Author: Jim Elliff
I have just returned from Milan, Italy, where a portion of my time was spent with leaders of The International Church of Milan (ICM). We talked together about the diversity of their congregation, which consists of 14 nations so far. Among the leaders were two families who are not only working with this congregation, but are praying and feeling their way toward an Italian-speaking congregation that will work in tandem with the ICM. I felt compelled to express my concern that the Italian wing of the church, though eventually necessary due to the language barrier, should nonetheless be as diverse as possible in itself for the glory of God. They should seek to include Asians who speak Italian, Africans who speak Italian, Moldovans who speak Italian, etc., because God is most honored in this intent to bring diverse backgrounds together into one loving body.
Why would I press for this? And why will I encourage you to pursue the same?
Without question, the early church’s most nagging problem was the blending of the Jewish and the Greek cultures. Consider how often Paul is concerned about this issue in his letters to the churches. When he wrote to Rome and Ephesus, his concern over this was thematic. One could easily place the burden of his Roman letter into these simple words: The absolute impartiality of God. Jews and Gentiles face the same wrath of God because they are all alike under sin, but they are also offered the same access to God because God is absolutely impartial toward ethnicity. Therefore Paul emphasized that the nascent church in Rome must embrace the diversity that God makes harmonious through Christ. The Jewish man now turned believer in Christ has to look the Gentile in the face and say, “I love you,” and vice versa, because God has now made them one. And, they must do everything possible to live out that unity.
Paul’s burden for Ephesus
In Ephesians, Paul states that by revelation he (and all Christ’s apostles and prophets) had come to understand that the exclusive privileges thought to be the birthright of the ethnic Jews are not in effect as expected, and that Gentiles are “brought near” through the cross. Contemplate his words as he explains something of the “mystery” now revealed:
By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel . . . (Eph. 3:1-6)
This was no peripheral issue for Paul. It was his mission as the “apostle to the Gentiles,” and it is the universal church’s mission as well, to promote that harmony of cultures in Christ that the cross brings them (or, we might say, forces upon them for their good). Imagine what it took for this former Jewish leader to accept that the Jews' lofty position as God’s chosen people is not ultimately about ethnic Jews, but only Jewish Christians who share the position with “Gentile dogs” who have also become Christians. The promises made to the Jews are for all who are in Christ; the inheritance is both for Jews and Gentiles. We are all members of one body. The immensity of this new knowledge is not only enough to cause every God-fearing Jew to scream curses at Paul, but is the very reason Gentiles like me have any hope whatsoever. Paul carried this message everywhere.
This homogeneity of Christian Jews and Gentiles was fully intended by God from the beginning and was not a back-up plan. Paul declares that all of this was “in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord . . .” (Eph. 3:11). The phrase “carried out” signifies completed action; it has to do with the finished work of the cross through which Christ destroyed the barrier between Gentiles and Jews who are in Christ, that barrier was the Law, as is seen below:
But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two [Christian Jew and Gentile] into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. (Eph.3:13-16)
There is so much talk of oneness in the New Testament that I can speak of it only in an introductory way. I am only calling attention to this plan of God by patting on this massive stone that is laid in the bedrock of our Christianity. It is so big and so encompassing and so vital that it is amazing that we in our current churches are avoiding its implications as if it never existed. God took the most diverse cultures in existence and brought them together into an entirely new culture. From now on there is no “distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all” (Col. 3:11).
All cultures and backgrounds
This last passage quoted above reminds us that the oneness that God seeks is not merely a Jewish/Gentile oneness, but includes all cultures and backgrounds. It is as if God dealt first with the most divergent of cultures, Jews and Gentiles, so that we are compelled now to bring together any and every kind of person in Christ with any other true believer. This is the new view that exploded on the scene following the passion week. It was launched into a missionary program on the day of Pentecost. In fact, the Spirit was poured out in part to accomplish this very leveling out and blending together of all cultures in Christ, as the Joel prophecy states in Acts 2.
I say “exploded” for that is exactly how it must have looked to everyone. The book of Acts is a chain reaction explosion taking place all across the known world until, as Paul affirms, the entire world had heard the good news (Col. 1:6). This intention of God to unite people of all cultures into a living unity in Christ was the ideological energy source of the new evangelism that prior to Pentecost was only pointed to by the prophets. The Jews were to be an object lesson to the world prior to this, but did not evangelize the world. The multi-cultural New Man, in contradistinction, is to be made up of anyone and everyone. “And it shall be that everyone [meaning anyone, not just Jews] who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21). It is a stunning picture laid out for us, and the biggest socio-religious shift of all time. The reverberations are all about us still.
The Church of the future
An additional impetus to our unity among diversity is that of the projected makeup of the future kingdom. It is glorious in its admixture of those from “every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Rev. 5:11). We cannot, must not, live contrary to our final convergence in Christ. In the ugly old slavery of early America, the schizophrenia about this was incredible. There were blacks and whites who would not dream of worshipping as equals (though they were sometimes in the same building), yet at the same time would hold the doctrinal verity that all colors would be in heaven together some day. This was entirely incongruous. We are called to experience in this life as much of the spirit that will characterize us in the new earth as is possible. The ideal of heaven is always to be the pursuit of earthbound believers. “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). We cannot pray for the Kingdom to come and not relish what that coming Kingdom means. Our community of believers is to be a living demonstration of the power of the cross and also of the purified Bride who awaits the wedding. We are denying our future calling to fail in this area. We are smearing our reputation and throwing dirt on our bridal gown.
I am only cursorily reminding us of the race-shattering significance of the cross and the future world in order to whet our appetite. With this in mind, we might well read Scripture with a better perspective. It is not just a point of historical interest to converse about the early church Jew/Gentile divergence, but a matter of current necessity. It speaks to us now. And as we look ahead to heaven and the new earth we are not just to long for something, but to do something about our state right now.
God is glorified when we bring our diverse backgrounds together in these outposts of heaven called local churches. As one friend says, “It is God showing off.” God even affirms that it is His compelling interest for the authorities in the heavenly places to see our oneness.
“ . . . and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places” (Eph. 3:9-10, emphasis mine).
What not to be
In our own local church we are making some steady progress in demonstrating harmony of divergent cultures, thanks to God’s grace. It is only a start, but it is driven by a real, workable and biblical concept that we believe can be carried out over time. What we have already seen is glorious. Perhaps it is easier for us in our church to mix ethnicity and socio-economic levels since we meet in several homes as our meeting pattern. The flexibility of the house church network model allows us to locate in any part of town, and to avoid that stigma that a single location may bring. A church building often has limitations because it is perceived as identical to its neighborhood. Whether intended or not, it represents to many that a certain class or kind of people are welcome. Therefore, extra efforts for those who use buildings will need to be made to overcome this dilemma. Building or no building, however, we are to pursue this beautiful diversity to the greatest possible extent.
So, I will say as strongly as I can, you should not start (or have) “a black church” or “a white church” or a “homeschooling church” or a church for professional people and another church for poor people. Nor should you start a church aimed at younger people or older people. In this the modern church has erred. I do not mean that we should not be evangelistic toward all categories and types of people (actually, that is my point), but in building the local church our aim is too low, and frankly, sometimes selfish. We are forfeiting something of the glory of the church by not seeking to blend all kinds of people together, even if we cannot fully accomplish it. A cowboy church or a country music church may reach cowboys or country music lovers, but is this anything like what God intends to promote as the primary social implication of the cross? Does it depict real earth-side yearning for a future glorious church? We have diminished the meaning of the church by doing this. Paul simply refused to have a Jewish church on this end of town and a Gentile church on the other.
Again, if language barriers mean that some churches must be started for specific language groups, you must be as diverse as possible within those language groups to fulfill the intention of God. We have also not fully worked out the possibilities of multi-language churches through simultaneous translating yet, but it surely would also magnify the glory of the cross and of the church if we could find some way to do so successfully.
We all know that more homeschooling people or Hispanic people, or White people, or Black people or urban poor people may be in attendance in a given church, but that is no excuse to be a “homeschooling church” or an “Hispanic church” or an “urban poor church.” The actual demographics are God’s business; ours is to seek all people in Christ, “the desire of all nations.” We know that there may be more Asians in this particular part of town and that most in attendance will be from that background, but do not make the mistake of making your church an “Asian church.” It may be Korean-speaking, if necessary, but it should not exclusively be a KoreanChurch. If it is Christ’s church, then be aware that He does not intend it to be exclusive. Do not work against the glorious cultural ramifications of the cross with your good intentions.
Even though moving from a single-culture church to a multi-cultural church (or better to a Christ-cultural church) is sometimes a daunting task and causes many to say, “Where do we begin?” it still must be the intent of the local church, and the message of the local church, when addressing its constituency. I read an advertisement about a church in our city that said, “We sing the Old Hymns.” That was all they said. What does this say to our objective? Granted, I have likes and dislikes in music and so do you, but, in the final analysis, we really should not separate over whether old or new is sung. I’m not offering full solutions about a difficult issue here at all. I am saying that the gospel demands better solutions than dividing ourselves. We don’t work hard enough at understanding what our separations are projecting to the world and to the heavenly authorities. As difficult as it might be, the early church had far more to work through than what music would be sung. Their struggles and successes are instructive to us who may have less to work through than they did. It will be sad to face Christ in the future and say, “We could not be the glorious church you called us to be because we could not get together on the music.”
One of the by-products of thinking in the way I’m suggesting is that some of the silliness in church life goes away. Emphasizing oneness in Christ among diverse people has a way of purifying the church. No church that is multi-cultural can make it without prayer, sound doctrine, close pastoral oversight, Christ-centered worship, and biblical evangelism, all of which are unifying aspects of church life. Such churches work harder at what the people have in common, the ground that is shared in Christ. They have to let the rest go. Paul worked to de-emphasize cultural likes and dislikes that are inconsequential (if not downright divisive) in favor of New Covenant principles and behavior. It takes biblical thinking to get there. This was exactly what Paul was laboring at in so many of his letters. Sadly, we, on the other hand, just specialize in one type of people and what they enjoy (sometimes even if it has no organic relationship to the gospel at all), and avoid the need for the labor. But we must do the hard work, the kind that brings joy and glory to God.
A bolder proclamation
Paul asked the Ephesians to pray “that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Eph. 6:19-20). What was he saying? He was speaking of the mystery of the shared promise, the shared inheritance for the most diverse of cultures. He did not intend to be quiet about what the cross has done. He was on a lifelong mission to bring in Gentiles, but he almost always began by teaching in Synagogues, preaching the message that both Jews and Gentiles are one and must live out their oneness before the world and before the authorities in the heavenly places. We must not minimalize what God has made so much of.
I am short-changing you in the brevity of this article, and its theoretical nature. In fact, I’m not offering much that is practical at all. I will leave that to you. I suspect that for most it will mean that more serious teaching and prayer will need to take place to arrive together at a consensus of direction. We must “see” this truth for it to grab us. But if we fail to try, what can we say about ourselves? Though the process may be difficult for a missionary, for instance, to join followers of Christ from one tribe with another tribe’s believers, who once were adverse to each other, no one can say that it would not redound to the glory of God if it were done. And, considering the Jewish/Gentile oneness Paul presses us toward, surely we cannot deny our obligation to do all within our power to display such glory. And surely, concerning our western churches, no one would deny the outrageous glory and beauty of the urban rock music orientated believer on his face in prayer next to the traditional, white-haired, hymn-loving grandmother who has walked with God for sixty years. Heaven is glorious, and this is heaven on earth.
Copyright © 2008 Jim Elliff Christian Communicators Worldwide, Inc.Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in unedited formincluding author's name, title, complete content, copyright and weblink.Other uses require written permission.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
When Does 1=2? Only When You’re Using Dispensational Mathematics
I thought this article was thought provoking and funny too. Check it out-God Bless
Written by
By Lionel Woods
Let me first start off by saying, I don’t believe the Church replaces Israel. I don’t know how anyone comes to that conclusion. The first question that should come to mind is replaces Israel how? Or replaces Israel with whom? So I don’t believe that at all. However I do believe something radically different than my Dispensational brethren and thus the premise of this post. What is that belief? I believe that two people became one people at Pentecost! I will explain why I think that in a brief second. What I mean is that at Pentecost Christ took believing Jews and believing Gentiles (which I believe are the elect of God predestined and foreknew by the Father before the foundation of the world expressed clearly back in Ephesians 1) and them one people and named them the Church. This church is the mystery Paul talks about in Ephesians 2 which was hidden in the past but now revealed. Peter also uses the same language in 1 Peter 2.
What does that say of ethnic Israel today? Well for one, they are in the same category as other nonbelievers. The covenant that they possessed (the one that made them a nation in Exodus 20) has been eradicated and a new and gracious covenant has been put in its place and it is not based on ethnicity but on faith (Hebrews 7-10 clearly states this, not to mention Galatians 3). So what Israel received by ethnicity God now offers by faith. The Sinaic covenant has been replaced and the covenant ratified by Jesus Christ is now the only way to God. Let me explain why I think there are only one people of God.
Ephesians 2:11-22 (emphasis mine)
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
and……
Ephesians 3:1-6
3:1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
My Thoughts….
So here are my thoughts on this subject. Once again this is not a harmful jab at my brethren but it is a jab none the less. One thing that my Dispensational brethren are very fond of saying is that “we interpret the Bible literally”. So I want to apply that “literal” hermeneutic to this epistle. Once again, the Ephesians upon reading this letter has no clue what dispensationalism is, but neither did anyone else to a about hundred and something years ago. So lets take a time capsule back into the 1st century after attending seminary and hold a conversation with some of the elders in Ephesus.
Dispensational:Hey I am from the 21st century and have found this time capsule that allows me to go back in time. I can only stay 1 hour due to limitations. How are you?
Ephesian Elder: I am doing great, wow Christianity has made all over the world? That is amazing, we never knew it would get so big! Praise God what Paul said we now know to be true. We are even more encouraged.
Dispensational: Yeah Israel has become a Nation again we can see God ushering in His Kingdom. God promises to His special people are unfolding before our eyes!!!!!
Ephesian Elder: ????? I am puzzled what do you mean special people?
Dispensational: You know, we are just a parenthesis in God’s plan but His promise to bring Israel, back in the land and give them all the past promises and “save them all” is unfolding.
Ephesian Elder: Where did you hear that from? Paul just wrote us a letter and he says we now partake int the commonwealth and the ALLLLL of the promises because of what Christ did on the cross. There is no more dividing wall, no more hostility, and we are no longer two people but one and Christ is the head. We are being built up into one holy temple of God.
Dispensational: No, no, no! God is going to rapture the Church and then do something special with His chosen people. You must be greatly mistaken or you are taking Paul’s letter out of context. Haven’t you read the Old Testament.
Ephesian Elder: Oh yes I have read it and all of the promises are found in Christ. He is the “true Israel” of God, He succeeds where they fail. He is the true seed of Abraham and faith in Him makes us all one people my dear friend.
Dispensational:Well…, I have to go, but I think you are greatly mistaken. My system says that we are in the Dispensation of the Church age and the Kingdom Age is soon to come.
Ephesian Elder: ???? What does that mean?
Above is a short hypothetical conversation that I think would occur if my brethren were to take a time capsule back into the first century. I don’t see how from the plain reading of Ephesians we get two distinct people when Paul constantly uses the word “one”. Let me show you.
v. 14 - For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one
v. 15 - that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two
v. 16 - and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility
v. 18 - For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father
Now unless one means two in this epistle I have a really hard time agreeing that there are still two distinct people in God’s plan. God in Christ has made one people and they are His elect and gave them one name and that is The Church! This organism now is how Christ will make Himself known to the world (John 17). There is no more us vs them and Gentiles are no longer aliens but sons and heirs of God through faith as He promised Abraham back in Genesis. This great mystery has been made evident to all of the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Peter puts it this way:
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
You see we are longer dogs as Jesus called the Samaritan woman. No, my friend we are children (John 1:13) of God and heirs to the promises of God. We are now as Peter says “a holy nation” (ethnic Israel was under the Old Covenant), “a royal priesthood” (the Levites were under the Old Covenant) “a chosen race” (ethic Israel was the race through the physical seed of Abraham under the Old Covenant). Why? “That we may proclaim His excellencies” (which if you read the Torah was the very reason God chose Israel). The church isn’t a mishap in God’s plan but as Paul writes in Chapter 1 of Ephesus this was “before the foundation of the world”!
In closing. This is my take as I use the plain literal meaning to interpret the scriptures. God’s plan was to redeem the world through Christ. Israel was given the privilege under the Old Covenant, but we are given the obligation under the New, to proclaim God’s excellencies. No longer are there two people but one people, and Christ is the head. No more hostility, no more gentile vs Jew but one people under one Covenant ratified in Acts 2. I am thankful that I am no longer a “dog” (LOL) but a child and heir to all of the promises of God found in Christ Jesus. Amen that God has allowed us to be witnesses of His long veiled mystery!
Written by
By Lionel Woods
Let me first start off by saying, I don’t believe the Church replaces Israel. I don’t know how anyone comes to that conclusion. The first question that should come to mind is replaces Israel how? Or replaces Israel with whom? So I don’t believe that at all. However I do believe something radically different than my Dispensational brethren and thus the premise of this post. What is that belief? I believe that two people became one people at Pentecost! I will explain why I think that in a brief second. What I mean is that at Pentecost Christ took believing Jews and believing Gentiles (which I believe are the elect of God predestined and foreknew by the Father before the foundation of the world expressed clearly back in Ephesians 1) and them one people and named them the Church. This church is the mystery Paul talks about in Ephesians 2 which was hidden in the past but now revealed. Peter also uses the same language in 1 Peter 2.
What does that say of ethnic Israel today? Well for one, they are in the same category as other nonbelievers. The covenant that they possessed (the one that made them a nation in Exodus 20) has been eradicated and a new and gracious covenant has been put in its place and it is not based on ethnicity but on faith (Hebrews 7-10 clearly states this, not to mention Galatians 3). So what Israel received by ethnicity God now offers by faith. The Sinaic covenant has been replaced and the covenant ratified by Jesus Christ is now the only way to God. Let me explain why I think there are only one people of God.
Ephesians 2:11-22 (emphasis mine)
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
and……
Ephesians 3:1-6
3:1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
My Thoughts….
So here are my thoughts on this subject. Once again this is not a harmful jab at my brethren but it is a jab none the less. One thing that my Dispensational brethren are very fond of saying is that “we interpret the Bible literally”. So I want to apply that “literal” hermeneutic to this epistle. Once again, the Ephesians upon reading this letter has no clue what dispensationalism is, but neither did anyone else to a about hundred and something years ago. So lets take a time capsule back into the 1st century after attending seminary and hold a conversation with some of the elders in Ephesus.
Dispensational:Hey I am from the 21st century and have found this time capsule that allows me to go back in time. I can only stay 1 hour due to limitations. How are you?
Ephesian Elder: I am doing great, wow Christianity has made all over the world? That is amazing, we never knew it would get so big! Praise God what Paul said we now know to be true. We are even more encouraged.
Dispensational: Yeah Israel has become a Nation again we can see God ushering in His Kingdom. God promises to His special people are unfolding before our eyes!!!!!
Ephesian Elder: ????? I am puzzled what do you mean special people?
Dispensational: You know, we are just a parenthesis in God’s plan but His promise to bring Israel, back in the land and give them all the past promises and “save them all” is unfolding.
Ephesian Elder: Where did you hear that from? Paul just wrote us a letter and he says we now partake int the commonwealth and the ALLLLL of the promises because of what Christ did on the cross. There is no more dividing wall, no more hostility, and we are no longer two people but one and Christ is the head. We are being built up into one holy temple of God.
Dispensational: No, no, no! God is going to rapture the Church and then do something special with His chosen people. You must be greatly mistaken or you are taking Paul’s letter out of context. Haven’t you read the Old Testament.
Ephesian Elder: Oh yes I have read it and all of the promises are found in Christ. He is the “true Israel” of God, He succeeds where they fail. He is the true seed of Abraham and faith in Him makes us all one people my dear friend.
Dispensational:Well…, I have to go, but I think you are greatly mistaken. My system says that we are in the Dispensation of the Church age and the Kingdom Age is soon to come.
Ephesian Elder: ???? What does that mean?
Above is a short hypothetical conversation that I think would occur if my brethren were to take a time capsule back into the first century. I don’t see how from the plain reading of Ephesians we get two distinct people when Paul constantly uses the word “one”. Let me show you.
v. 14 - For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one
v. 15 - that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two
v. 16 - and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility
v. 18 - For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father
Now unless one means two in this epistle I have a really hard time agreeing that there are still two distinct people in God’s plan. God in Christ has made one people and they are His elect and gave them one name and that is The Church! This organism now is how Christ will make Himself known to the world (John 17). There is no more us vs them and Gentiles are no longer aliens but sons and heirs of God through faith as He promised Abraham back in Genesis. This great mystery has been made evident to all of the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Peter puts it this way:
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
You see we are longer dogs as Jesus called the Samaritan woman. No, my friend we are children (John 1:13) of God and heirs to the promises of God. We are now as Peter says “a holy nation” (ethnic Israel was under the Old Covenant), “a royal priesthood” (the Levites were under the Old Covenant) “a chosen race” (ethic Israel was the race through the physical seed of Abraham under the Old Covenant). Why? “That we may proclaim His excellencies” (which if you read the Torah was the very reason God chose Israel). The church isn’t a mishap in God’s plan but as Paul writes in Chapter 1 of Ephesus this was “before the foundation of the world”!
In closing. This is my take as I use the plain literal meaning to interpret the scriptures. God’s plan was to redeem the world through Christ. Israel was given the privilege under the Old Covenant, but we are given the obligation under the New, to proclaim God’s excellencies. No longer are there two people but one people, and Christ is the head. No more hostility, no more gentile vs Jew but one people under one Covenant ratified in Acts 2. I am thankful that I am no longer a “dog” (LOL) but a child and heir to all of the promises of God found in Christ Jesus. Amen that God has allowed us to be witnesses of His long veiled mystery!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
A New Heart
by Geoff Volker from http://www.ids.org/
The New Covenant
In Hebrews 8:7-13 we find the author of Hebrews describing the content of the New Covenant. He quotes a very familiar passage, Jeremiah 33:31-34, which refers to the promise of God to restore Israel after its time of captivity in Babylon. If you read this passage in its context in Jeremiah you would swear that it is talking about literal Israel. But, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the New Testament author of Hebrews applies this passage to the time of the New Covenant church, our present era.
The context of Hebrews 8 pictures Jesus as the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. He is contrasted with the Levitical High Priests, from the family of Aaron, who constantly die and have to be replaced. Melchizedek, that fascinating personality who shows up on the scene in Genesis 14 as the King of Salem and the Priest of the Most High God, is described as someone who has no beginning or end. I think what is meant by this is that he had no genealogical records to describe his family history. No one knows where he came from. He just shows up and then is gone. Jesus is described as the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek to show the superiority of his priesthood to that of the priesthood of Levi. The sacrifices of the Levitical priests never accomplished the forgiveness of sins.
"The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming -- not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If It could, would they have not stopped being offered? For the worshippers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." -- Hebrews 10:1-4 (NIV)
But just as Melchizedek shows up on the scene and then doesn't seem to die, so also Jesus dies for sin once and for all and then rises from the dead to live forever as our Redeemer. Since he does live forever as our redeemer, the salvation that he purchased on the cross is also ours forever.
"When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once and for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption." -- Hebrews 9:11-12 (NIV)
The redemption that Jesus Christ purchased on the cross, the New Covenant, is described as consisting of two parts. The first part is the forgiveness of sins. The second part is the New Heart.
"The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant. And I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in the minds and write them on their hearts, I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." -- Hebrews 8:8-12 (NIV)
The forgiveness of sins refers to the legal aspect of our salvation where we are declared forgiven by the judge of the court of Heaven because he fully punished Jesus, his own Son, in our place. Jesus fully satisfied the wrath of the Father so that we could have peace with God. As a result of the work of Christ, we who believe are justified.
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." -- Romans 5:1-2a (NIV)
The New Heart is the desire to live for Jesus which all believers receive at conversion. This new desire, or New Heart, will drive all believers to pursue the Lordship of Christ. The author of Hebrews describes it as having the law written on your mind and heart so that no one will have to teach you. By this he does not mean that believers will not need teachers. What he does mean is that believers will be motivated from the inside out to live for Jesus. They are self, or Spirit, motivated to obey the Lord of the universe.
"Therefore, in anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
"We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him." -- 1 John 2:3-4 (NIV)
"This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother." -- 1 John 3:10 (NIV)
Hebrews 8 also says that no one will have to teach his neighbor to know the Lord, because all will know him. This means that all who Jesus died for, the elect, will, at the appointed time, come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and desire to live for him. It is therefore absolutely guaranteed that every believer will experience a changed life, since it was infallibly purchased by the Son of God at Calvary. Our salvation was a package deal. If you are saved you will receive JUSTIFICATION (forgiveness of sins), SANCTIFICATION (a changed life), and GLORIFICATION (the promise of Heaven). You must get all of them or none at all. But above all else you must understand that without a changed life no one will get to Heaven, for that is the evidence of a saving Faith.
"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." -- Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)
Repentance is Much More Than a Change of Mind
When the question is asked, "What must we do to be saved?" the biblical answer is repentance and faith.
"I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus." -- Acts 20:21 (NIV)
The basic meaning of the word repentance in Greek means to change one's mind. But when it comes to conversion, repentance takes on a much deeper meaning. The reason for the change is the state of the heart of man. Man by nature is a God-hater. As a result of Adam's sin all of mankind come into the world guilty and have a hatred toward the Lord of the universe. So the problem of getting man to truly change his mind about God is that his heart or disposition toward the God of all must first be changed.
"As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.'" -- Romans 3:10-11 (NIV)
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day." -- John 6:44 (NIV)
"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." --1 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV)
The changing of the heart of man is the work of the Holy Spirit. This is what our Lords was talking to Nicodemas about in John 3. Unless there is prior work of the Spirit of God on the heart of man he will never believe. When the Spirit draws to Himself those for whom Christ died, he changes the desires of the heart so that they no longer want to live for themselves (a God-hating experience), but now want to live for Jesus Christ. They do change their mind about Jesus, but it is much more than that. They change their allegiance from themselves and the world to that of serving Jesus Christ. This then is the meaning of Repentance, and why it is utterly inconceivable to view repentance as merely a change of mind.
"But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." -- Romans 6:17-18 (NIV)
A Saving Faith Embraces Lordship
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. I one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same say, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead. ...As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." -- James 2:14-17 (NIV)
The clear assumption in Scripture is that Saving Faith includes a desire to follow Jesus Christ as Lord. The issue is not simply convincing someone that Jesus ought to be their savior. The problem lies in the realm of the heart. All men have an aversion to Jesus the God-Man. To believe in Jesus is to receive him for all he is. There is no way that we will willingly give the Lord of Heaven and earth the keys to our life. Therefore, Saving Faith must be given to us as a gift if any of us are going to be saved.
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." -- John 1:12-13 (NIV)
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast." -- Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
The Testimony of Church Discipline to the Necessity of the New Heart
"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector." -- Matthew 18:15-17(NIV)
When someone is caught in a verifiable sin and refuses to turn from it the Bible speaks straight to the issue. If the professed believer continues to hang on to his sin then he will ultimately find himself before the church. If he still refuses to repent then he is put out of the church (excommunication). The key point to understand about Church Discipline is the reason someone is put out of the church and regarded as an unbeliever: he is denying Jesus is his Lord! An on-going refusal to confess and turn away from a particular sin is a denial that you want Jesus Christ to be your Lord. To not want Jesus Christ as your Lord is to deny that you have a New Heart. Failure to have a New Heart means that you do not have a Saving Faith and are going to Hell.
The New Covenant
In Hebrews 8:7-13 we find the author of Hebrews describing the content of the New Covenant. He quotes a very familiar passage, Jeremiah 33:31-34, which refers to the promise of God to restore Israel after its time of captivity in Babylon. If you read this passage in its context in Jeremiah you would swear that it is talking about literal Israel. But, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the New Testament author of Hebrews applies this passage to the time of the New Covenant church, our present era.
The context of Hebrews 8 pictures Jesus as the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. He is contrasted with the Levitical High Priests, from the family of Aaron, who constantly die and have to be replaced. Melchizedek, that fascinating personality who shows up on the scene in Genesis 14 as the King of Salem and the Priest of the Most High God, is described as someone who has no beginning or end. I think what is meant by this is that he had no genealogical records to describe his family history. No one knows where he came from. He just shows up and then is gone. Jesus is described as the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek to show the superiority of his priesthood to that of the priesthood of Levi. The sacrifices of the Levitical priests never accomplished the forgiveness of sins.
"The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming -- not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If It could, would they have not stopped being offered? For the worshippers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." -- Hebrews 10:1-4 (NIV)
But just as Melchizedek shows up on the scene and then doesn't seem to die, so also Jesus dies for sin once and for all and then rises from the dead to live forever as our Redeemer. Since he does live forever as our redeemer, the salvation that he purchased on the cross is also ours forever.
"When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once and for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption." -- Hebrews 9:11-12 (NIV)
The redemption that Jesus Christ purchased on the cross, the New Covenant, is described as consisting of two parts. The first part is the forgiveness of sins. The second part is the New Heart.
"The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant. And I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in the minds and write them on their hearts, I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." -- Hebrews 8:8-12 (NIV)
The forgiveness of sins refers to the legal aspect of our salvation where we are declared forgiven by the judge of the court of Heaven because he fully punished Jesus, his own Son, in our place. Jesus fully satisfied the wrath of the Father so that we could have peace with God. As a result of the work of Christ, we who believe are justified.
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." -- Romans 5:1-2a (NIV)
The New Heart is the desire to live for Jesus which all believers receive at conversion. This new desire, or New Heart, will drive all believers to pursue the Lordship of Christ. The author of Hebrews describes it as having the law written on your mind and heart so that no one will have to teach you. By this he does not mean that believers will not need teachers. What he does mean is that believers will be motivated from the inside out to live for Jesus. They are self, or Spirit, motivated to obey the Lord of the universe.
"Therefore, in anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
"We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him." -- 1 John 2:3-4 (NIV)
"This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother." -- 1 John 3:10 (NIV)
Hebrews 8 also says that no one will have to teach his neighbor to know the Lord, because all will know him. This means that all who Jesus died for, the elect, will, at the appointed time, come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and desire to live for him. It is therefore absolutely guaranteed that every believer will experience a changed life, since it was infallibly purchased by the Son of God at Calvary. Our salvation was a package deal. If you are saved you will receive JUSTIFICATION (forgiveness of sins), SANCTIFICATION (a changed life), and GLORIFICATION (the promise of Heaven). You must get all of them or none at all. But above all else you must understand that without a changed life no one will get to Heaven, for that is the evidence of a saving Faith.
"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." -- Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)
Repentance is Much More Than a Change of Mind
When the question is asked, "What must we do to be saved?" the biblical answer is repentance and faith.
"I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus." -- Acts 20:21 (NIV)
The basic meaning of the word repentance in Greek means to change one's mind. But when it comes to conversion, repentance takes on a much deeper meaning. The reason for the change is the state of the heart of man. Man by nature is a God-hater. As a result of Adam's sin all of mankind come into the world guilty and have a hatred toward the Lord of the universe. So the problem of getting man to truly change his mind about God is that his heart or disposition toward the God of all must first be changed.
"As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.'" -- Romans 3:10-11 (NIV)
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day." -- John 6:44 (NIV)
"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." --1 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV)
The changing of the heart of man is the work of the Holy Spirit. This is what our Lords was talking to Nicodemas about in John 3. Unless there is prior work of the Spirit of God on the heart of man he will never believe. When the Spirit draws to Himself those for whom Christ died, he changes the desires of the heart so that they no longer want to live for themselves (a God-hating experience), but now want to live for Jesus Christ. They do change their mind about Jesus, but it is much more than that. They change their allegiance from themselves and the world to that of serving Jesus Christ. This then is the meaning of Repentance, and why it is utterly inconceivable to view repentance as merely a change of mind.
"But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." -- Romans 6:17-18 (NIV)
A Saving Faith Embraces Lordship
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. I one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same say, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead. ...As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." -- James 2:14-17 (NIV)
The clear assumption in Scripture is that Saving Faith includes a desire to follow Jesus Christ as Lord. The issue is not simply convincing someone that Jesus ought to be their savior. The problem lies in the realm of the heart. All men have an aversion to Jesus the God-Man. To believe in Jesus is to receive him for all he is. There is no way that we will willingly give the Lord of Heaven and earth the keys to our life. Therefore, Saving Faith must be given to us as a gift if any of us are going to be saved.
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." -- John 1:12-13 (NIV)
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast." -- Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
The Testimony of Church Discipline to the Necessity of the New Heart
"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector." -- Matthew 18:15-17(NIV)
When someone is caught in a verifiable sin and refuses to turn from it the Bible speaks straight to the issue. If the professed believer continues to hang on to his sin then he will ultimately find himself before the church. If he still refuses to repent then he is put out of the church (excommunication). The key point to understand about Church Discipline is the reason someone is put out of the church and regarded as an unbeliever: he is denying Jesus is his Lord! An on-going refusal to confess and turn away from a particular sin is a denial that you want Jesus Christ to be your Lord. To not want Jesus Christ as your Lord is to deny that you have a New Heart. Failure to have a New Heart means that you do not have a Saving Faith and are going to Hell.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Dispensational Futurism
I am currently reading couple of books on eschatology. In my studies I am at this time reading opposing views regarding Pre-trib, Mid-trib, and Post Trib. These videos above are a post-trib view and this gentlemen is looking at the typical pre-mill dispenstationlist view. This man may not accurately represent all pre-mill disp. If you have some videos or articles that would in your view accurately depict pre-mill disp just let me know and I would surely take an honest assessment of that information. I do not agree with all his conclusions but he does make some good points. Interesting videos. If you have any suggestions on books that might shed light on these topics-please feel free to share.God Bless
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Playing the Fool with Sexual Sin
by Daryl Wingerd
I once heard about a man who spit himself to death. It might be an "urban legend," but as the story goes, he died while competing in a distance-spitting contest. Being a bit drunk, and running toward the low railing of the bridge, he underestimated his forward momentum and . . . well, you can imagine the rest. A similar foolish fatality story (authentic or not, I do not know) involved a man showing his son the proper way to handle rattlesnakes. When the snake bit him, he angrily bit the snake back. Actually, he tried to bite the snake's head off, which explains how he died.
Even if these stories are untrue, senseless tragedies like these do actually occur. In a recently publicized incident, a man killed his wife when he used a handgun to shoot through the wall of his house. Why did he do this? He needed to punch a hole for his satellite TV cable and did not know his wife was standing outside.
Even a wise, cautious person can have an unexpected accident. Foolish behavior is different in that it certainly (or at least with a high degree of probability) leads to unfortunate or tragic consequences. Everyone should know better, but not everyone learns before it's too late.
In the Bible, the foolish-behavior principle is applied to sexual sin. It seems like a good idea at the time, it powerfully appeals to our natural (though sinfully distorted) desires and impulses, but it leads only to negative consequences and regret. That's why the Bible warns us to "Flee [sexual] immorality" (1 Cor. 6:18) and calls people who engage in it "fools."
Proverbs 6:32 says, "The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; he who would destroy himself does it." In Proverbs 7, the man who commits sexual sin is once again described as "lacking sense" (v. 7). He naively goes to the immoral woman, "as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool" (v. 22). "He does not know [even though he should] that it will cost him his life" (v. 23). Proverbs 5 sums up the foolishness of sexual sin like this:
For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord,And He watches all his paths.His own iniquities will capture the wicked,And he will be held with the cords of his sin. He will die for lack of instruction,And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.(Prov. 5:20-23, emphasis added)
The New Testament continues this theme. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, warning them to stay away from fornication (among other sins, cf. 5:5). He then wrote, "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:15-17). Elsewhere he wrote, "For we were also once foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures" (Titus 3:3).
The overarching biblical principle is summarized this way: "The wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless" (Prov. 14:16). "The prudent sees evil and hides himself, but the naive go on, and are punished for it" (Prov. 22:3).
Our society would have you believe the exact opposite about sexual sin—that it is rewarding rather than risky. Various forms of mainstream media have dramatized, romanticized, and sanitized sexual sin for public consumption. Because of huge financial profits, sex plays a starring role in the movies, on TV, and in advertising of every type. The fact is, sex sells—movies, music, magazines, make-up, clothing, cars, cell phones, shampoo, diet plans, sporting goods, and virtually any other product you can think of—to the tune of billions of dollars each year. It is marketed so cleanly and professionally that consumers have come to see it as normal, desirable, and without serious consequences. Even "decent" people who shake their fingers at prostitution, pornography, and teenage sex, go right on laughing and lusting at the parade of "respectable" immorality in the media.
Please don't play the fool yourself. It's all a huge lie. Sexual sin is not cool, funny, dramatic, romantic, or profitable. It is grotesque in God's sight, and it leads ultimately to death—like the ignorant ox being led to the slaughter. Do you not think the fish frying in the skillet would have refused the bait had he known about the hook?
If you buy into the lie and go on practicing sexual sin—if you believe the advertisers and obey your own impulses rather than believing and obeying God—you will pay, not profit. However wise and successful you appear according to the standards of our perverse culture, in reality you will be the person described in Proverbs 26:11—"Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats his folly."
I once heard about a man who spit himself to death. It might be an "urban legend," but as the story goes, he died while competing in a distance-spitting contest. Being a bit drunk, and running toward the low railing of the bridge, he underestimated his forward momentum and . . . well, you can imagine the rest. A similar foolish fatality story (authentic or not, I do not know) involved a man showing his son the proper way to handle rattlesnakes. When the snake bit him, he angrily bit the snake back. Actually, he tried to bite the snake's head off, which explains how he died.
Even if these stories are untrue, senseless tragedies like these do actually occur. In a recently publicized incident, a man killed his wife when he used a handgun to shoot through the wall of his house. Why did he do this? He needed to punch a hole for his satellite TV cable and did not know his wife was standing outside.
Even a wise, cautious person can have an unexpected accident. Foolish behavior is different in that it certainly (or at least with a high degree of probability) leads to unfortunate or tragic consequences. Everyone should know better, but not everyone learns before it's too late.
In the Bible, the foolish-behavior principle is applied to sexual sin. It seems like a good idea at the time, it powerfully appeals to our natural (though sinfully distorted) desires and impulses, but it leads only to negative consequences and regret. That's why the Bible warns us to "Flee [sexual] immorality" (1 Cor. 6:18) and calls people who engage in it "fools."
Proverbs 6:32 says, "The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; he who would destroy himself does it." In Proverbs 7, the man who commits sexual sin is once again described as "lacking sense" (v. 7). He naively goes to the immoral woman, "as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool" (v. 22). "He does not know [even though he should] that it will cost him his life" (v. 23). Proverbs 5 sums up the foolishness of sexual sin like this:
For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord,And He watches all his paths.His own iniquities will capture the wicked,And he will be held with the cords of his sin. He will die for lack of instruction,And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.(Prov. 5:20-23, emphasis added)
The New Testament continues this theme. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, warning them to stay away from fornication (among other sins, cf. 5:5). He then wrote, "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:15-17). Elsewhere he wrote, "For we were also once foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures" (Titus 3:3).
The overarching biblical principle is summarized this way: "The wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless" (Prov. 14:16). "The prudent sees evil and hides himself, but the naive go on, and are punished for it" (Prov. 22:3).
Our society would have you believe the exact opposite about sexual sin—that it is rewarding rather than risky. Various forms of mainstream media have dramatized, romanticized, and sanitized sexual sin for public consumption. Because of huge financial profits, sex plays a starring role in the movies, on TV, and in advertising of every type. The fact is, sex sells—movies, music, magazines, make-up, clothing, cars, cell phones, shampoo, diet plans, sporting goods, and virtually any other product you can think of—to the tune of billions of dollars each year. It is marketed so cleanly and professionally that consumers have come to see it as normal, desirable, and without serious consequences. Even "decent" people who shake their fingers at prostitution, pornography, and teenage sex, go right on laughing and lusting at the parade of "respectable" immorality in the media.
Please don't play the fool yourself. It's all a huge lie. Sexual sin is not cool, funny, dramatic, romantic, or profitable. It is grotesque in God's sight, and it leads ultimately to death—like the ignorant ox being led to the slaughter. Do you not think the fish frying in the skillet would have refused the bait had he known about the hook?
If you buy into the lie and go on practicing sexual sin—if you believe the advertisers and obey your own impulses rather than believing and obeying God—you will pay, not profit. However wise and successful you appear according to the standards of our perverse culture, in reality you will be the person described in Proverbs 26:11—"Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats his folly."
Copyright © 2008 Daryl Wingerd Permission granted for reproduction in exact form, including web address. All other uses require written permissionwww.CCWonline.org
Friday, May 2, 2008
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