What is God?

Deut. 4:15-19 (ESV)  “Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, 16 beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. 19 And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.”

This passage speaks of God’s address to the people of Israel at Horeb (the area of Sinai where Moses received the Law – Ex. 19:7-9).  Notice God speaks of not having a physical form for God is spirit (John 4:24).  Spirits do not have physical forms.

This could well be one reason God does not want us to produce any images of Him.  After all, how do you produce an image of something which has no physical form?  So if God has no physical form but we give Him one, we have changed what God is.  It’s a little like the argument against God changing His mind:  If God were to change His mind, would He change it for the better or for the worse?  Since He is omnibenevolent (infinitely good), He has “made up His mind” to do what is best.  There can be nothing better.  For the same reason, He cannot choose something worse.  By nature He wants what is best.

The same logic applies here.  Since God is the greatest of all possible beings, making an image of Him would lessen what He is by limiting Him to a physical form or representation.

An Obvious Problem:

Then what do we do with all those who say they saw God: Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Isaiah, Ezekiel, elders of Israel, and of course those who saw Jesus?

In Genesis Chapters 18 and 19, Abraham speaks with a man identified as YHWH: Gen. 18:1-2 (ESV)  And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth

In Genesis 32:24-28 Jacob also saw God in the form of a man: 24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Then, of course, Jesus appeared in the likeness of men (Phil. 2:5-7).  This passage also says Jesus was not always “in the likeness of men” but was originally in the form of God (vs. 6).  The word form in both verses 6 and 7 is the same, morphe, and in the same context, so if Jesus was a man while He walked the earth, then He was also just as assuredly God.

I get from this that God can take the form of man at will just as the two angels did in Luke 24:4 (ESV)  While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.  These two are identified as angels by John: John 20:12 (ESV)  And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.

What Isaiah (6:1-5), Ezekiel (10:20), and Amos (9:1) saw were visions.  They did not see God directly.  Moses saw God’s glory or goodness, but not God Himself (Ex. 33:18-23).

Why is this important?

We can make God into something He’s not if we’re not careful.  He’s not our servant, not our idol, not a photograph on the wall, a cross in our bedroom, nor a limited Being.  There are gods created every day.  Some put make up on their god or shave his face every morning.  These are only gods because people have made them so, but there is only one God by nature:

1 Cor. 8:5-6 (ESV)  For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

God is Worthy

I’ve been reading through the books of Moses lately and was stuck by the detail God requires in the building of the tabernacle and its accessories.  The Menorah, for instance, takes ten verses (243 words) alone to describe.  God has very specific requirements for His house.  He covers every detail He wants, every carving, every curtain, the fabric, the design, everything.  Assignments like these would be difficult to impossible for even the most skilled craftspeople, but God has made arrangements for that issue as well:

Exodus 31:1-11 (ESV)  The Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft.  6 And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, 8 the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, 9 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, 10 and the finely worked garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do.”

So, God has extreme requirements for His Tabernacle, requirements so great He needed to supernaturally gift already talented craftsmen to complete the tasks.

While thinking about this, I began to think “God isn’t showy.  He doesn’t present Himself as a prideful God.  After all, He stepped down from the grandest throne, the throne of heaven, to be born in a stable as a human, wash the feet of men, allow lowly men to torture Him, then carried a cross Himself – the symbol of His greatest humility – to the place where He allowed humans to execute His human form.  On top of that, He calls us fellow workers, friends, and brothers. That is not a prideful God.”

“Why, then, does He feel the need for such splendor in His Tabernacle,” I wondered.  Then it came to me.  It was not pride that required such beauty but worthiness.  God is worthy of such majestic a structure.  As the old saying goes: “It ain’t bragging if you can do it.”  Well, with God, it isn’t bragging if it’s who you are.

There’s a respect that comes with who someone is and/or what they’ve done.  Veterans, for instance, often hear “Thank you for your service” because they are worthy of such a statement.  We stand when a judge enters the courtroom to show due respect for their office.  For the same reasons, God is worthy of the best and finest not because He is prideful, but because He is due such respect and adornment.

Because of God’s character, nature, actions, and relationship with humanity, He is worthy of our worship, trust, and obedience.   But, it isn’t that that makes Him worthy.  He is worthy by His nature alone.  He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, immutable, holy, and omnibenevolent. 

Anselm of Canterbury said God is “That than which nothing greater can be conceived.”  It is understood, then, that if we could imagine anything greater, that would be God.  Such a God is worthy of all He asks.

Why is this important?

It’s difficult to wrap our minds around the concept of God’s nature, What God is rather than Who He is.  I hope this has helped a little, but I’m only human like you.  Certainly I don’t have all the answers or even many of them.  I just know the God we serve is worthy of all we and the hosts of heaven can give Him and then some.

If God had a business card, what more could it say than just “God?”  I think that’s why, when Moses asked His name in Exodus 3:14, God just said “I am that I am.”  What more is there?

The Man and the Birds – A Christmas Story

For recent Christmases, I’ve posted Paul Harvey’s “The Man and the Birds” story because I believe it is one of the best explanations of why God came to earth as a man. It is a wonderful and thoughtful parable of the theology behind the Christmas Story:

The Man and the Birds 
by Paul Harvey

The man to whom I’m going to introduce you was not a scrooge, he was a kind decent, mostly good man. Generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn’t believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas Time. It just didn’t make sense and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn’t swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man.

“I’m truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, “but I’m not going with you to church this Christmas Eve.” He said he’d feel like a hypocrite. That he’d much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound…Then another, and then another. Sort of a thump or a thud…At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They’d been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it.

Quickly he put on a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them…He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms…Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn.

And then, he realized that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me…That I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him.

“If only I could be a bird,” he thought to himself, “and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to safe, warm…to the safe warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see, and hear and understand.”

At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to the bells – Adeste Fidelis – listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas.

And he sank to his knees in the snow.

When Did the Church Begin?

Christmas will be here in less than two weeks, and some of us will be sitting around the table with assorted family and friends who think Christianity is some sort of fairy tale, a fraud perpetrated on simple, illiterate, and naïve followers two thousand years ago.  So, maybe it would be good to brush up on some of the facts to present to these skeptics. 

Did Jesus exist, and did He rise from the dead?  While some are educated well enough to know there was a historical figure named Jesus who walked the earth back around 30 or 40 a.d., some will deny He even existed at all.  Well, Jesus is mentioned by such early historians as these:

Flavius Josephesus (37-100 a.d.) who mentions Jesus as a teacher and even speaks of His brother, James. 

Tacitus (56-120 a.d.) who speaks of Jesus’ execution. 

Pliny the Younger (61-113 a.d.) who confirms the worship of Jesus as a common Christian practice.

These three are especially important since they are non-Christian historians and wrote within the lives of the apostles or their followers and could have been checked and denied if incorrect.

Then there is a near-consensus of well-known and respected modern secular Greek New Testament scholars as well who believe at least seven of  Paul’s letters are genuine.  Here are ten:

  1. Bart D. Ehrman (agnostic / atheist-leaning, Greek textual critic)
  2. Gerd Lüdemann (atheist, German Greek scholar)
  3. Paula Fredriksen (Jewish historian, secular)
  4. E. P. Sanders (secular historical scholar)
  5. James D. G. Dunn (critical scholar; widely used in secular universities)
  6. Maurice Casey (atheist, Aramaic & Greek specialist)
  7. Raymond E. Brown (critical scholar, non-evangelical)
  8. Dale C. Allison Jr. (critical historian)
  9. Martin Hengel (critical historian, Greek philologist)
  10. Larry Hurtado (critical scholar of early Christianity)

.  “Genuine” here means: written in the 1st century, substantially authentic texts (what Paul actually wrote and not medieval forgeries), and—where applicable—authored by the traditionally named author (Paul).  It does not mean inspired, miraculous, or theologically true.  These are the seven books:

  • Romans
  • 1 Corinthians
  • 2 Corinthians
  • Galatians
  • Philippians
  • 1 Thessalonians
  • Philemon

The book of Galatians is of particular importance in that it speaks of Paul going to Jerusalem three years after his conversion to compare notes with Peter for a couple of weeks (Gal. 1:18).  Then Paul began his missionary journeys.  In the same book, Paul tells us he returned 14 years later to compare what he was teaching to make sure it was still consistent with the gospel Jesus had taught (Gal. 2:1-2).  Paul recorded in another of his books, which is considered genuine, exactly what he was teaching during those 14 years:

1 Cor. 15:3-8 (ESV)  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Most historians believe Paul was converted about three years after the crucifixion of Jesus.  Since he waited three years in personal study and preaching before meeting with Peter, that would make his first visit just six years after the crucifixion, not enough time for a legend to develop.  There were too many people still living who were aware of the truth, and the teaching of Peter was being done in the very city where Jesus was crucified.

Consider this: It’s 1969, and you’re in Houston, Texas, and someone comes to you and says he is starting the Church of the Risen John F. Kennedy.  You would laugh him to scorn because the whole idea was silly.  We saw JFK die and buried.  We can go to the tomb and show you he’s still there.  The whole city knows this.

Now, it’s 39 a.d., and you’re in Jerusalem.  One of Jesus’ followers comes to you and says Jesus of Nazareth was crucified.  This isn’t news.  The whole city was aware of this.  But then the man takes you to the empty tomb and introduces you to over 500 men who saw Him risen from the dead many of whom saw Him do miracles while He walked the earth.  Maybe you could even meet Lazarus and his family and listen to their story.  That’s how the church started, but it started even earlier than that (Acts chapter 2).

I’d like to make one more point.  We’ve pretty much settled that Paul met with Peter in Jerusalem only about six years after the crucifixion of Jesus.  Look at Galatians again and what had happened during the six years:

21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.

Within those six years, there were already churches outside of Jerusalem in Judea. 

So, here is some evidence which can be presented to the skeptics at your Christmas dinner – or anywhere, for that matter.  The Church began at Pentecost, and Peter and Paul taught Jesus rose from the dead. God has not left us with a blind faith but with a faith founded on fact.

Remember the Promises

Remember on the Promises

Genesis 15:18-21 (ESV)  On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

Genesis 49:11-12 (ESV)  Then Joseph settled his father [Jacob] and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependents.

Sometimes we look at the riches available in life just as Jacob and His family saw the luxury available in Egypt. Jacob was the father and family of the number two man in all the land.  But he had forgotten the promise God had given to Abraham, his grandfather, that they were given the land of Canaan, not Egypt.

I can see Jacob now, entering the house of Joseph, which was most probably a palace, and settling into Joseph’s favorite recliner, putting his feet up, leaning back with his hands behind his head ready for a cushy retirement.  Jacob had it made.  His son was the second most powerful man in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh, wealthy beyond measure, and life was good.  “God has blessed me,” I’m sure he thought.  But is that what God had promised to the family of Abraham?

Jacob started by doing the right thing. He was providing for his family by buying food from Egypt.  He had sent his boys down to do that, but when the family saw the possibilities of wealth and comfort, they decided to stay.

I’m thinking we are a lot like Jacob.  We sometimes find ourselves in favorable situations and think it’s God’s blessing on our lives.  And maybe we even believe we deserve it.  But what if it’s just a test to see if we will follow what God has promised rather than a path to our own comfort? Maybe it is something that will keep us from what we should be doing.

There are times when we read God incorrectly.  Throughout Scripture, Egypt is used as a type of sin.  It’s seen as a place of bondage (Ex. 20:2), as a return to the old life (Deut. 17:16), and as representing a trust in the world system rather than God (Isa. 31:1).

Jacob and his family fell into the trap like rats who see the cheese but never ask why it’s free.  We see that while Joseph asked for his bones to be returned to the Promised Land, he had Jacob’s body embalmed (Gen. 50:2), an Egyptian practice that took 40 days. The Israelite practice was to bury the dead the day they died. Then Joseph buried him in the land of Canaan.  Joseph was also embalmed (Gen. 50:26).  I believe this shows to what degree Jacob’s family had slid into the practices of the Egyptians, even when only the first generation of Israelites in Egypt was present. 

Their willingness to dwell in Egypt rather than the land God had given them resulted in 400 years of slavery there.

Why is this important?

This is reminiscent of the story of Lot when he separated from Abraham, how he looked longingly at Sodom (Gen. 13:10), then he settled as far as Sodom (Gen. 13:12), then he was dwelling in Sodom (Gen. 14:12) and finally he was sitting at the gate of Sodom – a place of city leadership (Gen. 19:1).

We can so easily be distracted from God’s promises by power, wealth, and position.  We need to step carefully to make sure we aren’t headed in the wrong direction.

Let’s not go back to Egypt just because it looks more attractive.

1 Cor. 10:1-6 (ESV) For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.

The Law Before the Law

Rom. 5:13 (ESV)  for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.

The Bible talks a lot about The Law, and mostly the law it is referring to is the Mosaic Law, but were there laws given before that?  Did God give laws concerning life prior to the laws He gave Moses?  It seems He did.

Let me define a law as opposed to an instruction.  I think a law is a long-term command covering generations.  It must not apply to just one person but to a large group.  So, let’s take a look at some that are suggested.

Gen. 9:5-6 (ESV)  “And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.  “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”

Genesis 9:5-6 is a good start.  It was a law given to Noah after the flood.  Interesting that we are told to kill even an animal that takes the life of a human.  This law is very direct and is a principle of life, not just a guide for Noah to tend the earth.  If you kill someone, you will be killed.  This doesn’t qualify how someone kills another without meaning to, and if that should bring a lesser charge, if a charge at all.  That does come with the introduction of the Mosaic Law, though, with the introduction of Cities of Refuge (Num. 35:6) where a man who kills another can plead his case and be protected if judged innocent.

Gen. 26:4-5 (ESV)  I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

So, laws were given to Abraham.  The Bible doesn’t tell us about how Abraham received those laws, but we do see some consistency with some of the laws of Moses.  For instance, when Abraham fought with the kings in Genesis chapter 14 in order to save Lot, he very much followed the instructions later laid down in the instruction to the Israelites in Deut. 20. 

We see the laws against homosexuality enforced in Genesis chapter 19 with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Some more “progressive” pastors say this was the lack of hospitality, but Jude tells it straight:

Jude 7 (ESV)  just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

Back to Genesis chapter 14, we see Abram tithing to Melchizedek, the priest of the God Most High – verse 18 – as king of Salem, whom some believe was the preincarnate Christ. So, tithing seems to have been understood prior to Moses.

Why is this important?

Some theologians believe Christ’s freeing us from the Law only applies to the Mosaic Law and that laws initiated prior to Moses are still in effect. I’ll leave that up to you to wrestle with.

There are other laws implied before Moses and many which were followed, indicating some of the Mosaic Law was at least understood before the Exodus.  We just don’t have them listed or really mentioned.  Perhaps the principle and promise of Jeremiah 31:33 was active even before the Law:

Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV)  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Even after the Law was given through Moses, there was more work God wanted to do in us.  His promise was to the Israelites and to us.  May God circumcise our hearts.  May this be our prayer today:

Deut. 30:6 (ESV)  And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

The Holiness of God

The Bible says God is holy. Just what exactly does it mean to be holy?  Let’s look at some of the ways God is holy:

  •   He is set apart, distinct, unlike any other.  He is not just better than creation, He is other than creation.  He is absolutely unique:
    Ex. 15:11 (ESV)  “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”

God is above and beyond all created things.

  • He is morally perfect in that He is pure, undefiled, and without sin. 

1 John 1:5 (ESV)   This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

God’s character is unblemished; His moral purity is absolute.

  • God’s essential nature is holy.  It is not just one of His many attributes.  It is the beauty of all His attributes combined:

            Isa. 6:3 (ESV)  And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

In Hebrew, repeating a word three times expresses perfection and infinite intensity.  God is not just holy, He is perfectly and infinitely holy.

  • God is separate from all evil, He is perfectly opposed to sin.

                Habakkuk 1:13a (ESV)  You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong,

God is morally incapable of tolerating or participating in evil.

Now that we’ve looked at how holy God is, let’s look at the holiness connected with the things and people of God.

  •  Objects, people, and places that are set apart for God’s use are called holy

Lev. 20:26 (ESV)  You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.

1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)  But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Holy here means to be set apart for God’s purpose.  We are not perfect, but we should practice moral purity, obedience to God, separation from sin, and devotion to Him.  In short, we need to grow in Christlikeness through the Spirit.  Yes, we never truly can reach this holiness on our own, but only in a life transformed by grace.

  •  Lastly, but certainly not least important, is the holiness of God’s covenant with us:

Heb. 10:10 (ESV)  And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

                We are holy and set apart, sanctified, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ forevermore.

Why is this important?

This is important to us as Christians because we need to better know the God with whom we share a personal relationship.  Just as we can learn more about our spouses, children, friends, and even enemies, to understand them and thus relate to them better, we can know the one true God in a very personal.  This is true with God. 

Understanding His holiness gives us insight into how to worship Him more fully.

Christian Unity

Psalm 133 (ESV) 

Behold, how good and pleasant it is

when brothers dwell in unity!

  2     It is like the precious oil on the head,

running down on the beard,

       on the beard of Aaron,

running down on the collar of his robes!

  3     It is like the dew of Hermon,

which falls on the mountains of Zion!

       For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,

life forevermore.

Christian unity is a blessing both for the Christian and for our Lord.  Verse 2 tells us we are anointed in that unity.  I attend two men’s groups each week: one is a prayer group of maybe 50 men.  The other is a discussion group of about 40.  Each group is obviously anointed by God to bring out truth, mutual concerns, and personal issues needing prayer.  I think we all realize these are the benefits of such groups, but verse 3 tells us that such groups are also pleasing to our God.  They are as refreshing to both him and to us as the dew of Hermon which falls on the mountains of Zion. 

A guest speaker at our church once told us one reason our church is so vibrant and successful is the Men’s Prayer Group that meets on Saturday mornings.  It brings blessings and anointing to the entire church, which otherwise might be missed.

These benefits can also be experienced in worship services, of course, but not as much interaction between individuals takes place.

A historical event came to mind when I was preparing this, so I thought I’d share it.  It is the Forty Soldiers of Christ and took place in a.d. 320.

The Roman Twelfth Legion was stationed near the city of Sebaste in the northern portion of Armenia, which is now modern-day Turkey.  The Roman governor for Armenia, Agricola, ordered all Roman soldiers to sacrifice to the emperor.  There were forty members of the Twelfth Legion who were Christians and refused to perform the sacrifice.  “We belong to Christ, and Him we serve,” they said.

Though their commander tried earnestly to persuade them to relent, they stood firm.  So, the commander put them under guard and sent a messenger to Argicola asking what discipline should be handed out.  The sentenced was to be death.

The commander then had the forty men stripped to the skin and marched out onto a nearby frozen lake to die.  He also erected a shrine where the men could come at any time.  Should they change their minds, they could sacrifice there, and a hot bath was also waiting.  All would be forgiven, and they could return to their ranks.

During the night, the men encouraged each other with Scripture and prayers for strength.  At one point a single man left the group and ran to the shrine to sacrifice, but the extreme temperature change from the freezing cold to the hot bath was too much and killed him.

From the group, it could be heard, “Now there are 39.”  At that moment, the jailer who had kept them in custody while the men awaited sentence, tore off his clothing and ran to join the group still on the ice.  He was heard to shout “No.  There are 40 Christians.”

In the morning, those still living were executed except one, a young man who had been recruited from the village.  His mother was asked if she could nurse him back to health.  She flew into a rage.  “How could I deprive my son the honor of standing before his Savior together with his fallen comrades to receive their crowns.  Let him have the privilege of dying with them.”

Why is this important?

Christians in unity can provide strength and courage to one another.  God will provide the anointing offered in Psalm 133 and loves those who stand for Him both in life and in death.

Matt. 10:32-33 (ESV)  So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Thinking About God

Silhouette of a thoughtful man sitting by the ocean – copyspace

Years ago, I promised to show an adult Sunday School class I taught that there was an unbroken line of reason from “Do I exist?” to “Jesus loves you and died for your sins.”  I’ve always wanted to put that down on paper, and here is my meager attempt:

Do I exist? Philosopher, Rene Descartes, wondered what he knew for sure, so he spent a week in a mountain retreat looking for reasons to doubt all he knew.  By the end of his time there, he was convinced he knew nothing absolutely except that someone was doubting.  In other words, he knew for certain he existed, but nothing more.  We can know we exist, but can absolutely prove nothing else.

How did my existence come about?  Since I know I didn’t create myself, I had to come from somewhere or someone else.  My mind is a very complex thing, so a being with a mind more complicated than mine must have created it.  My mind is also very organized, self-reflective, and personal.  The entity that created it must at least have the same qualities.  What we would be looking for, then, would be a metaphysical being – a being because it would have to think and be self-aware as I am, and metaphysical because it would need to have existed outside the universe.

I perceive the universe around me.  Truth is consistent; falsehoods are inconsistent.  So, since my understanding of the universe tells me it appears to be consistent, it must be very much as I perceive it, rather than my being, say, simply a brain in a vat.  There is a chance I am a brain in a vat, but the probabilities are extremely small.  Since we can safely say there is a being who brought about both me and the universe I perceive, we now have a Creator who is greater than the human and the universe it created. 

A question then arises, “Could it be that the Creator might have communicated with its creation, maybe to let us know more about itself or how to take care of what it created?”  What way could such a being communicate with its creation that would be preserved for centuries upon centuries for all to learn from it?  Written documents would be good, especially if this communication needed to be preserved in the most accurate form, able to be repeated over long periods of time, and in a plethora of cultures.

There are several major organized philosophies centered around belief in metaphysical beings.  We call them religions.  One or more of these could be what we’re looking for.  But how could we weed out those who are mistaken or untrustworthy? 

Astrophysicist, Dr. Hugh Ross, faced this conundrum and sorted through the various writings of the world’s major religions.  He found that only the Bible contained the correct description of the universe around us and saw that as a good test for which of these major religious writings is the one from the Creator.

In this blog over the years, we have looked at reasons to believe the Bible is reliable and accurate: the New Testament, for instance, has the greatest manuscript authority by far of any other ancient writings.  It predicts events yet to happen when written, the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 a.d, for instance.  The entire Bible is a collection of 66 ancient documents written by more than 40 authors over a period of 1500 years. It agrees throughout.  This is powerful evidence that while the Bible was written by men, it is not a man-made book.

The Bible instructs us on how to live, how to treat one another, and what God wants of us.  It also tells us much more about the God who created us and the universe in which we live.  It tells us of His love for us to the point He was willing to humble Himself greatly and join His creation as a man, to die in our place to settle our debt and allow us to spend eternity with Him in holiness.  In short, Jesus loves you and died for your sins.

Why is this  important?

Ours is a reasonable faith.  We, as Christians, rest on logic, reason, and the world around us to come to the conclusions we do.  God has not asked us to believe in some dream or some illusion.  He has given us a faith that is comparable to the universe around us in our perception of reality.

We need not fear reasonable discussion in the marketplace of ideas.  Christianity can stand above the best of them in what we believe and why we believe it.

1 Peter 3:13-15 (NASB)  And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, 15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and  ereverence;

Questions Christians Can’t Answer?


The “Questions Christians Can’t Answer” has appeared on this blog in the past and have rated in the top ten blog posts I’ve done over the years  So I’ve decided to add one today:

Why did God create angels that could defy him?
Freewill is necessary for an individual to express true love.  God is not interested in fake or forced love from sentient beings.  There seems to have been a time with angels had freewill just as humans have always had.  It is the freewill that got Satan and his angels into trouble.  Most theologians see a few passages of Scripture as addressing the pride and self-involvement which caused the angel Lucifer (Satan) to fall. This might give some insight as to why the other angels did. (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:12-17)


Why is there so much divorce in Christian marriages? Since it was put in God’s hands, it should not be harmed.
A study by Shaunti Feldhahn showed about 15-20% of Christian marriages end in divorce.  About 18% of those married and divorced again, so Christian divorce is not the 50% often cited.  Counting divorces rather than the individuals skews the results.  But the divorce rate is still high for a faith that frowns on divorce. 
Part of the issue is the definition of “Christian.”  Studies vary widely in the numbers because the qualifications to be included in the “Christian” category are different with each study.


Still, freewill is the culprit here.  Christians are people.  People marry for the wrong reasons especially today.  Some marry out of desperation, some marry for love alone without looking for shared values, religion, even the definition of what a marriage is, some don’t consider marriage as a lifetime commitment in the first place and easily give up with the going gets rough.  Some do not seek counseling prior to the wedding.

Even if the percentage of Christian divorce were as low as 15%, it is too many.  Christians as well as non-believers, need to understand marriage more and fully commit to a lifetime relationship before the wedding day.  Divorce should not be an option.


If Jesus is God, why did he beg himself at Gethsemane?
Jesus is both God and man.  At Gethsemane He was fully human and facing separation from the Father to whom He prayed (Matt. 27:46) for the first time in all eternity.  Jesus didn’t want that separation, but He had to endure it in order to take upon Himself the sins of the world.


Are wealthy Christians condemned already? Since the Bible says it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle eye than for a rich man to enter heaven.
No, wealthy Christians are not condemned because of their wealth.  If that were true, nearly all Americans would be condemned as we are wealthy compared with much of the rest of the world.  Jesus, in the context of the passage, is saying God can do this, but man cannot do it on his own.  Notice the disciples asked the same question in verse 25:


Matt. 19:23-26 (ESV)  Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

If everything God created is perfect, why must he use heaven to motivate us to believe in him?
Creation was perfect but is no longer.  It is the Fall which brought about evil and decay.  While heaven is a reward and a motivation for some, it is the forgiveness of our sins which is our motivation to believe in Him (Eph. 2:8-9).
Since we have carnal reasoning, why did God say, “Come now and let us reason together?”


God gave us a brain and the ability to reason.  Even fallen man is perfectly able to do a cost/benefit analysis. 


The quote is from Isa. 1:18-20 where God is laying out a logical if/then/else proposition.  “If you obey, then your sins will be forgiven, else they won’t be.”  While God was speaking to the Israelites at the time, the same is true today.


Is God of one mind since the Bible says he has two wills?
If this is referring to Gethsemane again, it is the same answer: Jesus was both man and God.  His will as man was to avoid suffering, but He yielded to the perfect will of the Father.


God is one being existing in three persons, three centers of consciousness, but not three minds.  Since God is perfect and infinite in these three persons, there can be no conflict in thought.


Can our good actions make us live forever?
No. Titus 3:4-5 (ESV)  But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

It is faith in Christ alone that gives us eternal life.


Will infants who die at birth make it to heaven?
Yes.  Deut 1:39 says there is a time when we are children when we do not know good or evil.  We cannot be held responsible for evil if we do not understand it.  Some believe this is what Paul is talking about in Rom. 7:9 (ESV)  I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died.
2 Sam. 12:22-23 tells us babies will go to heaven as David said he would see his dead infant son again.


Isn’t it true that the devil and his works will be destroyed?
No.  The devil will not be destroyed.  He and his bunch will suffer in the lake of fire forever:  “And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”  — Revelation 20:10 (ESV)
His fallen angels will join him there:  Matt. 21:41 (ESV)  “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’”


Why is this important?
We need to have ready answers for those who would challenge our faith with questions they think have no Christian answer.  This blog post is meant to help us do just that.