Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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On viruses and great support

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A little while ago, I got a tweet in response to one of my posts, letting me know that a reader’s protection software identified Attempts at Honesty as being infected with a virus. In checking on this, it was found to be true.

Thanks to the excellent support of Nate at Davis Services Group, we are back to a virus free status. The one piece of this that I can explain is that Nate switched to a different virus protection plugin. There are other things that he told me he did, that I don’t really understand so I won’t bother attempting to do so.

So, please accept my apology for any disruption that this caused you.

On holy heartburn

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In one of his first post resurrection appearances, Jesus walked with two disciples as they made their way to Emmaus. The story is recorded for us in Luke 24.

While he walked with them Jesus gave them a lecture on the Old Testament. As Luke records, “beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, he expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” I almost called it an impromptu lecture, but there was nothing unplanned or unrehearsed about it. Jesus, as the author of Scripture, showed them how the Old Testament pointed to him all throughout.

What jumps out at me this morning as I reflect on this passage is how the disciples responded to Jesus’ teaching. Luke quotes them as saying, “did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

Their hearts burned; they had a noticeable response to the Scriptures as they were opened to them. This prompts the thought that I should have higher expectations when I sit down to read my Bible.

I would think that most believers have had the experience of reading a passage of Scripture when it really seems to jump off the page and minister to the need at hand. We sometimes get glimpses of the holy heartburn that is mentioned in Luke 24.

But why is this not the typical case? Perhaps it is because we lose perspective of what we are reading and why we read it.

In the movie Shadowlands, starring Anthony Hopkins as C. S. Lewis, there is a line that I like. As I recall the scene, Lewis catches a student who is stealing books from the bookstore. When Lewis confronts the student, he offers the excuse of “at least I read them.” In further discussion, the student answers the question of why he reads the books, he responds, “I read to know I am not alone.”

Perhaps that is the best reason to read the Bible. We read it to know that we are not alone. We have a God who has written, is writing and will continue to write the story of how he will redeem a people from the mess around us. The exciting thing is that he chooses to involve us in the story.

We should be reading with expectation of learning how our involvement in the story will change us. We should be reading with expectation of learning the extent of God’s love for us. We should be reading with the expectation of getting a glimpse of what we will become when God finishes his work in us.

We should be reading with expectation of holy heartburn.

 

What is sin?

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Question 14Question 14 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is sin?”

The answer given is, “Sin is disobeying or not conforming to God’s law in any way.” This is another one where I prefer the older version which answers, “Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.”

There are two categories here, one is passive and one is active.

Passive sin is not doing what we know to be right. Active sin is choosing to do (or desire to do) what we know to be wrong.

It seems to me that even those who would not acknowledge the idea of sin still have feelings that they should be better than they are. Almost any sentence that begins with the words, “I ought . . .” would give evidence in support of this assertion.

The important question is what is the standard for determining right and wrong? The catechism affirms that the correct standard for sin is the law of God. In 2016 this is unpalatable to many people.

But Jesus also affirmed the law of God as the standard when he said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17, NASB)

In thinking about our social context, I don’t see that it does a lot of good to go around telling people they are sinners. How many people do you see responding positively to a street preacher that is telling people that they are sinners going to hell? Apart from the grace of Christ, we are all sinners, so while it may be true, it is hardly helpful to do this.

It is really up to the Holy Spirit to convict each of us concerning our own sin. Our job is to point people to Jesus who is the cure.

When God’s Word Speaks

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when-gods-word-speaksWycliffe Bible Translators recently released a collection of stories about how the Bible has transformed people throughout the years. The volume is called When God’s Word Speaks and is available from Wycliffe’s Web Site for $15.95 plus shipping.

If you would like to purchase a copy, you can use the code HONESTY25 at checkout to receive 25% off your copy.

I have not read all of the stories, but the ones I have read are encouraging. Also it is beautifully done with each story paired with what I would call a “poster art” graphic on the facing page.

This would make a good coffee table book to pick up to read a story when you have a few minutes.

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