Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Preserving the Gospel


“But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in-- who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery-- to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.”

 (Galatians 2:3-5 ESV)



There are times in life when we can be flexible. There are situations in life in which we should bend. There are circumstances when it’s proper to allow the preferences of others to take priority over our own.



Our tendency is to be stubborn in all things. Our tendency is to insist on our own way. However, when the issue is not one of truth, when it’s not a matter of right and wrong, when it’s a matter of personal taste and preference, it’s then that we can and should give priority to the preferences of others.



However, there are times when we should not bend. In fact, there are circumstances in which we must not bend. There are situations in which it would be harmful to do so.



This is what Paul is addressing in the above passage. Some were insisting that the Gentiles, who were coming to faith in Christ, must be circumcised. And Paul saw this for what it was: a perversion of the gospel.



We are saved only by the grace of God through faith in Jesus. And to allow anything to be added to the gospel is to pervert it. Allowing anything to be added to the gospel would lead people to trust in something other than Christ for this blessing that we so desperately need.



This would hinder the salvation of the lost. It would prevent them from hearing and receiving the gospel, by which we are saved. It was truly a life or death matter.



For this reason, Paul stood firm. He did not yield in submission to these people for even a moment. He would not do so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved.



In the same way, there are times we cannot bend. There are circumstances where we must not bend. And this is especially true when the salvation of souls is at stake.



We must not alter the truth of God’s Word. We must not amend the gospel of Christ. To do so would mean abandoning the call given to us by God. To do so would mean denying salvation to the lost. To do so would mean leading astray the souls for which Jesus died.

Monday, January 27, 2020

Connections


“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty."

(2 Corinthians 6:14-18 ESV)



As we come to faith in Christ, and even after we’ve trusted in him for many years, many of us maintain an unhealthy connection with the world around us. We continue to derive our primary fellowship, not from our brothers and sisters in Christ, but from the world. And we continue to do so in spite of the differences between us.



This often acts as a hindrance in our life of faith. The non-believers, with whom we are bound, pull us away from the Lord and the blessings he provides. They tempt us and lure us into the beliefs and practices of the world.



We often take the above passage to speak to marriage. But, while it certainly applies to marriage, the context is much broader. And we are told plainly that we’re not to be unequally yoked with an unbeliever.



Now, this isn’t saying that we have to cut ourselves off from the world completely. Nor does it mean that we must completely cut ourselves off from unbelievers. In that case, it would be difficult to reach out to the lost and to make disciples.



However, we are not to be joined together with unbelievers. We’re not to be mismatched or bound together with them. We’re not to have the same connection with them that we have with the church.



Paul’s reason for this is clear. We have nothing in common with them. Just as light and darkness have nothing in common, just as Christ and Satan have nothing in common, and just as righteousness and lawlessness have nothing in common, neither do we have anything in common with an unbeliever.



We’ve been called by God to be separate from them. We’ve been called to be holy. We’ve been called to be the sons and daughters of God.



While we must ensure that this isn’t taken to far, our primary relationships are to be with fellow believers. This includes our marriage partner. But it also includes our primary friendships, our business partnerships, and so on. We are to seek the encouragement of those who are like us, who are distinct from the world, and who will build us in faith.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Running in Vain?


“Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.”

Galatians 2:1-2 ESV



I’m blessed to have the support of my local congregation. I’m blessed to have the support of our church leadership. And, more than that, I’m blessed to have the support of our national body, the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations.



I’m blessed also to have many resources available to me. I’m blessed to have many different translations of the Bible. I’m blessed to have a selection of commentaries. I’m blessed to have books containing the history of the church. I’m blessed to have resources in the Biblical languages, Hebrew and Greek. I’m blessed to have a computer program that helps me with these languages. And I’m blessed to have internet access for further study.



We often think, as believers, that all we need is Jesus and me. And we tend to think the same way when it comes to ministry. We believe that, with the Lord and his help, we have all we need.



However, we fail to recognize that the Lord works through his people. We fail to recognize that we also need the support and encouragement of other believers. We fail to recognize that we need the teaching and instruction of other believers. And we fail to recognize that we need the correction of other believers.



We see in the above passage that, although Paul had received the gospel directly from the Lord, and although he didn’t initially seek the approval of the other apostles when it came to his ministry, he now sought them out. He did so because of a revelation. And he did so to ensure that he was not running his race in vain.



He was being challenged by others, as he carried out his ministry, regarding Jewish ceremonial practice. He’d been teaching that the grace of God was sufficient for salvation. And he’d been teaching that faith alone enables us to receive this grace. But others insisted on circumcision and the practice of Jewish Law for believers in Jesus.



As he appeared before the church leadership, he presented to them the gospel that he proclaimed among the Gentiles. He did so that they might have opportunity to correct him if necessary. And he did so that they might affirm this message.



This is the blessing I have as I enjoy the fellowship of my congregation and church leadership. This is the blessing I enjoy as I maintain a relationship with other pastors and ministries of the AFLC. And this is the blessing that I enjoy as I make use of my books and resources.



In this way, I’m able to have the message that I proclaim validated. I’m able to receive correction or additional teaching. And I’m able to ensure that I’m not running my race in vain.



I’m able to go to them to make sure that my understanding of Scripture is correct. I’m able to go to them to make sure that my presentation of Scripture is correct. And I’m able to go to them to grow in my understanding of Scripture, and in my presentation of the Word of God.



My race would be in vain if the message I proclaimed was wrong or unscriptural in some way. In that case, it would be empty and devoid of power. It wouldn’t have the impact that the Lord, or I myself, desire for it. In fact, it could even have the opposite effect.



This is why Paul sought the affirmation of the church in Jerusalem. And this is why I cherish my brothers and sisters in Christ, those of the present and of the past. Knowing that I’m sinful, knowing that I’m imperfect, I need them to speak into my life.





Monday, January 13, 2020

The Depths of Sin


I can’t recall where I came across it, but it’s something I’ve found true in my life of faith. Someone once told me, or perhaps I read it somewhere, that the more you grow in faith the more you recognize the depth of your sin. As we grow in our understanding of the Word of God, as we grow in our understanding of the gospel, the greatness of our sin is better realized.



As we encounter the gospel for the very first time, the reality of our sin is acknowledged. After all, it’s our sin that has brought condemnation upon us. We are in need of a Savior because of our guilt.



However, and it seems this is largely the state of Christians in our nation today, we don’t think we are all that bad. Overall, we think of ourselves as pretty good people. We tend to think that, although we sin, our desires and intentions are basically good.



We look at our outward adherence to the Ten Commandments as the measure of our sin. If we haven’t stolen, if we haven’t killed anyone, and if we’ve remained faithful to our spouse, we think we’re doing pretty well. Even though we may acknowledge that fact that we’re a sinner, we don’t believe our sin is all that great.



We learn in time that, even if we haven’t outwardly broken God’s commands, we have done so internally. We've done so in our heart. We find that our heart desires not to obey the Lord, but to disobey.



Although we haven’t physically murdered anyone, we haven’t desired their well-being. In fact, we’ve often desired their harm. We may not have taken what doesn’t belong to us, but we haven’t sought to preserve our neighbor’s wealth and property. We may not have cheated on our spouse, but adulterous desires have filled both our heart and mind.



We then run across the words of Scripture that describe our true condition. For example, in Ephesians 2:1, Paul says that we were dead in the trespasses and sins in which we once walked. In Colossians 1:21, he says that we were alienated and hostile in mind.  And in Romans 5:10, Paul says that we were enemies of God.



We learn that we’re not a mostly innocent people who occasionally slip up. We're not a mostly good people who make the occasional mistake. Our natural state is one of hostility and enmity toward God. It not only resists the will of God, but actively opposes it.



Although this may seem discouraging, it makes the gospel that much sweeter. It reveals to us the greatness of God’s love. It shows the immensity of the grace he has lavished upon us.



Completing Paul’s thought in Colossians 1, he says: And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him…”



Our sin is greater than we can imagine.  However, despite our condition, God has reconciled us to himself by the death of his Son. In this way, and in this way alone, are we counted holy and blameless before him.

Saturday, January 04, 2020

Responding to the Season

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”
 (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV)

With the new year upon us, one of the things that we naturally consider is time. We often note how quickly the time passes. We note that, the older we get, the faster time seems to go. And, for this reason, we are bent on managing our time well. We’re consumed with controlling the time that we have.

The passage, above, is a familiar one for most of us. It’s familiar because we often hear it read at funerals. It’s often chosen because of its reference to death and a time to die. But, at the very least, we know this passage from the famous song by the Byrds, Turn, Turn, Turn.

The point of this passage, however, is something we need desperately to take to heart. It’s something we tend to miss.  But it’s something we see clearly as we stop and consider the individual phrases being used.

There is a time to be born and a time to die. Yet, both of these times are outside of our control. We have no choice in the time of our birth. We have no choice in birth itself. And, in the same way, we have no control over death.

There is a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted. But, again, both of these times are outside of our control. Farmers plant when the time is right, when the conditions are right. And they harvest when the proper time comes.

There is a time to kill and a time to heal. Now killing, of course, is not something we should desire. But there are times when it’s necessary. Perhaps it’s when we must engage in a just war. Perhaps it’s when government authorities are punishing a doer of evil. Or perhaps it’s when our home is violated and our loved ones are threatened. These circumstances are outside of our control, but they do come. And, in the same way, so do opportunities to heal.

We can go through these verses line by line and see the same truth. There are times and seasons of life that come upon us. And they are outside of our control. They are ordained, they are determined, by God alone.

We must recognize this fact. We must recognize that we can do nothing to alter the times and seasons. And, for this reason, we must stop fighting them.

We must recognize that the only thing we can do is act when it’s appropriate. The only thing we can do is respond to the season in the appropriate way. We can plant when it’s time to plant. We can mourn when it’s time to mourn. We can keep silence when it’s time to do so, and speak when it’s appropriate.

Many of us struggle with our desire to control. But when we receive this Word, when we take it to heart, it’s quite liberating. It’s liberating as we recognize our limits, as we recognize and submit to the will of God, and act in the appropriate way at the appropriate time.