is totally wrong. And not only are they wrong, but they probably aren't even real Christians to begin with, because they don't see points x, y and z the same way I do.

Please don't misunderstand me. I believe that there is truth, and that God has revealed Himself to us in Scripture, and that Scripture is able to be discerned and its truths understood. But some topics are just plain gray. And some Christians, altough I would never argue that they are insincere, are wrong. But they are still Christians regardless.

So where are the boundary lines that determine what is essential and what is debatable? Well, far be it from me to consider myself smart enough to grasp all of the intricate ins and outs of that question. But, I'd like to offer you a tool that has been very helpful to me in determining what should be considered Christianity, and what is another religion altogether. It's called the Apostle's Creed.

Some of you know it by heart and have grown up repeating it out loud in church services. Others of you might be familiar with it, and even know it by heart, but rarely, if ever, used it in public worship. And to some of you, it might be brand new. So here it is:

The Apostle's Creed

I believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord; He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilot, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; On the third day He arose from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; I believe a holy catholic Christian church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.

If a person can claim all of the elements of the Apostle's Creed, we should consider them to be a Christian. Their particular denomination might do things, or believe some things, that are different than our own denomination. But we are all Christians. And we need to keep that in mind.

I know I have been guilty in the past of thinking that my understanding of Scripture was so superior to other's understanding that it made me wonder if they were even really saved. I don't feel that way anymore. And I'm sort of ashamed that I ever did. I mean, when did God make Hadassah the judge of anyone else's salvation. He didn't.

Like I said before, I do think truth matters. And I happen to be convinced that my own beliefs are absolutly true, or else I wouldn't believe them. But you and I can disagree about all sorts of things, that don't happen to be part of the Apostle's Creed, and still embrace each other as fellow saints and believers.

Now, if you start trying to tell me that Jesus wasn't raised from the dead, or something like that, then... Houston...we have a problem. Or should I say, a chance for me to convince you of the truth?

Oh yeah, one more thing. Many thanks go to the Red & Black Redneck for inspiring this post. He will probably claim credit anyway. So thanks dear!

On Tennis and Assembling

So, I had my first tennis lesson today. I've been playing for about a year now, and doing a semi-decent job of it. But I decided it was high time that I get the input of a real professional. For one thing, my forehand just plain stinks. I can hit a backhand all day, but give me a forehand, and I can only hit the ball decently about half the time.

The lesson was good, by the way. Almost immediately, the instructor told me two pretty vital things that I had no idea I was doing wrong. Really simple things, too, like keep your eye on the ball until you have hit it (duh!). But I have always looked at my opponent when I hit the ball. I expect to be playing at a professional level now that I have that problem fixed. OK, just kidding.

But I'll tell you what it made me think of, after I stopped feeling idiotic for making such a simple error. We all have things to learn from others. Not a single one of us has got this Christianity thing down so well that we can go solo from now on. I absolutely LOVE to spend time around women who are more mature in their faith than I am. One woman in particular always makes me wish I could just stand next to her and absorb her great wisdom and gentleness through osmosis. It doesn't work that way, unfortunately, but if it did, she is the one I'd be pushing people out of the way to stand next to. (See, I really can use some extra gentleness!)

There have been some people I've come across here and there who advocate leaving church altogether and just going it alone with God. I have such a hard time understanding how that could benefit anyone.

I know, I know, churches are far from perfect. They are full of sinners, and people who rub you the wrong way. There are all of those generational differences to overcome, and some people have some rather "interesting" views that are naturally a hairbreadth away from being heresy, in your humble opinion. And, of course, everyone knows that churches are full of hypocrites, and who wants to associate themselves with those sorts?

But the Bible speaks specifically to being part of a body of believers in Hebrews 10: 24-25:

" And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. " (emphasis mine)

You will notice something from that verse. The assembling together that is commanded is just as much for the benefit of "one another" as it is for each of us individually. We have each been gifted differently. We need each other because God has given us gifts that are to be used for the service of the body. Not just for our own selfish benefit.

Maybe you are a super-intelligent theological genius and all those unintelligent, theologically illiterate churchgoers get on your nerves. Well, maybe they have a thing or two to teach you about serving through love. Perhaps you are a humble servant who gets frustrated that nobody else wants to lend a helping hand and you end up with all of the grunt work. It could be that you need to be inspired to rest in the beauty of God's perfect grace. Whatever the case may be, we need each other.

Romans 12:4-6

"For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them:"

I know some of you who read this blog, and I know that you are super involved in your church. But I certainly don't know everyone who stumbles by here. So if you happen to read this, and you aren't a member of a church, by all means find one and get involved. I can promise you one thing. You won't find a church that is perfect. And even if you did, chances are that you would ruin it the moment you walked in the door. So, give grace where grace is needed, but don't alienate yourself from God's established means of ministering to the saints: church.

I AM WHO I AM

Exodus 3:14,15

"And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you."" Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: "The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.""


The literal Hebrew for "I AM WHO I AM" is "Eheyeh asher Eheyeh." It has been translated a few different ways throughout history, but our current translation of "I AM WHO I AM" is just as illustrative as any of the other translations, so let's stick with it for the purposes of this post.


We get the name "Yahweh" from this verse. The Hebrew for "I AM" sounds like the name "Yahweh." (I spent about 20 minutes typing a few paragraphs about different verb tenses and how they relate to the original Hebrew from which we derive the name Yahweh, but it's not like I can read Hebrew or anything, so just take the word of the 5 commentaries I read.)

If you are anything like me, you have spent some time being confused about the difference between the name "Yahweh" and the name "Jehovah." I understood that they both meant the same thing, but I wasn't really sure why there needed to be two different names with the same meaning. Let me see if I can explain it to you in the way that finally made sense to me.

The Jews were sort of superstitious about God's name. They considered it too holy to pronounce out loud. So instead of pronouncing "Yahweh" they would substitute the name "'adonay" which is translated "my Lord." In our English translations of the Bible, whenever you see the word "LORD" spelled in all capital letters, it means that the original language for that verse uses the name "Yahweh." Now to me, the use of the word "LORD" in place of "Yahweh" is unnecessary. Because the word "Lord," not spelled in all capital letters, can mean all kinds of things apart from "God." It can simply mean, "one with authority." It seems to me that all these different uses of the word "Lord" and "LORD" just muddy up the waters of identification. But, we seem to be stuck with it.

So, what does any of that have to do with the difference between "Yahweh" and "Jehovah?" Well, it all has to do with that Jewish reluctance to pronounce God's name. Because the Jews were so wary of saying the name Yahweh out loud, they added the verbs for the word "adonay" (remember, this word means Lord) in their written texts wherever the name Yahweh appeared. That way, as a Jew was reading out loud, he would be reminded not to pronounce the holy name, and would instead say "adonay."

Then in 1530 a man named William Tyndale combined the word "Yahweh" with the vowel sounds in "adonay" and the hybrid name of "Jehovah" was born. So really, Yahweh and Jehovah both mean the same thing, and they are both referring to God as He revealed Himself in Exodus 3:14. My personal preference is the name "Yahweh"over the name "Jehovah," because it seems closer to the original name that God revealed. But I don't think it is worth getting all worked up over.

So why does any of this matter, aside from just being interesting? Well, there is one very important reason that we should understand the name Yahweh, or I AM.

You may have heard it said that Jesus never explicitly called Himself God. But the truth is that He did, on more than one occasion, and the Jews that He said it to understood exactly what He meant. We don't always see it clearly because it gets somewhat lost in translation.

One of the most explicit examples is in John 8:58, 59:

"Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."

Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by."

It is not really that clear to us in English, but the two different verbs used when Jesus referred to Abraham, and then to Himself, imply two very different things. The verb used to describe Abraham means "was brought into being." The phrase that Jesus used of Himself means, "I exist." On the face of it, that might not seem like such a radical statement, to say "I exist." But Jesus was applying the name Yahweh to Himself when He said those words, and his audience, made up of Jews, understood His meaning perfectly.

That is why in the very next verse, the Jews picked up stones and sought to kill Jesus. They were infuriated that He claimed to be Yahweh.

It is pretty interesting to note that Jesus used the phrase "I am" several times in a way that indicated He was associating Himself with the name "Yahweh." The problem is, that when those verses get translated into English, the word "he" is usually added to help us understand the sentence. But, if you ask me, the real meaning is being obscured by the apparent meaning. Now, the translators will put the word "he" in italics, or some other color or font, as a way of indicating that the word has been added to help us understand the sentence. But, I'm afraid that your average Bible reader just skims over such textual nuances. For instance, here is exactly how John 8:28 appears in my Bible:

"Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things."

Notice the two words that appear in italics: He and that. Those italics mean that the words have been inserted during translation. Adding those words does help us to read the sentence in grammatically correct English. But, in my humble little opinion, the most profound implications are stripped out.

Just for fun, look up the following verses in your own Bible and take note of the words that appear in italics: John 8:24 and John 18:4-6.

It kind of reminds you to pay closer attention when you read the Bible, doesn't it?

Always Be Prepared

I've been thinking a lot since yesterday. I suppose that the visit I had from the Jehovah's Witnesses may have been as much for my benefit as anything else. I promise I'm not going to let this blog shift its focus onto apologetics. (Apologetics, by the way, is the reasoned arguments that you provide to defend your faith, that is not the formal definition, but I think it works just fine. In other words, it is the reasoning that explains why you believe what you believe.)

But, ladies, I came to realize something yesterday. Far too many of us are woefully ignorant of Scripture. And I feel the need to gently fuss about it.

My misguided visitors were rather surprised when I not only opened the door and spoke to them, but when I also proved to know a thing or two about the Bible. If their reaction is to be trusted, this is a rare occurrence. Shame on us!

I know all the arguments against engaging the Jehovah's Witnesses or the Mormons who come knocking: they have memorized their doctrine and the Bible verses that appear to support them, their logic is intentionally tricky and they might manage to confuse you, you won't change their mind anyway, so why bother.

But I'm afraid there are two bigger reasons we don't open the door. One, we don't really care about the lost souls on our front porch who are earnestly heading straight toward eternal damnation. That is simply terrible! Second, we don't know how to make a reasoned defense of our faith, and so we are afraid to even try. This is just as bad!

In 1 Peter 3:15, we are told, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;." (emphasis mine) I know that some people see this verse as encouragement to freely give your personal testimony. But even the Buddhist can give an honest and genuine testimony. That doesn't make his faith true, it just means that he really, sincerely believes it. We, who posses the truth, must be able to provide more than just our personal experience. We must be able to assert the authority of Scripture.

Now, don't think I'm going to fuss at you today without giving you a little help in the right direction. I can't pretend that I've memorized every single section of Scripture that points to, or explicitly claims, or obviously shows, the divinity of Christ. I did read many of them today, but in a pinch, I doubt I would be able to recall them immediately.

But I did see something that I thought I could remember, and you can too. Any one of you who read this blog can remember two numbers: 20:28.

That's right, before I even tell you what the verses are or what book they are in, I want you to make yourself a giant mental sticky note: 20:28. Say it out loud, write it down, or whatever helps you to remember. 20:28.

OK, now, remember this: the last and the first. That's easy isn't it? We are going to find our key verses in the last of the Gospels, which is John, and the first book that comes after them, which is Acts. John and Acts, got it?

Here we go:

John 20:28

"And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"

In this verse, Thomas explicitly calls Jesus not only Lord, as he was accustomed to calling him prior to this point, but he also explicitly calls Jesus "God." The Greek word used here for God is "theos." And in your Bible this word is translated with a capital "G" not a small "g." That means God as in the one true God: Jehovah. Now, it is true that elsewhere in the Bible, this exact same word is translated with a little "g." But even if that were the proper translation, it doesn't matter. Because in the very next verse, John 20:29, Jesus commends Thomas for believing that He is God. Jesus cannot possibly be sinless as a man, AND accept worship as God. He must be either God, or a sinner.

You may get some convoluted argument about mistranslations, misunderstandings, etc. But stick to your guns. Either Jesus has just committed a sin by accepting worship as God, or Jesus is sinless AND IS GOD. The text is plain and speaks for itself.

Then we have Acts 20:28:

"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." (emphasis mine)

This one is simple. Here we have it explicitly stated that God purchased the flock (that would be the church) with HIS OWN BLOOD. This must mean that the blood which Jesus shed was the blood of God. Jesus, must therefore, be God.

Let me tell you, I've looked at so many Bible verses today pertaining to the divinity of Christ that my head started to spin at one point. I am realistic enough to realize that not all of you are going to do the same thing. But really, if you can remember these two addresses (verses) you are well on your way to being able to defend the divinity of Christ.

So, please, next time, open your door, too. Don't view the person on the other side as a threat. Allow the Holy Spirit to use you. Show love, be polite, be gentle and respectful. But be prepared to show the truth. Even if it goes badly, and you feel like you botched the whole thing, it is good practice. You can do better next time. More importantly though, it is not up to you to be perfect or to know every detailed argument. The Holy Spirit is the one who works in people's hearts to lift the veil and reveal the truth. It's an amazing privilege to be used by Him in the process. So even if you bumble and stutter and feel ignorant, fear not. If God has a purpose, it will be fulfilled, regardless of your abilities or lack thereof.

And don't forget: 20:28, the last and the first. How hard is that?

P.S. To my regular readers: I am well aware that this post may attract some strange comments. It's OK if that happens. They are welcome to read my post, but I really wrote it for all of you who normally drop by for a visit.

The Mission Field (That Came Right Up to My Front Door)

I had some unexpected visitors this morning. Two very nice women rang my doorbell. I spotted them knocking on the front door of my neighbor, and sort of scoped them out as they made their way to my house. I figured they were with some sort of religious organization. Normally, I DO NOT open my door if I am unaware of who the person is on the other side. I live in a neighborhood that has a lot of character, and there have been some, um, interesting people that have come by.

But these two seemed harmless enough, so I said a quick prayer asking for grace, wisdom and knowledge, and when they rang, I opened the door.

They were Jehovah's Witnesses. It took a few minutes to get around to that, but eventually we got there. I am not all that familiar with the Jehovah's Witnesses and what they believe. But I thought that there was some major point of disagreement between their beliefs and the typical evangelical, so I asked them what it might be.

In a nutshell, they deny the Trinity. They believe that Jesus was a special, righteous man, but they don't believe that He was God in the flesh.

Oh, boy! How often is it that you have a chance to really talk, without any hesitation or constraints, about religion with a perfect stranger? This was an opportunity that I just couldn't resist! These two very nice ladies had come expecting to tell me about the kingdom of Heaven, and throughout our conversation, they kept trying to steer me back to their agenda. But I wanted to talk about Christ, so I did.

I don't remember everything that they said or that I said. But, as soon as they realized that I was an evangelical Christian who knew more about the Bible than the 23rd Psalm, they wanted to find common ground between us. I, however, had the exact opposite intent, and wanted to point out to them that we did not, in fact, believe the same thing at all. And I told them at least 6 or 7 times as they stood on my doorstep that I feared for their souls, because they did not believe in Jesus as He revealed Himself in Scripture.

Before I go on, I should say that I was extremely polite, and so were they. But there was no way I was going to let them leave my doorstep without telling them that they believed a lie, that they did not know the truth, and that come Judgment Day, they would be on the wrong side of God, unless they trusted in Jesus as Saviour and LORD. (LORD as in God.)

They shared some arguments against Christ's divinity, I opened my Bible to John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." They told me that my Bible had a mistranslation of that verse. They had an "explanation" for everything. Of course, they are well trained in their beliefs before they are sent out to knock on doors, so I shouldn't have been surprised about that.

At a certain point they decided to leave, once they realized that they were not going to convince me of anything. They gave me a few verses to look up that had to do with Heaven, which was what they wanted to talk about all along. Before they left I encouraged them to read the Bible for themselves, without the influence of what someone else told them to believe, and let Scripture speak for itself. They actually seemed to listen when I told them that. And then I parted by telling them that I would pray for their souls all day today, because they did not know the truth, and had not been brought to the light.

This was such a strange experience for me. I don't normally look people in the eye and tell them their souls are going to be separated from God for all of eternity. I sort of doubt that anyone had ever told them that before. But, there are times when we just have to speak the truth in love. And when a stranger comes to your door, and they want to talk about what you believe, then how can you pass up the opportunity to give them the TRUTH?

Naturally, after they left, I came up with about 5 good Bible verses that would have gone a long way toward proving my case. And a dozen arguments against their logic. But I suppose if they were supposed to hear those things, God would have impressed them on me before this encounter. But, I'll tell you one thing. I'll be even better prepared next time.

I should hang a sing on my door, "Jehovah's Witnesses Welcome!" OK, just kidding.

Justified by Faith

Galatians 5:13

"For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."


Some years ago, my husband and I participated in a couples Bible study on the book of Galatians. I believe it was a series based on the work of Tim Keller. Anyway, I have this verse (the one above) underlined in my Bible, and in the margin, I wrote the words, "we are free to not be centered on ourselves."

As I looked at my note in the margin last night, I thought, "Huh? What does that mean?" I bet you have done the same thing, wondering what thought process caused you to write a word or a phrase in your Bible. Or maybe it's just me?

Anyway, it got me thinking. What does it actually mean to be "free to not be centered on ourselves" and what does that have to do with "through love serve one another." I think I've reconnected the dots, so to speak, and you might enjoy following along the mental journey I engaged in to complete the picture.

It all has to do with the concept of faith as it relates to our justification. Now, justification is just a fancy word that means being declared righteous before God. We are all born as sinners before God. (Psalm 51:5) And in order to receive salvation, we must be declared righteous before God, or in other words, we must be justified. According to Galatians 2:16, "a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ...that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified."

This is a huge concept. What Paul is saying is that there are no rules or laws which we can keep in order for God to see us as righteous. The only way that we will ever be declared righteous before God is through faith in Jesus Christ. I could spend my entire life doing wonderful, charitable deeds; and come Judgment Day, God would still spit me out of His mouth if I did not have the one thing required to be justified: faith in Christ Jesus.

This is such a freeing truth that its importance can not be minimized. So many people, Christians included, have this notion that we are pleasing to God, and receive our salvation (or keep it) based on the things that we do or don't do. Paul is adamantly denying any such thing.

Now, you will never hear me say that keeping God's law doesn't matter. It matters a great deal. But it doesn't have anything to do with earning salvation. The importance of keeping God's law is a topic for another day. Suffice it to say that the law is still vital.

So, keeping that in mind, how should one react to this amazing concept of justification through faith? If we don't bear the burden of earning our salvation, than what are we to do?

Well, according to Galatians 5:13, we should, "through love serve one another." Allow me to illustrate what I mean by describing two different understandings of justification.

First, imagine that you believe it is up to you to make yourself righteous before God. You have a sense that if you are just "good" enough, then in the end you will make it to Heaven. Or perhaps you think that you have salvation, but it is up to you to keep it by obeying certain laws and rules. First of all, where is humility in either of those scenarios? But, more importantly, if you believe that you are earning or working towards something, than what do you suppose would motivate you to serve others? Would you be serving out of love? Probably not. When you get to the heart of the matter, you would probably be serving others, or doing "good" things, out of your own self-interest. (If I do xyz, then God will find me righteous.)


Contrast that with a person who knows that she is already declared righteous before God. This person knows that nothing can ever separate her from the love of Christ. She is therefore, free from the burden of working out her own salvation, and liberated to serve others out of genuine love, rather than self-interest.

In others words, as my Bible note declares, she would be, "free to not be centered on (herself)."

And the key to all of this working the way it should, is understanding that we are justified, or declared righteous, before God by our faith. Nothing else. Period. End of story.

Galatians 5:1

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."

Immanuel

In the second chapter of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream. He is so troubled by this dream that he is unable to sleep. He calls all of the magicians and sorcerers of his court to come before him and explain this dream to him.

Only it would seem the King had reason to believe that his “wise men” were full of baloney. He tells them that not only must they explain the meaning of his dream, but they must also tell him what happened in the dream. And if they can’t deliver, then they are all going to be cut to pieces and their houses will be turned into heaps of ash. Sounds like a nice boss, huh?

You can imagine that the sorcerers and magicians were pretty upset by the request, because they certainly had no ability to tell him the contents of his dream. And so they responded to him in part by saying, “It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” (Daniel 2:11, italics mine)

Those sorcerers were dead wrong.

God does indeed dwell with us, and at a specific point in history, He even came to earth and dwelt with us in the flesh. Check out these two verses:

Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Mat 1:23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD, AND BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which is translated, "God with us."

Don’t miss the last few words in the verse from Matthew. Immanuel is literally translated, “God with us.”

This is probably one of those ideas that you have heard so many times it has become sort of rote. You say it or express it or read it, perhaps without thinking through what it actually means. God is with us. God is with me, as in right now while I am typing this post. And He will be with me all night long while I sleep in my bed. Tomorrow as well, as I, hopefully, play tennis and get some cleaning and laundry done. Even in those mundane moments, God is WITH me.

And there is more. On the day I almost bled to death, God was with me. On the day I had a hissy fit and kicked my kitchen cabinets, God was with me. As a child, when I flew away from a country and a life that I loved, never expecting to return to either one again, God was right there with me. Even as I was being knit together in the womb of my mother; God was there alongside my unformed frame. In all of the years that followed, even in the years that I didn’t want much to do with God, He was with me. What a thought.

There was a time when all of this “withness” would make me uncomfortable to think about. Because if God has been with me through it all; He has also seen it all. And some of it wasn’t very pretty. OK, most of it wasn’t pretty. Fine! All of it!

But I don’t even worry about that anymore. Honestly, I have made peace with the past. I know that my sins are forgiven. Not just kind of forgiven, but removed from me as far as the east is from the west. That’s a long way. And I have let the concept of grace sink deep down into my bones. But, I digress.

As I go about my day tomorrow, I am going to make a concerted effort to focus on the fact that God is with me every moment. I’m not expecting tomorrow to be any kind of extraordinary day, but you never know. As long as God is with me, I suppose anything could happen.

Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

Matthew 28:20 “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

(emphasis mine)