Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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A check that won’t bounce

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The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 1:4 that Jesus was declared “the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead” He did not become the Son of God as a result of the resurrection. Rather, the resurrection demonstrated the fact that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.

During a recent Bible study where we were discussing the resurrection of Jesus I thought of the analogy of writing a check. Jesus claimed to have power over death, he claimed that he would die and then rise again. Using the analogy of writing a check, Jesus wrote a large check to us when he promised that we could be raised to new life.

The analogy of a check

Blank CheckIf I wrote you a check for a million dollars and you went to the bank to cash it, after the branch manager stopped laughing, he would inform you that I do not have sufficient funds to cover the check. By writing that check, I would have made a promise that I could not keep.

Now, if Bill Gates wrote that check, the story would have a different ending. He could make such a promise because he has the ability to keep the promise that the check represents

The fact that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead proves that he had sufficient funds to cover that check. He made a promise and proved that he has the ability to keep that promise.

I’ve heard Ravi Zacharias make the point on several occasions that Jesus could have taken the easy route and promised that he would rise in a spiritual sense. Whether or not anyone rises spiritually is not a subject for empirical verification. There would have been no opportunity to falsify Jesus’ claim.

Jesus did not say he would rise spiritually, he promised that he would rise physically. If, he would not have actually done so, all of his promises and teaching would then become suspect. All the enemies of Christ had to do was present a body and Christianity would never have gotten a start.

Why this matters

If (since) Jesus proved his mastery over death, we can live with a different perspective as we meander through this life. At the end of his discussion of the resurrection and its importance in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes:

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:55–58, ESV)

As a result of this knowledge we are to be steadfast. We are to be immovable. Sure, we are not always this way, but when we are not, it is because we have lost sight of who God is and what he has promised to do for us.

The funds to cover the check have been in the bank waiting.

Joy is a life vest

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JoyJoy is like a life vest. A life vest does not keep you out of the waves, but keeps the waves from overwhelming you.

Happiness depends on avoiding a difficulty, but joy is deeper than happiness. One can infer from the word “happy” that it is dependent upon circumstances for the good feeling. The word happenstance comes from the same root. Happiness depends on what happens to us. So, to be happy, I need life to go well right now.

Joy, on the other hand, comes from a long-term view and an understanding that it all comes out well in the end. This is why Paul, in 2 Corinthians 7:4, can write:

In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.

What I’m learning is that joy does not keep you from the trial, but it can sustain you through the trial.

For the Christian, joy is not rooted in some vague, self-generated sense of well being. Joy is rooted in the character of God and an understanding that Jesus has made a provision for us. Jesus makes a way through the trial, reminding us that it is God  who is at work “to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).

This is not a pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps self-will, nor is it a Pollyanna-like refusal to take the trial seriously. Joy is realistic about the difficulty and its consequences. but not willing to let the difficulty have the last say.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be spared from a trial; only a masochist would actually want to suffer. But there is everything right with asking God to show you how to have joy in the midst of the difficulty.

Why ask God for this? The best reason is that Paul tells us that joy is one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit. Joy is something that God wants to produce in us. When we pray to receive joy, we are asking for something that we know is according to God’s will.

Because we are broken people living in a broken world, there are only three categories of people:

  1. Those who have come out of a trial
  2. Those that are in a trial
  3. Those are moving into a trial

So, in the likely event of a water landing . . . put on joy as your life vest to keep you above the waves.

 

A checklist for the church

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Question 36 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks this:

What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption and sanctification?

In other words what is the result of being in relationship with Jesus Christ?

The catechism gives four benefits:

  1. Assurance of God’s love
  2. Peace of conscience
  3. Joy in the Holy Spirit
  4. Increase of grace

ChecklistIt seems to me that these four things provide a good checklist to see how we are doing individually and as a group.

Am I acting as if I am assured of God’s love? If so, it seems as though I would be communicating that love to others. I will become a radiator of God’s love into the world around me.

Do I have peace of conscience? Or, I am pressed down by my lack of conformity to the revealed will of God? Do I act as if I know that I am forgiven? Can I forgive myself and forgive others?

Do I display joy? Or, am I pressed down by the circumstances around me? Do I act as if God has been, is and always will be in control? Do I act as if I trust him?

Is grace an increasing trait in my life? Do I show grace to others and allow myself to receive grace? Am I patient with the progress that myself and others are making in “working out their salvation?”

In looking at all of these questions, I realize that there is a gap between my behavior and my belief. I believe in God’s love, I know that I am forgiven, I know that God is in control and I know that I have received and am to give grace. Yet, I do not always live according to that knowledge.

The gap between my knowledge and behavior is wider than I would like it to be but it is shrinking.

As mentioned above, these questions can also be applied to churches. This is a good checklist to assess the health of a congregation.

Would a visitor sense our assurance of God’s love? Does the visitor experience peace, joy and grace radiating from us? Do we give them a taste of the living water of Jesus Christ (see John 4)?

I hope so. The world desperately needs to see believers living out the Gospel.

Self inflicted wounds

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“But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came.” (Ezekiel 36:21, ESV)

Self-inflicted woundWhat did the nation of Israel do to profane God’s name? In reading the Old Testament prophets I find these themes recurring:

  • They allowed the surrounding culture to corrupt their worship of the one true God.
  • They ignored Scriptural commands when they conflicted with their material gain or personal pleasure.
  • They became unconcerned about social justice issues.

Let’s be honest. On a personal level and as a group we struggle with these same issues. The very first temptation began with the words, “Did God really say . . .” and we have struggled to obey ever since.

My observation of Christendom in 2015 is that we sometimes profane the name of God by misrepresenting him in our dealings with those outside the church. We are seen as judgmental and unforgiving by much of the populace. As a group, we can be quick to denounce and slow to forgive. A cursory internet search will provide numerous examples of condemnation and “holier-than-thou” nonsense coming from Christians. The nonsense is not only targeted at non-Christians, we have a tendency to condemn other Christians over the slightest provocation.

When those outside the church criticize our lack of love and hypocrisy, we respond as if we are being persecuted. But much of the perceived “persecution” is self-inflicted. We are rightly condemned by the culture around us when we fail to represent Jesus well.

We will fix this when we become less concerned about our own reputations and more concerned about God’s name. We need to be less inclined to misrepresent God to the people who do not claim a relationship with him.

In John 17:1 Jesus prayed, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you . . .” Jesus was all about bringing glory to the father.

The next time you feel like going on a rant about your pet issue, ask yourself these questions:

  • Who gets the glory? Am I concerned about my reputation or am I concerned about people recognizing the glory of God?
  • Does my action misrepresent the character of God as displayed in Jesus?

I keep coming back to the fact that the only group toward which Jesus was harsh were the Pharisees. Jesus was harsh with them because they should have known better.

They say that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. I agree and freely admit that I have a long way to go and God has a lot of work to do in me so that I can more accurately reflect the character of God. So, this post is not in condemnation of anyone.

What this post is intended to condemn is unrighteous anger, stony hearts and self-righteousness. All of which I put on display at the most inopportune times.

Perhaps if we all look in the mirror and admit that we fail to accurately represent God, we could then begin the process of restoring the damage and show people in 2015 AD why the Jesus who walked the Earth was so appealing to people in 30 AD.

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