Not the God I Wanted

Are you happy with the God of all creation, the Maker of heaven and earth? I have been walking with the Lord for about fifty years now. I had expectations when I began the journey. Ones that fit my maturity and needs of the time, and God seemed to be okay with that. My image of the Almighty has changed. I would like to think it has grown from those early days. Still, there are days when I remember wanting, even anticipating, a more reciprocal God. One where I did my part and He did His. I wanted a comfortable God that was all powerful, yet somehow predictable. Perhaps, in some measure, contained. When I read the Chronicles of Narnia, all those years ago, C.S. Lewis reminded me often that Aslan, the divine lion of the series, was not a tame lion. A nice reminder in the story, however, not all that comfortable in real life.

I have found that, in the honest intimacy of my spirit, that I still long for that tamer version of the Lion of Judah. One where my prayers are answered quickly and in accord with my own desires. Yes, it is true that the theological, rational, intellectual me is quick to remind me of all I have learned. The mind that tells me God is God and I am not. He will do what is best for His ultimate plan and my ultimate good, even if I am uncomfortable with the process. That does not mean I do not struggle with the process from time to time. "We live in a fallen world" may be the only answer when tragedy falls. Yet, it is an answer that can feel a bit hollow when I look at the reality and the pain in my heart when the dark days come. It is those times when I can be remarkably critical with myself. I can see  the struggle as failure and a lack of faith. The Lord has always come through. I have known "the peace that passes all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). And I experienced the truth that, "He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20). I have even been able to join Job in honestly saying, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" (Job 13:15). Those thoughts and memories offer a bit of strength and resolve when I am seeking the tamer lion. However, I would be dishonest to say it is always satisfying.

I pray regularly for a lot of people, issues, missions, and concern for world events. I have seen God answer in remarkable ways. I have seen cancer removed, eyesight healed, people rise up from what everyone thought was their death bed. I have seem social events change the attitudes of people and tragedy unite families and congregations. God has been evident and responsive to my hurts and my prayers. I have also seen the other side. A longed for and anticipated child die at birth for no apparent medical reason. I have had a college room mate, and dear brother in the Lord, be used of God to further the gospel in almost unimaginable ways. Brilliant mind, excellent communicator, able to speak eight languages, struck down in freak car accident at age forty. I have stayed up all night with a couple praying for a child who died in the morning. I have felt the loss of a friend, more like a brother, who has left a hole that the Lord has yet to heal. I have stood in the dark and asked why, knowing there is no why to be found. I have seen ministries grow and selfish, angry people work to destroy them. In all of these situations God could have intervened and chose not to. Even in the current situation where covid 19 has grown into debilitating fear for so many, believers and unbelievers alike, God has the power to change things. Yet the one who "robs, kills and destroys" seems to gain an upper hand in too many lives and communities.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a God Who just stepped in and did what we wanted? A tame yet powerful lion we could direct. One we could come to and say, "I pray, You answer, that's the deal. And I need it by tomorrow." That is not the God of the Bible, nor the God of real life. Feelings have to give way to faith. Wishing and wanting needs to be overshadowed by trust. Discouragement replaced with obedience. Doubt and fear with truth and love. I really do not want a tame lion. I really do need one way bigger than me. One Who can take the questions of life and the disappointments of living and give me that assurance that it will be okay. The Lion has got this. Even through the pain and scars that linger and may always hide below the surface, this Lion has never left my side. And when the days come to an end He will carry me through the valley of the shadow of death to a new home that has no more good byes, no more tears, no more pain and gently present me to my Heavenly Father. A place of joy unspeakable and full of glory. In the darker days I remember this. He is not a tame Lion, but He loves me, and that is enough.

No Sacrifice for Sin?

Has anyone ever told you that the offering of Jesus was made to cover your sins? Has anyone ever suggested that the Old Testament sacrifice for sin is a picture of Christ's sacrifice? However, did you know that there is no sacrifice for most sin in the Old Testament? If you were an Israelite and sinned against God, if you willfully disobeyed one of His commandments, there was no offering available to cover your sin. God's revelation to Moses provides a great deal of instruction and certainly gives directions for a variety of sacrificial offerings, however a relative few actually deal with sin. There are thank offerings, free will offerings, offerings of the first fruits, redemptive offerings for the first born males, specific sacrifices to cleanse the priests along with wave and incense offerings. Leviticus chapter 4 deals with sin offerings. Perhaps it has been a while since you read the chapter. Perhaps in your reading you did not notice a very important word.

It would be helpful if you took time to read verses 2, 13, 22, and 27 of Leviticus 4. The surrounding verses give details as to how to prepare and offer a sin offering. If you have read the verses did you notice each instance of sin has the word "unintentional" preceding it? The Lord knew that His people had just come out of Egypt following a sojourn of over 400 years. They had been slaves for a significant part of that time. They held their own culture, to an extent, but the rules and regulations for life as a slave was dictated by Pharaoh. Thus, upon their deliverance, God graciously gave them instructions and directions as to how to best live. They were not optional. However, they were pretty inclusive as to every aspect of life so it would have been fairly easy to unintentionally violate God's Word. Again, by His grace the Lord provided a way to have those unintentional sins forgiven. However, He offered no sacrifice for intentional sins.

If that is indeed the case there must be no hope for all those Old Testament folks. Well, you might say that Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, took care of that. Except that day was a time of national repentance rather than a personal sin offering. The reality seems to be that many of us are deeply ingrained in traditional Christian or Evangelical thought. We believe we are in the dispensation or time of grace unlike the time or dispensation of the Law. We are saved by grace and free from the Law. Those Old Testament people had to keep the Law as a means of salvation. Grace finally came to us through the cross. The only problem with that way of thinking, is that it does not line up with Scripture. Paul makes it clear that no one keeps the Law. Everyone has fallen short. So does that mean there is no hope for the people before the time of Christ? Does that mean we will not see Moses, or David, or Abraham, Isaac or Israel in glory? What was Moses doing on the Mount of Transfiguration  with Jesus if He did not make it to glory?

Perhaps the story of David's sin can help. David sinned intentionally. He did not accidentally commit adultery with Bathsheba. He did not unintentionally have Uriah, one of his loyal mighty men, killed. He did not bring Bathsheba into his bedchamber unknowingly. He is guilty of intentional sin. There is no Levitical  sacrifice available. In contemporary terms David is toast. He is without hope. The punishment for these crimes is death. But look at what Nathan tells David in 2 Samuel 12:13, "So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die." How can that be? How could the LORD put away David's sin? Why won't David die? The only reasonable answer is grace. Like the grace He extended to Noah. The grace He extended to Abraham when Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him for righteousness. Abraham, David, Noah, saved by grace. Hmmmm I wonder how many other Old Testament people were saved by grace after they violated Torah?

We are told that we need to pray and ask forgiveness and maybe confess our sin and and we will be forgiven. It is hard to find that formula in the Bible. The message of John the Baptizer, Jesus the Messiah, Paul, Peter, and the writer of Hebrews was repentance. Forgiveness comes through confession and repentance. Prayer, or speaking, confessing,our sin with repentance may be the avenue we choose to use however, just praying for forgiveness is not a Biblical concept.  Turning away from our intentional sin with a desire to not commit that transgression once again is the pattern we find no matter which Testament we look to. The sacrifice and shed blood of God's Son, Messiah covers sin. It always has. Repentance and believing, faithfully following, trusting that what the Lord has said, gives us a relationship with Him and His Son by the power of His Spirit. It is all by grace. It is now. It always has been.

It seems that the artificial division we place between those Old Testament saints and those of the New is just that, artificial. Moses, David, Hezekiah, and the untold multitudes of the Old Testament repented, had faith in Yahweh and were saved by grace. So were Peter, James, John, Paul and the rest of our New Testament heroes. So was I. How about you?                

Faith, a Different Approach to Ephesians 2

Have you ever taken the time to consider the person of the Apostle Paul? He honestly was a pretty amazing follower of Yahweh. He comes from a line of people who were passionate about Torah, God's instruction and direction as how best to live. He grew up a ways from Jerusalem. His father was both a Roman citizen and a Jewish pharisee. Living in Tarsus, modern day Turkey, Paul's family had made long trips to Jerusalem to fulfill the requirements to be there on the high holy days. He was of the tribe of Benjamin and named after their most famous Benjamite, Saul, the first king of Israel. Young Saul excelled in his religious education, becoming a disciple of Gamaiel, (Acts 5) the most renowned Jewish Rabbi of the time. Young Saul, later known as Paul, held two passions. One was to be faithful to all of God's Law and Word. The other was to faithfully await the arrival of Messiah, the coming king and deliverer of Israel. This passion drove him to oppose the new Jewish sect called "the Way". A growing group of Jews who believed that the crucified rabbi Yeshua, was Messiah. Paul was confronted by the risen Lord on his way to Damascus. Following this event his life still held two passions. One, to be faithful in God's Torah and traditions and two, to let every Jew and Gentile he met know that Yeshua was indeed Messiah.

As one of the most prolific writers, used by God, to write the letters held in the New Testament, it serves us well to remember who Paul was. While addressing the Jews in Acts 23 Paul proclaims that he currently is a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee. Near the end of his life Paul speaks to the Jewish elders in Rome telling them that he has "done nothing against Rome or the his people or their customs" (Acts 28:17). Paul was a faithful, Torah observant, Jew all of his life. He was also a Jew who was had a passion to know and proclaim the truth that Yeshua was Messiah, the deliverer of Israel and the Savior of the Gentiles as well. With this background, let us take a new look at Ephesians chapter 2.

(Disclaimer - The following is the result of some time of meditation, both on the subject of faith, faithful and faithfulness, and the impact Paul's life experience might have on his writing. It is not to suggest that this is the only right answer of interpretation or if it is even is a right answer. However, we are instructed to study, to meditate, and to ponder the truth of God's revealed Word. This is the result of that time. I am a work in progress, as are you, so this may just give you something new to think about.)

Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." has long been a theological anchor for evangelicals. Tie that to verse 9, "not of works, lest anyone should boast" and many theologians and Bible teachers find this as the evidence of the end of Torah. It is here they find that Judaism has been replaced by the Christian Church. The verses have also been a point of contention between the reformed camp and those with a more Wesleyan bent. Is grace the gift or is it faith that is the gift from God? If Faith is the gift then only those gifted with faith are predestined to be saved. However, if grace is the gift then anyone is free to exercise faith and be saved. Quite the dilemma. Where do you fall on the grace verses faith issue? And what of works? Is this an end to Torah or as His workmanship are works, related to the Law, ordained for us to complete? Well, what if both thoughts are a bit off message? Do these thoughts line up with the passions of the Apostle Paul as he writes to the Ephesian assembly of Messianic believers?

Paul's compelling drive to make Yeshua, Jesus, know is clearly evident in this letter. Paul's commitment to his Jewish heritage is also evident as he lets the Gentiles know that they who were far off have been brought near and are now under the Jewish covenants and a part of the Commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12). Backing up to the beginning of chapter 2 we find remarkable news for us and Paul's passion for who Messiah Jesus is and just what He has done. You might want to turn to Ephesians 2 to follow along. We were dead, walking in agreement with the devil, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, children of wrath (verses 1-3). God, in His mercy, loved us even when we were dead. He made us alive with Christ. He raised us to the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. Showing His grace and kindness in Christ Jesus (verses 4-7). Paul's focus here is clearly on what God has done in Christ,  Jesus. Paul then goes on to tell us that it is by this grace,through faith, that we have been delivered. Not of ourselves, gift of God. The translators have added it is to help make their understanding of the text clear. "It is" is a reference to the "gift of God", making whatever it is a "thing", for nouns can be a person, place or a thing. However, we have seen that the Greek word pistis has several different possible, yet accurate, translations. So this could be "by grace you have been saved through faithfulness, the gift of God, not of works, so no one can boast." Yet it seems contradictory to be delivered by faithfulness and not of our own works.

What if Paul has continued his thought train from the previous four verses. We know that Yahweh and His Son, our Messiah are faithful. See Deuteronomy 7:9, Hosea 11:12 1 Corinthians 1:9 or 2 Corinthians 1:18. "God is faithful", Another way of putting this is to say that God is the Faithful One. It says the same thing, and is an accurate translation, it simply makes "faithful" more of a character quality than an action toward me. God is the Faithful One who sent His Son, Messiah Jesus to deliver me. Jesus was the Faithful One who delivered me from death. For I was dead but God made me alive through the faithful actions of His Son, who is also the Faithful One. If you followed this we have another possible translation for Ephesians 2:8. "For by grace you have been delivered [from death] through the Faithful One, He is the gift of God, not of your works, lest anyone should boast." Now our deliverance, our salvation, is focused on the person of Christ, as it was in the previous verses. Paul may be reminding us that it was the work of the Faithful One, not of my faith, which delivered me from death.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared, or revealed, before hand, that we should walk in them." We are called to be faithful as He was faithful. Dependent upon His faithfulness and now called to our own faithfulness in Him.

The choice is simply where we place our focus. Is it on my faith or on the Faithful One, Christ Jesus? As a Jewish Rabbi consumed with love for Messiah and compelled to share His message of deliverance where do you think the Apostle Paul's thoughts were?

Are You Saved by Faith or Faithfulness?

I thought we would have a little more fun with words today. This one is foundational to our very existence as followers of God. The Greek word is  πίστις pronounced pistis. . Biblical scholars such as Strong, Mounce, and Wuest, to name a few, understand the word to mean: faith, assurance, believe, belief, trust, faithful, fidelity or faithfulness. It is most often translated with the English word "faith". The question for today is, "Why?" out of at least eight options that could all be accurate why is the word "faith" the most common choice? Is it because of the context of the text or the culture of the translator?

  

Webster defines faith with these possibilities.1,fidelity, allegiance to duty or a person. 2 : belief and trust in and loyalty to God or belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion 3: firm belief in something for which there is no proof. One of Strong's definitions includes, "reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, believing in such profession". Got questions.org, an evangelical Christian web site gives this addition, "Simply put, the biblical definition of faith is “trusting in something you cannot explicitly prove.” One also described faith as a nebulous trust based on a belief that something is true. The truth is, that for many of us, faith is a personal thing that is pretty hard to explain. Perhaps the reason is that we are of a western culture that flows from Greek thought. For the Greeks Life is founded in what you think. Thus faith is a sort of thing we think about and come to a cognitive rationale for what we believe and trust in. That being the case, our little word, pistis, and its derivatives are most frequently translated, "faith". A sort vague trust in the unknowable. Belief in something that is really just beyond our understanding. We may sense His presence and learn about Him but God is still a bit out of our total understanding. So we must have faith.

Even though there is an element of truth here, there is a more satisfying answer if we place things in a more Hebraic context. In Hebrew life is more about what you do rather than what you think. God has revealed Himself in His Word and given instruction and direction as to how best to live. Those who accept this, who believe, respond to the revelation God has given. It becomes less about "faith" and more about "faithfulness", which is one of the acceptable ways to translate pistis. What impact does this have? Let us consider a few passages to see what I mean. 

Luke 18:8, “I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" This translation asks the question will the Son of Man find those who believe, have made a mental decision that what was told them is true. Will there be any who believe, who think this way when the Lord return. Now the other translation of pistis. "I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faithfulness or faithful ones on the earth?" The noun pistis is now a person instead of a thing. It is personal and we are required to behave in a way that is in obedience to the Lord. It is no longer a concern about what we think but what we do that matters.

Hebrews 11:1 has long been the evangelicals go to verse to define faith, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The substance of faith is a hope we have and faith is also evidence of something unseen. It makes this thing called faith pretty intangible and entirely personal. Faith is what I want it to be and what I think it should be. However, if piatis is translated faithfulness, now what I do is the substance of what I hope for, and what I do is the evidence of the unseen that I hold to be true. Those around me know what I believe and why I have this hope based on what I do, not just what I tell them I think is true. The writer of Hebrews then gives examples of faithfulness. Noah showed what he believed as he faithfully built the ark. Abraham put his believe on display by leaving his home, Sarah believed God, the Faithful One, and was given strength to deliver the promised child. Abraham gives evidence of His belief as he faithfully takes Isaac to the mount. Moses's parents believed, the evidence is how they faithfully hid Moses.

We know that Messiah, Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15).  That being true perhaps the writer to the Hebrews is saying, "But without faithfulness it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him," Hebrews 11:6 (emphasis mine).  A diligent seeker is doing something, not just thinking something. The Lord is a rewarder of those who walk in obedience. The other examples in Hebrews 11 are great examples of those who were faithful. We know they believed and trusted God by what they did, not just by what they thought. The substance of what they hoped for and the evidence that they believed is clear by their faithfulness to the one who called them.

There are other thing to consider, but we will save those for next week. Today's question is, "How about you and me?" Does the faithfulness of our lives give evidence of what we say we believe? If not, does what we say we think about God and His promises really matter?

   



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