Consider the fact that the kindest man who ever lived was condemned by the leaders of his own religion. They handed him over to their enemies and insisted that he be executed in the most awful way. That form of execution was designed to scare all opposition into submission.
Either
(1) this man was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, or
(2) no-one was not able to save him, or
(3) it happened for a reason.
Believing option (1) could lead one to agree with the philosopher Charles Baudelaire who said "If there is a god, he is the devil". After all, if that could happen to any person, I could one day find myself in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Option (2) would imply that if there is a god, he is not very powerful. Who would want to put their trust in someone who would stand helplessly by if they found themselves in trouble?
To people who desperately want to believe in a God who is fair and powerful option (3) is the one they must arrive at by elimination. For those who accept this option the following question immediately arises: For what purpose did the most righteous man who ever lived die in the most painful and degrading way imaginable? How they answer that question will play a most crucial role in their view of the world.
Tuesday 28 June 2011
Wednesday 15 June 2011
Autonomy
One of the scariest aspects of existing in the image of God is that we can make decisions about our actions (Philippians 1:27), attitudes (Philippians 2:5; 4:4-5) and thought life (Philippians 4:8).
If I had a friend who had no desires of his own but was always ready to comply with my every request, I would be suspicious of his motives. Even if he had no hidden agenda, but simply hero-worshipped me, I could not regard him as a close friend. Likewise, my marriage would be boring if my wife did not have hopes, dreams and interests of her own. Part of my duty as a spouse is to help her realise them. The relationship would obviously be dysfunctional if her objectives and mine constantly clashed.
In the same way God expects his friends to pursue goals because he puts them in their hearts (Philippians 2:13). Problems arise when their agenda takes precedence over his. Since I carry God's image, I have a responsibility to act in a way which is not contrary to his nature. Sin is to miss one's goal, like a marksman missing his target. God takes a dim view of those who turn his image into that of a monster like some tyrants have done.
To a large extent we have power over what we choose to believe. I want to believe there is a heaven and that I will not be sharing it with Hitler, Stalin or Mao Zedong. That wonderful place will be inhabited by people who have pure hearts (Matthew 5:8). I don't have complete power over what is in my heart (Jeremiah 17:9). By cooperating with my Creator and receiving new heart (Psalm 51:10; Hebrews 10:16) I can overcome my evil tendencies and (Romans 7:24). That is what makes me eligible for a place in heaven (John 1:12).
If I had a friend who had no desires of his own but was always ready to comply with my every request, I would be suspicious of his motives. Even if he had no hidden agenda, but simply hero-worshipped me, I could not regard him as a close friend. Likewise, my marriage would be boring if my wife did not have hopes, dreams and interests of her own. Part of my duty as a spouse is to help her realise them. The relationship would obviously be dysfunctional if her objectives and mine constantly clashed.
In the same way God expects his friends to pursue goals because he puts them in their hearts (Philippians 2:13). Problems arise when their agenda takes precedence over his. Since I carry God's image, I have a responsibility to act in a way which is not contrary to his nature. Sin is to miss one's goal, like a marksman missing his target. God takes a dim view of those who turn his image into that of a monster like some tyrants have done.
To a large extent we have power over what we choose to believe. I want to believe there is a heaven and that I will not be sharing it with Hitler, Stalin or Mao Zedong. That wonderful place will be inhabited by people who have pure hearts (Matthew 5:8). I don't have complete power over what is in my heart (Jeremiah 17:9). By cooperating with my Creator and receiving new heart (Psalm 51:10; Hebrews 10:16) I can overcome my evil tendencies and (Romans 7:24). That is what makes me eligible for a place in heaven (John 1:12).
Wednesday 1 June 2011
Reflectors of glory
Courses on evangelism often use Romans 3:23 as proof that we all need forgiveness. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” is one of the first verses many Christians memorise.
Most of us fully agree with the first half of the verse and know that somewhere, sometime we have done wrong. We have done what we knew to be wrong. We knew beforehand that it was wrong and did it anyway. Sure, we need forgiveness.
But how many of us have ever thought that the Almighty is unhappy with the fact that we “fall short of God’s glorious ideal” as the Living New Testament puts it? This can be more confusing when we compare it with the often quoted passage “I will not give my glory to another”? (Isaiah 48:11) If God is not willing to share his glory, then how am I supposed to be “crowned with glory” as Psalm 8:5 describes mankind.
There seems to be a yearning in the human heart to eyeball that which is glorious. The words magnificent, wonderful, splendid, celebrated, superb and famous convey the same idea. Think glossy magazines. They are mostly about people. Why are they so popular? Are we looking to find the perfect human being? There certainly is some glory to be seen in humans, even though it is incomplete.
Have you ever explored the Bible in search of a hero? Someone whose life you could emulate. Most young boys probably agree that David was the kind of hero they would love to be. He solved a whole nation’s problem with one heroic deed. Everyone liked him, except Saul who felt threatened by him. Even God preferred him above his older brothers. But later in his life he proved to have feet of clay. Having a friend killed so that he could marry his wife sounds like about the lowest depths a man can sink to.
Still, every time I meet a new person, I expect to experience something noble. Mostly I am disappointed. Those who meet me don’t find me that impressive either. A recent pop song expresses the despair we have of ever having a relationship with someone perfect. “I saw your face in a crowded place … I knew I’ll never be with you” sums it up. The hope is that somewhere out there is a person who would satisfy my every requirement of perfection. But I know I could never get close to her. Maybe I think that if I got close to her, she would reject me because of my flaws. Yet, the thought of such a living person colours my life with expectation.
Large parts of the books of Leviticus and Numbers deal with the things that make a person ceremonially unclean. In short, anything remotely related to a human being’s birth or death makes the affected parties unclean. That is why the woman who had been subject to bleeding in Luke 8:43-48 was so scared; she dared to touch Jesus when she knew she was unclean. One almost gets the impression that the Lord dislikes us all because most of the time we are unclean by his measure.
Some light can be shed on our uncertainty regarding God’s attitude to us by reading Romans 3:23 in The Message: “We've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us”. But if we are “utterly incapable” of living up to God’s standard, how can he still blame us? Deep inside every Christian knows God to be fair. There must be an answer to this mystery.
One conclusion we can draw from God’s seeming disapproval of us is that he has high expectations of us. We were created in his image. But our father Adam wanted to “like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4). Now we cannot get away from our responsibility to choose what is good and avoid every evil. God is not pleased with his image reflecting anything but perfection.
However, he knows we fail in our striving after perfection all the time. That is why he instituted a system of sacrifices for the Israelites. For every type of uncleanness there was a sacrifice to be offered. Later came the perfect sacrifice who was offered once and for all (Hebrews 9:26-28). By his sacrifice Jesus made us perfect (Hebrews 10:14). Through his blood we have a clear conscience and may approach the living God (Hebrews 9:14; 10:22). He even gave us the right to call God our Father (John 1:12).
As long as our confidence is in Jesus we will reflect God’s glory, even though it may not always be that obvious. Think of someone with a severe disability such as cerebral palsy. How does such a person interpret Jesus’ words: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”? (Matthew 5:48) From the context it is clear that Jesus was talking about an attitude of forgiveness and generosity of spirit. He was concerned about the heart. But with our cooperation God changes our hearts to become perfect (Hebrews 10:16; Romans 5:5). Also, we may ask for forgiveness when we fall short (1 John 1:9).
Most of us fully agree with the first half of the verse and know that somewhere, sometime we have done wrong. We have done what we knew to be wrong. We knew beforehand that it was wrong and did it anyway. Sure, we need forgiveness.
But how many of us have ever thought that the Almighty is unhappy with the fact that we “fall short of God’s glorious ideal” as the Living New Testament puts it? This can be more confusing when we compare it with the often quoted passage “I will not give my glory to another”? (Isaiah 48:11) If God is not willing to share his glory, then how am I supposed to be “crowned with glory” as Psalm 8:5 describes mankind.
There seems to be a yearning in the human heart to eyeball that which is glorious. The words magnificent, wonderful, splendid, celebrated, superb and famous convey the same idea. Think glossy magazines. They are mostly about people. Why are they so popular? Are we looking to find the perfect human being? There certainly is some glory to be seen in humans, even though it is incomplete.
Have you ever explored the Bible in search of a hero? Someone whose life you could emulate. Most young boys probably agree that David was the kind of hero they would love to be. He solved a whole nation’s problem with one heroic deed. Everyone liked him, except Saul who felt threatened by him. Even God preferred him above his older brothers. But later in his life he proved to have feet of clay. Having a friend killed so that he could marry his wife sounds like about the lowest depths a man can sink to.
Still, every time I meet a new person, I expect to experience something noble. Mostly I am disappointed. Those who meet me don’t find me that impressive either. A recent pop song expresses the despair we have of ever having a relationship with someone perfect. “I saw your face in a crowded place … I knew I’ll never be with you” sums it up. The hope is that somewhere out there is a person who would satisfy my every requirement of perfection. But I know I could never get close to her. Maybe I think that if I got close to her, she would reject me because of my flaws. Yet, the thought of such a living person colours my life with expectation.
Large parts of the books of Leviticus and Numbers deal with the things that make a person ceremonially unclean. In short, anything remotely related to a human being’s birth or death makes the affected parties unclean. That is why the woman who had been subject to bleeding in Luke 8:43-48 was so scared; she dared to touch Jesus when she knew she was unclean. One almost gets the impression that the Lord dislikes us all because most of the time we are unclean by his measure.
Some light can be shed on our uncertainty regarding God’s attitude to us by reading Romans 3:23 in The Message: “We've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us”. But if we are “utterly incapable” of living up to God’s standard, how can he still blame us? Deep inside every Christian knows God to be fair. There must be an answer to this mystery.
One conclusion we can draw from God’s seeming disapproval of us is that he has high expectations of us. We were created in his image. But our father Adam wanted to “like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4). Now we cannot get away from our responsibility to choose what is good and avoid every evil. God is not pleased with his image reflecting anything but perfection.
However, he knows we fail in our striving after perfection all the time. That is why he instituted a system of sacrifices for the Israelites. For every type of uncleanness there was a sacrifice to be offered. Later came the perfect sacrifice who was offered once and for all (Hebrews 9:26-28). By his sacrifice Jesus made us perfect (Hebrews 10:14). Through his blood we have a clear conscience and may approach the living God (Hebrews 9:14; 10:22). He even gave us the right to call God our Father (John 1:12).
As long as our confidence is in Jesus we will reflect God’s glory, even though it may not always be that obvious. Think of someone with a severe disability such as cerebral palsy. How does such a person interpret Jesus’ words: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”? (Matthew 5:48) From the context it is clear that Jesus was talking about an attitude of forgiveness and generosity of spirit. He was concerned about the heart. But with our cooperation God changes our hearts to become perfect (Hebrews 10:16; Romans 5:5). Also, we may ask for forgiveness when we fall short (1 John 1:9).
Relational teaching
The twentieth century may one day be remembered as the century of personality cults. Hitler, Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao Dse Dong and Kim Il Sung each drew millions of people to follow them to perdition.
Pop stars like Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, John Lennon, Bob Dylan and countless others are hero-worshipped and the term pop idol has emerged in the English language.
The church also has its heroes like Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, Jimmy Swaggart, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer and many more. When our Christian leaders fail, one often hears the cliché: “Don’t look at the person, look at Jesus”. “But I can’t see Jesus”, is what I feel like screaming at them. “In fact, I thought I saw some of Jesus in him but now I’m upset. I feel betrayed.”
Somehow, we humans are “wired” to learn relationally. How often do pupils not say, “I gave up on maths because of my teacher” or “My teacher inspired me to love history”? When it comes to the education of morals and how we should conduct our lives, the example our leaders set is more important than the things they teach. We learn more than what we are taught. That is why we are warned not to associate with a hot-tempered person, or we may “learn his ways” (Proverbs 22:24-25). For the most part children do as their parents do, rather than what their parents tell them to do. Jesus warned that it would be better for one to drown with a large stone around the neck than to cause a little one, who believes in him, to sin (Matthew 18:6).
The Bible teachers of Jesus’ day were teaching the correct beliefs but they did not model the kind of life a child of God should imitate (Matthew 5:20; 23:2-3). Today, when libraries of information are available at the click of a mouse, we need to be careful from whom we learn and what we learn from them. Jesus warned that in the last days many false prophets will appear (Matthew 24:24). He also told us to test them by the fruit they bear (Matthew 7:15-20). In our day of mass media that is not easy; we often rely on recommendations by people we trust.
Those of us who wish to teach others must be aware of our tremendous responsibility (James 3:1). We teach what we know, but we impart and reproduce what we are. We must ask ourselves “Do I, like the Pharisees, draw people to myself to become popular (Matthew 23:5-7), or is my goal to help them know Jesus better, like John the Baptist (John 3:30)?” For this reason Jesus told his followers not to use titles such as ‘Rabbi’ (Hebrew for teacher), ‘Father’ or ‘Master’ “but the greatest among you will be your servant” (Matthew 23:8-11). That is where the custom came from to call our leaders ministers, because ‘minister’ is an Old English word for servant.
Modelling the invisible Jesus or being ‘Jesus with a skin’ is the greatest challenge faced by everyone who aspires to instruct others on how to live. First, we must be in good standing with Jesus ourselves. We must not think we can keep on nurturing secret sin and our followers will not ‘catch’ our spirit. In my young days, a girlfriend dumped me with the words: “When I grow old and fat you will treat me just like you treat your mother and sisters now”. She learned something from my bad behaviour and believed she deserved better.
Pop stars like Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, John Lennon, Bob Dylan and countless others are hero-worshipped and the term pop idol has emerged in the English language.
The church also has its heroes like Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, Jimmy Swaggart, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer and many more. When our Christian leaders fail, one often hears the cliché: “Don’t look at the person, look at Jesus”. “But I can’t see Jesus”, is what I feel like screaming at them. “In fact, I thought I saw some of Jesus in him but now I’m upset. I feel betrayed.”
Somehow, we humans are “wired” to learn relationally. How often do pupils not say, “I gave up on maths because of my teacher” or “My teacher inspired me to love history”? When it comes to the education of morals and how we should conduct our lives, the example our leaders set is more important than the things they teach. We learn more than what we are taught. That is why we are warned not to associate with a hot-tempered person, or we may “learn his ways” (Proverbs 22:24-25). For the most part children do as their parents do, rather than what their parents tell them to do. Jesus warned that it would be better for one to drown with a large stone around the neck than to cause a little one, who believes in him, to sin (Matthew 18:6).
The Bible teachers of Jesus’ day were teaching the correct beliefs but they did not model the kind of life a child of God should imitate (Matthew 5:20; 23:2-3). Today, when libraries of information are available at the click of a mouse, we need to be careful from whom we learn and what we learn from them. Jesus warned that in the last days many false prophets will appear (Matthew 24:24). He also told us to test them by the fruit they bear (Matthew 7:15-20). In our day of mass media that is not easy; we often rely on recommendations by people we trust.
Those of us who wish to teach others must be aware of our tremendous responsibility (James 3:1). We teach what we know, but we impart and reproduce what we are. We must ask ourselves “Do I, like the Pharisees, draw people to myself to become popular (Matthew 23:5-7), or is my goal to help them know Jesus better, like John the Baptist (John 3:30)?” For this reason Jesus told his followers not to use titles such as ‘Rabbi’ (Hebrew for teacher), ‘Father’ or ‘Master’ “but the greatest among you will be your servant” (Matthew 23:8-11). That is where the custom came from to call our leaders ministers, because ‘minister’ is an Old English word for servant.
Modelling the invisible Jesus or being ‘Jesus with a skin’ is the greatest challenge faced by everyone who aspires to instruct others on how to live. First, we must be in good standing with Jesus ourselves. We must not think we can keep on nurturing secret sin and our followers will not ‘catch’ our spirit. In my young days, a girlfriend dumped me with the words: “When I grow old and fat you will treat me just like you treat your mother and sisters now”. She learned something from my bad behaviour and believed she deserved better.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
