We started a bible study in Ephesians 1 on Friday at my house. The book is enormously important to the Christian as it begins with some incredibly important theology that is meant to establish the relationship between God and His children. It allows us to know who we are not from who we think we are, or from who others say we are, but from God in heaven. That is why in 1 Corinthians 4:3 the Apostle Paul refuses to claim any authority over himself. Pay attention to his words: "...it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me." He is making the case that God is his judge and, because of that, he has no authority to claim his own identity. This is important because we clearly derive our identity from that which owns us. If we are God's then He tells us who we are. If we are slaves to sin, then such reveals our owner.
So who does God say we are? We need to look at His promises in Ephesians 1 to find out. Here is Paul's exposition of the spiritual blessings of God upon His children:
1) We are chosen by Him for eternal life before the foundation of the world (vs. 4)
2) We stand holy and blameless before Him (vs. 4)
3) We were predestined to be adopted as sons - a term connotative not of gender but of inheritance (vs. 5)
4) We are redeemed from slavery by Jesus' blood and forgiven of all our sin (vs. 7)
5) He has revealed to us the mystery of His will - the uniting of all things in Him (vs. 10)
6) We have been given the inheritance of Christ - or all things the Father has given Him (vs. 11)
7) Our inheritance of eternal life is guaranteed by the deposit of the Holy Spirit in our hearts (vs. 13-14)
This predestination along with the forgiveness granted by the power of God is critical to establish us in the firm hand of God. In fact, the power that the Holy Spirit has placed in our hearts is the same "that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead...far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named..." (vs. 20-21).
We have been made alive and if our identity in any way comes from our continued effort to define ourselves then we cannot rest assured in the spiritual blessings of God in Christ through the Holy Spirit. You are either forgiven or you are not. You are either a son of God or you are not. You have eternal life or you do not. IT IS FINISHED! There is no middle ground that leaves us any wiggle room. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead does not leave any power for death to win. Once you are given the life of Jesus you cannot lose it. You cannot commit spiritual suicide when
you do not even own your life! Once God has called you His son you cannot just stop being His son. We have no power to rename ourselves once God has named us. That is why verse 21 establishes our identity "above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come." Your name depends not upon your work but upon the work of Jesus.
-Putting thought to paper (or blog) is an amazing thing to do. It takes a lot of effort but bears rich rewards if you can apply reason to reality to find wisdom. In fact, much like praying before a God who knows you perfectly, writing your thoughts out helps in the process of obtaining wisdom by exposing hypocrisy in your thought processes. The best way to find wisdom is to ask questions and discover certain principles that never change. Once you've found those principles, you have an immutable foundation upon which to build your life. This foundation leads to a strong conscience and character and a hatred of deceit.
-A friend writes concerning the scriptures: "Okay, whatever. I'm done talking about the Bible because I don't know anything from it. I am useless."
My response: "That's foolish to say lil' sister! Ask me for scriptures for proof instead of lambasting yourself. Ask questions, ask questions, ask questions! You won't gain wisdom by denying your creation as a daughter of God, made in His image!"
-A question I asked on Facebook: "How does gay marriage infringe upon our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Does another person's marriage take away your ability to live life as you see fit?"
A friend writes: "I feel that if our nation was to legally endorse gay "marriage" then the judgment of our heavenly father would be upon the whole nation."
My response: "Doesn't the judgment of God fall upon people for every sin? Does God deem one sin as more worthy of eternal justice than another? Doesn't our allowance of abortion as a country place us under God's judgment already? We are either under judgment already or we are not."
(The picture above is an illustration intended to reveal conceit and is not in alignment with my beliefs)
Another friend writes on this topic: "A gay man thinks the same as a straight man. Therefore no limitation [on marriage] should be made. But what about those with a mental disability that could cause harm to oneself or another? Is it okay then to have limits?"
My response in part: "Who determines mental disability? Even mentally disabled people can be wise and make proper decisions. I know plenty of mentally enabled people who make incredibly destructive choices. Wisdom is not constrained by one's ability to think but rather by one's ability to have empathy towards others. Mentally disabled people I have known are some of the most loving people I have ever met."
-A third friend ask how I got on the topic and I said: "[My reason is] anger over the conduct of judgmental Christians who would rather judge their unbelieving neighbor instead of loving their enemies as God loved them when they were His enemies!"
Where we come from is a mystery and to where we will go is unknown. The only certain thing is that from dust we were formed and to dust will our remains return. The sinner seeks justice from his oppressor and the righteous man dies of a broken heart. For what purpose does the one who seeks goodness work for? Assuredly, he will die just as the sinner. The lazy gambler loses his money in life just as the diligent worker loses it in death. Whether we tarry or hurry, the pursuit of wealth is foolish for what it purchases will decay away. To seek justice is a fool's errand for the grave will catch all in it's insatiable embrace. Whereas justice is never fulfilled, the grave is never filled. Regardless of the goodness we seek in life, at death we bequeath all things to those who did not earn them. The meaningless nature of this life is found in death.
You ask, "but what of justice? Is it not good that we seek it while we live?" Foolishness! Have you failed to examine your own heart? A man cannot live up to even the standards he strives for! We are marked by failure and deserve judgment at every step. We miss the mark of living up to God's law and prove the impossibility of living up to the law of man. Even as a law unto ourselves we are riddled with imperfection. We hate the people who murder in hatred and put them to death in our very hearts. We despise the jealous and the proud and drop the anchor of haughtiness deeply in the harbors of our souls. The secret places drip with venom and stink with the rot of death even as we polish the facade that we present to the world. We are white-washed tombs that look beautiful on the outside and contain nothing on the inside but decaying bones.
You want to judge but are already judged! Judgment brings no hope. The world knows this to be true which is why many rally around the banner of hating those who judge. Do you not see? Even in avoiding judgment we make ourselves arbiters of those who judge! If we could avoid judgment there is still no hope, for existence is joyless when wickedness goes unpunished. This is the crux of the problem we face as humans. With judgment no man escapes the murder in his own heart and without justice the murderer goes free.
Can this possibly be the end of the story for us? What is our purpose in this life and universe if all paths lead to hopelessness and death? There is only one answer and it must be found in the life, death, resurrection and ascension of the king of all creation, Jesus Christ, who came to save all men from their sins! He is the "man of sorrows" who took the corrupted mortality of this life upon Himself to be with us. He walked in life among those who were dead to Him to serve their needs and take away their distresses. He came not to judge us according to our evil ways, but to be judged though His ways were pure and faultless. Open your eyes, sinner! The judgment you deserve has fallen upon the Savior of mankind! Seek out His forgiveness! In this way only can perfect justice be established for eternity. Judgment is passed, justice prevails, and mercy and grace reign in Him who is merciful and just to forgive. All who put their trust in Him will by no means be put to shame. Death has been swallowed up in life!
Today, I was keeping watch out in front of the school when a couple of female students I recognized went walking by. One of them was on the phone talking to the person who was going to give her a ride home. Having seen her picked up by her dad before I assumed that she was speaking to him. Now, I'd seen her be rude to him a time or two before but it was only in passing and it was nothing like the belligerence she put on display today in front of her friend.
As she was approaching, I heard her saying in a steadily harsher voice as the conversation quickly developed, "Where are you?" A moment later she spoke with a vitriolic voice and I could almost taste the poison that dripped from her tongue. Her countenance was wicked, yet gleeful, for the pain she was willingly inflicting upon her dad. She said, "We're going to Taco Bell. Pick us up there" ...short pause... "GOD DANG! YOU ARE SUCH AN IDIOT!" Her phone slammed shut.
I was appalled and barked at her, "Hey, is that your dad you were talking to?" She gave and affirmative response and I quickly said, "That was shameful of you!" She didn't even look at me as she walked away but her friend tried to spit some sort of uncouth words my way before tapering off into a few sour glances.
I was aggravated for the duration of the morning for two reasons. Her father was to blame for setting up such lousy boundaries and she was responsible for her rebelliousness. What led to such a relationship between her and her father? A friend suggested that perhaps it was a powerful sense of guilt or shame on the part of the father. He may have done something terribly wrong to her in the past and, knowing his guilt, allowed her to get away with whatever she wanted. How terrible though. If that is the case, guilt obviously did not motivate him to love his daughter. In fact, by allowing her to live such a shameful life he was hating her.
I realized in my anger that I was not hoping for healing for the two of them so I began to pray that the Lord would reveal His loving-kindness to them. In so praying, I realized that my nature was that of the girl's to her father. I was living as an enemy to God, spitting in his face and defiling his goodness. Yet, he refused to allow me, as a wayward child, to live in such a wicked state. He was not ashamed of His own nature and He knew how to win my heart. He drew a boundary around me and said, "this far shall you fall and no further." Then He caught me in His hands and lifted me up. He taught me honesty to admit to Him my hatreds and misgivings and in so doing I learned how to trust in Him. This trust did not come simply because I could speak to Him, but because I could see His grace poured out into my heart. He did not allow me to continue to hate Him!
He called out my shameful behavior but, more than that, He rectified it. He brought light to my darkness and exposed my need. There was a dark hole in my heart that had sucked all the joy around me into it and dissolved it. In seeing this, I was left to stew in my own guilt and I KNEW that God was going to crush me. Yet, in His mercy as my perfect Father, God reached out His hands of blessing and offered to me gifts of a clear conscience, forgiveness of sin, peace of mind, kindness of heart, eternal life and a relationship with His Son forever. He simply asked me, "Have you learned your lesson?"
With my mouth wide open in astonishment, having expected judgment, I could only say, "Yes, Father. Forgive me." My life started at that point and the story I take with me from this time until Heaven will be one of praise for that gift of grace and forgiveness.
I just read an article about Lindsay Lohan and her father that really troubled me. Her dad has publicly denounced her with comments such as:
"No wonder why God is taking her entire career away from her, because she's forsaken everything He's given her and she's done nothing but misuse all the gifts she's given."
The writer reporting on this responds with appropriate sarcasm about the intentions and hypocrisy of her father when they write, "Following this logic, could another of God's punishments be giving Lindsay a father who is making a career out of trying to destroy his troubled daughter in the press?"
I'm reminded of a passage from Ephesians 6 where Paul is exhorting the followers of Jesus to Godly living between parents and children. He writes:
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother'—which is the first commandment with a promise— 'that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.' Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."
The training begins with the parents, of course. They raise their children and are encouraged to do so with grace and mercy; just as Jesus taught us, His own children. A child does not need to be taught how to sin, after all, but must be trained in righteousness and truth.
In 1 Corinthians 6 followers of Christ are told not to bring judgment on their own outside of the church. We read, "If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?"
What a wicked man to make a name for himself by heaping condemnation upon the daughter whom God gave him stewardship to raise! No wonder Lindsay Lohan is the way she is with a father who publishes their private conversations and shows by his very actions that he hates her! Why would she serve her father's god when it is apparent that his god is merciless and unholy? Who is deserving of the greater punishment? But you children of the Most High, remember even while you were still enemies of God and in active rebellion against His goodness that He came in the flesh to offer His forgiveness and love. It belongs to those who will simply come to Him for a relationship that will never fail because He loves us perfectly for who we are.
Isn't that love the sort that changes our hearts? For instance, imagine a disrespectful and hateful child on his deathbed for lack of a needed organ donor. The child, though spiteful, is terrified of dying. Yet, at just the right time, a person, seeing the need and not judging the child's nature, finds that he is a match and willingly gives the necessary organ to save the child's life. Can you imagine that child waking up from surgery and spitting in the face of his savior? Does it not seem that the child would be incredibly grateful instead and work to be pleasing to the one who saved him?
If Lindsay Lohan knew of the True God who loves sinners and transforms them because of His love would she not respond as one grateful for having a new life? But instead, she has responded to the cruel and unforgiving God that her dad represents and has run away from that terror! May she and her father come to know the grace and peace of God that transcends the rivalries of the flesh and brings reconciliation to those who are far off and lost.
Romans 5:6-11
"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
"Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."
This song is probably the world's best answer to what troubles it; namely confusion. Consider the chorus:
I don't know what's worth fighting for Or why I have to scream I don't know why I instigate And say what I don't mean I don't know how I got this way I know it's not alright So I'm breaking the habit Tonight
The world cannot give a satisfactory answer to the evils surrounding us. In fact, the mere mention of evil determines that the person mentioning it believes in good. But where does goodness and evilness come from since we can comprehend it when we see it? It cannot be ambiguous or morally relative as we are prone to be. Apart from one above us who defines it and holds us accountable to it we cannot give a satisfactory answer. Let's look at it from a personal perspective.
It's easy to view the world and realize how messed up it is without considering our own hearts. We should be asking ourselves whether or not we are living a life that is reflective of Truth. Most of us look at the world and see how evil it is but don't look at our own hearts and see the wickedness that is trapped within. However, we cannot shrug away the piercing eye of that truth or else there would be no place for our feelings of guilt and shame. Such feelings demand that there be a consequence for the actions that led to such emotions. We would not feel guilty of our actions if we did not realize that we deserved judgment for what we have done.
How is your truth reflected in your life? Does what you believe match up with how you live? Who will suffer the consequences of your guilt? Justice demands that it be paid for. Either you will pay the cost of disobedience towards the One who gives Truth or One who lived perfectly according to the Truth will pay the cost for you. To clarify, a segment of Isaiah 53 speaking of that Savior is given below:
11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
As to the world's answer, you have it in its entirety below. The actual video is below the lyrics.
Memories consume Like opening the wound I'm picking me apart again You all assume I'm safe here in my room Unless I try to start again
[Bridge:] I don't want to be the one The battles always choose 'Cause inside I realize That I'm the one confused
[Chorus:] I don't know what's worth fighting for Or why I have to scream I don't know why I instigate And say what I don't mean I don't know how I got this way I know it's not alright So I'm breaking the habit I'm breaking the habit Tonight
Clutching my cure I tightly lock the door I try to catch my breath again I hurt much more Than anytime before I had no options left again
[Bridge:] I don't want to be the one The battles always choose 'Cause inside I realize That I'm the one confused
[Chorus:]...
[Bridge:] I'll paint it on the walls 'Cause I'm the one at fault I'll never fight again And this is how it ends
I will soon be going to the courthouse in Vista to find out if they can use me as a juror. Thankfully, it happens to fall during a time when I am not working so it is possible that it will be a great experience and I don't have to sacrifice any earnings I might be making from work.
The potential to be a juror has caused me to ponder the necessary causes for the justice system to deny a person as juror. The reason coming before my thoughts at this moment as I'm brain storming is moral relativism. How can one stand in judgment over another person if they themselves are not grounded in morality and truth? How can one believe in a system of morality unless it is is first given to them to believe? If we don't believe that morality has been handed down to us or comes from an outside agent, then by default we make ourselves gods and judges of men.
Years ago in 2004 as I was preparing to go on my deployment to the Persian Gulf we had what is called a "workup." It is something that naval vessels do in home waters to prepare for a scheduled deployment. Workups happen a year out and six months out from the actual embarkation date to train the crew ahead of time and hopefully avoid future troubles when out in potential enemy waters. One of the Marines I was on the carrier training with for our workup was a moral relativist. His mantra was, "strive for perfection."
Deciding to walk in his shoes and thus get a better look at how his mind worked I asked him some probing questions to see if he had actually thought about what perfection was. His answers pertained to his performance within the Marine Corps and life in general. His perfection was the standard of the Marine Corps and his own values. He wanted to maintain a perfect score of 300 for his physical fitness test and "be a good person." He couldn't really define what a "good" person was.
Having pinned him to standards of perfection I asked what he would do if he did not either achieve or maintain them. He simply said that he would "lower his standards." Isn't that what we all do? We have an ideal quality in our minds that we strive for and when we find that we cannot achieve it we bring the proverbial bar down to a more manageable level. We smooth out our path and pat ourselves on the back for a job well done because we reached a plateau that an infant could scale and not fall off of. All the while we have this weight bearing down on our backs when we realize our previous standards are leaning over our shoulder and crushing us. For the purpose of revealing our sinful motives Al Pacino says in The Devil's Advocate, "Look but don't touch; touch but don't taste; taste but don't swallow."
The rushing voice in the back of our heads that leads us to doubt and lose strength is saying to us "YOU DO NOT MEASURE UP!" What other reason could we have for our feelings of guilt and fear? Why else would we spend time wasting away in self-doubt, pity, loneliness and depression?
We have days where all seems well and we can feel happy for a time but they are like the last few hours of a waning Sunday night when we realize that we are drunk and exhausted and have to wake up early for work the next morning. Worldly happiness is a fading shadow that is a constant reminder of the sorrows that are to come. We can eat, drink and be merry, but tomorrow WE WILL DIE! There has to be something better than this!
Thus, the result of moral relativism is the establishment in our own hearts of a throne that we sit upon in judgment. We judge the world through scandalous and haughty eyes and rule unjustly from a heart that is sinking in shifting sand. We fail to live up to our standards but we are furious and demand justice for those who also fail to live up to our expectations. We hate in others what is most prominent in us. How can we judge when we are worthy of judgment? How can we be faithful stewards of the lives of men unless we can find a firm foundation and rule in the truth of justice? How may we depart from the deceit that has struck us a mortal blow from within? We are nothing but moral anarchists.
We see before us the need to judge the wickedness of others when we ourselves are wicked and deserving of judgment. However, we cannot let a child rapist or serial murderer roam the streets if it is within our power to take them away. The convicted murderer will serve his time, but what of us who rail and hate in our hearts? If the convicted murderer could not escape just punishment in this life then how can we escape judgment for the very same sins that abide within us? True justice demands an account of all iniquity that is committed in the flesh AND in the heart! We cannot escape our sins without help.
From where does our help come? Our help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth! Our help comes from our advocate who stands before the Judge in our place. Our help comes from the cross! It is the Good Helper who has healed us from all our iniquities and stains. He has clothed us in His righteousness and taken the judgment for our sins upon Himself. His name is Jesus! His name is Messiah! He is the Lord's anointed one; the Holy Lamb of God! He alone can teach us to judge with justice, mercy, grace and compassion for He abides perfectly in shiftless standards.
And the interrogator said . . . "Hah, you cannot tolerate a few lashes in this room? How can you tolerate the God's eternal punishment? In the next life you will be in hell." And they took her away.
Mohsen recalls, That really shocked me. I asked myself, "Who persuaded this interrogator that he is an agent of God? A person who believes he has a mission from God can easily torture, kill, or do anything."
"Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen. This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise."
I was sitting behind the driver's seat in my friend Liz's car a few years ago as a number of us were heading to the shopping center to run some errands. We were on the highway for only a short distance before we had to take the off ramp to reach our destination. I remember that it was a beautiful day with very bright colors and rejuvenating sunshine. These things come easily to mind when you come face-to-face with your own death. Every detail of life is magnified too greatly for description.
We hit the green light at the bottom of the off ramp and began to make our left turn towards (the now out of business) Mervyn's. I craned my head to the side to watch the turn when I saw an extended cab large bed, black, Dodge pickup hurtling right towards me in the back seat of the tiny red Honda. My first thought was, "Lord, it's time to come home" but by providence, Liz saw the truck at the last moment and with a shrill scream mashed down the accelerator. That's when I heard the breaks squealing from the truck as smoke jumped away from its quickly balding tires. The driver missed our car by perhaps a foot. It was not my time to cross the proverbial Jordan into the promised land and I remember feeling a sense of disappointment. My soul wanted to make that journey so that I could finally see Christ face-to-face.
The promises of God are not fulfilled for me on this earth. God is preparing a house for me in Heaven as we await the day when He will come again and make all things new. I may spend 70 or 80 years here, but the rest of my life will be spent in eternity with my Savior.
This all brings me to the book of Hebrews where it is written, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, [our forerunner] has entered on our behalf." It was important for me to realize that there is not simply one nautical term in this verse. We have the word "anchor" which is synonymous with Christ who is our Rock because we are secured in Him and the word "Prodromos," or forerunner. An anchor is an amazing and necessary instrument for ships because when they drop it, it secures itself to the bottom not by its own weight, but through the movement of the ship as it is pushed across the face of the water, causing the anchor to bite deep into the sea bed. I will discuss the Prodromos later.
For Scriptural application we can look at that which is shaken (like a ship on the water). God says in Hebrews, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire."
Though like a boat we may be shaken and buffeted and pushed across the sea, we have an anchor that bites more deeply in such times into the immovable foundation of God. "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
The second nautical term is "forerunner." Greece, in the time of Paul, had many boats with small drafts called "Prodomoi" that were utilized in harbors with shallow water during low tide. Prodromos is the singular usage of the word which, when translated, means forerunner. They had an important use for when a boat would not be able to gain entrance into the harbor at low tide a Prodromos would leave the harbor and meet up with it. Its purpose was to haul the boat's anchor (attached to a chain of course) past the breakers and sandbars, thus depositing it in the safety of the harbor. When high tide came, the boat would have a berth within the harbor to stay in.
Amazingly, Christ our anchor is also the Prodromos that deposits our anchor firmly upon the promise of God that can never be broken or shaken. That deposit is in Heaven's harbor and not of this world. When the tide rises, those whose anchors are grounded on the Lord will find safety in His harbor under the shelter of His wings. Those who have not trusted upon the Lord will have no anchor to cement them to the love of God and will be overwhelmed by the judgment waters. One day, when false foundations are destroyed by the shaking of God's judgment, we will be born again to witness the glory of God and the renewing of His creation. Behold, He makes all things new!!!
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
