Becoming the Word

When we devote ourselves in obedience to the will of the Lord, we are actively pursuing Him with a life of dedication and practice in prayer, Bible study, and service.  The Lord is our aim; He is that by which all of our lives are to be focused and fixed upon.  Consistency is key as God requires faithfulness over time, not just single-serving faith but full-on, 24/7 believers.

The reality is that while we are following through in a life of dedication, our lives are being transformed, meaning that the life we live is made wholly different in kind from the life we once lived.  This is the miracle of sanctification: that our fleshly self is, through the power of God by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, replaced with a new sanctified person.

Sanctification finds the flesh, our perishable parts, replaced with the imperishable spirit.  Flesh is grass, it withers and is scorched by the sun; people are like grass in perpetual states of perishing, while the Word of the Lord endures forever (Isa. 40:6-8, Psa. 102:11; 103:15; 1 Pet. 1:24).  Humanity is born in and of the flesh but as our beings are transformed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and as the Scripture becomes the mode of our very cores, we become the spirit.

Our perishing self is to be replaced with the imperishable, which is the Word of God.  In a very real sense, as we engage in regular, dedicated Bible study, the Scripture becomes us.  Our nature, who we are, is reconstructed into the nature that it was intended to be.  Therefore, need to be so intimately versed and connected with the Word that it becomes who we are.

This requires more than mere memorization and intellectual ascent, it requires that we really meditate and dig in to the Word.  To become the Word of God demands that we spend so much time with it that we can speak it in our very own language, that it becomes us.  Although this is a daunting and lifelong process, how beautiful that we would strive to become the people that God desires most of us by the power of His Word and Holy Spirit working in us!

The Exiled Elect

 In the 6th century B.C., the Jewish people were conquered and displaced in an exile of national proportions and theological implications.  The exile was not and should not be thought of as merely one nation conquering another. Instead, the exile is rife with theology and relevance.  moreover, throughout the Scriptures, the language of the exile is sobering and prevalent.

In the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, the Mosaic Law was given and came to be the governing authority and religious framework for all of Israel.  This law was part of a conditional covenant between God and Israel, known as the Mosaic Covenant.  The stipulations and conditions of this covenant are clearly laid out and defined in Deuteronomy.  The striking feature of this covenant is that there are distinct requirements of obedience and devotion.  Plainly stated, if the Israelites were obedient then they would be blessed; however, if they were disobedient to the covenant's requirements, then they would be cursed and exiled in judgment.

Unfortunately, the Israelites fell into continued covenant infidelity and centuries of disobedience.  Because of their disobedience the Israelites were sent into exile, first the ten northern tribes of Israel by the Assyrians followed by the southern Judeans by the Babylonians (by this time the Simeonites had been assimilated into the Judean tribe).  As a result of the exile(s), Israel spent some 70 years displaced from their Promised Land.

It is important to remember that the exile is just about the physical dispersion of Israel out of the Promised Land but, much more so, it is a theological construct, a framework for understanding the nature of God's people in the world, displaced from their Promised Land.  The exile is thus a way to explain the dislocation of believers from the promises of God.

The apostle Peter, in his first epistle, uses the language of exile and dispersion in relation to Christians living in the world (1 Pet. 1:1).  In this, the exile is not just a past event in Israel's history but it is a object lesson for understanding how believers live in the world today.  The exile refers to how believers are separated from the whole fulfillment of God's promises.

As believers, we have been blessed with a right relationship with the Lord.  All this is true, however, the status of our right relationship is only in part while we are still leashed to this fleshly mortal coil.  The reality is that we will not receive the completeness of God's promises until our final rest in death.  In a very real sense, Christians live this life in exile, awaiting our return to the promises of God and our restorations to the wholeness of His grace.  Throughout this, it is vital that we are patient in our waiting,  that we would hold fast to the fulfillment of God's promises and our release from the exile of this world.

Forgiving the Self

Life is hard.  It is full of painful pits, twisting hairpins, unseeable snares, swirling storms, and countless other obstacles that impede our ability to walk the straight and narrow.  Because of the distinct and plentiful complications of life, sometimes, more often than we’d like to admit, we make poor decisions.  Tragically, the repercussions of poor decisions can be painful, if not outright destructive. 

Thankfully, because of sincere confession and belief in Christ, God forgives all of our poor decisions (Psa. 103:12; 1 John 1:9).  Handling missteps and snowballs of sin is not God’s business.  He is in the business of salvation and forgiveness.  However, we still have to deal with our past choices, especially the ones that have lingering scars of remembrance.  It is how we face those decisions, the good and bad, that can reveal something about our reliance on the Lord.

The past, our pasts, usually come to us in emotional vignettes: we remember specific episodes, how we felt, how we made others feel, etc.  These emotional memories, though not always pervasive, linger with us after God has forgiven us.  Simply put, God has forgiven us and, as we live in Him by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we live in His forgiveness.

 

This means that when we feel streams of regret and shame for past sin that has been forgiven, we are bringing up sin that God has already washed clean.  In a sense, replaying sin of the past is disbelief that we are truly forgiven because we, in our flesh, are not able to fully believe the depth of God’s forgiveness.

It is important to note that judgment, in the form of guilt, is always intended to draw us to repentance and sanctification.  When we feel a divine guilt that propels us to seek Him and to repair relationships, this is a beautiful thing.  However, if feelings of regret torment us and hinder our ability to draw closer to Him, we are not living in His grace but wallowing in our own fleshly weakness.  Instead, we must claim our forgiven identity.

Claiming an identity in Christ involves eschewing any and every sin that hinders our sanctification and prevents the Holy Spirit from entering every nook of our lives when every cranny already belongs to Him.  Regret is one of Satan’s ploys and most powerful tactics.  Remember, Satan is the great accuser who tempts people to sin and then perpetually accuses them of that sin (Rev. 12:10).

 

Whenever our pasts, the sin and bad decisions, accuses us with regret and guilt, it is not of God but is the enemy.  The only way to overcome his accusations is to, in the power of Jesus’ name, cast him out.  Remember, our identity is made new in Christ, so any regret of who we once were is not godly but is a hindrance to God’s holy work of sanctification in our lives.

 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is marked out for us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12:1-2).”  The casting aside of weight and sin does not only refer to the sins of now but also to our past sins.  Let us cast them aside and press forward in steadfastness and perseverance, keeping our gaze fixed on Christ and not allow ourselves to be distracted by ourselves.

Defending from Heresy

The Word of God is clear and perspicuous, meaning that it is accessible to all believers.  Conversely, it is not open to non-believers, because non-believers will not have eyes to see or ears to hear its truth apart from the work of the Holy Spirit.  Although any person with the ability to read can read the Bible, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that illuminates the Word as the divinely-inspired infallible truth that it is.

It is this "second" step of interpretation, the Spirit step, that is oft overlooked.  Without relying on the Holy Spirit to guide interpretation, particularly in regards to application and doctrine, heresy inevitably arises.  Heresy refers to any doctrine or teaching that stands in opposition to the teaching of the Bible.  It is important to note that Christians have been interpreting the Bible for some 20 centuries.  Thus, there is a wealth of tradition and orthodox teaching compiled that can help guide interpretation.

Although traditional doctrine should not be accepted uncritically, many very educated and highly intelligent interpreters have come and gone, leaving valuable Scriptural insights for future generations of believers.  For instance, Paul was one of the first Christian interpreters.  Romans is a veritable theological treatise on Scriptural (OT) interpretation in lieu of Jesus.  Similarly, the writer of Hebrews left an indispensable source of hermeneutical technique in his interpretations.  

These were some of the first people to look to the Hebrew Scriptures and interpret them Christologically, that is to say, through a Christ-centered lens.  Following the first century, there have been hundreds of important individuals that have left important and influential marks on interpretation: Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, etc.  The work of these people, the traditions of interpretation they brought about, should be studied so that we can understand and make the most accurate interpretations possible.

Differences in interpretation will appear; however, when interpretative variants arise, we should not be quick to throw away the interpretations of the past.  For instance, in 19th century Germany, new "critical" approaches to interpretation arose.  Although the techniques were not wholly immoral or useless, they tended towards the very liberal and anti-orthodox.  Unfortunately, many believers were led so astray and liberalized by these techniques that their version of Christianity looked less like the church than it did the world and all its trimmings, thus heresy was formed.  In reaction, fundamentalists rose up to combat the liberal interpretive techniques and modern evangelicals are direct descendants of this reaction.

Paul, Peter, John, and the other first-century Church leaders also had to combat heresy.  In fact, fighting heresy is an essential part of the Christian life.  We, as image bearers of Jesus, must defend that which is essential and orthodox doctrine.  The basics are non-negotiable and should be defended vociferously: Jesus is the risen Son of God, a real human being who lived and died and resurrected so as to take on the sin of all mankind, and through confession and belief, believers are blessed with salvation and deliverance from sin.  Heresy should not be accepted but should be snuffed out.  However, throughout our defense of orthodoxy, we need to maintain the gentleness, kindness, and grace that is becoming of the children of God.

Time for Celebration

God is a God of celebration.  He desires for us to celebrate and praise Him throughout the year.  For the Israelites, celebrations were such an integral part of their religious year.  They were commanded to hold certain feasts and festivals throughout the year in commemoration of the Lord's provision (Num. 28-29).  Feasts of celebration were an important part of God's revelation to the Israelites and still matter to Christians today, although the feast themselves has changed.

For modern-day Christians, the Lord revealed Himself in His Son, Jesus.  All of Christians' holidays are based on the life and work of Christ.  The two most notable and widely celebrated are Christmas and Easter; Christmas being the holiday of Jesus' birth, and Easter commemorating His death and resurrection.  Each of these two are the culminations of seasons of smaller celebrations, like advent and Palm Sunday, etc.  The important thing is that Christians are regularly remembering the life and ministry of Jesus throughout the year.

This is great, but what to do with secular holidays?  These holidays are not evil in and of themselves but, for Christians, they should be sanctified.  Through thankfulness of believers that celebrate those days in a manner that still brings glory to God, holidays can be sancitifed.  New Years Eve/Day, for instance, is a secular holiday but an important one at that.

New Years is a celebration, a holiday for the turning of time and for the renewal that time can provide.  Every New Years, millions of people set resolutions, goals and hopes for the new year that they either hope will occur or that they plan for.  This is not entirely wrong, in fact, this is one of the ways that a secular holiday might be sanctified by the way that Christians handle it.

When New Years comes around, Christians should take is as an opportunity to asses, pray, and set some good goals in spiritual growth for the next year, like Bible reading, prayer, service, etc.  Additionally, New Years is a great yearly time to rededicate to the Lord, to repent of sin and to refocus on the rock, which is Christ.

There is another Christian celebration that comes more regularly than the others: communion.  The Eucharist was always meant to be a time of dedication and celebration of the Lord and His provision.  When we partake of communion, we are meant to examine ourselves and to remember to the Lord (1 Cor. 11).  We should come to the table ready and mindful of the Lord Jesus.

Feasts, festivals, and celebrations are a part of life.  God desires for us to celebrate Him throughout the year and to remember the great things that He has done, how He has provided for and delivered us.  Also, secular holidays such as halloween or july 4th should be taken as opportunities to celebrate Jesus.  Remember, Christians are never obligated to celebrate secular holidays the way that the world does.  Rather, Christians should always celebrate holidays in a thankful and godly manner.  In this way, we can truly be light to the world, shining His nature upon the world and its holidays too.

Rest for the Redeemed

Rest, a time of refreshment, relaxation, and recovery.  The seal of the Mosaic covenant was the keeping of the sabbath. The sabbath represented the seventh-day rest of creation.  On every seventh day the Israelites were reminded of God's sovereign work of creation.  Thus, the cycle of the week was a constant reminder of the Lord and the people's dependence on His provision and sovereignty.

The sabbath day was a day of rest but it served as much more than a mere "day off."  It was a theological construct.  On the sabbath, no work was to be done so that the people could focus on the Lord and His providence.  Sabbath rest was a requirement and a seal of the covenant but it was to be surpassed by another, Promised Rest, that was to accompany the Promised Land.  The Promised Land was to be paired with a Promised Rest.  Unfortunately, due to covenant infidelity, the Israelites never saw the fulfillment of the Promised Rest.

This understanding of rest was amended under the New Covenant.  The sabbath, and its theology, was changed by a new law, the law of Christ and grace.  Under this new law, the rest for believers is not cyclical in the same sense but it is determined and bestowed by the Lord (Matt. 11:28-29).  Rest is no longer dependent on the cycle of the week but is a constant state of being, a state of rest.  Our rest is wholly dependent on the Lord alone.  It is our reliance on the Lord that gives us our rest.

Additionally, the Promised Rest under Christ has a future fulfillment much like the Israelites' rest had a future fulfillment in the Promised Land.  For Christians, rest has its ultimate realization in the eternal presence of the Holy Lord.  This means that the rest we have now is only a part but to be made whole later in the Lord.

Rest, defined, refers to a time of relaxation and relief.  Rest is often understood in relation to a particular activity or time but, as has been shown, rest is not defined in terms of activities or times.  Rather, rest in Christ is a lifestyle, an attitude towards life itself, an utter reliance on the Lord.  Rest is then paired with our understandings of hope and peace.

In Christ, rest is not occasion-dependent but is continuous because it is based on our reliance on the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, Christians live in a state of rest because the Holy Spirit, who dwells within believers, is the giver of rest.  Rest is one of the beautiful gifts that God bestows.  Let us strive to live in the Spirit and thus live continuously in His rest.

Christ's Christmas

Some 2,000 years ago, in a small rural suburb of Jerusalem, a woman and her soon-to-be husband arrive at an inn but there is no vacancy available.  The woman, though a virgin, was quite pregnant and the baby's delivery imminent and near.

Months earlier, an angel of the Lord, Gabriel, had come to the woman and prophesied that the Lord Most High would descend upon her and she would bear a child, the Son of God, and that she would call His name, Jesus, meaning God saves.  The man she was betrothed to discovered that she was with child and, though he thought of divorcing her, when an angel came to him, in a dream, revealed that his betrothed's child was the Christ, the Messiah who would save all mankind from their sin.

At this time, near the end of the young woman's pregnancy, the emperor issued a decree requiring that everyone return to their ancestry's land to be censored.  The man took his pregnant fiance to the place of his ancestry, to Bethlehem.  The trip was arduous and long.  Upon arrival, the woman realized that it was time: she was going to deliver her child.

Although the inn was full, a man offered the couple a cave that served as a stable for livestock for them to stay in.  The woman delivered her child, an infant boy.  She wrapped him in swaddling cloths and placed him in a trough.

Meanwhile, shepherds nearby were watching their sheep by night as an angel of the Lord appeared before them and told them that in Bethlehem a child was born.  The angel told the shepherds to go to the town and to offer praises to the newborn as He was to be the Messiah, the savior of all mankind.  They left their flocks and the fields to find the couple and their child in the stable, the infant resting in a manger, wrapped in strips of cloth.  It was just how the angel had prophesied it to be.

The Christmas story is repeated yearly in the Christian calendar.  It is the beginning of Jesus' life and His ministry.  At this time, the 25th of December, let us take time to remember Christ, to remember the dozens of prophecies that were fulfilled in His birth, let alone His life.  A time to remember that God is sovereign and holy, and that He condescended into humanity for the purpose of redeeming His children from sin.  Now we can enter into right relationship with Him by Him and for Him.  Truly, this is what Christmas is all about.