His Puregarden

In the Lion's Den

2011-11-29T22:08:00.002-05:00

It can be such a frustrating thing to realize that you’ve been unsuspecting food for roaring lions. Toothless though they may be, they take advantage when given the opportunity. And sometimes those opportunities come when people around you serve you up like lion chow. But if you’re smart, you’ll learn to enjoy the game.

It will never cease to amaze me how those wonderful folks who give us such adventure are such gifted masters of clandestine moves. They work like shadows and speak only in them. They prevail in darkness and convince themselves that what they do is justified. What they fail to realize is that what they do in secret must in time, come into the light. It’s just the way things work. We don’t need to outsmart them. We don’t need to be one step ahead of them. We don’t even need to watch our backs. We just need to remain upright and wait.

I’ve heard it said by the lion feeders themselves that “God don’t like ugly.” While their motives may be self-serving and destructive to others, in the long run, they’re the ones who are in for a difficult time. The hungry lions will realize that those who have been thrown to them have an impenetrable, protective force shield. And although they may have fallen, they will rise up with weapons that are too mighty for the lions. However, the lion feeders tend to linger in the lions’ dens, watching for their victims to be devoured. As they do, they become food for the very predators they offered others up to. It never fails. But this kind of lion is like…an Orca. They play with their food. They torment and torture them, throwing them around like baby sea lions before the actual meal.

And then there we go. Our hearts get the best of us, and we pray for our victimizers, knowing that they too need the deliverance we’ve experienced. But that’s who we are. And that’s why we are not lion-feeders. We must protect ourselves not from them, but from our own insecurities, offenses, resentments, bitterness, and unforgiveness. There will always be those who would seek to feed us to the predators for their own selfish gain. But our motives, attitudes, and hearts must remain upright. We can only deal with ourselves.

Luke 6:27 teaches that we must actually LOVE our enemies and do good to them that hate us. That word, “love” comes from Greek agapao. It is the same unconditional love with which God loves us in all our glorious imperfection, as in John 3:16. And it is the same “love” from Matthew 22:37 with which we are to love God.

Isn’t that practical? Love your enemies, your neighbor, and your God with the same kind of love. Yeesh. That shouldn’t take too much, should it? I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be frustrated and watch the vengeance come upon those who deserve it. Those are my angry feelings. But I’m never supposed to be angry AND sin. (In other words, anger isn’t sinning. It’s what you do with that anger that gets you into trouble.)

So I put my silly pride away. Again. I push past the offenses and resentments. AGAIN. I forgive everyone of everything. AGAIN! Okay? Again. Yes. And I say thank you to the One who was never offended by me in the worst of my days. The One who forgives me over and over, and continues to shower that agapao on me even when I least deserve it. And when I do thank Him, I can begin to see that poor soul who offers up innocents to lions in order to build up her own broken self esteem with His eyes and pray for her. Again.

Never be a lion feeder. And when you find yourself being offered as lion food, know that God’s got this! He’s in the den with you shutting the lions’ mouths. And as for our lion feeders, do the AGAIN thing, again. It destroys our flesh, but it’s all good and all God in the end.

What You Need to Know About Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T13:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Dr. Willmington for permission to repost this wonderful article! Let it be part of your Thanksgiving meditation this year. Enjoy! Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

What you need to know about Thanksgiving

by Dr. H. L. Willmington
Imagine the following situation: You are in a church service listening to a sermon on the sin of pride. Soon the Holy Spirit convicts you regarding this very failure in your own life. Sitting there you inwardly confess this sin and determine to remedy it. But just how does one go about this? Are there certain steps to take in becoming humble?
Will you be like the man who wrote a book entitled, Humility and How I Attained It, which included a dozen pictures of the author with the final chapter boasting on how proud he now was of his humility?!
Actually, the antithesis of pride is not humility, but rather that of thanksgiving. This is simply to say a thankful person is automatically a humble person. Suppose a total stranger sees you in a shopping area carrying a large bundle of packages, attempting to open a door. He quickly runs over, picks up the packages you have dropped, and opens the door for you. Of course you thank him for this. Why? Well, because he was performing an act of kindness that you did not deserve or expect. In essence, you are saying, “I appreciate this so much. We’ve never met and you were under no obligation whatsoever to do what you did!”
In fact, thanklessness was the single one sin that caused the ancient world to degenerate into both idolatry and immorality. Note Paul’s sad commentary on this:
“. . . . since they knew God but did not honor Him as God, nor did they thank Him. Instead, their thoughts became total nonsense, and their ignorant hearts were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools; they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortals, and of birds, and of four-footed animals, and of crawling creatures. And so, as they followed the lusts of their hearts, God handed them over to live immorally by dishonoring their bodies with one another. He did this because they traded the truth of God for this lie, namely, they worshiped and served what was created instead of the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen!
That is why God gave them up to shameful lusts. Their women have even exchanged natural relations for the unnatural. And men likewise have given up the natural relations with a woman and burned with lust for one another, men doing shameful acts with men and suffering in themselves the punishment they deserve for their perversion” (Rom. 1:21-27, New Evangelical Translation).
THINGS TO THANK GOD FOR
I have counted no less than seventeen!

For creating us in His image

“Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psa. 100:3, 4).

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Rev. 4:11).

How wonderful and comforting to know we have not evolved from some ancient muddy glob, but rather have been created by the hand of the Mighty God!

For redeeming us by His blood

“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Rev. 5:9).

I believe every Christian should sing or pray the words of this little chorus at least once a week:
Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul,
Thank you, Lord, for making me whole.
Thank you, Lord, for giving to me,
Thy great salvation, so rich and free.

For sending His Son

“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Cor. 9:15).
John 3:16 is universally regarded as both the most important and greatest verse in all the Bible!

A. It is the most important verse because it contains the gospel in a nutshell.
B. It is the greatest verse because it contains nine of the most profound truths ever recorded.
1. For God—The greatest Person
2. So loved the world—The greatest truth
3. That he gave—The greatest act
4. His only begotten Son—The greatest gift
5. That whosoever—The greatest number
6. Believeth in him—The greatest invitation
7. Should not perish—The greatest promise
8. But have—The greatest certainty
9. Everlasting life—The greatest destiny

For the very fact that He exists. He lives, unlike the false god Baal!

“And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded”
(1 Kings 18:26-29).

For answered prayer

“Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me” (John 11:41).

For unanswered prayer (as illustrated by Moses and Elijah)

“I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness” (Num. 11:14, 15).
“But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4).

For forgiveness of sin

“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases” (Psa. 103:1-3).

For wisdom

“I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter” (Dan. 2:23).
“At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (Matt. 11:25).

For His holiness

“Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness” (Psa. 30:4).
“Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness” (Psa. 97:12).
Unlike the cruel, immoral, bloody gods of the pagans, our God is holy!

For His mercy

“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name … The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (Psa. 103:1, 8).
This virtue is so important that the psalmist refers to it no less than 26 times in Psalm 136.

For His shepherding ministry

“So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations” (Psa. 79:13).

For other Christians

That’s right. We are instructed not only just to pray for other believers, but to actually thank God for them. Time and again the apostle Paul did this. (See Eph. 1:15, 16; Phil. 1:3; 1 Thess. 1:2.)

For victory

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57).
This would mean victory over the world, the flesh, the devil, temptation, lust, fear, and death itself.

For that specific work God has called us to do

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry” (1 Tim. 1:12).

For allowing us to give to Him of our tithes and offerings—many biblical verses refer to this:

“Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings” (2 Chron. 29:31).

“Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pray thy vows unto the most High” (Psa. 50:14).
In fact, this is one of the first things that wicked King Manasseh did following his conversion.

“And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel”
(2 Chron. 33:16).

For Christ’s coming millennial reign

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned” (Rev. 11:15-17).
In other words, we are to thank God in advance for the story that will have a happy ending.

For anything and everything

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess. 5:18).
This is, undoubtedly on many occasions, the most difficult of all to do. How can we possibly thank God when financial losses come our way, or when the medical tests show cancer, or when our loved ones are involved in horrible auto accidents? During these critical moments we must ever remind ourselves that God often permits these tragedies—

1. That through them He might receive the most amount of glory and,2. That through them we might receive the most amount of good!I think Johnson Oatman’s great hymn says it best:

Count Your Blessings
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you’re discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings—name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings—every doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven nor your home on high.
So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged—God is over all;
Count your many blessings—angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
Chorus
Count your blessings—name them one by one;
Count your blessings—see what God hath done;
Count your blessings—name them one by one;
Count your many blessings—see what God hath done.

Dr. H. L. Willmington
Dean
Willmington School of the Bible

I Love Dogs

2011-11-12T01:27:00.001-05:00

This article is uncharacteristic of this blog, but if you know me, you know what I think of my 12 year old Bichon boy. I can't turn my head to injustice of any kind. Mostly to human children, but to any creature who is being exploited and cannot stand up for itself. So, please repost this, and let Petland know what you think about their puppy mill practices!

This is a guest blog post written by Mary Haight, who owns the Dancing Dog Blog and launched the campaign on Change.org calling on Petland USA to stop selling pets.Stocking more than 150 stores across the US with puppies of all breeds is a model responsible for causing pain, suffering and death. Breeding females are locked in cages until they can no longer breed, around 5 years, and are then killed. Even if a change from the top in a franchise-structured company affects only corporate stores, the intent to do no harm is a clarion call that every company should want to take up, especially one that deals directly with living things.
Sadly, Petland is not interested.
After more than 45,000 people joined my campaign on Change.org calling on Petland USA to stop supporting puppy mills, I sent questions to the company’s headquarters, and the answers received do not recognize the pain and suffering factory farming of family pets inflicts.
Sometimes pictures can be more effective than words. Since they have the power to help stop this, remind Petland USA what breeder puppy mill dogs look like. Estimates report there are more than a million of them trapped in hopeless lives.
We need your help THIS WEEKEND with this simple action. It should only take 10 minutes of your time:

1) Download the images in this blog post to your computer (right-click and “save as”).
2) Post these images to your Facebook profile and ask your network to share.
3) Post these images to the wall of the following Petland franchise FB pages:
Chilicothe, OH - http://www.facebook.com/PetlandChillicothe
Naperville, IL - http://www.facebook.com/petlandnaperville
Chicago Ridge, IL - http://www.facebook.com/PetlandChicagoRidge
Laredo, TX - http://www.facebook.com/PetlandLaredo
Cicero, NY - http://www.facebook.com/PetlandofCicero
St. Paul, MN - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Petland-St-Paul/152617481423032
Racine, WI - http://www.facebook.com/PetlandRacine?sk=wall
Las Vegas - http://www.facebook.com/PetlandLasVegas
4) If you have a blog, please re-post these instructions and share widely! If not, then please email your networks with a link to this blog post.
How responsible is Petland Corporate for the animal welfare in their franchise stores? It depends what you’re asking.
The company lays claim to the Adopt-a-Pet program, calling it “a national Petland program in which stores help their communities find homes for abandoned or unwanted pets.” They were also sure to mention that the company has a Director of Animal Welfare Education who visits USDA-licensed breeders to make sure “certain standards are maintained.”
But once you question those standards, “Petland stores are individually owned and operated and responsible for visiting and choosing where they select their puppies.”
According to Petland’s rep, blame cannot be laid at the feet of Corporate Headquarters. Yet while that is a technicality, it is not actually true. It’s an issue of leadership.
Petland Corporate boasts that it’s been “a leader in the pet industry” for 45 years. So why not lead? The question I had from a business perspective was why keep selling pets when pet stores who have converted say the money is in the supplies? Petland claims that is not true for them, but ignored my follow-up asking for specifics on their pet sales.
However, they were quick to turn the blame around, referring back to their belief that people interested in the welfare of animals have a desire to get rid of the idea of having pets, while at the same time, falsely accusing pet lovers like the tens of thousands who have signed the petition on Change.org, of spending too much time “targeting responsible pet stores like Petland” and ignoring other issues in the pet trade.
Petland's franchise structure is an opportunity for local stores to pressure corporate by choosing to do the right thing, as some stores already are. That's why we're targeting some of their most prominent local franchises on Facebook.
Join in the weekend social media campaign to show Petland why we are completely for and about the care and welfare of the animals, and they should be, too.

Stephanie Feldsteinis a Change.org Editor who has been part of the animal welfare and rescue community for over a decade, and most recently worked for an environmental organization.

Book Review: David N. Entwistle, Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity

2011-11-07T12:42:00.001-05:00

Entwistle, David N. Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity: An Introduction to Worldview Issues, Philosophical Foundations, and Models of Integration. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2010.

Entwistle’s book is a densely packed work that explores the relationship of psychology and theology and provides an in-depth analysis into integration of the two disciplines. Historically, scholars have either opposed or advocated integration of the two perspectives, and the author investigates their claims and the tensions that arise from their arguments.

Our worldview or life perspective affects how we understand and relate to our experiences and the world (Entwistle, 56). We assume our presuppositions are correct and filter information, truth, and knowledge through the lens of our worldview. The author maintains throughout the text that a Christian worldview is essential for effective integration of truths gleaned from psychology into theology (Ibid, 63).

Entwistle lays for the reader a foundation of understanding how humans learn and respond to knowledge and truth. Epistemology is described as the “pursuit of intellectual virtue” (Ibid, 760). Whether used to evaluate observable and testable data or the interpretation of God’s natural or special revelation, the pursuit of knowledge is “contingent, limited, and fallible” (Ibid, 82-83). As we realize our limitations, considering alternate perspectives becomes all the more imperative (Ibid, 91).

Metaphysics is concerned with human thinking and response to reality (Ibid, 97). Scientists and Christians make metaphysical assumptions regarding knowledge through their own presuppositions. Philosophical anthropology attempts to validate assumptions made by theologians and psychologists about human nature and behavior. (Ibid, 113).

Upon this foundation, Entwistle builds five models of relationship between psychology and theology. He often refers to what Francis Bacon described as the two books of God--the book of God’s Word or the Bible, and the book of God’s Works or His creation, as two sources from which we can derive truth (Ibid, 136). The author examines the models with these books in mind. Enemies are antagonistic toward integration and see the two disciplines as mutually exclusive. They are only willing to obtain truth from God’s Word or His Works, but not both (Ibid, 137, 168).

Spies seek to extract from religion what they can use to the benefit of man. They rely on the effects religion has on man rather than fostering a commitment to the religion (Ibid, 142, 183, 186). Colonists accept and modify select psychological findings to bolster their research while remaining suspicious and relatively ignorant of the discipline (Ibid, 144, 188). Neutral parties compartmentalize the two disciplines while appreciating and comparing information gained in each (Ibid, 192). Allies acknowledge that all truth is God’s truth, and seek to integrate truth from both disciplines with their allegiance being to neither discipline but to God (Ibid, 149, 207).

Entwistle concludes his work by putting the reader on a road toward integration with proper caution, yield, and stop signs. Keeping both books of God in mind, theories, knowledge, and research that is not in harmony with the God’s Word and Works must be modified or rejected altogether. (Ibid, 256).

Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity comes highly recommended by this author for pastors, counselors, social workers, pastoral counselors and all those who are called to touch the lives of others by helping them from the circumstances of life to discovering and obtaining the good plan and purposes that God has promised them.

The Atonement of Christ-Have You Been Left Out?

2011-11-06T01:11:00.004-04:00

Caveat: This is a scholarly work researching the Atonement of Christ and its extent for mankind. Please read when you have a few moments. Open your mind and heart as you investigate with me the perspectives of respected scholars! How far reaching is the work of Christ? Is it truly for whosoever believes, confesses, and receives it, or has the Almighty God chosen only some to be its blessed recipients?
When Christ cried out, “It is finished,” He did so because the work He was sent by the Father to do—to bring salvation to whosoever in the world would believe in Him—was accomplished. (John 3:16-17, John 19:28-30) This is the message of the Gospel of Christ. Those who have received Jesus Christ are reconciled to the Father by His completed work. Even so, scholars and theologians over the centuries have developed differing theories in an attempt to answer pertinent questions regarding the extent of Christ’s atonement. Each school of thought has made strong, Scripture-laden arguments to support their theologies. The two most prominent positions are that of the Calvinists and the Arminians. Like two sides in a game of “tug-of-war,” both sides are pulling in their own directions, and not much headway is made on either side. The arguments have drawn some to one side, some to the other. Others remain as spectators, unconvinced by either side or unsure which side they should be on. An examination of the two is indicated prior to an attempt to draw one’s own conclusions regarding the matter of the atonement and the extent to which it reaches the “whosoevers.” To lay the foundation for such an examination, it behooves us to briefly investigate what it is that Christ accomplished on the Cross.

Christ’s Atoning Work

F.W. Dillistone relates the words of Paul to the Colossians, that God has, through Christ, reconciled all things to Himself. [1](Colossians 1:19-20) He states that God’s “all consuming purpose” is to redeem men out of the world, and that the Cross is the “tree of life that brings healing to the whole world.” [2] It is through the sacrifice that Jesus made on the Cross that man is reconciled to God. Romans 5:10-11says,

“For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

In his book, The Atonement, Arthur W. Pink describes a three part effect of what he refers to as the “ransom-paid price” offered through Christ’s sacrifice. First, those who accept Him are delivered from guilt and subsequently, the penalty of sin. Second, the dominion and bondage to sin in the believer’s life is broken. Third, the believer may look forward to complete deliverance from the very presence of sin at the second coming of Christ. [3]

Erickson takes issue with the idea of Christ paying a ransom to purchase redemption. Instead, he upholds a theory that is more in line with a legal principle of satisfaction made in substitution for punishment. Having never belonged to Satan, God did not need to purchase humanity from him. But because humans could not make reparation for their sins, justice came in the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. [4]

Ordained by the Father, Christ’s death on the Cross was offered on behalf of all of humanity. He was the High Priest offering the perfect and complete sacrifice. [5](Hebrews 2:7) In this sacrifice, a holy exchange was made. In it, those who believe on Him are forgiven and made righteous that they might be reconciled with the Father. [6](Eph 1:7, Is. 61:10)

Calvin’s TULIP

It is upon this foundation of the atoning work of Christ that we can examine the extent of what was done, and to whom it was offered. John Calvin, (1509-1564) noted French theologian and scholar was instrumental in the Protestant Reformation. Calvin’s system of theology was acknowledged by the Synod of Dort in 1619 as the true doctrine of salvation according to the Scriptures. It proclaimed that although Christ’s death was sufficient for all, it was efficient only for the elect. [7] Calvin’s doctrine was made into a five point system known by the acrostic TULIP as an answer to the Arminian’s five point doctrine which was considered unscriptural. Total depravity signifies that because of the fall of Adam, sin has extended to each human’s core being. Only by the power of the Holy Spirit is man able to hear and receive the Gospel. Through unconditional Election which is not based on merit, God according to His will has elected some for His glory and some to be lost. [8] Even so, each one is accountable to believe and receive Jesus Christ.

The belief that Christ died for many but not for all is the idea of Limited Atonement. His death is not considered to win potential salvation for all people. Irresistible grace says that the elect will be called by God’s Spirit and they will indeed respond. Perseverance of the saints is the belief that until a believer is brought to heaven, their election is sure and they cannot be lost but will be glorified in the last day. (John 6:39) [9]

Limited Atonement

With the focus on limited atonement, it holds that Christ’s intention was to deliver and redeem those whom the Father had given Him. The contention is that there is no Scriptural basis for believing that Christ came to satisfy the wrath of God for all sinners. Citing Isaiah 52:11-53:12, R.S. Clark argues that as the Scripture describes the despised “servant” who was not esteemed by man, He was “pierced for our transgressions,” and took on Himself our infirmities. As the Lord laid on Him the “iniquity of us all,” the “all” refers to those for whom Jesus would suffer and die, but not all of humanity. In verse 11, the Scripture states, “My righteous servant will justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.” With “many” being repeated in verse 12, the Calvinist position is that Jesus did not die for all those who have lived. A powerful argument from Scripture that seems to substantiate this view is John 6:37-39. Jesus makes the statement,

“All that the Father gives to Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me, I should lose nothing but raise it up on the last day.”

It is later stated that Jesus knew who would and who would not believe on Him, and therefore only those given to Him by the Father could come to Him. (John 6:64-65) These verses help galvanize the Calvinist idea that only those who are drawn by the Father are saved by Christ who came to do the Father’s will. [10]

Other Scriptural and philosophical arguments are made to support the idea of Limited Atonement, also known as “particular redemption” because redemption was said to be purchased only for a particular group of people. [11] 1 Timothy 4:10 says that Christ is the Savior of those who believe. The Gospel is to be made available to all men because of the mercy of God however, it is denied that all men are intended to be beneficiaries of the Cross of Christ. In John 10:15 Jesus declared that He laid down His life for the sheep, but those who did not believe do not belong to His sheep. The argument is that one must be a sheep in order to be a believer, and not vice versa. [12] According to Louis Berkhof, Scripture repeatedly supports the idea that Jesus died for a limited number. In these texts, those for whom Christ laid down His life are referred to as the “elect,” (Romans 8:32-35) “sheep,” (John 10:11,15) “His church,” (Acts 20:28) and “His people.” (Matt 1:21, 20:28) [13]

It is understood that not all are saved for many have and do reject the Gospel of Christ. Therefore it is argued that God would not have Christ die for everyone unless He planned for them to be saved. Christ therefore died for only the elect and those who reject Him pay the price for their sins. Those who support Limited Atonement believe that to say Christ died for all leads to universalism, or the belief that all men will eventually be reconciled to God. [14] Arthur W. Pink quotes Arminius’ statement regarding sin as the obstacle to God’s mercy. His justice was satisfied via the sacrifice of Christ, thereby the obstacle was removed and God is now able to show His mercy and good will toward man. Pink suggests that this thinking is grossly misguided. If this were indeed true, Christ’s sacrifice would be an experiment that might or might not succeed, and adds that this thinking denies the total depravity of man. [15]

R. Scott Clark defends limited atonement by asking “what if” God did not intend the meaning of the world in John 3:16-17 to indicate all mankind? He insists the word world translated from the Greek kosmos refers to the quality of those for whom Christ died, not the quantity. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Clark states that God’s intention in this verse was not to describe the extent of what His Son accomplished, but the quality of His love for sinners. His intention was upon “whosoever believes.” Continuing this line of thinking, Clark states that in the following verse, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him the world would be saved.” Here, the same kosmos is to be viewed as qualitative and not quantitative, according to Clark who says that Jesus came to redeem people, not to make salvation available to all. [16]

The strong defense of limited atonement is stated most simply by Arthur Pink in this way, “All the affairs of the elect were settled by the mutual consent of all the persons in the Diety. The Father made choice of the elect (Eph 1:4), the Son accepted that choice (John 17:10), the Spirit recorded it in the Lamb’s book of life. (Rev. 13:8)” [17]

The conclusion of those who argue for limited atonement can be summed up in the words of John Piper,

“We do not limit the power and effectiveness of the atonement. We simply say that in the cross God had in view the actual redemption of his children. And we affirm that when

Christ died for these, he did not just create the opportunity for them to save themselves, but really purchased for them all that was necessary to get them saved, including the grace of regeneration and the gift of faith.”

Arminius’ FACTS
James Arminius, (1560-1609) was a pastor, scholar, and theologian from the Netherlands.

Arminian theology can be remembered by the acrostic FACTS. If God predestined the elect it was as a result of His foreknowledge of those who would chose to serve Him by their free will—thus he taught conditional election or that men are Freed by grace to believe. He believed that unconditional predestination was not taught in the Scriptures and believed such theology dishonored God and the sacrifice of His Son. Thus, He believed that the Atonement was for all. Arminius understood the gravity of the fall of Adam upon humanity. He clearly upheld the idea that Jesus died for all humanity as God is not willing that any should perish. Still, man could refuse the grace of God or chose to receive it according to their own free will, not that of irresistible grace. It was a conditional election based on a free will choice. He believed that faith was man’s contribution to salvation and that justification followed salvation. It seems that most Arminians believe that believers are Secure in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit although this is controversial in their circles. [18]

The Arminian position was rejected at the Synod of Dort. After 154 sessions of the Synod over the course of almost six months, the Remonstrants, or those Arminians who stood before the Synod on behalf of their doctrine, risked punishment, banishment, or death if they held to and/or practiced their beliefs. It is said that the Synod was not a free assembly for the discussion of conflicting theologies as it should have been but an “ecclesiastical court for the trial of alleged heretics.” [19]

Unlimited Atonement

Arminians believe that redemption must be received as humans are sinful and cannot by their own strength incapable of doing good. [20] All men are not saved but all are given the opportunity to receive salvation through Christ’s work on the Cross. The Atonement did not secure salvation but made a way for those who would chose to receive it. Christ’s sacrifice then is sufficient to redeem all sinners by satisfying the justice of God for all of humanity’s sins. It by no means is intended to say that the atonement will bring salvation for all sinners and all will eventually be saved. Those who will be saved are those who avail themselves of the Atoning work of Christ. It is not a limited atonement, but a limited application of the atonement. [21] A. H. Strong, a Calvinist in most of his viewpoint, believes that the application of the atonement is limited as only those who repent are saved by it, but it is offered to the whole human race. [22]

The Arminian view is that the Father and Son did what they needed to do in order to offer salvation to all humanity. The Holy Spirit gives a common faith to all so that they might, by their own will, choose to receive the gift of salvation through the atoning work of Christ. Salvation was not secured for men, but is offered to all indiscriminately. [23]

Some believe it is degrading to God’s grace and Christ’s sacrifice if salvation is offered as a possibility that can be attained only through the capricious free will of fallen humans. Arthur Pink, in his work, The Satisfaction of Christ, insists a precarious, conditional salvation as seen in the Arminian’s view of unlimited atonement or general redemption is in actuality impossible for the depraved human to attain on his own. The contention of unlimited atonement, Pink insists, obligates us to believe that God will save all mankind. Pink believes that God is exalted in the efficacy of the atonement for the elect as unlimited atonement forces us to either believe that all will be saved or some for whom Christ shed His blood will spend eternity in hell. To Pink, this is unthinkable. A good God could not punish those for whom His Son died. Therefore, if Christ died for all, all must be saved. [24]

Scriptural support for unlimited atonement is plentiful as are the arguments refuting the Scriptural references used for limited atonement. Many of these Scriptures seem to discount the argument of limited atonement. For example, in Romans 5:18, Paul wrote, "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men." To this the Calvinist would say God’s favor is common to all, but not extended to all. However, within the context of the verse “all men” must be interpreted exactly the same in both clauses. [25]

Isaiah 53:6 says: "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" From this text, it is clear that the extent of sin is universal. The act of God upon Christ was equally universal. How could it not be that the extent of what Christ offered though His sacrifice is also universal? [26]

We saw that the Calvinists interpret the word world John 3:16-17 as a qualitative measurement of God’s love for His elect only. Waite disputes the Calvinist exegesis of this verse by first stating that it is indeed the world—the whole of humanity—for whom God sent His Son, and not the elect only. God acted upon His love by sending His Son so that “whosover believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.” Waite argues that “whosoever” indicates an unlimited amount of people who operate by free will to receive salvation through the atonement. [27] This frees believers to evangelize in the way Jesus commanded the disciples in Mark 16:15-16. The whosoevers are given the opportunity through the preaching of the Word to receive or reject the message of the Gospel of Christ. John 3:17 declares that the mission of Jesus was not to condemn the world, “but that the world through Him might be saved.” The aim and purpose of Christ’s sacrifice was the salvation of the world! [28]

Romans 5:6 declares, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” This verse clearly declares that Jesus death was “instead of” or “in place of” all of fallen humanity. The extent of the atonement therefore reaches out to untold multitudes over generations. Yet, Calvinists also use this text to state that the Cross of Christ was intended for the elect or those who God predestined to accept Him through His irresistible grace. This seems to be a great stretching of the revealed Word of God on the part of those defending limited atonement.

Seeking Balance

If approached with an open heart to the realities of theological study, it is difficult to approach a topic such as this and come to a grand conclusion. It goes without saying that John Calvin is one of the greatest theologians in history. John Arminius gave much of his effort to defending his ideas, and his followers, like Calvin, took great risks to live according to what they believed. Both camps support their views with a great deal of Scripture, and both make arguments that are difficult to ignore. Yet, it is obvious that the Bible cannot support both theologies of limited and unlimited atonement.

The arguments for both limited and unlimited atonement go much deeper than what can be stated here. As an investigation into some of the issues, the discussion barely scratched the surface of ages of theological theory and debate.

In an attempt to find balance, one must seek the Scripture as the final authority and add one’s own sense of experience and understanding. In doing so, another great theology may be uncovered! However, it seems that Albert Barnes has addressed the issue in a logical way understanding the heart of God toward His creation. In his book, The Atonement, he uses analogy from nature to drive his point. He discusses the physical nature of man. There is no favoritism among men that renders one physically different from another (barring congenital issues) He states, with respect to the “healing arts, that the race is one. There is one system adapted to one race…the principle is of universal applicability.” Remedies are universal as all humans consist of the same material. He then discusses that if God created all men alike and that their physical states have no distinction in nature, this would indicate that the plan of redemption should also be applied universally. Barnes argues that to object to this logical scheme would be contradictory to the systems and arrangements ordained by God. [29]

It brings to mind Matthew 5:45, “for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.” Barnes states, “Nature, so to speak, invites all men to come to its provisions. The sun shines for all, and invites all to receive its light; the music of the groves is for all, and invites all to look upon its beauty…in nature there is no exclusiveness and no limit.” (Barnes, 320) The author believes the same principles apply to redemption’s plan, and we should expect such. He acknowledges God’s right to bestow salvation, health, and prosperity according to His will. However, he reiterates that it is natural to anticipate the same provision of redemption given to men as the provisions of nature. [30]

Thomas W Jenkin argues that limited atonement is “at variance with the declared principles of divine moral government.” Some offenders of the laws of God are delivered through God’s grace and some will reap hell as punishment for not receiving that measure of grace—the latter never having been offered what Christ accomplished through His suffering. Yet, Isaiah 53:10 says that it pleased the Father to bruise Him—to deliver Him as a sacrifice for our transgressions so that we might be saved by His vicarious suffering. [31] Jenkins holds that the theology of limited atonement “perverts and destroys” the moral dignity of the atonement. The Father becomes one who favors some and gives the “elect” the ability to pronounce their salvation as what was due them via the substitution. Salvation for some is absolutely impossible because their debt has not been paid. Jenkins calls his lengthy explanation of this to be “commercial views of divine justice,” whose sources we should question. [32] A.A. Hodge feels that it is unthinkable to consider that God would predestine some to salvation, sending His Son to make such a great sacrifice to remove the legal obstacles from their way to reconciliation while not removing it from the path of the great multitudes not chosen. [33]

These analogies say little without the support of Scripture. It cannot be understated that it is in the context of Scripture that we find our balance and receive the Spirit’s illumination regarding this and any other issue at hand. As mentioned by Erickson, it is difficult to ignore texts like 1Timothy 4:10 which proclaim God to be the Savior of all men, especially those who believe. 2 Peter 2:1 seems to refute the claim that Christ died only for the elect as it states that some will deny the Lord that bought them and be lost. His concluding statement regarding the extent of the atonement fosters the continued debate. The factors resolving the issue of limited vs. unlimited atonement revolve around whether one chooses to believe that the elect are those who were chosen beforehand by a sovereign God, or if they were chosen based on God’s foreknowledge of their choice to accept or receive His Son. [34]

Conclusion

In John 19:30, Jesus declared, “It is finished,” from the Cross where His sacrifice atoned for the sins of whosoever would believe on Him. The condition of those for whom Christ gave His life is that all are sinners, none are righteous, no not one. The psalmist declares that as God looks down from heaven upon the sons of men, every one of them has become corrupt. (Psalm 53:1-4) Still, God was merciful to His people, bringing to Himself a remnant of those who trusted in Him. It could be declared that God foreknew who would accept Him, and those He called and predestined to become His elect. Yet, when Abraham proved to God that he would not withhold Isaac as a sacrifice, God said, “Now I know that you fear God because you have not withheld your son from Me.” (Genesis 22:12) Is it possible that God had to prove for His own sake, Abraham’s love and faithfulness? Could the omniscient God choose to withhold knowledge from Himself? Then the question remains, does He choose those who will be His elect, or does He, the Father of creation, allow His creation to choose Him?

It is apparent that all has not been fully revealed to us. Those who serve Him are called His sheep, His children, the Church, and the elect. Whether we have been predestined prior by God’s sovereign will or whether we choose Him by our free will is a question that will continue to be debated until all is revealed when we are with Him in glory.

“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on allwho believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:20-26.

Bibliography

Barlow, Jonathan. “Calvinism.” http://www.reformed.org/calvinism/index.html. Accessed 12/18/10.

Barnes, Albert. The Atonement. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany Fellowship, Inc. (originally published Lindsay & Blakiston, 1860)

Berkhof, Louis. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996.

Candlish, Robert S. The Atonement: Its Reality, Completeness, and Extent. London: T. Nelson and Sons, 1861.

Clark, R. Scott. “Limited Atonement.” http://www.wscal.edu/clark/atonement.php. Accessed on Dec. 5, 2010

Crawford, Thomas J. The Doctrine of Holy Scripture Respecting the Atonement. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1954.

Culpepper, Robert H. Interpreting the Atonement. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1966.

Dillistone, F.W. The Christian Understanding of Atonement. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1968.,

Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001.

Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology, 2^nd Ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2003.

Hodge, A.A. The Atonement. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1953

Jenkyn, Thomas W. Extent of the Atonement. Boston, MA: Gould, Kendall and Lincoln, 1846.

Pink, Arthur W. The Atonement. Swengel, PA: Reiner Publications.

Pink, Arthur W. The Satisfaction of Christ. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1955.

Piper, John. “What We Believe About the Five Points of Calvinism.” Accessed from http://desiringgod.org/resource-library/articles/what-we-believe-about-the-five-points-of- calvinism on December 5, 2010.

Prince, Derek. Bought with Blood: The Divine Exchange at the Cross. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2007.

Rhodes, Ron. The Extent of the Atonement. http://www.ukapologetics.net/07/rhodesua.htm. Accessed on Dec 5, 2010

Schaff, Philip. “John Calvin.” Theology thru Technology. http://www.tlogical.net/biocalvin.htm accessed Dec. 10, 2010.

The Synod of Dort. http://evangelicalarminians.org/Synod-of-Dort. Accessed on December 18, 2010

Waite, D.A. “Calvin’s Error of Limited Atonement.” http://www.ukapologetics.net/07/calvinserror.htm. Accessed on Dec 5, 2010.

[1] F.W. Dillistone. The Christian Understanding of Atonement. (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1968), 41.

[2] Ibid. 46, 75.

[3]Arthur W. Pink. The Atonement. (Swengel, PA: Reiner Publications), 189-190.

[4] Millard J. Erickson. Christian Theology, 2^nd Ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2003), 813-816.

[5] Derek Prince. Bought with Blood: The Divine Exchange at the Cross. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2007), 33-34.

[6] Ibid. 39.

[7] Walter A. Elwell. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001), 115.

[8] Romans 9:15-21 may be the strongest Scripture in support of Limited Atonement theology. God speaking to Moses states that as the Creator, He has mercy on whomever He chooses even hardening hearts, and as the potter is with the clay, He creates some for honor and some for dishonor.

[9] Calvinism. Jonathan Barlow. http://www.reformed.org/calvinism/index.html, (accessed 12/18/10)

[10] Limited Atonement. R. Scott Clark. http://www.wscal.edu/clark/atonement.php (Accessed on Dec. 5, 2010)

[11] Elwell, 115.

[12] John Piper. What We Believe About the Five Points of Calvinism. http://desiringgod.org/resource-library/articles/what-we-believe-about-the-five-points-of-calvinism. (Accessed on December 5, 2010).

[13] Louis Berkhof. Systematic Theology. (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996), 393.

[14] Ellwell, 1232.

[15] Pink, The Atonement, 108.

[16] Clark, “Limited Atonement.”

[17] Pink, The Atonement, 124.

[18] Elwell, 97.

[19] The Synod of Dort. http://evangelicalarminians.org/Synod-of-Dort (Accessed on December 18, 2010)

[20] Erickson, 931.

[21] Thomas Crawford. The Doctrine of Holy Scripture Respecting the Atonement. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1954), 514-515.

[22] Robert H. Culpepper. Interpreting the Atonement. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1966), 124.

[23] A.A. Hodge. The Atonement. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans: 1953), 383.

[24] Pink, The Atonement, 243-244.

[25] Ron Rhodes. The Extent of the Atonement. http://www.ukapologetics.net/07/rhodesua.htm (Accessed on Dec 5, 2010)

[26] Erickson, 847.

[27] D.A. Waite. Calvin’s Error of Limited Atonement. http://www.ukapologetics.net/07/calvinserror.htm (Accessed on Dec 5, 2010)

[28] Waite, Calvin’s Error of Limited Atonement.

[29] Albert Barnes. The Atonement. (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany Fellowship, Inc. 1860), 318-319.

[30] Ibid. 321.

[31] Thomas W. Jenkin. Extent of the Atonement. (Boston MA: Gould, Kendall, and Lincoln, 1846), 164-165.

[32] Ibid. 168.

[33] Hodge, 382-383.

[34] Erickson, 851-852.

Broken Glass and Shattered Dreams~An American Short Story

2011-10-04T22:29:00.003-04:00

**Very brief overview:
The discriminatory treatment of Japanese and Japanese Americans both before and after the bombing of Pearl Harbor is a little discussed event. Much of the information regarding relocation and internment was "impounded" and hidden from sight, although it is just as much a part of American history as is Gettysburg or Martin Luther King Jr's I Have a Dream speech.

Prior to WW2, Japanese were referred to as "colored," and they were increasingly forbidden to own land even if they were born on American soil. After Pearl Harbor, rampant discrimination and fear was promoted by the government as all Japanese were considered "the enemy" and spies.

Those who were of Japanese ancestry were made to leave their homes and were "relocated" to shelters with only what they could carry. Men, women, and children were made to wear numbered tags, put in buses and trains, and taken to multiple locations for the evacuees.(with a strange and frightening similarity to the Nazi relocation of Jews.) The shelters, located in desolate wastelands, were made of planks of wood covered in tar-paper, with no plumbing or cooking facilities of any kind. Food was rationed out at the expense of 48 cents per person. Some shelters had been horse stalls that were "modified" for families. Those of Japanese ancestry lost homes, farms, and businesses, apparently to the government.

In 1988, Congress awarded surviving internees reparations of just $20,000 each. The award could not be given to families of deceased internees.

This story is dedicated to the memory of every Issei and Nisei made to endure "relocation" to internment camps. Your elegance, dignity, and pride are a legacy for every person of Japanese ancestry.

BROKEN GLASS AND SHATTERED DREAMS

An American Short Story

The front wheel of the little navy blue bicycle hit the side of the garage with a muffled, “Thud!” Michiko fell onto her left elbow as the right training wheel spun uselessly in the warm April air.

Hiroshi ran to the opened front door of the Watanabe home.

“Okaasan!” The ten year old called his mother frantically through the bottom screen. “Michiko is bleeding!”

The living room was bare except for two straight backed chairs. It had been modestly furnished, but most of the family’s possessions had been bought for pennies on the dollar during the days after the bombing. Katsumi entered from the kitchen, drying her hands on a floral apron. The sweet, warm fragrance of rice filled the room.

“What happen?” Katsumi asked in a small, soft voice. But it was too late. Hiroshi had run back to his little sister.

Stepping out onto the porch, Katsumi found her children at the garage end of the short driveway staring at two men walking toward the house. Michiko, who was no longer crying, held her elbow with her right hand. Her light blue pants were ripped at the knees.

“Ma’am, my name is Sergeant Riley.” The taller of the two men was dressed in a suit and tie. The other was in a soldier’s uniform. Katsumi only knew he was an American soldier. Whether Army, Navy, or something else, she did not know. “We need to speak with your husband.”

Katsumi bowed slightly to the tie. It was all she saw from her tiny stature as the San Francisco sun seemed to illuminate his blond hair and face. “I so sorry that my husband--he work now. He home dinner.”

“This area is to be evacuated, and your family must leave the premises.” Sergeant Riley spoke matter-of-factly, but he wondered if the soldier beside him detected the sadness he felt carrying out this aspect of his job. If the sergeant’s voice betrayed his feelings, it could be to his detriment. Private First Class Donaldson remained silent but attentive at Sergeant Riley’s side.

The garage stood alone beside the little home. Its doors were open revealing several mismatched boxes filled with what remained of the family’s possessions along with several suitcases that occupied a corner of the space.

“Ah, so sorry,” Katsumi’s humble bow accompanied her words. “You see, we prepare.” She pointed to the garage. “We can come today, later. Is okay?” Her broken English tugged at the sergeant’s heart, but his face remained sober.

“Please, Ma’am. Otherwise your husband will have to be arrested.” With that, the men turned and left in the black car that had blocked the driveway.

The children’s deep brown eyes watched the car pull away. “Who was that?” Hiroshi questioned.

“Not for you to know now. For Fatha and Matha. You play outside.” She encouraged her children to resume their games, and uncharacteristically left her daughter’s scrapes unattended.

Hiroshi wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw his mother wipe away a tear. He followed her into the immaculately clean kitchen and stood silently behind Katsumi, but she felt the boy’s stare. Steam rose violently above a boiling pot of rice on the stove.

She knelt as she turned to him. “Hiroshi,” the tears flowed freely from her dark, almond eyes. “You good American boy!” She sobbed on his neck.

Hiroshi understood little of what was happening and asked nothing. His arms around her neck, he consoled his mother like a little man. “Don’t you worry, Okaasan. Everything will be alright. You’ll see.”

But nothing would be alright for a very long time.

*****

Little more than nine years ago, Yukio Watanabe brought his pregnant wife to the United States hoping for more than their simple life in Okayama, Japan. He found a job at a farmer’s market, and saved frugally. Determined to do better than simply providing for his wife and young son, he had bought his own small business selling local produce and cigarettes in four short years of being in America. Since then, he had to move into larger quarters several times as his business blossomed into a local grocery store.

Yukio vacillated for weeks after reading the evacuation order of all Issei from San Francisco. He had put his heart into the store and his employees, and he wondered who would care for them if he were gone. On this evening, Yukio said goodbye to the last of his workers leaving for the day. Standing at the door, he reached over and touched the edge of the gaping hole in the front window pane where the brick had been thrown. Several shards of glass fell inward. He left them and locked the door.

Yukio Watanabe walked home from work with trepidation in his heart. He knew there was little more he could do to avoid the “relocation.” With the voluntary evacuation deadline under Proclamation No. 1 long past, he had no power to change the fate of his family. They would have to join thousands of other Issei and Nisei to centers set up by the War Relocation Authority. As he turned the corner to his street, he saw a black car blocking the driveway. His throat dry, and his heart racing, Yukio sprinted toward the house.

He met Sergeant Riley and PFC Donaldson in the driveway. Katsumi had taken the children into the house to pack a small bag for each child to carry, and to wait for her husband.

*****

The men had returned to ensure the family’s cooperation with Executive Order 9066 and Public Proclamation No. 4. Understanding, at least in part, the reality of refusal to cooperate with these mandates, Sergeant Riley offered to drive the frightened family to the temporary center instead of the alternative government transport. Having two children about the same ages as the Watanabe children, the Sergeant wrestled with his emotions, knowing what would befall this seemingly gentle, little family. But even this special treatment potentially threatened not only his upcoming promotion, but his career.

*****

After speaking to Sergeant Riley outside for several minutes, Yukio entered the house and addressed his wife and children firmly.

“Dekakeyouka. It’s time to go.”

“Go where, Otoosan?” Michiko’s eyes were wide.

“On an adventure, Musume.” For her sake and his own, he would not allow himself to show his own fear. “Now please take your bag.”

Katsumi handed each child a bag and a bento box of tekka maki, rice, fish, and orange slices, and ushered them out the door toward the car. She carried two more bags and followed her children and her husband down the short driveway. Sergeant Riley held the car door open and helped the children to their parents in the back seat after putting the suitcases from the garage into the trunk.

As they pulled away from the house, Katsumi looked for the last time at the house they had called their home for the past three years. She noticed that the garage doors had been left open, and one of the suitcases had been left behind.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Bento-boxed lunches which can be in very plain or very fancy box containers and differ considerably in their contents.

Dekakeyouka-“Time to go” with the assumption of returning.

Executive Order 9066- From the start of the War, the U.S. Justice Department had established restricted areas from which enemy aliens were excluded. On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the Secretary of War, or his designate, to define military areas. It also gave the power to exclude from a designated military area both aliens and citizens alike.

Issei-term used in North and South America to specify Japanese people who emigrated to other countries in the years preceding World War II.

Musume-“my daughter”

Nisei-A person born to parents who emigrated from Japan.

Okaasan-mommy, mother

Otoosan-daddy, father

Public Proclamation No. 1- issued on March 2, 1942, it expanded the restricted area established by the U.S. the Justice Department by designating the western halves of California, Oregon, Washington and the southern part of Arizona as Military Area No. 1. Japanese-Americans as well as Japanese, German, and Italian aliens were excluded from it.

Public Proclamation No. 4-issued six days after Public Proclamation No.1, it announced the replacement of the so-called voluntary evacuation with a forced evacuation. After Sunday, March 29, 1942, evacuees would be forbidden to leave the area and had to await evacuation under Army supervision.(Watsonville Register-Pajaronian. March 26, 1942. p. 1.)

Tekka Maki-tuna sushi roll

War Relocation Authority (WRA)- On March 18, 1942, Milton S. Eisenhower was named the WRA's first directory. He was charged with the responsibility of seeing an orderly evacuation of designated persons from the restricted military areas took place. Although the order did not explicitly call for relocation camps, the newly created WRA was given wide discretion in deciding the fate of the Japanese Americans who were forced to leave their homes. On March 21, Congress backed the evacuation measures by passing Public Law 77-503. The law made anyone convicted of violating a military order subject to a civil penalty of a $5,000 fine, up to one year of imprisonment, or both. During this time, although the West Coast was declared a theater of war, martial law was never declared and habeas corpus was not suspended. The civil court system was in full operation throughout the war, and anyone charged with espionage or sabotage could have been properly tried. Yet the federal government proceeded with its plans for a mass evacuation and incarceration of American citizens and resident aliens, based solely on race, without any individual review.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

American Concentration Camps: A Documentary History of the Relocation and Incarceration of Japanese Americans, 1942-1945 (9 vols., New York and London, Garland Publishing, 1989)

Hatamiya, Leslie T. Righting a wrong; Japanese Americans and the Passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Stanford Univ. Press. 1993.

Lange, Dorothy. Impounded. New York, NY: WW Norton and Co, 2006.

Personal Justice Denied: Report of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (Washington, Government Printing Office, December 1982)

He Maketh No Mistake

2011-08-28T07:34:00.003-04:00

It's Sunday morning, and Hurricane Irene has prevented us from leaving the house. So many people have prayed for those of us on the East Coast, and so far, the damage has been relatively minimal. So, I turned to the TV for an early morning dose of Bible teaching. I've never heard of Bill Purvis before. He had a good word about how we grow in the valley times of our lives, and not the mountain experiences. He then shared this poem. It is appropos as we weather the storm today. I pray it blesses you as you go through the valleys and storms of life!

He Maketh No Mistake
A.M. Overton

My Father’s way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I’m glad I know,
He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away,
But still I’ll trust the Lord to lead,
For He doth know the way.

Tho night be dark and it may seem,
That day will never break,
I’ll pin my faith, my all in Him.
He maketh no mistake.

There’s so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight far too dim,
But come what may, I’ll simply trust
And leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift,
And plain it all He’ll make,
Through all the way, tho dark to me,
He made not one mistake.

Please Lighten Up!

2011-08-14T19:16:00.002-04:00

Stress can be very stressful! But there is something I’ve learned about life and stress. Life happens. Every single day you live, you can rest assured there will be opportunities to get stressed. And there will be opportunities to laugh. I know lots of people who seem to thrive on the stress-they cause it and then wallow in it. Being around them is like living with the plague. Their negativity is infectious and makes it difficult to have joy when they’re around. It’s draining, and you find yourself being just as negative and stressed as they are!

This morning, my husband was a wreck. The printer to his computer has not worked for a while, so he was working on making the dumb thing function. I was writing a paper for a class while he was behind me sweating bullets, cussing like a trucker, and threatening both his computer and the printer of impending doom! With every outburst, it got funnier and funnier…to me. So far, he still hasn’t gotten it reloaded and working, but as I laughed, so did he and he calmed down. My reaction to his reaction changed his reaction!

In reality, choosing the stress road is the harder way to go. It eats away at your countenance, your health, and your joy, to name a few. However, if you choose to laugh, it lightens matters that might otherwise stress you out and it puts things in perspective. So please lighten up!

I recently heard Joyce Meyer say that many of us declare that we can’t help the way we act or react to the stressors in life. “It’s just the way I am” or so and so “made me act like this.” But if your pastor came to the door in the middle of your stressed out tirade, you’d more than likely pull yourself and your mouth together really quickly! So, as Joyce pointed out, you CAN control it.

Let's be real. Some of life's situations are going to get to you, no matter what. In this world, we WILL have tribulations, trials, and difficult moments. But how you react and continue to act is your choice. We can lose control, or we can be of good cheer. That’s not to say we go through it all unaffected. We just chose how we manage ourselves through it all. For your own good, make a habit of living light.

So lighten up, would you please? Here are some suggestions to reduce stress and ways to choose to live lighter…

Laugh more

Complain less

Pray often

Forgive quickly

Slow down

Never gossip

Be kind

Focus on blessings

Chose peace

Eat better

Sleep well

Add to them whatever it takes to live light. And really. Smile more. People will wonder what you’re up to!

Master Procrastinator

2011-07-09T01:39:00.005-04:00

I'm a master at procrastination. I've worked at it for years! (Decades, if I'm honest about it!) In fact, I've prided myself in the art, and have often said my best work is done in the 11th hour when the pressure is on. And there have been those moments that I've burned the midnight oil working on what was due in only a few hours. Brag as I might, those moments are miserable, aren't they?

Oh come on! You know what I'm talking about because you've done it too! We might laugh about it after the fact, but the truth is, THOSE MOMENTS ARE MISERABLE!

Well, maybe I've finally broken the bad habit of putting off what should already be done...today is Friday. I had a final in one class, and four posting assignments due in another by midnight on Sunday. And guess what? They are all done. Got a 100% on the final and I posted the required four responses and added two more! (AW-if you're reading this, I know...law of diminishing returns. I'm working on it! One thing at a time!)

Now I can actually enjoy the weekend! After actually being able to attend a women's meeting at church tomorrow morning, I'll have the day with my family, including my grandson. (Whose company I missed last week because of last minute school work!)

Tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful, sunny day, and I intend to enjoy every single moment of it...followed by another great day on Sunday with no pressure or stress to get work submitted on time.

There's something to be said about getting stuff done well before it's due. This could be the new me! So far, I'm liking it!

Rubber Ducky, You're the One!

2011-06-27T20:23:00.015-04:00

This was written with the youth of our churches in mind, but really, it's for any of us who struggle with the humanistic, relative morality of our day. Read on, and let me know how you are a light in this dark day...

The world is a very different place than what it was when I was a teenager. Technology has made advances we could only dream about, and now our world is filled with continuous faceless conversations. Life in general rolls at a much faster pace. People seem to be much more worldly-wise and much more worldly. It used to be that heroes were people who sacrificed something for the sake of another. Today, heroes on the whole are those who have acquired fame and riches, and how they arrived at that place is of little concern to most people. Drug dealers who wisely saved and invested their “earnings” become rap artists and entrepreneurs. Pimps are heralded as those who have great success and young people use the word, “pimp,” to describe something made luxurious, never seeming to understand that pimps are people who use and abuse human beings in the worst possible ways. Those who are social rebels are made role models although their platforms include all that is socially amoral and unacceptable compared to the Biblical standard. This includes reverse discrimination, the murder of the unborn, the promotion of gay rights and marriages and more. But more than just those rebels are fighting for these causes. Moms, Dads, Grandparents, teachers, doctors, college professors, and many more people you know fight for the “rights” of others that they may not even want to be part of themselves. It’s pretty weird, isn’t it? But more on that in a minute.

Did I lose you? If so, perhaps it’s because our culture has taken you as a captive to its current thinking. If not, perhaps you are intrigued or angry with me because I will unashamedly stand up for what I know in my heart is right. The line between right and wrong has been blurred beyond recognition for most people, especially young people who have known nothing else. Right=what I think, what I feel, what I want. Wrong=anyone who attempts to tell me what I think, feel, or want is not okay. This is called “relative morality,” and it is making our society very sick.

We are told in our schools, in our jobs, and even in some churches that we must be tolerant of those who live different lifestyles or believe differently than we do. But think about that. You believe something and stand up for it. Someone tells you that because of your beliefs, you are intolerant and need to become more tolerant. But in doing so, didn’t they just tell you that they were intolerant of YOUR beliefs? Anyway, remember something. Cultures are made up of sinful people doing sinful things and are in constant need of being realigned to God’s will and how they relate to others in the culture. (That’s why we have laws, courts, judges, and prisons!)

Today, people are being led to believe that all truth is subjective: meaning what I want, what my community wants, what I think is real and right, what my community thinks is real and right. Nothing is absolutely right or wrong because what’s right today may be wrong tomorrow! You see what I mean about those blurry lines?

Let me give you an example. A 16 year old girl has been raised in church and has been clearly taught right from wrong. She falls in love with her boyfriend who pressures her to have sex. She knows what to do, and knows she should wait until she is married. She refuses for several weeks, but he threatens to leave her if she doesn’t prove to him that she loves him. She gives in and in a month or so, she finds out she is pregnant. She’s devastated and frightened, but tells her mother the truth. Her mother is a church going, Bible believing Christian who is against abortion. They talk and the daughter tells her mom she’s not ready to be a single, young mother and wants an abortion. Her mom tells her how she feels about abortion, but the girl is adamant.

The mother confides in her Christian friend. The friend counsels the mom to consider adopting the baby herself or giving the baby up for adoption. The woman responds by saying she can’t raise another child and would never be able to give the baby up. She says her daughter has made up her mind, and she feels it is better to support her daughter than have her go on her own for the abortion. The conversation goes on for a while, but the mother is determined to support her daughter in this decision. So the mother calls the insurance company and makes the appointment. Within a few days, the procedure is completed, the situation is seemingly over, and a baby’s life has been taken.

What happened here? Several times in this story, right was absolutely right until it didn’t fit the situation or wrong was easier and more convenient. And that’s relative morality. (This story is not fiction. I was the mother’s friend and counselor)

Another example-the day after the gay rights marriage bill passed in NY, the local news interviewed Mt. Vernon Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson. She supported the bill with her vote. When interviewed, she said her pastor spoke to her before the vote and said he knew she was a Christian and understood the right thing to do. Her response was, "The right thing to do has nothing to do with what I believe in terms of what I believe religiously or spiritually." WHAT? How do we live with ourselves and expect to make a difference when we compromise our own values?

So what’s my point in all of this? YOU ARE. You are immersed in a culture where you will face many decisions and the voices you hear may distract you from what you know is right. And if you have a heart to do the right thing, you are like a little rubber duck in a huge ocean. Even if you want to swim the right way, the currents seem to constantly push you the other way so that you’re back in the main stream. No kidding. Swimming against the current may be hard, tiresome, frustrating, and even embarrassing. And you can spend so much energy fighting the current and seeming to get nowhere that you never look up and see there are other little ducks around you trying to go the same way, and that Jesus is rowing a boat calling you to get in!

Okay, seems like I’m over simplifying it, but really, I’m not. God has done some
really good things to help you erase the blur between right and wrong. He needs you to know there is a very clear difference between them, and He wants to help you stay right! First, He sent Jesus to rescue you from the world. You may live in it, but you are no longer a part of it if you have accepted Him. But you are not alone! He has promised to never leave you, to give you the strength you need for the day, and to complete what He’s started in you.

Second, He’s given you the Bible as THE book that will help you understand what’s really right, despite what everything and everyone else in your world is telling you. So get a version you understand and read it. A lot!

Third, God has given you a Helper, really! The Holy Spirit helps you by reminding you what the Bible says, (given that you read it) and He does something amazing! When you have to make a hard decision (like your best friends are going to a wild party and want you to come) the Holy Spirit will tell you what to do. I know! It’s crazy, but we call that a “still small voice.” You’ll know exactly what to do and what not to do. But be warned! If He tells you to do or not to do something and you do what you want to instead, the next time His voice may be more still and small as your own flesh has been given the power to be louder.

Finally, God has placed godly, faithful men and women in your path to help you! Never underestimate the love and guidance of us old people! Find an adult that you trust in your church that you can talk to. It could be the pastor, youth leader, an elder, or a member of the church who really cares. (like me!) And don’t be afraid to share your heart. (and be wise about meeting in a public place!)

Listen, none of us can go through this stuff alone. It’s tough out there, and we don’t always have the answers on our own. Don’t be a lonely little rubber duck bouncing on the stormy ocean of life. Rubber Ducky, you’re the one God wants to use to make the world a better place! Get into Jesus’ lifeboat! Find your strength in God, His Word, and in those who are also working against the current with you! As you swim against the current, God may use you to change one life or the lives of many!

For further info check out the Red Balloon @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2Flgdwlqz0

That Nicene Creed: Its History and Importance

2011-06-21T23:05:00.010-04:00

When I first heard the Nicene Creed recited at my church, I wondered why we did so, and what was the importance of this seemingly traditional recitation. But one day, when I paid attention to the words, I was moved to tears. Still, I didn't know why the Creed was written, or its historical importance for the body of Christ. When I had the opportunity to do so, I researched it for one of my classes. I hope this is as revelatory for you as it was for me!

The Council at Nicaea: Seeking Unity, Establishing Truth

Introduction

It can be said that Trinitarian theology began when Jesus told the disciples that the Father would send the Helper, who was the Spirit, to be their teacher as Jesus would be leaving them. Resolving the relationship the between the Father and the Son, and the Son to the Spirit would prove to be a controversial issue for the church in the centuries following Christ’s resurrection. Rooted in the Hebrew tradition, Christianity was a monotheistic religion from its inception.

Because Arius’ false doctrine regarding Jesus’ relationship to the Father had been dividing the church in the Roman Empire, Constantine called the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 to address various issues, to protect the empire from division, and to establish the foundational truths of the faith.

Pre-Nicene Theology

Justin Martyr believed God alone was to be worshipped and acknowledged as the Creator of the universe. He used His Word, the Logos as His instrument of creation. Tatian argued that anything that was created was formed by God though His Word. Iranaeus held that God created from nothing (ex nihilo) through His Word, His Wisdom which was His Spirit. J.N.D Kelly in his book, Early Christian Doctrines, summarizes the theology of the early church as believing God made Himself known through Jesus. When God raised Jesus from the dead, He offered a restored relationship to humankind through Him. After Jesus was resurrected, the Father sent His Holy Spirit to guide, comfort, and teach His people. Although uncanonized, the theology regarding the triune God began to take shape in the early church as evidenced in the writings of Ignatius and Justin. Kelly explains that it was in the second century that the understanding of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit began to become tradition in the church. He quotes Irenaeus who clearly mentions God the Father, the Word of God as the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Irenaeus viewed God as one who contained His Word which was the Son, and His Wisdom, whom he associated with the Spirit. Irenaeus’ views reflect the theology of his mentor, Polycarp, who was a student of the apostle John. He argues that the Father is made known through the manifestation of the Son, and acknowledgement of the Son is revealed through the Spirit. All are seen as divine. Kelly argues that Irenaeus’ theology was “most explicitly Trinitarian.”

The third century saw variations arise with regard to Trinitarian theology. Tertullian viewed God as the “Father who commands, the Son who obeys, and the Spirit Who makes us understand.” He was the first to use “trinitas” as a title for God. Tertullian emphasized that the will of the Father was the Word, and they were in complete unity. He also taught that the Logos or the Son was homousia or “one substance” with the Father. The Trinitarian theology of the West and in Rome was founded on the views of Tertullian. Initially, these views were considered heretical by Popes Zephyrinus and Callistus.
Novatian followed his teaching only loosely. Novatian believed the Son was coeternal with the Father yet he avoided defining the unity between them. He considered the Spirit a gift from God but not necessarily one with the Father and Son.

Origen Theology

Origen’s theology influenced those who were involved on each of the opposing sides of the Nicaean crisis. Kelly calls Origen’s Trinitarianism a “brilliant reinterpretation of the traditional triadic rule of faith.” God was God alone, and the only true God. The Son was begotten of the Father “by and eternal act” so that He was always with the Father, and there was never a time when He was not. Origen states that the Father, Son, and Spirit are three persons, existing distinctly and of different subsistence, yet one “in unanimity, harmony and identity of will.” Although it is difficult to attribute to Origen a belief in consubstantiality between the Father and the Son, he insists they are one God. Kelly argues that Origen’s theology reveals his view that the Son and Spirit are images of the Father and are subordinate to Him. As a reflection of the Father, the Son is only due secondary honor. Origen referred to the Son as a creature whose substance came from the Father. (EPIPHANIUS-ON-ORIGEN (c. 310 to 403 C.E.): “...Well then, I shall quote his own words from the First Psalm his doctrinal speculations in it --- word for word, so that no one may call ( my attack on him ) vexatious, And here, at once, is the text of every word, to show you, scholarly hearer, THAT ORIGEN PLAINLY HELD THAT THE SON OF GOD IS [Gk., κτίσμα ] ( A CREATURE ), and also show you, from his impudence about the Son, THAT HE TAUGHT THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A CREATURE OF A CREATURE.)

Kelly expounds on Origen’s view that the Logos of the Father was attached to one of many eternally existing souls, and Jesus was the One who then became inseparable from the Father as He remained in union with the Logos as all others fell away. He was thus created by the Spirit in a woman, One with God and worthy to be called His Son with both a divine and human nature. While the soul of the man was fused with the Logos, this tradition subordinated the Son to the Father.

The extent of Origen’s influence on third century Trinitarianism is evident on both sides of the Nicaean controversy. From Origen’s theology, two schools would develop—one from those who revered his view of the Son’s relationship with the Father, and the other from those who agreed with his doctrine of subordinationism of the Son to the Father.

Alexander vs. Arian Theology

The theological battle between Alexander and Arian sparked the Council of Nicaea and threatened the existence of Christianity. Bishop Alexander of Alexandria was a moderate follower of Origen theology. His position can be ascertained through letters he wrote in criticism of Arius, one of the most charismatic presbyters in the region who followed a more radical Origenist position of subordination. Alexander insisted that Christ is not a creature, and although He is unique from the Father, He came from the Father and is co-eternal with and inseparable from Him. There was “no instant” in which the Father was without the Son. Alexander debated with Arius over Christ’s eternal existence.

Arius had learned his theology from his teacher, Lucian, who founded the theological school in Antioch. He learned a rational, critical method of exegesis emphasizing history and grammar in Scripture. Arius believed that God alone was ingenerate, eternal, and without beginning. He was indivisible and so His being could not be shared. Arius would not give the Son equality with the Father, denied Him eternal generation, and refused Him as the same substance as God the Father.

Arius believed that the Word of God, or Logos, was created before anything else was made, but Jesus only exists by the Father’s will as does all of creation. If Jesus was consubstantial with the Father then God Himself was no more than a physical being. Arius insisted that the Son was “begotten,” meaning He was created. To believe in the Logos as coeternal with the Father was to deny monotheism and to say that the Father was divisible. Arius questioned how could the Father could share His divinity with another. Because the Father is indivisible, the Son must not be eternally God, but He must be created. Arius also believed that the Son, as a creature, had a beginning, although He was created before time began. Arius stated in a letter to his friend, Eusebius of Nicodemia, “There was a time when He was not.”

Arius defends his position once again to Eusebius. “And before He was begotten or created or ordained or founded, he was not.” Arius further argued that the Son had no direct communication with or knowledge of the Father. Because He is a creature, albeit of a higher order, the Son “knows and sees proportionately to His capacity, just as our knowledge is adapted to our powers.”

The Arians attributed to Christ Scriptures that appeared to indicate weakness and subordination to the Father. John 14:28, Jesus states, “I am going to the Father, for My Father is greater than I.” In his book, Early Christian Doctrines, JND Kelly states that the Arian teaching reduced Jesus to a demigod or an inferior deity. He further relates their teaching to “an Origenistic milieu,” although Arius rejected Origen’s view of eternal generation and took his doctrine of subordination further than Origen’s intent.

Furthermore, Arius felt that the Son was subject to both change and sin and was given special grace from the Father to remain sinless. That same grace enabled Him to be called the Son, although Arians believed that this was an honorary title. A problematic issue posed by Arius’ theology was maintaining that Christ was uniquely the Son and yet a creature. If He is a creature, how can He then be worshipped, and how was He able to redeem other creatures? Alexander followed Origen’s idea of eternal generation--that there was no time that the Father existed without the Son. The Father and Son are “two realities inseparable from one another.” He argued that Arius’ position denied the Word’s divinity, thus denying the divinity of Jesus Christ.

At a synod in Alexandria in 317 or 318, Alexander had Arius’ teachings condemned. In 324, Alexander held a “provincial synod” to bring a truce between Arius and himself. The truce was acknowledged, but Alexander anathematized Arius, and Arius refused the truce. Alexander ousted Arius from all posts in Alexandria. This spurred Arius’ resolve, and he appealed to the people who sang the songs he wrote in the streets. What started as a local quarrel began to reach beyond their see. Arius broadened his support from beyond his region into the empire, appealing to bishops, including Eusebius of Nicomedia who sided with the deposed presbyter and openly opposed Alexander. Arius also won the support of historian Eusebius of Caesarea who had also been trained in the theology of Origen.

Events at the Council of Nicaea

In what may be considered a political and ecumenical move, Roman Emperor Constantine called a council at Nicaea for the bishops in the Roman Empire. Constantine’s motivation for this council was not only to discuss the dissention in the church but to prevent division in the empire itself, which he had been working to unite. Constantine summoned the bishops to Nicaea after a failed attempt to reconcile Alexander and Arius while journeying to Alexandria. He also held another synod to hear Eusebius’s recant regarding his Christology. He also combined with the synod a victory celebration of his victory over co-emperor, Licinius to become sole Roman Emperor. This victory was critical to the upcoming events. Prior to a battle at Milvian Bridge, Constantine was said to have seen a vision of a cross under which was the inscription, “Conquer by this.” After his subsequent victories, He promoted and legalized Christianity. His involvement with church affairs was spurred by his desire for unity in the Roman world.

The Council at Nicaea held in 325 is known to be the first ecumenical council in the history of the church. The Emperor opened the meeting with a call for unity in the church. Eusebius of Nicomedia represented the Arian position and Alexander sent his assistant, Athanasius. Eusebius presented a creed representing the Arian doctrine. It was wholly rejected by the Council so much so it is said that after it was presented, it was ripped in pieces and almost all the bishops renounced Arius.
Athanasius stood for the complete deity of the Son of God as it was imperative to his doctrine of redemption. His opponents accused him of Sabellianism, (the nontrinitarian belief that the Heavenly Father, Resurrected Son and Holy Spirit are different modes or aspects of one God, as perceived by the believer, rather than three distinct persons in God Himself) which he vehemently denied. Athanasius saw the Godhead as a “numerical unity, but that nevertheless Father and Son are to be distinguished within this unity as two.”

The key issue at stake was defining Christ’s relationship to the Father as the “Son of God,” the “Word,” and “the Logos.” Arius’ acknowledged one God who was Himself the only true, immortal, wise, sovereign judge of all. The church should honor Jesus and yet not offer Him what was due the Father alone as He was begotten from the Father. It was evident that Arius was a student of the Scriptures. However, he was accused of distorting Scriptures to support his heresies. Some of these included Luke 5:52 which states “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men,” and Scriptures such as Romans 8:29 and Colossians 1:15 which calls Jesus the firstborn of many. Texts such as John 1:1 which states the Logos was with God in the beginning and Hebrews 1:3 stating Jesus has God’s nature were lodged against Arian arguments.

In his book, Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity, Mark A. Noll argues that two strategies were at work at the council to effectively rebut the teachings of Arius. The “logic of salvation,” defended Jesus divinity by revealing that unless Christ was truly God, He could not offer salvation to humanity and freedom from sin and death. The other strategy was the argument that the church prayed in the name of Jesus in order to ascend to the Father. Baptisms were also conducted in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Praises in the church were regularly offered to Jesus Christ, the Savior. The daily life of the church was anti-Arian.

Athanasius and the bishops sought to find terms unacceptable to the Arians. A discussion ensued regarding the word, homoousios, meaning “one substance” whose use was suggested by Constantine to avoid any vagueness regarding Christ’s relationship to the Father. Within the word, homoousios, or one substance, the Son is as divine as the Father. This was critically important as the decisions made at the council would define for the church the relationship of the Son to the Father as well as the Son’s work as the Savior. Some preferred the word, homoiousios, to refer to Jesus relationship with the Father as being “of a similar substance.” At the council it was decided that homoousios was justified in Jesus words from John 10:30, “I and the Father are One.”

Eusebius of Caesarea presented his church’s creed which was accepted and amended to declare the Son to be of the same substance as the Father. The Creed of Nicaea clarified that the Son, although begotten, was not made. He is homoousios --of one substance with the Father, “true God from true God.” Because Christ was “begotten, not made,” He was not created by the Father but was the Son of God from eternity. His incarnation was “for us men and our salvation.” His effectiveness as the Savior was dependent on His perfect unity with God and His eternal
existence. Salvation could not come from a creature. It must only come from God. Agreed upon by the Council were the words of what would stand as the Nicene Creed:

We believe in One God, the Father, Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible. And in One Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father, Only begotten, that is, from the essence of the Father; God from God, Light from Light, Very God from Very God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made, both things in heaven and things in earth; who for us men and for our salvation came down and was made flesh, was made man, suffered, and rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven, and cometh to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost.

The Creed was followed by condemnation of Arian theology stating “these the catholic and apostolic church anathematizes.” The affirmations contained in the Creed attest to the council’s desire to reject Arianism and uphold the notion that the Logos was not created or less than the Father but of one substance with Him, begotten, not made. The Emperor succeeded in securing an almost unanimous agreement. All but two of the attending bishops of the council accepted the Creed that was formulated at Nicaea, and the theological misconceptions of Arianism were formally debunked, which is what the creed was meant to accomplish. Some who signed did so under duress. A section of the Council viewed homoousios as materialistic and Sabellian. However, whether desiring to come to a compromise or wanting to avoid excommunication and exile, all but two agreed to the Creed. In his work, From Christ to Constantine, James MacKinnon argues that the Council’s agreement of the Creed was “more apparent than real.” The term homoousios was for many of the attendants a concern as it appeared Sabellian, and many may have been forced by the Emperor, rather than agreed upon by good conscience. Jerald C. Brauer insists that without the Emperor’s intervention, it is unlikely that attendants at Nicaea would have adopted the homoousios.

Constantine exiled Arius and several of his fellow-presbyters to Illyricum, and he ordered Arius’ writings to be burned and the possession of his works a capital crime. It became foundational to church theology for centuries after the Council. Arius had attempted to comprehend the Son’s relationship to the Father by human logic. The Creed stood as “a bulwark against the persistent human tendency to prefer logical deductions concerning what God must be like and how He must act to the lived realities of God’s self disclosure.”

Post-Nicene Issues

Because Constantine had intervened in church matters, he set a precedent with his successors and gave stability to Christian communities who previously had seen themselves as pilgrims without stability. The distinction between church and state affairs was blurred. In the fourth century, to some this was so much so that they sought to escape the church to find Christ as hermits and monks. While Constantine was alive, the Creed was viewed as the foundation of the church.

Athanasius succeeded Alexander as Bishop of Alexandria and took up the battle against Arianism. He believed the Arians attributed human characteristics to God “in an inappropriate and illogical fashion.” He insisted they had an irreverent attitude toward God, and argued that in Arian theology was polytheistic as the divinity of the Triad was not eternal. His conviction rested upon the redemption. Through Christ, man has restored fellowship with God and is given the privilege to be called a child of God. Only One who is divine is able to impart this life to men. The Son shares the same nature and divinity as the Father.

MacKinnon insists that the Arian controversy disrupted the church for almost sixty years after the Council. Led by Eusebius of Nicomedia, Arians were able to regain much lost ground. Some of the bishops who had attended the Council at Nicaea later signed Arian confessions of faith. It seemed that the condemnation of Arius at the council spurred an empire-wide Christological debate. Eusebius of Nicodemia came against the doctrine of homoousios and called it a Sabellian heresy.

Athanasius stood his ground against multiple exiles and false accusations, defending the outcome of the Nicene Council. Constantine recalled exiled bishops and returned them to their sees after professing the Nicene faith. He opened dialogue with Arius who made a satisfactory profession of Nicene faith. He requested to be reinstated in Alexandria. In a letter from Constantine to Alexander dated early 328, Constantine attests that Arius accepted the theology of the creed and he should be accepted into communion, hinting that Constantine was not as theologically assertive or knowledgeable as some attribute.

Conclusion

Athanasius was consecrated as Bishop of Alexandria in June, 328. Athanasius refused to receive Arius into communion, and in a series of false charges and set ups, he was subsequently exiled. However, it must be said that there were never doctrinal charges filed against Athanasius. Arian parties rose and fought to reestablish Arius to his former position. Constantine met with Arius in Nicomedia where the latter recanted his position, and Constantine reconsidered the case against him. At a synod in Jerusalem in 335, Arius’ banishment was overturned and he was readmitted into communion. In a charitable arrangement for the man who had fallen ill, Constantine arranged for Arius to be restored at Constantinople. He died the day before his reinstatement was to take place.

It is said that if it were not for the unrelenting battle Athanasius fought against Arianism, the church may have wholly taken up the false doctrine. Arian theology is still practiced by Jehovah’s Witnesses. Like Arians in the fourth century, they use Proverbs 8:22 as Scriptural support to prove that Jesus was a created being. This teaching can be seen in many Watchtower publications.Ironically, it behooves the Jehovah Witness community to follow instructions from the Watchtower, "We need to examine, not only what we personally believe, but also what is taught by any religious organization with which we may be associated. Are its teachings in full harmony with God's Word, or are they based on the traditions of men? If we are lovers of the Truth, there is nothing to fear from such an examination."

Bibliography
Ayerst, David, and Fisher, A.S.T. Records of Chyristianity. New York, NY: Barnes and Noble, Inc. 1971.

Barnes, Timothy. "The Exile and Recalls of Arius." Journal of Theological Studies 60, no. 1 (2009): 109-129.

Brauer, Jerald C., Ed. The Impact of the Church Upon its Culture: Reappraisals of the History of Christianity. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 1968.

Chadwick, Henry. The Early Church. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1974.

DelCogliano, Mark. "Basil of Caesarea on Proverbs 8:22 and the Source of Pro-Nicene Theology." Journal of Theological Studies 59, no. 1 (Apr2008): 183-190.

Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001.

Ferguson, Everett. Church History, Volume One, From Christ to Pre-Reformation. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005.

Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity, Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. San Francisco, CA: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1984.

Hall, Christoper A. Learning Theology with the Church Fathers. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2002.

Kelly, J.N.D. Early Christian Doctrines, Revised Edition. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1978.

Lietzmann, Hans. A History of the Early Church. New York, NY: Meridian Books, 1953.

MacKinnon, James. From Christ to Constantine: The Rise and Growth of the Early Church. New York, NY: Longmans, Green and Co, 1936.

McDowell, Josh. “Handbook of Today’s Religions: Jehovah Witnesses.” Accessed from http://www.greatcom.org/resources/handbook_of_todays_religions/01chap05/default.htm (March 5, 2011).

Noll, Mark A. Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1997.

Schroeder, Rev. H.J. Disciplanary Decrees of the General Councils. London, England: B. Herder Book Co, 1937.

Like a Tree

2011-05-15T21:30:00.010-04:00

Someone once told me I was "like a tree." She did not elaborate, but I knew the reference was from Psalm 1:3 which states, "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."

I've thought a lot about trees. I guess I'm somewhat of a "tree hugger." I love God's creation, and I love the beauty and benefits we receive from what God has made, including trees. I'm fascinated by deciduous trees that show their budding growth and flower in spring, come to full deep green in summer, and are set ablaze with color in the autumn before losing those leaves and sleeping through the winter. I love watching the squirrels run up and down tree trunks, leap dangerously from branch to branch without a second thought, and run around and around and up and down the trunks again. Then there are the birds that nest, raise their young, and take refuge in the trees. I could and have watched them for hours.

If I were to describe my "tree-likeness" I would consider the things I have endured that came like storms in my life. Clouds come and overtake the clear blue sky. The world around grows dark in the middle of the day, and the wind begins to blow. Every leaf quivers at the imminent storm until many are blown from the branches. The storm is brutal. Unrelenting. Long and sustained far beyond its welcome. Rain falls sideways and pelts the ground and hail beats down upon the tree. Yet the tree stands firmly where it's planted. The branches, although they bend and bow, bounce back to reach toward the sky like arms that praise their Maker, and the roots continue to go down deep holding the tree in its position. When the clouds finally move off, they reveal the sun which has never stopped sending its light and warmth to the earth, even as the storm raged. The tree may be pruned of leaves and branches but it is still standing firm. Its arms raised to the sun, it welcomes the life-giving nutrients the sun sends to strengthen every fiber of the tree. The perseverant tree is now in a position to bear fruit and be a life-giver to others.

Although I have faltered in many things, God has sustained me through trials that came to move me from my position of faith. In storms that blew and pelted my life until I didn't think I had the strength to stand, somehow my roots were deep and held me fast. Although there were times I felt completely abandoned and alone, I never waivered in my trust in the One who loves me. He never left nor forsook me, and He was my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer. When everything I knew was shaken, I cried out to Him and He heard my voice from His temple. My God delivered me, and kept my feet from slipping. (Psalm 18)

To whom much is given, much is required. He caused me to remain so that I may be in a position to be a life-giver to others. The fruit that God has given to me, I have been given so that others may be strengthened. For a tree does not eat of its own fruit but gives it away!

We've all been through storms, and because you're reading this, I know you're either weathering a storm today or have recently faced the wind and rain. Yet there you are...standing firm, deeply rooted, crying out to the One who will answer and continues to give you what you need to get through! GO YOU!

And storms will come and storms will go. But the sun will continue to send warmth and light to the earth and the Lord God will always be a sun and a shield giving grace and glory. Those who persevere through the storms will reap the reward of blessing and growth, for the Lord will withhold no good thing for those who are deeply rooted and upright in His sight. But remember, the fruit you bear is for someone else's nourishment and pleasure!

The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing,
to declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Psalm 92:12-16.

Is the Bible 100% True?

2011-04-30T00:38:00.006-04:00

Do you really believe that the Bible is 100% true? Is it important to believe it is altogether true or is it okay to believe some of the Word of God is good moral writings that teach us lessons? My work on the inerrancy of the Bible will help anyone who is interested come to their own conclusions on the matter.

In Defense of Bible Inerrancy: Working through the Maze of Concepts and Concerns

Introduction

If we are to believe that Scripture is God’s revelation of Himself to mankind, then upholding inerrancy of Scripture is imperative to faith in a God who is fully faithful and true. The defense of Scriptural inerrancy is in effect, defense of God Himself. The Scriptures have been diligently and meticulously kept since ancient times and God has overseen His Word and kept it for all generations. However, inerrancy has been and continues to be a theological debate among noted scholars, students, and believers. When we can adequately defend Scriptural inerrancy against apparent discrepancies, problems and concerns, we also uphold His reputation as the one true God. Therefore, it is imperative to not only uphold Scriptural inerrancy, but to be able to defend the Scripture in a concise manner to all who ask or have doubt about its integrity.

Concepts of Inerrancy

The inerrancy of Scripture refers to the fact that the autographs or original manuscripts of Scripture are completely truthful. It means that the Bible always tells the truth in everything it contains. It does not mean, however, that it is exhaustive in every subject it contains, but affirms that what it does say about any subject is true. It also connotes that the Bible has neither
material errors nor internal contradictions. The text has been accurately transmitted in every detail. It is imperative that Christians believe all events and facts that the Bible relates are totally reliable regardless of the opinions of scholars, scientists and philosophers. Alleged errors in the autographs can and have been rectified by theologians and scholars, negating the arguments of non-evangelical scholars. In his work, “Inerrancy,” Norman Geisler has systematically worked through many of these issues of debate and controversy showing that most have clear historic and scientific resolutions defending the material in the autographs.

The authority of the Bible can be hinged on 2 Timothy 3:15-17 which states,
“and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

This is the scope, purpose, and nature of Scripture. The Greek word for inspired literally means, “God-breathed.” He is the author of His Word. While the Holy Spirit guided the hearts and minds of men to pen the words, they are the words of God Himself. The Bible’s authority cannot be separated from this qualification. The Bible was not written that we may become scholars but God speaks through His Word so that we may know Him and be transformed into His likeness. It is with this in mind that we understand the authority it carries. As the book of the history of salvation, its purpose is to align us in right relationship with God, “and it is this point of view that represents and defines the authority of Scripture.” The Bible is, from Genesis toRevelation, a unified revelation of God by God given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to men. To make assessments and distinctions between what is and what is not inspired is to elevate one’s self above the authority of the Word. Humans inspired by God wrote the Word for God’s divine purposes.

Still, some hold that the Bible is only authoritative in matters of faith and practice. Wayne Grudem insists that this belief allows for discrepancies in “minor” details including historical and scientific facts. Those who stand in this position adhere to Biblical infallibility but not inerrancy. Scripture does not qualify one subject or verse as having more or less validity than another. Jesus Himself never questioned the veracity of Scripture. He did not distinguish between matters of faith and practice. When He fought the enemy in the wilderness, He used the Word of God without reservation. As our role model, we can have the same faith in the Word of God.

Prophetic inspiration and God’s will within historic events are the results of divine revelation. Inspiration refers to the content of the Bible rather than the process by which it came into being. Yet, we understand that the human vessels color the language and tone of the inspired works by their culture, experiences, and personalities. Inspiration by nature involves infallibility from the Holy Spirit’s selection of words to the humans who were chosen to be the agents of those words. Those who wrote the words were not dictated to but guided in their hearts and minds by the Holy Spirit. Their writings, therefore, are accurate records acquired from direct revelation from the Holy Spirit.

Jesus unequivocally upheld the Scripture as “historically true, completely authoritative, and divinely inspired.” He consistently quoted the Old Testament in a literal way to teach, inspire, warn, confront and even to oppose the enemy himself. Jesus said repeatedly, “Have you not read…?” implying, “Don’t you know that God has said…?” Jesus makes no clarification or delineation between what is inspired and inerrant and what is not. His use of the books of history, law, psalms and prophecy took His listeners to every part of the Old Testament without discrimination and gives us solid ground to have faith in the Scripture as absolutely true.

Positions on Inerrancy

It is essential to keep the inspiration of God’s Spirit in mind when discussing the differing positions held in regard to inerrancy. There are those scholars who hold that inerrancy is not a relevant issue—that the Bible can be regarded as authoritative without subscribing to inerrancy. Dewey M. Beegle insists that any number of errors may be found in the Bible and yet it can still be considered God’s Word. He goes as far as saying that “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit” to permit errors to be made within the Scripture. However there are literally hundreds of implications in the Bible that it is God’s Word and purified “like silver tried in a furnace.” (Psalm 12:6)

Other scholars maintain that inerrancy of the Bible is applied to spiritual truths relating to salvation and living as a believer. The Bible is not a historical or scientific record but is limited in these areas as God did not reveal to the writers empirical knowledge they did not already have. Those who uphold this view of limited inerrancy refer to the Bible as infallible in its purpose of faith and practice.
It is clear that Jesus and the disciples held to absolute inerrancy of the Scriptures. The New Testament writers made no distinction between what had been written only for faith and practice and that which was historical or scientific. Indeed, they attributed truth to every detail of the Scripture. Jesus and the writers of the New Testament included many miracles and history including stories about Jonah and the great fish, (Matt 12:40) Naaman’s miracle (Luke 4:27) and the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. (2Peter 2:6-7) The writers of the New Testament did not differentiate between historical accounts and matters of doctrine or moral code.
In Romans 15:4, Paul declares that the Old Testament was written for our instruction. Revelation 22:18-19 gives a stern warning about adding or taking away from God’s Word. All of His inspired Word is His Word as He intended. Humans who impose limitations on the Scripture’s truthfulness regard their own opinions higher than God’s Word.

Importance of Inerrancy

It has also been the historical position of the church that the Bible is absolutely inerrant in all that it teaches including matters of science and history. Augustine believed that the Scripture was “free from error,” Although Martin Luther and John Calvin believed in the full trustworthiness of the Bible, they at times waivered from their positions. Nevertheless, the church has held firm its stand on the accuracy of the Scripture. It has been noted that where belief in the inerrancy of the Bible is compromised, the alteration of other foundations of the church are easily compromised as well. To move from a position of faith in the Bible’s inerrant nature is to compromise its authority as well as the foundational beliefs on which the church was built.

As Christians, if the Bible teaches on a matter of history, science, morality, or faith, we must believe it. Those who refer to the infallibility of Scripture instead of its infallibility and inerrancy would argue that a single error in the Bible should not characterize the whole of the Scripture untruthful. However, if we do not stand upon absolute Biblical inerrancy, we compromise and jeopardize the very foundations of our faith. It calls into question everything else in the Scripture. Erickson refers to this as “false in one, uncertain in all.”

Challenges to Inerrancy

With this in mind, we must understand that challenges to the Bible’s veracity are to be taken seriously. It cannot be understated that the reputation and credibility of the Scriptures as God’s Holy Word are at stake. Inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture are formally recognized in the original manuscripts. This acknowledgement is intended as a reality for textual transmission. However, it has also become a basis for scholarly ridicule of current documents as we do not have the autographs. The reoccurring question is how can the current renderings be considered inerrant if we cannot hold them against the originals? In his essay, “The New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Text, Form, and Authority,” Moises Silva states, “The simple answer is that, with regard to the bulk of Scripture, we know what the autographs said. To be more specific, the possibility of textual variation hardly ever affects those passages that are claimed by some to teach error or falsehood.” Wayne Grudem states that although the autographs did not survive, “for over 99 percent of the words in the Bible, we know what the original manuscripts said…and there are very few places where the textual variant is both difficult to evaluate and significant in determining the meaning.” He further states “The current published scholarly texts of the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament are the same as the original manuscripts.”

It is obvious that the Bible was written by humans who were not in and of themselves inerrant. This has led critics to deny Biblical inerrancy as it was subject to human frailty. Some consider the balance between humanity and divine inspiration of Scripture a foremost consideration in the discussion of inerrancy. Many contemporary scholars including Kant and Brunner insisted that occasional encounters with God by fallen men gave way to inspired but imperfect Scripture. Geisler makes the stunning proclamation, “If true humanness on the part of Scriptural authors implies errancy, then to have a valid analogy to Christ, he must also argue that true humanness implies Christ’s sinfulness.” The entirety of Christ’s Gospel is therefore nullified if this is any way truth. Man’s part in writing of Scripture was to transmit what he received. Although they contributed personality, linguistic style, and cultural attributes, they contributed nothing theologically. They expressed their natural inclinations without corrupting the content of God’s inspiration.

Some scholars have either stated or implied that the Bible contains obvious errors. As believers, it is not apostasy to investigate these allegations. Indeed, we should look forward to seeking the truth and knowing that as we inspect the Word of God, it will be proven true. It may be necessary to seek expertise in terms of language, culture, history, archeology or science.
However, difficulties and apparent discrepancies in the Biblical text should not be judged as errors. If investigated fully, most of these passages can be justified. Theologians have worked through many of these issues of historical and scientific “problems” and have offered reasonable explanations. Numerical differences, the genealogies of Christ, the location of Joseph’s grave, dating the Exodus, and issues of phenomenological language are a few of the issues that have been adequately addressed. Believers must continue to work toward resolutions for problem passages rather than compromise the whole of Scripture to the denial of inerrancy.

Higher criticism has caused many contemporary scholars and theologians to compromise their thinking about inerrancy. Attempts to ascertain facts regarding Scriptural authorship, date, place, literary style, etc. is not negative in and of itself. However, higher criticism seeks to do so by investigating human processes without the benefit of divine revelation or inspiration. The result is all too often negative and skeptical judgment that may overlook commitment to honest evaluation. Referring to one method of higher criticism as “the historical-critical method,” Harold Lindsell calls it the Bible’s greatest enemy in his book, “The Bible in the Balance.” This method is concerned with studying any narrative conveying historical information to determine its historical accuracy. Formulated on the presumption that only if Scripture can be proved should it be accepted, doubt is substituted for faith and with this approach, those who seek to find ways to deny Scriptural veracity will do so by their own means. The Bible is then subject to conclusions drawn by men from extra-biblical materials. Earl D. Radmacher agrees with
Lindsell’s assessment of the historic critical method saying that it has eroded and destroyed the foundation of the Christian faith in a manner not seen since the days of Marcion.

Denying Inerrancy

The Bible is the authority on rules of faith and life for believers. Its authority is intact only if it is trustworthy. If the Bible is not inerrant, then its authority is not only diminished, it is destroyed. Other sources must be found as the Bible then becomes an insufficient source for foundational teachings on morality, faith and life. The denial of inerrancy has significant consequences. Numbers 23:19 states, “God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” If God is not a liar, then His Word must be true. If He has spoken we can rely on every Word. To question this is to position ourselves on the “slippery slope” where doubt begins to override faith.

Harold Lindsell insists that once inerrancy is abandoned, apostasy follows. “No matter how sincere a man may be, and however carefully he guards against further theological concessions, they are inevitable once inerrancy is given up.”
Secular criticisms about the Bible’s veracity have filtered into the church until believers “approach some of its authoritative claims with great reservation.” Dismissed as myth, folklore or superstition, the Bible is viewed as archaic and irrelevant. If inerrancy is denied, how then do we trust God? If He speaks to us by His Holy Spirit, is He being truthful if His Word is not reliable? A denial of the truthfulness of Scripture must then filter into the ability to bring others into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is the way of truth that gives hope to the lost. A compromised Word cannot maintain the powerful impact on the unsaved as a God who is not all truthful may or may not care to deliver salvation and healing to those in need. The same can be said in counseling the hurting, broken hearted, or wayward soul. To understand that God is a god of love and all-sufficiency, that He is no respecter of persons and He is faithful and true--this is what brings deliverance to those in desperate need. Compromise can offer only less than the life-giving, life-changing Gospel that God intended. Geisler quotes S.T. David as saying that if a Christian doubts Scriptural inerrancy for faith and practice, “He must hold to some other authority or criterion as well. That authority, I am not embarrassed to say, is his own mind, his own ability to reason.”

Conclusion

Believing the Bible is God’s Word and that God can only speak the truth significantly effects how we approach what is considered an “alleged error” or controversial text. To study less clear passages of Scripture with the assistance of those which speak more clearly on the same subject is the kind of inductive study that will result in the truth. In any case, what is given to us in Scripture is God’s Word by His divine authority. It must never become subject to one’s own interpretation and opinion. 2 Peter 1:20-21 tells us, “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
The doctrine of inerrancy can serve as the common ground upon which believers can unite among the many legitimate differences of dogma and Biblical interpretation. A common commitment to seek the truth and an agreement that truth will be found in Scripture is a basis for crossing denominational and other dividing lines in the body of Christ. John 17:11-26 records Jesus’ impassioned plea that we would be one as He and the Father are one that the Father may be glorified. There are issues in which the body of Christ cannot be divided if Jesus’ prayer is to be realized. Faith in the Scripture as the pure, trustworthy, inerrant Word of God is certainly outstanding among those issues.

Bibliography

Abba, Raymond. The Nature and Authority of the Bible. Philadelphia, PA: The Muhlenberg Press, 1958.

Beegle, Dewey M. Scripture, Tradition, and Infallibility. Ann Arbor, MI: Pryor Pettengill, Publisher, 1979.

Burk, Danny R. “Is Inerrancy Sufficient? A Plea to Biblical Scholars Concerning the Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture.” Southwestern Journal of Theology 50, (Fall2007): 76-91.

Bush, L. Russ. “Understanding Biblical Inerrancy.” Southwestern Journal of Theology 50 (Fall 2007): 20-55.

Carson, D.A. and Woodbridge, John D. eds. Scripture and Truth. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1983.

Comfort, Philip Wesley, Ed. The Origin of the Bible. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 1992.

Elwell, Walter. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, Mi: Baker Book House, 2001.

Erickson, Millard. Christian Theology. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1998.

Geisler, Norman L, Ed. Inerrancy. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1980.

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994.

Lindsell, Harold. The Battle for the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1976.

Lindsell, Harold. The Bible in Balance. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979.

McKim, Donald K. Ed. The Authoritative Word: Essays on the Nature of Scripture, Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1983.

Radmacher, Earl D. and Preus, Robert D, Eds. Hermeneutics, Inerrancy, and the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.

Christ's Passion for You: Day Six~He is Risen!

2011-04-23T13:23:00.000-04:00

Resurrection Morning! It is the most glorious celebration and hope we have as Christians! Celebrate the day with this devotion. And have a blessed day with your family and friends around the good news--the grave is empty: He is Risen!!!

RESURRECTION MORNING!

In the end of the Sabbath, it is beginning to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher, and, behold, there was a great earthquake: For the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. Matthew 28:1,2

“Jesus is alive! His resurrection was not merely a philosophical renaissance of His ideas and teachings – He was literally raised from the dead! The power of God exploded inside the tomb, reconnected Jesus’ spirit with His dead body, flooded his corpse with life and He arose! So much power was released behind the sealed entrance of His tomb that the earth itself reverberated and shuddered from the explosion. Then an angel rolled the stone from the entrance to the tomb, and Jesus physically walked through the door of the tomb alive!

“This is no legend nor fairy tale. This is the foundation of our faith! So today let’s examine the events surrounding the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was resurrected from the dead sometime between the close of Sabbath sunset on Saturday evening and before the women came to the tomb early on Sunday morning. The only actual eyewitnesses to the resurrection itself were the angels who were present and the four Roman soldiers who had been stationed there at Pilate’s command. (Matt 27:66) However, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all record the events that followed on the morning of His resurrection.

“When first reading all four accounts of what happened that morning, it may appear that a contradiction exists between the details told in the various Gospels. But when they are chronologically aligned, the picture becomes very clear and the impression of contradiction is wiped away.

“Let me give you an example of what appears to be a contradiction. The Gospel of Matthew says there was one angel outside the tomb. The Gospel of Mark says there was one angel inside the tomb. The Gospel of Luke says there were two angels inside the tomb. John says nothing about angels, but does say that when Mary returned later in the day, she saw two angels inside the tomb who were positioned at the head and foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been laid.

“So who is telling the right story? How many angles were there? As I said, to see the entire scenario that transpired that day, the events in all four Gospels must be properly sequenced chronologically. So, let’s get started.

“Matthew 28:1 says, ‘In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.’ In addition to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, the mother of James, Luke 24:10 tells us that Joanna and the other women came to the tomb. Luke 8:3 tells us that this Joanna was the wife of Herod’s steward—evidently a wealthy woman who was a financial supporter of Jesus’ ministry. According to Luke 23:55-56, many of these women were present when Jesus was placed inside the tomb, but returned home to prepare spices and ointments so they could anoint His body for burial when they returned after the Sabbath day.

“These women had no way of knowing that the chief priests and elders had gone to Pilate the day after Jesus was buried to request a watch of four Roman soldiers to guard the tomb and an official at home, preparing spices and ointments.

“Yet while these women were preparing to return to anoint Jesus’ dead body, the tomb was being officially sealed shut and Roman soldiers had been ordered to guard the tomb twenty-four hours a day. Had the women known that the tomb was legally sealed and couldn’t be opened, they wouldn’t have returned to the tomb, for it was legally impossible for them to request the stone to be removed.

“Mark 16:2-4 says, ‘And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away; for it was very great.

“Ignorant of the fact that the tomb couldn’t legally be opened, the women proceeded to the tomb for the purpose of anointing Jesus’ body. As they drew near to the garden where the tomb was located, they wondered among themselves who would remove the stone for them. However, Matthew 28:2 says, ‘And behold, there was a great earthquake…’

“This earthquake didn’t occur at the time when the women approached the tomb; rather, it occurred simultaneously with the moment of Jesus’ resurrection, sometime after the Saturday sunset and before the women arrived at the garden. When describing the magnitude of the earthquake, Matthew used the word ‘behold.’ In Greek, this is the word idou. The King James Version translates it behold, but in our day, it might be better translated, ‘Wow!’ When Matthew says, ‘And behold, there was a great earthquake,” he literally means, ‘Wow! Can you believe it!’ Although Matthew writes his Gospel many years after the fact, he still experienced amazement when he thinks of this event!

“Matthew tells us that there was a ‘great earthquake.’ The word great is the Greek word mega, leaving no room for doubt as to the magnitude of this event. The word mega always suggests something huge, massive, or enormous. The word earthquake is the Greek word seimos, the word for a literal earthquake. Just as creation shook when its Creator died on the Cross, now the earth exploded with exultation at the resurrection of Jesus!

“Mark 16:4 says that when the women arrived at the tomb, they found ‘…the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.’ In other words, this was no normal stone; the authorities placed an extremely, exceedingly massive stone in front of the entrance to Jesus’ tomb. Yet when the women arrived, it had been removed!

“Matthew 28:2 tells us how the stone was removed. It says that ‘the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.’ Some have suggested that the ability of the angel to sit on top of such a huge stone may also denote his immense size—in other words, he was so huge that he could sit on top of the enormous stone as if it were a chair. If this were the case, the removal of the stone would have been a simple feat. Matthew informs us that not only was the angel strong, but ‘his countenance was like lightening, and his raiment white as snow.’ (vs 3)

“The immense size, power, and brilliance of this angel explains why the Roman guards fled the scene. Matthew 28:4 tells us, ‘And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.’ It was such a panic-stricken fear that it caused the guards to ‘shake.’
“This word, shake is derived from the identical root word for an earthquake. The mighty Roman soldiers trembled and quaked at the sight of the angel. In fact, they ‘became as dead men.’ They were so terrified at the appearance of the angel that they fell to the ground, violently trembling and so paralyzed with fear that they were unable to move. When they were finally able to move again, these guards fled the scene—and when the women arrived at the garden, they were nowhere to be found!

“Luke 24:3 tells us that with the stone removed, these women passed right by the angel who sat on top of the huge stone and crossed the threshold into the tomb. It says, ‘And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.’ But what did they find inside the tomb besides the vacant spot where Jesus had laid? Mark 16:5 tells us: “And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrightened.’

“First, these women saw an angel sitting on top of the stone at the entrance of the tomb. Now inside the tomb, they see another angel whose appearance is like a young man. The words, ‘young man,’ are from the Greek word neanikos, referring to a young man who is filled with vigor and energy and who is in the prime of his life. This illustrates the vitality, strength, and ever-youthful appearance of angels. The Bible also tells us that this angel was ‘clothed in a long white garment…’ The word ‘clothed pictures a garment draped about his shoulders, as a mighty warrior or ruler would be dressed. The word, ‘garment’ is from the Greek word, stole, which represents the long flowing robe that adorned royalty, commanders, kings, priests, and other people of high distinction.

“As these women stood in an empty tomb, Luke 24:4 tells us that ‘they were much perplexed thereabout.’ This Greek word for ‘perplexed is aporeo, which means to lose one’s way. It is the picture of someone who is so confused that he can’t figure out where he is, what he’s doing, or what is happening around him. This person is completely bewildered by surrounding events.

“Of course these women were perplexed! They came expecting to see the stone in front of the tomb, but it was removed! Sitting on top of the massive stone was a dazzling angel. To get into the tomb, they had to pass by that angel—but once in the tomb, they discovered there was no dead body. Then suddenly they looked over to the right side of the tomb and saw a second angel, dressed in a long, white robe like a warrior, ruler, priest, or king. The women didn’t expect to encounter any of these unusual events that morning. It would have been normal for their heads to be whirling with questions.

“Then Luke 24:4 tells us that all of a sudden, ‘two men stood by them in shining garments.’ The words ‘stood by’ are from the Greek word, epistemi, which means to come upon suddenly; to take one by surprise; to burst upon the scene; to suddenly step up; or to unexpectedly appear. In other words, while the women tried to figure out what they were seeing, the angel sitting on top of the stone decided to join the group inside the tomb. Suddenly to the women’s amazement, two angels were standing inside the tomb in ‘shining garments.’

“The word shining is astrapto, depicting something that shines or flashes like lightening. It may refer to the angel’s shining appearance.

“Luke 24:5-8 says, ‘And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day, rise again. And they remembered his words.

“After the two angels proclaimed the joyful news of Jesus’ resurrection, they instructed the women, ‘But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.’ (Mark 16:7) Matthew 28:8 says they ‘did run to bring his disciples word.’ Mark 16:8 says, “And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre.’ Luke 24:9-10 says that the women returned and ‘told these things unto the apostles.

“Can you imagine how flustered these women must have been as they tried to tell the apostles what they had seen and heard that morning? Luke 24:11 says, ‘And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.’ The words idle tales are from the Greek word leros, which means nonsense, idle talk, babble, or delirium. In other words, the women’s presentation of the Gospel probably wasn’t extremely clear, but it stirred enough interest in Peter and John to make them get up and go find out for themselves about Jesus!

“When we’ve had a supernatural encounter with the Lord, it isn’t always easy to put that experience into words. This is a frustration all of us who know the Lord have felt at one time or another. However, we can’t let that keep us from spreading the good news of what Jesus Christ has done in our lives.

“As you share Jesus Christ with your family and friends, it is your job to give it your best shot. Tell the Good News that best way you know how! But don’t overlook the fact that the Holy Spirit is also speaking to their hearts at the same time you are speaking to their ears. The Spirit of God will use you and your witness so stir hunger deep in their hearts. But long after you are finished talking, God will still be dealing with them. And when they come to Jesus, they won’t remember if you sounded confusing the day you presented the Gospel to them. They will be thankful that you loved them enough to care for their souls.

“So get up and get going! Open your mouth, and start telling the Good News that Jesus Christ is alive and well!

“Lord, I am concerned for my family, friends, acquaintances, and fellow workers who still don’t know You as their personal Savior. I’ve been concerned that if I tried to talk to them, I wouldn’t make sense, so I’ve shied away from witnessing to them. But I know You can make sense out of anything I say. Today I am leaning on you to help; me witness to people in my life. I need You to speak to their hearts at the same time I’m speaking to their ears! Please help me tell them about Your saving grace! I pray this in Jesus’ name!

Christ's Passion for You Devotional Day 5~The Veil is Torn

2011-04-22T13:42:00.001-04:00

From Rick Renner’s “Sparkling Gems from the Greek.”
How precious is it that we have the ability to go to God as our Father! It is in Christ and His sacrifice that this privilege was won for us!

The Day the Veil Was Rent and the Earth Shook

Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent. Matt 27:50-51

“Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record that on the day Jesus was crucified, the sky turned eerily dark at the sixth hour of the day. Matthew 27:45 says, ‘Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.’

“This sudden and unexplainable darkness covered all the ‘land.’ The word land is the Greek word for earth, ges, and it refers to the entire earth, not just a small geographical region. The Greek word ges emphatically tells us that the whole world literally became simultaneously darkened.

“The historians Phlegon, Thaddus, and Julius Africanus all referred to the darkness that covered the earth at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. Critics of the Bible have attempted to explain away this supernatural darkness by alleging that it was due to an eclipse of the sun. This is impossible, however, for the Passover occurred at the time of a full moon.

“The Bible informs us that the darkening of the sky started at the sixth hour. This is significant, for the sixth hour (noontime) was the very moment that the high priest Caiaphas, arrayed in his full priestly garments, began the procession in which he would enter the temple to slaughter a pure, spotless Passover lamb. This darkness that covered the land lasted until the ninth hour—the exact moment the high priest would be making his entrance into the Holy of Holies to offer the blood of the Passover lamb to cover the sins of the nation.

“It was at this moment that Jesus cried out, ‘It is finished!” (John 19:30). As He heaved upward to breathe for the last time, Jesus gathered enough air to speak forth a victory shout! His assignment was complete! After proclaiming those words with His last ounce of strength, Matthew 27:50 tells us that He ‘yielded up the ghost.’

“What Matthew tells us next is simply amazing! He writes, ‘And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom.’ The word ‘behold’ is the Greek word idou. Idou carries the idea of shock, amazement and wonder. It’s almost as if Matthew says, ‘Wow, can you believe it? The veil of the temple itself rent in two from top to bottom!’ Matthew wrote about this event many years after the fact, yet he was still so dumbfounded by what happened that day he exclaimed in effect, ‘Wow! Look what happened next!’

“There were two veils inside the temple—one at the entrance to the Holy Place and a second at the entrance of the Holy of Holies. Only the high priest was allowed to pass through the second veil once a year. That second veil was sixty feet high, thirty feet wide, and an entire handbreadth in thickness! One early Jewish writing states that the veil was so heavy, it took three hundred priests to move or manipulate it. It would have been impossible humanly speaking to tear such a veil.

“At the exact moment Jesus was breathing His last breath on the Cross at Golgotha, Caiaphas the high priest was standing at his station in the inner court of the temple, preparing to offer the blood of a spotless Passover lamb. At the very instant Caiaphas stepped up to kill the Passover sacrifice, Jesus exclaimed, ‘It is finished.’ At that same instant, miles away from Golgotha inside the temple at Jerusalem, an inexplicable, mystifying supernatural even occurred. The massive, fortified veil that stood before the Holy of Holies was suddenly split in half from the top all the way to the bottom!

“The sound of that veil splitting must have been deafening as it ripped and tore, starting from the top and going all the way down to the floor. It was as if invisible, divine hands had reached out to grab it, rip it to shreds, and discard it.

“Imagine how shocked Caiaphas must have been when he heard the ripping sounds above his head and then watched as the veil was torn in half, leaving two sides of the once-massive curtain lying collapsed to his right and his left. Just think what must have gone through this evil high priest’s mind when he saw that the way to the Holy of Holies was opened—and that God’s Presence was no longer there.

“You see, when Jesus was lifted up on that Cross, that Cross became the eternal mercy seat on which the blood of the final sacrifice was sprinkled. Once that sacrifice was made, it was no longer necessary for a high priest to continually make sacrifices year after year, for Jesus’ blood had now settled the issue forever!

“For this cause, God Himself ripped the veil of the temple in half, declaring that the way to the Holy of Holies was now available to everyone who came to Him through the blood of Jesus! This is why the apostle Paul wrote that Jesus ‘hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us’ (Eph 2:14).’

“Jesus’ death was such a dramatic event that even the earth reacted to it. Matthew 27:51 says, ‘the earth did quack, and the rocks rent.’ The word quake is the Greek word seiso, which means to shake, to agitate, or to create a commotion. It is where we get the word for seismograph, the apparatus that registers the intensity of an earthquake. It is interesting to note that Origen, the early Christian leader, recorded that there were ‘great earthquakes’ at the time of Jesus crucifixion.

“I find it so amazing that although Israel rejected Jesus and the Roman authorities crucified Him, creation always recognized Him! During His life on this earth, the waves obeyed Him; water turned to wine at His command; fishes and bread multiplied at His touch; the atoms in water solidified so He could walk across it; and the wind ceased when He spoke to it. So it should come as no surprise that Jesus’ death was a traumatic event for creation. The earth shook, trembled, and shuddered at the death of its Creator, for it instantly felt its loss.

“The earth shuddered so violently when Jesus died that even ‘the rocks rent’ Matthew tells us that huge, large rocks or petra, were rent by the shaking of the earth. The word rent is schidzo, meaning to rent, to tear, to violently tear asunder, to terribly fracture. This was a serious earthquake! It makes me realize all over again the incredible significance of the death of Jesus Christ!

“When Jesus’ blood was accepted at the Cross as final payment for man’s sin, the need to habitually offer sacrifices year after year was eliminated. The Holy of Holies, a place limited only to the high priest once a year, has now become open and accessible to all of us! As ‘believer-priests,” each of us can now enjoy the Presence of God every day. This is why Hebrews 10:19,22 says, ‘Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.’

“Since the way to the Holy of Holies has been thrown wide open to us, we need to take a few minutes each day to enter into the Presence of God to worship Him and to make our requests known. Because of what Jesus did, we can now ‘come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need’ (Heb. 4:16). Since this is God’s promise to us, let’s drop everything we’re doing and come boldly before that throne of grace for a few minutes today!

“Lord, I thank You for destroying the veil that separated me from Your Presence. By taking away the veil, You made it possible for me to come boldly before Your throne of grace to obtain mercy and receive help in my time of need. Because of what You did for me, today I am coming boldly to tell You what I need in my life. I present my case to You, and I thank You in advance for helping me just as You promised in Your Word. I pray this in Jesus’ name.”

Christ's Passion for You Devotional Day 4~Crucified!

2011-04-21T12:05:00.001-04:00

From Rick Renner’s “Sparkling Gems from the Greek.”

This is my favorite daily devotional of this week. It paints such a profound picture of what Jesus did, and His heart as He did it. It is even more profound to know that what He did is the perfect picture of love for me and you!

Crucified!

They gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. And they crucified Him. Matthew 27:34-35

“When Jesus arrived at Golgotha, the Bible says, ‘They gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall…’ According to Jewish law, if a man was about to be executed, he could request a narcotic, mingled together with wine, which would help alleviate the pain of his execution. The word ‘gall’ in this verse refers to this special painkiller that was mingled together with wine for this purpose.

“There was a group of kind women in Jerusalem who made it their good deed to help anesthetize the pain of people who were dying horrific deaths. These women wanted to eliminate as much pain and misery as possible for the scores of people being crucified by the Romans. Therefore, they produced the homemade painkiller that Matthew tells us about in this verse.

“Jesus was offered this anesthetic twice—once before His crucifixion and once while He was dying on the Cross (Matt 27:34, 48). In both instances, Jesus turned down the offer and refused to drink it, for He knew that He was to fully consume this cup the Father had given Him to drink.

“Verse 35 begins, ‘And they crucified Him…’ The word ‘crucified’ is the Greek word staurao from the word stauros, which describes an upright, pointed stake that was used for the punishment of criminals. This word was used to describe those who were hung up, impaled, or beheaded and then publically displayed. It was always used in connection with public execution. The point of hanging a criminal publically was to bring further humiliation and additional punishment to the accused.

“Crucifixion was indisputably one of the cruelest and most barbaric forms of punishment in the ancient world. Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian, described crucifixion as ‘the most wretched of deaths.’ It was viewed with such horror that in one of Seneca’s letters to Lucilius, Seneca wrote that suicide was preferable to crucifixion.

“Different parts of the world had different kinds of crucifixion. For example, in the East the victim was beheaded and then hung in public display. Among the Jews, the victim was first stoned to death and then hung on a tree. Deut 21:22-23 commanded, ‘And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he is to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God)…'

“But at the time Jesus was crucified, the grueling act of crucifixion was entirely in the hands of the Roman authorities. This punishment was reserved for the most serious offenders, usually for those who had committed some kind of treason or who had participated in or sponsored state terrorism.

“Because Israel hated the occupying Roman troops, insurrections frequently arose among the populace. As a deterrent to stop people from participating in revolts, crucifixion was regularly practiced in Jerusalem. By publicly crucifying those who attempted to overthrow the government, the Romans sent a strong signal of fear to those who might be tempted to follow in their steps.

“Once the offender reached the place where the crucifixion was to occur, he was laid on the crossbeam he carried with his arms outstretched. Then a soldier would drive a five-inch iron nail through each of his wrists into the crossbeam. After being nailed to the crossbeam, the victim was hoisted up by rope, and the crossbeam was dropped into a notch on top of the upright post.

“When the crossbeam dropped into the groove, the victim suffered excruciating pain as his hands and wrists were wrenched by the sudden jerking motion. Then the weight of the victim’s body caused his arms to be pulled out of their arm sockets. Josephus writes that the Roman soldiers ‘out of rage and hatred amused themselves by nailing their prisoners in different postures.’ Crucifixion was truly a vicious ordeal.

“When the victim was nailed to the cross, the nails were not driven through the palms of his hands, but through the wrists. Once the wrists were secured in place, the feet came next. First, the victim’s legs would be positioned so that the feet were pointed downward with the soles pressed against the post on which the victim was suspended. A long nail would then be driven between the bones of the feet, lodged firmly enough between those bones to prevent it from tearing through the feet as the victim arched upward, gasping for breath.

“In order for the victim to breathe, he had to push himself up by his feet, which were nailed to the vertical beam. However, because the pressure on his feet became unbearable, it wasn’t possible for him to remain long in this position, so eventually he would collapse back into the hanging position.

“As the victim pushed up and collapsed back down again and again over a long period of time, his shoulders eventually dislocated and popped out of joint. Soon the out-of-joint shoulders were followed by the elbows and wrists. These various dislocations caused the arms to be extended up to nine inches longer than usual, resulting in terrible cramps in the victim’s arm muscles and making it impossible for him to push himself upward any longer to breathe. When he was finally too exhausted and could no longer push himself upward on the nail lodged in his feet, the process of asphyxiation began.

“Jesus experienced all of this torture. When He dropped down with the full weight of His body on the nails that were driven through His wrists, it sent excruciating pain up His arms, registering horrific pain in His brain. Added to this torture was the agony caused by the constant grating of Jesus’ recently scourged back against the upright post every time He pushed up to breathe and then collapsed back to a hanging position.

“Due to extreme loss of blood and hyperventilation, the victim would begin to experience severe dehydration. We can see this process in Jesus’ own crucifixion when He cried out, ‘I thirst' (John 19:28). After several hours of this torment, the victim’s heart would begin to fail. Next his lungs would collapse, and excess fluids would begin filling the lining of his heart and lungs, adding to the slow process of asphyxiation.

“When the Roman soldier came to determine whether or not Jesus was alive or dead, he thrust his spear into Jesus’ side. One expert pointed out that if Jesus had been alive when the soldier did this, the soldier would have heard a loud sucking sound caused by air being inhaled past the freshly made wound in the chest. But the Bible tells us that water and blood mixed together came pouring forth from the wound the spear had made—evidence that Jesus’ heart and lungs had shut down and were filled with fluid. This was enough to assure the soldier that Jesus was already dead.

“It was customary for Roman soldiers to break the lower leg boned of a person being crucified, making it impossible for the victim to push himself upward to breathe and thus causing him to asphyxiate at a much quicker rate. However, because of the blood and water that gushed from Jesus’ side, He was already considered dead. Since there was no reason for the soldiers to hasten Jesus’ death, His legs were never broken.

“This, my friend, is a brief taste of a Roman crucifixion.

“The above description of crucifixion was exactly what Jesus experienced on the Cross where He died for you and me. This is why Paul wrote, ‘And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross’ (Phil 2:8). In Greek the emphasis is on the word ‘even,’ from the Greek word de, which dramatizes the point that Jesus lowered Himself to such an extent that He died even the death of a cross—the lowest, most humiliating, debasing, shameful, painful method of death in the ancient world!

“Now you understand why the kind women of Jerusalem prepared homemade painkillers for those being crucified. The agony associated with crucifixion is the reason they offered Jesus this ‘gall’ once before the crucifixion began and again as He hung on the Cross.

“Meanwhile, the soldiers near the foot of the Cross ‘parted His garments, casting lots…’ (Matt 27:35). They didn’t understand the great price of redemption that was being paid at that moment as Jesus hung asphyxiating to death, His lungs filling with fluids so He couldn’t breathe.

“According to Roman custom, the soldiers who carried out the crucifixion had a right to the victim’s clothes. Jewish law required that the person being crucified would be stripped naked. So there Jesus hung, completely open and naked before the world, while His crucifiers literally distributed His clothes among themselves!

“Making this distribution of clothes even cheaper was the fact that the soldiers ‘cast lots’ for His garments. The Gospel of John records that ‘when they had crucified Him, took His garments, and made four parts, to ever soldier a part; and also His coat; now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it.’ (John 19:23-24).

“This account informs us that four soldiers were present at Jesus’ crucifixion. The four parts of His clothing that were distributed among them were His head gear, sandals, girdle, and the tallith—the outer garment that had fringes on the bottom. His ‘coat,’ which was ‘without seam,’ was a handmade garment that was sewn together from top to bottom. Because it was specially handmade, this coat was a very expensive piece of clothing. This was the reason the soldiers chose to cast lots for it rather than tear it into four parts and spoil it.

“When the Bible refers to ‘casting lots,’ it indicates a game during which the soldiers wrote their names on pieces of parchment or wood or on stones and then dropped all four pieces with their names written on them into some kind of container. Because the Roman soldiers who helped crucify Jesus were remotely located, it is probable that one of them pulled off his helmet and held it out to the other soldiers. After the others dropped their names in the helmet, the soldier shook it up to mix up the four written names and then randomly withdrew the name of the winner.

“It is simply remarkable that all of this was taking place as Jesus was pushing down on that huge nail lodged in His feet so He could gasp for breath before sagging back down into a hanging position. As Jesus’ strength continued to drain away and the full consequence of man’s sin was being realized in Him, the soldiers at the foot of the Cross played a game to see who would get His finest piece of clothing!

“Matthew 27:36 says, ‘And sitting down they watched him there.’ The Greek word for watch is the word tereo, which means to guard. The Greek tense means to consistently guard or to consistently be on the watch. It was the responsibility of these soldiers to keep things in order, to keep watch over the crucifixion site, and to make sure no one came to rescue Jesus from the Cross. So as they cast lots and played games, the soldiers were also keeping watch out of the corners of their eyes to make certain no one touched Jesus as He hung dying on the Cross.

“When I read about the crucifixion of Jesus, it makes me want to repent for the callousness with which the world looks upon the Cross today. In our society, the cross has become a fashion item, decorated with gems, rhinestones, gold and silver. Beautiful crosses of jewelry adorn women’s ears and dangle at the bottom of gold chains and necklaces. The symbol of the cross is even tattooed on people’s flesh!

“The reason this is so disturbing to me is that in beautifying the Cross to make it pleasing to look upon, people have forgotten that it wasn’t beautiful or lavishly decorated at all. In fact, the Cross of Jesus Christ was shocking and appalling.

“Jesus’ totally naked body was flaunted in humiliation before a watching world. His flesh was ripped to shreds; His body was bruised from head to toe; He had to heave His body upward for every breath He breathed; and His nervous system sent constant signals of excruciating pain to His brain. Blood drenched Jesus’ face and streamed from His hands, His feet, and from the countless cuts and gaping wounds the scourging had left upon His body. In reality, the Cross of Jesus Christ was a disgusting, repulsive, nauseating, stomach-turning sight—so entirely different from the attractive crosses people wear today as a part of their jewelry or attire.

“At this time of the year, it would be a good idea for all of us as believers to take a little time to remember what the Cross of Jesus Christ was really like. If we don’t deliberately choose to meditate on what He went through, we will never fully appreciate the price He paid for us. How tragic it would be if we lost sight of the pain and the price of redemption!

“When we fail to remember what it cost Jesus to save us, we tend to treat our salvation cheaply and with disregard. That’s why the apostle Peter wrote, ‘Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.’ (1 Pet 1:18-19).

“The kind women of Jerusalem wanted to anesthetize Jesus to remove His pain. He refused their painkiller and entered into the experience of the Cross with all His faculties. Let’s not allow the world to anesthetize us, causing us to overlook or forget the real price that was paid on the Cross.

“Why not take time today to let the reality of the Cross sink deep into your heart and soul? As you do, you’ll find that it will cause you to love Jesus so much more than you love Him right now!

“Lord, help me never to forget the price You paid on the Cross for my salvation. Please forgive me for the times my life starts moving so fast that I fail to remember what You did for me. No one else could have taken my place. No one else could have paid the price for my sin. So You went to the Cross, bearing my sin, my sickness, my pain, and my lack of peace. That Cross was the place where the price was paid for my deliverance. Today I want to thank you from the very depths of my heart for doing this for me! I pray this in Jesus’ name!"

Christ's Passion for You Devotional Day 3~Golgotha: The Place of the Skull

2011-04-20T12:58:00.002-04:00

From Rick Renner’s Sparkling Gems from the Greek.

And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull. Matthew 27:32, 33

“When the soldiers brought Jesus out from the residence of Pilate, Jesus was already carrying the crossbeam that would serve as the upper portion of His Cross.

“Most Roman crosses were shaped like a “T.” The upright post had a notched groove at the top into which the crossbeam was placed after a victim had been tied or nailed to it. The crossbeam, normally weighing about 100 pounds, was carried on the back of the victim to the place of execution.

“According to Roman law, once a criminal was convicted, he was to carry his own cross to the place of execution if his crucifixion was to occur somewhere other than the place of the trial. The purpose for exposing criminals heading for crucifixion to passersby was to remind those who watched of Roman military power. At the place of execution, vultures flew overhead, just waiting to swoop down and start devouring the dying carcasses left hanging on the crosses. In the nearby wilderness, wild dogs anxiously waited for the newest dead bodies dumped by executioners, to become their next meal.

“After the person was declared guilty, a crossbeam would be laid across his back and a herald would walk ahead of him, proclaiming his crime. A sign with the person’s crime written on it would also be made, later to be hung on the cross above his head. Sometimes the sign bearing the person’s crime would be hung from his neck, so all the spectators who lined the streets to watch him walk by would know what crime he committed. This was the very type of sign that was publicly displayed on the Cross above Jesus’ head with the crime He was charged with—“King of the Jews”—written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

“Carrying such a heavy weight for a long distance would be difficult for any man, but especially for one who had been as severely beaten as Jesus. The heavy crossbeam on which He was destined to be nailed pressed into His torn back as He carried it to the place of execution. Although the Bible does not state the reason why, we may assume that the Roman soldiers forced Simon of Cyrene to help because Jesus was so drained and exhausted from the abuse He had suffered.

“Little is known of Simon of Cyrene, except that he was from Cyrene, the capital of the province of Libya that was situated approximately eleven miles south of the Mediterranean Sea. Matthew 27:32 informs us that the Roman soldiers “compelled him to bear His Cross.” The word ‘compelled’ is the Greek word aggareuo. It means to compel, to coerce, to constrain, to make or to force someone into some kind of compulsory service.

“Matthew 27:33 says, ‘And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of the skull.’ This scripture has been the center of controversy for several hundred years, for many have attempted to use this verse to geographically identify the exact location of Jesus’ crucifixion. Some denominations allege that the place of Jesus’ crucifixion was inside modern-day Jerusalem, while others assert that the name Golgotha refers to a site outside the city that from a distance looks like a skull. However, the earliest writings of the Church fathers say this phrase ‘a place of the skull’ refers to something very different!

“An early Christian writer named Origen, (185-253AD) recorded that Jesus was crucified on the spot where Adam was buried and where his skull had been found. Whether or not this is true, there was an early Christian belief that Jesus had been crucified near Adam’s burial place. As the early story goes, when the earthquake occurred as Jesus hung on the cross (Matt 27:51) His blood ran down the cross into the crack in the rock below and fell on the skull of Adam. This history is so entrenched in early Christian tradition that Jerome referred to it in a letter in 386 AD.

“Interestingly, Jewish tradition states that Adam’s skull was buried near the city of Jerusalem by Noah’s son, Shem. Tradition says this burial place was guarded by Melchizedek, who was the priest-king of Salem (Jerusalem) during the time of Abraham (Gen 14:18) Unknown to most Western believers, this history is so accepted that it is considered a major theme of Orthodox doctrine, and the skull of Adam appears consistently at the base of the Cross in both paintings and icons. If you ever see a skull at the base of a crucifix, you can know that it symbolizes Adam’s skull that was allegedly found buried at the site of Jesus’ crucifixion.

“These extremely interesting facts, although unprovable, have retained strong support throughout 2,000 years of Christian history. If it were true, it would be quite amazing that the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, died for the sins of the world exactly on the spot where the first Adam, the original sinner, was buried. If Jesus’ blood ran down the crack in the stone and fell upon Adam’s skull, as tradition says, it would be very symbolic of Jesus’ blood covering the sins of the human race that originated with Adam.

“But what can we definitely know about the place of Jesus’ crucifixion?

“We definitely know that Jesus was crucified like a criminal by the Roman government just outside the walls of the ancient city of Jerusalem. Whether or not He was crucified at the place of Adam’s skull is interesting but not important. What is vital for us to know and understand is that Jesus died for the sins of the entire human race—and that includes you and me!

“Today we may not be able to say with certainty exactly where Jesus was crucified, but in our hearts and minds we should meditate on the scriptures that speak of His crucifixion. Sometimes life moves so fast that we tend to forget the enormous price that was paid for our redemption. Salvation may have been given to us as a free gift, but it was purchased with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. THANK GOD FOR THE CROSS!

“This question of where Jesus was crucified is a good example of the way people tend to get distracted by unimportant issues and, as a result, miss the main point God wants to get across to them. People have argued and debated for centuries about the accurate location of the crucifixion when the truth they should have been focusing on is that Jesus was crucified for their salvation! The apostle Paul wrote, ‘Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures’ (1Cor 15:3-4). Of this, we can be sure!

“Aren’t you thankful that Jesus’ blood purchased the forgiveness for all of mankind’s sin? It is true that through Adam’s disobedience, sin entered the world and death was passed on to all men. But just as sin entered the world through Adam, the gift of God came into the world through the obedience of Jesus Christ. Now the grace of God and the free gift of righteousness abounds to all who have called upon Jesus Christ to be the Lord of their lives (Romans 5:12-21). Now every believer had the glorious privilege of reigning in life as a joint heir with Jesus Himself!

“Lord, how can I ever adequately say thank You for all that You did for me at the Cross? I was so undeserving, but You came and gave Your life for me, taking away my sin and removing the punishment that should have passed to me. I thank You from the depths of my heart for doing what no one else could do for me. Had it not been for You, I would be eternally lost, so I just want to say thank You for laying down Your life that I might be free! I pray this in Jesus’ name!”

Christ's Passion for You Devotional: Day 2~Scorned!

2011-04-19T00:23:00.002-04:00

Christ's Passion for You -- Part Two
From Rick Renner’s “Sparkling Gems from the Greek.”

Scorned!

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto Him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped Him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him saying, Hail, King of the Jews! Matt 27:27-29

“After Jesus was scourged, Pilate delivered Him to the Roman soldiers so they could initiate the crucifixion process. However, first these soldiers dragged Jesus through the worst mockery and humiliation of all.

“Matthew 27:27 says the soldiers, ‘…took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto Him the whole band of soldiers.’ The common hall was the open courtyard in Pilate’s palace. Since Pilate rotated between several official royal residences in Jerusalem, this could have been his palace at the Tower of Antonia. It also could have been his residence at the magnificent palace of Herod, located on the highest part of Mount Zion. All we know for sure is that the courtyard was so large, it was able to hold ‘the whole band of soldiers.’ This phrase comes from the Greek word, spira, referring to a cohort or a group of 300-600 Roman soldiers.

“Hundreds of soldiers filled the courtyard of Pilate’s residence to participate in the events that followed. Matthew 27:28 says, ‘and they stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe.’ First, the soldiers ‘stripped Him.’ The word stripped is the Greek word, ekduo, which means to totally unclothe or to fully undress. Nakedness was viewed as a disgrace, a shame, and an embarrassment in the Jewish world. Public nakedness was associated with pagans—with their worship, their idols, and their statues.

“As children of God, the Israelites honored the human body, made in the image of God; thus to publicly parade someone’s naked body was a great offense. We can know, that when Jesus was stripped naked in front of 300-600 soldiers, it went against the grain of His entire moral view of what was right and wrong.

“Once Jesus stood naked before them, the soldiers then ‘put on him a scarlet robe.’ The Greek phrase is chlamuda kokkinen, from the words chlamus and kokkinos. The word chlamus is the Greek word for a robe or a cloak. It could refer to a soldier’s cloak, but the next word makes it more probable that this was an old cloak of Pilate. You see, the word ‘scarlet’ is the Greek word Kokkinos, a word that describes a robe that has been dyed a deep crimson or scarlet color, which is suggestive of the deeply colored crimson and scarlet robes worn by royalty or nobility. Did this cohort of Roman soldiers who worked at Pilate’s residence pull an old royal robe from Pilate’s closet and bring it to the courtyard for the party? It seems that this is the case.

“As Matthew continues the account, we find out what happened next: After the soldiers ‘had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head…’ The word ‘platted’ is the Greek word empleko which is often used to describe a person entangled in his lower garments or a person who is caught is caught in some type of vine. The soldiers took vines loaded with sharp, dangerous thorns; then they carefully wove together those razor-sharp, prickly jagged vines until they formed a tightly woven, dangerous circle resembling the shape of a crown. It was this kind of crown that the soldiers violently shoved down upon Jesus’ head.

“Matthew uses the Greek word, epitithimi, a word that implies they forcefully shoved this crown of thorns onto Jesus’ head. These thorns would have been extremely painful and caused blood to flow profusely from His brow. Because the thorns were so jagged, they would have created terrible wounds as they scraped across Jesus’ skull bone and literally tore the flesh from His skull.

“Matthew called it a ‘crown’ of thorns. The word ‘crown’ is from the Greek word, stephanos; the word that described a coveted ‘victor’s crown. These soldiers intended to use this mock crown to make run of Jesus. Little did they know that Jesus was preparing to win the greatest victory in history!

“After forcing the crown of thorns down onto Jesus’ brow, the soldiers put ‘a reed in His right hand…’ There were many beautiful ponds and fountains in Pilate’s inner courtyard where long, tall hard ‘reeds’ grew. While Jesus sat there before them clothed in a royal robe and crown of thorns, one of the soldiers must have realized that the picture was not quite complete and pulled a ‘reed’ from one of the ponds or fountains to put in Jesus’ hand. This reed represented the ruler’s staff, as seen in the famous statue called ‘Ave Caesar,’ which depicted Caesar holding a staff or scepter in his hand. The same image, also showing a scepter in the right hand of the emperor, appeared on coins that were minted in the emperor’s honor and in wide circulation.

“With a discarded robe about Jesus’ shoulders, a crown of thorns set so deeply into His head that blood drenched His face, and a reed from Pilate’s ponds or fountains stuck in His right hand, ‘they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him saying, Hail King of the Jews!’ The word ‘bowed’ is the Greek word, gonupeteo, meaning to fall down upon one’s knees. One by one, the cohort of soldiers passed before Jesus, dramatically and comically dropping to their knees in front of Him as they laughed at and mocked Him.

“Matthew 27:30 goes on to tell us, ‘And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head.’ They word ‘they’ refers to the entire cohort of soldiers who were present in Pilate’s courtyard that night. So as each soldier passed by Jesus, he would first mockingly bow before Him; then he’d lean forward to spit right in Jesus’ blood drenched face. Next the soldier would grab the reed from Jesus’ hand and strike Him hard on His already wounded head. Finally, he would stick the reed back in Jesus’ hand to make Him ready for the next soldier to repeat the whole process.

“The Greek clearly means that the soldiers repeatedly struck Jesus again and again on the head. Here was another beating that Jesus endured, but this time, it was with the slapping action of a hard reed. This must have been excruciatingly painful for Jesus, since His body was already lacerated from the scourging and His head was deeply gashed by the cruel crown of thorns.

“When all 300-600 soldiers were finished spitting and striking Jesus with the reed, Matthew 27:31 tells us that ‘they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.' The robe wrapped around Jesus had no doubt had time to mesh into His wounds, for it took a great amount of time for so many soldiers to parade before Him. Therefore, it must have been terrifically painful for Jesus when they jerked this robe off His back and the material ripped free from the dried blood that had coagulated on His open wounds.

“But this would be the last act of torture Jesus would endure in this stage of His ordeal. After putting His own clothes back on Him, the soldiers led Him from the palace to the place of execution.

“As the soldiers mocked Jesus that day, hailing Him as king in derision and ridicule, they were unaware that they were actually bowing their knees to the One before whom they would one day stand and give an account for their actions. When that day comes, bowing before Jesus will be no laughing matter, for everyone—including those very soldiers who mocked Jesus—will confess that Jesus is Lord!

“Yes, a day is soon coming when the human race will bow their knees to acknowledge and declare that Jesus is the King of kings. Philippians 2:10,11 talks about that day: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

“If you have a friend who doesn’t know Jesus yet, don’t you think it’s time for you to introduce that friend to Jesus Christ? Your friend will one day bow before Him anyway; the question is, from which place will he bow before Jesus—from Heaven, from earth, or from hell? Everyone in Heaven will bow low before Jesus on that day, as will everyone who is alive on earth at His coming and everyone who has gone to hell because they didn’t bow before Him while they lived on this earth. So the big question is not if a person will bow before Him, but from which place will he choose to bow before Him?

“Isn’t it your responsibility to help lead your friends and acquaintances to Jesus? God’s Spirit will empower you to speak the Gospel to them. If you pray before you speak to them, the Holy Spirit will prepare their hearts to hear the message. Why not stop today and ask the Lord to help you speak the truth to those friends, acquaintances, and fellow workers whom you interact with every day?

“Lord, open my eyes to those around me who are unsaved and in need of salvation. You died for them because You want them to be saved. I know that You are trusting me to tell them the Good News that they can be saved. Please empower me strongly with your Spirit, giving me the boldness I need to step out from behind intimidation and to tell them the truth that will save them from an eternity in hell. Help me to start telling them the Good News immediately, before it is too late. I pray this in Jesus’ name.”

Christ's Passion for You Devotional~Day One

2011-04-17T16:43:00.002-04:00

The Resurrection season is upon us. It is the time and opportunity for us to reflect on the glorious sacrifice of Jesus. Rick Renner has written one of my favorite daily devotionals called "Sparkling Gems from the Greek." Over the next few days, I would like to once again share with you part of the powerful account of Jesus' passion, from trial, to tragedy, to triumph. We will take it from the torturous scourging forward. I encourage you to follow and read each post, one about every other day. The posts themselves may seem long as I take them straight from the book, but they will give you great insight into the amazing passion Jesus has for you. If you read and meditate on the contents of these posts, I guarantee you won't be the same when you more fully realize what Jesus was willing to endure on your behalf.

Warning-some of the contents are of these posts will be extremely graphic.

SCOURGED

...And when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. Matt. 27:26

"What was it like for a prisoner to be scourged in New Testament times? From what materials was a scourge made? How did it feel when the straps of a scourge whipped across a person's back and body? What effects did a scourging have on the human body?

"Matthew 27:26 tells us that Pilate 'had scourged Jesus' before he delivered Him to be crucified, so we need to understand what it meant to be 'scourged. The word 'scourged' is the Greek word phragello, and it was one of the most horrific words used in the ancient world because of the terrible images that immediately came to mind when a person heard this word. Le me tell you a little about the process of scourging and what it did to the human body. I believe this explanation is important so you can understand more completely what Jesus endured before He was taken to be crucified.

"When a decision was made to scourge an individual, the victim was first stripped completely naked so his entire flesh would be open and uncovered to the beating action of the torturer's whip. Then the victim was bound to a two-foot high scourging post. His hands were tied over his head to a metal ring, and his wrists were securely shackled to the metal ring to restrain his body from movement. When in this locked position, the victim couldn't wiggle or move, trying to avoid or dodge the lashes that were being laid across his back.

"Romans were professionals at scourging; they took special delight in the fact that they were the 'best' at punishing a victim with this brutal act. Once the victim was harnessed to the post and stretched over it, the Roman soldier began to put him through unimaginable torture. One writer notes that the mere anticipation of the first blow caused the victim's body to grow rigid, the muscles to knot in his stomach, the color to drain from his cheeks, and his lips to draw tight against his teeth as he waited for the first sadistic blow that would begin the tearing open of his body.

"The scourge itself consisted of a short, wooden handle with several 18-24 inch long straps of leather protruding from it. The ends of these pieces of leather were equipped with sharp, rugged pieced of metal, wire, glass, and jagged fragments of bone. This was considered to be one of the most feared and deadly weapons of the Roman world. It was so ghastly that the mere threat of scourging could calm a crowd or bend the will of the strongest rebel. Not even the most hardened criminal wanted to be submitted to the vicious beating of a Roman scourge.

"Most often, two torturers were utilized to carry out this punishment, simultaneously lashing the victim from both sides. As these dual whips struck the victim, the leather straps with their jagged, sharp, cutting objects descended and extended over this entire back. Each piece of metal, wire, bone or glass cut deeply through the victim's skin and into his flesh, shredding his muscles and sinews.

"Every time the whip pounded across the victim, those straps of leather curled tortuously around his torso, biting painfully and deeply into the skin of his abdomen and upper chest. As each stroke lacerated the sufferer, he tried to thrash about but was unable to move because his wrists were held so firmly to the metal ring above his head. Helpless to escape the whip, he would scream for mercy that this anguish might come to an end.

"Every time the torturers struck a victim, the straps of leather attached to the wooden handle would cause multiple lashes as the pieces of metal, glass, wire and bone sank into the flesh and then raked across the victim's body. Then the torturer would jerk back, pulling hard in order to tear whole pieced of human flesh from the body. The victim's back, buttocks, back of the legs, stomach, upper chest, and face would soon be disfigured by the slashing blows of the whip.

"Historical records describe a victim's back as being so mutilated after a Roman scourging that his spine would actually be exposed. Others recorded how the bowels of a victim would actually spill out through the open wounds created by the whip. The Early Church historian Eusebius wrote, 'The veins were laid bare, and the very muscles, sinews, and bowels of the victim were open to exposure.

"The Roman torturer would so aggressively strike the victim that he wouldn't even take the time to untangle the bloody, flesh-filled straps as he lashed the whip across the victim's mangled body over and over again. If the scourging wasn't stopped, the slicing of the whip would eventually flay the victim's flesh off his body.

"With so many blood vessels sliced open by the whip, the victim would begin to experience profuse loss of blood and bodily fluids. The heart would pump harder and harder, struggling to get blood to the parts of the body that were profusely bleeding. But it was like pumping water through an open water hydrant; there was nothing left to stop the blood from pouring through the victim's open wounds.

"This loss of blood caused the victim's blood pressure to drop drastically. Because of the massive loss of bodily fluids, he would experience excruciating thirst, often fainting from the pain and eventually going into shock. Frequently the victim's heartbeat would become so irregular that he would go into cardiac arrest.

"This was a Roman scourging.

"According to Jewish law in Deuteronomy 25:3, the Jews were permitted to give forty lashes to a victim, but because the fortieth lash usually proved fatal, the number of lashes given was reduced to thirty-nine, as Paul noted in 2Corinthians 11:24. But the Romans had NO LIMIT to the number of lashes they could give a victim, and the scourging Jesus experienced was at the hands of the Romans, not Jews. Therefore, it is entirely possible that when the torturer pulled out his scourge to beat Jesus, he may have laid more than forty lashes across His body. In fact, this is even probable in light of the explosive outrage the Jews felt for Jesus and the terrible mocking He had already suffered at the hands of Roman soldiers.

"So when the Bible tells us that Jesus was scourged, we now know exactly what type of beating that Jesus received that night. What toll did the cruel Roman whip exact on Jesus' body? The New Testament doesn't tell us exactly what Jesus looked like after He was scourged, but Isaiah 52:14 says, 'As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.'

"If we take this scripture literally for what it says, we can conclude that Jesus' physical body was marred nearly beyond recognition. As appalling as this sounds, it was only the overture to what was to follow. Matthew 27:26 continues to tell us, 'and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.' This scourging was only the preparation for Jesus' crucifixion!

"Every time I think about the scourging Jesus received that day, I think of the promise of God to us in Isaiah 53:5. This verse says, 'But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed." In this verse, God declares that the price for our healing would be paid by those stripes that were laid across Jesus' back.

"In 1Peter 2:24, the apostle Peter quoted Isaish 53:5. He told his readers, '...by whose stripes we are healed.' The word 'stripes' used in this verse is molopsi, which describes a full-body bruise. It refers to a "terrible lashing that draws blood and that produces discoloration and swelling of the entire body. When Peter wrote this verse, he wasn't speaking by revelation but by memory, for he vividly remembered what happened to Jesus that night and what His physical appearance looked like after His scourging.

"After graphically reminding us of the beating, bleeding, and bruising that Jesus endured, Peter jubilantly declared that it was by these same stripes that we are 'healed.' The word 'healed' is the Greed word iaomai--a word that clearly refers to physical healing, as it is a word borrowed from the medical term to describe the 'physical healing or curing of the human body.'

"For those who think this promise refers to spiritual healing only, the Greek word emphatically speaks of the healing of a physical condition. This is a real promise of bodily healing that belongs to all who have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ!

"Jesus' broken body was the payment God demanded to guarantee our physical healing! Just as Jesus willfully took our sins and died on the cross in our place, He also willfully took our sicknesses and pains on Himself when they tied Him to the scourging post and laid those lashes across His body. that horrific scourging paid for our healing!

"If you need healing in your body, you have every right to go to God and ask for healing to come flooding into your system. It's time for you to dig in your heels and hold fast to the promise of God's Word, releasing your faith for the healing that belongs to you."

Cherokee Rite of Passage

2011-04-16T21:43:00.002-04:00

I am posting this with permission from my Facebook friend, Brown Eagle. It is part of what God has been showing me in various ways of late: the beauty of simplicity in word, art, life.

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee youth's rite of Passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him, and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.

Once he survives the night, he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him . Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man! Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump right beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

Moral of the story: Just because you can't see God, Doesn't mean He is not there. "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Take Me Deeper

2011-04-15T12:24:00.003-04:00

If you're anything like me, worshipping God is more than something that gives you a good feeling on Sunday morning. Worship is an integral part of life. It is as important as breathing~without it, you can't live. But if you're like me, there are times when you can't seem enter in or break through to the realms of heaven when you're worshipping. Could it be that we are attempting to enter into the presence of God with hearts that have been defiled by sin?

Psalm 24:3-5 says, "Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart,who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation."

In the Good News Translation, verses 3-4 read, "Who has the right to go up the Lord's hill? Who may enter his holy Temple? 4 Those who are pure in act and in thought, who do not worship idols or make false promises."

Are we innocent or do we need to humble ourselves before His mighty hand, repent of our thoughts, deeds, and our worship of things other than God Himself before we attempt to enter His Holy Presence? Remember the priests of the temple. Before they dared enter the Holy of Holies, they went through ritual cleansing, and yet, wore bells to signal they were still moving, and a rope to drag their bodies from God's presence should they have entered unqualified.

Although we have a High Priest that has torn the veil between us and the presence of the Almighty God, this does NOT give us the right to go before Him haughtily with unclean hands or an unpure heart unless we are going in repentence.

I don't want to stand in the outer court shouting praise to the passing King. I want to be in His presence. I want to know Him like I've never known Him before. But there is a protocol for gaining access to the King's presence.

As for me, I take this moment to repent before God and man. For my many failings, I repent. If there are those I have unwittingly hurt in any way, I ask forgiveness. To my Lord, I come humbly and also ask forgiveness. And I am grateful to have a Father who is quick and faithful to forgive and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness that I may come into His presence once again...it is, after all, what I long for. How about you?

Take Me Deeper
Kathy Lebron ©
April, 2011

We lift our hands to worship God
and enter His holy presence
but criticize, hold grudges,
and gossip with no remorse.

We ask God for signs and wonders
but hang tight to offenses~
we're just shouting from the outer courts...
fringe Christianity with no power to save and heal the lost.

Lord, take me deeper~
past the Holy Place
to the Holiest of Holies.
I long to see Your face.

Take the coal and cleanse my lips.
Take my heart and make it new.
Give me clean hands and a pure heart
that I might truly worship You.

Lord, take me deeper
I want to be with You
I’ve counted the cost
I’ll pay the price
Nothing less will do
No, nothing less than all of You
Take me deeper with You, Lord

The End of Me

2011-01-31T12:51:00.004-05:00

When I awoke this morning, I was lying in bed and for whatever reason, I was very conscious of my breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Regular and vital. My thoughts turned to the fact that someday those breaths will cease. There will also be an end to the syncopated beating of my heart. My brain will no longer strive to understand and learn. I will be no more.

It was like being seared with a branding iron. Although it’s not the first time I’ve meditated on my own physical demise, it was the most piercing. I could feel the adrenaline course as my thoughts became focused on this reality. I want to call it grim, but is it?

I began to think about the possibilities, and there were only three. What if ME is all there is? When the moment of my end is, what if there is no more? That’s a weird thought that just doesn’t seem right. There must be some other reality beyond this one.

Then there was the thought that what if I don’t REALLY have clean hands and a pure heart in God’s sight? What if I open my eyes and the reality is that I have, through my own faulty living, thinking and doing, consigned myself to the bowels of the earth?

Have you ever been in a horrible situation-say a car accident or a bad fall? There is a point where you know you have lost control, and you are instantly facing the reality of your circumstance, yet not knowing the extent of the outcome? Thoughts race at lightning speed—and even the worst scenario plays out in your mind…and whatever you are about to face, there is absolutely nothing you can do to reverse what is happening.

That’s what it felt like this morning. Hell. ME being sent. That moment of knowing it was over with no hope. There is only profound fear and dread. Oh God, please! Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit in me! Forgive me for all my short-comings and give me the strength to live right in your sight!!!

There was one more scenario. I was running. All was light and good, warmth and peace. I was scooped up in the most loving arms imaginable and swung around like a small child in the arms of her Daddy! Such joy! Such amazing joy!

I believe with all my heart that there are only these two possible realities on the other side of this life. Only one of these two scenarios will play out when I close my eyes upon this earth. Today’s impromptu meditation solidified that in my heart. I desperately desire to run into the arms of my Father, look into His eyes, and tell Him how much I love and adore Him!

I’m sure some who read this will scoff, but listen. The bottom line is that every single one of us faces the exact same end. There are no exceptions. I challenge you. The next time you are alone, and it’s quiet, meditate on the reality of your own end for 60 seconds. What will the outcome be? What will you find when you close your eyes on this side—because you will close your eyes for the final time. It may be today, it may be sixty years from today. But it will be.

Will you hear the loving laughter of a Father welcoming His child home, or feel the dread and hopelessness of knowing it is far too late and you neglected that same Father in the life He gave you?

I didn’t plan to write this. It simply is because you are reading it. It is because you need to make a decision on this side of eternity. Choose this day who you will serve. And then live like you mean it! This life is brief-like a flower that blooms and is no more.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!

Super Bowl's Dirty Little Secret

2011-01-18T03:56:00.003-05:00

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

The Super Bowl is an annual all-American tradition. However, it holds a dirty little secret. Each year, the Super Bowl is more than a magnet for sports fans. It is also a place where exploiters import thousands of American slaves from across the nation. Children as young as eleven years old who have been kidnapped, brutalized, and abused are brought to the sports event's site and commercially sexually exploited. Yeah, the pimps know that it's a gold mine opportunity for them. They stand to make thousands upon thousands of dollars from a world whirling with beer-filled men away from home.

It's easy to turn away from this travesty. To say, "Tsk, tsk, what a shame!" and do nothing. But there is something every one of us can do, and it takes seconds.

Just sign the petition to the Super Bowl Host Committee and ask this multi-million dollar organization to support the "I'm Not Buying It" campaign! It's the least we can do to protect our daughters, sons, nieces, granddaughters, and neighbors. The very least we can do...

On behalf of every little girl in America, thank you!

A Clean Sweep

2011-01-12T04:02:00.008-05:00

At about 3am this past New Year's Eve, we literally swept 2010 out the back door. A broken hose to our washing machine poured two inches of cold water into our family room, and Nicole and I opened the back door, and in rolled up pajama pants and bare feet, we swept the water out into the backyard while Luis tried to vacuum it up with a little wet/dry vac.

There was much to sweep away with all that water. The things that caused us undue stress/pain and major life changes must give way to the peace that passes understanding and joy unspeakable and full of glory.

But it's not a matter of time. It's a matter of changing our minds. How do we perceive the unavoidable circumstances that befall us? And do we react or respond to the each unpleasant situation or person we encounter? I'm of the mindset that we have a choice. Our perceptions and reactions may invade negatively, but it is up to us to take thoughts captive, isn't it? Anger, frustration, fear, stress, depression,(situational, not clinical)and an overall "emo" state of mind can give way to joy, light-heartedness, and peace depending on our choice to overcome the negativity.

Just an example...several years ago, my husband, two daughters and I were on a road trip to another state when we were in an accident in which our car flipped completely over and landed on the wheels in a wooded area off the road. Thankfully, we sustained no more than minor bumps and wounds. However, as life took its course, we had to get back into a car and drive soon after. Fear was gripping. Every time I took the wheel, I would battle the fear of another accident. However, I refused to give in to the fear. Within days after acquiring a new car, I was driving to work, church, or wherever else I had to travel. Each day was a fresh battle against fear, especially when there was any kind of precipitation. But fear would lose. I kept reminding myself that if God kept us the way He did, I knew His angels surrounded and kept me in all my ways, and I had nothing to fear. As months passed, fear attempted to keep its grip, but I would never allow it to win! Driving is no issue for me these days, and I spend many hours listening to worship music and having wonderful times with friends and family on the road!

Are there things we have forgotten to sweep out the back door? Have we chosen to carry things into 2011 that should have been left behind with the old year? Let's check our hearts for things like unforgiveness, fear, anxiety, frustration, stress, depression (situational, not clinical)focusing on the past instead of the present: anger, bitterness, offenses, resentments...

Let's resolve to leave all these behind and chose to do this one thing that will benefit us greatly in the upcoming year:

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8

I hope for each of you that 2011 is the year for dreams to come to pass, and blessings abundant for you. Choose to go in joyful and full of vision!

Burned Biscuits by Anne Krysiuk

2010-12-30T01:07:00.004-05:00

A wonderful New Year message by my friend, Anne Krysiuk. Thanks Anne for sharing your heart in this wonderful way!

When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every
now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made
breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago,
my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in
front of my dad I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all
my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how my
day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I
do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat
every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom
apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget
what he said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits."
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he
really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said,
"Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And
besides – a little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!"

Life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. I'm not the
best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just
like everyone else. But what I've learned over the years is that
learning to accept each other’s faults - and choosing to celebrate each
others differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a
healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the
good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet
of God. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give
you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker!
We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the
base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or
friendship!

"Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket - keep
it in your own." So Please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burned one will do just fine.

And PLEASE pass this along to someone who has enriched your life.
Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some
kind of battle.

LIKE A FIRE » PLANETSHAKERS

2010-12-13T03:08:00.000-05:00

Beautiful and desperate...

You Need to Watch This

2010-12-11T02:44:00.002-05:00

Have you ever felt like you were not where you were? Let me clarify that...Have you ever felt like your body was one place, but your heart and mind were far away? I'm talking about distractions and more than distractions...

Have you ever want to run and hide? Ever feel totally alone while you were standing in a crowd of people? Ever think to yourself, "I wish I had a place I could go where no one could ever find me...

You need to watch this. Please. You really need to watch this:

http://pedy4cristo.tumblr.com/post/2172408369?ref=nf

To This We Were Called

2010-08-26T14:32:00.004-04:00

Having heard some of the worst stories yet in the past few weeks, and working with the young ladies who have endured such experiences has broken my heart. Truly. I see the aftermath of what sin has wrought in these girls who should have been having a summer blast with their friends before going back to school in the fall. Instead, they are in a place where they are trying to make sense out of what makes no sense. They are still trying to survive the pain, the fear, the turmoil of these experiences. As children, do we really expect them to have the tools to manage?--as adults, we sure wouldn't. Anyway, I just wrote this piece...my heart is that Christians wake up and rise to the challenge of ministering the way Jesus expects us to. We must remember (preaching to self) that He does not call those who are equipped, He equips those that He calls. If each of us steps out to GO and to DO as Jesus commanded, imagine the difference we would make together...

To This We Were Called

It was dark, she was not alone
When she first faced the worst in humanity
She cried out in the night, tried to put up a fight
But was beaten with no one to save her

She was bound and a prisoner to unspeakable evil
No human should ever endure
She was a baby when they hurt and abused her
Did anyone hear her cry out for God and her mommy?

God, please help me! Where are You, God?
My grandma said You hear us when we call.
Am I that bad? Don’t You love me?
I guess I’m the one You won’t answer at all
I don’t think You hear me when I call.

Although time has passed, they said time heals all wounds
But she’s still held a prisoner to the fear and the pain
She awakens from nightmares, drenched in tears
Being alone in the dark brings back the terror

God, won’t You help me? Where are You, God?
My grandma said You’d never leave or forsake us.
Was I so bad? Am I unlovable?
I don’t know You’re really there at all.
I don’t think You hear me when I call.

How will she ever be delivered from this evil
No human should ever endure?
Does anyone hear her cries in the night
As she is drowning in pain and in fear?

Isn’t it to this WE were called?
Didn’t God send us to be the ones with His Spirit
To set the captives free and bind up the broken
To go to those who are life’s prisoners?

Isn’t it to this we are called?
It’s through us that the Father can say,
“My child, yes! I hear you!I’ve been with you and heard every cry.
I hold every tear right here in my hand.”

“I love you with an everlasting love
I’ve never left you, I’ve never forsaken you
I ‘m here to redeem you, to restore and heal you
And to bring you life once again”

Isn’t it to this we were called?
You and I have a choice to make
We can shake our heads and say,
“What a terrible shame! As we walk away
Or do what Jesus said we should do
And minister love in someone’s pain.

This is that to which we were called
The challenge is yours to leave or to take
God isn’t asking you to fix the whole world
He’s asking You to step out in faith.

There’s a child at this moment
Crying out in the dark,
Wondering if anyone can hear her or knows she’s there
Or is God really listening like they said He would
Is she beyond where God can reach her?

It is to this we were called.

Christianity and the Government

2010-07-23T23:30:00.002-04:00

As Christians, it is our duty to stand up, with indignation, to those who oppose us to the point of limiting our rights as believers in a nation that was founded on Christian principles, right? And I may not be the most vocal of those protesting, but I can certainly make my point.

I'm reading through my professor's notes on the book of Luke tonight. The midterm is Sunday after a very busy weekend, so I'm studying what I can tonight and I was stopped in my tracks. Read what the "Life Situation" was when the book of Luke was written:

"The Gospel of Luke is part one of a two volume apologetic work: it defends Christianity against the charge that Christian concerns and Roman concerns were incompatible. It also provides an 'orderly account' of the events surrounding the life and death of Christ for Christians who no longer have access to eyewitness accounts due to death, exile, or persecution. So, Luke (and Acts) was written during a time when the Roman government apparently considered the Christian faith with suspicion."

Interesting parallels for us, I would say. Instead of fending off government suspicion by rising up against it, it seems to me that the order of the day was to teach the gospel to Christians so that they would know the certainty of those things in which they were instructed, (Luke 1:4) and "that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things." (Luke 24:47-48) Being taught WELL in the truth, and going out and being doers of the Word, preaching and making disciples...that was how Luke began and ended his gospel! Would you say that is our model? After all, it is the Word of God!

That is not to say that we cannot stand up for what is right. Jesus certainly did that in the Temple when His Father's house was turned into a marketplace for usury. However, Jesus spent far more time in the presence of His Father than He did in displaying righteous indignation. Is our balance heavy on the same side as His?

I know I'd much rather be ticked off at the way our nation's leaders have defended everyone's rights except ours. I'd rather blame the current administration for their obvious bent toward...well, you already know. Ephesians 6:12 tells us, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

2 Corinthians says, "Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

It sounds like we have a full-scale war on our hands. Yet, it is NOT in the flesh, but in the spirit realm. The Word gives us a portrait of the enemy, and a picture of our arsenal. It's time we take up those weapons given to us by the power and authority of Jesus, His blood, and His name, and boldly go forth into battle, binding, loosing, crushing the enemy, and delivering those who are captive.

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound!" Isaiah 61:1

We have the most powerful weapons on earth. Prayer, authority in the Word, praise, and the blood of Jesus Christ. And we don't need to board an airplane for a mission trip in order to fight the good fight of faith! Your mission and battle field is where your feet take you every day of your life. Look into the eyes of a stranger today, and see them with Jesus' heart--ask Him for opportunities to minister life and love to someone at school, at the office, etc.

And unless you think I got side-tracked, I digress. Pray for those who are in authority. They are NOT the enemy, but may be allowing themselves to be used of him, unaware. Break strongholds. Bind spirits. Pray for the Lord of the Harvest to send to them someone who will speak a word in season and that their hearts would be receptive.

If we all labored together in prayer...who knows what kind of changes could be made...isn't it time for change???

Celebrate Resurrection Morning!

2010-04-04T01:02:00.002-04:00

Christ's Passion for You-Part Five

2010-04-02T13:02:00.002-04:00

Christ's Passion for You-Part Four

2010-04-02T01:40:00.002-04:00

From Rick Renner’s “Sparkling Gems from the Greek.”

This is my favorite daily devotional of this week. It paints such a profound picture of what Jesus did, and His heart as He did it. It is even more profound to know that what He did is the perfect picture of love for me and you!

Crucified!

They gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. And they crucified Him. Matthew 27:34-35

“When Jesus arrived at Golgotha, the Bible says, ‘They gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall…’ According to Jewish law, if a man was about to be executed, he could request a narcotic, mingled together with wine, which would help alleviate the pain of his execution. The word ‘gall’ in this verse refers to this special painkiller that was mingled together with wine for this purpose.

“There was a group of kind women in Jerusalem who made it their good deed to help anesthetize the pain of people who were dying horrific deaths. These women wanted to eliminate as much pain and misery as possible for the scores of people being crucified by the Romans. Therefore, they produced the homemade painkiller that Matthew tells us about in this verse.

“Jesus was offered this anesthetic twice—once before His crucifixion and once while He was dying on the Cross (Matt 27:34, 48). In both instance, Jesus turned down the offer and refused to drink it, for He knew that He was to fully consume this cup the Father had given Him to drink.

“Verse 35 begins, ‘And they crucified Him…’ The word ‘crucified’ is the Greek word staurao from the word stauros, which describes an upright, pointed stake that was used for the punishment of criminals. This word was used to describe those who were hung up, impaled, or beheaded and then publically displayed. It was always used in connection with public execution. The point of hanging a criminal publically was to bring further humiliation and additional punishment to the accused.

“Crucifixion was indisputably one of the cruelest and most barbaric forms of punishment in the ancient world. Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian, described crucifixion as ‘the most wretched of deaths.’ It was viewed with such horror that in one of Seneca’s letters to Lucilius, Seneca wrote that suicide was preferable to crucifixion.

“Different parts of the world had different kinds of crucifixion. For example, in the East the victim was beheaded and then hung in public display. Among the Jews, the victim was first stoned to death and then hung on a tree. Deut 21:22-23 commanded, ‘And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he is to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God)…'

“But at the time Jesus was crucified, the grueling act of crucifixion was entirely in the hands of the Roman authorities. This punishment was reserved for the most serious offenders, usually for those who had committed some kind of treason or who had participated in or sponsored state terrorism.

“Because Israel hated the occupying Roman troops, insurrections frequently arose among the populace. As a deterrent to stop people from participating in revolts, crucifixion was regularly practiced in Jerusalem. By publicly crucifying those who attempted to overthrow the government, the Romans sent a strong signal of fear to those who might be tempted to follow in their steps.

“Once the offender reached the place where the crucifixion was to occur, he was laid on the crossbeam he carried with his arms outstretched. Then a soldier would drive a five-inch iron nail through each of his wrists into the crossbeam. After being nailed to the crossbeam, the victim was hoisted up by rope, and the crossbeam was dropped into a notch on top of the upright post.

“When the crossbeam dropped into the groove, the victim suffered excruciating pain as his hands and wrists were wrenched by the sudden jerking motion. Then the weight of the victim’s body caused his arms to be pulled out of their arm sockets. Josephus writes that the Roman soldiers ‘out of rage and hatred amused themselves by nailing their prisoners in different postures.’ Crucifixion was truly a vicious ordeal.

“When the victim was nailed to the cross, the nails were not driven through the palms of his hands, but through the wrists. Once the wrists were secured in place, the feet came next. First, the victim’s legs would be positioned so that the feet were pointed downward with the soles pressed against the post on which the victim was suspended. A long nail would then be driven between the bones of the feet, lodged firmly enough between those bones to prevent it from tearing through the feet as the victim arched upward, gasping for breath.

“In order for the victim to breathe, he had to push himself up by his feet, which were nailed to the vertical beam. However, because the pressure on hi s feet became unbearable, it wasn’t possible for him to remain long in this position, so eventually he would collapse back into the hanging position.

“As the victim pushed up and collapsed back down again and again over a long period of time, his shoulders eventually dislocated and popped out of joint. Soon the out-of-joint shoulders were followed by the elbows and wrists. These various dislocations caused the arms to be extended up to nine inches longer than usual, resulting in terrible cramps in the victim’s arm muscles and making it impossible for him to push himself upward any longer to breathe. When he was finally too exhausted and could no longer push himself upward on the nail lodged in his feet, the process of asphyxiation began.

“Jesus experienced all of this torture. When He dropped down with the full weight of His body on the nails that were driven through His wrists, it sent excruciating pain up His arms, registering horrific pain in His brain. Added to this torture was the agony caused by the constant grating of Jesus’ recently scourged back against the upright post every time He pushed up to breathe and then collapsed back to a hanging position.

“Due to extreme loss of blood and hyperventilation, the victim would begin to experience severe dehydration. We can see this process in Jesus’ own crucifixion when He cried out, ‘I thirst” (John 19:28). After several hours of this torment, the victim’s heart would begin to fail. Next his lungs would collapse, and excess fluids would begin filling the lining of his heart and lungs, adding to the slow process of asphyxiation.

“When the Roman soldier came to determine whether or not Jesus was alive or dead, he thrust his spear into Jesus’ side. One expert pointed out that if Jesus had been alive when the soldier did this, the soldier would have heard a loud sucking sound caused by air being inhaled past the freshly made wound in the chest. But the Bible tells us that water and blood mixed together came pouring forth from the wound the spear had made—evidence that Jesus’ heart and lungs had shut down and were filled with fluid. This was enough to assure the soldier that Jesus was already dead.

“It was customary for Roman soldiers to break the lower leg boned of a person being crucified, making it impossible for the victim to push himself upward to breathe and thus causing him to asphyxiate at a much quicker rate. However, because of the blood and water that gushed from Jesus’ side, He was already considered dead. Since there was no reason for the soldiers to hasten Jesus’ death, His legs were never broken.

“This, my friend, is a brief taste of a Roman crucifixion.

“The above description of crucifixion was exactly what Jesus experienced on the Cross where He died for you and me. This is why Paul wrote, ‘And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross’ (Phil 2:8). In Greek the emphasis is on the word ‘even,’ from the Greek word de, which dramatizes the point that Jesus lowered Himself to such an extent that He died even the death of a cross—the lowest, most humiliating, debasing, shameful, painful method of death in the ancient world!

“Now you understand why the kind women of Jerusalem prepared homemade painkillers for those being crucified. The agony associated with crucifixion is the reason they offered Jesus this ‘gall’ once before the crucifixion began and again as He hung on the Cross.
“Meanwhile, the soldiers near the foot of the Cross ‘parted His garments, casting lots…’ (Matt 27:35). They didn’t understand the great price of redemption that was being paid at that moment as Jesus hung asphyxiating to death, His lungs filling with fluids so He couldn’t breathe.

“According to Roman custom, the soldiers who carried out the crucifixion had a right to the victim’s clothes. Jewish law required that the person being crucified would be stripped naked. So there Jesus hung, completely open and naked before the world, while His crucifiers literally distributed His clothes among themselves!

“Making this distribution of clothes even cheaper was the fact that the soldiers ‘cast lots’ for His garments. The Gospel of John records that ‘when they had crucified Him, took His garments, and made four parts, to ever soldier a part; and also His coat; now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it.’ (John 19:23-24).

“This account informs us that four soldiers were present at Jesus’ crucifixion. The four parts of His clothing that were distributed among them were His head gear, sandals, girdle, and the tallith—the outer garment that had fringes on the bottom. His ‘coat,’ which was ‘without seam,’ was a handmade garment that was sewn together from top to bottom. Because it was specially handmade, this coat was a very expensive piece of clothing. This was the reason the soldiers chose to cast lots for it rather than tear it into four parts and spoil it.

“When the Bible refers to ‘casting lots,’ it indicates a game during which the soldiers wrote their names on pieces of parchment or wood or on stones and then dropped all four pieces with their names written on them into some kind of container. Because the Roman soldiers who helped crucify Jesus were remotely located, it is probable that one of them pulled off his helmet and held it out to the other soldiers. After the others dropped their names in the helmet, the soldier shook it up to mix up the four written names and then randomly withdrew the name of the winner.

“It is simply remarkable that all of this was taking place as Jesus was pushing down on that huge nail lodged in His feet so He could gasp for breath before sagging back down into a hanging position. As Jesus’ strength continued to drain away and the full consequence of man’s sin was being realized in Him, the soldiers at the foot of the Cross played a game to see who would get His finest piece of clothing!

“Matthew 27:36 says, ‘And sitting down they watched him there.’ The Greek word for watch is the word tereo, which means to guard. The Greek tense means to consistently guard or to consistently be on the watch. It was the responsibility of these soldiers to keep things in order, to keep watch over the crucifixion site, and to make sure no one came to rescue Jesus from the Cross. So as they cast lots and played games, the soldiers were also keeping watch out of the corners of their eyes to make certain no one touched Jesus as He hung dying on the Cross.

“When I read about the crucifixion of Jesus, it makes me want to repent for the callousness with which the world looks upon the Cross today. In our society, the cross has become a fashion item, decorated with gems, rhinestones, gold and silver. Beautiful crosses of jewelry adorn women’s ears and dangle at the bottom of gold chains and necklaces. The symbol of the cross is even tattooed on people’s flesh!

“The reason this is so disturbing to me is that in beautifying the Cross to make it pleasing to look upon, people have forgotten that it wasn’t beautiful or lavishly decorated at all. In fact, the Cross of Jesus Christ was shocking and appalling.

“Jesus’ totally naked body was flaunted in humiliation before a watching world. His flesh was ripped to shreds; His body was bruised from head to toe; He had to heave His body upward for every breath He breathed; and His nervous system sent constant signals of excruciating pain to His brain. Blood drenched Jesus’ face and streamed from His hands, His feet, and from the countless cuts and gaping wounds the scourging had left upon His body. In reality, the Cross of Jesus Christ was a disgusting, repulsive, nauseating, stomach-turning sight—so entirely different from the attractive crosses people wear today as a part of their jewelry or attire.

“At this time of the year, it would be a good idea for all of us as believers to take a little time to remember what the Cross of Jesus Christ was really like. If we don’t deliberately choose to meditate on what He went through, we will never fully appreciate the price He paid for us. How tragic it would be if we lost sight of the pain and the price of redemption!

“When we fail to remember what it cost Jesus to save us, we tend to treat our salvation cheaply and with disregard. That’s why the apostle Peter wrote, ‘Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.’ (1 Pet 1:18-19).

“The kind women of Jerusalem wanted to anesthetize Jesus to remove His pain. He refused their painkiller and entered into the experience of the Cross with all His faculties. Let’s not allow the world to anesthetize us, causing us to overlook or forget the real price that was paid on the Cross.

“Why not take time today to let the reality of the Cross sink deep into your heart and soul? As you do, you’ll find that it will cause you to love Jesus so much more that you love Him right now!

“Lord, help me never to forget the price You paid on the Cross for my salvation. Please forgive me for the times my life starts moving so fast that I fail to remember what You did for me. No one else could have taken my place. No one else could have paid the price for my sin. So You went to the Cross, bearing my sin, my sickness, my pain, and my lack of peace. That Cross was the place where the price was paid for my deliverance. Today I want to thank you from the very depths of my heart for doing this for me! I pray this in Jesus’ name!"

2010-03-31T22:55:00.002-04:00

Christ's Passion for You -- Part Three

From Rick Renner’s “Sparkling Gems from the Greek.” Sorry for the delay, but I had to go out of town for the week, and I've been delayed in posting.

Golgotha: The Place of the Skull

And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull. Matthew 27:32, 33

“When the soldiers brought Jesus out from the residence of Pilate, Jesus was already carrying the crossbeam that would serve as the upper portion of His Cross.

“Most Roman crosses were shaped like a “T.” The upright post had a notched groove at the top into which the crossbeam was placed after a victim had been tied or nailed to it. The crossbeam, normally weighing about 100 pounds, was carried on the back of the victim to the place of execution.

“According to Roman law, once a criminal was convicted, he was to carry his own cross to the place of execution if his crucifixion was to occur somewhere other than the place of the trial. The purpose for exposing criminals heading for crucifixion to passersby was to remind those who watched of Roman military power. At the place of execution, vultures flew overhead, just waiting to swoop down and start devouring the dying carcasses left hanging on the crosses. In the nearby wilderness, wild dogs anxiously waited for the newest dead bodies dumped by executioners, to become their next meal.

“After the person was declared guilty, a crossbeam would be laid across his back and a herald would walk ahead of him, proclaiming his crime. A sign with the person’s crime written on it would also be made, later to be hung on the cross above his head. Sometimes the sign bearing the person’s crime would be hung from his neck, so all the spectators who lined the streets to watch him walk by would know what crime he committed. This was the very type of sign that was publicly displayed on the Cross above Jesus’ head with the crime He was charged with—“King of the Jews”—written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

“Carrying such a heavy weight for a long distance would be difficult for any man, but especially for one who had been as severely beaten as Jesus. The heavy crossbeam on which He was destined to be nailed pressed into His torn back as He carried it to the place of execution. Although the Bible does not state the reason why, we may assume that the Roman soldiers forced Simon of Cyrene to help because Jesus was so drained and exhausted from the abuse He had suffered.

“Little is known of Simon of Cyrene, except that he was from Cyrene, the capital of the province of Libya that was situated approximately eleven miles south of the Mediterranean Sea. Matthew 27:32 informs us that the Roman soldiers “compelled him to bear His Cross.” The word ‘compelled’ is the Greek word aggareuo. It means to compel, to coerce, to constrain, to make or to force someone into some kind of compulsory service.

“Matthew 27:33 says, ‘And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of the skull.’ This scripture has been the center of controversy for several hundred years, for many have attempted to use this verse to geographically identify the exact location of Jesus’ crucifixion. Some denominations allege that the place of Jesus’ crucifixion was inside modern-day Jerusalem, while others assert that the name Golgotha refers to a site outside the city that from a distance looks like a skull. However, the earliest writings of the Church fathers say this phrase ‘a place of the skull’ refers to something very different!

“An early Christian writer named Origen, (185-253AD) recorded that Jesus was crucified on the spot where Adam was buried and where his skull had been found. Whether or not this is true, there was an early Christian belief that Jesus had been crucified near Adam’s burial place. As the early story goes, when the earthquake occurred as Jesus hung on the cross (Matt 27:51) His blood ran down the cross into the crack in the rock below and fell on the skull of Adam. This history is so entrenched in early Christian tradition that Jerome referred to it in a letter in 386 AD.

“Interestingly, Jewish tradition states that Adam’s skull was buried near the city of Jerusalem by Noah’s son, Shem. Tradition says this burial place was guarded by Melchizedek, who was the priest-king of Salem (Jerusalem) during the time of Abraham (Gen 14:18) Unknown to most Western believers, this history is so accepted that it is considered a major theme of Orthodox doctrine, and the skull of Adam appears consistently at the base of the Cross in both paintings and icons. If you ever see a skull at the base of a crucifix, you can know that it symbolizes Adam’s skull that was allegedly found buried at the site of Jesus’ crucifixion.

“These extremely interesting facts, although unprovable, have retained strong support throughout 2,000 years of Christian history. If it were true, it would be quite amazing that the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, died for the sins of the world exactly on the spot where the first Adam, the original sinner, was buried. If Jesus’ blood ran down the crack in the stone and fell upon Adam’s skull, as tradition says, it would be very symbolic of Jesus’ blood covering the sins of the human race that originated with Adam.

“But what can we definitely know about the place of Jesus’ crucifixion?

“We definitely know that Jesus was crucified like a criminal by the Roman government just outside the walls of the ancient city of Jerusalem. Whether or not He was crucified at the place of Adam’s skull is interesting but not important. What is vital for us to know and understand is that Jesus died for the sins of the entire human race—and that includes you and me!

“Today we may not be able to say with certainty exactly where Jesus was crucified, but in our hearts and minds we should meditate on the scriptures that speak of His crucifixion. Sometimes life moves so fast that we tend to forget the enormous price that was paid for our redemption. Salvation may have been given to us as a free gift, but it was purchased with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. THANK GOD FOR THE CROSS!

“This question of where Jesus was crucified is a good example of the way people tend to get distracted by unimportant issues and, as a result, miss the main point God wants to get across to them. People have argued and debated for centuries about the accurate location of the crucifixion when the truth they should have been focusing on is that Jesus was crucified for their salvation! The apostle Paul wrote, ‘Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures’ (1Cor 15:3-4). Of this, we can be sure!

“Aren’t you thankful that Jesus’ blood purchased the forgiveness for all of mankind’s sin? It is true that through Adam’s disobedience, sin entered the world and death was passed on to all men. But just as sin entered the world through Adam, the gift of God came into the world through the obedience of Jesus Christ. Now the grace of God and the free gift of righteousness abounds to all who have called upon Jesus Christ to be the Lord of their lives (Romans 5:12-21). Now every believer had the glorious privilege of reigning in life as a joint heir with Jesus Himself!

“Lord, how can I ever adequately say thank You for all that You did for me at the Cross? I was so undeserving, but You came and gave Your life for me, taking away my sin and removing the punishment that should have passed to me. I thank You from the depths of my heart for doing what no one else could do for me. Had it not been for You, I would be eternally lost, so I just want to say thank You for laying down Your life that I might be free! I pray this in Jesus’ name!”

Christ's Passion for You Part Two

2010-03-24T13:14:00.002-04:00

Christ's Passion for You

2010-03-22T02:00:00.004-04:00

2010-01-14T16:10:00.002-05:00

Haiti Earthquate

Our hearts must break for the people of Haiti. It's easy to think there's not much we, as individuals can do. However, if each of us do a little something, together, we can make a huge difference. Can you sacrifice coffee, tea, a pair of shoes or the daily paper for a while? A humble $35 will provide food and water to a family in Haiti for a week. No matter what our situation, we can each give at least $10, can't we? Please consider giving something...anything. The people of Haiti are in desperate and immediate need of water, food, safety.

Text 'DISASTER' to 90999 to give $10 to Compassion's Haiti relief efforts or give online at http://bit.ly/6l9Xhv

Thanks!

1 Kings 19:1-21 Elijah: Man of God

2009-11-29T23:07:00.006-05:00

This was the most recent assignment from my Old Testament course. Part One deals with a summation based on literary devices. Part Two deals with interpretive issues or problems with the narrative. Part three discusses timeless theological or applicational principles of the passage. The passage I chose was 1 Kings 19:1-21.

Have fun! :)

Part One
The narrative of 1 Kings 19:1-21 begins with Ahab, the wicked seventh king of Israel, telling his Baal-worshiping wife, Jezebel, what Elijah had done. Elijah had summoned the prophets of Baal and Asherah to meet him on Mount Carmel. In short, he proved that God was the true god, and he had the prophets of Baal killed. In consideration of the literary device of comparison and contrast, this passage has interesting similarities and differences from the first account of Elijah’s flee from danger in 1 Kings 17:1-24. In the first narrative under consideration, when Jezebel learned of what Ahab attributed to Elijah alone, she threatened to have his life within 24 hours, and the prophet of God who had bravely won a decided victory fell into fear and ran for his life into the wilderness. In 1 Kings 17, Elijah had been directed by God to flee to the Cherith Brook. Here, God sent a raven to provide meat and bread for Elijah during a severe drought in the land. When the drought had dried up the brook, God told Elijah to go to a Gentile widow in Zarephath and there, he provided for the woman. After she was provided for in a miraculous way, she declared that Elijah was a man of God.

In 1 Kings 19, Jezebel’s threat caused Elijah to flee in fear. This prophet of the true God “was caught up in the backwash of a great victory.” (Swindoll, p. 114) He “arose and ran for his life” (vs 3) “The Lord’s response to his servant is one of grace. He twice sent a messenger of his own to provide Elijah with food and drink, for the prophet was physically exhausted. Sustained by the meal, he traveled South once more for 40 whole days until he came to Mt. Horeb.” (Elijah, Bradshaw) For these forty days and nights, he ate nothing as he traveled to the mountain where he hid in the cave. There God directed him in a still, small voice to go and anoint Hazael as king over Syria, Jehu as king over Israel, and Elisha as his replacement as prophet. He also comforted Elijah by telling him that there were still as many as 7,000 loyalists in Israel who had not bowed to Baal. In this, God revealed to Elijah that he did not have to battle the opposition of Jezebel and her idol worshiping entourage alone. Those whom God told him to anoint along with the 7,000 faithful in Israel would work together to defeat the enemy and return Israel to the God of their fathers. The narrative ends with Elijah putting his mantle on Elisha, and Elisha provides for him and becomes his servant and friend, understanding that Elijah is a man of God.

Even more striking than the comparison and contrast of the two flights of Elijah is the intertextuality the narrative about Elijah in 1 Kings 19 has with Moses. In both instances, Israel had succumbed to the worship of idols. (Exo 32, 1 Kings 18:20-24) Both Moses and Elijah fled into the wilderness in fear of their lives. (Exo 2:15, 1 Kings 19:3) Moses fasted for forty days on Mount Horeb as did Elijah as he traveled to the mountain. (Exo 24:18, 1 Kings 19:8) Robert I. Bradshaw compares Exodus 33:22 and 1 Kings 19: 9, stating that Elijah hid in the same cave where Moses stood. (Elijah, Bradshaw) “Moses and Elijah are the only two Hebrew prophets to have a theophony,” or a manifested presence of God. Moses meets with God after Israel sinned with the Golden Calf, and he pleads with God to spare Israel. Elijah complains to God that Israel had once again forsaken the covenant and did not plead with God but expected the people to change. (Messengers of God: a Theological and Psychological Perspective, Reiss) Perhaps the most pointed aspect is the contrast of God speaking to Moses in thunder, earthquake and smoke, and although Elijah saw thunder, earthquake and fire, God spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice from the very same mountain. (Exo 19:16-18, 1Kings 19:11-12, Branson, Edlin, and Green, p. 187)

The writer of the book of Kings, according to Bradshaw, considered Elijah a particularly significant prophet to focus their attention on because, " He was the key to the downfall of Jezebel, both by his direct actions (1 Kings 19:1) and by his anointing of others (by the command of Yahweh) for specific tasks (19:15-17, 19-21; 2 Kings 8:7-15). By the time that the chain of events that he had set in motion had been completed, Jezebel and her children were dead and Baal worship had been eradicated from Israel.” (9:14-10:28 Elijah, Bradshaw)

Part Two
In sharp contrast to his previous faith-filled boldness in the face of opposition, Elijah ran in terror from the death threats of the idol-worshiping queen of Israel. He had recently seen the power and victory of God over the prophets of Baal, and yet, fear overwhelmed him to the point where he lay down under a broom tree and “this mighty man of prayer - mighty enough to make the rain and the dew stop for three and a half years, and then mighty enough to make it start again at his prayer - now he prayed that he might die..” (1 Kings 19-God Encourages Discourages Elijah, Guzik) What could have brought on such a memory lapse? In Elijah’s weakened state, the God of mercy twice sent His angels to provide for Elijah in his despair in the wilderness. Even when God came to Elijah to ask him why he was hiding in the cave at the mountain, he could only respond, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” (1Kings 19:10-14) It appears that Elijah was questioning God why he was under such attack when he had been a faithful, zealous servant.
The problem may have begun with the fact that God did not direct Elijah to set up the contest between the prophets of Baal and Asherah and himself. Although God was faithful to give Elijah the victory, it is a question whether or not God’s divine will, or Elijah’s over-zealous stand as the prophet of God was the basis for the show-down. Elijah had originally summoned the prophets of Baal as well as of Asherah, but according to the Scripture, only the prophets of Baal took on Elijah’s challenge. Therefore, the prophets of Asherah survived the slaying to which the prophets of Baal fell. It could be, as Moshe Reiss suggests, that Elijah feared the retribution of Jezebel through her prophets. (Messengers of God: A Theological and Psychological Perspective of Elijah, Reiss)

Another problem could be seen in that before running or even while he was running in fear, Elijah again did not seek God’s direction or assistance. It certainly was not for a lack of experience with God’s direction that Elijah neglected to seek His counsel. According to J. Hampton Keathley, III, it wasn’t merely that Elijah ran or hid in the wilderness. It was that he did so “without God’s direction and without God as his primary shelter.” (The Crisis of Elijah, Keathley)

In his self proclaimed zealousness, it seems that Elijah was willing to go out on a thin limb for the sake of the Lord. Although this is a noble characteristic in itself, to move in his own power and strength left him vulnerable to the threats of a woman who served a false god. Psalm 44:21 says that God knows the secrets of the heart. Elijah may have made faulty decisions but he made them with a heart to serve and prove God, and to turn God’s people back to Yahweh. Because of this, God gave him the victory, provided for him, and showed His faithfulness and protection.
Even in a state of prolonged fear in the wilderness and in the cave at Mount Horeb, God came to Elijah and gave him clear directions that would give Elijah courage and turn even this circumstance to victory over Ahab, Jezebel, and problem of the nation of Israel serving the false gods Jezebel had introduced to the nation.

Part Three
There are several lasting theological applications to be gained from this passage of Scripture. Elijah is referred to 29 times in the New Testament, therefore, it behooves us to glean important truths from his experiences.
It would certainly be easy to judge Elijah on his failure of faith as he ran from the threats of the wicked Jezebel. How could he turn on his own experiences with the Lord and flee in fear into the wilderness and then hide in a cave? However, Elijah is a man with human characteristics and is not “immune to doubt and fear, yet he receives miraculous answers to prayer.” (Bradshaw) It appears that Elijah mistook his personal ideas to solve the spiritual issue of Israel’s idolatry for God’s will and way to deal with it. Too often, we can make choices to “run ahead of God.” Quoting from a local pastor, “It’s easier to catch up than to clean up.” Taking our own initiatives without direction from God may be well meaning, but may cause us to bear the consequences that come with moving ahead of the perfect will of God. We might see what we would consider an out-of-control circumstance with passion for the Lord, but we must be careful not to confuse our passionate desire or righteous indignation with God’s will. However, God is merciful, and promises that His mercies are “new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:23) He is a God of second chances, giving us plenty of opportunities to succeed in His name. God wasn’t finished with Elijah when he brought the competition to the prophets of Baal or when he ran from Jezebel and her death threats, and God isn’t finished with us regardless of the turns we may take. As he directed Elijah to a final victory over the enemies of God and Israel, He will direct us into victory over every area of our lives.

God showed Himself faithful to Elijah although initially, he neither felt His presence, nor called on God on his own. Elijah had not experienced the kind of victory he expected after the defeat of the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel. The ten tribes of Israel did not turn away from idol worship, and Ahab and Jezebel did not forsake their false gods and turn to the one true God. The result of this victory was the prophet of God feeling despondent and in fear for his life. But God knew what Elijah could not yet know. In 1Kings 19:15-18, God revealed to Elijah the 7,000 faithful followers of Yahweh, and those who God had chosen to lead His people. Together, those who remained in God’s camp would finally triumph over the enemies of God and Israel.

God presence followed Elijah in his wilderness and solitary experiences. Hebrews 13:5tells us that God will never leave us nor forsake us. God knows the end from the beginning, and sees the big picture that we are not yet able to see. Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith, it is impossible to please God. We must continue to diligently seek Him in all things, especially those things that are beyond our understanding. It pleases God when we can trust Him in every situation and circumstance, remembering what He has done in the past, but more importantly, remembering who He is.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.” As we win the victory over circumstances through Jesus Christ, we are given tools to minister hope to those who are undergoing similar trials. Our triumphs become the hope and subsequent triumph for those to whom God gives us the opportunity to minister.

The narrative of Elijah’s response to a serious death threat and God’s mercy, concern, and care for him through his experiences contain pertinent life lessons that Christians are able to apply. God is faithful to His children despite their missteps, faithlessness, or wanderings. This was proven in Elijah’s life, and is proven in the lives of believers today. When we are able to learn and apply these lessons, we become ministers of hope, healing, and triumph to those who are in the midst of battle.

Bradshaw, Robert I. “Elijah.”; available from www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/article_elijah.html.

Branson, Robert D, Edlin, Jim, Green, Tim M. Discovering the Old Testament: Story and Faith. Kansas City, KS: Beacon Hill Press, 2003.

Guzik, David. “1 Kings 19-God Encourages Discouraged Elijah.”; available from www.enduringword.com/commentaries/1119.htm. 2004.

Keathley III, J. Hampton. “The Crisis of Elijah.”; available from http://bible.org/seriespage/crisis-elijah-1-kings-19I-14.

Reiss, Moshe. “Messengers of God: A Theological and Psychological Perspective.”; available from www.moshereiss.org/messenger/07_elijah.html.

Swindoll, Charles R, A Man of Heroism and Humility. Nashville, TN: Word Publishing, 2000.

The Yankees Win! The Yankees Win!

2009-11-06T13:33:00.000-05:00

I am a long time New Yorker, and a die-hard Yankee fan. I support the team when they win, and when they lose--a rare, true fan. I learned it from my mom, who has been a Yankee fan for as long as I can remember, and my two daughters are die-hard Yankee fans after us. My oldest daughter is expecting our first grandchild in December, and I’ve already bought him a Yankee onesie, a Yankee sweat-suit, and a teeny, little Rodriguez tee shirt!

The good news is that the Yankees just paraded down the Canyon of Champions in New York City. I watched it on TV, and part of me wished I was there, but a bigger part is glad I wasn’t-the crowd being three million strong. Many people kept their kids out of school to travel hours to get to the parade. Everyone wants to celebrate the Yankees 27th World Series. The energy of the crowd in the city is tangible, even from the TV. The crowd stayed long to see the Yankees receive the key to the city from the mayor. What a great day!

During the series, most of my friends and family were glued to their TV’s, and either talking on the phone, texting one another, IM’ing, or changing their facebook status’s according to the way the games were going. The Philly’s were going down, every New Yorker knew it! Still, the tension and stress my younger daughter and I felt during the games was thick! Every game was a nail-biter, and when it came to the last out of game six, I don’t think we remembered to breathe!

I don’t think our heavenly Father minds all the fun. I firmly believe the Lord is a Yankee fan! But beside all the fun, it makes me wonder. As people of God, if we took all that tension and stress that we felt during the games against the competition, and pointed it toward the enemy of our souls, what kind of damage would we do to the kingdom of darkness? If we were persuaded that it was as important to win souls as it was to win the series from the Phillies, how many more would spend eternity with the Lord?

How is it that we pull for our favorite team with all the energy we can muster, and yet, are complacent and lazy about team Jesus, and gaining the win for His side? We stayed up later than we should until each game was over, but complain if a church service goes a little too long for our liking. And heaven forbid we have to travel to get to church, but some people traveled across two state lines to get to games. Some even went to the stadium in the Bronx where they could watch the away games on the big screen. It was a matter of being together to route for and fight for the win.

I’m just saying, and I’m speaking to myself as well as I am you. I’m beside myself that the Yankees won the World Series, I really am. But winning just one soul for the Kingdom of God makes this championship dull in comparison. Baseball is one of those temporal things that will be as hay and stubble. Our conquests for the Kingdom of God are eternal. We need to route for and fight for the win with everything we have.
Just think about it for a minute. Maybe dedicate this week during your quiet time to asking the Father how you can use all that wonderful, sports-loving energy toward the plans and purposes God has for you.

“Ballgame over! The Yankees win!” Kingdom building is just beginning! We all win!

Instead of a Show

2009-08-10T22:27:00.006-04:00

Last Saturday, my friend, Shari and I painted my daughter, Nicole's room spring green. It's a pretty light green that's just a tad brighter than we thought it would be. Still, it's pretty and happy like Nicole.

For the past several days, Nicole has played Jon Foreman's solo album while we've driven or worked on getting her room back together. It's deep, spiritually keen, and really beautiful both lyrically and musically.

We were working on her room tonight and watching as the frequent lightening danced in rhythm to the music. We laughed and talked about how God was listening and enjoying Jon Foreman's music with us! Then the song, "Instead of a Show" began to play...I wasn't paying too much attention, but suddenly, the lyrics struck me. Written and performed by Jon Foreman of Switchfoot, (now I understand why she's such a Switchfoot stalker! These guys are really gifted!) this song powerfully speaks to religion vs. the reality of the Gospel.

Listen, you can talk faith all you want, but if there's no reaching out to the hopeless and hurting, faith without works is DEAD...faith without love is showy, pretentious, SELFISH. Bible faith reaches beyond self and selfish acquisition to bring Jesus to the lost and dying world regardless of personal cost. Like Peter and most of the disciples, the furtherance of the Gospel was and is the priority. The disciples willingly gave their lives for it. Are we or should we be any different?

Let's make it a point in our lives to do what Jesus commissioned His disciples to do...to GO, preach, teach, heal, do the greater things so that the Kingdom of God will be increased, and the Father would be glorified upon the earth!

Lyrics to Instead Of A Show :
I hate all your show and pretense
The hypocrisy of your praise
The hypocrisy of your festivals
I hate all your show

Away with your noisy worship
Away with your noisy hymns
I plug my ears when you're singing 'em
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show

Your eyes are closed when you're praying
You sing right along with the band
You shine up your shoes for services
There's blood on your hands

You turn your back on the homeless
And the ones that don't fit in your plan
Quit playing religion games
There's blood on your hands

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show

Let's argue this out
If your sins are blood red
Let's argue this out
You'll be one of the clouds
Let's argue this out
Quit fooling around

Give love to the ones who can't love at all
Give hope to the ones who got no hope at all
Stand up for the ones who can't stand at all, all
I hate all your show
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show