It began when I was very young. I grew up in a 200 year old house in Pennsylvania. My room was in the back of the house with three outside walls. A huge black walnut tree loomed outside one window. The other side of the room had windows facing the open field while the headboard to my bed was pressed against the remaining windowless wall. The tree danced eerie shadows against the walls from the glow of a full moon. The shadows were unnerving at times for a young boy given to imagination. So I tried to pass off some of the oppressive shadows as just that. Imaginations. However, there were times when the shadows came without the moon and did not dance, but slowly moved across the windowed wall where the tree stood vigil just outside. There is no earthly reason for the shadows to be there. No light to cast the image. Just a clear sense of a presence that made me feel like some special form of gravity held me down and pressed me to my bed. I would watch, almost unable to breath. And then I would ask God to make them go away. I don't know why. I accepted there was a God from as far back as life could go. We were church people, so I had had some basics. There were times that the shadows were like reflected light but there was no mirror, no light to cause them. Like the dark ones, these shadows seemed to move as they willed. There was no gravity well with them. No euphoria either. They would just come quietly to visit. The dark ones never came when they were there. I told my mom of the presence and she said it was just a bad dream. But it wasn't a dream.
As I got a little older I simply accepted the reality of the spirit world. I had learned of the
Holy Spirit at church and about Jesus and God and the Devil. Somewhere I
knew there were other spirit beings as well. Some good. Some evil. I felt them in walks through pine trees or in the silence of a snow fall. I would lay on my back watching slivers of light drift down through the darkness and dissolve on my open hands. The spirits would somehow make me smile as if to say all would be right in the world. There were other times, crouched against a boathouse along the shores of Lake Erie, when the presence of evil was so close my lungs would not work. Waves turned brutal tossing foam across the sand and rocks almost to my feet. I cowered against the building as a darkness taunted me, telling me I was his and my life had no meaning. My life would not last. I asked the spirits of light to come but shivers came instead. And then he was gone. I walked home in the dark and never told anyone of this dark visitation until my college days.
There was another night on the same beach,near the same boathouse. (I guess it would be helpful to mention I grew up less than a mile from Lake Erie and spent hours there in contemplation, more often alone than not. I would come in the late night hours when I should have been at home in bed.) This night I was contemplating the reality of a God I had learned of and of His Son Jesus. I knew the stories. I knew of His Christmas birth and the images of His death on a cross and the Easter Sunday resurrection thing. I didn't discount it, just never gave it that much thought. I had traveled the roads of Nietzsche and Descartes. I thought long about Plato's essay on "The Cave". Interesting literature for a 15 year old. But now I faced a question of belief. Was what I had learned in a Bible Study group true? Knowing I had sinned was no issue. The idea that I had value and purpose was another matter. That encounter with the darkness on this very beach had impressed upon me how little I mattered. How worthless my life would be. And to be honest my mother and many of my teachers had reinforced that thought. Then there was that lightness thing. Not the images from my bedroom, but suddenly I just knew it was true. God's love, Christ's sacrifice, His resurrection, life offered, purpose given. I believed. I struggled. The dark shadows still came across the windowed wall but they couldn't seem to stay. There were times I wondered if it really were true. The belief thing. Yet somehow I always knew it was true. God was present and life had value. I had value.
I had never talked about the dark and light spirits or the visitation of the darkness that night when I was told that life would be short and meaningless. I had a job. I had a girlfriend. I found a church to go to. The light and darkness still came on walks in the woods. They were with me in those moments of seclusion or lying in the snow. I told people of my encounter with God and Jesus and the reality of belief that swept over me on the beach that night, but never about the spirits. I learned that God's messengers, His angels, watched over me (Hebrews 1:14) and that there were forces of spiritual darkness (Ephesians 6:12). I believe I have encountered both for a very long time. But in the later 60's and early 70's these impressions might well have brought about questions of drug use, so I kept the spiritual visitations to myself. That is until I was at college. It was there I shared the accounts with my roommates.
It was a dark autumn night in the dorm and my roommate's mom had an unexplained illness, so he asked us to pray. A number of our conversations between Ron, Ed and I happened after lights were out and we thought we were going to sleep. Then Ed shared his burden for his mom. Ron suggested we get up and pray. So I lit one of those candles in a jar to give a little light and got ready to pray. Ed said he thought it was more of a spiritual thing than a physical sickness. That some dark spirit was near his mom. He didn't know why. He just felt that way. As we began to pray the room got noticeably colder. Ed pulled on his sweater and Ron and I reached for our blankets as Ed continued to pray. Then the room began to grow darker. In spite of the candle it just seemed oppressively dark. Ed began to stumble over his words. Ron began to pray with some of the same issues of mispronounced sounds. My mind went to the light shadows from my bedroom and that Hebrews verse and I silently asked the light to push back the darkness and for God's Spirit to allow us to pray. The room grew lighter and the coldness left. I shared my story of my encounters through the years and no one laughed. It is something I have seldom shared. People still struggle with the spirit world. It is written of as fiction or as a way to tap into some power beyond the normal, but it is seldom spoken of in real terms. By the way, two days later Ed's mom recovered. As mysteriously as the illness came, it departed.
This post is merely the introduction to the one that comes next. There are spirits about us and we are naive to think they do not matter.
See you next week.
Monday, July 6, 2015
Monday, June 29, 2015
The Supreme Court, Rebel Flag and Evangelicals, There Is a Common Thread
The past week has been a bit interesting. As the world around us continues to convulse in violence our attention has been focused on some Supreme Court decisions, and the Rebel Flag. It has brought out interesting comments from a variety of sources. Evangelicals have had their say and have been highlighted as "those intolerant extremists" once again. In reality there is a common thread that connects all three of these topics. They share the same problem that has taken us to where we are today. Drifting rapidly from where God has designed us to be. It is not just the Court or the Rebel Flag detractors but also Evangelicals who have fallen prey to the attack on truth.
If you are not familiar with me you should know that I am a bit driven to try to see the historic and cultural context of things I study. This is true in my study of the Scriptures as well as other things that interest me. I believe it is absolutely essential to try to understand what was the intent of the author and the reader at the time events were recorded. When we ignore the original context of who wrote things and to whom they were written, we may well end up in error. That is the case for the Supreme Court decisions, the concern over the Rebel Flag and how evangelicals understand the Word of God. The first two are disturbing and even irritating. However, the last, understanding Scripture, has led us to confusion and outright error. A place no follower of God or Messiah wants to be.
I would like to view these one at a time. In the decisions made by the Supreme Court, the Court has simply disregarded the history that is the foundation of the U.S. Constitution. They have usurped the rights of the states and denied the intent of the authors of the document. Whether it is demanding the support of a national health care program or redefining marriage, history and the intent of the writers has had no bearing. There is nothing in the document to grant the power they have exercised. There is nothing in the Constitution that even mentions marriage. To tie life, liberty, and equal protection from the 14th amendment is fanciful at best. It assumes that if marrying several women or men at the same time brings you a feeling of liberty and happiness, you are guaranteed equal protection to make that happen. Concern has been voiced by those who see this as a moral issue or from the basis of religious conviction. The thought is that their right to practice their faith will be in question. There may be cause for concern, as one of the commentators following the decision on same sex marriage made the statement that "The Supreme Court has finally recognized that religious freedom must end where oppression begins." It is not hard to imagine that a religious stand concerning abortion, sexual purity before marriage, homosexuality or even sin in general will be viewed as oppressive. Such conviction spoken would not be allowed.
The only way to arrive at the decisions we are seeing is to remove the foundation that the Constitution was built upon. No matter what you want to believe, the United States of America was founded on the belief that there is a God who created us and made Himself known to us. Religious freedom was at the very core of many of the colonies. Our laws were gleaned from or in principal drawn from the pages of Scripture. We have simply chosen to ignore the historic truth beneath our nation's founding and the Constitution that was meant to protect our freedoms from a potentially oppressive government.
As to the Rebel Flag, the supposed flag of slavery, there are several flaws in the current argument. Questions were asked of people on the street during a segment of "The O'Reily Factor". One question was, "What was the reason for the Civil War?" The answer, of course, was "slavery". Just a few points of reality. 1) It was not a "Civil" war. No one in the South wanted to overthrow the government; they were revolting to form their own government just as the 13 colonies had about 100 years before. 2) Southern states seceded over what they saw as an oppressive federal government laying unreasonable taxation on the southern states. 3) The Northern states also had slaves. In fact, next to Charleston, the greatest ports for the importation and sale of slaves were Philadelphia, New York and Boston. 4) The Emancipation Proclamation only applied to southern states. Northern states could maintain their possession of their house servants and stable hands. 5) Slavery became the issue two years into the war as northern support was waning, and a moral issue was needed to continue to pursue the war.
Whatever you think of the Rebel Flag, the history behind it wasn't about slavery, but about the south rebelling against an oppressive federal government. If you compare memorials in Gettysburg and Fredericksburg, you will find that the Union fought the Rebels at Gettysburg while the Confederates fought the Federalist at Fredericksburg. Perspective. However, history has no bearing on current society so take down the flags and don't sell them on e-bay or at K-Mart. By the way, the slaves were purchased from the English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Dutch colonies in Africa. I guess we can't sell those flags either. The point is slavery was a national travesty, not just a southern one. Slaves were owned in all of the states. The northern states simply did not have to endure the heavy taxation placed upon the southern states by the federal government. Unfair taxation led the southern states to rebel with a desire to form a new Confederation of states with a limited centralized governing authority. Imagine a flag that represents being upset with an oppressive federal government that taxes unreasonably, tramples on states rights and personal freedoms. But, again it must be said, history doesn't matter.
As to Evangelical Christians, at least those who write commentaries and Bible studies, we find the same disturbing truth. Studies and materials produced are written as if the Apostle Paul wrote to Americans. His letters do apply to us. However,they were written to existing assemblies in Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, etc. As a Jewish Rabbi writing to a mix of Jews and Gentiles, the culture and instruction was decidedly Hebraic. But, we have determined that the Jewish foundation of our faith is pretty much to be ignored. If you look at Scripture (see Acts 24:5,24:14 & 28:22), the believing groups at that time were viewed simply as sects of Judaism. Yet you will be hard pressed to find Evangelical assemblies that honor any Jewish traditions. We are told we are under grace and not under the Law. Ephesians 2 explains that we Gentiles who were far off and not citizens of Israel and had no claim to the covenants of promised are brought near. By the blood of the Jewish Messiah we too can become citizens. We too can share in the covenants. Paul is clear in Romans 11 that it is the Gentiles who were grafted into Israel http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Rom&c=11&t=NKJV#s=1057017. Yet, if we are honest, Evangelical Christians let Jews know they have to be grafted into the church to be in God's kingdom. Who cares what the culture and historic context of Scripture tells us; what the Scripture means to me today is what matters.
If we saw ourselves as a sect of Judaism, as the believing assemblies did in Acts, we would have to rewrite much of what we do today. What of the evangelical rejection of resting on the seventh day. What of the ignoring of God's ordained holidays in His Word? Should we honor those in addition to the ones we just made up? And O my! What about bacon! But don't worry. We are under grace. God can't really be concerned with what He inspired the writers of Scripture to write. After all He gave us His Spirit Who can lead us to pick and choose what we like and ignore the stuff we don't. Hey, we can even add some new stuff to help us justify what we don't like. We add words and take them away to make our point. (See Wednesday, June 24, 2015 The Book Of James Should Not Be In the Bible)
We can be pretty outraged at what the Supreme Court does when they ignore the history and original meaning and intent of our Constitution. As well we should be. We may draw wrong conclusions about what a flag stands for when we fail to consider the history behind it. Yet, might it be more important to consider what is the foundation, the history, the culture, that lies beneath the Word of God, of His revelation to us? Do we just ignore it and hope we are right about a gracious God not caring what we do with His Word? Does it matter that we have drifted so far from the practice of the Early "church". You know, that sect of Judaism that was growing back in the first century.
Well, there is a lot to think about. Feeling oppressed yet?
If you are not familiar with me you should know that I am a bit driven to try to see the historic and cultural context of things I study. This is true in my study of the Scriptures as well as other things that interest me. I believe it is absolutely essential to try to understand what was the intent of the author and the reader at the time events were recorded. When we ignore the original context of who wrote things and to whom they were written, we may well end up in error. That is the case for the Supreme Court decisions, the concern over the Rebel Flag and how evangelicals understand the Word of God. The first two are disturbing and even irritating. However, the last, understanding Scripture, has led us to confusion and outright error. A place no follower of God or Messiah wants to be.
I would like to view these one at a time. In the decisions made by the Supreme Court, the Court has simply disregarded the history that is the foundation of the U.S. Constitution. They have usurped the rights of the states and denied the intent of the authors of the document. Whether it is demanding the support of a national health care program or redefining marriage, history and the intent of the writers has had no bearing. There is nothing in the document to grant the power they have exercised. There is nothing in the Constitution that even mentions marriage. To tie life, liberty, and equal protection from the 14th amendment is fanciful at best. It assumes that if marrying several women or men at the same time brings you a feeling of liberty and happiness, you are guaranteed equal protection to make that happen. Concern has been voiced by those who see this as a moral issue or from the basis of religious conviction. The thought is that their right to practice their faith will be in question. There may be cause for concern, as one of the commentators following the decision on same sex marriage made the statement that "The Supreme Court has finally recognized that religious freedom must end where oppression begins." It is not hard to imagine that a religious stand concerning abortion, sexual purity before marriage, homosexuality or even sin in general will be viewed as oppressive. Such conviction spoken would not be allowed.
The only way to arrive at the decisions we are seeing is to remove the foundation that the Constitution was built upon. No matter what you want to believe, the United States of America was founded on the belief that there is a God who created us and made Himself known to us. Religious freedom was at the very core of many of the colonies. Our laws were gleaned from or in principal drawn from the pages of Scripture. We have simply chosen to ignore the historic truth beneath our nation's founding and the Constitution that was meant to protect our freedoms from a potentially oppressive government.
As to the Rebel Flag, the supposed flag of slavery, there are several flaws in the current argument. Questions were asked of people on the street during a segment of "The O'Reily Factor". One question was, "What was the reason for the Civil War?" The answer, of course, was "slavery". Just a few points of reality. 1) It was not a "Civil" war. No one in the South wanted to overthrow the government; they were revolting to form their own government just as the 13 colonies had about 100 years before. 2) Southern states seceded over what they saw as an oppressive federal government laying unreasonable taxation on the southern states. 3) The Northern states also had slaves. In fact, next to Charleston, the greatest ports for the importation and sale of slaves were Philadelphia, New York and Boston. 4) The Emancipation Proclamation only applied to southern states. Northern states could maintain their possession of their house servants and stable hands. 5) Slavery became the issue two years into the war as northern support was waning, and a moral issue was needed to continue to pursue the war.
Whatever you think of the Rebel Flag, the history behind it wasn't about slavery, but about the south rebelling against an oppressive federal government. If you compare memorials in Gettysburg and Fredericksburg, you will find that the Union fought the Rebels at Gettysburg while the Confederates fought the Federalist at Fredericksburg. Perspective. However, history has no bearing on current society so take down the flags and don't sell them on e-bay or at K-Mart. By the way, the slaves were purchased from the English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Dutch colonies in Africa. I guess we can't sell those flags either. The point is slavery was a national travesty, not just a southern one. Slaves were owned in all of the states. The northern states simply did not have to endure the heavy taxation placed upon the southern states by the federal government. Unfair taxation led the southern states to rebel with a desire to form a new Confederation of states with a limited centralized governing authority. Imagine a flag that represents being upset with an oppressive federal government that taxes unreasonably, tramples on states rights and personal freedoms. But, again it must be said, history doesn't matter.
As to Evangelical Christians, at least those who write commentaries and Bible studies, we find the same disturbing truth. Studies and materials produced are written as if the Apostle Paul wrote to Americans. His letters do apply to us. However,they were written to existing assemblies in Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, etc. As a Jewish Rabbi writing to a mix of Jews and Gentiles, the culture and instruction was decidedly Hebraic. But, we have determined that the Jewish foundation of our faith is pretty much to be ignored. If you look at Scripture (see Acts 24:5,24:14 & 28:22), the believing groups at that time were viewed simply as sects of Judaism. Yet you will be hard pressed to find Evangelical assemblies that honor any Jewish traditions. We are told we are under grace and not under the Law. Ephesians 2 explains that we Gentiles who were far off and not citizens of Israel and had no claim to the covenants of promised are brought near. By the blood of the Jewish Messiah we too can become citizens. We too can share in the covenants. Paul is clear in Romans 11 that it is the Gentiles who were grafted into Israel http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Rom&c=11&t=NKJV#s=1057017. Yet, if we are honest, Evangelical Christians let Jews know they have to be grafted into the church to be in God's kingdom. Who cares what the culture and historic context of Scripture tells us; what the Scripture means to me today is what matters.
If we saw ourselves as a sect of Judaism, as the believing assemblies did in Acts, we would have to rewrite much of what we do today. What of the evangelical rejection of resting on the seventh day. What of the ignoring of God's ordained holidays in His Word? Should we honor those in addition to the ones we just made up? And O my! What about bacon! But don't worry. We are under grace. God can't really be concerned with what He inspired the writers of Scripture to write. After all He gave us His Spirit Who can lead us to pick and choose what we like and ignore the stuff we don't. Hey, we can even add some new stuff to help us justify what we don't like. We add words and take them away to make our point. (See Wednesday, June 24, 2015 The Book Of James Should Not Be In the Bible)
We can be pretty outraged at what the Supreme Court does when they ignore the history and original meaning and intent of our Constitution. As well we should be. We may draw wrong conclusions about what a flag stands for when we fail to consider the history behind it. Yet, might it be more important to consider what is the foundation, the history, the culture, that lies beneath the Word of God, of His revelation to us? Do we just ignore it and hope we are right about a gracious God not caring what we do with His Word? Does it matter that we have drifted so far from the practice of the Early "church". You know, that sect of Judaism that was growing back in the first century.
Well, there is a lot to think about. Feeling oppressed yet?
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
The Book Of James Should Not Be In the Bible
In case you were not aware of it, there are a number of writings from the time of Messiah's ministry that were not included in our Bibles today. Some of us have heard of Maccabees or perhaps the Gospel of Thomas. Some of the tales have made it to the silver screen or are hung in the better art museums around the world. I remember the story of Bel and the Dragon. A tale of one of Daniel's adventures. The distressing tale of Suzanna and the Elders is captured for us in paintings by Rembrandt, Ruben and several other artists. By 363 A.D. the twenty seven books of the New Testament were accepted, as well as the books we hold as the Old Testament. These, along with some of the Apocryphal writings, were now to be read when the Assembly of believers came together. Yet, it is a curious thing that when we arrive at today's translations we find that the books of Jacob and those of Jonas are not in the table of contents in most Bibles. Why is that so and what happened to them?
The books in question are actually there. They have been disguised so we don't even see them any more. However, if you dabble in a little Greek, they suddenly reappear. We are introduced to the authors of the books of Jacob and Jonas in the Gospel accounts. In Matthew 4:21 we are introduced to one and receive a clue for the other. In Greek the text reads, "Going on from there, He [Yeshua] saw two brothers, Yaakob Ben Zebdai and Yoannan (Yoannas in other passages). There is no "J" sound in Greek or Hebrew. The "Y" sound turn into a "J" sound around the time of the reformation. Thus we have two brothers Jaakob and Joannan or Joannas. One of Yeshua's brother's names was also Yaakob in Matthew 13:55 http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Mat&c=17&v=1&t=KJV#s=946001 He is the writer of the book that follows Hebrews. The James of Acts 15.
The truth is that in every reference in the New Testament you will find Yaakob or Jacob translated James. The same is true for John, which is always some derivation of Jonas or Jonah. The one exception is in Matthew 16:17. http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=barjona&t=KJV#s=s_primary_0_1 Simon, well actually Simeon, is BarJona or the son of Jona. As the New Testament was carefully translated by the best scholars King James could find, an interesting thing happened along the way. The Jewish names in the New Testament took on an English sound. And as King James was paying for the work it was helpful to find his name among the pages. So Jacob becomes James, Jonas and Jonah become John. We can toss in Simon for Simeon, Jude for Judah, Mary for Miriam, just to name a few. So there really is no book called James in the New Testament. That book is Jacob. We just want to honor the king, as it were, so accuracy is less important.
As we read our translations of the Scriptures it is wise to recognize that those who translate have a point of view. They have a personal bias that simply cannot be overcome. We are naive to think otherwise. So English translators purge Jewish names and others make judgement calls as to which texts are more reliable. Thus when reading the New International Version or the English Standard Version you will find Acts 8:37 missing. The translators have determined that the verse does not belong. Consider the differences between the King James and the NIV when translating Mark 7:19. KJV "Because it entereth not into his heart, but into his belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?" Now the NIV "For is doesn't go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.' (in saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean)". The NIV adds "In saying this Jesus declared". None of this is in the Greek text. It has been added by the translators because they believe all Jewish dietary laws have been done away with. But the words are not there and the addition violates the meaning of the passage as well as the cultural setting.
My point here is not to make you question your translation, but rather to encourage all of us to take a little more time in our Bible study. Read the same passage in several translations. You can do so by buying a multiple translation Bible or see how many translations you already own. You can pick up some different translations at some of the Dollar Stores or Walmart at minimal expense. Perhaps You can add a Greek/ English interlinear New Testament. Or take a minute to check out Blue Letter Bible.org. http://www.blueletterbible.org/ Just select your passage and click on the many translations to see if there are any differences. It will take a bit more time, but then trying to understand God's revelation to you seems like it should be worth it. I also suggest you pick up the Complete Jewish Bible by David Stern. It has its short comings, as it is just one man's point of view, but it will give you a little more Jewish flavor to our very Jewish Bible.
Don't sell yourself short. You can learn a lot just from investigating a variety of translations. Who knows, if you act like a Berean and really study God's Word you may just find the Book of Jacob there right after Hebrews.
The books in question are actually there. They have been disguised so we don't even see them any more. However, if you dabble in a little Greek, they suddenly reappear. We are introduced to the authors of the books of Jacob and Jonas in the Gospel accounts. In Matthew 4:21 we are introduced to one and receive a clue for the other. In Greek the text reads, "Going on from there, He [Yeshua] saw two brothers, Yaakob Ben Zebdai and Yoannan (Yoannas in other passages). There is no "J" sound in Greek or Hebrew. The "Y" sound turn into a "J" sound around the time of the reformation. Thus we have two brothers Jaakob and Joannan or Joannas. One of Yeshua's brother's names was also Yaakob in Matthew 13:55 http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Mat&c=17&v=1&t=KJV#s=946001 He is the writer of the book that follows Hebrews. The James of Acts 15.
The truth is that in every reference in the New Testament you will find Yaakob or Jacob translated James. The same is true for John, which is always some derivation of Jonas or Jonah. The one exception is in Matthew 16:17. http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=barjona&t=KJV#s=s_primary_0_1 Simon, well actually Simeon, is BarJona or the son of Jona. As the New Testament was carefully translated by the best scholars King James could find, an interesting thing happened along the way. The Jewish names in the New Testament took on an English sound. And as King James was paying for the work it was helpful to find his name among the pages. So Jacob becomes James, Jonas and Jonah become John. We can toss in Simon for Simeon, Jude for Judah, Mary for Miriam, just to name a few. So there really is no book called James in the New Testament. That book is Jacob. We just want to honor the king, as it were, so accuracy is less important.
As we read our translations of the Scriptures it is wise to recognize that those who translate have a point of view. They have a personal bias that simply cannot be overcome. We are naive to think otherwise. So English translators purge Jewish names and others make judgement calls as to which texts are more reliable. Thus when reading the New International Version or the English Standard Version you will find Acts 8:37 missing. The translators have determined that the verse does not belong. Consider the differences between the King James and the NIV when translating Mark 7:19. KJV "Because it entereth not into his heart, but into his belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?" Now the NIV "For is doesn't go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.' (in saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean)". The NIV adds "In saying this Jesus declared". None of this is in the Greek text. It has been added by the translators because they believe all Jewish dietary laws have been done away with. But the words are not there and the addition violates the meaning of the passage as well as the cultural setting.
My point here is not to make you question your translation, but rather to encourage all of us to take a little more time in our Bible study. Read the same passage in several translations. You can do so by buying a multiple translation Bible or see how many translations you already own. You can pick up some different translations at some of the Dollar Stores or Walmart at minimal expense. Perhaps You can add a Greek/ English interlinear New Testament. Or take a minute to check out Blue Letter Bible.org. http://www.blueletterbible.org/ Just select your passage and click on the many translations to see if there are any differences. It will take a bit more time, but then trying to understand God's revelation to you seems like it should be worth it. I also suggest you pick up the Complete Jewish Bible by David Stern. It has its short comings, as it is just one man's point of view, but it will give you a little more Jewish flavor to our very Jewish Bible.
Don't sell yourself short. You can learn a lot just from investigating a variety of translations. Who knows, if you act like a Berean and really study God's Word you may just find the Book of Jacob there right after Hebrews.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Free Cell Damnation
Have you ever felt condemned by Free Cell? You play a few games and slowly the game tries to take over. It won't be long before you find a game difficult to win and you finally give up and move on to another game. It all seems innocent enough until you click on the stats page and see you have won 9 out of 10 games or 90%. In most schools that is, like a B-. Even in the more generous schools where "A" goes all the way down to 90% it is an A-. The lowest "A" possible. And you will now never ever get to 100%. Win 100 more games and you are at 99%. Pretty good but not 100%. If you are like me, you will find the "undo" button. so you can get a do-over. The program on my laptop lets you undo one move at a time all the way back to the beginning to start over. And as far as I can tell you can "do-over" something like forever and the computer will never know. So you can "win" even after you know you failed. However, if you didn't know about the "undo" key and lost even one game, your stats will be forever tainted with failure. And if you are honest with yourself, the "do-overs" began with that little window telling you there are "no more legal moves" so in essence you cheated. You know. God knows.
Enter grace. Here I was told that, in spite of my life of absolute failure, God would be gracious if I asked Jesus to be my Savior. Just pray this prayer. Buuuut I already had understood what Jesus did. I had asked for forgiveness. I believed He was God's Son and that He died for me. But I didn't pray that "salvation" prayer. Had I missed the formula? Some magic word combination to remove the stain of who I had been and who, in some ways, I still was? I felt bad for stuff before I started to follow Christ; now theology helped me see just how totally awful I was. Not so helpful. Theology also told me God is love and that He loved me and wanted me to be with Him. But I was also reminded not to forget just how awful I really am. The more dark and ugly you see your life, the more God's grace is magnified. Now I am confused. Am I supposed to feel like deeply loved pond scum? Sin corrupts every cell of my being and, because of me, all of creation groans and convulses due to my disobedience. How comforting.
Now, this stuff may be true. But maybe we get things a bit distorted. God does love me, as I am a part of His created cosmos. "For God so loved the cosmos, that He gave His only Son" (John 3:16). My relationship with Him is not just this surreal love thing. God chooses to love me. It gives Him delight. My salvation brings Him pleasure. He made me for purpose on purpose. To be a part of His eternal purpose. I am made in His image because He wanted to make me. I have value before Him. His Grace cannot be magnified for it is all encompassing, pervading every breath of life. My sin, my failures need not be magnified to see His grace. God delights in me. I am His joy. As damaged as I was, and still am, God enjoys my presence. He gets pleasure from adopting me as His child. Therefore, I am a child of the light. So I find joy in walking in the light. I delight in Him and find pleasure in knowing I am His. I find true joy in obedience, for that just brings me closer to His presence. I am His.
Our drive to label and categorize everything in life will bring us to categorize our sin and failure. We can develop theological files of our darkness and depravity. We will misplace the Jack and there will be no more legal moves. Game over. In the process we may miss the reality of His pleasure in us. His delight in delivering us. His passion spent to make us His. Our sin lists can blind us to the real joy of obedience. Not to earn anything or to secure anything but to draw closer. That is what God's commandments are for. To draw us near, not to condemn us.
Do not let Free Cell damnation rule your life. Fear of the misplaced card. Lying about the "do-overs", categorizing your sin and failures in nice theological boxes. You would be better off to look to His grace, His delight in saving you, His pleasure in adopting you. His loving directions He gave to you so that you might know how to best live and know the joy of obedience. The Joy of His presence. Maybe its time to shuffle the deck of condemnation and find that God dealt us grace before we ever knew Him.
And that is how it is in real life. If you have violated any one of God's commandments anywhere at any time you can never get 100%. You always come up short. James 2:10 tells us, "For whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all". Guilty. Condemned. And hopeless to ever fix it. No matter what I do it will never be enough. Following my decision to accept the truth about God's love through His Son, Yeshua, I was given the real story of who I was, imperfect, a blemish in God's creation. I was not just depraved but totally depraved. There was no good thing in me. Romans 3:10 - 18 told me the truth of what God really thought of me. http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Rom&c=3&t=NKJV#s=1049010
My new found freedom painted a still bleak picture of my relationship with God. I will always come up short. God knew of my attempted "do overs" and they were exposed as failures. Enter grace. Here I was told that, in spite of my life of absolute failure, God would be gracious if I asked Jesus to be my Savior. Just pray this prayer. Buuuut I already had understood what Jesus did. I had asked for forgiveness. I believed He was God's Son and that He died for me. But I didn't pray that "salvation" prayer. Had I missed the formula? Some magic word combination to remove the stain of who I had been and who, in some ways, I still was? I felt bad for stuff before I started to follow Christ; now theology helped me see just how totally awful I was. Not so helpful. Theology also told me God is love and that He loved me and wanted me to be with Him. But I was also reminded not to forget just how awful I really am. The more dark and ugly you see your life, the more God's grace is magnified. Now I am confused. Am I supposed to feel like deeply loved pond scum? Sin corrupts every cell of my being and, because of me, all of creation groans and convulses due to my disobedience. How comforting.
Now, this stuff may be true. But maybe we get things a bit distorted. God does love me, as I am a part of His created cosmos. "For God so loved the cosmos, that He gave His only Son" (John 3:16). My relationship with Him is not just this surreal love thing. God chooses to love me. It gives Him delight. My salvation brings Him pleasure. He made me for purpose on purpose. To be a part of His eternal purpose. I am made in His image because He wanted to make me. I have value before Him. His Grace cannot be magnified for it is all encompassing, pervading every breath of life. My sin, my failures need not be magnified to see His grace. God delights in me. I am His joy. As damaged as I was, and still am, God enjoys my presence. He gets pleasure from adopting me as His child. Therefore, I am a child of the light. So I find joy in walking in the light. I delight in Him and find pleasure in knowing I am His. I find true joy in obedience, for that just brings me closer to His presence. I am His.
Our drive to label and categorize everything in life will bring us to categorize our sin and failure. We can develop theological files of our darkness and depravity. We will misplace the Jack and there will be no more legal moves. Game over. In the process we may miss the reality of His pleasure in us. His delight in delivering us. His passion spent to make us His. Our sin lists can blind us to the real joy of obedience. Not to earn anything or to secure anything but to draw closer. That is what God's commandments are for. To draw us near, not to condemn us.
Do not let Free Cell damnation rule your life. Fear of the misplaced card. Lying about the "do-overs", categorizing your sin and failures in nice theological boxes. You would be better off to look to His grace, His delight in saving you, His pleasure in adopting you. His loving directions He gave to you so that you might know how to best live and know the joy of obedience. The Joy of His presence. Maybe its time to shuffle the deck of condemnation and find that God dealt us grace before we ever knew Him.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Jesus, the God of Wrath and Anger
The writer to the Hebrews tells us, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31). So are you afraid? Do you tremble before the holy and just God? Just who is this God we are to fear? Let us take a look at what the Scriptures have to say.
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Cor 5:10). Revelation 6:16, "and [they] said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!". David warns, "Kiss the Son lest He be angry and you perish in the way. When His wrath is kindled but a little" (Psalm 2:12). Matthew 13:41 - 42, "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Actually, there are seven New Testament Jesus quotes about wailing and teeth gnashing. According to John 5:27, authority to execute judgement has been given to Yeshua, Jesus, because He is the Son of Man. It seems the God of wrath, anger, and Judgment is the Lord Jesus.
| Let us compare Him with the God of the Old Testament. Psalm 136:12 says we are delivered, "With a strong hand, and with an outstretch arm, For His mercy endures forever". In fact Jeremiah proclaims the Old Testament God's mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:23), great is His faithfulness. In case you missed it, Psalm 136 tells us twenty-six times that God's lovingkindness is everlasting. "God of our salvation" pops up 114 times in the Old Testament compared to 42 in the New. The God of the Old Testament shows mercy and compassion. He offers deliverance and salvation. He is a God of grace who extended that grace to Noah. He forgave David even after the sins of adultery and murder. He is slow to anger and full of compassion. We should be grateful for the tender and loving God of the Old Testament and fear the New Testament Jesus who would cast someone into outer darkness for wearing the wrong wedding cloths and might even cast out those who did great things in His name. Very scary God, this Jesus, Son of Man. |
What is my point? I get tired of the supposed contrast of the Old Testament God of wrath and judgment and the tender Jesus of the New. As Americans and those of Western/Greek thought, we divide and subdivide everything. We compartmentalize and make proclamations that fit our preconceived world view. It seems many determine that the Old Testament is barely valid and out of date. I see signs and advertisements declaring that this group gathering is a "New Testament" church. As if the Old Testament has nothing to do with faith and life today. Do they ever consider how gutted their New Testament Scriptures would be if they removed every Old Testament reference? Is it possible we really only have one revelation from God? One book that is about the One true God? You know, the One Jesus who said He was One with the Father. Pastors, teachers, theologians along with so many believers make it known that we believe that God is three in one. But the emphasis is on the "three" not the "One". Father, Son and Spirit each with His own purpose and responsibility. Check out any Bible College or seminary where you study Theology (God the Father), Christology (God the Son), and Pneumatology (God the Spirit), but not God the "One". They don't need to. After all, they have God all figured out and compartmentalized. Yet, if we are honest, the distinctions we see in Scripture are more like a chalk drawing in the rain. No clear edges and lots of blurry lines in the "one" picture. God is a God of compassion, mercy, love, deliverance and salvation. He is also the God of anger, justice, judgment, and wrath. You can find verses about all "three" involved in all aspects of these realities. Maybe you need to make your God box without all those compartments. Just One big compartment. On second thought, never mind. Even if He is only "One" He will never fit into any box you make anyway. Though, I have to admit, like most people, I occasionally try to make Him fit into my own personal "God box". How about you? | ||
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Longing for the Time I Didn't Want to Know or Join Me and Wilson on the Island
Ignorance. It is truly bliss you know. Curiosity killed the cat, or so they say. It also kills friendships and can leave you very much alone. It seems every day I am reminded or I find something new that I wish I remained ignorant of. Knowing or never questioning what is accepted is a balm to the searching heart. However, such simple life constructs leave my soul wanting more. But the more I find only drives me deeper into the island where I struggle as a cast away. I relate to Robinson Caruso and Tom Hanks except my companion is neither Friday or Wilson; it is a restless spirit and the Word of God. Marooned on Patmos, I want to flee the revelation from God rather than be swept into the heavenlies. Why must I be haunted by the "whys" that shadow my very being; aching for answers yet fearing their discovery. What was once clearly defined black and white has become blurred and indistinct like sidewalk chalk drawings after the rain.
Today is Saturday. I am to be at rest. It is God's Sabbath. After years of research and study of His Word there is no doubt that I am to be still this day. You may be free to pursue what you like, but I must either rest or be in the service of God's people. His Spirit imposes this thought upon my heart as I look to the lawn mower and sprouting weeds. "Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy", set apart, for God. You shall do no work. He says my body needs rest. One day in seven. But I do not rest easily. Ever. My hammock may rot before it ever wears out from use. God still says, "Be still, and know that I am God". The closest I come to "still" is reading or writing even as I am now. What a simple command. Just stop. Cease. Don't do anything. Yet, if perpetual motion could be put in a jar I could fill a pantry with just today alone. Sabbath is just the beginning. There are abundant other realities that used to be comfortingly benign. But now, new possible meanings chew at my spirit like insatiable termites feeding on the framework of what I used to simply accept as true.
Paul writes, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out" (Rom 11:33). I feel I am drowning in His depths and lost among His judgements. Paul tells me to "study to show myself approved unto God"; however, study just reveals how little of me there is to approve of. Evangelical Christianity tells my to jettison large portions of Holy text so I may rest in my ignorance. To question is folly. It only leads to isolation and ridicule. So much easier to go with the flow. To reject Torah. To say Moses doesn't matter. To remove the unpleasant calls to obedience. To somehow benefit from the Jewish Messiah while avoiding being "grafted in". To find a way to be one who was "far off" and now "drawn near", as Ephesians 2 says, yet without being obligated to the covenant of promise that is now to be mine. To pick and choose what part of the covenant and which promises I want to accept and which I want to take my "Gentile exemption" on. It all seems so confusing at times.
The wealth of the Word of God draws me to come and know that He is God. That He is an integrated Being portrayed as Father, Son, and Spirit. As I study, they become less distinct and more inseparable. Grace flows from the Father, judgement dispensed by the Son, while the Spirit gives life and comfort that escapes my understanding. Still I am told of the "Angry God" of the Old Covenant of Moses and the Law being replaced by the grace and peace of the New Testament Son. Obedience is now "Spirit lead" so there is no need for written instruction. All those requirements just pointed to Jesus anyway. They are just shadows to be spiritualized and placed in a box with other discarded garments called festivals and celebrations. Old cloths that have no place with my new spiritually discerned grace apparel. Thanks to the Spirit I can accept or reject any command given in Scripture. If I don't like it I can just declare it is of the old legalistic, oppressive law that I have been delivered from, by the blood of Jesus. "I can reject this commandment, the Spirit told me so." But, which spirit is directing me to forsake God's Word? I guess I could go with what seems most comfortable with life as I feel right now.......... then that restless Spirit comes knocking again saying "Be holy for I am holy". Separated from the world of easy belief and no need for discipline.
He says keep on. Be like Paul and "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:14). To accept that when Paul wrote, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim 3:16). That he really meant it. Recognizing that the only Scripture Timothy could know is the Old Testament, Genesis through Malachi. So if I want to be "fully equipped for every good work" that God might call me to do, the study must continue. The road that sometimes, perhaps often, leads away from the traditional evangelical view is one I must travel. Finding life and joy in the depths of Torah, the Writings and the Prophets. For these words give more than a foundation to the Apostolic writings of the more recent revelation found in Matthew through the Revelation of Jesus Christ. They hold life itself. The writer to the Hebrews says it is living and sharper than any two edged sword. (Yes, that would be the Old Testament as the New was not yet accepted as Scripture).
The journey is likely to be a lonely one. I would invite you to join me but it might mean leaving your comfortable evangelical tradition behind. It might cause you to rethink what you have always thought was true. I might leave you feeling like the only people who really understand are Robinson Caruso and a friend of a volleyball named Wilson. But if you want to come, there is still room on Patmos for another soul searching for God's truth and, at times, running from His revelation.
Today is Saturday. I am to be at rest. It is God's Sabbath. After years of research and study of His Word there is no doubt that I am to be still this day. You may be free to pursue what you like, but I must either rest or be in the service of God's people. His Spirit imposes this thought upon my heart as I look to the lawn mower and sprouting weeds. "Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy", set apart, for God. You shall do no work. He says my body needs rest. One day in seven. But I do not rest easily. Ever. My hammock may rot before it ever wears out from use. God still says, "Be still, and know that I am God". The closest I come to "still" is reading or writing even as I am now. What a simple command. Just stop. Cease. Don't do anything. Yet, if perpetual motion could be put in a jar I could fill a pantry with just today alone. Sabbath is just the beginning. There are abundant other realities that used to be comfortingly benign. But now, new possible meanings chew at my spirit like insatiable termites feeding on the framework of what I used to simply accept as true.
Paul writes, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out" (Rom 11:33). I feel I am drowning in His depths and lost among His judgements. Paul tells me to "study to show myself approved unto God"; however, study just reveals how little of me there is to approve of. Evangelical Christianity tells my to jettison large portions of Holy text so I may rest in my ignorance. To question is folly. It only leads to isolation and ridicule. So much easier to go with the flow. To reject Torah. To say Moses doesn't matter. To remove the unpleasant calls to obedience. To somehow benefit from the Jewish Messiah while avoiding being "grafted in". To find a way to be one who was "far off" and now "drawn near", as Ephesians 2 says, yet without being obligated to the covenant of promise that is now to be mine. To pick and choose what part of the covenant and which promises I want to accept and which I want to take my "Gentile exemption" on. It all seems so confusing at times.
The wealth of the Word of God draws me to come and know that He is God. That He is an integrated Being portrayed as Father, Son, and Spirit. As I study, they become less distinct and more inseparable. Grace flows from the Father, judgement dispensed by the Son, while the Spirit gives life and comfort that escapes my understanding. Still I am told of the "Angry God" of the Old Covenant of Moses and the Law being replaced by the grace and peace of the New Testament Son. Obedience is now "Spirit lead" so there is no need for written instruction. All those requirements just pointed to Jesus anyway. They are just shadows to be spiritualized and placed in a box with other discarded garments called festivals and celebrations. Old cloths that have no place with my new spiritually discerned grace apparel. Thanks to the Spirit I can accept or reject any command given in Scripture. If I don't like it I can just declare it is of the old legalistic, oppressive law that I have been delivered from, by the blood of Jesus. "I can reject this commandment, the Spirit told me so." But, which spirit is directing me to forsake God's Word? I guess I could go with what seems most comfortable with life as I feel right now.......... then that restless Spirit comes knocking again saying "Be holy for I am holy". Separated from the world of easy belief and no need for discipline.
He says keep on. Be like Paul and "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:14). To accept that when Paul wrote, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim 3:16). That he really meant it. Recognizing that the only Scripture Timothy could know is the Old Testament, Genesis through Malachi. So if I want to be "fully equipped for every good work" that God might call me to do, the study must continue. The road that sometimes, perhaps often, leads away from the traditional evangelical view is one I must travel. Finding life and joy in the depths of Torah, the Writings and the Prophets. For these words give more than a foundation to the Apostolic writings of the more recent revelation found in Matthew through the Revelation of Jesus Christ. They hold life itself. The writer to the Hebrews says it is living and sharper than any two edged sword. (Yes, that would be the Old Testament as the New was not yet accepted as Scripture).
The journey is likely to be a lonely one. I would invite you to join me but it might mean leaving your comfortable evangelical tradition behind. It might cause you to rethink what you have always thought was true. I might leave you feeling like the only people who really understand are Robinson Caruso and a friend of a volleyball named Wilson. But if you want to come, there is still room on Patmos for another soul searching for God's truth and, at times, running from His revelation.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Shall We Toss Out 2 Timothy 2:15 or Act Like a Monkey?
Ever see a monkey open up a banana? They, more often than not, start on the end of the finger (A bunch is a hand and a single banana is a finger in case you like trivia) that is not by the stem. They open the banana from the bottom. Their approach is not what most of us use. Try it, it is an effective way to gain access to the sweet fruit inside. It is also a conversation starter as most of those around you will think you are a bit odd. However, just because it is different does not necessarily make it better or right or wrong. It is 180 degrees out of the norm and sort of stands out if you are peeling it in the midst of a group at a hotel breakfast bar. (Recent personal experience attests to that reality when a little boy asked his mom why I was opening the banana wrong.) For the peeling of fruit this difference is not earth shaking, nor will it have ramifications on your life in general. As far as I know the Federal Government does not yet have guidelines on proper fruit peeling, though NY City may; they regulate salt, margarine, and soft drink size so banana peeling may well be on the books. But what of the Scriptures? Is it okay to view them from a different perspective?
My purpose for this blog and in my teaching is not just to spoon out information but, hopefully, to encourage people to think. My intent is not to cause trouble with your Pastor or Bible study teacher, but to cause you to consider something new and then to be like a Berean and study to see if these things are so (Acts 17:11). My concern is that we, as followers of Messiah, have thrown out 2 Timothy 2:15. Paul told Timothy that he was to "Study to show himself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, correctly discerning the word of truth." To be like the more noble Bereans and to search the Scriptures daily to see if these things are so. The word "study" is spoudazo. It carries the meanings of to make haste and to exert effort, to be diligent, to work at something recognizing it can't wait; it holds a priority and cannot be delayed. The study of Scripture takes time. It also should be a priority and it should be you who does the work. Too often our approach to Bible study is to show up on Sunday and hear a message. We just want the speaker to tell us what the Scripture means and some fluffy application to encourage us for a day or two. Some of us go beyond that to a weekly study where we read a book and fill in the blanks so we know what the author thinks the passage means. Not a bad thing, but it is not 2 Timothy 2:15.
The danger is one I see in the understanding of our nation's Constitution. It is a popular opinion that the document is a living document, meaning that the intent of the original authors has no bearing on what we want it to say now. In so doing we find the "right" to abortion but lose the "right" to own a gun or we can keep the gun but the government will just make ammunition illegal. The original framer's and founder's intention carries no weight. We should not be surprised when religious speech will be outlawed as hate speech and children removed from homes that do not support the government's agenda, obviously for the children's protection. God calls His Word "Living and active and sharper than any two edged sword" (Heb. 4:12). So if it is living it must be like the Constitution, always changing to fit our culture and society. This way God's Word can sanction gay marriage, abortion, living together outside a marriage covenant and anything else we desire to change. The intent and culture of the original writers is irrelevant. All that matters is what the Scriptures mean to me or to the author leaving the blanks to fill in on the study guide. This leaves us in a very dangerous place Biblically and culturally.
The primary excuse for disregarding the imperative command in 2 Timothy 2:15 is we do not have time. We have time for football, baseball, NASCAR, concerts and our favorite TV shows, but not half an hour to really study to show ourselves approved. I seriously doubt that God will ask you about a batting average or QB rating as we enter into glory. The question is priorities. Sometimes we are just too lazy to think when we hear the preacher on the radio or even in the pulpit on a Sunday. I remember being at a conference and being told that you could never effectively teach the Word without mastering "power point". Now power point is a helpful tool, but Peter, James, and the Apostle Paul seemed to be fairly effective without it. More disturbing was being told if I hadn't been baptized by the Holy Spirit and spoken in tongues I would never be used by God. We need to not be afraid to look on our own as to what the Word says. There are abundant tools and opportunities available to dig deeper. There are dangers, so we need to be diligent to make sure what we find agrees with the rest of Scripture. Don't let fear of the danger keep you from the Word. We are told to study.
You may find that you are a bit like that monkey who peels his fruit 180 degrees out of the norm. I was bothered by the idea of God forsaking the Son until I read the rest of Psalm 22 and discovered Yeshua's cry is more likely one of victory rather than separation. I found that the idea of Christ being our Passover Lamb has nothing to do with redemption, at least in the context of Scripture. I found Christ's offering in the cross doesn't look like a sin offering. I found the possibility of Mrs Job calling for blessing instead of a curse. I found that the Apostle Paul never persecuted Christians and that he was a Torah observant Rabbi all his life. I discovered that the New Covenant promised by Jeremiah places Torah on my heart and in my mind rather than removing Torah as a guide for my life. I see that Paul calls Torah Holy and good and that Jesus said it would remain until heaven and earth passed way. I found that things I had accepted without question or study held other possible understandings and applications. I discovered it really didn't take much effort to peel the banana backwards. All you have to do is connect the dots of Scripture. When someone tells you that Jesus is your Passover Lamb, go look at Exodus and see what that means. It means deliverance from death. There is no mention of repentance, atonement, or forgiveness, just deliverance for death. Which, by the way is a great thing. There are just layers of things we have added that are not in the Scriptures.
So, what is it going to be? Just absorb whatever teaching comes our way or actually look to see what it means in the context of God's Word. It will take time. It will take time to even think about what we hear in the context of Scripture. It will take time to read the history and writings of the Old Testament so often referenced in the New. But it is rewarding, and, by the way, it is a command not a suggestion. Don't throw out 2 Timothy 2:15. It was given to us for a reason. Who knows the search and study might be more fun than you thought. Perhaps you will run into a hmmmmmm moment. Maybe you will see God's Word with a fresh perspective and find you are peeling the banana backwards and the discovery is pretty cool.
My purpose for this blog and in my teaching is not just to spoon out information but, hopefully, to encourage people to think. My intent is not to cause trouble with your Pastor or Bible study teacher, but to cause you to consider something new and then to be like a Berean and study to see if these things are so (Acts 17:11). My concern is that we, as followers of Messiah, have thrown out 2 Timothy 2:15. Paul told Timothy that he was to "Study to show himself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, correctly discerning the word of truth." To be like the more noble Bereans and to search the Scriptures daily to see if these things are so. The word "study" is spoudazo. It carries the meanings of to make haste and to exert effort, to be diligent, to work at something recognizing it can't wait; it holds a priority and cannot be delayed. The study of Scripture takes time. It also should be a priority and it should be you who does the work. Too often our approach to Bible study is to show up on Sunday and hear a message. We just want the speaker to tell us what the Scripture means and some fluffy application to encourage us for a day or two. Some of us go beyond that to a weekly study where we read a book and fill in the blanks so we know what the author thinks the passage means. Not a bad thing, but it is not 2 Timothy 2:15.
The danger is one I see in the understanding of our nation's Constitution. It is a popular opinion that the document is a living document, meaning that the intent of the original authors has no bearing on what we want it to say now. In so doing we find the "right" to abortion but lose the "right" to own a gun or we can keep the gun but the government will just make ammunition illegal. The original framer's and founder's intention carries no weight. We should not be surprised when religious speech will be outlawed as hate speech and children removed from homes that do not support the government's agenda, obviously for the children's protection. God calls His Word "Living and active and sharper than any two edged sword" (Heb. 4:12). So if it is living it must be like the Constitution, always changing to fit our culture and society. This way God's Word can sanction gay marriage, abortion, living together outside a marriage covenant and anything else we desire to change. The intent and culture of the original writers is irrelevant. All that matters is what the Scriptures mean to me or to the author leaving the blanks to fill in on the study guide. This leaves us in a very dangerous place Biblically and culturally.
The primary excuse for disregarding the imperative command in 2 Timothy 2:15 is we do not have time. We have time for football, baseball, NASCAR, concerts and our favorite TV shows, but not half an hour to really study to show ourselves approved. I seriously doubt that God will ask you about a batting average or QB rating as we enter into glory. The question is priorities. Sometimes we are just too lazy to think when we hear the preacher on the radio or even in the pulpit on a Sunday. I remember being at a conference and being told that you could never effectively teach the Word without mastering "power point". Now power point is a helpful tool, but Peter, James, and the Apostle Paul seemed to be fairly effective without it. More disturbing was being told if I hadn't been baptized by the Holy Spirit and spoken in tongues I would never be used by God. We need to not be afraid to look on our own as to what the Word says. There are abundant tools and opportunities available to dig deeper. There are dangers, so we need to be diligent to make sure what we find agrees with the rest of Scripture. Don't let fear of the danger keep you from the Word. We are told to study.
You may find that you are a bit like that monkey who peels his fruit 180 degrees out of the norm. I was bothered by the idea of God forsaking the Son until I read the rest of Psalm 22 and discovered Yeshua's cry is more likely one of victory rather than separation. I found that the idea of Christ being our Passover Lamb has nothing to do with redemption, at least in the context of Scripture. I found Christ's offering in the cross doesn't look like a sin offering. I found the possibility of Mrs Job calling for blessing instead of a curse. I found that the Apostle Paul never persecuted Christians and that he was a Torah observant Rabbi all his life. I discovered that the New Covenant promised by Jeremiah places Torah on my heart and in my mind rather than removing Torah as a guide for my life. I see that Paul calls Torah Holy and good and that Jesus said it would remain until heaven and earth passed way. I found that things I had accepted without question or study held other possible understandings and applications. I discovered it really didn't take much effort to peel the banana backwards. All you have to do is connect the dots of Scripture. When someone tells you that Jesus is your Passover Lamb, go look at Exodus and see what that means. It means deliverance from death. There is no mention of repentance, atonement, or forgiveness, just deliverance for death. Which, by the way is a great thing. There are just layers of things we have added that are not in the Scriptures.
So, what is it going to be? Just absorb whatever teaching comes our way or actually look to see what it means in the context of God's Word. It will take time. It will take time to even think about what we hear in the context of Scripture. It will take time to read the history and writings of the Old Testament so often referenced in the New. But it is rewarding, and, by the way, it is a command not a suggestion. Don't throw out 2 Timothy 2:15. It was given to us for a reason. Who knows the search and study might be more fun than you thought. Perhaps you will run into a hmmmmmm moment. Maybe you will see God's Word with a fresh perspective and find you are peeling the banana backwards and the discovery is pretty cool.
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