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what the Bible means and how we know

Theology

The Lord’s Prayer: we say it but what does it mean?

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What does the Lord's prayer mean? | WednesdayintheWord.com

The more I study the Lord’s Prayer, the more I conclude the prayer makes one and only one request: that God would make us completely righteous once and for all.  Why?

Context

In his gospel, Luke presents the Lord’s prayer in the context of the parable of the friend at midnight.  The moral of this parable is not that God will give you what you want, but that God will give you what you need: righteousness.  Additionally, the preceding context is a request for a “rabbi’s prayer.”

Luke 11:1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

In Jesus’ day, rabbis taught their disciples a prayer that encapsulated their main teaching. “As John taught his disciples” is likely a more specific request: Give us a prayer to help us remember your teaching as John gave his disciples such a prayer.  If the disciples are asking for a rabbi’s prayer that embodies Jesus’ main teaching, then we should expect the Lord’s prayer to have one main point.

Our Father who is in heaven

Most likely Jesus spoke this prayer in Aramaic, so the first word is “Abba”, which is the word used to by children to address their earthly fathers.  It was also used to address a respected person of rank.  For example, a student could use it to address a respected teacher.   It affirms both the respect of addressing a superior and a profound personal relationship between the speaker and the one addressed.

The use of Aramaic in a prayer is significant because in Jesus day all public reading of the Scripture was only in Hebrew.  Prayers, especially in public worship, were offered in Hebrew. An Aramaic-speaking Jew in the first century would be accustomed to reciting prayers in Hebrew, not Aramaic.

To give them the prayer in Aramaic implies there is no sacred language by which we must speak to God. In endorsing Aramaic as a language for prayer Jesus opened the door for the New Testament to be written in Greek (not Hebrew) and translated into other languages.  And if there is no sacred-language, then there is no sacred culture and the long term result is we have a global church most of whom have the Bible in their own language.

Let it be hallowed—your name

In the Old Testament, when the verb “to make holy” is used in the passive, God is always the actor. We have a similar passive construction here: “may your name be made holy,” requesting that God to make His name holy. God’s name is holy but we fallen creatures have defiled it through disobedience. This is a request for God to demonstrate His holiness to all the earth, to fill the earth with His glory and vindicate His name, His people and His character.

Let it come—thy kingdom
Let it by done—thy will on earth as it is done in heaven

Essentially this is a request that God would establish His holy and righteous kingdom in our hearts and in our world.  It calls for God’s holiness to come in the form of His kingdom and His will so that His righteous rule would be established on the earth just as it is in heaven. Sin on earth has disrupted His rule and broken His people and this is a petition for God to restore His holiness and remove sin and death.

Give us this day our daily bread.

The word translated “daily” presents a problem because this particular word appears nowhere else in the Greek language.  We discover the meaning of a word by examining how it is used. But if the word appears only once in the entire history of the language, we don’t have any way of knowing its meaning with certainty. Absent other evidence from Greek, we have to look at how early translators translated this word into other languages.

We can generalize the options broadly speaking into two solutions, each with two variations.

OptionBasic MeaningVariationExplanation
1atimetodaygive us today the bread of today; our daily bread, physical bread which sustains our bodies; this is the option that has survived to present day
1btimetomorrowgive us today the bread of tomorrow; the bread that we will eat with the Messiah in a the promised great banquet of all believers at the end of history
2aamountsubsistencethe bread of subsistence, just enough physical bread to stay alive
2bamountthe amount we needenough physical bread to feed us as we need to sustain our bodies

Now what?? We take our best guess. My personal opinion (which is worth nothing) is bread of tomorrow (1b). Here’s what tips the scales for me.

In the 19thcentury, two copies of an ancient Syriac version of the gospels were discovered. This Old Syriac translation is probably one of the oldest and earliest translations from the Greek into any language.  Old Syriac and Aramaic are very closely related languages. Many of the words in one language are identical in the other language. This Syriac in this translation is the closest we’ve got to Aramaic — the language Jesus actually spoke.

A literal translation of the Syriac is “Give us today the bread that doesn’t run out.”  I think “give us today the bread that doesn’t run out” is a probably the metaphorical bread of life; the true bread from heaven that sustains our very soul—God’s holiness and righteousness — not the bread that sustains our bodies.

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors

Forgiveness is an integral part of saving faith. Part of saving faith is that God owes me nothing and I have done nothing that requires Him to forgive me. I am only forgiven because of His grace. It follows from that that I realize everyone else is in the same boat and there is no standard by which I can judge someone else that does not also condemn me. Hence seek forgiveness and I forgive others, longing for the day when God put all wrongs right.

And do not bring us to the time of trial
But rescue us from the evil one.

This last petition is fraught with difficulty as well. Do we have trials or temptations? What does it mean for God to “not lead us into trial?” There are two main ideas: one is causative and the other is permissive.

The causative would be “do not cause us to go into temptation/trials”.    The permissive would be “do not permit us to go into temptation/trials” — as in hold us back, keep our feet from running to the wrong path.

Most scholars make the distinction that God tests us, but He does not tempt us. God tests His people in that He puts them in situations where they must choose to obey Him or not, and their willingness to trust and follow Him is displayed. God tested Abraham when He asked him to sacrifice Isaac. God tested David by giving him the opportunity to kill Saul and seize the throne.  Those are external situations which God puts in a believers’ lives that stretches, tests and reveals the genuineness of their faith.

But the inner desire, the inner pull we feel toward sin in the midst of temptation is the pull of our own sinful natures. We are not innocents entrapped by sins we would not otherwise commit. We are sinful people who left to ourselves would naturally rush into sin. Fleeing from and resisting the temptation is a gift from God.

So the request here is: “God guide us away from evil. We have placed our total trust in your leadership. We would run head long into the path of evil unless you intervene, Guide us because you are our holy hope of avoiding evil.”

Summary

Each petition involves an act of God.   The first three focus on God bringing His holiness to the whole world.

Let it be Holy — Thy name (God makes His own name Holy)
Let it come — Thy Kingdom (God brings in His kingdom)
Let it be done — Thy will, on earth as it is in heaven (God fulfills His will)

The second three focus on God giving His holiness to believers.

Give us this day the bread of tomorrow (God gives the gift of the righteousness)
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (God forgives our sins)
And led us not into temptation but deliver us from evil (God guides away from evil)

All of which adds up to one thing: asking God to make us and our world completely righteous once and for all.

Source: For the best discussion and presentation of this information on the Lord’s Prayer, see Jesus Through Middle Easter Eyes by Kenneth E. Bailey.

See: Wikipedia Epiousios

Series: Parables of Jesus (12 lessons)

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Spiritual Formation: a critical look

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Does Spiritual Formation Work? Answers from Haggai | WednesdayintheWord.com
“Spiritual formation” is a hot topic today. But does it work? The Old Testament prophet Haggai would answer no. Read more…

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Are Spiritual Disciplines shooting at the right target? | WednesdayintheWord.com
The theology of Spiritual Formation sounds great on paper, but it is focused on the wrong target.  Scripture defines spiritual maturity as strong, saving faith, not greater obedience.  Read more…
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Does Spiritual Formation seek the right kind of change? | WednesdayintheWord.com
The Bible teaches that spiritual maturity is an inward reality which is impossible to achieve through self-effort or outward disciplines. Spiritual maturity is strictly a gift which God gives by His grace, on His time table, according to His plan, independent of any practices I practice.  Read more….
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Prayer & Spiritual Formation: how does it work? | WednesdayintheWord.com
The biblical picture of prayer is not that it is a spiritual discipline that I use to reach a higher spiritual level. Rather the biblical picture of prayer is as an unavoidable mandatory battlefield in the war of faith.  Read more…
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Prayer and Spiritual Formation: How does it work?

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Prayer & Spiritual Formation: how does it work? | WednesdayintheWord.com
The theology of Spiritual Formation assumes there is a level a spirituality that I can have if I regularly do certain spiritual practices. Prayer is typically is one of those practices.

Advocates of Spiritual Formation view prayer as a means to an end:   They see prayer as a preparatory discipline to strengthen me for later success, like an athlete lifts weights to be strong enough to run the race.  The goal is not to lift weights; the goal is to finish the race.  Weight-lifting makes me strong enough to finish.  Similarly, prayer –in their view — is not something I do for its own sake.  It is something I practice to prepare for later victory.

Prayer is not a means to an end

Yet, the biblical picture of prayer is not a spiritual discipline that I use to reach a higher spiritual level. Rather prayer is an unavoidable mandatory battlefield in the war of faith.

Prayer forces me to wrestle with the fundamental questions of life. What I pray about reveals how I answer the “big questions” like:

  • What do I think about God?  God has made promises and given warnings. Do I in fact believe Him? Do I want what the gospel promises or am I seeking something else?
  • What do I think about myself? How do I present myself when I come to God in prayer? Do I say, “God have mercy on me, the sinner” or do I say, “thank you I’m not like that other guy”? Do I really grasp the extent of my rebellion to God?
  • What do I think about my neighbor? When my neighbor is causing me grief, how will I pray for her? Will I ask God to throw the book at that brat? Or will I ask for the same forgiveness I have received?
  • What do I ultimately want? In addition to the gospel, I have a whole menu of temptations and empty philosophies in front of me. Which will I ask for in prayer? Do I want what God offers in Jesus Christ or do I want all that other stuff?

Prayer is the battlefield of faith

Prayer is one main areas where I work out my answers those questions. I turn to God in prayer for all things because I feel the pressures of life and I believe God is one I should turn to. I continually turn to Him in prayer because I have recognized He is the only source of Life and blessing and there is no place else to go.

The admonition to “pray without ceasing” is not encouragement to keep asking until I reach a higher level. The admonition to “pray at all times” is to continue choosing to follow Jesus.

Prayer is not a means to an experience. It is the place where I make a decision about who I trust and what I believe. It is the place where I acknowledge who I am, who God is and therefore what I think is true about life and this world.

Biblical prayer is not the means to spiritual awakening; by the time I pray, spiritual awakening has already happened.  By the time I pray, the wrestling over what I believe and who I trust has finished. The resolution is I have turned to the God of my salvation in prayer.

That can’t be scheduled as a discipline, an exercise or a routine.

The Bible does not say: “Pray this way and you’ll make better progress.”  The Bible says: “The fundamental question before you is, do you trust God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ no matter what?”  If you trust Him, then you’ll pray. You won’t be able to help it. Because if you trust Him, you will know He is your only hope.

Previous: Does Spiritual Formation seek the right kind of change?

Series: Spiritual Formation: A Critical Look

Usual Disclaimer:  I am heavily indebted to other thinkers and teachers.  These posts are my attempt to clarify my own thinking, reading and research.  I hope to either learn why I’m wrong or articulate why the theology of spiritual formation is flawed.  I am NOT questioning the sincerity, faith or motivations of advocates of spiritual formation. As with any controversial topic, my goal is: 1)  to know what I believe and why and 2) to understand the other side well enough to know why it fails to persuade.

Photo used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

Does Spiritual Formation seek the right kind of change?

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Does Spiritual Formation seek the right kind of change? |WednesdayintheWord.com

Not only does the theology of spiritual formation aim at the wrong target, spiritual formation seeks the wrong kind of change.

What is spiritual formation?

The theology of spiritual formation assumes I can transform myself from a position of lesser spirituality to a position of greater spirituality through “spiritual disciplines” like fasting, routine prayer, meditation, quiet times, church attendance, service, etc.  While spiritual disciplines focus on success at outward righteous behavior, the Bible teaches that the goal of spiritual maturity is a strong unshakeable faith.

Additionally, biblical spiritual maturity is an inward reality; not an outward reality.  Spiritual disciplines can only change outward reality.

An “outward reality” is something I put on like an actor.  Most spiritual disciplines are outward behaviors (e.g. fasting, routine prayer, meditation, etc) that I practice on the outside with the goal of changing who I am on the inside.

Others are also outward but not obviously so.  For instance, creating emotions of grief through contemplation, music, or readings is an outward reality while genuine grief over my sin is an inward reality.  Making time in my schedule to thank God is an outward reality while genuine gratitude toward God is an inward reality.  That raises two questions:

First, having changed your outward practices, have you done enough?  No, if changing my outward behavior is sufficient, then the Mosaic law would have worked and we would have no need for a savior.  Most people can improve outward behavior with enough time and effort.  That kind of change does not require the Spirit of God and does not change my basic sinful nature.

Second, does outward change produce genuine inward belief and spiritual maturity?

Do outward practices produce genuine inward maturity?

Advocates of Spiritual Formation claim outward change necessarily leads to inward change usually for one of three reasons.

1) One theory is what I call the “gravity” explanation. These folks claim outward practices inevitably produce inward change like gravity inevitably makes objects fall.  So they claim fasting effects my biology to make me more sensitive to hear word of God; routine prayer naturally relieves stress and promotes gratitude; rest and contemplation fit our natural biological rhythms which increase joy and contentment, etc.

2) Others claim spiritual practices work because of supernatural laws, not natural laws like gravity.  Thus, reading the bible and memorizing scripture will make me more godly because God has supernaturally made it so.  One speaker even argued that memorizing Scripture is like water running through a funnel.  The water purifies the funnel as it passes through regardless of whether the water is retained or not; similarly Scripture running through my mind changes me regardless of whether I understand it because reading Scripture is a supernaturally blessed activity.

3) Finally, some claim spiritual practices work through divine blessing, not natural or supernatural laws.  They claim God blesses my spiritual disciplines in response to the fact that I have sought to please him.  Essentially, God said “do this (pray, tithe, fast, meditate, fill in the blank) and I will bless you.”  We act and He blesses in response.

I would argue the Bible teaches that spiritual maturity is an inward reality which is impossible to achieve through self-effort or outward disciplines.

Spiritual maturity is strictly a gift which God gives by His grace, on His timetable, according to His plan, independent of any practices I practice.  If He wishes, He can use my outward practices; or if He wishes, He can work in spite of my practices or lack thereof.  When I grow in spiritual maturity, it is because God has made it happen as a gift of His grace.

Consider Colossians 2

If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations– “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)–according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. – Colossians 2:20-23

The Apostle Paul claims in Colossians 2 that while rules, regulations and practices seem holy and wise, in the end they have no value because they do not and cannot produce inward change.

Some false teaching had crept into the Colossian church which claimed true spirituality was found in rules and asceticism.  Paul urges them to hold fast to the gospel they first believed and not be taken in by other ideas cooked up by men.  The other ideas seem wise and attractive, but they have no value in solving the problem of sin.

Spiritual disciplines dangle the promise of making it possible for me to do what I can not do: make myself acceptable to God.  But practices can never do that.  That misguided promise makes Spiritual Formation attractive and gives it the “appearance of wisdom.” But changing my outward reality cannot change my sinful nature, and my sinful nature is what needs changing.

For more listen to

Romans 7 and

Galatains 3

Next: Prayer and Spiritual Formation: How does it work?

Previous: Is Spiritual Formation shooting at the right target?

Series: Spiritual Formation: A Critical Look

Usual Disclaimer:  I am heavily indebted to other thinkers and teachers.  These posts are my attempt to clarify my own thinking, reading and research.  I hope to either learn why I’m wrong or articulate why the theology of spiritual formation is flawed.  I am NOT questioning the sincerity, faith or motivations of advocates of spiritual formation. As with any controversial topic, my goal is: 1)  to know what I believe and why and 2) to understand the other side well enough to know why it fails to persuade.

 Photo taken by Petadvisor.com and used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

Is Spiritual Formation shooting at the right target?

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Is Spritiual Formation shooting at the right target? |WednesayintheWord.com

The theology of Spiritual Formation sounds great on paper, but it is focused on the wrong target.

Spiritual formation is “an intentional Christian practice with the goal of developing spiritual maturity that leads to Christ-likeness.”  The central claim of “spiritual formation”  is the belief that — in cooperation with the Holy Spirit — I can transform myself from a position of lesser spirituality to a position of greater spirituality through “spiritual disciplines” like bible reading, fasting, confession, meditation, acts of service, sabbath rest, etc.

Progress toward greater spirituality is measured by what can be seen (for example, how well I maintain the routines of sabbath, bible reading, confession;  how loving my actions are toward others; how much I experience greater joy and contentment; how well I serve and sacrifice, etc.) which means success is measured by outward righteous behavior.

But is outward righteous behavior the right target? Certainly, greater obedience is a worthy target.  Given a choice between doing right and doing wrong, I should always strive to do right.  But does Scripture define the goal of spiritual maturity as increased outward righteous actions?

No, Scripture defines spiritual maturity as strong, saving faith, not greater obedience.  By saving faith I mean a strong, irreversible belief in the truth of the gospel and an unshakeable hope in its promises.   While stronger faith may result in more obedience, the goal is mature faith, not perfect obedience.

Jesus says the goal is belief

Consider John 6.  After the feeding of the 5000, a large crowd follows Jesus seeking more miracles.

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”  Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”  Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom He has sent.”  – John 6:26-29

The burning question in John 6:28 is precisely the question of spiritual formation:  “What must we do to be doing the works of God?”  In other words, what must a believer do to be a good Christian?   I believe, what do I do next?

Notice Jesus doesn’t provide a list of spiritual practices or behavior that needs improving.  Rather he says if you want to do the work of God in this life, simply believe.

Paul’s goal is mature faith

Consider the Apostle Paul’s prayers in Ephesians.  Paul’s prayers reveal that what he thinks is most important for his readers and what he beseeches God to give them is strong, mature faith.

In Ephesians 1, after explaining the incredible blessings God has given us in Christ (1:1-14), Paul prays that his readers would fully understand these blessings. Notice the emphasis on wisdom, knowledge and mature belief in the gospel.

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.  And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. – Ephesians 1:15-23

Paul prays that the “eyes of their heart would be enlightened” so that they would know 3 things:  the hope of his calling; the riches of the glory of his inheritance; and the surpassing greatness of his power.  All three phrases point to the same thing: a fully-formed, unshakeable trust in the promises of the gospel.  In other words, mature saving faith.

Paul closes the first section of the book by again praying for spiritual maturity and full understanding of the love of Christ.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith–that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. – Ephesians 3:14-19

It’s interesting that he prays this prayer for folks who are already believers.   Since all believers already have “Christ dwelling in their hearts through faith” — that happens at conversion — why pray for it?  Why indeed, unless the Christian life is a progressive journey toward maturity?  Paul defines maturity in this prayer as fully comprehending the gospel.  In other words, saving faith.

Just a few verses later as he’s describing how the body of Christ works, Paul again claims the goal is faith and knowledge.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ – Ephesians 4:11-13

What are we all suppose to obtain?  Faith and knowledge.  Paul describes spiritual maturity as firmly trusting and believing the promises of the gospel and fully comprehending its implications.

John says the goal is faith

The Apostle John echoes this same idea.

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  — 1 John 5:4-5

Left to ourselves, we would be trapped in our sin.  But there is a way to overcome sin (“to overcome the world”).  The path to change is not through spiritual disciplines; it is through faith in Jesus Christ.  You overcome sin by persevering in the faith and believing in the salvation offered by Jesus Christ. Who is the one who has overcome the world? The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

The goal of spiritual maturity is not greater success at outward righteous behavior.  The goal of spiritual maturity is a strong, unshakeable faith.

Next: Do spiritual disciplines seek the right kind of change?

Previous: Does Spiritual Formation Work? Answers from Haggai

Series: Spiritual Formation: A Critical Look

Usual Disclaimer:  I am heavily indebted to other thinkers and teachers.  These posts are my attempt to clarify my own thinking, reading and research.  I hope to either learn why I’m wrong or articulate why the theology of spiritual formation is flawed.  I am NOT questioning the sincerity, faith or motivations of advocates of spiritual formation. As with any controversial topic, my goal is: 1)  to know what I believe and why and 2) to understand the other side well enough to know why it fails to persuade.

Photo taken by Boots N Paddles and used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

What is worship?

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What is Worship | WednesdayintheWord.com

If you think that worship equals singing,  A Taste of Heaven: Worship in the Light of Eternity by RC Sproul is a must-read book for you.

Dr Sproul unfolds Scripture to discern the principles that should inform our worship. While he doesn’t settle issues — like which music style; how much prayer or what kind of liturgy — he does something better;  He makes a solid case for the eternal biblical principles that should guide the decisions we make about worship in every time, place and culture.

Taste of Heaven: Worship in the Light of Eternity by RC Sproul
Book Review

Dr. Sproul frames the debate with the questions: “If God Himself were to design worship, what would it look like?” He then seeks to discern principles in the patterns of worship God revealed in Scripture that we can apply today.

In that endeavor he does a stellar job, NEITHER rigidly applying literal words NOR leaping off Scripture to reach predetermined conclusions.

Dr. Sproul begins with the observation that Old Testament worship involves praise, prayer and sacrifice — with sacrifice being central.   He then explains the nature of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice on the cross and how it fulfilled everything symbolized in the Old Testament sacrifices and what it means for us to be a “living sacrifice” today.  Along the way he explains a variety of passages and includes great discussions on topics like baptism, the Lord’s supper and the role of beauty.

Dr. Sproul packs a lot of content into only 172 pages.  While I don’t agree with everything, he certainly challenged my thinking — a feature I highly value in a book!  For example, Dr. Sproul argues for “infant baptism” as opposed to “believer’s baptism”.   While I still think “believer’s baptism” the better position, I have a much clearer understanding of the case for infant baptism and the reasons others find it persuasive.

A Taste of Heaven: Worship in the Light of Eternity is one of those books I will keep on my shelf and refer to repeatedly.  I know of no other book on worship that comes close it.

Photo taken by Ashley Campbell Photography and used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

Does Spiritual Formation work? Answers from Haggai

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Does Spiritual Formation work |WednesdayintheWord.com
“Spiritual formation” is a hot topic today.  But does it work?  The Old Testament prophet Haggai would answer no.

Spiritual formation is “an intentional Christian practice with the goal of developing spiritual maturity that leads to Christ-likeness.”  This theology is based on the premise that doing certain practices (typically daily prayer, fasting, solitude, confession and/or meditating on scripture) will make us more like Christ.

While everyone agrees that prayer and bible study are beneficial, does regularly practicing them guarantee spiritual growth?

Haggai would answer no, obedience alone does not guarantee blessing.

The book of Haggai is a series of four prophetic messages from God to the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem after the exile in order to resettle the land and rebuild the temple.  The people became discouraged and stopped working after laying the temple foundation (Ezra 4:24).

In the first message through Haggai, God challenges the remnant to “consider their ways.”  They respond in obedience and resume work on the temple, but quickly become discouraged.

In the second message through Haggai, God responds to their despair, encouraging them to “work for He is with them”.

Then, as the remnant obediently resumes building, God addresses the temptation to believe obedience guarantees blessings.  They are now doing their part of the bargain, so God must do His part, right?  After all when they disobeyed, God brought them drought and famine (Haggai 1:7-11), so now that they are obedient, God must be obligated to shower them with blessings, right?

In other words, we are diligently practicing our spiritual disciplines, so isn’t God obligated to bless us with maturity and growth? Does obedience guarantee growth?

No, God corrects this theology, telling them: grace isn’t fair, grace is free.

On the twenty-fourth of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Haggai the prophet, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, Ask now the priests for a ruling: If a man carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and touches bread with this fold, or cooked food, wine, oil, or any other food, will it become holy?” And the priests answered, “No.” Then Haggai said, “If one who is unclean from a corpse touches any of these, will the latter become unclean?” And the priests answered, “It will become unclean.” Then Haggai said, “‘So is this people. And so is this nation before Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.'” — Haggai 2:10-14

We might phrase that question today, if sinful people practice spiritual disciplines, does it make them holy?

God reminds them that in a battle between clean and dirty, dirty always wins.  If my child has a cold and I kiss him, I will not make him well; he will make me sick.  If my house is clean and I walk in with muddy shoes, my shoes will not be cleaned by the floor, my floor will become dirty.

Disease (not health) is contagious.  Dirt (not cleanliness) spreads. “So it is with this people.”  Building the temple won’t make them holy.  Obedience now does not negate prior disobedience.  Our real problem is not that we are disobedient, our real problem is we are sinful.

After this theology lesson, God reminds them grace isn’t fair (as in: “I did my part; God must do His”);  grace is free (as in: “I don’t deserve it and all the obedience in the world won’t gain it for me because I am sinful”).  If God treated us fairly, we would all be facing judgment.  Instead He gives us what we do not deserve: grace and mercy.

‘But now, do consider from this day onward: before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the LORD, from that time when one came to a grain heap of twenty measures, there would be only ten; and when one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there would be only twenty. ‘I smote you and every work of your hands with blasting wind, mildew and hail; yet you did not come back to Me,’ declares the LORD.  ‘Do consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month; from the day when the temple of the LORD was founded, consider: ‘Is the seed still in the barn? Even including the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree, it has not borne fruit. Yet from this day on I will bless you.'”  — Haggai 2:15-19

God tells the builders, even though they are sinful (2:17), He will bless them anyway (2:19). The change he wants is a change of heart, not perfect spiritual practice. We do not practice spiritual disciplines in order to obtain God’s blessings.  Spiritual disciplines result from God blessing us.  Spiritual practices are not our gift to God; they are part of God’s gift to us.

Haggai teaches us that dirtiness spoils cleanliness and obedience will not wipe out disobedience.  That is true of everyone and everything in this world – except Jesus.  In Jesus, we see the opposite.

As Jesus is hurrying to heal a sick child (Mark 5:21-35), there is a woman in the crowd stricken with a disease that makes her bleed continuously.  Her illness not only made her anemic and sick, it made her an unclean, outcast who was prohibited from taking part in the life of the community.  In desperation, she touches the hem of Jesus’ robe.

What should happen? Dirt should win; disease is contagious.  Yet, in this case, health wins.  She is healed and Jesus tells her that her faith has saved her (Mark 5:34).

The solution to our spiritual disease is not spiritual formation.  The change we really need is a new heart and the “health” of Jesus Christ. Perfect attendance to spiritual practices does not overcome our sinful nature — that requires the grace of God and the blood of Jesus Christ.

Thanks be to God, like the woman who touched the robe of Jesus, we too can be healed because grace is free.

Next: Is Spiritual Formation shooting at the right target?

Series: Spiritual Formation: A Critical Look

Usual Disclaimer:  I am heavily indebted to other thinkers and teachers.  These posts are my attempt to clarify my own thinking, reading and research.  I hope to either learn why I’m wrong or articulate why the theology of spiritual formation is flawed.  I am NOT questioning the sincerity, faith or motivations of advocates of spiritual formation. As with any controversial topic, my goal is: 1)  to know what I believe and why and 2) to understand the other side well enough to know why it fails to persuade.

Photo taken by Bradhoc and used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

The Boy Jesus in the Temple and what that teaches us about Bible Study

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Scripture is almost silent on how Jesus spent his growing years. One of rare glimpses into the “lost years” of Jesus between his birth and the beginning of his public ministry is found in Luke 2:

Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.  And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it,  but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him.  Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.  And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.  When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.”  And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.  And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.  – Luke 2:41-52

Jesus as a 12-year old boy confounds the religious experts by the questions he asked and the answers he gave them.  How could a 12-year old astonish the best theologians of his day? Why was the knowledge of Jesus radically different than everyone else?

He was sinless.

The fall not only made our physical bodies frail and prone to disease, sin also confused and darkened our minds.  Theologians calls this problem the “noetic effect of sin” (from the Greek word for ‘mind’).  Sin impairs our ability to think clearly.

Of course, we still have the capacity for reason and rational understanding.  We can still pursue philosophy, science and wisdom with some success, but in our fallen state we make mistakes in our thinking both small and serious.   The old adage “To err is human” is a constant reminder of our fallen state.

But Jesus’s mind was not clouded by the noetic effect of sin.  His thinking was clear.  His logic impeccable.  His mind, thoughts, presuppositions and understanding were perfectly attuned to God.  Jesus at 12 wasn’t showing off.  He simply was not hampered by the effects of sin, and the result astounded the religious experts of his day.

The noetic effect of sin helps explains why two sincere bible-believing Christians can study the same passage of scripture using the same methodology and reach different conclusions.  We are errant.

While we have the same basic material to work with, and some may study more diligently or have more background and education, all of us remain affected by sin.  All of us make logical errors, jump to unwarranted conclusions and cling to wrong presuppositions.

To improve our Bible study, we must approach the text with humility, starting from the premise that my human understanding is flawed and willing to lay aside any presuppositions challenged by the text.

As Bob Smith wrote in Basics of Bible Interpretation:

Much Bible study is done to verify men’s preconceptions, since all of us bring our personal opinions and biases with us. But honesty demands that we start with a clean page on which God may write his thoughts. If we can use our sanctified imagination to put ourselves in the writer’s place and see things through his eyes, we will open up the windows of our minds to let in the light of God’s truth. If God has really spoken through the pen of the human author, let’s not try to rewrite the script. Proof-texting, i.e., quoting only those biblical texts which are useful to prove our own preconceived opinions and theological biases, is a favorite trick of the cultists and only succeeds in confusing the issue. We don’t want to play that game. On the other hand, it is truly remarkable what we can discover when we let God say what he has said. (- from Basics of Bible Interpretation by Bob Smith, chapter 4)

 

Photo Christ Among the Doctors by Matthias Stomer, Netherlands, 1600-1650 AD

Drawing the Doctrinal Line

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“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.  Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” – Matthew 10:32-34

It’s no secret that Christians disagree with each other.  Every week Christians all of over the world sing songs like “They’ll Know We are Christians by our Love” in separate groups because the groups have too many doctrinal differences to fellowship with each other.  Very few denominations, local churches and ministries can claim they have never faced a power struggle over theology or a division over doctrine.

So, which of our many differences should we worry about? 

After all, one person’s heresy is another person’s minor difference of opinion.

Should we throw people out of the local church for their views on creation?  Or women in positions of church leadership?   Or who can administer communion and how often it should be served?   What about the various forms of worship, music and liturgy, spiritual disciplines or even which movies to watch? Where are we free to disagree?  And where must we draw a line in the sand?

Truth is a highly valuable yet divisive commodity. 

If you are right in your opinion about X and I disagree with you, then I am wrong.  Truth-seekers cannot avoid that kind of division.   Christians do not believe that truth is relative or that it changes with the individual.

Truth is truth and anything else is a lie.  If I disagree with you, at least one of us is wrong.  While none of us can claim perfect understanding and all of us live with some uncertainty, disagreements within the church are inevitable.

What do we do then?  How should I respond when I disagree with the answers another genuine believer gives to questions of faith and practice?  Which issues are so critically important that we should draw a line and on which issues are we free to disagree?

Clearly, we must draw a line sometimes. 

Jesus called the Pharisees white-washed tombs (Matthew 23:27) and drove the money-changers from the temple (John 2:14-16).  The Apostle Paul publicly opposed the Apostle Peter when Peter’s actions compromised the gospel (Galatians 2:11-21).  The Apostle John called teachers who deny Jesus is the Christ liars (1 John 2:22).  In church history, Martin Luther drew a line that led to the Reformation — and many of us are glad he did.

Yet, just as clearly, we must not draw every line.

“Orthodoxy at all costs” can be just as dangerous as “peace at all costs”.  Jesus ate with tax-gatherers and sinners (Matthew 9:10-13).  Paul urged Timothy not to wrangle about words, but handle the truth accurately instead (1 Timothy 2:14-15).  Church history is littered with the debris of dubious battles, that hindsight reveals should never have been fought.

So where do we draw the line?  What is a “do or die,” “make or break” issue for Christians?

In his first letter, the Apostle John gives us two critically important questions — questions so fundamental to faith that we must answer them correctly or our salvation is in doubt; questions so fundamental we must not alter or abandon the answers or we have compromised the message of the gospel.

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.  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. – 1 John 1:4-10

1) The first issue is our view of sin and righteousness.

John claims those of us  who follow Jesus Christ will have a healthy view of our sinfulness (1 John 1:4-2:11).  That is we will understand we are sinful before a holy God, and left to ourselves, we cannot change that fact.  We need a Savior.

Our view of sin is essential because it is one of the marks of saving faith.    Saving faith involves knowing that you are a sinner, grieving over your sinfulness, and longing to be free of your sin.  In church history, when a church begins to abandon the gospel, the first doctrine to go is usually the doctrine of sin.

Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.  No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.  1 John 2:22-23

2) The second issue is our view of Jesus.

Just as we must understand our sinfulness, we must also know the only way to escape our sinfulness is by trusting in the blood of Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins.

Saving faith begins with knowing you are sinful and longing to be righteous, moves to realizing you cannot make yourself righteous, and ends with trusting that — even though God does not owe you anything — He sent his Son Jesus Christ to die in your place on the cross, to pay the penalty for you sin and secure your forgiveness.

Doctrine does not save us, but truth matters.  God communicated His plan of salvation through a message and we need to make sure we get His message right.

To be saved, you must know who Jesus is and what he did for you (Ephesians 2:1-10).

Instead of a line with issues above and below it, a better model is a circle with the cross and sin in the center.  The closer we are to the center of the circle (who is Jesus and what did He do for you), the more we must stand firm and refuse to compromise.  The farther we are from the center of the circle, the more freedom we have to disagree.

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Why I reject Emergent Theology

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Emergent Theology | WednesdayintheWord.com

A young seminary friend of mine is enamored by a theology full of holes.  While claiming this new, improved gospel is “taught everywhere” in Scripture, he offers no specific passage that teaches it.  Meanwhile, he keeps a running list of at least 15 significant conundrums his theory creates and several “problem passages that seem to disprove it.”  He labors under the struggle.

Why believe a theory with such a flimsy foundation?

I prefer to abandon my pet theories when they clash with the teachings of Scripture.  A basic tenet of my Bible study methodology is:  when my understanding differs from what Scripture teaches, my understanding is wrong and Scripture is right, and my understanding must change.  You could even say changing my understanding is the goal.

My friend’s continued striving to make his tenuous theory work puzzled me until I read Rutledge Etheridge series on Emergent Theology (ET). [Part 1: An Unconditionally Conditional Faith; Part 2: Understanding Emergent Theology; Part 3: (Dis)ingenuous]

My ET-influenced friend is bouncing erratically on a theological trampoline.

Etheridge writes:

Rob Bell, perhaps the most famous name associated with ET, gives some illustrative imagery. He thinks of biblical doctrines as springs on a trampoline as opposed to bricks in a wall. Springs are sturdy but flexible; they can be adjusted as necessary, allowing users to jump and to feel the joy of flight. Bell sees such movement as analogous to a healthy relationship to God, a faith not grounded by the dead weight of inflexible, brick like doctrine. Practitioners of “brickianity”, however, are doomed to a frustrating faith, vulnerable to collapse. Their indubitable, inerrant doctrines are stacked upon one another such that if one brick falls, the whole fortress comes crashing down.

Bell writes: “What if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry . . . and archaeologists prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was really just a bit of mythologizing . . . ? What if that spring was seriously questioned? . . . Could a person still love God? Could you still be a Christian? Is the way of Jesus still the best possible way to live? Or, does the whole thing fall apart?” He goes on to write: “I affirm the historic Christian faith, which includes the virgin birth and the Trinity and the inspiration of the Bible and much more . . . But if the whole faith falls apart when we reexamine and rethink one spring, then it wasn’t that strong in the first place, was it?” (Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), p.026.)Rutledge Etheridge

Well, yes, if the whole thing was a lie, then it wasn’t truth.  “The way of Jesus” may still be the “best possible way to live” but if it is proved a lie why should I believe it?

ET does not overtly deny cherished Christian truth. Rather, it denies the certainty with which we may know it. ET is open not only for the reevaluation of truth, but for the reformulation and redefinition of truth. The truth is out there, but as today’s conventional wisdom asks: “Who are we to say that we can know it?”Rutledge Etheridge

Who are we to say that we can know truth?

I am a nobody from nowhere.  If I devise my own theology, you should rightly ignore it. But the apostles are ‘not nobody’.

In Ephesians 1:1, Paul introduces himself  “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.”  An apostle is a one sent out to represent the king in the king’s absence and to do the king’s will.  Paul claims to be an authorized representative of King Jesus in His absence.

Further, Paul emphasizes that he has this authority by the will of God.  He didn’t get elected; he didn’t lobby for the job; he didn’t earn it or study for it; no committee voted him in based on his stellar tenure track.  Rather God called him and gave him the job.

Paul confronts his readers (and us) with the issue of his authority.  He claims to have a been given a unique and special authority by God himself to teach and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He is saying in effect, God told me this is true and He authorized me to tell it to you.

Paul is in a very good position to say this is truth and that is not.

True, many modern scholars reject Paul’s authority.  I myself believe him.  But either way, you have to confront the choice.

Standing in the middle of the road is not an option.  It is not intellectually consistent to say Paul has apostolic authority and I am free to disagree with him whenever I don’t like what he says.

Neither is claiming Scripture cannot be understood with certainty an excuse.  Why would the author and creator of the universe communicate with us in a way that we could never know anything for certain?  In Scripture, God communicates to us through normal human language.  Indeed, why would He communicate to us at all unless He expected us to hear and understand?

The gospel taught by Jesus and faithfully transmitted to us through his apostles is not a spring open to adjustment.  It is a solid cornerstone upon which we can build a sure foundation.

For this is contained in Scripture: “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”  – 1 Peter 2:6

 Photo taken by Anne van de Beek and used here under Flickr Creative Commons.