Christ's Bema

"...[B]ecause anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Heb. 11:6, NIV).

"... 'Fear not, Abram, I am your shield, your reward shall be very great'" (Gen. 15:1, NIV).

"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matt. 5:12, NIV).

BY WAY OF INTRO, SOME LAWYERS DON'T CARE SO MUCH WHAT THE LAW IS AS TO WHO THE JUDGE IS! WE CAN REST IN PEACE THAT THE RIGHTEOUS FATHER HAS GIVEN ALL JUDGMENT TO THE SON WHO SAVED US.

The Judgment Seat of Christ, known as His bema or tribunal, is where all believers get their appraisal (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:8,10) and evaluation of their life's work done in the Lord, as to whether it deserves a reward. Some will be saved, as if by fire (cf. 1 Cor. 3:14-15) and some will have a full reward. But what are we to expect at the bema? God isn't going to inquire as to what political party we aligned ourselves with or affiliated with, as to whether we are saved by virtue of it--for God is nonpartisan and doesn't give us brownie points for this! He will not inquire about our denominational affiliation or positions on the issues and doctrines. God isn't going to ask us about our highs and ecstasies in our walk, for God is more concerned with faith than feeling.

Oswald Chambers said that the "measure of a person's spiritual life is not their ecstasies, but their obedience!" Again I quote Dietrich Bonhoeffer, rephrased Martin Luther: "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes!" They go hand in hand and must not be divorced--they can be distinguished, but not separated! We must be obedient to the faith (cf. Rom. 1:50. This means a penitent and willing spirit, submissive to His will as our yoke. We are not under the Law, (cf. Rom. 6:14) but under a higher standard, albeit easier, the law of love, which can never be satisfied!

We must not expect God to give us kudos for our strong faith or our assurance--how strong our faith was--for the faith as of a mustard seed is adequate. Faith, like our righteousness, is the gift of God for which we are held to account. Our assurance of salvation and strong faith is a gift and for our benefit, not God's. We're measured by our good works, not our faith (cf. Rom. 2:6)! Our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our blessing or gift to God! All our works must be tried as if by fire, to see if they are worthy--some will only be wood, hay, and stubble, while others as pure as silver and gold that is refined and found to reflect God's image--we are meant to be God's ambassadors in the world (cf. 2 Cor 5:20) and for God to see Himself in us (cf. Col. 1:27).

At Christ's bema we will be held accountable for all the resources, blessings, character, personality, gifts, talents, relationships, time, opportunities God has granted us by grace. Everything we have is only on loan from God as we are merely stewards of His manifold blessings and provision. Nothing we have belongs to us, for it's all His and we must make an investment in the Lord to find a return on that investment! God's dividends are well worth it--for it is well worth the time and effort to serve the Lord, for He is a bountiful giver of rewards as our Provider (Jehovah-Jireh) to those who serve Him, and God is no man's debtor!

Paul wasn't against good works, just those done in the flesh (by the energy of the natural man, not the Holy Spirit). Only those works foreordained by God per Ephesians 2:10 and we are led to do while filled with the Spirit and enabled to do: "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD God" (cf. Zech. 4:6). If we walk after the flesh, it doesn't matter how many good deeds we do--they are not worthy (cf. Isa. 64:6). This is why the faith we have is the faith we show, and works validate faith and are evidence, not the substitute for it; also, faith without works is dead faith and cannot save (cf. James 2:17)!

We increase in the knowledge of God as we do works in the Spirit as God ordained (cf. Col. 1:10). This is precisely why Christ said that even a cup of cold water given in His name will not remain unrewarded or lose its reward! Many will put their confidence in their works, not in the Lord, and expect a free pass by virtue of them; however, all in all, what we should expect to hear are the words: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!" The Lord is our portion and our reward (cf. Gen. 15:1) and compensation is in heaven--don't get into a comfort zone in this life and feel too much at home.

In sum, we must be looking unto the heavenly city (cf. Phil. 3:20), to a heavenly reward not realized, and not realize our reward in this life (cf. Psalm 17:14)--we're only passing through as sojourners (cf. 1 Pet. 2:11) and pilgrims, as mere stewards of God's manifold bounties! Soli Deo Gloria!

In Jesus' Name

When we pray in Jesus' name what do we imply and implicate? It seems odd to pray to Jesus in Jesus' name but God's name is one and co-equal, but not interchangeable, and by no means do we pray presumptuously or in an overly familiar pattern like we're being best bud; however, we can pray like one of the family of God. Jesus exhorted us to ask anything in His name in prayer (according to His will) and Paul said, all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Does this necessitate knowing Jesus' actual, official name or title? In Aramaic, His name was Yeshua or Joshua as we would say it Anglicized. Are Christians who believe in Jesus and those in Yeshua both saved and praying to the same God? Today, many youths believe all monotheistic religions pray to the same God, just by different names.

There is nitpicking and anyone who thinks we have to get all our doctrine straightened out to be saved doesn't know the Lord. It is vital to know to Whom we are praying and Whom we trust, not their official title or name. The name of Jesus refers to His authority and power at the right hand of God. We may all know Christ by a different name, but what is fundamental and essential is that we know the Lord in our hearts. Obviously, if you don't feel comfortable with a father figure, you may refrain from calling God your Father (cf. Isa. 9:6), but you have the divine right and privilege to do so, which is a status symbol in heaven. When we command demons in Jesus' name to leave or begone, we are using His authority, not ours. They know Jesus, not you!

We must understand that in every tongue they call Jesus by a different name by custom, though by transliteration or close pronunciation (as allowable). The Spanish refer to Jesus, but pronounce it differently, the Germans may say Jesu, and the Swedes Jesus, but they all pronounce it quite unique to their tongue without a J sound. What's more important, the spelling or the pronunciation then? But we all know to whom we are referring--the only begotten Son of God!

Doctrine is important, but it's not everything and even sincerity isn't, where one's heart resides is the most vital link to eternal life. We will be rewarded for all our deeds done in the name of Jesus, and that doesn't mean according to our perception of it, but to honor and glorify the one and only begotten Son of God. Some will do good deeds in Christ's name but lack saving faith, simply trusting in their works, not in Christ. To suffer for the sake of the Name is an honor, though.

The crux of the matter, then, is knowing Him, not in being a linguist! How do we know that translating a name is copacetic with God and He doesn't forbid it? Greek translates Hallelujah as alleluia because there's no H! In Greek, there is no J sound! They translate Jesus name, nevertheless with it. With a J sound would've sounded strange to them.

We know that translating is approved because we have the Septuagint into Greek and it was quoted by the apostles and church fathers, who even wrote in Greek. Luke wrote Acts 9:36 saying that Tabatha is translated: Dorcas.  We don't go around like Germans telling people to believe in Jesus Christus! In German a Christian is a "Christ," and a Christ is Jesus Christus, or Jesu Christi! Just like when immigrants come to America they usually Anglicize their names to they don't sound fresh off the boat. Though it seems odd that Hispanics name their children Jesus, they call the Lord Senor too like we would say, Mr. Jesus! Thus, we know the Son of God by the Anglicized name "Jesus."

Soli Deo Gloria!

God's Miracle Worker

"... 'This man certainly performs many miraculous signs.  If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him...'" (John 11:47-48, NLT).  



BY DEFINITION: A MIRACLE IS AN EVENT NOT PRODUCIBLE BY THE NORMAL FORCES AND CAUSES ACTING IN THE TIME AND PLACE THE EVENT OCCURS AND  SUPERNATURAL, BUT UNEXPLAINED BY NATURAL SCIENCE OR NATURE LAWS.



The story of Helen Keller was portrayed in the movie, The Miracle Worker, and this only proves that miracles happen if our eyes are open to them.   Most people that have heard of Christ know that He's famous for turning "water into wine" or even "walking on water."  They also ridicule these "signs" as ludicrous examples of Christian "myth."  Paradoxically, Jesus never intended to be known as a miracle worker, for He came first to be our Savior and He didn't want to get off message.




After raising the daughter of Jairus, Jesus admonished the people not to tell anyone, for He knew that such an event, if publicly known, would merely attract the wrong element or crowd.   He didn't just have talking points about salvation but came with the purpose of dying--He was a man on a mission par excellence!



Jesus could've attracted crowds and masses of disciples had He not warned of the cost of discipleship and that one must die to self and take up your cross in following Him--a cost no other religion requires. Jesus did miracles not for selfish reasons, but out of compassion and to be "signs" of authenticity to His deity as John's gospel portrays.



It should be pointed out that miracles don't make a person believe against their will but bolster and support a faith that is already there.  Faith doesn't come from miracles, but miracles from faith.  It is a fact that, even though Jesus had done many miracles, the Pharisees "would not believe" (cf. John 12:32; Ps. 78:18) in Him, not could not.  No miracle will convince a person who doesn't want to believe, but miracles will strengthen the faith of the willing.  A MAN CONVINCED AGAINST HIS WILL IS OF THE SAME OPINION STILL, SAYS THE PROVERB.  




Jesus told His disciples that they shall do "greater things."  We are told we can "move mountains" and "walk on water" by faith and that it only takes the faith of a mustard seed to accomplish. We must realize that miracles are just unusual events caused by God--all things are caused by God in a sense and if miracles happened all the time, they'd be called "regulars."  Jesus did not oblige the skeptics with miracles on-demand or with some biggie miracle that would make it impossible to deny, but His signs always took faith to accept. The church can get sidetracked by losing focus of God's priorities and turning stones into bread instead of fulfilling the Great Commission, to keep the main thing the main thing.  When Jesus performed miracles, the skeptics weren't convinced--for miracles only give the desire or appetite for more miracles.




In sum, if you want to see a miracle, look in the mirror! and realize that you, too, can be God's miracle worker:  "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God" (William Carey). "He does great things too marvelous to understand. A miracle is by nature "fixed." Look at the sunrise--It's fixed!   He performs countless miracles" (Job 9:10, NLT). The Bible is a miracle in itself, being God-breathed and accurately portrays many miracles, signs, and wonders of God to bolster faith.     Soli Deo Gloria!

Marching To The Beat Of A Different Drum

"Come to terms with God and be at peace; in this way good will come to you" (Job 22:21, HCSB).

"Agree with God and be at peace..." (Job 22:21, ESV)

"Acquaint now thyself with him and be at peace..." (Job 22:21, KJV).

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3, NIV).

"The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world" (John 1:9, HCSB).

"Christ is the centre of Christianity; all else is circumference." --John R. W. Stott, theologian

"The world is relative to Christ." --Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Lutheran theologian, and martyr of Nazism

"God weeps with us so that someday we may laugh with him." --Jurgen Moltmann, German theologian (This is how he sums up human history.)

NB: THE ENTIRETY OF THE CHRISTIAN MESSAGE CAN BE SUMMED UP: GOD WAS IN CHRIST RECONCILING THE WORLD TO HIMSELF AS THE GOD OF LOVE IN THE FLESH.

Do you march to the beat of a different drum or don't keep pace with your companions? Maybe you hear a different drummer, according to Henry David Thoreau. The only way for two people to be on the same wavelength is for them to be tuned to the same pitch--harmonizing. We ought to be able to make music together as in a choir, striking a common chord that will vibrate throughout eternity. Appealing to the same authority. That's fellowship in essence: two fellows in the same ship. Paul warns against being "unequally yoked" and "fellowship with demons" (cf. 2 Cor. 6:14-15) and "bad company corrupts good morals" (cf. 1 Cor. 15:33). "Agree with God," (cf. Job 22:21)! "Can two walk together unless they be agreed on a direction?" (cf. Amos 3:3). But we can quench or even grieve the Spirit with a divisive spirit or attitude.

We are honored and privileged to be Christ's ambassadors in His name (cf. 2 Cor. 5:20) having His authority in prayer; namely, authorized to do His will (cf. John 14:14). Sometimes even Christians don't agree on disputable or doubtful matters though (cf. Rom. 14:1; cf. Amos 3:3), and room for conscience-sake must be granted. But remember the maxim of St. Augustine: "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity." Some doctrines are not only nonnegotiable but worth standing up for and defending with polemics in this truth war, but we must know where to stop being dogmatic.

There comes a time in every believer's life to get off the fence and decide for good or evil, right or wrong, good or bad, and that usually determines where they stand and what they think is worth fighting for; believe me, some arguments and disputes are not worth the adrenaline and generate more heat than light! We all must be willing though to show where we stand and not on the sidelines letting the brave believers take stands for us. One of God's names is Jehovah Nissi, or "the LORD Is Our Banner," and we ought to take up His cause and fight for what's right before it's too late--light a candle, say a prayer, vote, spread the word, donate time or money, anything but let others do it for you--knowing He's on our side!

Jesus never feared controversy and Paul said to stay away from godless controversy, not godly, meaningful, controversy. If there was never controversy, then how could we arrive at truth and the doctrines or dogma of the church? Heretics and apostates must be rooted out and challenged, not tolerated in the name of love or goodwill. John Stott wrote a book titled Christ the Controversalist to point this very fact out and show us the value of sticking to our guns and believing in something; Stott points out that it's obvious that Jesus faced a storm of controversy and didn't shy away from it, no matter the cost (come what may; let the chips fall where they may!). He was known for upsetting the religious apple cart.

Now the contemporary problem is that so-called Christians are re-thinking, re-marketing, re-tooling, re-defining, re-imagining, or even re-imaging Jesus to suit their own whims, self-interest, or issues. We are made in God's image, He isn't to be made in ours! It is self-righteous to claim that the Jesus "we know" is the reality star so to speak, and not the biblical, traditional model. Paul warned against preaching "another Jesus" (cf. 2 Cor. 11:4) and this is predominant in today's culture of moral relativism whereas people commonly make up their own values as they go along and think anything is okay as long as they can justify themselves or that their motives are right. "O, but I meant well!" is a common reason they claim, but this is no excuse for doing evil; morality is only defined as doing the right thing, the right way, with the right motives (and we will all give account to God per Romans 14:12). The end, no matter how noble, doesn't justify the means!

There is even a Postmodern revolt in the church that denies the fact that we can even know the truth or that we have gotten the gospel right yet. They want to start from square one doctrinally! And scholars today are still searching for the so-called "historical Jesus," thinking that the gospel writers may have gotten it all wrong, though they were eyewitnesses and more objective. They rely on second and third-century sources thinking they're more trustworthy than contemporaries of Jesus. That's why many today actually have a contempt for the real Jesus who stood up against evil in His day and believe that God is love and that's the end of the story, the whole equation; but God is also just and holy and must do something about sin and evil to remain God and to maintain holiness, His attribute of attributes that regulates all the others.

We are not only to fight for the right, and I even mean social justice as well as justice in the courts, all being equal under the rule of law not the rule of men and their whims; "The only way for evil to win is for good men to do nothing," according to Edmund Burke. We must propagate, (even preach) i.e., the real Jesus as He is, the exclusive personification of Truth with a capital T and the only way to heaven, because all religions don't say the same thing as the Baha'i faith posits; note that A. W. Tozer said that Christ is "not one of many ways, nor the best way, but the only way!

The leaders thought they knew the real Jesus in the day but only had contempt and familiarity for this reason; they refused to believe despite the evidence (cf. John 12:37; Psalm 78:32)! Jesus responded (cf. Mark 6:4) that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown and family--rejection was prophesied and par for the course. As the axiom goes, familiarity breeds contempt; then, how does one explain that the disciples were all convinced of Christ's sinlessness, holiness, and deity? Even Jesus' brothers didn't even believe in Him till after the resurrection (cf. Mark 3:21). But you'd think the disciples would end up His arch critics of all people. But Paul said that he preached Jesus (cf 1 Cor. 2:2) not himself. What a real McCoy and role model!

CAVEAT: TODAY WE SEE GOSPEL REVISIONISTS TRYING TO REWRITE HISTORY AND PORTRAY JESUS AS JUST ANOTHER MARTYR FOR A GOOD CAUSE, A GREAT TEACHER AND MORAL LEADER, OR A MISUNDERSTOOD MAN WHO WAS LATER DEIFIED BY ZEALOUS FOLLOWERS, SOME HAVE EVEN BOUGHT INTO NIETZSCHE'S IDEA "THAT RIGHTLY UNDERSTOOD JESUS IS NOT A GATEWAY TO ANOTHER LIFE BUT A ROLE MODEL FOR THIS ONE"


EVEN THE JEWS OF HIS DAY WERE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE, BUT HE WAS NOT THE MILITARY MESSIAH OF CONVENTIONAL WISDOM TO RESTORE ISRAEL TO IS FORMER GLORY--TO THEM, JESUS SEEMED ANTIESTABLISHMENTARIAN, WHILE THE PHARISEES SAW HIM AS A THREAT TO THEIR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE. WE MUST REJECT ANY REINTERPRETATION AND PREACH JESUS AS HE REVEALED HIMSELF TO BE--THE ONE AND ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD WHO CAME TO SAVE US AS THE LORD OF LORDS, FOR HE HAS LEFT US NO OTHER OPTION TO CONSIDER--WE CAN KNOW NO OTHER JESUS!


In short, the essence of knowing Jesus and the good life in Him is to take up the cross to follow Him, no matter the cost, wherever it may lead. "Now that you know these things, blessed are you if you do them" (cf John 13:17). Soli Deo Gloria!

Jesus Doesn't Need To Prove Anything! ...

"At the same time, God also attested by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to His will" (Heb. 2:4, HCSB).

"Despite all this they kept on sinning and did not believe His wonderful works" (Psalm 78:32, HCSB).

"You are the God who works wonders, You revealed Your strength among the peoples" (Psalm 77:14, HCB).

Gideon was known for putting out the fleece and testing God's Word (as Jesus told Satan, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God,"), but we no longer need to do this as an act of faith, having the fully revealed Word of God. God didn't have to prove anything to Gideon but obliged his immature and growing faith. Likewise, Jesus never had to prove anything to the world, just be His perfect self and that should've sufficed. There is an anecdote of Muhammad Ali being asked to fight a teen and he refused to go along with the "test" of his greatness; then the teen bragged that Ali was afraid of him and refused to defend himself--actually, Muhammad would not stoop to the level of fighting a naive teen, he was still the champ to anyone who knew better because this was not challenging nor worthy, but he was protecting the kid. The Word of God speaks volumes and is self-attesting, proof in itself (if it appealed to any higher authority, it couldn't claim to be the final arbiter of truth).

Jesus performed many miracles or signs as John referred to them as, but not to prove Himself! He met needs and had compassion. He never did anything on-demand, for personal profit or gain, showy, or any biggie miracle that would erase all doubt and force belief even against one's will. I'll give you a for instance: after feeding the 4,000 the Pharisees asked for a sign to prove He was from God. What was the feeding of the 4,000 but a miracle to behold to the believer? They should have reasoned He supplies all their needs.

Jesus would not oblige them and their hardened hearts that refused to believe despite the miracles He did perform. John 12:32 says they would not believe, not that they could not believe--viva la difference! Miracles are simply unusual events caused by God or they'd be called "regulars." The thing about miracles is that they only give an appetite for more miracles and skeptics are never convinced, but only harden their hearts with some excuse or doubt. Miracles don't produce faith, but faith produces miracles! These Pharisees needed a miracle done in their hearts not a sign from heaven. They were probably expecting Jesus to prove He could outdo Moses and bring down manna! When a person is stubborn or hardened in heart, no miracle will make him repent and come to Christ for salvation--there would also be some way to explain it away and expect only a bigger one. Their mistake was to think God must oblige them and be their genie or miracle worker; however, Jesus didn't want to be known as a miracle worker but as our Savior.

In reality, Moses didn't do that but God used him as His spokesperson and God brought faith by performing miracles through him for forty years in the wilderness where they were tested. If Jesus had obliged them and performed a miracle to prove Himself, where would it end and what about faith. The biggest miracle is the radical change in one's heart to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and become a new creature in Christ.

Every miracle or sign Jesus accomplished was a lesson to be taught about His divine nature: He raised the dead to prove He is the life; He fed the multitude to prove He's the bread of life; He calmed the storm to prove His power over nature; He healed the sick to prove He's our Healer; He cast out demon to prove authority over them and Satan. Every one of the divine attributes of God can be attributed to Jesus and they are illustrated by His sayings and acts. Basically, Jesus showed He had all authority as the only begotten Son of God. Jesus went about teaching, preaching, and doing good and also convincing the multitudes of His compassion. With Jesus in charge, we need not worry or fear that our needs won't be met.

Not to berate miracles in Scripture, because without Jesus doing them, He'd be but a footnote in history and Christianity would be disemboweled if one removed its miracles. Note that other religions may have miracles but they remain intact without them--the miracles are believed on account of the religion already being believed--miracles are given to kindle and feed the dormant or nascent faith of believers. Faith cannot survive on mothballs or in a dormant stage, it must grow and go forward in progress or rest in peace. No amount of evidence will convince the hardened heart--God must do a work of grace first. We must not be as clueless in not having eyes to see that God can supply all our mundane needs too ("daily bread"). Soli Deo Gloria!

God's Firstborn

The terminology of "firstborn" in the Bible is a title of preeminence or supremacy of position, such as Israel being God's firstborn and also David being God's firstborn--it has nothing to do with being born or created.  It simply means priority over.  The wonderful news is that this represents Christ's position and also that we are "in Christ." 

Everything in time and space had a beginning; how do we know this? Simply because time had a beginning both according to the Bible (cf. Titus 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:9) and modern physicists such as Stephen Hawking, who in his book The Brief History of Time, admitted this.  We are all captive and slaves to the element and dimension of time. But God is eternal, meaning He is beyond time and the Bible says He created it because it's only a corollary of space and matter, which came into being at the creation (cf. Gen. 1:1), which scientists refer to as the Big Bang. You could counter: So what if there was a beginning or a Big Bang.  But the consequences of a beginning is that you must conclude a Beginner!  Who set the Big Bang off in scientific terminology, because there can be no effects without antecedent causes, something or someone must have caused this phenomenon.

All of us had a beginning because we are in this dimension--the time-space continuum.  God is not because He existed before His own creation: "Before Abraham was, I AM," was Jesus' declaration to the Pharisees of His eternal deity.  This all adds up to Jesus as the unique preexistent one, contrary to what the sects of Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses teach (that Christ was created).  What do the LDS people believe?  They adhere to the fact that the Book of Mormon supersedes the Bible and their credo is "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become."   All of creation was a work of the eternal triune God working in tandem:  from the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit.  But Scripture (cf. Isaiah 43:10-11) says that before God ("Me") no God was formed. 

What then is the significance of Jesus' eternity?  He alone is self-existent and self-sufficient, needing no one or nothing!    He never had a beginning and will have no end which means He is able to save us to the uttermost and can give us eternal life; Christ is always relevant and never obsolete because He always was and will be; Christ's love is eternal and we can count on Him as Mr. Dependable in all our afflictions; Christ never saw us as an afterthought and He never had to change His plans because of Adam's fall--there never has been a Plan B, but God's perfect plan of redemption has always been His will; Christ knows the end, not because of some time machine or telescope into the future but because He decreed it so, and knows how it will all end up with His glory in control and us sharing in it; because He created all things, He reigns over them and is not subject to their authority as we are; and finally, Christ had to preexist in order to be the creator (it's impossible for anything to create itself).

 In sum, our faith cannot rest on a more Solid Rock than Christ, the eternal one, who alone is without beginning or end, the Alpha and the Omega of Scripture.

How Can We Love God?

Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments.  Our love is contingent upon obedience, not feeling or maudlin sentimentality, which can fluctuate like a weather vane in a whirlwind.   Some believers are more demonstrative than others, while some timid or inhibited believers are sometimes stoical, even with secular matters they show restraint at showing motion publicly--they may be too self-conscious or don't want people to notice them or deflect attention off Christ.  The focus of our worship and love should be Christ and not how we express it--there is a no-size-fits-all way to worship!  We're all hard-wired uniquely to complement the body!

The measure of faith is our obedience and its only yardstick. "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes" (Bonhoeffer).  Love is not merely a sentiment or getting a spiritual high or intoxication on Jesus--though it may be preoccupation!  We don't walk in the glow of some religious experience all our lives. It's not about walking on Cloud Nine all day!  We have to have our valleys to test our faith, as God withdrew from Hezekiah to see what was really on his heart.

God wants to know how we will act by faith, not feeling!  (paying "lip service," Isa. 29:13; Jer. 12:2).   For we walk by faith, not by sight! (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17).  It is faith that pleases God (cf. Heb. 11:6)--He will not say to us, "How great awesome your feelings!"  Some people just have no control over their feelings and give full vent to them regardless of them being good or bad.  Jesus commended the Canaanite woman for her faith!  The Roman centurion was also commended for his faith!

What does it mean then to love God with all our heart?  It means all that we are:  our wills or volition; our emotion or sentiment; and, of course, our intellect or mind.  Everyone seems to be strong in some area and weak in others--for we all fall short and are works in progress.  The point is that we are sincere in our love and worship and don't feign love or try to be someone or something we are not to impress others.

Our faith isn't how much we believe, but how well we obey.   Our obedience is measured by how we love with our volition and submit to God's will; our emotions may be expressed by outbursts and feelings shared with others, and loving with our intellect measured by how we use or don't use our God-given brains and talents.  We cannot say that someone is an intellectual and is just wired that way to be insensitive and impassive other ways, no more than we can say one is emotive and foolish and reckless in expression.

We must seek to love God with our full and complete personality--all that we are and strive to be in Christ (OUR SOUL, MAKEUP, OR PERSONHOOD--WHAT DEFINES US!).  That's why Scripture says to love God with all our soul, all our mind, all our strength, and all our heart!  That just about covers all the bases and shows that we all have room for improvement and growth, for God isn't finished with us yet and we all must enroll in His school of love!

Christians are in love with Jesus and He is the Great Lover of our soul, who loves us for who we are and accepts us with baggage, flaws, and blemishes and all!   The believer's walk is a romance with God and we grow in our love by means of obedience and communion or fellowship on a daily basis.

We are to grow in our love of the Lord and it's a thrill meant to last a lifetime.  All believers have a different strong suit or forte of how they express their love for God--we might do it through our spiritual gift and in our service to Christ either in our mission to the unsaved or in ministry to the body.  At the Bema of Christ, we all await the final verdict:  "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!"  And we must never divorce faith and faithfulness!

The important lesson to glean is that we should never compare ourselves to others and get jealous of their gift or abilities, talents, responsibilities, or opportunities.  There are two common errors in the body:  gift projection, whereby we expect others to be like us; and gift envy, whereby we wish we had someone else's gift--we will all be judged individually and personally!  CAVEAT:  Don't let someone belittle your gift!   Christians are lovers in essence and what the world needs is more Christian love (our primary gift), according to Bertrand Russell, British mathematician and an atheist philosopher.

Christ didn't found an empire on war or the sword, but by being the Emperor of Love, according to Napoleon Bonaparte.  NB:  Christ never asks us to do anything He didn't do--He gave all for us and we must return the favor by denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Him, as our expression of love.  The expression of love is self-sacrifice, the opposite of being selfish and living for oneself--love gives of oneself sacrificially!  Remember who gave the ultimate sacrifice for us--His all!

A measure of our love for God can be seen in how we love our neighbor and especially the brethren too!   This is love in action and love applied!   He who loves another has fulfilled the law, according to Romans 13:8.  "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command:  'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Gal. 5:14, NIV).  "Love does no harm to a neighbor.  Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Rom. 13:10, NIV).  We have no right to claim a love of God if we do not love one another, for love is the fruit of the Spirit in all believers, which is shed abroad in our hearts (cf. Rom. 5:5).   The institution of matrimony is meant to be the image of Christ's love for the church and this is one vehicle for learning and applying the love we experience in Christ.  Soli Deo Gloria!

The One And Only Or The Unique One

Are there any parallels between Jesus and any other great man of religion? Muhammad amassed an army of 10,000 to set out to conquer (killing thousands), while Jesus conquered hearts in His invisible kingdom through love ("My kingdom is not of this world"). Buddha, which means "Enlightened One," (while Jesus claimed to be the Light) and Buddha's real name was Siddhartha Gautama, and he came from an affluent Hindu family and lived a sheltered life in childhood. Muhammad and his followers looted and pillaged caravans, while Jesus had no flaws in morality and his followers aimed to live by his code of love.  Jesus was from a working-class family, while Buddha had privilege, Muhammad, a camel driver, married a rich woman 15 years his senior and then took to meditation.  Buddha left his wife and son to become an ascetic, while Jesus never married, was tempted of the devil for 40 days in the wilderness, and had a close-knit band of followers, both male and female to the very end, and Muhammad set out with his army in at least 66 battles.  Buddha was appalled at the suffering of his day, while Jesus was a man suffering, and acquainted with grief, even dying on a cross willingly. Buddha set out merely to reform Hinduism, while Christ was the fulfillment of Judaism and the prophecies.  Buddha claimed that his mother was impregnated by a six-tusked white elephant, while Jesus was born of a virgin woman in fulfillment of a prophecy made 700 years prior--the kind of life He lived would be consistent with this.

George Gordon, Lord Byron, the great Romantic poet, said that "if ever a man were God or God were a man, Jesus was both!"  John Stuart Mill, considered by some to be the most intelligent man to have ever lived, said Jesus was the "guide of mankind." Bertrand Russell, the atheist philosopher, said that "what the world needs is more Christian love and compassion"--people emulate Jesus like no other man as the epitome of love in action.  Will Durant said that Jesus is the dominant figure of Western Civilization.  No one predecessor is His equal and no successor meets His standards of perfection and lawlessness.

Jesus, Himself, challenged His enemies to convict Him of sin.  Even the Koran says that He was without sin.  The crassest heretics have not denied his sin-free life either. He was flawless, whereas Muhammad had his flaws. Buddha couldn't have been perfect and didn't even claim it--he was agnostic--because he claimed to have come to "Enlightenment" after his search under the bo tree near the river Gaya, and therefore couldn't have always known the way, while Jesus confounded the Pharisees at the age of 12 and knew the business of His Father, and didn't claim to know the way but to be the way--Buddha didn't believe in God, and said that, if there was one, He couldn't help you find enlightenment, because you must find it on your own.

You cannot compare Jesus with any other man (you can only contrast), for He is alone and incomparable:  His character was unique (flawless, without sin, and it is said that He is in a moral category by Himself, and it has been well said that His character supports His claims); His conduct was unprecedented (He forgave His enemies on the cross, and He invariably practiced what He preached); His claims were unparalleled (made Himself the Son of God--no other religious leader such as Muhammad or Buddha, an agnostic, has said this); and His credentials were unequaled (His life didn't belie but confirmed His claims, His miracles were true signs and consistent with his nature, and not just for show or selfish reason of profit, and even His enemies acknowledge His character). The caliber of His life was such that no one could challenge His answers and authority, and accuse Him of wrongdoing or sin.

The founders of other faiths are known for what they said, Jesus is primarily known for who He was and what He did--that He claimed to be the Son of God, died on the cross, and rose from the dead! Any man can claim to be God for instance, (but you need credentials and character), but to prove it by rising from the dead is quite another!  It has been said that the kind of life Jesus lived verified His claims and you would expect the Son of God to behave like Him--there is no ungodliness or weakness in His person. There is everything we would want in a man to worship and adore and He doesn't fall short of any ideal or standard, but only inspires even the greatest of men--even Napoleon proclaimed Him to be no mere man and he claimed to know men.

Jesus lived in obscurity as a common man without privilege: He had no army, yet He conquered millions; He never wrote a word, yet He inspired more books and inspired more literature than anyone else; He had no riches, yet He made many rich; He had no formal education, yet He was the greatest teacher to have ever lived.  Jesus was not born into privilege or opportunity, but into an average working family and knew what the average man went through in daily life from personal experience.  He confounded the Pharisees with His brilliance at the age of twelve with His questions and answers concerning the Scriptures.  There was no duplicity in Him, for He practiced what He preached, yet He condemned hypocrisy in others.  Though men have conquering armies, Jesus conquered hearts and many millions would die for Him.

Who was the greatest leader of all time? Who has done the kind of miracles that have never been duplicated?   Who was the greatest teacher? Who gave us the highest ethic or moral code to live by? Who lived the holiest life of all men?  Who has the most followers and worshipers of all time? Who was the greatest philosopher or "un-philosopher" of all time?  Who has done the best for mankind? Who had the greatest personality of all time? Who sets the highest standards to live by? Who had a more profound impact on civilization, either direct or indirect (inspiring the building of hospitals, universities, orphanages, charities, and missions)?

All other men pale in comparison to Christ and no one can meet His standards of holiness.  Usually, familiarity breeds contempt, but not so with the disciples who were near Him--they never stopped admiring His perfection and even worshiped Him.  What Jesus did, no man can do and we don't compare Jesus with others but contrast them:  We don't say, "Jesus the Great," though we say Alexander the Great, or Peter the Great, for even that is an insult and do Him injustice; what we do is contrast Jesus with others and make Him the standard to judge all of mankind by.  If God became a man, what kind of man would you expect Him to be?

Of the greatest men who have ever lived, none have dared to claim to be God in the flesh or the one and only way to God.  Jesus didn't claim to be the best way to God, nor one of many ways, but the one and the only way to the Father.  Only Jesus had the "words of eternal life" and showed us the Way. He didn't claim to be telling us the truth, but that He was the incarnation of truth itself  ("I am the truth").  He said that all who are "of the truth" will hear Him, but unbelievers are those who reject the truth. In all of recorded history, no one has matched His personality and life! Many books can claim to be true, but only God's Word is Truth with a capital T, and the testimony is this: nature forms you, sin deforms you, education informs you, prison reforms you, but only Christ transforms you!

The New Testament books are not to be compared with the writings of other religions where so-called miracles are attributed, for they were written within a generation of the events and by eye-witnesses--not compiled centuries later.  The difference between Christ's miracles and those of other faiths is that they were signs of His deity, and not just fantastic, for a show, or for personal advantage. You can take the miracles out of Islam, for example, and the religion remains intact, but if you remove the miracles from the Bible you disembowel it and make it nothing.  Without miracles, Jesus would have only been a footnote in history and not worth following.   Even Muhammad believed Christ performed miracles and he did none himself (there are none in the Koran)--only years later did writers ascribe some to him.

After the crucifixion, His own followers were ready to write Him off and go on living as if they had wasted three years of their life.   It was the miracle (the great sign that He would give) and the fact of the resurrection that turned a disbanded and demoralized group of followers into roaring lions of the faith, who were not afraid of the authorities anymore, nor of death itself.  If God were to become a man, you would expect Him to be like Jesus and do miracles and Jesus foots the bill and doesn't let us down on any count.  It is one thing to claim to be God and quite another to prove it and have people die for your claims! "He spoke like no other man ever spoke"--with authority (He didn't say, "Thus says the Lord, but, "I say unto you.").

The Christian scholar Philip Schaff portrays Christ graphically as follows:

This Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Muhammad, and Napoleon; without science and learning shed more light on matters human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.

Nothing can explain Him, except the profound hypothesis that He is the living Son of God!   We don't compare Christ, we contrast Him who is in a league of His own as the one who claimed to be God in the flesh or incarnated--you can rest assured of this:  No one will ever improve on Jesus! As John Stuart Mill (considered one of the most brilliant minds of all time and an atheist) said he is "a unique figure not more unlike all his predecessors than all his followers,"

The problem with most would-be messiahs is that their character doesn't support their claims and the problem is that familiarity breeds contempt with men, but there is no discrepancy with Christ--his character does not disprove His deity, but it is consistent with it and confirms it.  No one, not even a psychiatrist could analyze Him as unbalanced despite His claims.  Christ is beyond our analysis (no one can figure Him or peg Him) and we can only be in awe as we wonder what kind of man would we expect the Son of God to be.  Who can understand a man who washes His disciple's feet, yet claims to be the Judge of mankind?   Soli Deo Gloria!

In Love With The Idea Of Jesus

Some so-called believers fool themselves because they are in love with the idea of Jesus as if they are His fans or admirers and not with Jesus Himself. They like to think of him as their buddy or cohort for their favorite cause or on their side or in their party.   Sort of like falling in love with a book and storyline but not the author!  Some sincere believers can be accused of it all being in their heads if they don't practice their faith.   Instead of serving or practicing piety, they may simply like to read about Him or talk about Him, even though this can be genuine it can also be counterfeit faith and an exercise in futility or a show that talk can be cheap.  We must live our profession and not belie our testimony so as to jeopardize it by bad conduct--we're in the spotlight as believers and must and lead show by example.  That's why Gandhi said that he'd become a Christian if he ever met one and he loved and admired Jesus but was ambivalent towards Christians--touche! Believe me, it would take a Jesus to invent a Jesus!

We must know the real Jesus, who He is in fact, not our opinion or popular opinion or consensus, nor even an imaginary Jesus or "another Jesus," (cf. 2 Cor. 11:4)"  Our faith must be built on Jesus as the Rock and all else is circumference or a peripheral issue. The most important question we will ever have to answer is, "Who do you make Jesus out to be?" This doesn't mean respect for His morals or that He was a great leader or teacher or revolutionary or reformer, but as our Savior.  For with Jesus, what you see is what you get--He demands sincerity but that is not enough we must know the true Jesus as He claimed to be: the greater I AM, God with skin on or in the flesh.  He is all things to all believers in other words...

It's plain that He was not Jesus the Great (an unworthy moniker) for that doesn't do Him justice but He led the most influential life ever lived, as Napoleon called Him the "Emperor of love."  The contrast is so great that no one can remain neutral around Him nor remain unmoved or untouched and unchanged.  "But the one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world," (cf. John 1:9, NLT).

Jesus isn't looking for an admiration society but wholehearted followers who have counted the cost. Likewise, there are those who love the idea of a church and get converted to the program and not to Christ; for instance, they love the idea of do-goodery and helping out in times of need but fail to have a personal relationship in knowing Christ as Savior. Churchianity is common in churches whereby believers put their faith in the church and think it saves, converted to the program, not to Christ! We are not saved via the church but via faith in Christ alone, not Christ plus the church!   Therefore, we must not only have a profession of faith but a reality of faith translating your creeds into deeds and applying our faith to everyday life and in our sphere of influence and circle of friends--putting our faith into practical everyday practice, just as Jesus practiced what He preached and preached what He practiced without duplicity!

What is Churchianity?  I insert this previous blog post: 

Some Christians "play" church and go through the motions of worship and never go for the right reason--to worship God--they say, "I didn't get much out of worship today!" (maybe they should concentrate on what they put into it). God condemns us for having worship without our hearts in it or hypocritical worship, this is just  going through the motions or "memorizing the dance of the pious." A real hypocrite (hypocrite means wearing a mask, or acting in a play) is not one who falls short of his ideals, but one who uses religion as a cover-up and knows he is insincere.  The hypocrite trusts in his attendance, church membership, faithfulness, or even the organization of the church itself to save him, but one must realize that it's not Jesus plus the church but Jesus alone (or anything)..

The theme of Psalms is Ps. 29:2, "Ascribe the Lord the glory due to His name, worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness." Deut. 17 (cf. Isaiah 29:13) condemns insincere and dishonest worship or sacrifice. Amaziah (cf. 2 Chron. 25:2) was known for doing the will of the Lord, but not with a true heart.

Someone has said that there are four persons that we show: The one God sees; the one you see; the one the world sees; and the one your intimate friends see. Let's be careful not to just have a "public persona" and parade our spirituality or piety. Worship should be a delight and our feelings should be in it (or we are blaspheming God--just like doing it as a "duty" not because we want to) as the command "Delight yourself in the Lord..." says. In summary: Psa. 84:1 says, "My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the Lord" and Psa. 122:1 says, "I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord.'"

We can worship or be edified in a "crowd," but we need to function in a local body of believers with our spiritual gift. Rick Warren says that there is no "one-size-fits-all" for worship and there are many ways to worship. He says we believe, we belong, we become. We are to be committed to our church as a token of our commitment to Christ--they go hand in hand--and then we will grow and be accountable.

I can't stand the legalistic crowd that goes to church thinking that will make them a Christian, like going into a garage will make you a car, or eating a donut will make you a cop. They are called the "nod-to-God" crowd, which thinks it is fulfilling its obligation by a short visit to the local church, just out of guilt. The true Christian wants to worship God and wants to fellowship with other believers with whom he is a "fellow in the same ship."

I think some megachurches miss the boat in worship, you just don't hear people say, "Amen" to the preacher (where is the worship in the Spirit and in the truth?). But different people are at different stages and God has a purpose for their existence--megachurches aren't where I'm at, because I want to know my pastor personally, not just from afar.

Some think their religious performance is enough to save them. To some, it's only a formality and not a relationship. John MacArthur says, "We can't enter through our religious emotion or our sanctified feelings...Lip service is no good--there must be obedience...You don't get into the kingdom by sincerity, by religiosity, by reformation, by kindness, by service to the church, not even by simply naming the name of Christ; you get there only by personal trust and faith in [the person and work of] Christ." We can have a form of godliness and be empty. The church at Sardis had a reputation that it was alive, yet it was dead (see Rev. 3:1). We can even have "sanctimonious emotions" and not know Christ. There is a difference between knowing the Word and knowing the Author of the Word.

We can have many experiences in church and everyone has a different one, but I believe we should test our experiences by the Word of God and not the Word of God by our experiences. That's an important concept--we are not to become either rationalists nor empiricists (going by reason or experience only), but belief in the Bible (revelation) and sound teaching.

The more we learn the more we realize where the wiggle room is and what is not worth fighting about. We are to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Sectarianism is a sin according to 1 Cor. 1, and we shouldn't divide into factions if we can help it. As Augustine said, "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."  Many contemporary believers will die for a church they won't attend and even hate anything resembling organization but claim to love Jesus and His church that He purchased with His blood.   Soli Deo Gloria!

God isn't impressed with our works and our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to God (cf. Isa. 45:24); it's merely filthy rags in His estimation and judgment (cf. Isa. 64:6). Jesus is the model of mankind and no one can compare or compete with Him--neither predecessor nor follower alike.  We can only contrast Him and realize His uniqueness and holiness which is evidence of His deity.  Even infidels are often impressed with the moral perfection, guidance, and standards of Jesus' ethic, the Golden Rule, which has not been improved upon and is the most difficult to keep, for Christ made us realize there is a higher law than some rule or law to obey and that is the rule of love for our neighbor--love thy neighbor as thyself. Even John Stuart Mill, an atheist, said that Christ is the "guide of humanity." 

We may satisfy the demands of a law or rule but not the demands of love!  We cannot match the love of God and meet the standards He set; "perfection" is the standard but "direction" is the test ("Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect"). The point is that the "Christian life isn't hard, it's impossible," (author unknown).

It doesn't matter what we think of the president or some secular hero or villain (a typical controversial person)  eternally, but it does matter what we think of Christ!  Our destiny is in His hands and He demands first loyalty to Him bar none.  Likewise, we are Christians first and then members of a particular church or denomination. Far too many believers feel they don't need the church or any need for preaching and their lives are doing just fine without participation in the local body of believers that we are not called to forsake. The point is that no believer decides point-blank to leave Christ but slips away one step at a time hardly noticed at first till he finds himself backslidden or even apostate.  Someday he may wake up and be shocked at what has become of his faith or walk in Christ.

It must be pointed out that true love for Jesus involves obedience and following Christ no matter the cost wherever He may lead--we carry that cross with Him in charge of our lives. Jesus said that if we love Him we will obey His commands!  Dietrich Bonhoeffer stated it bluntly: "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."  They are tied and linked in Scripture (cf. Heb. 3:18-19; John 3:36) and we can tell them by their fruits as Jesus said.   Thus, it costs to love Jesus: salvation is free but not cheap!  "It costs to be saved, but more not to be!"

We must practice our piety but neither flaunt it nor privatize it; never to be ashamed of our Lord and always ready to give an answer to him who would question our faith and its rationale. In the final analysis, we must learn to turn our thoughts to Him and to meditate on His Word and get to know Him, for no one can do HIm justice in explaining or describing Him--no portrait or caricature behooves Him--we cannot know Him exhaustively, but can truly!   Soli Deo Gloria! 

What Good Is Theology Or Theologians?

Theology is given a bad rap and theologians are looked upon as being suspect in their testimony of Christianity as to their motive for being so attentive or even intellectual and academic in their studies.  But we are all theologians and it's just a matter of how good your theology is that matters: our lives speak much louder than our words anyway. But one cannot mature without a basic understanding of theology, though it's not sufficient, it's necessary.  One must be totally devoted to Christ and obey wholeheartedly as well.  Part of the reason theologians don't have a good reputation is because they study so-called controversial doctrines, even ones that divide sincere believers.  But we are not called to avoid godly controversy, just godless ones.

I might add that theology isn't just for seminary and that it's not too arcane for the average believer; God will enlighten anyone with an open mind, willing heart, and needy soul. But we must not revert to the Scholasticism of medieval Europe and avoid the applications.  We don't want to just know about the Bible and not know the Author or how to happy it to our lives.  We could get A's in theology in a seminary and hardly know our Lord at all. It must not be just in our minds, but in our hearts; i.e., we must love the study of God's word, even the deeper truths, for it's the infant believer who balks at learning the things of God in depth and is only able to consume the milk of the Word and not the meat or solid food.  Doctrine is what makes us grow and understand God. We cannot avoid theology; to do so is to avoid Christ!  We must seek to understand the Bible in Toto, not just our favorite teachings or doctrines as Paul sought to teach the full counsel of God.

We need theologians who do it as a discipline though I do not believe this is a spiritual gift, I do think that some teachers are more inclined to explain doctrinal truths in plain talk.

Theology is literally the study of God or Theos using the Greek. It is like a "God-talk." Theology has a bad connotation for some but I hope to clear this up.

I'm writing this because every believer ought to know his way around the block theologically and not be an ignoramus, but have a working knowledge of basic doctrine or credo.

Theology is not an abstract science like economics with many conflicting schools of thought and interpretation. It is the "Queen of Sciences" because it deals with the truth of Jesus who is the embodiment of truth. It is not a fool's errand of speculation but a revealed knowledge from divine revelation. We could not know God apart from revelation because the finite cannot penetrate the infinite--God must take the initiative because no man can see God and live.

Great preachers are those who have honed their theology to perfection and can then deliver the goods. Every Christian is a theologian, what kind of theologian is open to question. We all have a theology; the question is whether we have sound theology. You can have a sound theology and an unsound life, but you cannot have a sound life without a sound theology.

In sum, everyone has a theology and you cannot avoid it. The question is how good and sound it is because we cannot have a sound life without sound theology, though sound theology doesn't guarantee sound life and spirituality.
Soli Deo Gloria!