Saturday, December 6, 2014

The necessity of forgiveness #2: ditching the superiority complex

God has used a recent situation where someone I know and love very much wronged me to show me how much of a superiority complex I have. Let me explain.

When someone hurts or wrongs you, and you're the 'victim', the innocent party, it's easy to slip in to a proud, Pharisaical mindset. You know you have to forgive them, and you do so out of a condescending 'I would never have done that' spirit.

But that's not the kind of love and forgiveness Christ has shown to us, and it's not the kind we should show to others either.

The story Jesus told of the unforgiving servant is particularly chilling in the cold way that the forgiven man demands such a small amount of money from the one in his debt who begs to be released (Matt 18:21-35). Had he learnt nothing from the grace he had been shown? And yet that's exactly what I'm like if I look down upon a fellow human being, a fellow sinner, and secretly desire 'justice' for them rather than mercy.

In the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15), I am the elder brother. I'm the one who feels has 'got it right' and why should I celebrate that the rebel is restored?

I miss, then, how much of a sinner I really am too.

For me, you read the Scriptures and the question is raised clearly: How can we withhold forgiveness when God has shown so much grace towards us?

'Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.' Col 3:12-13

If we refuse to forgive, it's because we see ourselves as superior. And that's a superiority complex we have to ditch otherwise we haven't truly understood the gospel.

As Paul writes in Romans 3: 'all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;no one understands; no one seeks for God..." For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus'.

This passage reminds me, you think you're good enough for God? You want to stand before Him with your own righteousness? NO WAY!!! I need Jesus' blood as much as anyone else. That's why I have to forgive; because I am just as much in need of forgiveness as those who wrong me.

The necessity of forgiveness # 1: 1 Corinthians love

I've met a lot of people with estrangements in their family, a relative they haven't spoken to for years. Some almost seem proud of it. And I'm no stranger to having that kind of situation. My parents divorced when I was a toddler and since he remarried, I've hardly seen my Dad despite him living a short drive away. It's a situation with a lot of hurt. But time and again, when I've been tempted to stop bothering to send cards for birthdays and Christmas or other occasions, when I've been tempted to be indifferent and stop caring, God has done something to show me that I have to keep loving, and keep forgiving.

For many years I have prayed about being able to forgive my Dad. And there's times when I feel it's fine; I do forgive him. But there's also times when the deep, deep hurt is dragged up again. It still makes me cry. And I think, have I really forgiven? I have to keep taking it back to God, to my heavenly Father, again and again.

I was struck by an article on Revive our Hearts today about this very issue. The speaker had a similarly estranged relationship with her father. He didn't ask her for forgiveness, but she knew she had to forgive him anyway. She mentioned 1 Corinthians 13: love 'keeps no record of wrongs... It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.' (NIV) In the ESV it says 'Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.' (v7) To show the kind of love God has shown us towards others will require this kind of faith and perseverance, even with people who have deeply hurt us and are difficult to love. Whenever I think I may as well give up on my relationship with my Dad, this verse encourages me to keep going, to keep loving, because this will glorify my heavenly Father. As Ney Bailey says, 'we're most like Christ when we're forgiving.'

Ultimately I have to get the right perspective. Too often I feel it is my 'right' to have a certain kind of earthly father; the reality is that I have a heavenly One who is perfect. No one has a perfect earthly dad. And I have been very blessed in that my step-dad has always been a father to me; his family have always loved me and accepted me; God has more than compensated for this one breached relationship in my family by providing me with so many other loving people in my life. And I have to have faith when I pray for my Dad that God can still save him and still restore our relationship; He is the God of reconciliation.

Monday, December 1, 2014

Colossians: journey through joy

Paul's letter to the Colossians has to be one of my favourite books of the Bible. I remember being at New Word Alive in 2006, hearing a series of talks by different speakers through this short letter, and it really impacted my life about the centrality of the gospel in the Christian life. My church, Hill City, also went through the book last year with dynamic, practical teaching that resonated 'Christ in me' again and again. But more recently, I was reading Nancy Leigh de Moss's book 'Choosing Gratitude- your pathway to joy' and I was reminded of how much thanksgiving and joy are part of this New Testament letter. So I decided to read through it looking at all the sources of our joy as believers as found in the book. Here's what I found...

The most important joy in Colossians is joy in the gospel and the work of salvation of God the Father through Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the lives of people today. Paul describes how the gospel came to the Colossians and is 'bearing fruit and growing' all over the world (Col 1:6). Its message is one of salvation, of God qualifying the unqualified to 'share in the inheritance of the saints' by delivering them 'from the domain of darkness' and giving them 'redemption' and 'forgiveness of sins' in the kingdom of Jesus Christ, His Son (Col 1:11-14). How amazing it is to be in this kingdom! We, who 'once were alienated and hostile', are now 'reconciled', 'holy and blameless' before a holy God (Col 1:21-22). We were 'dead in... trespasses' and God made us 'alive together with Him', and cancelled 'the record of debt that stood against us... nailing it to the cross.' In doing so, Jesus 'disarmed the rulers of authorities' and truly triumphed over them once and for all. (Col 2:13-15) Our joy as believers, then, is fundamentally in Christ, 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' (Col 2:3). He is the key to everything, the way we can know God and please Him. It's possible for us to have a personal experiential relationship with the God of the universe through Jesus Christ! And it's not a one-off thing, it's a daily reality of walking in faith:

'Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.' (Colossians 2:6-7)

If we move away from Christ, we will lose our joy! We'll get bogged down and distracted by things that don't really matter. We'll lose our perspective. Listen to Paul:
'Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.' (Colossians 3:2-4)

Jesus gives us joy in the future, in the hope of our wonderful eternity which our human minds can hardly comprehend. And Jesus gives us joy in our new identity as children of God, no longer in the kingdom of darkness but in His kingdom of light. We are 100% accepted in Him - that's cause for celebration!

Jesus also gives us joy in lives on earth, as we seek to obey Him.
'Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. .. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self...Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.' (Col 3:5-17)
It sounds like a tall order, but with the help of the Holy Spirit we can truly get rid of the sinful practices of our past and live a joy-filled life of freedom in purity which pleases God.

We can also find joy in our mundane tasks, our work, because we are 'serving the Lord Christ' (Col 3:23-24). We can take joy in any ministry we may have, as Paul did, despite his suffering. He understood that he was carrying out a God-given mandate to 'make the word of God fully known', and he understood that the gospel of Jesus made known a 'mystery hidden for ages and generations'. The message he was preaching, of 'Christ in you, the hope of glory', was a message of transformation, and so completely worth all of the 'toil' and struggle to carry it out. Ultimately Paul knew that he was able to do his ministry because of 'His energy that He powerfully works within me'. (Col 1:24-29) God does not leave us unequipped for the things He calls us to do, so we can do all things with joy knowing that He is sufficient!

We can joy in prayer, because we know our Father hears us. 'Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.' (Col 4:2) We can joy in fellowship with other believers, just as Paul sends Tychicus to encourage the hearts of the Colossians (Col 4:8). And we can joy in the faith of others because the gospel is dynamic and spreading all the time, today as well as in Paul's day.
'We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints' (Col 1:3-4).

Sunday, November 30, 2014

1 & 2 Timothy- Hold on to the truth

I love coming back to these pastoral epistles of Paul because they sound a klaxon call to me of what is really important in the Christian life. And with so many voices in the media, some even claiming to be genuine believers, giving so many opinions which seem to contradict the Word of God, these two letters give a timely reminder to us today to hold on to the truth. In both letters, Paul keeps coming back to the prevalence and danger of false teachers ('remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine' - 1 Tim 1:3; 'Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons' - 1 Tim 4:1). Why does he repeat these warnings? Why does it matter that some people out there are saying different things about God, Jesus and the gospel? It's clear from Paul's language that it's not something we should take lightly. In fact, these false ideas and wrong messages are from the realm of the demonic.

The fact is, however clear of the gospel we are when we are saved, we so easily forget the simplicity and yet depth of the truth of salvation. We are prone to grow cold in our appreciation of what Christ has done for us. I think it's interesting that Paul in these letters gives several 'trustworthy sayings' which may have been used like creeds in the early church, statements to memorise and say together as a group of believers, reinforcing the basic doctrine of God. There are also some more poetic sections which may have been sung as hymns. Either way, their function was to give a bite-size statement of what we believe as Christians, what makes us distinctive. The first 'saying' is this:
'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners' (1 Tim 1:15).
It's a fundamental truth that reminds us that we are all in need of a rescuer. Paul used to be a religious fanatic, zealous for the law of God, and yet he recognises that none of it is good enough to achieve his salvation (see Philippians 3:4-8); the reality is that he was 'a blasphemer, persecutor and insolent opponent' (1 Tim 1:13).

The message Paul has been 'appointed a preacher' for (1 Tim 2:7) is that 'there is one God... one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus' (1 Tim 2:5). Paul emphasises that he is 'telling the truth' (v7) here- the gospel is not another lie. We have to remember the truth of the gospel, because as soon as we start moving away from it, we start giving ourselves credit for our own salvation or losing our assurance and hope. Paul writes: 'If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.' (1 Tim 6:3-4) False teaching is linked to arrogance, because it's a re-invention of the truth or a distortion of it, and also to corrupt motives.

By contrast, truth in the pastoral epistles is linked with purity and living an exemplary life for the gospel. In his descriptions of the qualities of an elder and deacon, Paul writes that they must 'keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience' (1 Tim 3:9, NIV). There's a clear link between knowing the truth, teaching the truth, and obedience, just as there is a link between sin and lying and deceit. Paul says that if Timothy closely watches himself for right conduct and truthful teaching, he will save himself and his hearers (1 Tim 4:16). Similarly, in 2 Tim 3:10 Paul refers to his teaching and his way of life in the same breath as things which validate his ministry. Truth must be lived out; if it isn't, then it isn't really believed.

As a leader and a teacher in the church, Timothy is told repeatedly to 'guard' the truth that he knows (1 Tim 6:20-21, 2 Tim 1:11-14) and to be a 'workman who correctly handles the word of truth' (2 Tim 2:15). The Scriptures have to be our start and end point for knowing truth; they are a gift to us from God revealing everything we need for life and godliness (2 Tim 3:16-17). We have to hold on to the truth and church leaders need to keep preaching the truth, despite any negative reaction (2 Tim 4:2-3). Truth is something we have to pass on when training up future leaders (2 Tim 2:2), to protect the church from falling away from Christ and into sin. Paul also says that Timothy should be 'using truth to gently instruct those who oppose you, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.' (2 Tim 3:25). This suggests that we need humble conviction to see and accept God's truth, a work which can only be done by the Holy Spirit. The job of the messenger is simply to pass on the truth to the hearer; the rest is up to God.

Knowing the truth is the most freeing thing about being a Christian. Finally we can stand before God knowing we are accepted in Christ. We can receive God's good gifts with thanksgiving, because we are freed from legalism and false shackles (1 Tim 4:3-5). We hold on to the truth because it sets us free (John 8:32).

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

An analogy... old covenant vs new covenant, law vs grace

Thinking here about the old covenant and the new covenant.

We give kids toy cars to play with. They can look pretty realistic -obviously smaller than the real thing. Ultimately, toy cars are hollow; they have no engine. The best you're going to get is a battery remote control one.

The law of the old covenant is like a toy car. It represents the life God wants His people to live but in miniature. We know from Jesus' ministry that the law was not meant to be used as an excuse for divorce, or for people to be self-congratulatory because they had tithed the correct amount of mint. And when your relationship with God is nothing more than law-keeping, it's not really a relationship. It's legalism.

When you get your license and you start driving a real car, those toy cars soon get put into perspective. They were right for a time, but nothing is like the real thing. The immense feeling of freedom you get behind the wheel - that's like life with God, not under law but grace. Immensely liberating.

The toy car resembles the real thing, but cannot power itself. With the Holy Spirit living in us, we have the power to say no to fleshly dsires and live a life of godliness (see 2 Peter 1). We're not needing all the ritual that came with the law - Jesus fulfilled it. We don't need anymore sacrifice. But in our desire to be godly, our quest for holiness, we should have even more zeal than the Pharisees, and hopefully more evidence of sanctification as we seek to grow by grace.
'For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.' John 1:17

The phrase here 'grace and truth' reflects the language of Exodus 34:6, which speaks of the steadfast love (hesed) and faithfulness ('emet) of God in His covenant faithfulness to His people. John is therefore saying that Jesus is the ultimate expression of God's covenant faithfulness (ESV study notes).

In the new covenant, our relationship with God is brought to life, from the stone tablets of law to the heartbeat of grace.

'For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.' Rom 10:4

'a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ' Gal 2:16

'But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.' Gal 5:18

Ezekiel: God of covenant and regeneration

With all the messages of judgement in Ezekiel, it could be easy to forget the beginning of the story - God's love story with Israel. The allegory told so grippingly in chapter 16 vividly depicts the very essence of the Old Testament: it is a story of covenant of God with a nation (Abraham's descendants). God's sovereign choice and grace in choosing Israel is highlighted as the abandoned child becomes a beautiful woman through the rescuer's love, protection and provision. The infidelity therefore becomes more shocking; the woman who has everything still has an insatiable desire for more (v29). The grotesque imagery sets the reader's teeth on edge because Ezekiel knew his audience needed to be shocked out of apathy and complacency.

But there is a message of hope, and for me it's the most exciting aspect of Ezekiel. It is in this book that the concept of regeneration begins to be sketched out, in perhaps a rather shadowy pencil tone, ready for the New Testament to boldly define it in the wake of Christ and His death on the cross.

At the end of the allegory, Ezekiel gives the pronouncement of the Lord GOD: 'I will establish for you an everlasting covenant' (v60). And there are two key passages, similar in tone and content, which give more detail to this promise. Ezekiel 11:14-21 and 36:22-38 both speak of a removal of the 'heart of stone' and a cleansing from idolatry, and a promise of 'a new heart, and a new spirit'. In ch 36, God says 'I will put my Spirit within you' (v27). The Old Covenant law, given to Moses on stone tablets, was broken again and again by God's unfaithful people. But the New Covenant is characterised by power, the divine power of God's Spirit to change our hearts and regenerate those who believe.
'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.' 2 Corinthians 5:17

This regeneration is depicted very memorably in chapter 37, where Ezekiel is given a stunning vision of the valley of dry bones being brought back to life with flesh and breath once more. The metaphor is explained: 'these bones are the whole house of Israel... I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live' (v11-14). As William Mounce writes,
'In the New Covenant, God’s Spirit is able to breath life into those who are spiritually dead. In the New Covenant, God’s Spirit is able to change and empower those changed lives to live in blissful obedience to Him.'

At the heart of Ezekiel is the message that God is a God of covenant. He is faithful to His promises and to His people. And through the New Covenant, God would do something amazing: even after giving so much already to those He loved, He would actually put His Spirit within them, empowering them to live radically for Him in true faithfulness.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Ezekiel: An intolerant God

Ezekiel speaks prophetically of God's approaching judgement upon His people, at a time where they were dangerously unconcerned about their own spiritual state and the state of their nation (and there seem to have been plenty of false prophets to give them fake reassurance). The repeated phrase 'then they will know that I am the LORD' shows that God's character, in particular His righteousness, purity and total intolerance of sin, will be revealed in the judgement that is about to be poured out upon this disobedient people.

Many baulk at the idea of an intolerant God or a God of judgement. Reading Old Testament books like Ezekiel can be hard because of the seeming harshness of the message, such as the angelic executioners who kill all idolaters young and old in the vision of chapter 9. Ezekiel himself falls to the ground and asks God if He intends to destroy everyone, in despair. God answers: “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord does not see.’ So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.” (v9-10). There doesn't seem to be any leeway here. But think about it: do you want a God who turns a blind eye to the massive injustices of the world? A God who ignores the plight of abused children, trafficking victims, the poor and exploited? We don't really want a God like that at all. God's consistency in His hatred of sin and His absolute moral purity and perfection are why He is worthy of our worship.

God's judgement is indeed terrifying; I would not make out that it's not. And the stunning depiction of judgement in Ezekiel makes me breathlessly in awe of God and very, very thankful that on Jesus Christ His wrath was poured out completely and I will never have to face it myself.

For all those who look around and say, 'where is God? Why does He let all this bad stuff happen?', Ezekiel's message is still relevant today. He effectively reminds us that God's character remains unchanged. He is totally intolerant of sin in any shape or form. The day is coming when He will act decisively and any doubts you have will be completely removed, but you don't want to be on the receiving end of His retribution. Run to Jesus for refuge and urge everyone around you to do the same, before it's too late.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Ezekiel: Willing to speak

Having just looked at Daniel, I'm now back-tracking to look at Ezekiel. While both were living in exile in Babylon, Ezekiel's ministry begins five years after the first group of exiles was deported to Babylon. Given that Daniel lives through the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar, his son, and Darius and into the days of Cyrus too, it seems Daniel was part of the later group of exiles.

Ezekiel and Daniel had very different ministries. Daniel was called to serve in the heart of the Babylonian court and empire. He was given a position of power and prestige - though this was threatened by his faithfulness to God and his powerful enemies. Ezekiel lived among the exiles who were a community forced from their home, strangers in a foreign land with no status or wealth. He belonged to the priestly class but instead of being able to serve his ministry in the temple in Jerusalem, he finds himself placed by God in a ministry of unrelenting preaching to a people who didn't want to know. Daniel saw some remarkable miracles: the saving of his three friends in the fiery furnace, his own deliverance in the lions' den, Nebuchadnezzar's humbling, the writing on the wall... He saw some of the Babylonian rulers come to recognise God's greatness and uniqueness. Ezekiel, speaking to God's own people, saw none of this. He faced rejection for his hard message, yet he did not compromise; he persevered.

Much like Isaiah, Ezekiel experiences a 'call' to be God's prophet, to speak His words to the people, with a heavenly vision. As he is commissioned, he is told repeatedly that the people are 'nations of rebels' (chapter 2 v3). 'Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house. But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.' (v6-8) In language echoed later in Revelation, it seems that Ezekiel saw a vision of Christ Himself who gave him his mission ('seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance' chapter 1 v26). I was thinking about my own mission, wondering if I would be as willing as Ezekiel if I knew it was -in human terms- going to be a failure and mean so much isolation and rejection.

There are certainly times where we feel we are not seeing fruit, where it's hard to persevere. I'm challenged through Ezekiel's call that God is asking me, 'are you willing to speak for Me, even when people don't listen?' If God's people are willing to speak the words that He gives them, before whoever He puts them, then it could be kings and princes or the poor and needy; it doesn't matter. It gives Him glory. Are you willing?

Friday, October 31, 2014

Daniel: the courage of a clear conscience

I love the story of Daniel in the lions' den. It's so dramatic and Daniel is such an amazing hero, unflinching in his devotion to God and in the face of mortal danger. I was thinking about how Daniel was able to face such a trial with confidence. Obviously God's Spirit gave him strength, but I also think Daniel's courage had a lot to do with the fact he had a clear conscience before God.

When you read Daniel 6, his godly character and moral purity is emphasised: 'he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.' (v4) His enemies had to trap him by his faith as he was otherwise blameless before the king, and in line for a promotion (v3). His diligence and honourable conduct were unparalleled in the pagan land of Babylon.

Once the king makes the law banning prayer 'to any god or man for thirty days' except himself (v7), Daniel does not hesitate to continue praying to the LORD of heaven and earth. 'When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open towards Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.' (v10) In fact, this law made Daniel even more desperate to pray than ever! He knew he couldn't go on without the sustenance of his God. He knew that his privileged position was a gift from his Creator, not something he had simply earned by his own merit. If he had thought it was, he would have simply ditched prayer for a month and carried on at the top of the tree. But Daniel's view of God makes this impossible. He refuses to compromise.

It's interesting that his windows were open 'towards Jerusalem'. He's in exile, in Babylon, yet his heart is turned towards the place of the temple, the heritage of his fathers, the faith of his people. He is consciously following the scriptures where King Solomon, at the dedication of the temple, prayed that if the people were exiled for disobedience, they should turn their hearts back to Jerusalem and pray for God's mercy once again: 'yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly’, if they repent with all their mind and with all their heart in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray to you towards their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name, then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you, and grant them compassion in the sight of those who carried them captive' (1 Kings 8:47-50). Daniel was consciously engaged in this work of intercession, knowing and understanding that the exile was all part of the plan of God in disciplining his people. Daniel's regular prayer was fuelled by the hope that Yahweh would hear; He would forgive; He would bring His people home. In chapter 9 we see perhaps a clearer glimpse of this intercessory heart of Daniel, but for now it helps for us to see that to him, prayer was an absolute necessity. It wasn't something he could just drop out of his schedule. Both on a personal level, and on a corporate, national level, prayer was of the utmost importance and priority to this godly man.

Daniel knows, then, that in choosing prayer he is choosing something better than the king's approval, even than his own life. He understands that in choosing prayer, the way of obedience, he can then stand before God in a clear conscience. He can say, 'I've been faithful to You, LORD, above all others.' Daniel doesn't know if God will rescue him from the lions (much like his three friends with the fiery furnace). But he does know that if he dies, he will be able to meet His God unashamedly. That gives him a powerful courage and an ability to stand firm amongst some frightening enemies and terrifying circumstances.

It's so interesting to see the impotence of the king - ironic impotence, as the reason he is unable to help Daniel is because of the power invested in his own laws ('Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed' v15) - compared with the sovereign power of God. The king 'set his mind to deliver Daniel' and 'laboured' to do so (v14), but was ultimately powerless and ineffective. Daniel tells the king the next day 'My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths' (v22), a very clear answer to the king's question: 'has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?' (v21). There can be no doubting it: Daniel's faith is vindicated publicly.

Daniel declares God has saved him 'because I was found blameless before him' (v22). Perhaps this was something the angel told him; we don't know. But it encourages us that if we diligently follow God in faithfulness wherever He places us, then we can have courage to face any obstacles, with a clear conscience before our King.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Daniel: shining like stars

'Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky' (Philippians 2:14-15).

'Christ is the light of the world, and good Christians are lights in the world. When God raises up a good man in any place, he sets up a light in that place.' (Matthew Henry)

I've been reading the book of Daniel, and this New Testament verse from Philippians really sums it up for me. With the nation of Israel in pieces and the cream of the crop in exile in Babylon, Daniel and his friends shine like stars in the darkness of a pagan land. Their situation speaks strongly to me of our position as Christians, 'elect exiles' (1 Pet 1:1) in this corrupt world, waiting for the return of Jesus Christ and the beauty of the new creation in its stunning absence of sin. I think I often read the Bible and think, how am I supposed to do this? How am I supposed to live in this world, full of temptations and pulls, and manage to obey God? Surely it can't be possible? Now I'm not an advocate of Christian perfectionism, but sometimes I worry we go too far the other way. We are so caught up with emphasising our sinfulness that we forget that God has given us commands, and the power by His Spirit to obey them. Otherwise, if it was not possible to obey, how could we be held accountable and responsible for our sin?

Looking at the heroes of the Bible, like Abraham, Noah, Moses, Job, David, they were not sinless. They could not redeem us like Jesus. However, they did have a valid righteousness that came from their obedience through faith in God's promises. They did live exemplary lives amongst a warped and crooked generation. And it has to be possible for us to imitate them -and ultimately Christ Himself- and live righteously so that we can fulfil our function of illuminating to the world how far from their Creator they have fallen, and draw them back to Him. (1 Pet 2:9)

So let's look at Daniel and see what we can learn from his behaviour in Babylon:
He was unshaken, despite living in an extremely turbulent time. He was exiled from Israel to be educated for three years in the literature and language of the Chaldeans (Dan 1:5) - essentially a re-education to make these exiles conform to the Babylonian ways. But Daniel resolves not to defile himself with the king's food (Dan 1:8), which seems to be a way of taking a stand that he won't be ensnared by the new culture he is living in. The distinctive diet which he and his friends adopt serves to emphasise their distinct faith and identity as God's people in a foreign land. From the beginning of the book, then, Daniel is distinctive. He deliberately does not seek to 'blend in' seamlessly with his pagan surroundings. He was therefore not a people-pleaser. He wasn't willing to sacrifice his closeness to God and obedience just to win favour with others.

In the close fellowship he shared with Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, Daniel avoided spiritual isolation. He knew his own need for like-minded believers around him to encourage him and share truth in the midst of a crazy time, full of tests, betrayals and amazing miracles too. In his lifestyle, both words and actions, Daniel showed outstanding wisdom (Dan 1:17). Unlike Solomon, he was faithful to the end. He was gifted by God in exceptional ways, and placed in a context he almost certainly found uncomfortable, difficult and at times life-threatening, in order to be used by God in extraordinary ways. He was happy to be a prophet in a pagan place, one who spoke the words God wanted him to speak, in the situations he was placed into. His boldness was balanced with a wonderful calmness and humility; Daniel does not come across as gung-ho (in Dan 2:14 he hears of the king's command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon, which includes himself, and speaks to the captain of the king's guard with prudence and discretion). In each situation he faced, he determined to seek God and had faith that God would answer (Dan 2:16-18). He was a regular and seasoned pray-er, refusing to quit his habit to fall in line with the king's orders, regardless of the cost (Dan 6:10).

Ultimately, Daniel had a firm understanding of the sovereignty of God. He knew that Yahweh's power was not restricted to the borders and boundaries of Israel. He knew that he was where he was for a reason in a divine purpose, even if he didn't always complete understand that purpose. He was thankful, offering praise to God and refusing to take God's favour for granted (Dan 2:21-23). He spoke truth without compromise to kings who held a huge amount of worldly power, knowing that their power was given to them by an almighty God who would hold them accountable. Despite his unique abilities and the prominence he held under Nebuchadnezzar, by Belshazzar's reign, Daniel seems to have been overlooked or forgotten (see Dan 5:11-12). He obviously wasn't one to put himself forward and cling on to power for the sake of it. He knew if God wanted him to be in the spotlight again, He would make it happen - and when He did, Daniel didn't shrink from speaking some hard words to the proud and arrogant king who had not learnt from the mistakes of his father (Dan 6:17-23). He refuses earthly rewards because he sees their true value in the light of eternity.

What encouragement for us! It is possible to live an exemplary life in a world that is fundamentally hostile to God. As Simon Guillebaud observes, we are to insulate ourselves, not isolate ourselves, from the world. What situations has God placed you in, to be a witness to the world around you? Pray that He would help you to stay faithful!

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Matthew's gospel: knowing and doing

There is a constant contrast in Matthew's gospel with the people who know the Scriptures, meet Jesus, listen to His teaching and do nothing about it, with those who believe and obey. What marks out Jesus immediately when He is in the wilderness and, just before this, in His baptism, is His perfect obedience to the Father and His use of the Scriptures to affect His practical actions. He is baptized to 'fulfil all righteousness'(Matt 3:15). When tempted, He used the Scripture to blunt the weapons of the enemy and, through His fasting and refusal to give in to Satan's demands, He showed the practical impact the Word had on His life.

The amazing dynamic of Jesus' healing ministry grew out of His understanding of His role as the Messiah, defined by the prophets, such as Isaiah, quoted in Matt 4:15-16. Jesus knew He had the blessing of God His Father, and this knowledge and anointing of the Holy Spirit fuelled His hands-on ministry. I wonder if sometimes we know so much about who we are in Christ, and we know that we have the Holy Spirit, and yet we allow ourselves to be held back. You don't often see dynamic ministries like Jesus had, and perhaps we should question why not. Jesus is alive today to work through us! The picture Jesus gives of His people being salt and light both speak and convey the impact the people of God should have on those around them, and it is 'your good works' that have this impact and 'give glory' to the Father (Matt 5:16). It's not going to be the theological qualifications of Jesus' followers that have an impact; it's the radical behaviour that results from right understanding of who they follow.

One of Jesus' big criticisms of the people's religion was that they practiced righteousness 'before other people in order to be seen by them' (Matt 6:1). God's glory was not the motive. Jesus said they will have 'no reward'. In a particularly chilling teaching, Jesus says "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord', will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty work in your name? And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.'"(Matt 7:21-23) The point is not to simply try to do impressive miracles or good deeds, but to genuinely serve God with our lives and actions, not just heaping up knowledge about what is true without it ever affecting our behaviour. The well-known story of the man who built his house on the rock (Matt 7:24-26) is all about hearing Jesus' words and doing them.

The Pharisees and scribes come across as a sorry group. They know the letter of the law, but when the long-awaited messiah comes, they do not believe in Him. It is the tax collectors and sinners who respond to Jesus in faith (see Matt 9:9-13). They are the ones who recognise the truth and Jesus changes their lives. At the end of Matthew's gospel, the Pharisees remain unchanged.

The parable of the sower (Matt 13) vividly depicts the fact that there are different responses to the Word and not everyone will be changed in a lasting way by it. This doesn't mean the Word is any less powerful as it clearly has the power to multiply fantastically. But those who know the truth and allow the thorns to choke them will end up bearing no fruit.

As the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value illustrate (see Matt 13:44-45), if we really understand the nature of God's kingdom and the salvation Jesus offers, then we won't question how much it costs to pursue it; we will let nothing stop us.

Jesus makes it clear that nothing is impossible for God (Matt 19:26). There are no limits to His kingdom. He feeds 5000, He feeds 4000, He walks on water, He calms the storm, He heals the sick and yet He did not see these things greeted with full faith but constant doubt. The Pharisees demand signs as if these things are not sufficient, but the greatest sign -Jesus' death and resurrection- was something they themselves initiated in the sovereignty of God's plan. Jesus said 'if you have faith and do not doubt... even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen.' (Matt 21:21) Sometimes we need to question whether our knowledge is really being worked out in our lives... in our prayers... in our faith. If not, it's time to do something about it.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Leviticus: the necessity of holiness

It seems to me that Leviticus is one of the most neglected books of the Bible. It's easy to understand why: it starts with seven chapters about different types of offerings, then talks about the priesthood of Aaron, then gives loads of laws which seem fairly obscure. A lot of them aren't applicable for Christians today; they have been fulfilled in Jesus' death and resurrection. We don't have a levitical priesthood anymore, nor do we offer sacrifices, because Jesus is our great High Priest and His sacrifice was offered once for all (see Hebrews 10). But it does bug me that Leviticus gets written off, especially the moral laws, because so many of the principles in those laws still stand today. Where did Jesus get 'you shall love your neighbour as yourself' from (see Matt 22:39)? Leviticus 19:18.

The key thing to remember when reading Leviticus is that at the heart of the book is the holiness of God and how God's people are to reflect that holiness. This principal is very relevant for Christians today; after all, God doesn't change. He is still holy. He still requires holiness from His people. That's one of the main ways Leviticus is used in the New Testament. Peter quotes it in his letter:
'As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”' (1 Pet 1:14-16)
Peter is quoting from Leviticus 11:44 and Leviticus 19:2.

In some ways, the ways in which people demonstrate holiness have changed. In Leviticus there were laws which gave a symbolic representation of holiness and by following them, God's people would be separate from other nations. We don't have these symbolic ritual laws anymore, like purification rites (Lev 12), not eating certain animals (Lev 11, see also Acts 10) and circumcision (Lev 12:8). It's the moral perspective of Leviticus which strikes me the most: be holy in your sexuality or die (Lev 20:10-16), be holy in your words about God or die (Lev 24:10-23), be holy in your worship or die (Lev 10:1-20). Why did God judge people so harshly for breaking laws in the Old Testament? Because in their disobedience, they revealed that they really cared little for Him. Holiness is a key test of our devotion to the LORD, and the New Testament continues this same perspective:
'Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practise homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.' 1 Cor 6:9-11.

From a New Testament perspective then, being born again is the beginning of a journey to holiness. Before we came to Christ, there was no way we could be holy. We were lost in sin. But once He saved us, He gave us His Spirit and, through His Spirit, the power to say 'no' to our flesh.
'His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.' 2 Peter 1:3-8

There's this amazing harmony in these verses of God's power in us and our own effort working together to make us holy. It's not salvation by works; it's spiritual growth, and this doesn't happen if we just sit around and fail to exercise our faith in action, or spiritual disciplines like prayer, reading the Word, helping the needy. The New Testament doesn't promise us perfection in this life; it tells us this will be a battle and a struggle which we need spiritual weapons to fight (Eph 6). But there is a sense that we will increase in practical holiness as we grow in spiritual maturity and as our passion for God takes over more and more of our hearts, souls and minds.

Our fight against sin will be most effective when we are fixing our eyes on Jesus, and exposing our sin to others with confession and prayer so that it loses its power and grip on our lives. The devil wants you to wallow in secret sin and doubt your salvation and the efficacy of Christ's redemption; the Spirit wants to convict you of sin so that you see it for what it really is, and see victory over it through Jesus' blood shed for you on the cross.

'Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.' 2 Cor 7:1
'Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.' 1 John 3:2-3

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Lies we believe about sin

It's easy to listen to that voice in your head instead of the truth of Scripture. Here's three lies we may get trapped into believing, instead of the reality of being in Christ.

1. "I'm a good person". OK most Christians admit that they are a sinner, but how often is that just a technicality? Really, we see ourselves as basically upright citizens who actually do a lot of good things... Essentially we believe that we are good people just like any non-Christian who gives to charity and does his neighbour a favour every now and then. The problem with this lie is that at its heart, it's comparative. What do we base the fact that we are 'good' on, except for being able to find someone who seems 'worse'? But labelling ourselves as 'good', we are thinking about the people who are easy to label as 'bad' - the prostitutes, the swindlers. But oh wait, those guys, those 'bad' people, those real 'sinners', are the ones Jesus was always hanging out with! (see Luke 15:1-2) It's the elder brother vs the prodigal (read the rest of Luke 15). If you're not the humbled sinner coming home, you're susceptible to be the wrongly aggrieved one standing in the background with arms folded. You'll miss out on the joy of grace and the party. And this standpoint has just as much sin in it as the colourful history of the prodigal; it just looks different. As JI Packer writes in 'Respectable Sins': 'every sin that we commit, even the subtle sin we don't even think about, was laid upon Christ as He bore the curse of God in our place.' We can't start 'grading' sins. The truth is that even our 'righteousness' is as filthy rags before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6).

2. "My sin doesn't matter, I'm saved by grace." Perhaps we get flippant sometimes because we know God will forgive us. Look at what Paul writes in Romans 6:
'Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.' (Rom 6:1-4)
To wilfully keep on sinning means we haven't really understood the gospel, and we have to realise that sin has a hardening effect on our hearts. Read Hebrews 6 for a sobering reminder of the result of apostasy: being cut off from God. A true fear of God will lead us to obedience. We can have no assurance of our salvation if we live lives that are unchanged by the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. "I can't beat this sin." Going back to Romans 6, Paul says that we are 'set free from sin' (v7). This is not to say we attain sinless perfection this side of glory, but it does mean that we now have power NOT to sin, whereas before we were sinners, in darkness, and without the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to sanctify us. It is possible for us to say no to sin, not in human strength but by being 'strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might' (Eph 6:10). Sometimes the reason we aren't seeing victory over sin is because we haven't confessed to others and asked for prayer and accountability.

So there you have it, three lies we get duped into believing about sin. It's only the truth of Jesus in His Word that sets us free, so learn some key Scriptures which will help you fight this battle.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Ruth: the beauty of kindness

Ruth the Moabite is a drastic contrast to the other Moabites mentioned in the Bible, who worshipped other gods (Num 21:29), feared Israel and sent a prophet to curse them (Num 22) and led the Israelites into sexual immorality (Num 25). Ruth chooses to worship the God of Israel, Yahweh, and turns her back on the gods of her own people. Instead of fearing Israel, she joins God's people (much like Rahab before her). Unlike Rahab, Ruth is an example of moral purity. She does not seduce Boaz- she appeals to his sense of justice and righteousness.

But what the book of Ruth really seems to extol her for is kindness. She shows the kindness of covenant love which reflects the great hesed of God towards His people.

Ruth doesn't just make a promise like Orpah; she follows through, and at great personal cost: 'where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.' (Ruth 1:16). Naomi has nothing to offer her; she is a poor widow returning to her homeland (which was a place of famine at the start of the book) empty-handed. Ruth was probably grieving the loss of her husband, and Naomi was not going to offer much solace as her words mention the bitterness she feels towards God (Ruth 1:13, 20). Yet Ruth doesn't just talk the talk to her mother-in-law; she lives it out too. Her love for Naomi is steadfast throughout the book. She loves her enough to put aside her own interests and move to another country in order to care for her and look after her. She voluntarily binds herself with an oath in Yahweh's name, showing the seriousness of her commitment: 'May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.' (Ruth 1:17)

Ruth's kindness leads to Boaz's kindness towards her: 'All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord' (Ruth 2:11-12). Boaz, as an instrument of the Lord, rewards Ruth's loyalty and kindness with special protection, provision, and ultimately possession as he marries her when the nearer kinsman-redeemer declines to act. He sees Ruth's willingness to marry him as a greater kindness (Ruth 3:10), because she has not chased after the younger men.

There is nothing grasping or presumptuous about Ruth. It is interesting that the people bless Boaz's union with Ruth by saying 'May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah' (Ruth 4:11). The implication is that Rachel and Leah were barren women (as Ruth appears to be from being married for ten years with no children) blessed with offspring by God, and this is what the people wish for Ruth with Boaz. However, whereas Rachel and Leah seem trapped in a cycle of grasping, demanding children and warring against each other in a lack of sisterly kindness and compassion, Ruth does not seem to think that it is her right to be married and have children. In fact, by travelling to Bethlehem with Naomi, Ruth was considerably lessening her chance of remarriage after being widowed. In Israel, Ruth would be a foreigner and without protection from her own family. So here we see a link between the kindness Ruth shows towards Naomi with Ruth's humility that makes her willing to be an outsider in a strange land, and go without the security of having a husband and family to provide for her.

As the 'underdog', the Moabite woman in Israel, Ruth recognises her dependence on others (such as Boaz), and ultimately her dependence on God. We can perhaps infer that it was her faith that Yahweh would look after her and Naomi, that He would provide for them, that gave her the ability to act in kindness and in faith, and leave the comfort and security of home behind her. Boaz recognises that it is "the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!" (Ruth 2:12) The story shows that her confidence was not misplaced. Ruth encourages us that God's kindness is available to those who depend on Him, and the more we cultivate humility, the more we will be able to show true kindness to others and put their needs before our own.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Lessons from Numbers- the danger of rebellion (part 4)

One of the reasons I find reading Numbers so difficult is not so much the chapters which record lists of names and genealogies, but that it focuses on several acts of rebellion on a micro and macro level - rebellion by one or two individuals, or by the whole of Israel - and all of them are judged swiftly by the LORD. Miriam is given leprosy. The sabbath-breaker, at God's command, is stoned to death (ch 15). Moses is told he will never enter the promised land because he didn't follow God's instructions to speak to the rock, not strike it (ch 20). Phinehas is commended by the LORD for spearing an Israelite and his pagan woman (ch 25). And Korah, Dathan, Abbiram along with their families and followers are swallowed up by the earth in an act of devastating judgement from the LORD. (ch 16)

It all seems so harsh; so sudden; so irrevocable. What happened to grace? I'm sure this is one of points where people say 'Look, the God of the Old Testament is just full of judgement. The God of the New Testament if one of love. The Bible contradicts itself!' Or at least, maybe some Christians feel that as we're under grace not law, thankfully these kinds of things don't happen anymore and don't apply to us.

But that viewpoint is not taken by the New Testament writers. In fact, they are hugely influenced by the book of Numbers. Look at what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:
'For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,a that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.'

Paul says that Christ Himself was with Israel all those years in the wilderness! This isn't a case of Jesus coming in the New Testament and suddenly it's all about love. Moreover, Paul sees these accounts as 'examples for us'. Numbers warns readers not to make the same mistakes as Israel, of taking God's commands lightly, forgetting His goodness, hankering after the past and coveting what you do not have. It links all these sins to the heart issue: unbelief. This is still relevant for us today. Whenever we fail to believe God's promises; whenever we choose the pleasures of sin above obedience; whenever we question God's appointed leaders and their authority, we run the risk of behaving in exactly the same way as Israel, and 'with most of them God was not pleased... and were destroyed.'

Hebrews is another epistle very influenced by Numbers, and very focused on warning God's people not to harden their hearts, let sin deceive them, and walk away from the truth.

'For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.' (Heb 6:4-8)

In Numbers, there is no atonement for apostasy. Those who knowingly reject God's covenant promise are disinherited and destroyed. Their unbelief led to disobedience and treating God with contempt. There was no way to undo their sin. They could never enter the land; they died outside the land of promise. The writer of Hebrews similarly gives a stern warning to believers because if they commit apostasy (entering a covenant with God then rejecting Him; this may be done consciously or through persistent, deliberate unrepentant sin), they cut themselves off from Christ, the only sacrifice for sins under the new covenant. As the New Bible Commentary states:
'Nothing is impossible for God, but He offers us no hope of reclaiming those who take a continuous and hard hearted stand against Christ. Those who harden their hearts may reach a point where they are hardened beyond recall.'

The message of Numbers is that none of us can ever get complacent about our relationship with God, and that is supported by the New Testament as well. We are responsible for diligently making our call and election sure (2 Peter 1:10), knowing that if we are still standing at the end, it's because of God's phenomenal grace to us. We can't stay faithful without His enabling, so knowing our own human capacity for weakness and disobedience, we should throw ourselves upon His mercy and grace daily in prayer and ask Him to keep us faithful to the end.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Lessons from Numbers- the danger of rebellion (part 3)

Numbers 13 introduces a crisis which is the very heart of the book. The main theme of the book is God's promise (in covenant) of giving the people a land of their own, as well as descendants and blessing to other nations through them. Chapter 13 recounts how they sent spies into Canaan, who discovered that the land was good, but they were terrified by the 'giants' who occupied it. Joshua and Caleb were the only two who had faith to believe God would do as He had promised; nothing was too hard for Him:
“The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” (Numbers 14:7-9)

Chapter 14 details the people's reactions to the spies' report. No one seems to listen to Joshua and Caleb; they all start talking about choosing a new leader and heading back to Egypt (v4). Moses has to again intercede for them before the LORD, who says He will destroy them. In the end, the faithless spies die, and everyone else has to travel the wilderness for 40 years as none of that generation are allowed to see the promised land, except Joshua and Caleb.

It's a sobering lesson in what it means to have faith. You're never going to be 'mainstream'; you'll be in the minority. God describes Caleb as having 'a different spirit' and commends him for following Him 'fully' (v24). How many of us can honestly say that we are following God fully too? There are often areas of our lives where our discipleship is a bit lack lustre and half hearted, or perhaps where we think we are following God wholeheartedly, but the reality is, we've never been tested in those areas.

It is so easy to be held back by fear, but the lesson in Numbers here is that ultimately, the things the Israelites feared (falling prey in the wilderness) actually happened because they didn't trust God. It's safer to go forward into the unknown when God is with you, than to try to stay safe without God. That's no safe haven at all.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Lessons from Numbers- the danger of rebellion (part 2)

The second rebellion I want to look at is in Numbers 12, where Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses: 'Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it.' (v1-2)

Just like the rebellion in the previous chapter, this involves words. It's another form of complaining. Again, I'm struck by the fact that I don't really view this as being that serious. Everybody grumbles, it's not that big a deal, right? But God intervenes again in this chapter, and again with a severity that initially makes me feel surprised. The LORD calls them into the tent of meeting, tells them how wrong they are to speak against Moses, and gives Miriam leprosy. God's words really highlight the issue of the sin here: 'With him (Moses) I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?' (8) In opposing Moses, Miriam and Aaron were really opposing God Himself. God had put Moses into his position of authority; for them to question that authority was to question God's wisdom and sovereignty and His anointing on Moses' life. It revealed an ugly pride on their part, that they felt there was nothing particularly special about Moses. 'God can speak through us too,' they claimed. But they weren't really focused on bringing God's words to the people; they were more concerned about status.

I really recommend the Revive our Hearts series of podcasts on Numbers 12 (the series is called 'Remember Miriam'). It contains some very convicting application of this chapter into our lives today. For me, I feel especially conscious that we need to uphold those in ministry over us, not pick holes in their leadership and criticise.

God uses this physical punishment of leprosy to force Miriam to see her need for Moses as a mediator; it's through his prayers for her that she is healed. But God still physically removes her from the camp for a time, and I think this too is a frightening picture of how God will intervene with those who are not obedient and humble before Him. He will remove them! Perhaps from ministry, for a time, or even for the rest of their lives. Rebellion against God's appointed leaders is never going to lead to blessing, and we do well if we guard our tongues to make sure we don't speak out against them too.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Lessons from Numbers: the danger of rebellion (part 1)

Numbers 11 opens with a sobering verse: 'And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.' We don't tend to see complaining as a serious sin; certainly not one that would cause fire from God to consume us. But then Ananias and Sapphira didn't see their concealment of the full amount of money they received from selling some land as a terrible sin; yet they were struck dead for lying to the Holy Spirit. (see Acts 5) As the writer of Hebrews reminds us 'Our God is a consuming fire'. (Heb 12:29) If we have lost the sense that God is "dangerous" in that He is unpredictable, holy, awesome and righteous in judgement, then we've lost sight of who God really is.

In this instance, as with many other similar examples in Numbers, Moses intercedes by praying for the people, and the fire dies down. But by verse 4 of the same chapter, the people are complaining again: “Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” (v4-6) It's almost comical. The minute detail of longing for cucumbers, melons and leeks just shows our human tendency to hanker after the 'good old days' when the reality was far from rosy. Yes, you may have had greater variety in your diet, but in Egypt YOU WERE SLAVES!!! You had to work ridiculous hours in back-breaking manual labour for a cruel Pharaoh who threw your babies into the Nile. It is scary how the grim reality has been forgotten; with a 'grass is greener' mindset, all the people can remember is that the food was better. And so often we can do this too. We can miss what God is doing in our lives now, what amazing plans He has for our future, because we're experiencing hardship and difficulty, and we look back to the past and feel a sense of nostalgia or even a jealous longing to be back there. Perhaps it was an old job or an old relationship. We can kid ourselves that this time was where life was really good, life was really going well, and if we got that old job or old relationship back, then the good times would return too. The problem with this mentality is that it doesn't accept God's right to bring us into times of suffering and difficulty, and the fact that this is good for our soul. If we want to genuinely follow Jesus, we can't go through life seeking good times and avoiding pain at all costs. That isn't the path of the cross.

The Israelites' comment 'there is nothing at all but this manna to look at' makes me feel cold inside. This is just so shockingly insulting to God. They were there in the desert, in the wilderness, and He had miraculously provided food for them through this manna appearing every morning for them to collect. And now in their tone they are dismissing it as just some everyday food-stuff that they're getting pretty fed up with, thank you very much. Can't you vary the menu a bit God?

This makes me feel cold because I know I do it too! My life is just stuffed full of blessings, yet so often I take them for granted and sometimes even reject what God has given me. Perhaps I could rephrase the complaint to 'there is nothing at all but this dirty laundry to look at' for the times when I'm resentful of my domestic duties. Or 'there is nothing at all but this demanding child', or 'this endless workload'... The list goes on. The point is, God has put me where I am right now for a reason, and I need to live each day not longing for a different season, but making the most of this moment and this time.

I'm also really bad at the 'if only' vein of thinking. If only I had made this choice instead of that one, then right now I would be... But would it really be any better? Probably not. It's my mindset that's going to determine whether I am content or not, not my circumstances. (see Philippians 4:12)

In this chapter, God gives the people what they want: meat through the quail that settle above the camp. But He also brings devastating judgment through the plague that hits them as they bite into it. It's a terrifying picture which makes me question, 'how far are you willing to go to get what you want when it's against God's will?' You can see in some people's lives today that they have abandoned God's ways to make choices that are clearly against His Word, and they seem to be enjoying themselves. But the day will come when, if they don't repent, God's judgement will come upon them. Rebellion is always judged; perhaps not always with the immediacy that is often the case in the book of Numbers, but you can know that it is always futile to fight God.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Some thoughts on Titus 2 - priorities

'Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.' Titus 2:3-5

I've been working through Carolyn Mahaney's 'Feminine Appeal' and the series 'God's beautiful design for women' on Revive our Hearts, because I've been feeling really convicted lately that I haven't got my priorities right. Having just had a new baby, it's a good time to re-evaluate where I am in my life, and whether I am doing the things God has called me to do, or getting distracted with other things that don't really matter.

You can't ignore from these verses in Titus that, as women, our priorities have to be focused around loving God and loving our families. Home has to be a priority, whether we work outside of it or not. I've been struck by some of this teaching that the home was created by God, and in society today the home is falling apart. It's because we've got our priorities wrong and we've believed the lie that we need a successful career and a good salary to be fulfilled. Our culture tells us that being in the home is not as valuable as making a financial contribution to the family outside of it, so too often we are sacrificing our family life in favour of earning more money. I'm not saying all women should be stay-at-home mums with no outside jobs because I really enjoy my job! But I do think it's easy for my job to take the first and best of me, and my home and family to get whatever is left over of my time and energy.

It's not about making our homes an idol, a beautiful magazine-type place #CathKidston etc. We want to make our homes somewhere we belong, somewhere orderly, a place we want to return to, a space where we talk and grow together as a family, a place which draws in those that we love and outsiders to know and love God better. This can only happen through the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. The gospel has transformed our lives, and as we seek to obey God by doing the things we are told to do in Titus 2 (love our husband and children, be self-controlled, pure and kind, working at home and being submissive to our husband), this shows the world how amazing the gospel is.

The heart attitude with which we serve -doing chores, cooking meals, cleaning and so on- is absolutely crucial, because we are called to be kind. This passage in Titus calls us to be selfless women, Christ-centred and other-person-centred, like Dorcas in Acts 9. Kindness of heart will not make menial tasks glamorous, but it will lift the load and make them an act of real love and worship.

The emphasis in Titus on self control shows the importance of having a sound mind too. We can't do any of these things without disciplining our minds to put the brakes on to unsound thinking and behaviour. Nancy Leigh de Moss's portraits of a sophron woman (sound) and non-sophron woman are really convicting. For myself, I need to beware of the following things:
- being easily discontented, having the mindset 'I deserve better'
- being easily provoked
- being highly opinionated and always seeking to have the last word
- being overly concerned about what other people think.

We need sound doctrine in our minds and lived out in our daily behaviour. After all, the way you live reveals what you actually believe.

Our lives are to reflect the beauty, the balance, the stability that the gospel brings to a mind, a life and a home. The goal for us as women is to know what really matters, to have right priorities, and to be content with what we have. We are to live lives of purpose and intentionality, service, and giving and blessing others. This is spiritual maturity.

Monday, August 18, 2014

The meaning of marriage

There's been a lot of public discussion about marriage in recent months, particularly with the first gay marriages taking place in March this year. I was surprised at the support for same-sex marriage coming from prominent figures within the 'evangelical' wing of the church. It made me think, how important is this? Is this of primary importance, or is it another 'secondary' issue in Christian circles which wrongly threatens to be divisive?

What becomes very clear the more you look into this, is that the issue of gay marriage can't be separated from your fundamental viewpoint on men and women; what our gender actually means. If you're looking at the Bible's teaching on marriage, you find yourself forced to also look at what it says about men, women and their roles - because the various relevant passages address both of these key areas.

Before we can rightly understand what God created marriage to be, we have to rightly understand how God created humanity as male and female.

I'm coming here from a complementarian perspective: that men and women are equally created in God's image (see Gen 1:26-27) but have different roles. Men are given authority and women are called to submit to this authority, under the ultimate lordship of Christ. This seems clear from the following passages:
Genesis 2
- Adam is created first (see also 1 Cor 11:8 and 1 Tim 2:13)
- Adam is given the instruction not to eat the fruit (he has an implicit responsibility to instruct Eve once she is created)
- Eve is created to be a helper (see also 1 Cor 11:9-10)
- Adam names Eve, implying his authority over her.

Genesis 3
- Eve sinned first, but God seeks out Adam and holds him responsible. (See also Rom 5:12, 1 Cor 15:22)
- Male/female relationships are affected by sin in that women desire to usurp the authority given to man in creation, leading to man ruling over woman, sometimes in wrongfully abusive ways.

Ephesians 5
- Jesus' coming hasn't changed God's created hierarchy of male leadership. In fact, Paul teaches here that when functioning in complementarian roles, marriage is in fact a beautiful picture of Jesus' relationship with the church.

(There are other passages too and I recommend this summary of complementarianism if you want to read more).

The point is, same-sex marriage doesn't work from a biblical perspective, because men and women have very different roles in marriage. Even if you ignore the Bible's teaching on homosexuality (which is pretty clear in its condemnation of physically acting upon same-sex desire - see Leviticus 18:21-22, Lev 20:13, Romans 1:26-27 and 1 Tim 1:8-10), you can't take marriage and apply it to same-sex couples and argue that if they are faithful to each other, it is pleasing in God's sight for them to be 'married'. Two women or two men together cannot reflect the mystery of Christ and the church, or fully represent what God intended when He created marriage.

Is this just a secondary issue? More and more I'm thinking it isn't. Because it's only a short step from saying that you think women have equal authority to men, to arguing away all the God-given differences between men and women. Then what you're left with is no biblical picture of what it means to be a man or a woman. And in that context, of course same-sex marriage would be ok. It would function exactly the same as a heterosexual union: two people with no difference in their roles.

It's not a popular teaching, and increasingly it's probably going to become illegal to say things like this. But if you want to honour God first, you have to look at the Bible and try to strip away all the attitudes you've picked up, knowingly or unknowingly, from the world around you. If we come to the Bible with the viewpoint that being equal, as women, to men means that we have to be able to do all the same things as men, then we're not going to like what it says! Or we'll re-interpret, re-translate it so that we don't take it seriously, and in fact twist it to say what we want it to say. I've been really challenged by the True Woman manifesto, a document compiled in 2008 which thousands of Christian women have been signing up to pledge their willingness to listen not to our culture, but to what the Bible says about what it means to be a true, godly woman. There's a lot of key passages referenced in it and it's well worth a look! I want to be characterised by humility and willingness to yield, not so-called female 'diva' power that is all about grabbing what I deserve and claiming my 'rights' as a woman.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Understanding Proverbs

As I've been going through this Old Testament book, I've been thinking about how much it informs the mindset and teaching of Jesus and the writers of the New Testament. Although Proverbs can sometimes be a bit of a challenge to read through chapter-by-chapter, because of it's bitty nature and it is quite repetitive with lots of different strands and trains of thought, when you do look at the book systematically, a really clear worldview emerges. I think this is key to understanding Proverbs today, and not just looking at it as a bunch of random quotes or pieces of advice.

The biblical worldview as shown in Proverbs mainly covers the areas of justice and sin. The principles clearly taught in the Old Testament law find memorable illustration and examples in these short, pithy sayings. Just as a preacher can really stun you by bringing home some biblical truth with a well-chosen picture, Proverbs is perfect for bringing to life biblical principles in action.

Justice
A key theme on my heart at the moment! The writer(s) of Proverbs have a really clear understanding of God as a just God and therefore he has utter confidence that evil will be punished, truth will out, and the righteous will be vindicated. 'He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.' (Prov 2:8) 'It is a joy for the just to do justice, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.' (Prov 21:15) It is a real temptation for God's people to envy those who seem free from moral restraint, who indulge in sinful pleasures and sometimes seemingly without consequences. But many proverbs remind us that there is a price for sin, and it doesn't pay. 'Do not let your heart envy sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day; For surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off.' (Prov 23:17-18)

Sin
Proverbs exposes the very nature of evil and sin as something at the heart of us, not just limited to the actions we commit externally. Proverbs changes the way that we think, because it constantly emphasises that our thoughts make us who we are. People's actions in Proverbs are linked back to their thoughts; and motives are seen as crucial when the Lord looks at us and weighs up our deeds: 'The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts.' (Prov 17:3) The father urges his son 'let your heart keep my commands' and to write mercy and truth 'on the tablet of your heart' (Prov 3:1,3). One of the most famous verses in the book says 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding' (Prov 3:5). The message is clear: if we get our hearts right, then our thoughts and actions will be pleasing to God. God hates 'a heart that devises wicked plans' (Prov 6:18). The many passages about the dangers of a seductive woman warn the hearer to not lust after her beauty in your heart (Prov 6:25), because that will soon lead to physical adultery. The overall message of the book is 'Hear, my son, and be wise; And guide your heart in the way.' (Prov 23:19)

This is not to say that we can somehow achieve our own salvation by changing ourselves and becoming 'good' people. But as believers, part of God's chosen people, washed clean from sin, we do have a divine calling on our lives to be righteous (see 2 Peter 1). The distinction the Psalms so often make between the righteous and the wicked reflects this (see Psalm 1). The descriptions of men like Noah and Job as righteous also indicate that there is a righteousness the people of God can possess through the power of His grace and Spirit.

Proverbs gives us a healthy reminder that our thoughts and actions matter greatly to God; He despises hypocrisy, and He calls for us to live in purity as He is pure. Reading through the book, I've felt challenged to care a lot more about my thought patterns and see that as who I really am, rather than the pretty good Christian I project to the world through being a very 'respectable' person. If I look purely at the person I am around other people, and my actions, then I can kid myself that I'm doing pretty well at living the Christian life. It's when I dig deeper and look at my heart, that I am forced to confront the ugliness of my motives, my pride and my envy of others, that all too often I skilfully mask. Proverbs urges me to get to the root of sin and cut out these evil thoughts and eradicate them from my mind, and only then can I really be the person God wants me to be.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Journey to Justice Part 4: The fabric of exploitation

The more I've read about issues of exploitation such as human trafficking and forced labour, the more I've realised that these issues can't be examined in isolation. The factors which make up the circumstances which drive people into slavery all contribute to the fabric of exploitation which is all around us, every day. The problem of poverty and desperation is not going away. Wars and conflicts create refugees and internally displaced peoples, who become desperate for means of survival, and outside the protection of laws for civilians. The rate of child labour has apparently doubled in Lebanon since the conflict in Syria has created an influx of refugees. The International Labour Organization (ILO) study 'Profits and Poverty: The Economics of Forced Labour', found that forced labour reaps at least $150 billion in annual profits for businesses around the world. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why 'despite decades of increasing global awareness of child labour, and the forced labour of children and adults alike, the world is still so far from stamping it out.' (Kielburger) Kielburger argues that western consumers just don't ask enough questions about where products come from. He argues that the more pressure companies feel from customers, the more attention they will pay to ethical sourcing.

Just a quick search on Google brings up some fairtrade clothing sites and they don't seem overpriced:
http://www.fabandfair.co.uk/
http://www.traidcraftshop.co.uk/c-232-fair-trade-and-organic-clothing.aspx
http://www.peopletree.co.uk/

This site provides links to fairtrade products available at major high street retailers and supermarkets:
http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/products/cotton/stockists.aspx

It's no longer a niche product that's hard to find, but buying fairtrade clothing will probably result in a change of habits - not just popping into town and picking the first thing off the rail. I'm challenged to change!

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Journey to Justice Part 3: a voice for the voiceless

'Speak out on behalf of the voiceless,
and for the rights of all who are vulnerable.
Speak out in order to judge with righteousness
and to defend the needy and the poor.' (Proverbs 31:8-10)

I would love to think that our society is progressive, that our history may be full of primitive blood lust and violence, but that we've become more civilised and just over time.

I don't want to undermine where progress has been made, such as various reform acts passed to protect children in the Victorian era, or Wilberforce's abolition campaign in the C18th.

But the fact is, we create laws to justify the unjustifiable. The Abortion Act made abortion legal if two doctors agree that an abortion would cause less damage to a woman's physical or mental health than continuing with the pregnancy. The majority of abortions carried out are done on the basis of mental health. However, there is no real recognition that abortion actually creates mental health problems, as this truth is rather inconvenient for 'women's rights' and all the other 'pro-choice' arguments (though I would say that many women who have an abortion don't really feel they are making a 'choice' at all, but acting in desperation in difficult circumstances). The increasing number of post-abortion counselling services testifies to two generations of women who have used their 'right' to abort and lived with terrible feelings of loneliness, depression, guilt and shame afterwards. Medical terminology may dismiss an early-stage pregnancy as nothing more than 'tissue', but at 8 weeks' pregnant, your baby is 2cm long, complete with fingers and toes and a heart beating at around 160 beats per minute. I went through a miscarriage where the baby stopped developing at 8 weeks. The loss of this 'tissue' was utterly devastating and I know I am not alone in experiencing that pain. Obviously I didn't choose to miscarry, but does a woman with a crisis pregnancy who makes that decision to abort at 8 weeks really understand how she will feel afterwards?

The unborn child is totally dependent on its mother to protect it, and abortion violates that natural principle, that instinct, of motherly protection.

I know this is a sensitive issue, but I can't stay silent on it.

The sad fact is, that we use laws to supposedly protect and prevent (eg. people arguing that back-street abortions result in much more harm than if abortions can be made legally available) when they are just to make things more convenient. Around 40 women died per year through illegal abortions before the 1967 Act. Since the Act was passed, the number of abortions per year has risen to over 200,000 in the UK. Yes, we've saved those 40 women per year... At the cost of how many unborn lives?

I would apply the same principle to the sex industry. We want to protect prostitutes, and in the UK prostitution is legal, but soliciting and running or owning a brothel are crimes. Many brothels operate through legitimate businesses, licensed as saunas or massage parlours. A recent study found that 40% of prostitutes in the UK are foreigners from Eastern Europe or South East Asia- prime locations for young girls to be trafficked and exploited due to their poverty and corrupt policing. What fuels our appetite for the sex trade? Pornography. And this 'legal' so-called art form or means of sexual expression has so spiralled out of control that suddenly politicians are starting to panic and try to ban certain forms of it. This quote sums it up well for me:
'Pornography... (serves to) normalize and sexualize violence and dominance and portray women as constantly sexually available. It conditions consumers to separate sex from relationships, human connection, intimacy, and proximity (as in, sex isn’t about being near someone, it’s about being isolated and alone.) In essence, it feeds the flesh and starves the soul, bringing about no real fulfilment, only hunger pangs you no longer know how to satisfy.' (Hope for the Voiceless)

We've got to stop tolerating the fabric of exploitation that is woven throughout every area of our society, and it starts with our own personal choices. What kind of consumers are we? And what kind of society have we created through our own desire for increased convenience and less accountability; our passion for our rights, at the expense of the rights of others? I don't find these questions easy, I find them deeply unsettling. There are no simple answers.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Journey to Justice Part 2: Enlarge my heart

There seems to be a tacit agreement that our hearts have a limited capacity to love and care for others. When disasters strike, we watch a few harrowing images and then turn off the news. We think that we've seen enough, that our hearts can't take any more. It would be unreasonable to keep on feeling emotion for all those who are suffering.

But the Bible gives us no get-out clauses for sharing God's heart for justice, and loving others as He loves:

'The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.' (Psalm 145:8-9)

'The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.' (Proverbs 29:7)

“Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.” (Zechariah 7:9-10)

'Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.' (Colossians 3:12)

'This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. For this is the message you heard from the beginning: we should love one another... This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.' (1 John 3:10-18)

There are no limits on God's love; how, then, can we place limits on our own love for others? If we are searching within our own hearts for a selfless, sacrificial love for others, we won't find it. But if we ask God to give us His heart, ours will overflow with grace and compassion.

Yes, there is loads of messed-up stuff in this world. Yes, it seems overwhelming. But we can't hide our heads under the Christian duvet and just wait for Jesus to come back with our fingers in our ears. We have to hear the cry of the poor and needy; we have to respond. We have to love in deeds and action, not just with words and grand sentiment. It's tough. It's so hard to avoid hypocrisy. But if we give up, we've lost sight of God's heart and that's a terrible, scary place to be - even more terrible and scary than facing the truth about the sin and brokenness in our world, and the Saviour who is the only One who can heal it.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Journey to Justice Part 1: Justice at the heart of God

Justice and righteousness are the same concept in the Bible- there isn't the kind of division between public justice and private righteousness that we have in western culture today.

If we want to become holy as God is holy, we have to have a passion for justice. We can't just be focused on our own personal holiness without a wider vision for the poor, needy and the voiceless in our society. Here's just a selection of some key Scriptures that focus on this issue:

The Law of Moses
'Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.' (Exodus 23:6)

'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favouritism to the great, but judge your neighbour fairly.' (Leviticus 19:15)

“Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.” (Deuteronomy 27:19)

Wisdom literature
'Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?' (Job 8:3)

'The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.' (Job 37:23)

'The Lord is known by His acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.' (Psalm 9:16)

'For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.' (Psalm 11:7)

'The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.' (Psalm 33:5)

'Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of your kingdom.' (Psalm 45:6)

'And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.' (Psalm 50:6)

'Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.' (Psalm 89:14)

'I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.' (Psalm 140:12)

'The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.' (Proverbs 29:7)

The Prophets
'Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.' (Isaiah 1:17)

'But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts.' (Isaiah 5:16)

'Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.' (Isaiah 9:7)

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations... A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” (Isaiah 42:1-4)

The Gospels
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." (Matthew 23:23)

"And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:7-8)

New Testament Writings
"For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”(Acts 17:31)

'I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.' (Revelation 19:11)

That God is a God of justice is absolutely foundational to His character and the whole testimony of Scripture. But that doesn't mean His justice is always clear or easy to understand. One thing I'm sure of: as humans we find it easy to cast ourselves as victims. Whenever anything hard happens, we feel it is undeserved. When we encounter sudden loss or grief, we question why God thought it best to take that person away who we loved so much. When we see news reports of war, conflict and disaster, starving children, trafficked women and children, our sense of justice feels outraged and we just can't comprehend how God is just and yet He doesn't intervene to bring all these things to an end... Yet. It's a matter of trusting the Bible's promises, that God is more just than we can imagine or handle. In fact, if His justice was turned on us, there is no way we could stand. (Ps 130:3) The portrayal in the Bible of the coming of God's justice in final judgement are earth shattering and terrifying (eg. Joel 2).

Whenever I'm tempted to think that I care more about justice than God, I remember the cross. The fact is that my concern for justice is all too often self centred and localized. I don't care anywhere near enough about my Christian brothers and sisters in labour camps in North Korea, or refugee families from Syria, or even the poor and needy in my own community. My prayer needs to be: "Lord make me care more about justice", rather than feeling I'm in any position to demand it on my terms.