Acquaintance With God

"Acquaint now thyself with Him and be at peace, and thereby good shall come unto thee"  (Job 22:21, KJV). 

The ESV says "agree with him" and the NIV says to "submit to him."  There is always difficulty in finding common ground or commonality, and agreeing on everything or every issue; we are not always on the same page or in sync--the more issues, the less likely the unity of everything. But what is vital is an understanding that you can walk hand-in-hand without necessarily seeing eye-to-eye on all the issues.  Amos 3:3 asks "how two can walk together unless they are agreed."  Even spouses don't always agree, especially after the honeymoon is over, much less two casual friends or acquaintances.  

Fellowship is when two fellows are "in the same ship" so to speak and have harmony, communication, and get along. But sometimes we go out on a limb and venture into new territory or another unfamiliar turf that is risky. If two agree on everything, one of them is not necessary and they cannot sharpen each other's wits.  "Iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend" (Proverbs 27:17, KJV).

The better acquainted we know someone and their stands, the better prospect of friendship and mutual edification and support, once we find out we need each other and have different strengths or gifts to share.  Jesus said that if we are not for Him we are against Him and He who does not gather scatters!  There does come a moment of truth and a defining moment in our lives when we find out the truth about ourselves and what kind of person we are.

There has to be friction, adversity, or trial of some kind to do this--it's no bed of roses traveling this spiritual journey and Christ didn't exempt Himself from the common sufferings of mankind, but at least He was honest enough to tell us we would have friction or bumps along the road less traveled.  We cannot say to our friends that if they don't agree with us they are our enemies like Jesus can--we are not infallible!

Sometimes arguments generate more heat than light and are not worth the adrenaline   and we need to choose our fights wisely; sometimes there is nothing to be gained but pride!  We need to leave room for a charitable relationship and matters of a questionable or doubtful answer. As Augustine said in his famous dictum: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."  

Let's remember the admonition to agree without being disagreeable, and to agree to disagree (but keep an open mind because you could be wrong). Unless you admit you could be wrong, you'll never arrive at the truth.  There is no room for neutral territory in the Christian life--we must take stands and show our Christian colors (faith is not believing in spite of the evidence, but despite the consequences).  If we refuse to listen to the evidence because we have our minds made up, we will never arrive at the truth or know Him who is the Truth with a capital T.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Flaunting Your Religion

We are not to wear our religion on our sleeves, as an advertisement so to speak, hoping to arouse witness or opportunity to share our testimony; however, God is the only one to open doors and when He does, no one can close it.  Don't force the door open; He opens the door no one can close, too (cf. Isa. 22:22).   It is not a good idea to see oneself as the representative of Christendom, self-appointed, so-to-speak, and forcing your opinions on others unwilling to hear them.  Daniel neither flaunted his religion--it was no secret either--neither did he privatize it to the point that he was ashamed, but was always ready to be a witness when God makes all things beautiful in His time.

Paul felt three things:  He was indebted to preach; he was eager to preach; and he was unashamed to preach (cf. Romans 1:14-16).  Why? Because he realized the power of the gospel message and that if you can get your message around to that subject and make a beeline for the gospel itself (how God solved the sin problem through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ), then the Holy Spirit can convict (cf. John 16:8-11) a person of their sins and of the truth of the Word and testimony of Christ--this is where the power is!

We are not to parade our spirituality as the Pharisees did, who loved to stand in the streets and have their long prayers heard and wear clothes that looked "spiritual."  Our religiosity should be a private manner and when we pray it should be in our prayer closet.  However, Jesus said to let your good works be seen by men, that they may glorify your Father in heaven. Jesus said (Matt. 6:1) not to practice our righteousness before men, to be seen by men (then we've had our reward).

Personally, I have discovered that, once unbelievers find out you are a Christian, they dog your every step, hold you up to intense scrutiny, judge you, gossip about you, and you are always living in a glass house, as it were, exposed and under their radar.  Be ready to follow Jesus and bear your cross once your testimony is known--you don't know where it'll lead, even having dire results (faith is not despite the evidence, but ins spite of the consequences).  

We must all be willing to confess Jesus before men (cf. Matt. 10:32) and make our faith known publicly--there is no secret service in the Christianity, nor spiritual lone rangers who have no ties to the body--we must be willing to show our Christian colors and prove ourselves worthy to suffer for His sake, and this means taking stands and even risking a political stance and standing up for Jesus, not standing on the sidelines, losing by default or neglect--conceding everything away on the open marketplace of ideas!

The Bible exhorts us to "Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Pet. 3:15, KJV).  Depend on the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to do it's convicting (cf. John 16:8ff)--we cannot do this, but only God can.  If we can't defend our faith we merely confirm unbelievers in their unbelief and miss an opportunity, of which we will give account for.   Jude 3 exhorts all believers to "earnestly contend for the faith," and this implies studying "to present oneself approved unto God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed... (cf. 2 Tim. 2:15, NASB)."

Sometimes a celebrity or public personage announces that he or she is a Christian and even that they are proud of it.  Jesus may get a bad rap if the person seems hypocritical and doesn't live up to his talk and there is no discrepancy.  He simply hasn't yet earned the right to speak up and should not make himself the spotlight or an issue.  One dubious politico recently said, "I'm proud to be a Christian" in the press; this came as a shock to many evangelical, conservative, and fundamental believers.  Too premature of a witness may jeopardize a testimony when one's character belies or contradicts what one says.  

No one deserves to be the incarnation of Christendom and the universal witness for Him as the representative of Christ on earth, or Head of the Church; we are mere ambassadors of Christ!    Finally, a word to the wise should be sufficient with this caveat:  We will be judged by our witness--the faith you have is the faith you show!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Prerequisite For Learning

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7, ESV).
"To begin learning you must admit your ignorance."  --Socrates

"Uncertainty is the prerequisite for learning and often its result."  (Author Unknown). 

We pray to God to open the eyes of our heart and enlighten us, as the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit to believers only.  Jesus praised the Father that these things were hidden from the "wise and understanding and revealed them to children" (cf. Matt. 11:25, ESV).

Augustine of Hippo said that we believe in order to understand and all knowledge begins in faith:  We must start somewhere with some proposition that we cannot prove--it is not a matter of faith vs. reason or facts vs. theory, but which set of presuppositions you are willing to accept and/or whose authority you accept. Most of what we have learned has been by accepting the authority of the mentor or teacher.

It has been said that education is going from an unconscious to a conscious awareness of your ignorance.  Plato wrote that Socrates said that to begin learning you must admit your ignorance. To learn you must be teachable:  Having a receptive attitude, a willing spirit, an open mind, an obedient and needy heart, and readiness to apply what you learn in expectation of learning in humility of mind and a spirit reverent of the Word.  

We can learn from anyone, not just professors--God can speak to you through any member of the body of Christ, even a child as Augustine professed. We are exhorted to edify one another in Christ. We don't have to agree on everything either to be used by God in the edification of each other--God will ultimately lead us in the right direction if we trust Him.  The question is: Are you listening because God is teaching? The requisite for learning is not having a high IQ, being worldly-wise or savvy, sophisticated, or scholarly, but having the right mindset or frame of mind. Spiritual truth can only be learned in spiritual manners.

We will never arrive at the truth if we think we've already arrived!  We must be willing to admit that even we could be wrong!  It is not enjoyable to be wrong, but everyone needs to stand corrected at some time.  No one has a monopoly on knowledge or knows all the truth, and no one can speak ex-cathedra or pontificate for the body at large.  We don't have popes who are the vicar of Christ on earth!

The eye cannot say to the ear that he has no need of him because all members must coordinate their efforts together and work in harmony and unison (stressing unity, not uniformity).  If someone refused to admit that he could be in error or misinformed, that person thinks he knows it all, and no one likes a know-it-all!  Knowledge tends to puff up according to 1 Cor. 8:1 and we must learn to apply what we know or it is merely theory and truth gone to seed.  We don't seek knowledge for its own sake or as an end in itself, but as a means to an end.

Knowledge can be dangerous!  You can know just enough to misuse it and misapply it. Many students of the Word know enough to be dangerous:  They haven't learned they shouldn't be quarrelsome, divisive, argumentative, contentious, or judgmental when people disagree.  We must learn to agree to disagree without being disagreeable and find common ground to keep in fellowship. 

Some people are only half-educated and think they know all the answers.  The more educated you get, the more you realize the need to be educated and you realize that God puts no premium on ignorance (which is not a virtue). Contrary to popular opinion, ignorance is not bliss!  We will be judged for willful ignorance or knowledge that we had the opportunity to know and refused (missed opportunities, etc.).   Soli Deo Gloria!

What Seems Like Bigotry

"The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10, NASB). [Jesus came for the riffraff, the scum, the outcast, the ragamuffin, and even the flagrant public sinners!]
"This man receives sinners, and eats with them" (Luke 15:2, NASB).

Some Christians give Christ a bad rap by their homophobia and hatred of the LGBT community. They believe these people are "perverts" and their sins should be outlawed.  I do not believe in legislating morality or criminalizing people with "sin laws."  Laws are only what the general public believes is wrong and we must not forget that legality is not morality.  The big issue confronting the public today is of transgender people using the restroom of their inclination, whether it is the same as their birth sex or not.  Imposing Christian "Shari'ah law" on the unbeliever is a violation of rights as equal citizens.  This is not a "Christian" nation (it is secular) and we cannot usher in the millennium by legislation, executive order, or court order--Jesus will when He comes in glory.  We live in a multicultural nation with many religions that all have equal protection under the law to worship according to their own conscience as long as it doesn't break established law.  It is true that many of our forefathers were Christian, but the "times, they are a-changin'," according to Bob Dylan.

This type of bias affects other areas of our culture as well:  Some people refuse to accept mentally ill, handicapped, or disabled individuals.  It seems like they believe it will rub off on them, like the Pharisees wondering why Jesus ate with publicans and sinners and touched the unclean lepers. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was only allowed to minister to the "untouchables" of the Indian caste system.  We are called to reach out to people and build bridges, not tear them down.  It doesn't mean you share in their sin because you associate with them (guilt by association).

The problem with some Christians is that they are legalists:  They see sins, and not sin!  The problem is not that people drink, lie, steal, cheat, fornicate, or gamble, but that they have a sin nature that Christ can deliver them from.  We all must repent of our sins and be restored to a relationship with God so we can overcome our sins.  We all have a dark side that is exposed to no one like the moon and all our righteousness is as filthy rags (cf. Isa. 64:6).   We are in no position to judge because we all have "feet of clay" and must say:  "There but for the grace of God, go I," as George Whitefield said when he saw a man go to the gallows.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Each Man For Himself

This is the survival tactic from the survival instinct of primitive man (really from the caveman era) before man was settled in a social setting and became a social being (marriage and family were the first institutions). The phrase sounds like what is shouted as the crew announces to abandon ship and the women and children have been evacuated, and now it's survival of the fittest. Look out for the old philosophy of "Look out for Number One!" 

Today hermits are rare and it would take considerable survival skill to remain one in today's modern high-tech society.  We are all interconnected and need each other--it really does take a village to raise a child in that a family cannot do it alone (Plato actually said that the state is better equipped to raise good citizens than the parents, but we believe in the sanctity of the family as having authority over the state). If you've ever seen the "preppers" on TV, you know what fending for oneself means, they must be trained and have reserves to withstand any type of disaster.  Some of these types become highly fanatical and their primary drive in life is preparing for disaster as more than a hobbyhorse--it's an obsession to them showing lack of faith in God disguised as a veneer of human wisdom. 

Is this type of philosophy biblical? The Word tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves and that means feeding him when he is hungry and sheltering him in our home if we can. This hardly describes a doctrine of taking care of yourself first and let the chips fall where they may. When the chips are down we must keep the faith in God that He will come through and keep on supplying our needs as He promised come what may!   We have a higher calling and are held to a higher standard than the world.  As Jesus said, "I was hungry and you gave me food...." Always remember, God is our Provider and He will see to it our legitimate needs are met.  

We are responsible to take care of ourselves, but not at the expense of being exclusive and refusing to share God's blessings with others. God blesses us and saves us so that we can be a blessing (cf. Zech. 8:13).  In summation:  We are not for ourselves but for Christ; we let God be for us and we are about the Lord's business, not ours, each looking out for the interests of one another; what kind of ethics this demonstrates to others is the old "Iron Rule" of paganism whereby might made right. 

Caveat:  We are not to be so concerned about our own welfare that we have little concern for others--this is self-preservation (a natural instinct) run amuck.     Soli Deo Gloria!

The Trinity In Symbiosis

Is there something in the deal for me? Remember, it's not all about you!  Is it a win-win situation, as it were?  These are normal questions. Symbiosis is defined as a cooperative venture in which all involved parties benefit from each other in a give and take relationship.  There are several examples of symbiotic relationships in Scripture, including the husband-wife, the parent-child, and the employer-employee relationships. There are even examples in nature such as zebras and ostriches herding together because of the senses of smell and hearing of the zebra and the good eyesight of the ostrich, that they become mutually beneficial and complement each other. The phrase "You rub my back, I'll rub yours" takes on a whole new slant. Each party participates only because he gets something out of the deal--sort of like making a profit as a motive--they are all in sync, in cahoots, and on the same page!

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all"  (2 Cor. 13:14, ESV).  This verse shows the cooperating work of the Trinity.  There is subordination in the Trinity, but subordination does not denote, nor connote inferiority, but orderliness and respect for authority as voluntarily given.  Christ voluntarily became subordinate for us (the doctrine of the kenosis, whereby He voluntarily submitted and emptied Himself of any independent use of His divinity), because we were insubordinate to Him!

God is a unity and exists in a tri-personality (three persons, personas, or self-distinctions), but is only one in essence or being--all members are equally God and have the same divine attributes, known as the tri-unity of God.  God is thrice holy:  "Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD God Almighty, " it says in Isaiah 6.  Even though the God the Father is called that and the Son proceeds from the Father in submission, doesn't define Him as domineering or of lording it over the Son, who voluntarily submits (submission does not mean inferiority).

Now The Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son and has another role.  The fact that at creation God said, "Let us make man in our image" shows that God is a plurality (Deut. 6:4 says that the Lord is one as in echad) [Hebrew for unity, like in a cluster of grapes].  They act together and there is never any conflict of interest or selfishness at stake--it is like the Three Musketeers, who sang, "All for one, and one for all."  It's a win-win-win proposition!  We can no more explain the Godhead or Deity than why three lights on the ceiling all make one light in the room or why matter usually exists in three states (gas, liquid, and solid--each equally the same substance).

The whole issue is how does God have a symbiotic relationship?  All members must be benefiting and working together for each other in love and not thinking of them self first.  They all have different roles to fulfill and work in harmony to complete the unified will of God in them. For example:  In salvation, the Father planned, initiated, originated, or purposed it; the Son revealed it, and the Holy Spirit applied and executed it.  God the Father is the author of our salvation, God the Son is the agent who actually redeems and accomplishes it; and God the Holy Spirit is the power behind the work itself who sanctifies and regenerates.  They all need each other and you cannot say one part of the effort is more important because they are all necessary for salvation to be complete. All members submit to each other within the confines of their "job description," if you will.  They all know their roles to fulfill and do not interfere with each other's work--there is no conflict of interest and it is a win-win-win victory!

Truly it was revolutionary for the God the Son to incarnate and submit to the Father in completing His will--He had to relinquish in the Garden of Gethsemane and say "Thy will be done" to the Father. Jesus only said what the Father told Him to say and did what He saw the Father doing.  Jesus so humbled Himself that He is exalted above all and all authority has been given to Him.  Jesus also said, "I and the Father are one" (cf. John 10:30).  All that we can know of God and see of Him is in Jesus, His personification.  To say that God is three and He is one may sound like a violation of the law of noncontradiction; however, He is three in another sense that He is one and this is no contradiction. We do not say that God has three roles (like a man being a father, husband, and brother), and manifests Himself threefold, but that He is one in essence or being, but three in personhood--a three-in-oneness.  Soli Deo Gloria!

That Sounds So Spiritual!

Judas' faith was a sham and a travesty, a truly pseudo-faith that even fooled his comrades and peers. Things, he said, like donating money to charity, sounded so spiritual that it impressed the other disciples, but not Jesus, who always sees through the veneer.  We all have feet of clay or a vulnerability that Satan can attack as our weak point and sin that easily besets us; we even have a dark side that no one sees, like being a Dr. Jekll and Mr. Hyde.  Mark Twain said, "We all have a dark side that no one sees" just like the moon.

There are no magical formulas or shortcuts to spirituality--one must often be experienced from the school of hard knocks.  There are pitfalls along the way, of course, and we grow by adversity, discipline, suffering, and trials; but Christ was honest enough to warn of them and didn't even exclude Himself from them.  Two of the greatest hindrances to growth is indifference and apathy to doctrine--people don't think it's all that important what they believe, which is a sort of unbelief and not knowing what one believes.   All believers should "love the truth" according to 2 Thess. 2:10.  It is the truth that sanctifies us:  "Sanctify them by thy Word, thy Word is truth"  (John 17:17, KJV).

It is so easy to have spiritual pride and get on spiritual highs where Satan can attack us (known as the Anfectung, attack in German, by Martin Luther).  We are most vulnerable after victory because our pride is boosted. Elijah experienced such depression after his victory on Mount Carmel.  That is why it is so important and vital that we know ourselves and be an active part of Christ's body; we are not spiritual Lone Rangers but need each other!  The epitome of pride is when we start thinking we are "holier than thou" like Isaiah reprimands in Isa. 65:5.

True spirituality in this day of grace that will end in the day of the Lord is manifested only in obedience--not visions, dreams, voices, or any experiences.  To know and love the Lord is to obey Him as Jesus said in John 14:14-15, 21.  A. W. Tozer says (cf. Heb. 3:18-19, Matt. 28:20), "The Lord will not save those whom He cannot command.  He will not divide His offices ...."  There is no spiritual badge that we wear that proclaims our level of spirituality--there is neither a spiritual elite or honor society to belong to.  Obedience is mandatory, not optional--the Ten Commandments are not the Ten Suggestions!

There must be a moment of relinquishment to begin the walk with Christ or a willingness to do His will.  We must surrender per Romans 12:1 and 1 Cor. 6:19-20 and give God the ownership of our lives.  It's like starting a new life in Christ and putting Jesus in charge.  God will reward us for what we accomplished through Him in Him.  Who's the boss?  Jesus has been given all authority! The motto of Jesus' life was, "Thy will be done."  He didn't live to please Himself, but to please the Father.   We are responsible to God to obey because we are moral creatures who owe this to God and children of God who desire God's will.  "His commands are not burdensome" and His "yoke is easy" according to 1 John 5:3 and Matt. 11:30.  Remember:  "To hearken is better than sacrifice, and to obey than the fat of rams'  (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22).

It is a known fact that Christians can backslide from the faith, but they cannot fall utterly into apostasy but are kept by Jesus Christ and the Father.  This is resultant from disobedience which starts with rejecting authority and subsequent rebellion (sin is ultimately disobedience and proves slavery, and doesn't demonstrate freedom).  We don't turn our backs on Christ suddenly, because it takes time to drift away, sin after sin not confessed.  Christians should be warned of becoming lax in the faith and "doing the Lord's work with slackness" as Jer. 48:10 (ESV) says.  We are to "feed on His faithfulness" per Psalm 89:8 constantly and grow in grace and in our knowledge of Him (cf. 2 Pet. 3:18).  We can falter or fall into sin for a period but are securely in the Father's hands (cf. John 10:29).

We must become obedient to the faith as they did in Acts 6:7 and know that lordship denotes obedience and lordship salvation is the only biblical model, not easy-believism.  Our obedience and behavior depends upon our knowledge and knowing what we believe--belief affects action!  It is important that we become men or women after God's own heart and not display false or pseudo-piety that only memorizes the Dance of the Pious and goes through the motions, treating the faith as the Pharisees did (e.g., externalism, lip service, and ritual) without it affects the condition of the inner man. "Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart," according to Proverbs 21:2.  We must be changed from the inside out (true repentance).  Dietrich Bonhoeffer's dictum that  "only he who is obedient believes; only he who believes is obedient" sums it up.  It all starts with a moment of relinquishment that is renewed day by day--no one-time decision will create spirituality.

What is the summation of Christian ethics or orthopraxy (right behavior)?  It is to heed the command:  "Follow Me." Orthopraxy is the flip side of orthodoxy or right belief. The spiritual believer has freedom in Christ and is to be judged by no man ("The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one, " says 1 Cor. 2:15, ESV).   "... [H]e who hears My word and receives Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but has passed from death unto life" (John 5:24, ESV).   Paul says in Romans 8:1 that "there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ."

Volumes have been written on this:  the most famous being L. S. Chafer's, founder of Dallas Seminary (the largest Protestant seminary in the world), He That Is Spiritual.  The term "spiritual Christian" doesn't mean that they are a category, like Chafer thought, in that we have a class of carnal believers, too.  Chafer made a false dichotomy from his misinterpretation of dispensationalism--he got carried away with his application.  It is only definitive in the sense that every Christian is in the Spirit though he may have periods of carnality or of being in the flesh, obeying the old man or sin nature.   

The spiritual believer hears God's voice through conscience, circumstance, nature, dreams, visions, preaching, prophesying, or the Bible itself, which is the main methodology.  Yes, God hasn't retired dreams and visions, and just because He speaks through the Word plainly if we are prepared spiritually, He has not precluded an audible voice from above--though this is not the usual or conventional way.  C. S. Lewis wisely puts it this way:  "He whispers in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, and shouts in our pains."  Being obedient he walks with God in daily fellowship and communion because he does His will, even performing the good deeds preordained for him to do to God's glory being manifest through him.  It boils down to having a relationship with God, not just a philosophy about God--he knows God!  Pseudo-piety, like saying, "I don't read books about the Bible, I just read the Bible itself" are not scriptural, as Paul wanted his parchments and books from Timothy. We need to learn to profit from what God has revealed to other students of the Word as our heritage.

Prayer is one acid test of knowing God (some have indeed been anointed for this, and some others don't even know how to put their petitions into words). God hears us and doesn't turn a deaf ear.  The problem is that some people are spiritually hard of hearing!  God will hear us on conditions:  We must hear Him.  Before Samuel spoke to God, God spoke to Samuel, "Speak, for thy servant hears!"  Job 33:14-15, 16a, ESV:  "For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it.  In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men ..."  The cliche that Christianity is a relationship, not a religion still is valid, because all religion does show man's achievement and not God's accomplishment.  Samuel later said to Saul:  "To hearken is better than sacrifice [outward show of religion]" (cf. 1 Samuel 15:22).  Francis Schaefer wrote, "He Is There and He Is Not Silent."  The Shema Hebrew for "to hear"), or credo of the Hebrew liturgy, (Deut, 6:4-9, 11:13-21; and Numbers 15: 32-41) stresses this point.  God wants us to listen up and pay attention when He speaks!  "Today, if you hear His voice ..." (Cf. Heb. 3:7; Ps. 95:7-8).

We must not only obey but do it wholeheartedly and not half-heartedly as Saul did.  Joshua followed the Lord with his whole heart and David desired to do God's will (cf. Ps. 40:8).  Joshua 22:5 (ESV) says:  "Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul." Again in 2 Chronicles 31:21 (ESV) it is written:  "And every work he undertook ... seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered."  Again it is written in 2 Chr. 16:9 that "the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him...."  Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and scribes:  "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me;  in vain do they worship me..." (Matt. 15:8-9, ESV).

To conclude, just because we are spiritual doesn't necessitate everything becoming spiritual.  We don't "spiritualize" everything and relegate mundane activities to the "unspiritual" while we do the Lord's work.  Today we have celebrity Christian artists who seem so "spiritual" but every believer is so "spiritual" when they are doing God's will and with their gift--that's what they do, so don't compare yourselves.   Martin Luther made it clear that our whole lives are offerings to God and Brother Lawrence wrote The Practice of the Presence of God to show a living and vital relationship with God, even while washing dishes.  We cannot expect to walk on cloud nine all our lives even if we've had mountain-top experiences and get into a spiritual high.  Paul sums it up thus:  "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things"  (Philippians 4:8, ESV).  God doesn't want us to depend on feelings but to grow in our faith, which is what pleases Him (cf. Heb. 11:6).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Jesus' Impression On Men

"The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ"  (John 1:17, NIV).
Jesus said, "He who is of the truth hears My voice."

No matter who Jesus talked to He left a deep impression as the personification and embodiment of truth, enlightening everyone along His path.  Pilate asked the question, "What is truth?" (John 18:38). He was a little ahead of his time, as people in this postmodern era echo similar queries. They teach us today that you can know nothing for certain, and they are certain of that one truth!  Just saying, "Truth is relative" has little truth-value, since it is also relative, that's a truth claim.  If some posit that something is only relative, just inquire of them, "Relative to what, to you?" or "Is that statement relative?"   In antiquity, there was no worldwide or international truth that was accepted because each nation or peoples seemed to have their own gods and their own turfs where they reigned.  Romans let the locals have their own gods, especially the Jews, to whom they acted in deference to their laws and traditions, such as no images on coins.

"If there is no God, all things [including truth itself,] are up for grabs," and truth is a meaningless concept indeed (as Dostoyevsky said).  Actually, truth is what God decrees and agrees with Him. Francis Schaeffer called God's Word "true truth."  God cannot lie and is called the God of truth, while Jesus claimed to be "The Way, the Truth, and the Life." In antiquarian times might was considered right and they had not conceived of monotheism, except in the Jewish world, even though there had been a diaspora or dispersion of Jews being scattered around the known world.

One cannot arrive at the truth unless one admits his ignorance and that he could be wrong. Many searchers for truth never find it because they've got their minds made up and don't want to be confused with the facts.  The truth of the Bible is not something we would've imagined or thought up on our own, but it is revealed truth--we postulate that the veracity of the Bible is at stake in our dependence on supernaturally revealed and inspired truth.

Pilate didn't perceive Jesus as any threat to Caesar until the weak-willed, wishy-washy procurator was blackmailed into crucifying the Lord of glory.   It was obvious to him that the Pharisees were jealous of His popularity and were trying to keep job security and protect their turf.  Even Herod saw Jesus as nothing more than a dreamer, bumpkin, or magician that was no threat.  Herod and Pilate became friends that day on their mutual convictions.

No one is the same after an encounter with Jesus, he is transformed or hardened, there is no neutral territory or reaction.  When Jesus wanted to make a pronouncement, He said, "Amen, amen!" which means "Verily, verily, I say unto you."  It introduces a vital truth not to be ignored.  Jesus would say, "You have heard it said, but I say unto you" to shock them out of their comfort zones and as a spiritual wake-up call reminding them of His identity and credentials that matched.   Jesus didn't bother to footnote His sermons by quoting the rabbis as the Pharisees had done (i.e., the "Rabbi So-and-So says this" formula!"). He never "prefaced" his decrees as the prophets did ("Thus saith the LORD, etc. which is not self-attesting) and is not known to have quoted anyone.  It was known that Jesus spoke as one who had authority no by authority (cf. Matt. 7:29).

Jesus is the highest authority and to rely on someone to prove someone compromises this trait.  Jesus spoke of His own authority and like no other man before Him.  They were also unable to withstand His wisdom and He was so able to answer all their questions, that they dared no ask anymore.  If Jesus had quoted people, He would not have been coming in His own authority, speaking on the Father's behalf, but would have been a scholar offering opinions.  Jesus only said what the Father told Him to say.

Absolute Truth with a capital T does indeed exist and we can encounter it and have a relationship with it by knowing Christ as our Lord and Savior.   Statements can be true, and logical conclusions can be valid, but only God's Word can be called truth.  Jesus told Pilate that he who is of the truth hears Him.  Things that are wrong in the Bible are still wrong and haven't evolved with the times to be right in today's modern age.  If something is wrong, it is always and everywhere wrong. Something is objectively true whether one believes it or not and believing something doesn't make it true, nor denying it makes it false!  Man cannot achieve total objectivity apart from revelation from God.

Jesus is the source of all wisdom and knowledge and Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge."   It is not a matter of some people having faith and others having facts. It's not faith vs. reason, but faith vs. faith (faith in science is still faith).   All knowledge begins in faith and assuming something you can't prove--you just decide which set of propositions you are willing to accept as a foundation to your thinking and mental outlook or belief system. Augustine of Hippo said that all knowledge begins in faith and "I believe in order to understand."  He also said that all truth is God's truth, and Thomas Aquinas added that all truth meets at the top.

It has been wisely said that nature forms, sin deforms, education informs, prison reforms, but Christ transforms.   Jesus said that we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free and He is not talking about knowledge of facts or education, but of knowing the truth in Him and being set free by it--only Jesus can set a soul free from its bondage to sin.  Jesus is still in the business of changing lives and God is still in the resurrection business, and the Bible is not for increasing our knowledge but transforming our lives as the living Word of God.  However, "to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge" is the key to victory and assurance (cf. Eph. 3:19).  Soli Deo Gloria!

A Dangerous Knowledge

You've probably heard it wisely said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.  Some people also know enough to be dangerous, especially knowledge of the Bible.  No one has a monopoly on the truth and can speak for the Church ex-cathedra all by himself, of his own authority--the Bible is the sole authority and arbiter of truth.  We must be careful not to acquire an exclusive mindset and think we have arrived at the truth that no one else knows--that they need to be clued in or privy to it. The Gnostics were one of the original cults who thought along these lines.  The Bible doesn't beat around the bush as to the way of salvation and requires no secrets.  No one has cornered the market on truth and can say that they are right and everyone else is wrong if they don't join their church or sect.  We still see some churches with this Bible-club mentality today as they cling to one translation and call themselves "King James-only" readers.

We've got to be careful not to think that because we are better informed that we are a cut above other Christians.  Ignorance isn't bliss (Proverbs 24:5 says that "a man of knowledge enhances his might" (ESV) and Sir Francis Bacon also said, "Knowledge is power."), but knowledge can puff up according to 1 Cor. 8:1.  No church has exclusive rights to your mind and you don't stop questioning authority or give up thinking when you join a church but are advised to be as noble as the Bereans of Acts 17:11 who searched the Scriptures to see if the things were so that Paul preached.

Knowledge should not be an end in itself but have purpose and application, or it leads to arrogance, and, worse yet, intolerance of those with other views.  Remember the dictum of Augustine:  "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."  We are never to judge our brother solely because we disagree with him on a questionable or disputable doctrine--agree to disagree and disagree without being disagreeable.  We need biblical savvy, however, to confront error and heresy in the church (and this polemic fight is not popular in today's church). In the last days, many will bail out theologically according to 1 Tim. 4:1.  The best line of defense against being led astray is to have a sound foundation in doctrine and not to drink of only one fountain or preacher, so to speak--get other opinions and views and don't bail out theologically, but learn to "contend for the faith" (cf. Jude 3, ESV).

Hosea said, "My people perish for lack of knowledge" (cf. Hos. 4:6).  In v. 14 he says, "[A]nd a people without understanding shall come to ruin" (ESV).  Also:  "Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge" (Isa. 5:13, ESV).  God puts no premium on ignorance and "fools despise wisdom and instruction" (cf. Prov. 1:7, ESV).  Doctrine is not mumbo-jumbo gobbledygook but all Scripture is profitable for it; another name for it is teaching or what the Bible teaches about a subject. I'm hoping to whet your appetite so that you will realize that doctrine gives a point of view or a frame of reference to interpret things.  We must know the scoop, the lowdown, or the skinny, as it were, and be in the know, theologically, to be protected from the onslaught of the doctrines of demons--going on to maturity and leaving the elementary doctrines of faith and repentance per Heb. 6:1.

In summation, beware the brother who is overconfident in his superficial knowledge of the Bible and becomes contentious, judgmental, argumentative, or divisive.  Education is really going from an unconscious to a conscious awareness of our ignorance, and the more we learn the more humble we ought to be.   

We all need to know the scoop, the lowdown, or the skinny in the world of theology to navigate faithfully through the Word, i.e., to know our way around the block in the Word with correct interpretation and application. In the last days, according to 2 Tim. 4:3, many will bail out theologically, and 1 Tim. 4:1 says even believers will give heed to seducing spirits, or doctrines of demons.

Today's Eastern philosophy predominates with the New Age (the Age of Aquarius) and its many Buddhist and Hindu applications are stealing people away from the truth of Scripture by an experience with the occult or Eastern religion. We need to be informed of a balance of doctrine and know what we believe (the problem with today's youth is that they largely don't know what or why they believe). A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing and when we think we've cornered the market or have an exclusive mindset (no one has a monopoly or has all the truth!) or if we seek knowledge for its own sake, we've misused it. Knowledge must not remain theoretical but must have an application and become real to the person's experience.

Not many are mighty in the Scriptures, but we all need to train to show ourselves approved unto God (cf. 1 Pet. 3:15). The Bible warns that "knowledge puffs up!" (Cf. 1 Cor. 8:1). One of God's peeves is that man perishes through lack of knowledge or ignorance (cf. Hos. 4:6). Ignorance is not bliss, but it binds you and opens you up to being led astray. Don't you sometimes just thirst for the unadulterated truth of God: sometimes there's no knowledge of God in the land as Hos 4:1 says.

The biggest error Christians have in acquiring knowledge is to be over-influenced by one teacher and drink of only one fountain, as it were--this is a good way to lose perspective and to be led into error. Indeed, there are Christians who are like bulls in china shops, or more accurately, like Dennis the Menace! Their middle name is trouble and their head knowledge is way above their application of it.

How Big is Your God?

A recent book by J.B. Phillips, Your God Is Too Small, was popular in Christian circles a while back and it was concerned with the fact of confining or defining God and putting Him into a box or limit as if we can analyze Him to spec.  God is without definition or limit and is infinite as the Greeks said, "The finite cannot grasp the infinite."  This is called the profundity or incomprehensibility of God and we will never fully know Him throughout all eternity simply because we are finite creatures.  There is always more than we can apprehend.  What can be known, however, is given us in the person of Christ.  Christianity is a revealed religion, not speculation or imagination, myth or fable, but history and revelation in the incarnation of God Himself.  All that we know about God is in the Scriptures, not in our own fabrications or subjectivism.

C. H. Spurgeon said, "The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father." We cannot plumb the depths of God.  He goes on:  "Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great subject of the Deity." He says nothing so humbles the mind!  If we have a high opinion of ourselves, then our idea of God must consequently be small.

In The Knowledge of the Holy, by A. W. Tozer, he entertains the idea that an "inadequate view of God is actually idolatry."  We gravitate toward our image of God and our worship is no deeper than our understanding and concept of Him.  C. H. Spurgeon said that nothing so humbles the mind of man than thoughts of God--it boggles the mind and is a mental gymnastic workout that blows your self-perceived concepts away. The query is not what can we imagine of God to be, but what He has revealed of Himself.  Thales, the first of the Greek philosophers, was asked to describe God, and he couldn't!  Eventually, Greeks said He had to be immutable, immaterial, and eternal or undefined by time.

There is only one necessary being in the cosmos, and that is God; we are not necessary for the existence of the cosmos, because we don't sustain it and didn't create it.  The Greek philosophers also described Him as the first cause, or the unmoved mover, because something or someone had to be behind it all and get the ball rolling.  Nothing happens by itself or can be its own cause, according to the fundamental law of causality, or cause and effect.  God is not an effect and needs no cause and that is why He is eternal. However, we cannot know what God is like personally unless He chooses to show Himself in person and reveal His propositional truth.

It is important to have a big God because we have big problems and we must have the faith that our God can meet them all.  No situation is too big a problem for God!  Everything is small to Him and nothing is too trivial either because of that fact.  It takes great faith in a great God to meet these desperate times, but it isn't so vital how big your faith is, but in whom it is--the object of the faith.  It is better to have small faith in the right God who is great, than a big faith in a false God.  The bigger our faith the more we can accomplish with God as our partner, because Christ said, "... 'According to your faith be it done unto you'" (Matt. 9:29, ESV).

It is important to note that we are not judged by our faith, which is a gift of God (cf. Rom. 12:3) and we are stewards of this faith to produce fruit, or it is a dead faith.  Men of old were approved by their faith (in what they did with it), as we see throughout Hebrews 11.  We are judged according to our deeds done in the body as to whether they deserve a reward (our sins have been dealt with on the cross and are paid for in full).   "He will render to each according to his works"  (Rom. 2:6, ESV).  The hall of faith in Hebrews 11 mentions that these saints were commended for their faith, but note that it was faith in action that mattered;  "By faith Abraham obeyed ...."   Anyone can say they have faith, but the faith you have is the faith you show!  Jesus rebuked the disciples for their small faith, but at least that is better than no faith.  He also said it only takes faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains.  To move a mountain, so to speak, we need a big God who has power over everything, or who is almighty.  God is plenipotent or omnipotent, as theologians say.  Nothing is a problem, hassle, or a big deal to God, you might say.

Thoughts of God are meant to humble the mind because we will never grasp Him fully.  When we say things like, "I like to think of God as a kind, old, sentimental grandfather who dotes on his grandchildren, even spoiling them," I am putting God in some prefabricated box and making Him out as one-dimensional.  While we live in four dimensions of the space-time continuum, God may live in many more than that.  We can also do this by believing He is primarily a cosmic killjoy, kind Father Time, a mean judge, the man upstairs, the Great Spirit in the sky, cosmic energy or force, or even a genie who gives us our wishes in prayer.  We must not limit God in this way, but must see the whole picture as revealed in Scripture, and put God into the full equation of our reality. Having a biblical conception of God will give faith in any circumstance and be big enough for any problem we encounter without being unbalanced.

Will Durant, a historian, has said that the "greatest question of our time is whether man can live without God."  Solzhenitsyn has said that man has forgotten God!  We must put God into the calculus to live right and any worldview without Him is bleak and gives man no dignity:  Without God we are nothing; with God, we have extrinsic dignity, being created in the image of God, and not being glorified algae that came to life by some fluke of nature.  If we don't have a big God we have a small image of ourselves and the answers to the questions:  How did I get here?  Why am I here? and Where am I going? go unanswered and man has no purpose and meaning in life but to avoid pain and seek pleasure as animals in heat.  And so there is value in knowing God:  We can truly know ourselves because the God who tells us what He is like in the Bible tells us what we are like too.            Soli Deo Gloria!