Facing Reality in Death

 

The Ecclesiastes writer tells us that coming into the presence of death  helps the living to lay it to heart - to see what is real! (Ecclesiastes 7:2).

Our questioning of death and our immense sense of loss in its presence if we are honest, strips us of all our pretenses and identifies for us what is real about life. It is not our bank account, the car we drive, where we live or the clothes we wear. It is who we are as a person, that’s what is real and that’s what matters when we die. It won’t matter that we have failed, or had a past that was dirty. For the person who truly knows what is real, is one who has turned to God the author of life for help to be the true person he/she was meant to be precisely because of their failures and a dirty past.

In Isaiah 25:8, God declared through the prophet, "He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it." The apostle Paul based on this Isaiah passage offers these comforting words regarding death and the final resurrection, "So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:54-57 KJV).

Silver and Gold Have I None

Perhaps, we are familiar with Peter’s healing of the lame man in Luke’s narrative found in Acts 3. We remember that as Peter and John approached the temple, they encountered a lame man who was  asking for money. As the two disciples fixed their eyes and attention on the man crying out to them for money, it was Peter who replied, “I have no silver and gold...” (Acts 3:6).

You know nothing seems more relevant to us than money when it comes to physical infirmities and calamities. Money is the great protector! The insurance companies do a great job of selling us on this point using ducks, geckos, mayhem and even cavemen to convince us. They would have us believe that money will take care of our greatest needs in times of sickness or disabilities or even death. Yet, I don’t know if there is anything more irrelevant than money when it comes to the health, disability or death of a loved one. Who among us would not give up everything we had to restore the health or life of a loved one? It is one of life’s greatest ironies -- or maybe it rises to the level of a paradox -- that nothing seems more relevant for life than money, and yet nothing is more irrelevant to life than money, for we would gladly exchange all of our money for the life and health of someone we loved!*

However, the Christian’s worldview takes into account that there is more to personhood or one’s life than physical fitness or existence. Each one of us is something that neither money, power, nor privilege can buy or reproduce. Namely, we are a living soul in whom God invested with His very image. However, since the Fall and because each of us has sinned, we have marred our likeness to God separating ourselves from Him. Nonetheless, in Christ, whether rich or poor materially, physically or socially, we can be the richest of the rich by His grace which he bestows on those who trust in Him beyond all physical experiences and/or limitations because of the revelation of His Son and His word (Romans 10:12; Acts 20:32)

Peter had nothing of a material nature to give the lame man; he had something far better. It is hard not to get caught up in saying “that the something far better” was the restoration of his health. After all, here is a forty year old man lame from his birth, totally dependent on others and largely marginalized by society so much so that we don’t even know his name! The people only referred to him in his healing as “one that was lame and begged for alms” (3:10). As far as we can tell, not even Peter knows his name, for he refers only to him as “him” (3:11), “this man” (3:16; 4:10) or “a crippled man” (4:9). In fact, it appears that not even Luke knows his name, for he only describes him as the “man on whom this sign of healing was “performed”(4:22). Yet, this one description by Luke is powerfully impregnated with significance, as we shall see.

So what could possibly be more needful for this lame beggar than his ability to walk? What could be more joyful than having that experience, which everyone around you took for granted, but you yourself have never even been able to try? How could you not be amazed by such a miracle! Yet it was NOT his physical healing per se but what it symbolized -- “the man on whom THIS SIGN was performed” (4:22) -- it was the sign/symbol which was the real “wow factor.” It is the “wow factor” for every human being, in every age since the Fall of man, whether we are physically whole or not, and it can’t be bought with silver or gold! 

Listen to the full answer of Peter, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”(Acts 3:6). What is the wow factor? It is that name -- the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth! This name is the substance of Luke’s narrative from chapter 3, verse 2, all the way through chapter 4 and verse 31. Look at the narrative; it is all about “the name” (3:2,16; 4:30), the “power” (4:7), “the means” (4:9). Listen to the disciples’ prayer, after the release of Peter and John,  “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

What is significant about the name and to what was the sign of healing pointing? Let us take up the latter first, namely, “to what was the sign of healing pointing”? It is clear from this language that the physical healing was not the “end game” or destination of the miracle; it was merely a sign! Even the enemies of Peter and John were smart enough to realize that some “notable sign had been performed” (4:16). It was pointing to something else -- something greater than itself. What could possibly be greater than the healing of a forty year old lame man? The answer is simple: what God had accomplished through His servant Jesus Christ! Namely, the forgiveness of sins - the healing of our sin-sick soul and the restoration of our image to the likeness of God, who created and invested us with that very image! 

As Peter speaks to those who were guilty of denying and/or crucifying Jesus Christ, he states unequivocally that neither he nor John by their own goodness or power made this man walk! (3:12-15) To the contrary, in every way it is by their faith in the name of Jesus Christ that this man stands before you whole (3:16). Peter continuing his sermon pointing out that this miracle of physical healing is the sure sign that by faith in name of Jesus Christ, God’s promises made through the prophets regarding the times of refreshing and restoration has begun for all men. It has specifically begun in the assurance of the forgiveness of sins for all those who have faith in this name, who repent and turn back to God through the Christ. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the promised servant sent by God, foretold by Moses and all the prophets, that He would come and turn each one of us away from our wickedness through faith in his name (3:17-26).

In further consideration of the significance of this sign and name, consider the defense Peter makes of healing the lame man before the rulers, elders, scribes, priests and the High Priest in Acts 4:5-11. Peter begins by laying out the facts:  We are being interrogated by what means (name) we have done a good deed to a crippled man in that we “healed him” (vs. 9). In the next verse, Peter unequivocally and unabashedly declares that this crippled man is “standing” whole in their presence by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom they had rejected and crucified, whom God raised from the dead  (vs. 10). He continues his indictment of the Temple dignitaries for their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah by declaring that Jesus is the true cornerstone of God’s true temple (vs. 11). He concludes his sermon by saying that ONLY in this Jesus is salvation possible “for there is no other name under heaven given...by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Here is the point:  The same word translated "healed" in verse 9, is the same word translated "saved" in verse 12. This is the significance of the sign of healing in that name, namely, it pointed to and gave assurance that the salvation for all men had come and was accomplished through the name, power or means of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

This is the healing in the name of Jesus that is relevant for all men today whether they are physically whole or not! They can be made spiritually whole and stand in the presence of God. The healing that comes by faith in His name is the forgiveness of our sins. Fully understood and received, it will lead one to praise God and leap for joy in heart and life, like a lame man from birth made whole! It is interesting to note that of all the healing of lame people we find in the Scriptures, this is the only case where a lame man who has been healed leaps! It is in Isaiah 35 that the prophet foretells of the Messianic kingdom (rule) saying, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy” (35:6). So once again, we are met with assurance from Scriptures that our God reigns and the forgiveness of sins is real (Acts 4:23-31). WOW!

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* Sadly, abortion is the one horrible, horrendous and ignominious exception in the West, particularly in the USA, where money is more valued than life. All under the guise of a woman’s right to choose.

Relevant Servants

Challenges to our faith come in all shapes and sizes. None of them should be taken lightly. If we have been faithful through a little tribulation we are more likely to be faithful through much. "But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere" (2 Corinthians 2:14).

There are exceedingly hard places that we come to in life that are sometimes overwhelming, and even excruciatingly painful, to our spiritual and emotional well-being. Yet if we are Christians, we are a people whose faith is deeply rooted in God and His word (John 8:31-32). That means our lives have relevance in the presence because we are neither looking to nor living in the past. To the contrary, as Christians we are living for and looking to the future, always reaching for what is ahead. It also means I don't always know the "why's" of suffering or the "what if's" of tragedies. Yet what I do know is that the apostle Paul's earnest expectation, even in the midst of such immense and overwhelming suffering, could not be compared to the glory that awaits us as Christians (Romans 8:18; Philippians 3:12-13).

Neither shall we who profess to be Christians, dare to live in a smug self-righteous manner, as if we are above the kind of suffering and pain that others are going through, even when it is at their own hands. All suffering by its very nature, whatever shape and size, is consequential. However, not all suffering is the consequence of the individual sufferer's choice. We live in a world where sin abounds. That is another way of saying we live in a world where people are truly fighting and struggling with their own demons of which we may be unaware. Sin always involves consequences that cannot be controlled. Or if you prefer, sin always has unintended consequences for both the perpetrator and even some innocent by-standers. God is always the innocent who suffers for our sins, regardless of how WE calculate sin!

Even as Christians, it may be difficult at times to imagine the hope that is before us because of our present difficulties and pains. However, the reality of our hope is not found in our suffering but through our suffering by faith that focuses not on the seen but the unseen. "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

There are hearts hurting today in the most unimaginable way. I don't know all of them but I know some of them. What then, is my responsibility as a Christian? As Jesus came and entered into our suffering to show us the way to be at home and at peace with God, so must I, as a follower of Christ, enter into their suffering. I can give them nothing more, or any thing better, for assuaging their grief than pointing the way home to God. I do this by simply loving and serving without judgment in their hour (days) of greatest need and desperation. May God help us to be His kind of servant, relevant to the real needs of others pointing the way to heaven!

Do You Know Who You Are?

"A man lives by believing something: not by debating and arguing about many things." Thomas Carlyle

I need the reminder that there are many faithful Christians, many young and many old, some are highly educated and others not so educated, some are rich and some are poor and many in-between. They are faithfully and daily living out the scriptures, be it in the home, or in the factory, or  in the office or in the classroom. Furthermore, they are in every sense as committed to the Lord, grounded and settled in the Scriptures, as those who are arguing over the nuances of verbs, translations of the Scriptures, or the historical-critical background of the New Testament or a thousand other questions. In short, they live in an awareness of God's faithful presence and, because of that, they know who they are.

I wonder, if those who are constantly arguing over the scriptures, are afraid of living out their lives in quietness because they don't know who they are. "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing." (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12).

Who are you?

The Bible and Scholarship

Does scholarship have a legitimate place in helping us to understand and/or interpret the text of the Scriptures? Of course it does! You would be exceedingly foolish to deny it. So I am in favor of using scholarship as an aid to our understanding but not as the source of our understanding.

Yet in this short excursion, I want to deal with those who make too much out of scholarship. Too many, whether intentional or not (I will let God judge), are giving biblical scholarship the same importance Catholicism gives to the Church. Catholicism teaches only the Church via its priests, can interpret the Scriptures for the laity (those who are not ordained priests). The reason for this is because the Church is the "mother of the word." In other words, Catholics want to argue that God brought the Word into existence through the Church and therefore only the recognized officiants of the Church (the priests and the hierarchy) can interpret it. If that were true (that God brought the Word into existence through the church), it might be a fair argument. Fortunately, the New Testament is too clear to be misunderstood even by the laity of the Catholic church if they would only read the scriptures for themselves. Specifically, it is the Word of God that brought the church into existence, for the Word of God is the seed of the kingdom (Luke 8:11). 1Timothy 3:15 states that the church is the pillar and ground of the truth; that is, the church emanates from the truth.

Consequently, if one argues that because we are dependent on scholarship for our English translations we are therefore dependent on scholarship for interpreting the scriptures, they are drawing a conclusion that is neither logical nor demanded by the premise (a non sequitur, if you prefer). Yes, we are dependent on scholarship for those reliable English translations (which are based on the extant manuscripts) written in the original languages. However, the very fact that the Word is translated into English, or any other language for that matter, means it can be understood by those who speak the language into which it is translated!

How else could you explain the scene in Acts 2? The gospel was being translated into the native tongue of all those present (see verse 5-12). What is ironic is the reaction of the people, as the apostles BEGAN preaching the gospel, they said, "'we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.' And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, 'What does this mean?' But others mocking said, 'They are filled with new wine'" (vv. 11b-13)

Notice also, that when Peter begins his answer to them, he points them to the scriptures and says this is what the prophet said (2:17-ff). So (and here is the irony) by the end of the sermon, some of the same people were crying out to the very same men – men to whom they had said, "What does this mean?" or perhaps had even accused of being drunk --  asking, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Yes, they were dependent upon a translator for the translation but as far as the interpretation and meaning of what they heard, they were dependent on the Scriptures and their own will to believe it. Today, we have the same message, from the same men, in both a trustworthy and reliable transmission of the text and English translation.

A further irony found in the scripture, for those who want to assert the necessity of scholarship for understanding and interpreting the Scriptures, is Luke 10:25-28. "And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, 'Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' He said to him, 'What is written in the Law? How do you read it?' And he answered, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.' And he said to him, 'You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.'" The two questions Jesus' asked him put the responsibility for knowing what the law said and for interpreting the meaning of it on the lawyer - one skilled in the law as a proclaimer! To be sure, there were competing Rabbinical schools of interpretation among the Jews, in the First Century, who were bona fide scholars. However, Jesus didn't ask what the latest scholarship had to offer in the way of interpretation. He put it squarely on the shoulders of the individual.



Here are Jesus’ 3 rules for receiving eternal life based on Luke 10:25-37 (this has long been a favorite sermon of mine to preach):


1) Find out what God said: What is written in the Law? 


2) Have the right attitude toward what God said: How do you read it? 


3)Then commit to it: Do this, and you will live (OBEY IT)


The All Sufficiency of the Local Church

One of the most salient characteristic of the local church, as we read about it in the New Testament [NT from this point forward] is its all-sufficiency. The word sufficient is an adjective meaning: "adequate for the purpose; enough." (http://goo.gl/iwzyW). The word sufficiency is a noun meaning: "the state or fact of being sufficient; adequacy."(http://goo.gl/WZ8vxn) The local church was adequate for the purpose for which it was given and is therefore all-sufficient.

To disprove that last statement one only needs to show where the existence, organization, or work of a local congregation, in the NT, was ever dependent upon anything else other than faithful Christians, in a given locale working and worshiping together, striving to follow apostolic authority. By apostolic authority, I mean the local churches we read about were under the direction of the Holy Spirit, by means of the apostles, as Jesus had promised (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7-13, et. al.). The following passages are just a few of the passages that could be given to show that the apostles ordered or directed local churches in the NT Acts 2:42, 1 Corinthians 7:17; 11:16; 16:1; 2 Cor. 8:5; Titus 1:5, etc.

I might add that the work of the Holy Spirit, in this capacity was only ever intended for those of whom Jesus said, "you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning" (John 15:27). Clearly, we cannot bear witness of Jesus in the sense that Jesus is talking about here because we were not with Him from the beginning. Furthermore, being with Jesus from the beginning was a qualification of an apostle, as noted by Peter when they were selecting a successor to Judas, who had betrayed Jesus and subsequently committed suicide (Acts 1:15-26). Thus, the work of directing the churches was done by the Holy Spirit via the apostles (see 1 Corinthians 12:25ff).

The local church is all-sufficient because we have THE all-sufficient word (perfect law of liberty) of the apostles conveyed for us in the New Testament (James 1:25-ff). The warnings are fairly given and direct so that we have no business adding to, or taking away from, this body of teaching that comprises the New Testament (Revelation 22:18-19; Galatians 1:6-ff)! You cannot alter the teaching of the NT without altering the church that we read about in the NT. The identity of local churches to Jesus Christ and the maintenance of such, as we read in the NT, was clearly the result of the teaching of the apostles recorded therein (cf. Acts 11:19-26; Revelation 2:1-3:22).

Now having said all this here is the point to which I am driving. The local church in its existence, function and organization was designed to be autonomous or if you prefer independent. What does that mean? It means, owing to its sufficient nature, as God designed, each local church exists, functions and organizes as if it were the only one in all the earth. Stop, digest, and just cogitate on that last sentence, before reading on because there is a warning coming!

The independent nature of the local church we read about in the NT was NEVER dependent on any organization or work beyond its own members or means! Elders are given the clear charge to tend the flock "which is among them!" (1 Peter 5:1-ff). God never intended for elders to oversee any aspect of the work, or organization, of any other local congregation! To the extent that occurs the independence or autonomy of both churches is lost and they are no longer what God designed. The NT church did not have an earthly headquarters as each was independent of each other striving to submit to apostolic authority.

In the seven letters to the churches of Asia-minor (Revelation 2:1-3:22), whatever commendations or condemnations each of these churches were given by the Lord, they were their own and were independent of the other six! He did not instruct one church, much less the elders of one church, to correct the problems in any of the other churches, much less help facilitate the work of any of the other churches. The reason is obvious each local congregation was all-sufficient to do its God-given duty!

The principle of autonomy or independence must be respected! When I read of those who want to air the problems of a church where they are not a member, relying at best on second-hand information (the accuracy of such a report does not matter) it is disturbing, disruptive and may be damning to their soul. If the elders of the congregation experiencing the struggles want the specifics of the trouble known then it is theirs to do, as the shepherds of the flock which is among them. They know all the facts and the painfulness of the experience. It is not the work of another from somewhere else to air it for them (1 Peter 4:15).

It is heartbreaking for all of us to hear about such happening in any local church. We must remember that the New Testament honored principle of local autonomy, should never preclude any of us from caring, or feeling the hurt, or keep us from praying, for those who wrongly left and those who have remained desiring to be faithful to the Lord. The apostle John said it best, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us." (1 John 2:19).

On the other hand, if we are not careful we may carry the principle of independence/autonomy to the wrong extreme. Sadly, some congregations focus so much on local autonomy or their independence that they are perilously close to glorying in that which God never intended. Namely, a form of hyper-congregationalism that cares for nothing else than itself and its right to do whatever it wants because of the principle of autonomy or independence. 

The apostle Peter exhorts those Christians suffering for doing good to remember they were NOT alone that they have brothers and sisters all over the world suffering for doing good (1 Peter 5:9). Thus, the concern for all Christians who suffer is shared by all other Christians wherever they may be.  In the aggregate, or universal sense, the church which Jesus promised to establish was made up of individuals in a saved relationship to God through Him (Matthew 16:18). He died for individuals not local churches. Local churches were designed to be made up of those same individuals for the purpose of organizing, working and worshiping together! In other words, the local church is how individual Christians who are in a saved relationship to Christ, were meant to relate to each other in a given locale or as a collective group (organizing, working, and worshiping together). They strive together to follow primitive Christianity according to apostolic authority (NT).

Building Our Faith: On the Known or the Unknown?

A biblically accurate faith always seeks to establish its trust and practice only on that which can be known rather than on what is NOT known. What do I mean by that? I mean what Paul meant when he exhorted, “O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge,’ for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.” (1Timothy 6:20-21 ESV)

Most understand, according to the scriptures, that “faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).  Thus, if we establish our faith only on what we can read and understand from God’s word then we will practice and guard (observe, be watchful for) what can be known and understood by all men. We need to realize that THE FAITH is a fixed deposit given by God and is as relevant and unchangeable today as it was in the First Century. The obligation to guard THE FAITH is the responsibility of all those in every generation who have received it. In our sincere interest of guarding THE FAITH, as true disciples of the Lord, we MUST turn away from the irreverent babble and contradictions which some engage in and teach.

Irreverent babble and contradictions describe the questions and doubts by which many establish their faith and practice. If one bases his faith on the rationalization that the bible didn’t say not to, then he is building his faith on what he doesn’t know!

There are a lot of questions with which we all wrestle, and truthfully, we may not, for whatever reason, like some of the answers that are given by others. Furthermore, we may not have the answers fully settled in our own minds regarding every question that others seem to have settled for themselves. On the other hand, I am not going to establish my faith or practice based on some nuanced, hair-splitting questions that one raises which I may not at this point, or ever, be able to answer. 

Sadly, I hear people are leaving congregations to establish congregations based on some peripheral or tangential questions rather than what can be known. I have never heard anyone from one of these new groups ever say that any of the practices of the group they left were sinful. They can’t say it because what those they have left are doing can be known from the scriptures! Yet, how many times have you heard someone try to justify their practice on the argument “God didn’t say not to!” I have never heard anyone say, “Well I am leaving and going to a group that uses instrumental music because you are wrong for NOT using it.” I have never heard anyone say, “It is sinful if a local congregation does NOT support a human institution from its treasury.” (Granted they may call us “anti’s” but that is not the same thing as saying we are wrong for not practicing it!). I have never heard anyone who has left a local church to go practice the observance of the Lord’s Supper in a different way say, “We are leaving because the way you observe the Lord’s Supper is sinful.”  The list could go on and on. The question is why are they leaving? I will tell you why. They have a lot of questions and doubts and want to base their practices on those questions and doubts. They have no questions and doubts about the practices of those they left. It is the questions and doubts that some have raised on which others are establishing their faith and practice. Is this not what Paul had in mind when he exhorted Timothy to turn away from the irreverent babbling and contradictions?

The ignorance that says doctrine doesn’t matter will give way to a shapeless and uncertain faith of which there can be no assurance and confidence. There is no stopping place to the insidious lure of Satan’s argument that God’s authority has no definition! Where God’s authority has no definition to what we believe or practice, we are left to our feelings. Once we are left to our feelings, our faith and practice is no longer about Him who saved us but about us who saved god.  Clearly God’s authority has definition, which means it has boundaries, and we are not at liberty to cross those boundaries if we are going to truly respect God and not become idolaters worshiping our feelings.. There is no other way that we can establish an accurate faith or exercise a pleasing faith toward God than by putting our trust in and basing our practice on what we do know according to the Scriptures.