At The Bottom Of The Barrel?

It was a hard thing to endure. I don’t know what was harder, though. Was it the initial shock of suddenly being laid off from my job of almost 11 years, or was it the realization that I had a stay at home wife, three kids, and one on the way to take care of without income? I had never seen it coming. Just two weeks prior I was budgeting the upcoming year and had come to the realization that I was finally making enough to live comfortably. Then the floor fell out from under me. I remember going to the van and calling my wife with the words that I thought that I would never have to utter. And then I cried. I cried hard. All I remember was asking God over and over again to take care of us.

“Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:25-30).

After I had collected myself I headed on over to the Unemployment Office and got that ball rollin’. I then went for a long drive. I took the “long way home” and just talked to God. I was still in shock and often wondered if I was dreaming or if I was some part of a sick joke. I expected my phone to ring at some point with my now former bosses saying that I had been “punked” and for me to come back to work. Slowly reality was setting in.

My wife had bumped up her midwife appointment to that morning, and so once I had gotten home and stopped hugging and holding her, the kids and us got in the van and left. By this point our church had been notified through email and, as I was in the van during the appointment, I notified my parents. The appointment was over and we made our way back home. The thought kept repeating itself over and over again- will we be OK?

As we pulled into the carport a most shocking sight welcomed us- groceries. Not just a few either. Someone from church went out to Sam’s Club and went to town. Huge jugs of spaghetti sauce, a huge sack of flour, lots of bananas, dish detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, and then some. It took a while for us to get it all into the house. I knew at that point that we would be alright. In God’s sovereign will He had put me in this place and he would see to it that we would be cared for.

“So, it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. So, when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, ‘This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.’” (Exodus 16:13-15).

I was unemployed for seven months. I had submitted almost 200 job applications and resumes and got almost the same amount of rejections in return. But during that time of uncertainty and discouragement God was in control. It was only a couple of days after I had lost my job that my Mom had mailed us a very, very generous check to help us out. Because my job was a uniformed job I didn’t have very many clothes to wear during the five-day week so that certainly helped with having to buy clothes. Another family member paid our rent for one month. My father mailed us a good amount of money too. Now these events are what you would expect from family members when one loses their job, but it went even further than that in God’s provision.

With the unemployment benefits we still came up short by several hundred dollars for our needs. Our church provided this short coming, which was applied to our rent. So, our needs were being met per month. However, on my final month of unemployment, we had a mission’s conference. Because of the money that was invested in this, one of our deacons approached me and apologetically informed me that they couldn’t help us with rent. I felt a calming peace come over me and I told him that it was OK, because God would provide it. Sure enough, a few days later, my Mom unexpectedly sent a check for the exact amount that was needed to cover rent for that month. I didn’t tell her of our need, so only God could have laid it on her heart to do so. On another occasion, our van’s catalytic converter had failed and needed to be repaired. Obviously, we didn’t have the money to cover the cost. Then a dear brother from church GAVE me the several hundred dollars needed for the repair. Also, on another occasion, the throttle control on the van was failing and was causing the van to stop accelerating while I was in the middle of driving down the road. I often had to drift over to the side of the road and restart the hooptie jalopy. My Mom cut the check to cover that expense, as well as sending us a little money throughout the months during my endless (and sometimes hopeless) search for employment.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33).

You usually hear about these blessings from other people’s testimonials and think to yourself “Man, nothing like that ever happens to me”. It’s the kind of stuff that you read about in Guideposts or something of that nature. However, there was one more final blessing that you usually hear about, and that is “paying it forward”. It happened one night when I stopped to pick up a pizza for dinner. Friday nights are our “pizza night” in our home. This was the last Friday before I was to start my new job and I ran into a fellow church member and his son while at the pizza shop. I had to still wait for our pizza whereas he already had his ready. When I went in to get mine I was surprised to find that it had already been paid for.

“And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.” (1 Kings 17:4-6).

The lesson that I had learned in the seven months that I was unemployed is that God is in control. When He has you where you least expect it, like at what we may think is “the bottom of the barrel”, He never forsakes us. Trials come our way to strengthen us and to draw us closer to Him. My faith in God had certainly become solid during this period of my life where many would be staring hopelessness in the eyes. However, when I was at the bottom of the barrel, I was staring into my Lord’s eyes the whole time.

In Christ Alone.

I would like to thank you, my two or three devoted readers, for following this blog ministry of mine. It has been many years since God has called me to preach and this has been my outlet for doing such. However, I have decided to indefinitely suspend any future blog posts with the possibility of shutting this down completely. I hope and trust that this blog has blessed you in some way and may God bless you in your daily walk with Him.

That's Crazy Talk! (Part 2)

As you (my dear two readers) may recall  from my last blog post I explored the definition of tongues as found in Acts 2. A simple exegetical read of the passage shows evidence that tongues is in fact a coherent, established language as opposed to the modern day “gift” of tongue speaking which is usually an incoherent train of repetitive syllables. Also, I briefly touched on the ideas that modern tongues (gibberish) are a necessary sign of salvation, a secret prayer language, and an undiscovered language, and gave a smidgen of evidence as to why none of these theories could be true. In Part 1 I stated that one reason as to why God gave this ability to speak in foreign languages to the apostles and disciples was to witness to the men who had traveled to Jerusalem during Pentecost. This time I would like to explore further what I discussed as well as the second reason as to why God gave this ability. I would ask though, for the sake of space on this blog, that you follow along in 1 Corinthians 14 because I will not be posting the verses here, but will only be referencing them.

1 Corinthians 12-14 gives a great amount of discussion to spiritual gifts with chapter 14 focusing on tongues. Paul begins this chapter by stating that prophesy is a greater gift than tongues because prophesy edifies the church, whereas speaking in tongues only edifies the one doing it. This runs both ways if we view tongues as the biblical “language”, and the unbiblical “gibberish”. If an American was in an American church and say, for example, stood and began speaking Chinese then no one would know what he was saying but himself. However, prophesying is not done in a foreign language and therefore everyone understands what is being said. Therefore, Paul instructs the Corinthian believers that they must have someone to interpret (Vv. 1-5). If someone was to speak gibberish then nobody would understand. If someone was to speak Russian in an underground Chinese church, without an interpreter, then nobody would understand. Based on the understanding from Acts 2 that tongues are an actual language, then it makes sense. If you read through these verses and think “gibberish”, and if you read and think “languages”, then it works for both and you can certainly steer your interpretation in either direction.

However, we have determined that these “tongues” are actual languages from Acts 2. It would seem quite odd that God would have the believers speak actual languages, then have them start speaking non-languages. For what purpose? As Paul clearly states throughout 1 Corinthians 14 it is to edify the church. He says “Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played? For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? So likewise, you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air.” (Vv. 7-9). There is no glory to God given if we speak nonsense to one another. No one will understand. You may say “that’s what the interpreter is for”. True, but in modern tongues the thought is that someone speaks gibberish and then someone else, through the spirit, stands and reveals to everyone else what is being said. That again takes us away from the idea that tongues are an actual language. In this biblical definition if someone was to speak Chinese, then there needs to be someone there to translate that back to English for the English-speaking congregation. If this Chinese speaking person did not have an interpreter then they would worship God in silence, yet speaking to God from within in their native tongue. This would be how the biblical definition of tongues would apply to verses 6-18. Paul also gives credence to the idea of tongues being an actual language when he says “There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance. Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me.” (Vv. 10-11). There are certainly many kinds of languages because they are defined by their nationality. However, there is only one kind if gibberish because gibberish is a non-language that cannot be defined. It is apparent from these verses that Paul is speaking of actual foreign languages that needs to be interpreted and therefor verifies that the tongues in Acts are actual spoken languages.

Another thought that I would like to toss to this is verses 20-25. As you may recall from Part 1 that the purpose of tongues in Acts 2 was to witness to the foreigners. Here Paul lays out the other reason why God delivered tongues as a sign gift- judgment. Paul quotes Isaiah 28:11-12 when he says, “In the law it is written: ‘With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; And yet, for all that, they will not hear Me,’ says the Lord.” (v.21). Isaiah was prophesying the judgment against Israel when they were taken into Babylonian captivity by people who did not speak Hebrew. So why would Paul requote that here? It is because the tongues that were being spoken here, as well as the day of Pentecost, were languages that were unrecognizable to the Jewish people. Therefore, they accused the apostles of being drunk. Throughout this section Paul states that tongues are a sign to unbelievers, because it was a sign that they were being judged for rejecting Christ. Maybe that’s why so many were saved during Pentecost? Because they remembered Isaiah’s prophecy and realized that God was judging them?

A few other nuggets about tongues: Many who speak modern tongue gibberish may defend the transition from languages in Acts 2 to ecstatic language in 1 Corinthians 14 as the establishment of some sort of special prayer language. First of all, that is reading something into the text that is based on an assumption and that is where heresy is born. As I had mentioned before Jesus had spoken against vain repetitive nonsense in Matthew 6. He also said, “not like the heathens do”. What did he mean by that? Well it is well known that since the Old Testament days that paganism existed as it did in Jesus’ time and it does today. One of the things that many pagan religions do is speak in ecstatic languages very much like the gibberish nonsense that modern tongue speaking Christians do. So, if you think that speaking gibberish is in fact some sort of special language that bypasses all obstacles and gets you directly to the feet of God’s throne- think again. You are doing nothing more than what the Satanic pagans do. Second, Paul certainly gives the instruction that there should be an interpreter. In most Charismatic and Pentecostal churches, many people speak out in gibberish without an interpreter, as well as speaking all at once and in a disorderly fashion. This goes against verses 26-33 and 40. Whether you follow the biblical model of speaking in languages, or the pagan model of speaking in crazy talk, there is a good reason why both should be done with an interpreter and in an orderly fashion, otherwise confusion will ensue and no one will be edified. Imagine if an unchurched guest was to walk into one of these churches, not knowing much about church or Christianity. If all verbal chaos broke loose then he would think that we all were out of our minds and probably would think that about all of Christianity. He probably would have nothing more to do with any church or religion. He wouldn’t know any different and would just assume that this insanity is what Christ is all about. “Therefore, if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind?” (v.23). Therefore, you had lost the chance to witness.

Again, with the last blog, my purpose is not to bash anyone. This is a continuation of my Holy Spirit Hoedown post. The purpose in these last three posts is to illustrate that the work of the Holy Spirit is not anything that would bring about confusion. Modern tongue speaking is viewed as the epitome of the Holy Spirit’s work. However, modern tongue speaking is nothing more than confusing gibberish and has nothing to do with the tongue speaking that had taken place during the early church in the New Testament. What had taken place then was actual true established languages and verifies the work of the Holy Spirit as a “helper”. So, if you choose to speak in uncontrollable nonsense, either with or without an interpreter or in or out of order, then fine. But as I had mentioned before please, PLEASE, do not say that it is the working of the Holy Spirit. Anything of the such is contrary to His work.

“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints” (1 Corinthians 14:33).

In Christ Alone.

That's Crazy Talk! (Part 1)

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?” (Acts 2:1-8)… we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” (Vv. 11-12).

It seems to be a phenomenon that is all too sought out in the life of the Christian. Some seek to learn it, some believe that it is given as evidence of the indwelling Holy Spirit at the point of salvation. Some believe that it is a secret prayer language between the believer and God. Some take it seriously, while others are nonchalant about it. Many believe that it has ceased, while others believe that it is alive and well. It is the spiritual gift that receives the most focus as evidence of the Holy Spirit being a force upon the believer and it transcends many denominations from Pentecostalism, to Catholicism, to Charismatic Baptists. So what is it?

Tongues. It should make sense to you, my faithful three readers, that after a blog post detailing the biblically defined works of the Holy Spirit, and also reiterating that the Spirit is a person (He), not a force (it), that I should address the spiritual gift of tongues. Why? Because many seek to learn it. Because many believe that it is the evidence of salvation (and if they can’t speak in tongues then they question their salvation). Because many believe that it is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling and working in their lives. Because many believe that they can get closer to God by speaking this special “prayer language”.

1.       What is tongues? Many in the modern church (mostly Pentecostal and Charismatic) believe that speaking in tongues is a necessary element of the Christian life. They believe that in speaking this ecstatic language that they are living proof of the indwelling of the Spirit. Some believe that this gift just happens upon you, while others believe that it has to be learned and will actually teach it to you by saying things like (for example) “bananarama homina homina hum”, or something to that effect. If we look at what transpired during the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, then it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what is going on. There were many men from other nations who heard the tongues that were being uttered by the believers and apostles. They heard the works of God being spoken in their own language. The word “tongues” literally means “languages”. These Christians were speaking other languages that were understood by all of these foreigners. But why such a strange thing as giving these the sudden ability to speak foreign languages? It would seem if we read the context that these men understood Peter with one accord, so they obviously must’ve been bilingual to also understand their native languages as well. I will get to the second reason why God had them speak in tongues later, but for right now the first reason is to witness. It says “we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God…” (V.11). I cannot tell you what the apostles were saying to these men in their various native languages, but further on in Acts 2, after Peter delivers his “hit ‘em In the heart” sermon, 3000 were saved. I am assuming that these bewildered sojourners were among them. So we should conclude that there was some good gospel preaching going on with these “wonderful works of God”. This should be very profound biblical evidence that tongues is actually an established intelligent language, not uncontrolled, unchecked gibberish. Anytime I hear someone say “we speak in tongues at my church”, I always want to ask them “Oh really? What languages do you speak?”

2.       Tongues as a sign of salvation. The second issue with tongues is that many claim that it is the sign of salvation. Why? Because as we see at the beginning of our passage the Holy Spirit entered into the believers and then they spoke in various languages. This, of course, points to the errant thought that the Holy Spirit is a force that makes you do crazy things, and not a person that is also “the helper”. He helped the apostles by giving them the ability to witness to these men. You may ask “Why did He do that when these men were bilingual? Wasn’t it then unnecessary to have the apostles speak in their native language?” Well that is a very good question and I am glad that you asked it. However, the answer to that question is the second reason why God gave them the gift of tongues and I will speak on that next time. But, for now, the issue at hand in this paragraph is the issue of salvation’s evidence. To say that the sudden ability to speak languages (or gibberish these days) is the evidence of salvation is an error. It is true that the apostles spoke in tongues once the Holy Spirit indwelled them, however, the Bible does not mention that the 3000 began to speak in tongues as well. It is true that the Gentiles at Cornelius’ home began to speak in tongues (Acts 10:44-46), as well as John’s disciples (Acts 19:5-6), but what about the Ethiopian eunuch? As a matter of fact, when we read the account of Paul’s salvation and conversion in Acts, nowhere does it mention that he spoke in tongues. He does speak of this ability in 1 Corinthians 14 (which I will discuss next time), but it did not take place at his conversion and to say that it did in those instances, yet was not recorded, is an assumption at its best. It’s very easy to put an assumption into the Bible and make it a doctrine when you speak into the text, versus allowing the text to speak.

3.       Tongues as a special prayer language. The third issue regarding tongues is that it is assumed to be a special prayer language. This is the very common argument once a cessationist has proven that tongues is an actual spoken language and isn’t a sign of salvation. It especially shows itself as the excuse for one to speak gibberish, since that is exactly what modern tongue speaking is. However, such a thing as a “special prayer language” does not exist and is unbiblical anyway. Many believers cite 1 Corinthians 14 as evidence that this nonsensical speech is a prayer language, however that is not true and I will cover that next time. First of all, when the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He said “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (Matthew 6:9-13). You will notice two things here- Jesus gives a model as to how to pray, and also uses words, not gibberish. As a matter of fact, Jesus spoke against “vain repetitions” in verse 7. The Greek word for this is battalogeō, which means “to repeat the same things over and over, to use many idle words, to babble, prate.” So basically Jesus said not to speak in tongues (gibberish). Second, Jesus would have wanted what is best for his followers and would not have sold them short. So if there is in fact a special prayer language that God desires, then wouldn’t you think that Jesus would have taught that to them instead? Why would He have kept this “special prayer language” from them? Another little nugget regarding gibberish as being a special prayer language is that many who practice it say that it is to bypass Satan and his demons because they evidently have the ability to stop our normal prayers from reaching God. Again, unbiblical. Not to mention, as we may recall from Job 1, that Satan still has to answer to God.

4.       Tongues as an undiscovered language. After agreeing that biblical tongue speaking is in fact an actual language, many who partake in modern tongue gibberish will say that it is not gibberish, but is in fact a true undiscovered language. This view poses a major problem. If God is in fact delivering, through His Spirit, undiscovered languages to believers then we are to assume that there are also undiscovered people who speak these languages. However, with almost all of these believers, God is not ordering their steps to these undiscovered lands in order to preach the gospel. Therefore, The Great Commission is made null and void and through contradiction to His word, God is made out to be a liar. If God is blessing His believers today with undiscovered languages then He certainly will call them to preach it to the undiscovered lands.

The reason why I have decided to discuss tongues this time is not to bash any favorite worship activity for certain believers. It is a follow up to my last blog post regarding the work of the Holy Spirit. As I had mentioned He is a “helper” who works to edify other believers and to glorify God- two things that cannot be done when the believer acts out of control. Losing control and speaking gibberish, or choosing to train oneself to do so, does not help but instead creates confusion. The events in Acts 2 prove that the tongues that were spoken were indeed intelligible languages that were understood by those who were visiting Jerusalem, not babbling. One of the main reasons for this event was to witness to these men. However, there is a second reason why they spoke in tongues and that can be found in 1 Corinthians 14, the other chapter that gives a great amount of attention to tongues. That will be for next time…

 

C'mon Down To The Holy Spirit Hoedown!

Recently my family and I attended a contemporary church service. If you know us then you are probably asking “Do what? Really? On purpose?” Yes, it was an intentional visit. During the excessively loud worship service, the worship leader said that she prayed that the Holy Spirit would come down and move throughout the seats and among the congregation. I looked over at my wife and rolled my eyes. “Oh dear. Here we go!” I thought to myself. The issue within the contemporary church, as well as within the Charismatic movements, is that they hold a view of the Holy Spirit that is unlike what is described in the Bible. I would go as far as to say that they are very confused as to what the Holy Spirit is and what it does.

First of all, my addressing the Holy Spirit just a moment ago was a trick statement. The Holy Spirit is not an “it”, but a “who”. He is actually the third person of the Trinity and is the most misunderstood. I do not know why He is so misunderstood, but it is very well possible because He is the least tangible. We see Jesus walking among people upon earth and we can visualize His actions within our minds. We see many human attributes given to God, such as speaking and doing things among the people, and so we can visualize Him to as if He were a person. However, the Holy Spirit does not walk among people and talk to people as God and Jesus did. This “mysterious” ministry of the Spirit has caused many Christians to view Him as a force and not as a person. This “force” causes people to act out in worship. From dancin’ to convulsin’. From runnin’ ‘round to fallin’ down. From hootin’ to hollerin’ to speakin’ gibberish in between. It’s as if worship has become a Holy Spirit Hoedown. The question that we need to ask is this: What is the ministry of the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit doesn’t need to be called out during worship. He isn’t some scared little kitty cat hiding in the woodpile that needs to be conjured out. The worship leader at this contemporary church obviously does not know this when she prays that He will descend onto the congregation with a beckoning prayer. Assuming that everyone that is in attendance in this church (as well as every church in the world) is a Christian and is indeed saved, then the Holy Spirit is already there. When we first accept Christ as our Savior, it is then that the Spirit indwells us. “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14). We cannot pray for something (or in this case someone) to come down and do His work among the believers if He is already there indwelling them. Romans 8:9 says “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”. But the two views that reign in regard to what this Spirit does is at odds with each other. In order to gain an understanding on this matter we need to first explore the history of the Holy Spirit in regard to the Christian life.

In John’s gospel Jesus said: “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever… (John 14:16). But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you… (v. 26). But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me… (15:26). Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (16:7). Jesus promised this “helper” to teach us and to glorify Him. But this helper couldn’t come and indwell us until Jesus ascended into Heaven. His work was finished and it was time to go to His throne. The Holy Spirit continued the work that Jesus started with His disciples. This work has many aspects.

The first work of the Holy Spirit is that He seals us at the point of salvation and we see that in the previously mentioned Ephesians 1:13-14. He convicts us of our sin and our need to be saved (John 16:8-11). His sealing work upon our acceptance of Jesus as Savior sets us apart. Jesus said in John 3:5 “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Once the believer has been set apart by the Holy Spirit as being redeemed and justified, then the Spirit works in us sanctification, which is the continual process of making us more Christ-like and less like our old fleshly selves. Paul said in Galatians 5:16-17 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” He then gives an example of what the results of walking in the Spirit (sanctification) look like. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” (Vv. 22-23).

The next work of the Holy Spirit is that He illuminates the Scriptures. As I had mentioned before from John 14, He is referred to as “helper” and in some translations “counselor”. The Greek word here is “parakletos”, which means “one called to the side of another”. The Spirit works as a helper in that He teaches us the things of God and allows us to see and understand the things of God that make no sense to unbelievers (John 16:13). This Greek word also illustrates that one of His helping roles is to intercede for us. The Blue Letter Bible sums it up as “one who pleads another's cause with one, an intercessor… of Christ in his exaltation at God's right hand, pleading with God the Father for the pardon of our sins.” Also “in the widest sense, a helper, aider, assistant… of the Holy Spirit destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles (after his ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to enable them to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom.” This statement also verifies another work of the Holy Spirit, which is to empower the believer to do the work of God and we see evidence of this all throughout the book of Acts when a bunch of ragged disciples became emboldened apostles and preached the gospel that led to great multitudes being saved. This is what Jesus meant when He said “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do…” (John 14:12).

The Holy Spirit also bestows gifts on the believer. I am not talking about mansions and private jets here. Please don’t thing that I am getting all Joel Osteen on you. What I am talking about are the spiritual gifts that are found in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4. I am not going to get into an exhaustive discussion on these gifts (for the sake of our attention spans I will save that for another time), but I will tell you that the purpose of these gifts is to edify each other (1 Corinthians 14:26) and to glorify God (John 16:14).

The problem with those who have a faulty view of the Holy Spirit is that they go beyond what the scriptures express are His works and attributes. Again, instead of viewing Him as a person who walks with the believer on their daily journey towards Christ-likeness, teaching them and reminding them of the things of Christ and the call towards holiness, they view Him as also a force that causes the believer to do everything from speaking in gibberish, runnin’ around hootin’ and hollarin, and in some cases, being “knocked down” (or “slain in the spirit”) and forced to convulse in some sort of Holy Ghost epileptic seizure.

Now don’t mix my words here. I am not casting hellfire judgment upon people who have a distorted view of the Holy Spirit, nor am I doubting their salvation. I have no doubt within my mind that most of them have truly put their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. However, having the wrong view of the Holy Spirit, as well as the Father and Jesus, can have an adverse effect on someone’s walk with Christ. For example, I once sat near a Pentecostal man who jokingly was putting down Baptists because they “do not have the spirit”. What he meant by this is that it is well known that most Baptists do not act out in the crazy fashions that I had previously mentioned. His view (like many Pentecostals and Charismatics) is that they have the spirit and thus are more holy and in touch with God than anyone else. This is a prideful view if you view yourself as better than someone else simply because you believe that you are more in touch with God than them. Also, in regard to our previously mentioned worship leader, if you view the Holy Spirit as a force that has to be prayed down from Heaven in order to do His work in your life then you will never know the full impact as to what the Spirit is doing and will do in your daily life, simply by believing and following Jesus. It makes a difference to have a correct view of the Spirit.

The point of this blog post is not to bash anyone who acts out in worship like they are at the Holy Spirit Hoedown, but to illustrate what the Bible lays out as the work of the Holy Spirit. If you go around worshipping God by talking gibberish, convulsing, running up and down the aisles, jumping up and down in the pews, and throwing your body around like you are in a Demon Hunter mosh pit then fine. More power to you! But please, PLEASE, stop calling what you are doing the “work of the Holy Spirit” and please stop saying that such actions within your church is evidence that the Holy Spirit is present. Such actions are foreign to the works of the Spirit that are laid out in the Bible. What you are doing is in fact the work of the spirit, but it is the spirit of the flesh. It is driven by the excitement that you have for God and in some cases, it drives many believers to lose control of themselves during worship. As Paul said in regard to the chaos that was taking place during worship at the church in Corinth: “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints (v.33). Let all things be done decently and in order (v.40).”

In summary, the Holy Spirit indwells the believer and does not reside in Heaven, needing to be conjured down during worship. His work is to help the believer by making them more like Christ in conviction of sin and illumination of the Word. He also intercedes for them in prayer and empowers them to do the work of ministering, as well as granting them spiritual gifts that edify other believers. All of this gives one uniform result- God is glorified. Whoever could glorify God by acting like they were out of their mind? As I said, it makes a difference to know the true Holy Spirit.

In Christ Alone.

Did Jesus Die?

Ah yes! Easter/Resurrection Sunday 2017. The “Super Bowl” of Sunday church services. This is the day that pastors look forward to the most, I suppose. The pews are more full than usual with visitors, both unsaved first timers and folks who satisfy the wrath of God by attending church on this one day out of the year. Preachers are sweating the message as this one needs to count. This message needs to hit them in their heart. The Holy Spirit needs to convict them so that they choose salvation this day and follow Christ. Messages of second chances and redemption roll from pulpits across the globe. But… I am not a preacher, nor am I pastor, so I am going to break the rules and speak on something completely off the wall. This week for my special Resurrection Sunday message I am going to address two questions that are raised by the skeptics: Did Jesus actually rise from the dead and walk out of the tomb, and if so, then did He actually die to begin with?

Did Jesus Rise From The Dead?

To many of our atheist friends the notion that Jesus had risen from the dead three days later is as absurd as Jesus being born of a virgin. However, many times during His earthly ministry Jesus had predicted His death and resurrection. Even the story of the bronze serpent on a pole in Numbers 21 is a type of Jesus’ crucifixion. But the question that remains is whether Jesus walked out of His own grave. Jesus said “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” (John 10:17-18). Jesus did just that as He gave up his Spirit when He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Scripture says “But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” (Matthew 28:5-6). Later “...as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, ‘Rejoice!’ So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.” (v.9). Now any skeptic would say that these women were delusional and hallucinating. This leads us to the next event: “Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, ‘Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.’  So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.” (Vv. 11-15). These guards were the same ones that fell out when the angel appeared to them (Vv. 3-4). There are many theories that the skeptics rely on to disprove Jesus’ resurrection. But one does not need to stray far from this story from the guards and the priests to see the evidence. Their unraveling reveals the resurrection.

Traditionally, if a Roman soldier fell asleep and allowed the prisoner to escape, then he would be put to death. “But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death.” (Acts 12:19), this occurring after an angel freed Peter from prison. Also, “And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.” (Acts 16:27). Could it be that the guard, thinking that he allowed the prisoners to go free because he was sleeping, thought it would be best to take his own life than to be put to death for his shameful failure? It appears that you would certainly be put to death if you were a Roman soldier who failed to keep guard. But we do not see that with the case of the “disciples stealing Jesus’ body while the guards slept”. Why? First, if we read the context, we see that this story is in response to his resurrection, not of the disciples actually stealing the body. Second, the guards were not asleep, but became “as dead men” when they witnessed the angel rolling back the stone (Matt. 28:4). So, biblically speaking, the guards were the only eyewitness to the resurrection. Third, we can assume that the guards and leaders acknowledged that Jesus did indeed rise because they were expecting it, which is why they sent guards to keep watch and why they fabricated this story instead of assuming that the guards actually fell asleep and were lying about the resurrection. They knew that what the guards were telling them was the truth. Some of the refutations to the Jewish leader’s story are: “1) If the guards were sleeping, how did they know that the disciples stole the body? 2) There is no way that the disciples could possibly have overcome the guard. 3) It is preposterous to believe that the disciples died for a lie that they created.”^[1] That last point is the most important. Who on earth would choose to be tortured and killed for a fabricated story? The apostles preached Jesus crucified and resurrected and not a single one of them cracked under pressure and confessed that they had taken Jesus away and buried Him elsewhere. Also in the Scriptures, we see Jesus appear to His disciples in a physical form and not one of an apparition. He was able to have Thomas stick his hand into His side (I wonder what that felt like. Awkward?), and even eat fish- two simple things that only a physical form of a person can accomplish. So that leads us to the next question…

Did Jesus Die?

As a skeptic, it makes sense: If someone can prove to you that Jesus walked out of the tomb, and you are convinced, then He must’ve not died to begin with. There are many theories that abound with this one. One of them is that Jesus simply passed out from exhaustion and was revived by the burial spices. However, something happened after Jesus died that would crush all of the skeptic’s arguments. “Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.  But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.” (John 19:32-34). The water and blood here is significant. “This gathering of fluid in the membrane around the heart is called pericardial effusion, and the fluid gathering around the lungs is called pleural effusion. This explains why, after Jesus died and a Roman soldier thrust a spear through Jesus’ side (probably His right side, piercing both the lungs and the heart), blood and water came from His side just as John recorded in his Gospel.”^[2] According to Scriptures Jesus had suffered this flooding in his heart and lungs. So, even if the scourging, beating, crucifixion, and piercing did not kill him, this alone would have if it had not already signified his death. Who on earth could survive such fluid building up and suffocating such vital organs? Who on earth could survive having a spear go through their heart and their lungs and then three days later move around as though it was a flesh wound? The piercing and flow just solidified the fact that he was dead.

As Christians, we know that Jesus died as it was necessary for Him to be our final sacrificial lamb. If He had not died then our sins would not be atoned for and we would still be dead in them. If He had not risen then there would be no hope for you and me to be renewed in redemption, justification, and sanctification. Jesus would have been just another martyr who died for a cause. To the skeptics that is exactly who He is- a good man who died for what He believed in. However, as those who are redeemed, we know what they don’t…

He is risen and He lives!

In Christ Alone!

---

[1] House and Holden. Charts of Apologetics and Christian Evidences. Grand Rapids,MI.: Zondervan, 2006..

[2] Michael S. Houdmann. "Why did blood and water come out of Jesus' side when He was pierced?” http://www.gotquestions.org/blood-water-Jesus.html.

 

Should Christians Lend Themselves To Lent?

As the season of Lent 2017 winds down I thought that I would lend a thought to Lent. If that is past tense would I have lent a thought to Lent? Anyway, as I have been driving various routes this past month I have seen many church signs about observing this “time of reflection”. The question that comes up often is whether Christians should observe Lent. Many do, and many don’t. But before we begin to answer that question we need to first discuss what is Lent. It should not be confused with “lint”, which is that stuff that I carry around in my pockets that seem to always be empty. Nor should it be confused with that nasty stuff that piles up in your belly button. It should also not be confused with Lindt, which are those oh so delicious chocolate truffles that are covered in hazelnuts. I got you craving one of those, don’t I? It’s OK, you don’t have to deny it. Go on and go getcha one. I’ll wait for you…

Now that you’re back… what is Lent? Lent is basically a 40-day period that begins on Ash Wednesday and leads right up to Easter/Resurrection Sunday. It can be viewed as a time of fasting, self-denial, repentance, and reflection. In regard to “fasting”, many believers who observe this give up various luxuries (such as watching TV), vices (such as smoking and drinking, which should be given up altogether), and foods that one would deem unhealthy (like Lindt truffles). Some even observe devotionals, and some even take the time to read their Bible for the 40 days when otherwise they would not. The period of 40-days is thought to have originated in observance to the 40-days that Christ had spent in the wilderness fasting. Its purpose, other than an overall denial of the self, is to prepare oneself for Easter Sunday. It is believed that it began during the council of Nicaea in 325. There is so much more to discuss about Lent in regard to various histories and theories and what not, but for the sake of our attention spans we will avoid that. Besides, a full-on history report is not why I am here. The question is whether a Christian should observe it.

My take on it is not a simple “yes” or “no”. In theory, there is nothing wrong with a Christian observing Lent. However, its observance and the reasoning for it is actually pointless if you think about it. If one so chooses to spend 40-days in self-denial, great. But what does the scriptures tell us? Jesus said in Luke 9 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” (vv. 23-24). As Christians we are indeed expected to deny ourselves. This involves turning away from sin (repentance) and turning from our carnal and worldly passions. James 4:4 says “Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” And Colossians 3:5 states “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (KJV). We are new creatures in Christ once we are made righteous by accepting Him as Lord and following Him. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). So for a Christian to take the time to repent and to fast from worldly pleasures is a great thing for our spirit indeed. But is 40 days good enough?

Jesus said in Luke 9 for us to deny ourselves and take up our cross “daily”. As Christians we should be examining ourselves on a daily basis. In regard to communion, 1 Corinthians 11:27-28 says “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” 2 Corinthians 13:5 also says “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”. We should constantly be examining ourselves and seeking the help of the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24). There is nothing wrong with self-examination. But it needs to lead to a self-denial of our sinful ways and worldly lusts. In James 4 it goes on to say “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (vv. 7-10). We should be willing to dig deep and crucify whatever wickedness that we find. We should weep over our own destructive ways. We should confess our wickedness to God and seek Him in both Word and prayer so that we may be renewed and strengthened. And if we believe that 40-days is good enough to accomplish this then we are fooling ourselves. How do we expect to draw near to God if we spend the other 325 days of the year proudly bathing in the worldliness that is an enemy to God? It is like eating nothing but Doritos, Fudge Rounds, Hot Pockets, and Mountain Dew for 325 days, then eating a healthy whole foods diet for the other 40 and expecting not to get diabetes or cancer. Oh yeah, and you can throw those Lindt truffles into that junk food regiment too.

So should Christians observe Lent? It is entirely up to them. However, giving up TV, drinking, smoking, red meats, or whatever you may choose to set aside to get closer to God is not what He desires because it is all works based. For example, let’s say you give up TV for 40-days and maybe replace it with prayer and more Bible reading. That’s great, but what do you plan to accomplish after your 40-days are over? If you are sweating during those 40-days because you are missing your favorite episodes of The Walking Dead (I will never understand Christians who watch such unholy filth), or if you are counting down the days until you can once again grab the remote, then you’re doing it for the flesh and not the Spirit. Your desire isn’t truly to be more holy and to enter into a more powerful relationship with The Lord, but instead is to appease Him. What we should yearn for is a lifetime of seeking God’s face as did King David. We should constantly be examining ourselves and repenting of our sins that separate us from the fellowship that God desires for us. We should also set aside anything that stands between us and God or that we feel is a hindrance to our spiritual growth. You think TV is a hindrance and should be set aside for Lent? Why only 40-days if it is a hindrance? Is seeking God more than a 40-day setting aside of those things that weaken us and cause us to stumble? Growing to be more like Christ is a lifelong process for the believer. It takes constantly putting away those things that are a hindrance as the Holy Spirit reveals them to us. Only doing this once every year is doing away with them, only to place them back in between you and God. If you are a Christian who does this everyday then observing Lent will have no purpose for you other than being a meaningless tradition as you run with the crowd. However, if you only take 40 days out of each year to repent, fast, pray, and seek to remember Jesus’ sacrifice and grow closer to God, then it is time to make those 40-days into a lifetime. Christ sacrificed himself so that you would be made holy by each passing day. Can you not give Him more than 40-days?

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” (Romans 13:11-14).

In Christ Alone

Who Is Jesus Christ (Part 3)? The Lord

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11).

I must confess something embarrassing. For many years I had read the above passage and thought to myself that Jesus was the name above all names. But when paired with Acts 4:12 (“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”), I often wondered if it was blasphemous for anyone else to have the name “Jesus”. What about all the Mexican men named “Jesus” (pronounced “Hey Zeus!”)? Should they have the name Jesus? Can they possess the name that is above all the others? What on earth were their parents thinking to name their child with a name that is only reserved for Jesus (not “Hey Zeus!”)? However, if you read the context of Philippians 2:9-11, it isn’t “Jesus” that is the name above all others. It isn’t “Jesus” that no other name shall be given in which we shall be saved by. No. Although it is true that His name is Jesus, it is His name in verse 11 that is the name above all others that no one else shall possess: “Lord”.

I would seriously hope that no one claims to be “Lord”, even if his name is “Hey Zeus!” However, for Jesus it is more than a name, it is who He is, and as we see above in Philippians 2, that every knee shall bow. This includes those in Heaven (the saints who have gone before us and angels), those on earth (the redeemed believers), and those below (the demons and Satan. Yes. I said “the demons and Satan”). Let’s take a moment to explore these three groups.

First is the group that is in Heaven. In Revelation 6:9-10 it says “I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’” These martyred believers stand before Jesus, calling Him “Lord”. Also in Revelation it says “The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!’” (4:8). Aside from these four creatures, we also see the angels proclaiming the lordship of Jesus Christ: “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’ (Revelation 11:15). And I heard the angel of the waters saying: ‘You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things.’” {16:5). These angels not only proclaim that Jesus is Lord, but also backup those claims by the evidence that Jesus is Lord and King of the earth, but also Judge.

Second is the group that is below the earth. You may be wondering how I come to the conclusion that the demons and Satan acknowledge Jesus as Lord. In Luke 4:41 it reads “And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of God!’ And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.”. Also “When [the man who was demon possessed, Legion,] saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, ‘What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me’ For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.” (Luke 8:28-29). James 2:19 says “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!”. The demons recognize who Jesus is in that He is more than man, but also Lord. He holds command over the demons. They wreak havoc until Christ arrives and tells them to get lost. One should note that in the scriptures men failed to always cast out demons (Mark 9:17-29), but the demons had no choice but to obey Jesus every time. Also, regarding Satan, we read in Job 1:6-12 a conversation where Satan had to get permission in order to smite Job. He was allowed to bring about great destruction, but God would not allow him to destroy Job. As you can see, the demons and Satan recognize the Lordship of Jesus and know that they are under His authority.

Third is the group that walks upon the earth. Mankind will all eventually bow before Jesus and confess that He is Lord. For believers this happens now in their lifetime. Romans 10:9-10 states “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” The Greek word used for “Lord” in this passage is kyrios, which means “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord”. Essentially what this passage is saying is that you agree and believe that Jesus is master and that you choose to make Him master of your life. It is a conscious choosing of faith and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. A life that has made this choice of confession to the lordship of Jesus goes something like this: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2). Of course there are many other passages that we could explore, but for the sake of our attention spans we will avoid them. However, regarding the unbelievers, they will bow before Christ as well. But unfortunately for them it will be too late as they had chosen to reject Christ in this lifetime and will bow in the afterlife. “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15). All of humanity will stand in Heaven before Christ, but is your name in the Book of Life? Will you bow to Christ now and make Him Lord of your life, or will you wait until you realize that He is indeed real and that He is indeed Lord as He sits upon His throne judging you before casting you into the lake of fire?

Jesus left His throne in Heaven as God the Son (or Son of God) and came to earth as the Son of Man. In doing this He experienced what we experience in life, all the way down to being formed within the womb of Mary. He experienced all that any man can experience here on earth. In doing so He is able to intercede on our behalf to the Father as the High Priest who offered up the perfect and final sacrifice to atone for our sins-Himself. In Hebrews 1:2 it states “[God] has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things…” an in Colossians 1:15 it says “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” The word usually translated “firstborn” does not mean that Jesus was the first created being, but that He was given the rights of the firstborn heir. In Colossians 1:18 it says “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” He may have preeminence over all things. Why?

Because He is Lord!

In Christ Alone.

 

Who Is Jesus Christ (Part 2)? The Son of Man

My family and I once attended a Barnes and Noble to look for some books for the children. My eyes glanced up to a display of books that are part of a “Who Was…” series (“Who Is…“when it is written about someone who is still living). Some of the people that these book focus on are Albert Einstein, George Washington, Muhammed Ali, etc. I was surprised to find that they had one titled “Who Was Jesus” (there we go with that “was” thing that I had mentioned in Part 1). My curiosity got the best of me and I skimmed a few pages. I wasn’t surprised to find that this Jesus wasn’t born of the Virgin Mary, nor was He God incarnate (or the “Son of God”), but that He was a “good moral teacher”. The title “Son of Man” would be a more fitting description for those who do not know who Jesus truly is or deny His deity. It is better described as His humility, or Him in the human flesh form. This is when Jesus hungered (Matthew 4:2), thirst (John 19:28), cried (John 11:35), and bled (John 19:34). It can also be viewed as a descriptive form of his humility in that he was born of a woman (“man” as a collective representation of “mankind”) and that He was raised by a man in His earthly father Joseph. Jesus also refers to Himself as the Son of Man in that He was claiming to fulfill prophecy as the Messiah. In Daniel 7:13-14 it says “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.” Jesus was essentially saying that He was the one who Daniel prophesied about when He claimed the title the “Son of Man”.

In Part 1 I had briefly touched on the divinity of Jesus with His title “The Son of God”. I had just briefly touched on what it meant when He had called himself the “Son of Man”. However, to grasp these two titles we need to ask the important question: If Jesus is God then why did He come to earth as man? There was once a hit secular song by an artist by the name of Joan Osborne called “One of us”. In the chorus she sings “What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us. Just a stranger on the bus. Tryin' to make his way home.” (Some of you are all like “Oh yeah! I remember that song.”) In reality God did endure being a slob like one of us. He could have chosen to remain in Heaven and enjoy all of His glory and praise. But no. He chose to come here as one of us and endure the same hardships that you and I face. He traded His crown for thorns. His royal robe became a robe of blood. Can you imagine the creator of Heaven and Earth hanging on a cross as folks mocked him? Can you imagine trading praises from the heavenly host for jeers and scorn? Why would anyone do that? Why would any God so chose to be humbled in that way?

Philippians 2:5-7 states “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (NASB). Jesus chose to set aside His place in Heaven and instead come as a humble man. In doing so He did three things: He showed us who God is, became a High Priest, and became the Lamb who was slain. These three things are very important and they deserve a deeper look.

The Mirror of God

Jesus said in John 14:7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Jesus revealed to us who God is. Studying the life of Jesus we see love, compassion, and mercy as He dealt with the sick and the poor, both physically and spiritually. He didn’t limit himself to just Jews, but even Gentiles (Mark 7:24-30). He said in Mark 2:17 “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” He also showed us righteous anger and judgment as He flipped over tables and chased the money changers out of the temple. We can learn that God too is merciful and desires repentance (2 Peter 3:9), but at the same time will judge those who are living outside of His will, whether saint (Hebrews 12:7-11), or sinner (Matthew 13:41-42).

The High Priest

Hebrews 2:17 states “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” What exactly does this mean? In the Old Covenant the High Priest entered into the Holiest Place in the temple to offer sacrifices for himself, as well as the people of Israel. The most remarkable thing about Jesus is that He was without sin, whereas the High Priest still had to atone for his. “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:14-15). Jesus, in His flesh, felt everything that we do. He walked with nowhere to lay his head. He knew thirst and hunger. He knew ridicule and mockery. He felt pain. He cried. He bled. He died. You get the point. Therefore, as or High Priest, He can have sympathy for what we endure because He endured them too during His pilgrimage here on earth. This He understands as He is our mediator in Heaven before God, as the High Priest was the mediator between God and the people. “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1).

The Lamb Who Was Slain

In 1 Peter 1 it states, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (vv. 18-19). This statement harkens back to the sacrificial lamb that was used by the High Priest during the Day of Atonement. This lamb was to be free of any defects and any spots. In other words, pure and one could say “perfect” for the sacrifice. As I had mentioned earlier from Hebrews 4 that Jesus was without sin. Therefore, He was the perfect sacrifice. Further in Hebrews the author states “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.” (Hebrews 7:25-28).

The verse from Hebrews 7 is a great summary for the point that I am trying to make. Jesus offered up himself as the perfect and final sacrifice. Only the High Priest could do such a thing to intercede for the sins of the people. Jesus acted as the High Priest by offering himself as the final sacrifice to atone for our sins. He continues to act as intercessor through His blood for those who believe on Him. So we see evidence from this verse alone that Jesus was the slain Lamb, as well as the High Priest. But what set him apart from all the other High Priests that His sacrifice was the final one and that God would accept it as that? “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission [of sins]. Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.” (Hebrews 9:22-28).

As High Priest He offered a final sacrifice. But it is a sacrifice whose atonement isn’t for once at a set point per year, but is ongoing for everyone who believes and confesses their sins (Romans 10:9), always interceding on our behalf. This He did as the perfect Lamb because He chose to be the sacrifice in our place because we deserve to die instead for our transgressions. But He, as God the Son, chose to die so that we may live.

I may have briefly touched on Jesus’ divinity in Part 1 and the reasons for His becoming the “Son of Man” this time, but honestly I can’t do such a great truth the justice that it deserves while being brief. Next time I will finish this series by exploring the “Name above all Names”.