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(Psalm 34:7)
You hear a lot about angels these days. They star in movies and TV series. Dozens of books have been written about them. Their (imagined) images hang from chains around peoples' necks and from the rear view mirrors of minivans. Sports franchises are named for them as well as major cities. Even some people have been christened with the name 'Angel' or variations thereof. And let's not forget the cake they made famous.
The fact is, we don't know much about these beings. Although there are over 200 references to angels in Scripture, they remain somewhat mysterious. I think God's reason for this is that He didn't want us focusing on them too much. In fact He warns us about this through Paul's letter to the Colossians (Col. 2:18), where people had begun to worship angels, much to God's displeasure. This practice continues today in many New Age and Eastern religions. However, no angel of the Lord would ever allow himself to be worshipped. The same cannot be said for those who are no longer in His service.
One thing we do know, however, is that angels are messengers of God (that's what the word angel means) and they also protect His saints, as today's verse so comfortingly describes. This I know to be true through more experiences than I have time to relate. I figure that I should have died, oh, a hundred times by now. You can probably come up with a couple angel-interventions yourself.
I will, however, tell you about one. While not the most dramatic and death-defying example I could come up with (I've had a busy life, okay?), this one ranks right up there for demonstrating just how much God cares about us.
Many years ago, my friend Terry and I were walking down to the beach at Kealakekua Bay. We decided to cut through some pasture land on the way. Now at this time I was one of those (boring) musician-type guys who carried his musical instrument everywhere. This particular one was an old and valuable acoustic mandolin. It was the only one I had and since money was something that rarely, if ever, found me, it was irreplaceable. I guarded it like a baby. I never let anyone touch it. It was my future, my dream. So anyway, there we were in this cow pasture. The grass had not been mown and was about waist-high around us. We stopped for a moment and I set my only prized possession down in the grass and walked away for a moment. Suddenly there was the thunder of hooves. Looking back up the hill to where I left my little black case I saw the biggest cow in the world charging through the grass. I have never seen a cow move that fast or with more reckless abandon. In one heart-stopping moment I realized that she was headed directly for my mandolin which lay hidden in the grass. There was no way she could see it in the deep grass and there was no way she was going to miss it as she crashed down the hill. All my hopes were about to be literally crushed to smithereens and there was nothing I could do. Except say one word:Jesus. At this very instant the maniac cow lifted off the ground like an Olympic hurdler, landing with a thud on the other side of my mandolin, only to continue down the hill and out of sight.
You may be thinking "big deal" right now, but to me this incident was a turning point in my faith. I realized that God cared even about the little things. There is no doubt in my mind that my guardian angel lifted that big old cow off her feet and set her down safely on the other side of my precious mandolin. Angels do that. Remember that she could not even see the instrument as it was completely hidden in the grass. And cows rarely jump. It's just about impossible for them to jump while running downhill (try it yourself sometime).
Since that incident many years ago I've had plenty of opportunities to see the angel assigned to my protection in action. He's had to be strong, quick and attentive. He's one big, tough guy. I don't worship him or pray to him. I don't know his name. But I know that he's there protecting me, that I'm sure of. And he doesn't look anything like Della Reese.
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(Psalm 66:12b-c)
Today's verse is about the process, the transformation God puts us through to bring about the fulfillment of His plan for us. It isn't always fun and it certainly isn't always pretty, but it's necessary. As I read this verse, I began to think about the wonderful Kona coffee I was sipping. It goes through a lot of changes, too. Let me explain:
The coffee tree is extremely hearty. It's grows right out of the rock that forms our island and its wood is some of the toughest. The heaviest storm or even hurricane won't uproot it. It thrives at high elevations and it's these high-altitude trees that produce the best beans.
When the coffee trees bud, they are covered with small white blossoms. There is no way of knowing which of these flowers will eventually find its way into the final product. Some beans will turn bad. You can't tell. They all look alike at first. Then the beans begin to grow.
When harvest time comes, the coffee picker arrives. His job is not just to pick the coffee, but to also remove any beans that aren't fit to use. This is a process that requires a great deal of dexterity and many seasons of practice. As his hand quickly slides down each branch, he plucks the mature, ripe beans and lets them fall in his basket, while deftly passing over any immature beans that still have a chance to grow. The bad beans are flicked off at the same time on to the ground.
These good beans the picker has chosen next undergo a (somewhat stinky) water process that removes their soft, protective skin, leaving only the useful part of the fruit. After this immersion, it's the sun's turn. Left to dry in the open, they are constantly turned and raked to get full exposure until they are completely dry.
From here the beans are taken to be roasted. As they pass through the fire they take on that wonderful aroma of 100% pure Kona coffee. The smell is heavenly.
But that's not the end of the transformation. So far the bean has gone through fire and water. It looks nothing like the small red berry it started out as. It now has all the qualities of perfect coffee. But there remains one final process necessary to bring it to the rich fulfillment it was created for. It must be ground up with hundreds of other beans. It's this final step that releases the bean's true essence, flavor and aroma and allows it to fulfill its purpose. The individual bean is now gone, but what remains is the finest coffee in the world: rich, fulfilling and fit for a King.
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(Isaiah 56:7)
Here's a question to ask yourself this Sunday morning (and be honest; you're not going to fool you unless you're weird): Is your church a house of prayer? And I'm not asking whether prayer takes place in it. Of course it does. It's a church. All churches pray. Usually this occurs at specific times in the program, and you can tell it's coming because the minister says something like, "Let us pray", which is a dead giveaway. It may even be scheduled right in that little piece of folded pastel paper they handed you when you entered. Then the congregation chants something they know by heart (memorized might be more apt) and sit down. It's like an appetizer before the real meal.
I'm talking about real prayer. Real prayer can't be contained. It can't be timed. It can't be scheduled. It can't be memorized. It exists in it's own moment. It's alive. And best of all, it works.
You can tell whether a church is really a house of prayer by their attitude towards this gift. How much time does it get in the service compared to announcements, singing, fundraising, teaching, socializing and fundraising? Is it a last resort or the first line of defense? Is it something that can be counted on or is it kind of iffy? Does it precede every decision, every move, every step, or is it an afterthought? Can it heal the sick, bring in needed funds, change situations, move mountains (in other words, work) or is that something only those people believe?
God wanted His house to be a house of prayer. He wanted it to be known for this. And like today's verse declares, He wanted it to be international, a place for all nations (peoples, races) to pray. Together. Sure, He loves praise and worship and preaching and announcements about summer camp and carwashes. He knows we have to raise money, too. But He called His house a house of prayer first and foremost. We should assume that this is what He wants it to be. And like everything God comes up with, it's for our benefit, not His.
We all know how Jesus felt about this (Matthew 21:12-17). It's one of the few times we get to see Him really angry. It must have shocked even His disciples to see the meek and mild Lamb of God kicking over tables, sending birdcages crashing to the ground, doves and pigeons flying everywhere, money clattering on the stone floor, as He chased the people out of the temple. Considering that He didn't even lose His temper when He was being unjustly accused, beaten and executed, it gives me the impression this is really, really important to Him. Had the Father Himself had to "cleanse the temple" today we might be referring to Jerusalem as "that big hole in the ground", but He let His Son handle it in His own (perfect) way. Is it just me, or does it seem that God got a lot more patient after He had a Son?
Something I've always appreciated about living here in Hawaii is how the native Hawaiian language translates Christian ideas and words. One I've mentioned before is the word for faith, paulele (pau = finished, lele = leap). But another good one is the word for Sunday, La Pule. While every other day of the week is just based on the numbers one through six, Sunday, La Pule, is different. It means Day of Prayer. Even the pastor is called the Kahunapule, literally, prayer expert. And guess what they call the place they go to worship? The Hale Pule, House of Prayer. Makes me wonder if it's really coincidence that God gave the Hawaiians a place to live called Paradise.
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(Romans 5:19)
Here's a something you'll hear from Christians and non-Christians alike: How come I'm being held responsible for Adam's sin? Why am I being punished for his lack of obedience? I didn't take a bite out of that apple! I wasn't there! I never even met Eve! I'm innocent! Innocent I tell you! It's a frame-up! Let me out of here! Arrrrrrrg!
Sorry. Got carried away. But you know what I'm talking about. We've all read how one man's sin wrecked what was going to be a perfect world: tame animals, no work, great food, perfect climate, beautiful women walking around naked, no sickness, no death, etc., then whammo!-- out of the Garden. Which means man-eating tigers, double-shifts, fast food, El Nino, skin-eating bacteria, death and taxes, and the multi-gazillion dollar clothing industry. Oh, and Hell, too. Thanks a whole heck of a lot, Adam.
Personally, this doesn't seem fair to me either. But guess what? God doesn't have to be fair. And certainly none of us can claim to have led a sinless life. His rules, which He made up without asking our opinion, state that if you sin, you die. And we all sin, like it or not. And when you think about it, Adam only yielded to one temptation. I think it's safe to say we've all surpassed that figure. So whether we like it or not, whether it's fair that we're the way we are, is immaterial. We're guilty. The fact that Adam's disobedience infected every person on earth may not be fair, but it's true.
Except in one instance: Jesus. He was untouched by Adam's sin. His entire life was what God would like ours to be: perfect. Not one time was He disobedient. Yes, He was tempted with everything we've had thrown at us, but He never gave in (Hebrews 4:15). Not once. Now let's talk about unfair.
If anybody could make this claim it would be Jesus. How terribly unfair that His own Father, whose rules He's followed to absolute perfection, should sacrifice Him for a bunch of losers who aren't even trying to follow the rules. And because of this supreme sacrifice, we get back everything Adam lost. We don't even have to be perfect! Jesus is our righteousness. We don't have to be crucified. Jesus has taken our punishment for us. We don't have to die. He's done it. We don't have to spend Eternity separated from God, as we deserve, tormented and in unimaginable agony. We get to be Family. We get Paradise. We didn't earn it. We can't earn it. It's a gift, bought and paid for by Someone who could have easily avoided the whole painful ordeal (Matthew 26:53), and who by rights was the only Person ever who didn't deserve death. But like I said, God doesn't have to be fair. We can all be pretty happy about that.
You don't want fair.
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Week of 6/20/98 - 6/28/98 Vacation - Reprinted article
(Ephesians 5:22)
This week Pakistan and India's doomsday one-upmanship, the Monica and Bill Show, Mexico burning to the ground, the hamstrung Mideast peace talks, and every other item of hot news was forgotten as a bigger story took center stage. It became the subject of virtually every talk show, commentary and editorial. Experts from all fields and disciplines were trotted in to render their opinions on this dire situation. What prompted this national emergency? A comet headed for earth? Two comets? Discovery of sentient life on Mars? The return of Christ? No. The Southern Baptist Convention just decided to add another piece of the Bible to the list of things that they believe, namely: that women should submit to their husbands. Just imagine the furor if they had added the one about children obeying their parents!
Probably no verses in Scripture engender more hostility in the secular community than these few that deal with marriage. Probably none are so misunderstood and badly explained by Church leadership either. Women see this admonition as a return to the Dark Ages and men see it as license to rule their homes like feudal lords. Both interpretations are incredibly wrong.
The sticking point is, of course, that nasty word submit. To our modern way of thinking, it carries the connotation of slavery, of being under someone's thumb, of resignation of will and identity. But what Paul is talking about is a voluntary relationship in which the wife gives the husband the opportunity to be a leader, not a dictator. It does not mean that she is to be a doormat, or that she must tolerate any physical, emotional or sexual abuse. It does not take her out of partnership, decision-making or diminish her role in any way. It does not still her voice (this goes without saying). Her opinions and input are still needed, her intelligence and talents remain a necessary part of the equation. She is not now, nor has she ever been, created by God to be a second-class citizen in the kingdom of heaven. She is simply allowing the husband to be the head of the family, as Christ is the head of the Church.
Of course none of this is going to work if the husband is a jerk, which is why Paul devotes nine of the twelve verses in this section to the husband's conduct, a fact most people tend to ignore. Actually, his may be the more demanding role in that he must be someone that his wife is willing to put her trust in. He should earn this trust (Christ earned ours). She submits to his leadership, but he must: love her as Christ loved and gave Himself for the Church, love her as his own body, nourishing and cherishing her, loving her as himself. A man that does this is not going to be abusive, arrogant or dictatorial. His wife is going to be treated with gentleness, honor and love. She will be overwhelmed with good things, just like Christ overwhelms us with good things. He can't do enough for her. He can't hurt her, she's part of him, and he's part of her. Her body belongs to him, but his body also belongs to her (I Corinthians 7:3-4). There is simply no room for male chauvinism here and anyone who thinks there is needs to read this whole section of Ephesians over and over until they get it. Jesus Christ never treated women any differently than he treated his male companions, even when the culture He lived in did. And He doesn't now, either. If you want Him really upset with you, mistreat His little sister.
God put men and women together for a reason, and not just for procreation. We are to be one, not master and servant, but functioning together, each adding to the other what the other lacks. That's why we never marry someone just like us (thank God). We're to inspire each other, take care of each other's needs, and enjoy each other's companionship. We're actually supposed to have some fun, too. Really.
My wife Chee and I have been married for twenty-two years. A second degree black belt in Karate, she is nobody's doormat. She has her own successful business and is respected and loved by all who meet her. She has talents and abilities I would love to have but don't. She's nicer than me, too. Sometimes she even gets me to tone this little column down a bit (you aren't really going to say that are you?) so people won't think I'm a maniac. And yet in spite of her incredible independence and self-sufficiency she still treats me like her husband, even when I fall miles short of the perfect one described in previous paragraphs. God honors that. So do I.
Bet she frames this one.
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(Galations 1:8)
Recently I received an email from one of my wonderful subscribers that contained several interesting questions. Normally I answer email privately, but these questions are common to so many people that I have decided to give what explanation I can here. Before I start let me say that my desire is to state the truth, at least as I see and understand it, and not to offend or condemn anyone.
The first question she asked was about cults. She had heard someone teach that the Mormon Church, as well as the Jehovah's Witnesses, were cults and didn't understand why they were being classified as such. She was curious as to what other churches could fall under this heading and also what scriptures might define this distinction.
First of all we need to look at the word cult. In its broadest dictionary definition it is simply a religious system with its own rituals, beliefs, etc. When commonly used today, it is to define a group that is especially weird, controlling or abusive to its followers. In Christian terminology, however, it carries doctrinal implications and generally means a group that has deviated from what is considered classical Christianity.
There are many scriptures that speak to the ignorance, completeness and complete trustworthiness of the Bible. There are others, like today's verse, that strongly discourage tampering with it. Paul says that even if an angel brings you a new gospel, different from what has been already revealed, don't listen. Notice that he includes himself in this warning. Here's another good example: Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar (Proverbs 30:5-6). A few other examples would be Psalm 19:7, Luke 16:17, Jeremiah 36:20-32, and Revelation 22:18. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) have chosen to add as scripture the Book of Mormon (delivered by an angel, and referred to on TV as another gospel of Jesus Christ), Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants to the original Word of God. The Jehovah's Witnesses have done something a little different. They have made their own translation of the Bible, the New World Translation of Holy Scriptures, amending things here and there that don't quite work in their theology.
Another way to determine whether a group has deviated from the Word of God is to look at what they actually believe and teach. How does it compare to traditional, Bible-based Christianity? The Mormons, for example, believe that God was a man from another planet who died, and upon being resurrected, became our God of this planet. He is a polygamist with billions of children, Jesus and Lucifer being just two of these (that makes them brothers). You can become a God, too, and rule your own planet someday. There is not room here to elaborate on Mormon rituals and the custom of baptizing the dead by proxy. The Jehovah's Witnesses on the other hand believe that Jesus was originally created as Michael the Archangel and that He rose only spiritually, not bodily, from the dead. They teach that Satan came up with the whole Trinity concept, the Holy Spirit is an impersonal force, only 144,000 will go to heaven and there is no hell, just the cessation of existence (annihilationism). These are only a handful of examples that show how these two particular groups have wandered perilously far from traditional Christianity.
Better than all these explanations, however, is that built-in cult detector that as a born-again Christian resides in you. His name is the Holy Spirit and He's very personal. One of His primary ministries is to lead you to truth (John 16:13). He reacts very strongly to perversion of the Word (He wrote it afterall), which is why certain things may make you uncomfortable at times and you aren't even sure why. Trust Him.
Finally, let me stress one more time something that has become a constant theme in these writings: KNOW THE BIBLE! You are responsible for testing these things and if you don't know what the Bible says you are an easier target for a David Koresh or a Reverend Moon. And remember that even pastors of "normal" denominations can get pretty flaky sometimes. You need to know if they start going extra-Biblical. You don't want to follow them down that dead end.
One more thing to remember: God loves the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses as much as anybody in this world can be loved. We should do the same. Yes, we can point out the gigantic, gaping, smoldering holes in their theology, but we should do so lovingly. These people are for the most part involved in these religions because they want to do what's right. They make a lot of sacrifices for these beliefs and actively pursue their churches' ideals. They just believe way too many of the wrong things. Remember that when they ring your doorbell next Saturday morning at eight o'clock and you're in the shower with shampoo in your hair. Okay, at least try.
The Bible ends with "Amen", not "To Be Continued".
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(Galations 5:14)
Over the centuries since Jesus Christ ascended back into heaven, men have been tampering with His words, adding some here, discounting some there, in an effort to create one of those exclusive clubs we commonly call a religion. Until fairly recent times, the general consensus was that the prerequisites for membership were far too lenient. The message of the New Testament made it clear that anyone could get in by simply repenting and believing, thus allowing all sorts of riff-raff and undesirables into the club. So steps were taken to make sure this wouldn't happen.
One of the first orders of business was to make sure that the Word of God was incomprehensible to the average person. So for hundreds of years it was written and preached in a language only the elite could understand. This was tremendously successful. Without the Common Man's complete ignorance of the Word it is unlikely that milestones in Christianity such as the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition and the virtual annihilation of every New World civilization (and their "sub-human" inhabitants) could have occurred.
Yet this was destined to change. Eventually every one from the village priest to the village blacksmith had access to what was previously the exclusive property of the high and mighty. So other steps were needed to insure exclusivity. These took the form of rules and regulations concerning dress, language, social behavior, music, money, progress, family and church hierarchy. We see Paul combating the beginnings of this legalism in today's verse.
What had happened was that a group of legalists, called Judaizers, had come to the newly-converted people of Galatia and tried to convince them that Paul's doctrine of salvation by grace through faith was inadequate to really save them. There was more. For one thing, they had to be circumcised. Sure, Jesus was for real, but faith in Him alone wasn't going to cut it. There were laws to follow. And this Paul guy was decidedly a second-stringer. He had no authority to back up anything he was saying. Peter and James were da Men.
You know Paul. He lived for this sort of thing. He proceeds to compare what the Judaizers are offering them to a return to slavery and warns them in fact not to get circumcised: Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing (Gal. 5:2). Not because there's anything wrong with the custom in itself, but that in this case it would be putting the law before grace, which would be: Stupid. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love (Gal. 5:6). He goes on to say, okay, you want law? I got your whole law right here. Fulfill this: Love your neighbor as yourself.
Now before we join the Galatians in throwing our hats in the air, or whatever they threw in the air back then, Paul very quickly reminds us that this freedom from the law is not freedom to return to sin. To emphasize this he goes on in verses 19 through 21 to list every sin you can think of and some that may not have even occurred to you. For example, I have never had even a little a problem with sorcery. Outbursts of wrath on the other hand...
The point is that everything we do should be measured against this one rule we're to live by. If I do this, is it showing love to my neighbor? And is it showing that I have love for myself? It should, because we're supposed to love our neighbor as (we love) ourselves. You can't do the one without first doing the other. This is not always as easy as it sounds, even with the Holy Spirit's help. Which is yet another reason men keep inventing more and more rules. It's easier to just not dance on Sunday than love yourself the way God does. It's a lot less work to wear a long dress and your hair in a bun than to really love your neighbor. It feels like you're doing something. It looks holy, sacrificial. Except to God.
Paul says about this perverse legalism: You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace (Gal. 5:4). Not a good place to be. We should try to live by the one law we have, and if we fall, we fall into grace, dust ourselves off, and try again.
The more laws, the more prisons.
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(I Samuel 1:18b)
There are some people who get irritated with other Christians who pray to their Father and then have the incredible temerity to believe that their prayers will actually be answered. They refer to these "faith people" as the name it and claim it, blab it and grab it bunch and other things even less charitable. In fact, the word faith when used in this context is intended as, believe it or not, derogatory.
Think about that. With so much evil and tragedy taking place daily in this world is someone having too much faith a problem? Is this something that should be ridiculed? Apparently so, because there are a lot of high-profile, self-appointed Christian (I am using this term loosely) watchdogs who have built whole careers (they'd call them ministries) on this premise. Apparently their sole mission is to destroy the ministries of those who preach this word of faith.
What prompted this rant is that I was innocently surfing the Net, trying to see if one of my favorite preachers had a web site. His name popped up and I clicked on it. But it wasn't his site. It was some organization's page (I will not give the name) wherein they were lambasting several ministries, his included. Various quotes were taken out of context (as usual) to make these men and women of God look like perverters of the Gospel, and of course that word faith was sprinkled throughout like so much rat poison.
The thing that gets me is that these faith-bashers act as if charismatic Christians invented the concept of believing and receiving. Worse, just how are we supposed to pray? In unbelief? Doubting? Is prayer just some kind of cosmic crapshoot? Maybe Jesus was just having an off day when He said, "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive" (Matthew 21:22). Maybe He really meant we were supposed to wonder about it.
Which brings us to (tah-dah) today's verse: So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad (I Samuel 1:18b). What does this have to do with anything? Well, Hannah, the woman in this story, was unable to have children. For years this had caused her great sadness and humiliation, partly because children were important then and secondly because her husband Elkanah's other wife, Peninnah, was a regular baby factory. To make matters worse, every year when they went to the temple to sacrifice, Peninnah would make fun of poor Hannah to the point that she couldn't even eat. All she could do was cry. Her husband tried to cheer her up by reminding her that, hey, she had him, so what did she need sons for? Hannah's response is not recorded but I can almost hear Elkanah saying, "What? What did I do?"
So right then and there Hannah made a vow to God. She promised that if He would give her a son, she would dedicate him to His service. As she was praying, Eli the priest was watching her and assumed from her agitated state that she must be drunk (there's a message in there somewhere) but after Hanah assured him she was just plain miserable, he said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him." And Hannah went and ate and wasn't sad anymore.
Two things are worth noting about this incident. First, Eli had no idea what Hannah was praying for, yet he said God grant your petition, as if it were a certainty. No wondering, no maybes, no "if it be Your wills". Secondly, Hannah herself considered it a done deal and went away convinced she had been heard and answered even though she was as childless as ever. This attitude paid off because after a little while (the author uses the expression in the process of time) Hannah gave birth to Samuel. Cute name. Means Heard by God. And just to prove He's not stingy, God gave the barren Hannah three more sons and two daughters.
Of course today Eli would find himself on the faith-bashers hit list for overstepping his authority and giving this poor, stupid woman false hopes. Hannah, too, would be ridiculed for trying to make a deal with God and presuming that her prayer had been answered prior to seeing any results. I just wonder how they'd explain Samuel.
Praying without faith is like mailing a letter without a stamp.
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(Romans 8:35a)
Well, we've made it to the fourth and final question Paul poses in chapter 8 to the infant church in Rome. This is probably the most important one and indeed Paul elaborates more on this last one than any other. If you've read the previous three messages you realize that these are not rhetorical questions, but a real test of where we are in Christ. To know the (correct) answers to these questions is vital if we are to have anything resembling a relationship with our Savior.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword (Romans 8:35)? Paul goes through a list of unpleasantness, most of which he had experienced first-hand, to begin to make the point that no problem we have, no negative situation we can encounter, will cause Christ's present, active and eternal love to evaporate. No trouble, no wits-end-back-against-the-wall problem, no attack from those who hate us, no widespread national crisis, no personal poverty, no imminent danger, not even war will ever diminish this love. It's bigger, stronger and more powerful than any of these things.
A few verses later Paul strengthens his position by adding a few more things that can't separate us from this love, just so we won't have any questions I suppose. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39). Whew! Well, that takes care of that. Looks like he covered every possibility and then some. Paul was nothing if not thorough. And that one about things to come eighty-sixes all the yeah buts and what ifs.
As complete as this list is, however, allow me to add one more: Yourself. See, as great as this list of things that can't separate us from the love of Christ is, they have never really been a big problem for me. No matter what anyone else did to me, whatever lousy thing happened, I never really doubted in my heart that God still loved me. But there have been many times I've done something that made me think that God's love must be just about used up. He couldn't possibly still love me after I did that. I couldn't even love myself. If I were God I'd just give up.
Fortunately for us all I'm not and He is. Sure, we can disappoint Him, anger Him, even cause Him to take a break in His work in our lives, but we can't make Him stop loving us. We just can't do it.
Paul was amazed by this, too. Later in his letter to the Ephesians he prayed that we may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height --- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge (Ephesians 3:18-19). Even for Paul this unquenchable love was staggering. Probably still is.
Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. Not even you.
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(Romans 8:33a)
This week brings us to the third in a series of questions Paul poses to the Romans. As with the previous two, a response is expected. "I don't know", "I guess so" or "Huh?" is not what Paul is looking for. These questions (and how we answer them) define our relationship with our heavenly Father and His Son.
Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? First let's look at that word elect. It is from the Greek eklektos and means chosen, not elected. It implies someone being handpicked for special privileges and consideration. It's me and you. The word charge is from the Greek egkaleo and means to accuse. In this case a better word might be indict. As for the who in this case it's fairly obvious. Let's flip to Revelation 12:10 for a description of him at work: Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of the brethren, who accused them before our God day and night has been cast down."
Get the picture? We're on trial, whether we know it or not. Day after day Satan (whose name actually means the accuser) is laying charge after charge against us before the throne of God. He's like a cosmic (and of course evil) version of Ken Starr, totally and single-mindedly devoted to our destruction. Except in Satan's case, he doesn't have to dig up the dirt on us, he knows it by heart. He knows every sin, every failure, every time we blow it. Probably takes notes. And he's not going for a reduction in our privileges or a little slap-on-the-wrist prison term. He's demanding the death penalty. Technically, he has the goods on us. We're guilty.
Unfortunately for Satan, however, we have the best (Jewish) lawyer in the universe representing us. Every charge brought against us is thrown out of court. This is accomplished by the simple legal argument that punishment has already been rendered. We've already been crucified for our sins (Galatians 2:20). That guilty person is dead. All God sees is His sinless Son standing in our place. Next case. Of course it doesn't help the prosecution either that our Attorney is our Brother (Romans 8:29) and that His and our Father is the Judge.
Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us (Romans 8:33-34).
This is just another one of the benefits of salvation: free legal representation. None of us could afford to put Jesus Christ on retainer. Imagine His hourly rate. Yet He represents us 24 hours a day for free. I'm really thankful for this, but I must admit I wish I could give Him a day off.
My Son, the Lawyer.
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(Romans 8:32)
Last week we looked at the first in a series of questions Paul poses to the infant Roman church. This week brings us to the second of these seemingly unanswerable questions. I say seemingly because not only are these not just rhetorical questions, they in fact demand a response from us. How we respond to this little pop quiz Paul springs on us reveals exactly where we stand in our faith, how we see our relationship with the Father and the Son, and what we expect from this relationship.
In last week's verse, If God be for us, who can be against us?, we saw that we needed to read between the lines for what was not said and look at this question more as who can be successful against us. In today's verse, the words are there but two of them (with Him) we tend to leapfrog over to get to the good stuff and the other (things) has lost its meaning.
Let's look at the words with Him first in context. He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? This does not mean in addition to Him, or eventually, as if we are talking about first one and then the other. Think of the word with meaning at the same time, in conjunction with, or even because of. This is not a promise of things to come but rather a promise fulfilled. When you got Jesus, you got all things at the same time. It might also be good to consider that you only get all things with Him and without Him you've got exactly diddly.
But what are all these things ? When we use the word things these days we tend to mean, well, things. Stuff. Material possessions. But the word Paul uses for things might surprise you. It's logos, which means word. Here's how Strong's defines it: A transmission of thought, communication, a word of explanation, divine revelation, instruction, divine declaration, and divine promise. I believe that divine promise makes the most sense in this case and actually covers all the other definitions. In other words, when you received the promise of Jesus, you got all the other promises, too.
So we could actually read today's verse like this: He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not (at the same time, because of Him) also freely give us all (divine promises)? This means that if you are in need of healing, deliverance, provision, guidance, comfort, wisdom, understanding, protection, etc., God's not withholding these promises from you. He fulfilled them all when He gave you His Son. True, you may have to wait sometimes to see the complete fulfillment in non-emergencies. This is just good parenting. No matter how much you love your six year old son, and no matter how much he loves cars, you wouldn't give him one until he's old enough to drive.
Possibly you think I've taken some liberties with this verse. It sounds a bit too good. Okay, let's establish it with another witness. Here's Paul again, this time speaking to the church at Corinth: Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come --- all are yours. And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's (I Cor. 3:21-23). That pretty much covers it. Again the word for things here is logos.
Stand on your faith. Don't be afraid to ask and expect answers. You can't ask for anything greater than what's already been given. It's like this: Imagine you're standing on the corner waiting for a bus. Your watch stops. As you're shaking it and looking around a total stranger walks up, smiles, and hands you a million dollars. Do you think he's going to mind if you ask him for the correct time?
You already got your Christmas present. The rest is just stocking-stuffers to God.
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HAVE FAITH IN GOD!
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