Endurance that Endures

Endurance is an intriguing enterprise in the life of a Christian.  Endurance is a character trait but it is also an action.  It is something we possess but also something we do.  In the biblical account, endurance is synonymous with perseverance.  Etymologically, they both refer to a state of being steadfast under strain. Simply put, it means staying true when there is intense pressure not to.  In the life of the believer, this means that we will stand up under pressure, particularly spiritual pressure and persecution.

There are several verses for positing the importance of endurance (Heb. 12:1-2; Jam. 1:2-3; 1 Pet. 5:8-9).  Basically, we as Christians are called to endure but endure with intent.  Although we affirm that we are born again, we simultaneously assert that we are continually being renewed and sanctified.  This is the battle that rages between the flesh and the spirit.

But we are called to endure, to persevere.  Perseverance, at its root, requires an obstacle.  It is not perseverance if there is no hindering obstruction to overcome.  When we say that we are enduring or persevering, we are affirming that there is an object that impedes us, something that is crippling or disabling our abilities in one capacity or another.  Endurance requires an object to endure.

Secondly, endurance requires distance/time to take its full effect.  It would be incorrect to call a 100m dash an endurance event.  No, we call marathons endurance events.  Why?  Because in any situation that calls for endurance or perseverance, the passage of distance/time is the measurement for the success or failure to endure.  If If a marathon runner only ran 23 mi. then he/she did not actually endure the marathon.  Endurance requires a passage of time or a traveling of distance.  These can be physical, literal, spiritual, and/or figurative

James 1 says: "let steadfastness have its full effect."  What James is saying and Paul confirms (Rom 5:3-5) is that struggles are often the soil that God chooses to use to grow fruits of divine character within us.  It is the struggle which causes growth.  The struggle itself is not the point; it is our attitude and reaction to the struggle that is of most importance.  Many people shrink when facing struggles.  God calls us to endure struggles.  Moreover, He calls us to rejoice in those struggles.

We rejoice amidst struggle because God is growing us and because God is in us.  It is a beautiful phenomenon.  It is by way of endurance that we achieve what God wills for us.  This is to be our attitude during struggle that require endurance.  We should always strive to look forward to the work that He is doing in us and through in the midst of struggles.  When life pushes us to endure, our straining should be our effort to look to and for God for everything.  When we see obstacles that will hinder us, we should be excited that God is going to be glorified in our endurance.

Remember, He blesses those who endure and persevere in righteousness.  This is not to say that enduring struggles is easy.  On the contrary, the fact that things are difficult is what necessitates endurance.  Only when it is difficult does anything require perseverance to overcome it.  We should strive though to always remain focused on the Lord and His intent in raising us up in righteousness as we are pressed to endure.

Practicing Presence

The Word of God is the Sword of Truth, the offensive weapon with which we fight life’s battle  (Eph.6:10-20).  This is a foundational understanding that should dictate how we handle the Bible.  A basic rule in all matters of effective weapon wielding is practice, determined and disciplined practice.  Using the Sword, that is Holy Scripture is no different.  It should always be pursued with diligence and a heart for growing in the will of the Lord.  If I wanted to be a knight, I would need to be skilled in the art of the sword.  If I wanted to be an archer, I would need to be well-practiced in the art of the bow.  The Word of God is no different.  Practice.

Practice is a learned discipline.  It takes dedicated time to learn the art of practicing.  Practice involves rigorous repetition focused on the singular goal of improvement.  In regards to the Bible, practice means studying the Bible.  But, like any craft, it takes work and help. Reading your Bible is not enough.  You also need to find good Bible teachers with solid doctrine and firmly grounded faith to guide and direct.  Reading the Bible can be a daunting task to say the least.  It was written over the course of some 1500-2000 years, it has some 30+ authors. spread across the ancient world, and took make matters even more difficult it has nearly every generic form of literature.  Not an easy task.  Find a good teacher, or a few.

Practice requires something else too: passion for the craft when you feel no passion for the craft.  Because humanity is so fickle and so emotional, we’re not always going to feel like getting into the Word.  This is the flesh battling for supremacy in our lives.  Instead of giving into our flesh, when we don’t feel like reading, we read.  Perseverance is a good thing but it comes only when there is something for us to endure.  

Therefore, when we do not feel like studying the Bible, we should be glad and joyful that God is growing our perseverance.  This is a beautiful thing.  God uses our flesh as the soil for our spiritual growth.  Perseverance only happens when there is a hindrance; you cannot persevere if there is no struggle to overcome.  This is a very simple way to continually assert who will be the Lord of your life.

Lastly, memorization.  Like a painter needs to memorize the tips of his/her brushes, the chef the ingredients, the musician the music, the Christian needs to memorize the Bible.  This alone can be a frightening endeavor because of the sheer weight of reading a book like the Bible. Luckily, like all of life, there are baby steps.  Simply put, start with easy, fundamental verses that matter.  Then, frankly, memorize it.  This means spending time repeating the verse, writing it down and saying it out loud. Rinse, Lather, Repeat. Remember, this will be a struggle but have hope that it is an important and worthy one.  So, to get this rolling, here is one of my favorite verses and one of the first that I memorized (It took like a week, one verse at a time...):

Eph. 2:8-10:  “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not of your own doing ; it is the gift of God, not by works so that no one may boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Ready to Speak

The Lord is amazing.  He has done so much, for He is God.  He spoke all of creation into existence by the power of His Word (Gen. 1).  This is not a light assertion and yet it is so quickly forgotten when under pressure.  For believers, God is everything.  Jesus is the object of our gaze and of our faith.  When people become believers, God becomes the focus that makes of all of our time and every facet of life.  That being said, for some reason, when believers get in public, around non-believers, they shy away from speaking abou the Lord.   This not right.

Peter says that we should always be prepared to give a defense for why we believe (1 Pet. 3:15).  This is real, we should always be ready to give an account of Christ.  The Lord is the Lord, there is no other and none that is greater than the Lord.  Why would we not want to talk about Him?  He spoke all of creation into existence, this is utterly amazing and should cause fear and trembling at His name.

Moreover, God is holy.  Because of this, He cannot be in the presence of sin.  Adam and Eve as well as all mankind were cast out of His presence because of sin (Gen. 3).  The wages of sin is death.  All sin costs death.  A weighty cost to be paid by every human being.

Fortunately, in God's infinite wisdom and gracious design sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to condescend into human form to take on the sins of all mankind.  Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life.  Because of this, when He suffered a sinners death, He took in His flesh all the iniquity of mankind and thus paid the sin debt to be reckoned to all mankind.  Why would we ever not want to talk about this!?

Additionally, the Holy Spirit lives within every believer for counsel, for comfort, and for guidance among other things. The Holy Spirit lives to radiate and glorify the Son.  When we give testimony to the Lord, the Holy Spirit is activated, aroused by the fragrance of Jesus' name.  Again, this is amazing and awesome: when we want to be in the presence of the Holy Spirit, we are to speak Jesus' name.  Simple.

Yes, it is true that not everyone is a stellar, gifted evangelist.  This is a truth.  However, we are all, everyone of us, called to glorify the Son in word and deed.  Sometimes the deed part is the easier part.  But we need to speak about God.  We need to herald His holy name.  How would anyone learn about the Lord unless we preach it (2 Tim. 1-2)?  Being ready to speak keeps us focused and fixed on Christ, the Holy Lord.

Focus on Forever

Life is fickle.  From day to day, everything changes.  Up and down, the universal constant.  This is as true today as it has been since the Fall.  In science, this is expressed as entropy, or the continual decline and decomposition of everything in all of creation.  Creation is in a constant state of degradation from form to chaos.  Scripture speaks clearly to the principles of entropic declension in creation, speaking most directly to the volatile and capricious nature of humanity.

Peter, in his first epistle, quotes Isaiah in stating, "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass.  The grass withers, and the flower fails, but the word of the Lord endures forever (Isa. 40:6-8; 1 Pet. 1:24-25)".  The principle is clear.  All flesh is as grass, growing fast and strong only to perish like waste upon seasons change.  Man is here today and passes away tomorrow without any hope for relief from the impending end of deterioration and death.

Solomon wrenches the truth of the flesh's vanity to a fevered pitch of nihilism in Ecclesiastes 1:2b, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."  Think of the bleek picture of humanity Solomon paints with the swift strokes of his keenly wise pen.  Vanity.  Life is but vain in all of its endeavors and pursuits.  Understanding the uselessness of life apart from God is principle in any proper understanding of sin, the Fall, and of God Himself.

Before the Fall (Gen. 3), life had purpose and divine intent, full of communion and relationship with the Lord.  Because of the Fall and the sin thereof, man was made unable to be in the presence of God.  Thus we lost are ties to the everlasting and we were relegated to the perishing.  Thus all pursuits of righteousness are worthless in light of the righteousness of God (Isa. 64:6).  As a result, we need Christ.  

We need the cleansing atonement of Christ's grace applied to our lives by faith.  This is where all of the worth of life comes from.  Flesh is perishing, but God is infinite and eternal.  Our focus is to be on the eternal and not on the perishing.  This is a major tenet of the Christian life.  Christ is our tie to the eternal, our only tie.  

Apart from Jesus, there is no intermediary between the decomposition of man and the eternal  character of God.  He is the connecting conduit which transforms the perishing into the eternal.  When we give ourselves to Him, His grace is applied to our lives through faith and we gain access to the eternality of the Heavenly Lord.  This is a beautiful thing.  Oh, that we would always focus on forever, which is only achieved by an ardent faith in Jesus.  Only in Christ and through Him can we who are of flesh know anything of the Spirit, which is eternal.

Divine Gifting

God has divinely created a body of believers that we call the Church, His bride.  The Church is a complex organism made up of diverse peoples with a wide variety of abilities, experiences, and godly giftedness.  Ideally, the Church is made up of microcosmic churches comprised of the same sort of complex organic composition.  When we understand the Church and churches in this way, certain hues began to color the beautiful picture of Christ's bride.

First of all, because we (believers) make up the Church through our churches, commitment and consistency to a particular body is essential.  More than that, because we each are part of the body, whose head is Christ, we should always strive for humility throughout every action, especially within the Church.  

Paramount to this is the fact that no one person has the entirety of God.  Again, no one can have the wholeness of God.  We each have parts, yet when put together, we make up the body of Christ.  This means that we should never lord authority over one another.  Not ever.  On the contrary, those who wish to be overseers and leaders within the Church must humble themselves as servants of all and never lord authority over anyone (Mk. 10:42-45).  We are to look to Christ's example in this regard.  Although being in very nature God, He humbled Himself and suffered the penalty for all man's sin (Phi. 2:1-11).

Part and parcel to this is spiritual gifting and divine placement.  These two things work in concert so that individuals are most effective within their ministry positions.  Everyone has a ministry position, we are all called to the priesthood of believers (1 Pet. 2:5).  Additionally, whatever we do, in word or deed, we are to do utterly for the Lord (Col. 3:17, 23).

Spiritual gifting refers to specific divine-equipping that God has done for every believer.  Every believer.  God has uniquely gifted every believer for a specific role in the body.  The Holy Spirit gifts each and every believer by grace according to the will of God (Rom. 12:4-6; Heb. 2:2-4).  These gifts include but are not limited to: teaching, leading, prophesying, exhortation, healing, wisdom, knowledge, discernment, mercy, generosity (1 Cor. 12:4-11; Rom. 12:4-6).  The gifts aren't the important thing.  What matters is that these gifts are given to us by His grace and for His will, not our pleasure or misuse.

Spiritual gifting is paired with divine placement.  Divine placement is the working of the sovereign hand of God placing us in the perfect situations for our benefit and strategic usefulness.  Essential to this is prayer and patience because we do not always know where we will be most effective.  Some people do, some do not.  If you are of the latter, do not fret but be patient and steadfast in your pursuit of Him during this season of waiting.  Remember, God is preparing you just as He is preparing a specific place for you.  This is how He works.  

It is akin to a chess board.  Every piece on a chess board has a specific purpose paired with a distinct set of skills as well as drawbacks.  A pawn cannot move like a knight, but a knight cannot regain a queen.  There is design and order in this.  In the Church, it points to the need for community between the body.  Think of a tapestry.  If it was just one type of thread and a single color, it would not be very desirable.  Luckily, God weaves us together as distinctly different threads for His purpose and as His Church.  A concert wouldn't be very pleasurable if the band only played one note on one instrument.  Instead, how splendid is the masterful creativity of the Heavenly Composer!  

Again, remember that we are to be a single body of diverse parts woven together by the blood of the lamb for His good pleasure, for His glory, and as His church.  Because of this, we should always be respectful and modest regarding other's gifts.  We cannot know how God is using or planning to use them.  Therefore, we should not ever lord our gifts over others (1 Cor. 12:14-26).  Instead we should always strive to encourage one another to growth in efficacy in whatever function God has called us to.  And remember, God is the one who gifts.  He alone should be who receives all the praise for gifts, calling, and placement.  To God alone be the glory!

Two People, One Flesh

Sex is one of the most intimate and beautiful things in all of creation.  Sex, like anything created, was created by the Lord for a purpose.  And, like anything created, sex used outside of its intended purpose is sin.  Therefore, a proper understanding of the place and the gravity of sex is absolutely necessary.  Our world is so inundated and saturated with every form of sex that a concise definition of the biblical and godly understanding would be helpful.

Sex, as the Bible presents it, is the physical, emotional, and spiritual union of intercourse between husband and wife.  Simply put, every form of sex that lies outside of this precise definition is sexual immorality and sin.  There is no place in the biblical understanding of sex for pornography, adultery, homosexuality, or promiscuity.  Clearly, this is far from politically correct; however, it is biblical.  Again, any form of sex outside of the union of husband and wife is sin.  Why?

Sex was ordained by God as the fundamental communion between men and women in marriage.  The act of intercourse weaves two independent people into one unified being.  Sexual relation ties husband and wife together physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Because of the reality and gravity of the union that intercourse is, it is reserved only for marriage.

Additionally, in the Bible, sexual intimacy and marriage is one of the most used metaphors in explaining how believers are tied to God.  Both the Old and New Testaments are full of language that define the relationship between God and His Church in terms of marriage.  In this regard, intercourse is reserved solely in the context of a monogamous marriage just as spiritual union is reserved solely for the Lord.  There is a distinct an intentional parallel between the union of marriage and the union between Christ and His believers.  Any worship that is not directed towards the Lord is sin just like any sex that is not directed towards our specific spouse is sin.

Married believers should not shy away from the topic of sex.  Instead, believers should be outspoken about the seriousness of sex and that it is reserved only for marriage.  Again, this is not politically correct, but it is right.  When thinking and talking about sex, who are we more afraid of offending, man or God?  If we are more fearful of offending societal sensibilities and whims of political correctness, then we are not serving God and thus are sinning.  Again, sex is of the most beautiful and intimate things in all creation.  If we truly want to serve our Lord, then a proper biblical understanding of sex is essential.  We should never let society determine what we think about the Word.  Instead, the Word should always determine how we deal with society.  This is especially true in regards to sex.

Remember Redemption

Peter, in his second epistle, writes: "Therefore I intend always to remind you of theses qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.  I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.  And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things."

Notice in this brief selection that Peter talks about remembering the truth three times.  This is not by accident but is fully intentional.  Peter is saying that, although we have known the truth, we should not ever fear or shy from remembering it.

Practically speaking, this means we remember Christ, His salvation and place in our lives.  This has special importance for us.  When we forget Christ, who He is and what He has done, we are prone to backsliding.  This is a real threat.  When we are complacent, we are not growing.  This is not to say if we're not under duress then we're not growing.  Rather, we are unable to live according to His will without His Holy Spirit working in us.  This requires an approach of remembrance towards all of life.

Remembering God keeps us from not remembering Him.  This may sound rhetorical, but think about it.  We are commanded to live in the Spirit, to abide in Him, to unceasingly seek after Him; if we are remembering Him, we cannot but live these out.  It is when we are not remembering Him that we get into trouble.

Numerous times in their history, before Israel was judged and forced into exile, the Scripture says that they had forgotten the Lord, that they had forgotten how He brought them out of Israel and had forgotten His law (Jdg. 3:7; Hos. 8:14).  When we forget about God, we do not set our sights on His righteous will and perfect path, we settle for our imperfect, futile paths.  This can only lead to sin and despair.  God wants so much more of us, for us, and from us.

Therefore, we should set it in our minds and upon our hearts to fix our gaze on Jesus, always remembering Him.  Additionally, this is the purpose of the Communion: a regular remembrance of who He is and what He has done for us.  Remembering Him should not feel like a burden but it should be a struggle of joy for we desire to love and serve Him.  And there is nothing more joyous or joyful than to pursue Him.

Live by Faith

Living by faith is such a fundamental statement of the Christian life that it has become little more than a tagline or a bumper sticker assertion.  However, living by faith is so much more.  To walk and live by faith is a basic premise on which the entirety of the Christian life stands.

Living by faith refers to living a life that depends wholly on the promises and sovereignty of God.  It is an attitude of utter reliance on the Lord.  Paramount to this is a belief that God is ultimately true and in control, no matter what.

Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as "the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen".  This faith is based on God, who He is, what He has done, and what He will do.  Faith in God is the foundation that should guide all matters of life.  This is truly the challenge.  Having faith in the sense that it directs our actions in every matter is a daunting task.  Faith is not meant to be solely an intellectual or emotional ascension.  Rather, faith is to be the source cause of every move made.  Our faith is to be carried out by action.

Paul's quintessential example of this kind of actualized faith is the person of Abraham, who, as Paul says, was justified by faith (Rom. 4).  The major point that Paul makes is that the value of Abraham's faith was in its action.  It was how willing and profoundly faithful Abraham was in his actions.  The faith that justified Abraham is the same faith that justifies us, belief.

Belief on its own is a worthless thing.  Only when belief is properly paired with the saving object, God, does it have any worth.  The faith that saves is faith in God, not faith in man or in anything that has been created by God.  Everything created has an end of obsolescence and faith in creation is worthless.  Only faith in God profits anything.

Living by faith is just this, it is believing in the One who is God.  How this plays itself out practically is that it, as an attitude, directs our steps to be inline with He who is the Lord.  The positive assertion is that we live not by flesh but by the Spirit.  This is one of the most basic tenets of Christianity and should never be eschewed.  Living by faith is both the description and the prescription of life as a Christian.  Living by faith is an everyday realignment to the plumb-line of the Word.  It is a constant resetting to God, His will and desires.  This is life by faith.  Other verses for study on this would be 2 Cor. 5:6-7, and Hab. 2:4.

Be Angry and Don't Sin

Life is a seeming continuous onslaught or frustrations and perpetual irritants.  Be it spouses, kids, work, driving, relationships, from the moment we leave our doors in the morning till we lay our heads at night, we are constantly bombarded with stressors that push our emotional buttons.  Scripture speaks directly to how we are to handle stress.

In Ephesians, Paul says plainly, "Be angry and do not sin (Eph. 4:26)".  It is interesting that Paul assumes the future reality of anger in his exhortation to not sin as a result of that anger.  Again, life is full of frustrations.  How we handle those frustrations is a matter of having discipline over ourselves to not react in anger, but in the grace that has been given us by Him who is gracious.

Another, more profound, clarification of anger is by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount when He wrenches up the requirements of the Law.  Jesus says that not only should we not commit murder, we should not harbor anger in our hearts (Matt. 5:21-22).  Again, Jesus presumes anger's possibility while prohibiting its sin effects.  Anger can touch us, we should not let it burn us.

In the Greek, anger or wrath has a fiery sense (orge).  In this sense, anger is a raging inferno that wells up from within.  This sense has some further implications in regards to Scripture.  Proverbs 6:27-28 speaks of lust and adultery in terms of a fire, "Can a man carry a fire next to his chest and his clothes not get burned?  Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?"

Anger should be understood like a burning coal that enters into our hearts and minds by the emotional irritants of the external world.  It is our responsibility to not allow the embers of anger to latch into our hearts and prompt us to sin.  This is the essence of Jesus and Paul's teaching: anger will happen; when it does, do not be consumed by it.

When life brings about anger, do not let that anger push us to sin.  Satan continually presses on us to give into sin.  One of his major tactics is to push us to the edges of rage and wrath.  This is sin.  Once we become Christians, we put away wrath, we put away anger in favor of love and grace found in Christ (Col. 3:8; Eph 4:31).  Therefore, when life causes us to be angry, we have a heavenly advocate to express our frustrations to and still not sin.

Look to Christ.  When angry, remember how easily Jesus could have been angry at the Jews who executed Him, but He wasn't.  Instead Jesus endured to the cross because He understood the truth that all wrath and vengeance belongs to God and is to be dished-out in His proper time.  Be angry and do not sin, simply look to Him.

Ears to Hear

Not everyone may enter into communion with God.  This is a fundamental and thoroughly biblical truth.  However, it can be difficult to stomach that the natural man is utterly unable to choose the things of God.  In fact, the natural, fleshly man is absolutely opposed to God.  It is not for poeticism that Jesus continually concludes His teachings with the phrase, "he who has ears to hear, let him hear".  The implication is that not everyone has ears to hear, and/or that not every one who can hear, does.

The reality is that the unregenerate, unrepentant person is utterly unable to please God and is totally incapable of communion with God (Rom. 8:7-8; 1 Cor. 1:18, 2:14).  The ways of God totally befuddle the wisest of men when the men are not fearing of God and His holiness.  God is totally unimpressed with the any of man's righteousness.  The righteousness of man is worthless to God (Isa. 64:6).

Again, the natural man is opposed to the Spirit of God.  Only through God's divine prompting can anyone choose God.  Because of this, no man has any merit to boast of.  It is in fact God who causes believers to "choose" Him.  Apart from His regeneration of our hearts, minds, etc. we are not able to choose Him.  This makes sense.

If we knew about the God and His holiness, truly realized the greatness of His character and righteousness, then we would not but give ourselves absolutely to Him.  The simple fact that we do not commit ourselves to Him is evidence that we do not know Him.  This phenomenon is seen most clearly in new believers.  Once they are shown who God really is, they only want Him.  There is a zeal for God that is stirred once the nature of God is revealed to man.  This is what is meant by Total Depravity, one of the major tenets of reformational theology, particularly Calvinism.

Total Depravity does not mean that man is so entrenched in sin that we are as bad as we could possibly be.  Rather, Total Depravity states that sin has so permeated every faculty and crevice of man's being that apart from God's supreme prompting and divine election, man is altogether powerless to desire, let alone choose, God.  But thanks be to God for creating in us a heart for His grace and for His will!

This basic theological truth has major implications in many areas of life.  In evangelism, it means that no matter how compelling the gospel is presented, some people will not and can not choose Christ.  Practically speaking, if you can choose God, why wouldn't you?  What a gift for God to allow us to know Him by the power of His grace.

If we have been given a glimpse into the character of God in His holiness and mercy, we should unceasingly pursue Him.  If you have seen a glimpse of Christ, seek it.  And thanks be to God for His divine election that causes any and all regeneration by grace through faith!   Thanks be to Him and Him alone for the gift of salvation and for giving us the opportunity to commune with the Lord!

Powerful Prayer

Holy Writ speaks volumes to the purpose and power of prayer, yet it is still such a misunderstood venture and an underdeveloped ability, even in seemingly mature Christians.  Prayer is active communication between man and God, and vice versa.  Prayer is a platform for comfort, strength, learning, for repentance, for confession, for communication, and ultimately, for growing in communion with God through the Holy Spirit.  

There are people within the body who have been blessed with supernatural praying ability, ability to heal and calm storms, etc.  However, this should not dissuade every believer from pursuing a continual and vibrant prayer life.  Prayer is a discipline and, like any skill, requires practice.  Luckily, Scripture is teeming with illustrations of prayer, both how and why as well as its effects.

Because of the sheer breadth of biblical evidence for the importance and efficacy of prayer, to dissect numerous examples would prove unproductive and beyond the scope of this discussion.  Instead, for the purposes of this dialogue, a look at the Lord's prayer (Matt. 6:5-15) will suffice in explaining the weight and methodology of prayer.

In Matthew, Jesus speaks of prayer as a secret conversation between us and our Heavenly Father.  The stripping of pretense is the first step in efficacious prayer.  Only when we remove every separating wall can we truly converse with the Lord.  Think of Isaiah's call (Isa. 6).  When Isaiah realized he was in God's glorious presence, he cried out, "Woe is Me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!"  Understanding who we are praying to and with can not but overwhelm us and destroy our pretense and pride.  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  God should be overwhelming and our sin should feel heavy in lieu of of His holiness.  If we are standing haughty in pretense before His presence, we are pretending.

Another part of this is that we are relying on God to provide for us.  Jesus says that, although the Father knows what we need before we ask, we are to ask anyway.  In some way asking the Lord releases His provision and blessing upon us.  More than that, we are wholly relying, in mind and speech, on the Lord not only for our physical provision, but for our spiritual provision.  God wants us to ask Him to provide, He delights in providing.

In John 15, after Jesus spends a good deal of time explaining that we are to abide in Him as our true vine by which we grow fruit, He says, "whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you".  This passage, combined with James 5:16, has risen a ludicrous, unfounded gospel.  God does want His people to be filled and rich but full of joy and grace, rich in mercy and compassion.  At this point, a note on potential heresy must be made in reference to the "name it-claim it, prosperity gospel". 

Any teaching that speaks of God's desire for His believers to be financial wealthy is a blatant lie and its teachers are totally false.  This teaching, however well-funded, is an absolute distortion of Scripture.  Above anything, God wants His children to abide solely in His provision, for their confidence to be only in His providence and sovereignty.   Jesus chastises money and its accumulation more than any other worldly evil.  Again, prayer is for communion with Him, not for our convenience or financial betterment.

Prayer is efficacious.  It can bring about the supernatural.  Praying is simple.  It does not require lofty language or long, arduous piety.  All proper prayer asks for is a humble heart seeking after God, His will and His provision.  Every hour and moment of the day should be filled with an attitude of unceasing prayer, that is, an attitude of unceasing communion with God.  Prayer is practicing the presence of the Lord.  Get practicing.

Restoration

The Scripture is replete with passages and language that speaks of God restoring His people (Psa. 23:30, 51:12; Jer. 30:17; Matt. 11; Heb. 4).  In fact, the purpose of the final advent and second coming will be a perfect restoration of His Church.  Fortunately, God intends and desires to restore His children, the remnant of Israel, to their rightful holy inheritance in Christ Jesus all the time.

Restoration, at its root, deals with returning something to its original intended form and ability.  For this to occur one very basic assertion must be made.  Restoration requires that you have been in right standing once before.  The necessary condition for restoration is that you are returning to a previous state.  Therefore, it would be correct to state that rebirth presupposes restoration.

There are many ways that someone is restored, but they can be compressed into the three parts of man: body, mind, and soul.  The Holy Spirit works in any and all of these areas to restore the believer to previous states of being.

In regards to our bodies, we are to be restored not necessarily in perfect health but at least in reasonable health.  This is not to say that we will not ever face pain and suffering because pain and suffering is an essential element in the growth of all Christians.  Rather, we can be restored to usability and our pain may be relieved.  In regards to our minds, we are to be restored to reasonable faculties.  Again, as we age, our bodies and minds do deteriorate, but God can and does restore us to previous versions of ourselves in Him.

Most importantly though, God restores backsliding believers to previous states of grace.  This is essential.  Restoration for the believer must start with confession and repentance; restoration is an outpouring of the reconciliation between us and God.  In this way, God not only revives sullen believers to joy, He also renews their salvation continually.  Restoration should then be a continual cycle of repentance and reconciliation.  Restoration is more than just health and wealth; it is God pouring His grace into us by His Holy Spirit.

Part and parcel to this dialogue is the assertion that God wants to restore us.  He loves to lavish His goodness upon His children (1 John 3:1).  God wants us to pray for restoration.  In some way, our prayer for restoration releases it.  God, knowing what we want and need before we pray, desires for us to pray to Him for restoration (Matt. 6:8).  The Lord is rich in dishing out His blessings upon His children, we just need to ask.  If and when we need to be restored, we need to ask and ask in faith.  When we do, God will restore us.

Fellowship of Faith

No one likes to be alone, especially when times get tough.  It is at these times when we are under pressure that we need Christian fellowship.  Life is full of pressure.  Pressure can come from any of a number of sources: work, relationships, finances, stressful situations, etc.   The most important thing when facing pressure is to maintain the security and assurance of our faith on Jesus.  This kind of steadfast faith requires fellowship, particularly fellowship within the body of Christ.

Fellowship, simply put, refers to doing life together.  There are many biblical stories of the power of fellowship.  In the Old Testament, there is the fellowship between of Moses and Aaron, or Jonathan and David.  In the New Testament, there is the fellowship of Jesus and the disciples, of Peter and Paul, or Paul and Timothy.  These are examples that particularly express the theme of fellowship.  Godly fellowship involves accountability, growth, confession, and challenging each other to growth in the Lord.

Fellowship is a required aspect of life as a Christian (John 13:34-35; Acts 2:42; Heb. 10:25, 13:2; 1 Pet. 4:9).  More than that, it is necessary for logical coherency.  If we are the body of Christ, made up of individual parts that each perform a specific function, then, we need to have fellowship.  An ear cannot be a foot just like a finger cannot be a lung; we need fellowship to actually be a body.

Additionally, we are to be on fire for Christ.  This can be understood more if we think of our lives in Christ akin to the coals of a bonfire.  We are the individual coals.  If you take a single hot ember out of the glow of the fire, not soon after the coal is taken out of the fire will it cease to burn.  Similarly, apart from consistent fellowship, a Christian will inevitably falter without the community of fellowship.

Fellowship pushes believers to work harder to grow in their Christian lives.  It motivates people through accountability and synergy.  Inevitably, this means that drama will come.  Drama is to be expected.  God uses the drama that occurs within the body as a catalyst to growth.  The church is medium that God has chosen to refine His people through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The friction that fellowship brings is the necessary element in the growth of individuals with the body.  It is important to note that the Church is made up of churches.  The churches that make up the Church are full of believers.  Those believers are, hopefully, being sanctified and refined into the fully-redeemed people of God.  The church is the Holy Spirit's sanctifier for His glory and for the good of the Church.  Consistency is key.

This, among many reasons, is why leaving a church over relational issues should be the absolute last resort of action.  If at the first sniff of relational issues, we leave the church for the next one, we are not allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us.  Also, because of this, apart from extenuating circumstances, it is nearly impossible to be a growing Christian apart from regular, consistent fellowship.  In summation, fellowship is not optional, it is required.  Additionally, fellowship is the medium by which God grows His children.  We need to be a people of fellowship in Christ if we are to be a people of faith in Christ.

The Weight of Waiting

Life is full of waiting.  Everyday we encounter moments when we are required to wait.   We hurry through the aisles of the grocery store only to find a line of three people with carts overflowing.  Wait.  We rush to get out of work, going slightly over the speed limit until we get run into stop-and-go traffic.  Wait.  Husband and wife find out they're pregnant and are so excited for the moment when they get to hold their firstborn child.  Wait.  Or more profoundly, our whole life seems to be pointing us to this specific employment opportunity that has recently opened up only to find that it, like the others before it, has been filled by an older, "more experienced" person.  Wait.

It is nearly impossible for us to go throughout a single day of this life without encountering at least one situation when we are required to wait.  But what about when that waiting is for something incredibly important like waiting on the Lord.  Oftentimes in this life, God puts something right before our eyes and asks us plainly to wait.  Evenmore, He equips us and passions us perfectly for certain things only to tell us to wait patiently.

A great Scriptural example would be the story of David.  David was made king, anointed by Samuel long before he was actually able to rule (1 Sam. 16).  Because Saul had already been anointed and set up as the legitimate king of Israel (1 Sam. 10), David had to wait.  Not only that but throughout Saul's reign, Saul continually tried to kill David, forcing David to flee for his life numerous times.  However, David proved his worth during his waiting.  Although Saul vociferously pursued David to kill him, David spared Saul's on two occasions when he had perfect opportunities to kill Saul and sieze his kingdom (1 Sam. 24, 26).  This was faithful and obedient waiting.

The book of Psalms, gives numerous verses that shed light unto the act of waiting (Psa. 27:14, 37:7, 40:1, 130:5).  Most important to this is to recognize the active nature of waiting.  It is not a passive activity.  Rather, waiting is intentional and active obedience.

God puts plans and desires in our path with the intention of giving certain blessings and opportunities into our hands; however, He almost always accompanies these dreams with a period of waiting.  Jesus could have came down to earth just to die on the cross to pay the debt of mankind, but it was the wait and preparation that made His salvific act sure.

Similarly, when we are in a period of waiting, we need to remain obedient and faithful.  We need to understand that it is in those times of waiting that we are being prepared for what is next just as what is next is being prepared for our arrival.  Waiting is active obedience in times of preparation.  When there is something big in our future, more often than not, we are not ready for it right now.  But with a heart intent on the Holy Spirit's refining and an obedient posture during the wait, we will be ready when the time is right.

This is why we wait: to become what we need to be when the time to wait has passed.  Use those times when you have to wait to grow in preparation for what you're waiting for.  Wait, but wait well.  Faithful waiting is essential to achieving all that God has for us.

The Name of God

Everyone has a name.  A name is an indicator, a designation of personhood.  For much of the course of human history, names were more than mere handles chosen by the parents for their phonetic appeal, they were intentional in that the name represented the very character of the person. God has a name too.  His name is representative of His self.  His name is holy, meaning it is wholly set apart and of a different kind altogether.

Throughout Scripture, God's name is holy and, most of all, worthy of all praise.  A cursory examination finds that God's name is holy, to be feared, saving, and worthy of exaltation (Psa. 109, 111, 119; Zec 10:12; Luke 19:38; Acts 4:12; 1 Cor. 6:11, et al).  God's name is distinct and clear.  His name is YHWH, Yahweh, or, in German, Jehovah.  The definitive moment of God's name is the incident between Moses and the burning bush when Moses asks God who He is and God replies, "I AM WHO I AM (Ex. 3:14)."

This scenario is paramount to understanding not only the name of God but also His nature.  God's name  cannot be simply condensed into a single moniker.  Rather, His name is so powerful and holy, that it takes several phrases and terms to encapsulate even a glimpse into His name and nature: Heavenly Father, Savior, Messiah, Lord, Holy Spirit, Wonderful Counselor, etc.  When God tells Moses that He is "I AM", what He is saying is that He exists in and of His self.  He is utterly non-contingent; He requires no thing for Him to be.

God's name has saving power and should be understood as such.  It is His name alone, by it and in it that people are saved from sin (Acts 4:12).  At this point, the name of Jesus must be asserted.  Jesus is a Greek translation of the Hebrew name, Joshua/Yeshua, meaning "Yahweh Saves/Jehovah Saves".  In His very name, Jesus was was indicated as the Messiah.  Also, by namesake, Jesus is tied to a proto-typical savior of the Old Testament, Joshua.

Jesus' name not only indicates His role in the story of redemption, it has weight and power attached to it.  The name of Jesus is powerful because of who Jesus is.  As a result, mankind is saved from sin through His name and His name alone.  Therefore, as Christians we should be loud and clear in declaring His name for the power it possesses!  Oh, Praise the Name of Jesus!

Facing Trials in Stride

Life is tough.  It is full of challenges that arise, some that can shake our foundations to the core.  Sometimes theses challenges and struggles can be so unexpected that they send us into a sort of tailspin and we spend days, weeks, even years reeling from the hit.  These are trials.  Trials are challenges, struggles, tumult, and stressful situations among other things that press on us.  Trials are to be expected in life.  It is all about how we react.

James, in his epistle, gives us clear teaching on how we should respond to the trials we will face (James 1:2-4).  We are to respond to trials with joy.  Again, with joy.  The joy that founds our response to trials is not an earthly joy, it is only a joy in Christ.  The essence of the joy that guides our response to trials is our knowledge of the purpose of trials: growth.

When someone wants to build muscle they exercise.  The striving body builder may go to the gym or run around the neighborhood.  What defines a good workout though is the measure of resistance that the athlete endures.  The resistance of the weight bar, or the distance traveled, the very struggle is what propels the muscles to grow.  In fact, it is the tension of the muscles overtime and with varying degrees of challenge that causes the muscles to grow.  Trials in life are very much like this.  Understanding this truth creates a right attitude for growth.

It is the trials that propel us to growth, specifically spiritual growth.  Romans 5:1-5 also sheds light into the importance of this attitude.  Paul says that we "rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope."  There is intent for growth in struggle.  Struggles serve purposes in our lives, they are the highway by which God delivers character and wisdom to His children.

The struggles could be financial, emotional, mental, spiritual, relational, or any number of other struggles that people face.  Whatever the struggle may be, we are to face that strife with a bent towards the purpose of growth.  The essential focus of any and all of our struggles is to be the will of God.  The weight of life that our life muscles resist against causes us to grow.  Strife and trials prompt and motivate us to greater levels of devotion.

This is the ultimate purpose of every trial that we face.  If, upon assessment, we ever find that how we are responding to a trial is not causing greater devotion and reliance on God, we need to check ourselves.  Trials are meant to drive us to Him.  When our response to trials causes us to be distanced from Him, then we are failing the trials we face.  At that point, we need to repent and realign.  Again and remember, trials are for our growth and for our benefit.  We need to remember this truth amidst the struggles of life.  Our attitude must be on Christ and God's will at all times, especially when facing trials.

Eyes Fixed on Jesus

Goals.  Throughout our lives, we are constantly setting, adjusting, and refocusing our goals.  The matter at hand is the focus of trajectory.  We are always in a battle to keep our attention fixed on our goals in order to achieve them.  When we are distracted from that singular intent, we sway and struggle until our gaze is again focused and realigned.  Our lives as Christians goes through this same labor of purposed refocusing on the object of our faith who is Christ.

An example that describes this is the story of Jesus walking on water (Matt. 14:22-33).  In it, we have Jesus walking on the wave beaten water towards the disciples' boat.  The disciples, gripped in fear, do not know who it could be walking atop the wake when Jesus calls out for them not to be afraid for it is He.  Excited, Peter cries out for proof that it truly is Jesus by asking to be called out onto the water; Jesus aquiesces.  Peter fixes his gaze on Christ and, for a time, walks on the water.  However, Peter's focus soon wavers due to the distraction of reality and he sinks.  Jesus then comes to Peter's aid and admonishes him: "O you of little faith.  Why did you doubt?"

The particulars of this story paint a masterful picture of the necessary object of our faith's focus as well the required intensity.  Peter was scared just like the other disciples but he had the courage to step out of the boat.  The only reason that Peter briefly walked upon the water was because his focus was singular and specific.  His focus was on Jesus alone.

The focus is not the point, it is the object of that focus which kept Peter dry.  Peter's focus waned away from Christ and was refocused on the waves, the water, and the realization that he was walking on water.  In this way, the peripheries of what God had blessed Peter to do had in fact distracted Peter from what God had blessed him to do.  He sank.

Like Peter, it is not the intensity or the degree of our passion or our focus that saves us; it is the object of our faith.  When Christ is the singular object of our faith and our focus, we will walk on water.  When our focus wanes from that point, we will sink.  This is the reason for daily, if not in every moment, assessing and realigning our cynosure onto the fixed focal point of Christ.

Amos talks about God's perfect plumb line that aligns all things in righteousness and holiness (Amo. 7:7-9).  Christ is that eternal plumb line incarnate to keep us true.  Aligning to that perfect plumb line takes a fixed gaze so that we can be aware of when we are missing the point.  In musical study, students use a metronome to keep time.  The metronome offers a consistent, unchanging tempo that ensures proper timing, etc.  It is the metronome that exposes the practicing student's tempo flaws but it is also the metronome that challenges and prompts the musician to grow.  Christ and His Word act like a metronome, exposing the flaws but propelling us to growth.  We need to keep it in front of us at all times.

If our gaze is not fixed on Jesus, we will be totally unaware of how soaked we are as we wade through the waters of this life.  Only when we stay true to our Savior can we acknowledge our sin in light of His cleansing.  Also, the singular gaze ensures that we will press forward towards Him in reverence and love.  Paul says that we should run the race, looking to Christ as the founder and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:1-2).  It is the object that saves, but we need to be determined to fix our eyes on that object, who is Christ.

Goodness of Grace

God's grace is the most important thing in all of creation.  Grace refers to how a good, perfect, and just God stepped down into creation through His Son, Jesus, and applied mercy upon an undeserving humanity.  Jesus' sinless, perfect life and atoning death paid the price for the sin of all mankind.  It was the single most important act that has ever occurred.

Before Christ's death and resurrection, every single human being was and would be found guilty of sin and iniquity before the judgment seat in God's holy court.  After Christ's perfect propitiation, believers are now granted mercy that covers all of their sins.  This is grace: it is the application of God's mercy.  Grace is Christ's atonement and justification through expiation and propitiation of sin applied personally to humans.  Mercy, the root of grace, is an undeserved gift given without expectation or requirement of payment.  God's grace, His mercy, is the single basis for our faith in Christ.  Without the grace of God through the work of Christ, we would have no leg to stand on before a righteous and just God.

Ephesians 2:8-10 offers the definitive statement in regards to the primacy of God's grace in the act of salvation: "For by grace you have been saved by faith.  And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no man can boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

It is God's grace alone by which our justification before the Holy Judge is found.  The defense of our faith has nothing to do with the degree of our convictions just as the power and truth of our belief is utterly worthless apart from the grace of God offered freely through belief in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Additionally, there is a distinct connection between the grace apportioned by God and the good works that we are to do. God does will us to do things.  However, we cannot do those things to receive or earn more grace (anyone who says so is teaching heresy).  God did not and does not give us grace once we've earned it.  By no means!  Conversely, while we were sinners, He saved us by grace (Rom. 5:8), and it is through faith that we receive the awesomeness of that gift.  Instead, we do good works as an outpouring of the grace God has given us through His Son as service and praise to Him.

This is a beautiful thing.  It means that any and all of the good deeds that we do in His name can draw no attention to ourselves because they are meant only to point directly to Him who has designed, caused, and equipped us to do the work.  In this way, God is served and glorified in His children.  Therefore, there is no place whatsoever for pride in the Church because anything we have or do that is worth boasting of is only by and in the grace of God.  God alone is deserving of praise in all things. Thanks be to God for His grace that He pours so lavishly upon us through faith!

First Commandment Love

When pressed for the greatest commandment, Jesus declares, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind," quoting Deut. 6:5.  Jesus then adds, "This is the great and first commandment and the second is just like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself, on these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets (Matt. 22:37-39).  These seem like simple and attainable requirements of mankind by a holy, righteous God.  What's the problem?  The issues in fulfilling these rudimentary commandments are twofold.

First of all, the first commandment has an entirely vertical focus: God is to be the object of love first.  Our best, finest, and most sacrificial love is to be His first.  This is critical.  Our love is an offering of praise and adoration of who He is and what He has done. It is a reverent state of awe at Him.  It is a quiet, active waiting for Him to speak for us to move and then we act obedient to His will for us.  God first love equals the truest worship.

Strangely enough, the challenge to this uncomplicated, first-fruit offering of love to God is actually the second commandment.  Some people are so engaged in social causes, political agendas, cultural dilemmas, endless committees, and volunteer duties that they are actually distracted from loving God.  Obviously, these passions and pursuits are not evil in and of themselves; however, when they sidetrack the believer from giving their first-fruits to God, they can act as idols that lead astray.  

At this point, distinguishing between God and neighbor may be useful. There should be a primary and secondary distinction for loving God to be understood within the first commandment and it implicitly refers to the body of Christ, i.e. believers.  Loving God proper, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit would be first tier, first commandment love and deserves primacy in worship, love, and offering.  Loving God's body of believers, people who have confessed belief in Christ as the true Son of God and sin's only salvation, would be second tier, first commandment love.  This means that we are to love God first, His body second, and our neighbors third.  

As we who are believers are adopted into sons and daughters of God through our Lord Jesus, then, essentially, we all live in God's house.  Therefore, anyone described as a neighbor, practically speaking, lives outside of the house of God, i.e. non-believers.  Again, this should not diminish our love for the body of Christ (believers: members of God's family through Christ) or for our neighbors (nonbelievers: people who are not part of God's family).  Rather, our locus of love should always be love for God, and love focused on any one who is not God is informed and infused by that God-first love.  This should also press a sense of urgency into us to love everyone more because we are doing it as an act of obedience, worship, and love to God.

The other challenge to the first commandment is the degree of love that it asks of us: with all your heart, soul, and mind. All of it.  This is no easy charge and requires the Holy Spirit.  Only in and by the Holy Spirit's work are we capable of ever fulfilling the first commandment in the way God desires and requires.  'All of us' means that we decide to give it to Him and we act on that decision.  The reality is that God has given each of us all of the love we possess.  Therefore, when we determine to give it back to Him, more than anything, we are acknowledging Him in thankfulness and reverence.  It is true worship.  

Love can show itself as many different things, prayer, service, etc.  However, the overwhelming purpose of any action should be to love, to honor, and to praise God.  This is the challenge of the first and greatest commandment.  Luckily, the difficulty is not meant to weigh us down with guilt at our inability to fulfill it to its fullest; rather, the difficulty inherent to the commandment is meant to spur us on to greater levels of devotion as we pursue Him, to eagerly seek after Him.

Wrath of God

The purpose of the Bible was for God to reveal His nature, particularly how He relates to mankind. The major theme of that relationship between man and God is the problem of sin. Sin creates a chasm, a great divide that, because of God's perfect, holy nature, separates man from God. Sin is the action and the stain created when man does anything abhorrent and contrary to God. An example would be when God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they did and it was a sin. Furthermore, God gave the ten commandments for the purpose of relating to humanity by His perfect moral imperatives.  

God designated His commandments as the scale with which to weigh the actions and hearts of man. When man fails to act in accordance with God's holy requirements, God's wrath is poured out on him. The wrath is a specific term that deals with the meting out of God's perfect justice. Wrath referes to God's righteous anger against the wicked for their iniquity. God's justice requires that for every iniquity, sin, and wickedness, wrath is stored up for the day of judgment (Rom. 2:5; 2 Pet. 3:7).

The wrath of God is the cup of judgment that is filled with every iniquity. For believers, Jesus drank their cup of wrath (Matt. 26:42; John 18:11; Psa. 75:8). For unbelievers, the cup of wrath still stands full, awaiting the day of final judgment. Oftentimes, God's wrath is diminished because of the fallacy that states that for God to be all-good, he must be all-loving. The Scriptural reality is that God loves His children.  

The Bible clearly distinguishes between children of God and children of wrath (Eph. 2:3). Jesus even determines that those who are not with Him (abiding in and by His teaching) are not children of God but are in fact children of Satan (John 8:44). God's love is furthered by His wrath. There is an urgency to falling prostrate in repentance before the Lord.

It is important to state clearly that God hates sin. He definitively and justly hates sin. Because of sin and the wicked that continue haughtily in their sin, God's wrath will be poured out and the wicked shall be smitten in righteous, furious judgment (Psa. 5:5-6; Psa. 11:5; Hos. 9:15). The urgency is clear; God's wrath is only abated when we give ourselves wholly to Jesus in repentance. Unless we give ourselves to God, judgment and wrath will be our fate (John 3:36).  

Once we clearly see that there are only two choices: wrath or mercy, it is clear that there is only one desirable choice. Jesus calls anyone, no matter how abased or desolate, to come to Him and find peace, love, and mercy. The choice is clear.

God's Conditional Love

It can be easily and biblically asserted that God's love is unfailing, boundless, and perfect.  A much harder assertion to make and support would be that God's love is unconditional.  No single place in all of Scripture does it state that God's love is unconditional.  On the contrary, the biblical account of God's steadfast love speaks thoroughly and consistently about the conditional nature of God's love.

This can be a challenging teaching if we assume that the conditionality of God's love is based on ephemeral whims or arbitrary desires and not on the His perfect moral imperatives.  Instead of thinking of God's love as unconditional, a more accurate understanding of God's love would be in terms of covenant blessings and curses.

Throughout history, God has related to mankind through covenants.  A covenant, in theological locutions, is a contract between God and man that obligates both parties to each other under specific terms.  Under a covenant there are blessings and curses brought about by God upon man based solely on man's adherence to covenant obligations.  God's love should be understood in this covenantal way.  

There are many covenants in the story of redemption: Abraham (Gen. 17:1-14), Moses (Exo. 19:1-9), David (2 Sam. 7), and Solomon (1 Kgs. 3), to name the major ones.  In each of these covenants, God makes conditional promises of prosperity and provision based proportionally on covenant obedience.  Adversely, each covenant has curses that are served in proportion to covenant infidelity.  In this way, God's love is conditional based on fidelity to His covenant requirements.

Evidence of the conditionality of God's blessing and love can be found throughout Scripture (e.g. Psa. 103:17; 1 John 4:12; Jer. 18:5-18).  Along with this, through Christ we are under a new covenant.  Therefore, the conditionality of covenants should inform our understanding of the nature of God's love in Christ.

Jesus speaks directly to the conditionality of God's love based on fidelity to the one, true God in John, ch. 8 and 15.  Unapologetically and unequivocally, Jesus says "if you abide," and "if you keep my commandments," then you will be given the blessings of and from God.  There is a conditionality to the love of God, an if-then connotation.   

Based then on the revelation of Scripture it would not be accurate to say that God's love is unconditional.  Rather, God's love is rightly and justly conditional, based solely on covenant fidelity.  Because of this, we, as believers, should not ever be complacent in assuming the blessings of God.  Instead we should always be cognizant of the level and degree of our faithfulness to God.  Like Jesus said, if we abide in Him, then we shall receive the blessings He has for us.  This is the condition that God's love requires: obedience to Christ and to His word.  Only when we are obedient to Christ's decrees can we truly relish in the warmth of His engulfing love.

Necessity of Sound Doctrine

In our world of relativism, orthodox doctrines are constantly being eschewed in favor of more trend-friendly, relational teachings that emphasize practical application over theological weight.  Part and parcel to this is trimming the gospel account and the teachings of Jesus to make it all more palatable and politically correct to an ever secularizing world.  Famously, deist and founding father Thomas Jefferson went so far as to cut out every miraculous and supernatural occurrence within the Bible and published his own, more "realistic" version.

A much more common practice is to simply state that because the teachings of the Bible are set firmly in a specific historical context, then they should be only applied within the culture, society, or context that the teaching was written in and about.  Most notably to this are the teachings of complementarian over egalitarian views of marriage, the sexual sins (promiscuity, homosexuality, and polygamy), as well as the entire concept of being reborn which is to cause dramatic changes to lifestyle.  The purpose of this conversation is not to point out or address any specific doctrinal error per se, but to assert the need for an understanding of the importance of sound doctrine.  One doctrine that should be solid and unchanging is the doctrine of Christ.

The most important doctrine to any believer is a doctrine of Christ.  This seems like a fundamental teaching as it is the basis for our faith in Christ.  Simply put, every human being is born into sin and is a sinner.  Because of this sinful nature, he/she is wholly unable to please God let alone enter into His holy presence.  The wage or cost of sin is death.  The death that sin costs was temporally paid for by sacrifice and offering, but it was not enough; the blood of goats and lambs cannot atone for the sins of a man.  Because of this reality, that man is utterly unable to fulfill his sin debt, God had to step in so that the requirements of His perfect justice would be met.  Enter Jesus.

Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life so that when He died a sinners death, He atoned for the sins of all mankind.  He never sinned although He was tempted and tried continuously. Once Jesus died, the cost of all man's sin debt was paid.  When Christ resurrected, He proved every prophecy written about HIm and that He had said about Himself, that He was the messiah, the Son of God.  Christ also ascended onto His rightful place at the right hand of the throne of God as God's one, own son.  Now, if we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and we believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved.  This is a non-negotiable doctrine that bears foundational significance for any belief in Christ.

The idea that doctrines are under constant attack is not a new assertion.  In Paul's letters, Paul constantly addressed the threat of heresy, that it is like a venom or virus that enters the body and causes great dissension and spiritual disease.  The entire letter to the church in Colosse is an apology of the true doctrines of the faith in light of the growing heretical teachings that were filtering through the church.  More directly, in whole first chapter of Galatians, Paul admonishes the Galatians of how quickly they deserted the sound doctrine of the one, true gospel, going so far as to say that any one, man or angel, who teaches any gospel contrary to the true gospel, "let him be accursed (Gal. 1:8).  Doctrines matter.

Another doctrine that is foundational to life as a believer is the doctrine of Scripture.  Holy Writ is the conduit that God uses to encourage, challenge, and grow us into the image of Christ.  Having a solid understanding of what makes up the Bible and how it should be understood is absolutely necessary.  2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Pet. 3:15-17, and Heb. 4:12-13 are great verses to form a basic doctrine of Scripture as the source of God's truth and revelation for our edification and growth.

Doctrines matter and they should be defended.  When significant doctrines are challenged, we should be ready to give an account for the reasons that that doctrine matters.  Our faith is not merely an ineffable, incorrigible experience.  Our faith is to include the whole person: body, mind, soul.  If faith is reduced to an emotional reaction or a pragmatic application, then Christ and His passion mean nothing and are utterly useless for anything.  This can not be!

Christ's perfect, sinless life that culminated in His passion, death, burial, and resurrection matter.  It should never be thrown out to make Christianity more appealing or relevant.  The Bible is relevant and Christ is appealing to believers.  We have to get over the reality that not everyone is or will ever be a believer because they don't have eyes to see or ears to hear.  This is why doctrines matter and should not be overlooked or easily cast aside.

Mind like Christ

When we give ourselves to Christ we are reborn.  This rebirth has ramifications that should not be overlooked.  Among the effects of our new life in Christ is the dramatic renewal that occurs in our minds. What occurs to cause our mind's renewal is the application of the Holy Spirit into our selves, like the hot knife of God's Word as it is plunged into the soft butter of our lives.

The issue inherent to the renewal of our minds is the conflict that arises when we find that our minds are not renewed naturally or passively.  This is the purpose of this discourse: to address how active the believer must be for the mind to be renewed.  Ultimately, the Holy Spirit is what renews the mind, but  believers do play an active part in renewing the mind.

In Philippians 2, Paul speaks of the pursuit of righteousness in terms of salvation.  A part of this dialogue is the aim for having a mind in-line with the mind of Christ.  The idea that our minds are to be aligned with the mind of Christ has implications of study, Bible study.  This is the first step of renewing the mind. An essential distinction in the renewing of our minds is the assertion of what we are renewing our mind to.

A steady diet of Bible study, particularly the gospels and Paul's letters, gives the necessary information   of which we are to strive towards.  John, in the first chapter of his gospel, puts it very plainly that Christ is the Word and vice versa.  Therefore, if we our minds are to be renewed in alignment with the mind of Christ, we must know the Word.

In Romans 12:2, Paul speaks directly to the renewing of our minds, so that we will be equipped and able to discern the holy and pleasing will of God.  There is an activeness to this renewal; it is not a passive acquiring.  We are to be aggressively engaged in the renewal of our mind.  It is an intentional process of renewal.

We need to be active in assessing how are minds are aligned to the mind of Christ; where we are close and where we are missing the point entirely.  Understanding the difference between our mind and the mind of Christ is an essential component to this process.  The contrast between an earthly mind and a spiritual mind is the essential distinction.

In Colossians 3, Paul more directly calls believers to the task of setting their minds on the things of Christ.  In this, Paul determines the two opposing forces that are battling for the supremacy of our mind: (1) the flesh and its earthly desires, and (2) the Spirit and its godly desires.  Again, in Paul's letter to Timothy, Paul states that those who walk in their earthly lives and that set their mind's on fleshly desires are futile in their minds (1 Tim. 4:15).

In essence, if we are not actively setting our minds on the things of God then we are settling for the things of the flesh.  There is no middle ground.  Either we are for God or against Him, especially in our minds.  Our minds are the instrument that guides our decisions, directs our actions, and develops our opinions.  If our minds are continually on the flesh, we will be utterly unable to desire the things of God (Rom 8:7-8).  We must set our minds on Christ and the things of Christ.  Only when we commit to this will we be fully equipped to fulfill His will in our lives.

Faithfulness of God

The faithfulness of God is so knit into the fabric of the Bible that it can easily be forgotten or undervalued.  God's faithfulness has to do with the essence of His nature.  His faithfulness is the application  of His nature, namely His infinitude, His Sovereignty, and His immutability; it is an outpouring of His self.

On Mount Sinai, when God gives Moses the second version of the Ten Commandments, God passes before Moses and refers to Himself as "abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Ex. 34:6 ESV).  Faithfulness as a word refers to commitment, loyalty, perseverance, and reliability.  It would not be totally incorrect to think God's faithfulness was in reference to His relationship to man; however, God's faithfulness should be primarily understood in reference to Himself.

God is faithful to His character and nature.  An example of this would be His justice.  Because He is just, He is always just.  It would be incomprehensible to think that God could ever "suspend" His justice.  The reality of this makes the atonement and sacrifice of Christ's passion on the cross so much more amazing.

God does not suspend His justice to extend His grace.  Christ's perfect, sinless life that culminated in His atoning crucifixion fulfilled God's justice and is evidence of God's enduring faithfulness because it did not suspend His judgment but that His judgment was fulfilled.

More than that, the primary purpose of salvation through faith in Christ is not for the benefit of man but it is so that God could be faithful to Himself.  Salvation through Christ was in God's plans from the beginning (Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:20).  It is important to make the distinction that Christ's work of redemption was not done chiefly for the sake of man.  Rather, the salvation that comes through Christ was planned and completed for God's sake (Isa. 48: 9-11; Psa. 106:8).  God had to be faithful to Himself, his covenants and promises.  Throughout the Old Testament prophets, God made many covenantal promises of an eternal redemption brought about by the messiah.  Jesus fulfilled those promises.  This is the faithfulness of God.

Additionally, God is absolute truth.  Because true truth is as immutable as God is immutable, the truth of God is unchanging.  This is the reality of God's faithfulness: He is unchanging in justice and in mercy.  God cannot suspend any of His traits at the expense of any others.  This also means that God's character of faithfulness is the same now as it has always been.  Isaiah speaks of God's faithfulness in plans formed of old that He is sure to carry out (Isa. 25).

God's steadfastness and enduring faithfulness are so important to properly understanding the nature of God that they a major theme of much of the book of Psalms (Psa. 33:4; 36:5; 119:138; et al).  The goal is not to highlight how faithful God is in broad, gushing terms but to point to the necessity for God to be faithful for Him to be God!  Because the whole of creation was created by Him and is sustained by the word of His power from moment to moment, He must be faithful.

In conclusion, God  is the alpha and omega as well as the foundation and sustaining of all creation.  His faithfulness is part and parcel to His very character.  The purpose of this dialogue was not to address God's ample and amazing faithfulness towards man, but to point to how He is fundamentally faithful to Himself.  He is ultimately and only obligated to Himself and no other.  All of history, especially redemptive history, is a biography of how steadfast God is to Himself.  There is tremendous hope and comfort in seeing an unchanging God for who He is, unchanging.

Fear God for Good

Proverbs 9:10 reads, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy one is insight (ESV)."

What is the fear that brings wisdom?  It is not a fear of malevolence nor is it an emotional reaction. Rather, the fear that Proverbs 9:10 speaks of is a matter of reverence and right understanding.  If we truly understand who God is, that He is Holy, righteous, and omnipresent/potent/prescient, we will be in utter awe at Him and wholly undone of any pride or self-exaltation. This is the key to wisdom: fear the Lord because we understand who He is.  Also, recognizing the creator-creature distinction is paramount to wisdom.  We are not being weighed against other creatures but are weighed against the perfect, holy Lord God Almighty.  This is the sober realization of the reality of our lowly state.

When the prophet Isaiah was called to write the book that bears his name, he had a vision of God and upon seeing the Lord, he cried out, "Woe is me!  For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts (Isaiah 6:5)."  When we truly see the great gulf that separates the perfect holiness of God from the desolation of man, only then will we understand in terror the absolute power of God.  This is the beginning.

In this assertion, there is no place for pride but only humility (Pro. 11:2).  Before the awesome power and presence of God, every person is like a blade of grass that hears and sees the lawnmower coming its way.  The understanding that comes with accepting the difference between man and God is the first step of wisdom.  It is not merely a difference in degree, as in, God is simply the highest degree of every virtuous human characteristic.  Instead, it is a difference in kind.  God is not like us.  We are like him.  This is a simple statement with depth.  This is the beginning of wisdom and the fear that begets it.  Plus this is the insight that stems from knowing the Holy One.

Lastly, in Paul's letter to the Philippians, Paul tells believers to "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:12-14)."  When we understand the great gulf that exists between man and God (Luke 16:19-26; Isa. 59), plus that our righteousness is like a soiled rag compared to God's (Isa. 64:6-7), then truly will we fall prostrate before God and cry out for repentance and salvation.  If we do not understand this distinction, we will naturally view our righteousness in a horizontal manner that compares ourselves to other creatures around us.

When we weigh ourselves horizontally, we feel we can stand before God proud and deserving of salvation because we can always point to someone worse than ourselves.  The truth is, what we deserve is justice and wrath.  Luckily, a vertical understanding reveals that through God's grace and Jesus' perfect atonement, we have been given undeserved salvation.  The only way to be wise is to understand the awesomeness of God.  The only plausible and reasonable reaction to the awesomeness of God is fear. Only then will we have be able to be wise in the truest sense of wisdom.  And only when we pursue understanding the Holy One will we have any insight worth anything at all.

Faith like Elijah

No prophet in Israel's history had quite the same story of faith and power as Elijah.  He was so commended for his faith that he did not die but was actually taken up by "a whirlwind to heaven (2 Kgs. 2:3)".  Not only that but Elijah left such an indelible mark on Israel and the story of redemption that it was prophesied that he would return to bring in the time of the messiah, which came to fruition in John the Baptist (Mal. 3:1; Matt. 11:7-14).  Plus, on the mount of transfiguration, Elijah was one of the two old testament men who the disciples saw with Jesus when the Lord had shown Christ in all His glory and radiance (Luke 9:28-35).  The story of Elijah matters.

Although there is much to dissect from the life of Elijah, one of the apex episodes of his life is the story of Elijah defeating the prophets of Baal and Asherah on Mount Carmel (1 Kgs. 18:17-40).  By way of introduction, Elijah is so angry at the Israelites and their king, king Ahab, for their apostasy and lukewarm faithfulness, that he asks to hold a demonstration for Israel, sort of a deity showdown, Yahweh versus Baal and Asherah.  Baal and Asherah have 850 prophets representing them while Elijah is the lone prophet for Yahweh.

They each build altars to sacrifice bulls to their respective deities and the guidelines for victory are set: the god whose altar is supernaturally ignited in flame is the true God (1 Kgs. 18:24).  Elijah has the prophets of Baal and Asherah go first.  The prophets wailed out to their god and cut themselves while crying out for the better part of a day while Elijah taunts them to no avail.

Finally, accepting defeat, the prophets of Baal stop and Elijah steps up to his altar.  Elijah has the people there dig a trench around the altar and to drench the wood in so much water as to fill the furrow that borders the altar.  Then Elijah prays in faith that God would be faithful to guard him and ignite the altar.  God sparks the altar into such a flame that the trenches of water surrounding it are dried up, Yahweh is declared the one, true God and the other prophets are all put to death (1Kgs. 18:36-40). What a story and there is much to glean from its wheat.

First of all, Elijah had faith, an unfathomable degree of faith.  He did two things that baffle the mind: (1) he confronted the king who wanted to kim him in order to call a demonstration of the true God and call Israel back from their apostasy, and (2) he unflinchingly believed that God would be faithful to engulf the drenched altar in holy flame.  Oh, that we could have that kind of faith!

Elijah challenged Israel to dive all the way into God and stop living like they were on the edge of the pool, dangling their legs off over the ledge.  Sometimes we need to call people out who are living lukewarm, shallow pool lives.  God wants more; He wants all of us.

Additionally, God desires for us to be resolute, unshakable, and absolutely devoted in faith to Him through any and everything, especially when facing trials and challenges.  Sometimes, like Elijah, we  are placed in situations that challenge our commitment to faith because there is simply no choice.  The apostasy in Israel had become so dire that Elijah, in righteous anger, had to rise up and challenge the status quo.  Our hope is not and should not be our in our faith, its degree or intensity; rather our hope is in the object of our faith, God alone.

Elijah must have been terrified on Mount Carmel.  Although he portrays calm and is confident in the Lord, he knows that if the altar remains dry after he cries to God, he will be killed.  The ironic tragedy is that after this literal mountain-top faith experience, Elijah runs hiding in a cave, fearing for his life in cowardice to queen Jezebel's threats while he even entertains thoughts of suicide (1 Kgs. 19).

Faith is not enough; it is the object of Elijah's faith that saves him and ignites the altar.  Similarly, our focus should never be on our faith in any regard.  Our focus and emphasis should always and only be on the object of our faith which is Christ.  The prophets of Baal and Asherah had faith too.  They were sincere in their prophetic flagellations and their desperate billows to their gods.  Again, God saves.  Faith is the medium that God uses to apply His salvation to us.  For the showdown on Mount Carmel, Elijah's faith was the medium for God to miraculously light a waterlogged altar.  Only God saves, we just have to believe it.

Dealing with Sin

King David represents a watershed moment in the history of redemption.  Because of his heart which was patterned after God's own heart (1 Sam. 13:13-14), and as a result of his arrant obedience, God blessed David with an everlasting dynasty through eternal covenant (2 Sam. 7).  David was so revered by God for his faithfulness that God's own son, Jesus, is referred to as the son of David (Matt. 15; Mark 10).  David's kingship was established and sustained by God's faithfulness to David.

However, David was not nearly sinless or perfect.  In fact, a particular sin of David so defiled his family that one of his sons raped his sister before being killed by his older brother who tried to usurp the throne, nearly destroying the kingdom (2 Sam. 13-18).  Of course this is the famous episode of David and Bathsheba.

The story is told in 2 Samuel 11-12 and speaks of how David, who should have been at war, peeked at the beautiful Bathsheba bathing on the roof.  David, overcome with lust and covetousness, commits adultery with Bathsheba and Bathsheba becomes pregnant.  Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, is one of David's generals and is fighting the fight that David should have been and is unaware of what is taking place back home in Jerusalem.

Although David tries to deceive Uriah into mating with Bathsheba, Uriah refuses to sleep with his wife for the sake of his soldiers still at war.  For David, this will not do.  Through cunning and deception, David succeeds in having Uriah killed at war and marries Bathsheba, sealing his sin.  It is not until the prophet Nathan confronts David with a revealing parable that David realizes the gravity of his defilement and falls prostrate in repentance.

This story offers a full and perfect rendition of sin from the prologue of sin's incitement, through the  fulfillment of sin in action, to the proposed proper epilogue of sin that is repentance.  David sees Bathsheba, beautiful and enticing.  At this stage he has little, if any, control.  He could have went on the roof and kept his eyes closed for fear of seeing anything that could excite his desire but that is ridiculous.  He saw her, this is sin's first cast.  David could have and should have put the sight out of his brain.  When we are enticed by desire and sin has cast its hooks at us we should simply ignore.  Often easier said than done.

The next subsequent part of David's sin was when he put his excited desire into action and pursued the fruit of Bathsheba, tried to cover it up, and chose to shrewdly have her husband killed in battle to justify his sin.  It is important to note the progression from one sin to another, like following a single poor decision with a string of poor decisions.  Once David chose to commit adultery he should have stopped but couldn't because unrepentant sin acts as a snowball barreling down a hill that brings more sin like snow upon itself.  Sin multiplies sin.  Even though, David could have chosen not to try and trick Uriah after impregnating Bathsheba, but he didn't.  Additionally, David didn't have to arrange to have Uriah killed in battle as to legitimize his unlawful relationship with Bathsheba, but he did.  Sin begets sin.  A good rule of conduct is when sin is actualized and followed through, repent and stop sinning as early in the process as possible.

When the prophet Nathan finally confronts and rebukes David for his sin, David reminds us of why he was God's chosen one; he confesses and repents.  This is always the end of sin's cycle: confession and repentance.  Once we confess, we no longer need to hide what we have done because it is already known.  Once we repent, we literally turn from our sin and turn to God and righteousness.  This is not easy nor is it a one-time-only kind of thing.  Confession and repentance are lifelong pursuits of righteousness that act as sin protection and prevention.

Moreover, although David sinned atrociously but was eventually repentent for his action, he still had to suffer because of that sin through the death of Bathsheba's son.  Suffering is the consequence for sin but it is for purpose in the life of the repentant and confessing heart.  Suffering serves as the building blocks of character (Rom. 5:1-5).  Although the fleshly effects of sin should not outweigh the righteousness of God to disuade us from sinning, the consequences of sin are real and can be quite painful.

Lastly, we all sin.  How we handle sin points to the state and development of our character as well as the importance of God in the place of our hearts.  Although we should not descend to the depths of David's sin, from his example, we learn that confession and repentance are the proper reactions to sin in our lives.  The trick is to strike at the root of the sin with confession and repentance in the earliest possible stages of the sin before it escalates.