Sunday, November 28, 2010

Upon This Rock - Matthew 16:18

"And I say unto you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overpower it."

These famous words of Christ have been examined many times, and I am not thinking that I have anything original to say about them. But I do want to state what I believe Jesus is saying here is about the Church.

First, when Christ refers to the 'rock' upon which He is going to build His church, that rock is not primarily or exclusively Peter. The word 'rock' here is feminine, not masculine, and coupled with the use of the term 'this' instead of something personal, our Lord is making it quite clear that the 'rock' is not Peter. Peter did play an important part in the building of the church, but he was not the foundation of the entire Church. The 'rock' is also not a direct reference to Christ, although ultimately Christ is foundation of the church (I Cor. 3:11). Rather, Christ is pointing  to Peter's statement that Jesus is "...the Christ, the Son of the living God" (v. 17). It is this truth that forms the foundation for building the Church, which Christ refers to as His own.

This brings me to the second critical truth about the Church found in this verse. The Church is referred to in the future tense. At this point it had not yet come into existence. Yes, I know that this Greek word basically means "assembly" and was used of Israel in the Old Testament, and other "assembles" in the New Testament. But this is a special assembly. Our Lord says it is "My church". It will be distinct and different from the Old Testament assembly because it is a 'new man' (see Ephesians 2:13-22). Jews and Gentiles will come together on the day of Pentecost to form a new assembly called the Church, the Body of Christ, and Christ Himself declares that He will build it, and the gates of hell (or hades) will not overpower it.

This is the third crucial point about the Church. The Church will never be overcome by the gates of hell. But what does this mean and not mean? It means that either the Church will never die, that is, the power of hell cannot overcome it and kill it. Or it means that the gates of hades cannot contain those that die and fall into it's grasp. Those who are believers in Christ, and thus members of the Church, will certainly someday be resurrected as our Lord was. I prefer the first view, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was the second. Either way, this verse does not teach us that the church will triumph over all evil or bring in the kingdom or accomplish all that we have been given to do by Christ (i.e., Matthew 28:19-20). The Church will grow because Christ said, 'I will build' it. The Church will never die, because Christ said 'the gates of hell will not overpower it'. The Church will accomplish a great deal, spiritually-speaking, because Christ gave men the 'keys of the kingdom of heaven' to do the work of God here on earth (v. 19).

But the Church in a certain sense will ultimately fail. That is why Christ must and will return to finish what the Father decreed in eternity past. Only He can usher in the millennial kingdom. Only He can defeat all the armies of this world. Only He can bring in righteousness and eliminate evil. We as the Church are the visible manifestation of Christ here and now. But only the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Himself can finish what the Father desires. But we will be with Him! Thank you, Lord!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Does God Do Evil? Isaiah 45:7

"The One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these."

There are a few verses in the Old Testament like this one which seem to indicate that God is the author of evil. The word "calamity" here is a Hebrew word that can be, and is translated as "evil" in some versions of Scripture. But this translation is not, in my opinion, correct if it is used in regard to God for these reasons.

In the context of these Old Testament passages, God is talking about bringing judgment upon sinful people and nations. The "evil" being discussed is not evil in the sense of wrong-doing, but righteous judgment on people who deserve everything that God is putting on them. God is the author of righteous judgment on sinners. He is not the author of any type of wrong-doing.

God does allow evil to exist to provide contrast with His goodness and to ultimately make it work out for our good and His glory (see Romans 8:28). God also includes evil in His eternal plan (Ephesians 1:11), so He is never surprised by it nor is it forced on Him. But having said all that, contrary to what some over-zealous pastors and theologians teach, God is never, ever, the author of evil. The whole idea that God has to be the cause of absolutely everything that happens in the universe, or His glory as God is diminished, is logically and biblically mistaken.

God can allow evil to happen without directing causing it. As long as He is ultimately in control of all things, and He is, His glory is not diminished one iota. But the problem with God directly committing even one evil act diminishes His glory considerably and makes Him ultimately untrustworthy. How can we trust a God who directly causes evil? We can't. But fortunately we do not have to.

James 1:13 says that, "...God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone." Whether the temptation is from within Himself or an external source, God's Word states that He cannot be tempted to do evil, and He doesn't tempt anyone else to do evil which means God never causes or even encourages anyone to do evil. It is clear from James 1:14 that when someone commits evil, it is something that originated from within them, not God.

Now I realize that we still have the thorny issue of God allowing certain evil deeds we think He should have stepped in to prevent. The list is long and many people cannot get past this. But this is where faith has to come into play. Either we believe that God is ultimately good and will make all things right in the end, or we reject that by faith in our own judgment and perception of things. That is our choice. Do we trust ourselves as the final arbiter of what is good, or do we trust God as good even though He allows things that are evil or perceived by us to be evil?

Whatever we decide, as Christians, we cannot say that evil is just an illusion, or that God is the author of evil. Both of those concepts are a product of new age, pagan thought, not biblical Christianity.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Are We Commanded to Love Ourselves? Matthew 22:39

I realize that this is an accepted truth in the world, and among many Christians today as well, but I do not believe that the Bible teaches that we should love ourselves.

In Matthew 22:39, Christ says, "you shall love your neighbor as yourself" and a lot of people have understood this as a command for us to love ourselves. But the command, grammatically-speaking, is for us to love others. Even self-love proponents like Bruce Narramore in his book, You're Someone Special, says we "...are wrong in trying to base self-love on this passage" (pp. 21-22). The last part of this sentence is simply an acknowledgment of the human condition. As Paul says in Ephesians 5:29, "no one ever hated his own flesh..."

Sure there are people who say they hate themselves, and even cut and mutilate their flesh to prove it. But the reality is that deep down they really love themselves and these people are distraught about how crummy their lives are. They hurt themselves because they are crying out for help or to find temporary relief from their emotional pain. It appears to be self-hatred, but it is really self-love.

Self love is not the solution to our ills, it is in fact a sin and a root of many of our problems. It is the first of many sins listed by Paul in II Timothy 3:1-4, and it is the source of many emotional and relational issues, not the cure-all.

Now I am not advocating self-hatred or "worm-theology". In Christ we as believers have tremendous value and worth. We are saints (I Corinthians 1:12). We are co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). We are new creations (II Cor. 5:17). We have a whole new wonderful identity with many, many wonderful aspects (see Neil Anderson's book, Victory Over the Darkness for a fuller description of who we are in Christ).

The point is that we as Christians should have a healthy self-respect based on who we are now in Christ (Eph. 2:10), and God doesn't mind us being properly concerned about our well-being, as long as we also have a proper concern for others (see Philippians 2:4). But pride is a sinful preoccupation with ourselves, and pride is clearly to be avoided (James 4:6), because it is thinking too highly of ourselves (Romans 12:3). In short, pride and self-love may not be exactly the same, but they are both sins to be avoided at all costs. They are offensive to God and a danger to ourselves.

The year 1974 was the first time I know of in Christian history that someone suggested that Christians should love themselves. Up until that time self-love was considered narcissism by much of the world and most Christians. All that has turned completely around in the past thirty-five years. Some believers view this as progress, but Paul says it is an indication that we are living in the "difficult times" of the "last days" (I Timothy 3:1). I agree with Paul.

See my book When Counseling is Not Enough, chapter 17, for a complete discussion of self-esteem.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Revenge or Repentance? Romans 12:20

"But if your enemy is hungry, feed him and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head."

Traditionally people have understood this verse in this way. If you do good to your enemy, you will make him feel really bad for being mean to you. But I was very uneasy about this interpretation for years. The immediate context says that we should never "take our own revenge" (v. 19) and this sounds a lot like taking revenge. Be nice so that your enemy will feel terrible like hot coals are on his or her head.

Several years ago a seminary professor explained to me that the ancient Egyptians had an unusual practice. When someone became convinced that he or she had wronged another, that person would put a metal basket on his or her head, and would put burning coals in the basket and walk around for a day with this arrangement to publicly demonstrate he or she was sorry for their actions. In other words, this was a public display of repentance. I know it sounds weird, but it is historically true, and it fits the context much better.

When others hurt us with their words or behavior, as Christians, we are not to plot revenge. But treat them like Jesus would, not to make them feel crummy for being mean to us, but so they will realize they were wrong and repent of their sinfulness. This is the principle that Paul states in the very next verse; "do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

If we as Christians could live consistently by this principle, we would revolutionize our testimony and our world!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Rapture or Reward? Philippians 3:13-14

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

This passage has been one of my favorites for a very long time. It is also very familiar to a lot of Christians. But it is very difficult to interpret. Most believers see these verses referring to Paul's desire to either be resurrected (see v. 11) or his longing to get to heaven (see v. 14). But I believe that there are two other, better interpretive choices.

The first is that Paul is expressing the hope that he will live to participate in the Rapture, that is the "blessed hope" where some believers will not face death, but be caught up to meet the Lord in the air (see I Thessalonians 4:13-18). This is a very good possibility in this passage.

The word "resurrection" in verse eleven is not the usual word that refers to the resurrection. It is literally the "out-resurrection" from the dead. Obviously, this word is referring to something different and unique. The phrase "upward call of God" in verse fourteen is also something that indicates that Paul is referring to something other than the normal route to heaven.

This is why some scholars and theologians have concluded that the "out-resurrection" and the "upward call" are referring to the Rapture. And I believe this is a better choice than the conventional wisdom about this passage. But having said that, I believe that there is even a better understanding.

In the ancient world the term "upward call" was associated with the Olympic games. The upward call occurred when the winner of an Olympic event was called up by the master of the Olympic games to receive his "prize" (see v. 14) for winning that particular event. The winner's name would be announced, then his father's name and finally the name of his country. He would then come up to the master of the games to receive a wreath that was placed on his head as the victor.

I believe that Paul is using this terminology in regard to the Christian hope that when he arrives in heaven, Christ will call his name and give him the reward for successfully completing his earthly race (see I Corinthians 9:24-25).

This fits best with Paul's statement that he has not yet become "perfect", i.e., reached complete maturity in Christ (v. 12). But he strongly expresses the desire to keep striving for the spiritual maturity that Christ has planned for him and for all of us (v. 12).

This would mean that the "out-resurrection" from the dead is a reference to Paul spiritually rising above those who are spiritually dead all around him. This understanding of the "out-resurrection" at first sounds like an interpretive stretch, but all the preceding phrases in verse ten clearly refer to spiritual aspirations. For instance, I don't think that Paul was desiring to be literally crucified like Christ, but he was expressing the hope that he could be spiritually "conformed" to the attitudes and demeanor of our Lord at His death.

So I believe that in Philippians 3:13-14, Paul is stating his strong desire to keep growing to complete maturity as a Christian, so that when he sees Christ, our Lord will call him forward and reward him.

This was Paul's goal and hope, should it not be ours?

Sunday, November 14, 2010

The Kingdom in Us? Luke 17:20-21

I was with a very good friend recently who is well read and spiritually astute. As we were talking, the subject of the kingdom of God came up and he referenced Luke 17:20-21 which says,

Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst." Luke 17:20-21

Based on this passage, he asked me in what sense is the kingdom of God 'within us'. He was incredibly shocked when I told him that Jesus is not saying the kingdom of God is in us in any real or even spiritual sense.

This is just one of a number of mistranslated and misunderstood passages concerning the kingdom of God (see this post or this post for others).  A lot of people mistakenly believe that the kingdom of God is not material, but purely spiritual, or that it is inside true believers. But if one examines the passage carefully, it is clear that this cannot be what Jesus is saying.

Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees about the kingdom. He has already gone on record stating that their righteousness was not sufficient to enter the kingdom of God (see Matthew 5:20). Therefore, Christ cannot be saying that the kingdom was "within" them. What is He saying?

Jesus is explaining that the kingdom of God is not coming with a particular sign or event that people can point to and say "here it is" or "there it is". The kingdom will be ushered in by the King. It begins with the person of Christ, the Messiah. The Pharisees and others should not be looking for a happening, but a person, and that is why Jesus tells them that the "kingdom of God is in your midst" (as translated by the NASV among others).

The point is that Jesus will be bringing in the kingdom of God and He is standing before them, right in their 'midst'. But unfortunately they are completely oblivious to this truth and don't recognize who He is. Therefore they rejected Him as the messiah and lost the opportunity for the kingdom to come in their generation (see v. 25). But the kingdom will come when the Son of Man is revealed "in His day" (v. 24) and like lightning illuminates the entire sky, everyone will see Him and recognize Him when He comes at that time.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

How can someone who is spiritually dead respond to God? Ephesians 2:5

One can yell at a corpse as loud and long as one wants, but there will never be any response. That person is dead. When one is spiritually dead, as we all were at one time, one is totally incapable of responding to God (for more about this see my last post). So how can a person that is spiritually dead respond positively to God and the gospel of Jesus Christ? God gives us the answer in Ephesians 2:5.

"...even when we were dead in our transgressions, [God]made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)...

Paul tells the Ephesians that even though they were spiritually dead, God made them spiritually alive. Those coming from a truly Reformed position see this as a reference to regeneration. Regeneration is the supernatural work of the Spirit by which God makes us completely new spiritually-speaking.  But as stated in my last post, the problem with this perspective is that the Bible consistently teaches that we believe and then we are saved and regenerated. In addition, the word "made us alive together" in this verse does not refer to "regeneration". The term used here in Ephesians 2:5 is not a Greek word that refers to regeneration anywhere in the rest of Scripture. It refers to impartation of spiritual life, but not to complete regeneration.

The King James Version does the best job, in my opinion, of translating the essense of this word, used only here in the New Testament, i.e., God "quickened" us. Like a battery in a car that provides an electrical spark to start the engine. God quickens spiritually dead people so that they are able to respond to the gospel. He gives them enough spiritual life that they can see the truth of the gospel and embrace it. When a person is "quickened" they are able to respond by faith to the gospel and then they are born again and regenerated. Some scholars believe that the quickening is actually the impartation of "faith" as a gift from God (see Ephesians 2:8). That is certainly possible. But however it is accomplished by God and His Spirit, this quickening is absolutely essential for spiritually dead people to adequately respond to God. Without this gracious and merciful initiative of God, none of us would ever be saved. It is as impossible as someone rising from dead physically. Only God can make this happen. All we do is respond. As Paul says in this verse, "by grace you have been saved".