Posted by vincevincevince on March 9, 2010
Why should we pray, and when should we pray? Do we have a mystical god who gives magic luck powder to those who ask with the right formula, or do we have a God who rules the heavens and the earth and from whom, and through whom and to whom are all things? In times of relative peace these questions seem easy and their answers obvious, yet in times of war and greater strife when what one might pray about relates to life and death in a very direct way, the answers that our practices reveal change from those we give in times of rest.
How easy it is for a man in a time of peace and rest to say we trust our lives to God our sole hope and defender; yet, how hard it is for him to uphold such a prayer when the enemy is in steady assault and the lives of his community are in very real danger!
It is apparent that there cannot be two answers between which we alternate dependent upon circumstance, for there are not two gods but one God, world without end. Either we falsely trust in God during times of peace, or we wrongly limit God in times of strife. This article, through the text of the forty-forth psalm, seeks to discuss some of the arguments that surround this difficult issue and reflect upon how the position we give to prayer reflects the position we give to God himself.
1. We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us : what thou hast done in their time of old
2. How thou hast driven out the heathen with thy hand, and planted them in : how thou hast destroyed the nations and cast them out.
Can any man deny our knowledge of the great works that God has done for us? We do not rely on looking in awe on the majesty of the world, but have heard with our ears the deeds which his arm has done. This is not a mere conviction of heart, but knowledge imparted through the word of God which we hear unto this very day. We are not then in ignorance of God and trusting in him as a new revelation, for truly no generation has been without witness to him from that of Adam until the present day. Even from Cain and Abel who made sacrifices to the Lord, he was held in such remembrance that Lamech the father of Noah could assuredly prophesy “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed this one shall bring us relief” (Genesis 5:29). And again, even from Noah until Abram, the Lord was remembered such that he needed no introduction or recapitulation of his deeds. Likewise most assuredly we too have heard with our ears what God has done for us in past times.
3. For they gat not the land in possession through their own sword : neither was it their own arm that helped them;
What is that great inheritance we have from the Lord? Is it not that us who as Gentiles were entirely cut off from the Lord are made as sons, being purified by the blood of Christ and made just before God through his atoning sacrifice? Even in defeat are we victorious, even in bondage are we free, and even in death are we in life. How then did we obtain such a great blessing and inheritance above all the kingdoms of the earth? Truly, in divergence to the Psalmist, it is through our own sword and the works of our own arm; for it is with our sword and the brutal force of our arm that the Christ, the very Son of God, was put to his death upon the cross. Our sole contribution to our own salvation has been to reject it, despising our Lord, scourging, humiliating, striking, piercing and crucifying God. What perversity indeed to believe that our salvation then comes about by means of our own might or merit! It should be abundantly clear that on the contrary our salvation is a work wrought by God and God alone, in spite of and in opposition to our every effort.
4. But thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance : because thou hadst a favour unto them.
How did Israel possess the promised land? Is it not through the work of God alone, a work of Love from God unto his chosen people? It is not because the people had a favor to God but that God had a favor to them; and this same favor is expressed in perfection in the words of Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). By grace alone God has wrought for us, in us, and around us that work above all works, the very greatest gift for which we might possibly hope. Our salvation is beyond the might of nations or the majesty of kings, for that which was entirely impossible for mankind to obtain and yet was necessary for him to escape just punishment for his grievous sin has been purchased for him by the most costly blood of Jesus.
5. Thou art my King, O God : send help unto Jacob.
Who then is our king, to whom we might appeal for defense? Who then has demonstrated beyond all others both his loving care over us and his terrible power to save us? God is our King, and it is to our King that we must appeal for help in times of distress. Yet, our King has not neglected to provide us with an ambassador to hear our pleas and mediate between us and the Father. In his great mercy, has not God appointed unto us Jesus, even that same Jesus whom we killed upon the cross and whom God has raised from the dead, to be our advocate in heaven? Our mighty and merciful God, from whom and through whom and to whom are all things (Romans 11:36), has invited us to bring before him our humble petitions; for he is our King. This then is prayer, to bring to our King our petition, secure in the knowledge of all that he has done for us – despite our rejection of him in every age, confident in his love for us – despite our hatred for his word and commands, and trusting in his mercy towards us – even so as to put his own Son to death for us.
6. Through thee will we overthrow our enemies : and in thy Name will we tread them under, that rise up against us.
How then are we to seek for ourselves rest from our enemies? Should we set out to subject them by our own might and our own means? Truly, to do so is to deny God. Surely our God who has saved our souls from the depths of hell through such a mighty work will defend us in a much smaller affair or worldly strife if it is proper that we be relieved. The Lord is our King, and no nation goes to war without the command of its king; indeed no nation declares war unless its King decrees it. We are not Kings but subjects, nor know we either the mind of God or his plan. If we trust in the Lord then we cannot doubt that he hears our petitions and responds to our complaints in the most loving, just and merciful way possible.
7. For I will not trust in my bow : it is not my sword that shall help me;
When we amass armies and ready ourselves for battle, forging weapons and training men to fight, have we not already rejected our God? We find it hard to believe that God can defend us unless we have provided him with resources sufficient to defend us, but did God not fell mighty Jericho with no more than a parade (Joshua 6)? Did not God reduce the army of Gideon from 32,000 men to just 300 to ensure that the victory was clearly from God and not from man (Judges 7:2), defeating the enemy with no more than trumpets (Judges 7:22)? Therefore it is clear that God has no need for our swords, our bow, our soldiers or our armies; for those whom God wishes to be defended he is always able to defend.
At this point perhaps some might object that we now live in a different age to that of Joshua and Gideon, or that they are of Israel and we of the nations. Truly, we are of a different age; for in our age we have what even David only dreamed of, for we have known the coming of the Messiah, we have been purchased by his blood, and it is to us that the Lord has revealed his plan for our salvation. Likewise, truly we are not the nation of Israel, for we are something greater. Although Israel was chosen to be the people of God, we are not only chosen as the people of God but are made as sons, being redeemed for the Lord in a manner far beyond the redemption of Israel in the Exodus from Egypt. Not only have our eyes seen the salvation of the Lord, but it is unto us that the salvation of the Lord has already been achieved.
8. But it is thou that savest us from our enemies : and puttest them to confusion that hate us.
If it is the Lord that saves us from our enemies, then most certainly we are saved from our enemies by the Lord. There is no call to over-think such a simple and powerful declaration of God our King and defender, the truth thereof is apparent to all but those who have hardened their hearts against his word. Do we therefore acknowledge the Kingship of God by trusting in his saving power, or do we persist in rejecting him as our King by commissioning another to defend us? If we trust in the Lord, then we must trust that he will hear our humble petitions and deal justly with us in answering thereof.
9. We make our boast of God all day long : and will praise thy Name for ever.
10. But now thou art far off, and puttest us to confusion : and goest not forth with our armies.
11. Thou makest us to turn our backs upon our enemies : so that they which hate us spoil our goods.
Is our defense then assured? Can we make a guarantee that if we pray to the Lord to defend us against an invading army, he will do so? Not at all. We, being human and selfish for worldly things, hasten to make a jump from knowing God as King to deciding that our King is under our command. That God hears our petitions and acts upon them is absolutely certain and guaranteed; we can be assured that “for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard” (Daniel 10:12). What is not promised nor even claimed is that God will agree with us on the course of action which is right in his sight. Isaiah rightly asks “Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel?” (Isaiah 40:13), and in the words of God himself writes that the ways and thoughts of God are not like those of man but are greatly higher (Isaiah 55:8-9).
In a human context, if a man appeals to his ruler, his ruler does not assist him in the way he has been asked without first considering whether that with which he wishes assistance is indeed right and profitable for the kingdom. Whether one side or both seek the ruler’s intervention, a just ruler forms an understanding of both sides and makes a decision for the common good. God is perfectly just and he knows all things on all sides, both past and future. We are protected therefore from the fear of our enemies, for we know that God who is just and righteous acts for us in all justice and righteousness; yet we cannot make that tempting leap to declaring us immune from assault by our enemies unless we can claim to know the mind of God.
12. Thou lettest us be eaten up like sheep : and hast scattered us among the heathen.
What a testament this is to God, to attribute even the destruction of the people to his decision. It is truly an action of God not to defend just as much as it is an action of God to defend. Whilst we naturally frustrate ourselves trying to understand why being overrun by enemies is right in the sight of the Lord, yet we cannot doubt that it is the decision of the Lord that it proceed in such a way. To hold otherwise is to declare either that the Lord does not hear prayer, or that the living and loving God is powerless.
13. Thou sellest thy people for nought : and takest no money for them.
14. Thou makest us to be rebuked of our neighbours : to be laughed to scorn, and had in derision of them that are round about us.
15. Thou makest us to be a by-word among the heathen : and that the people shake their heads at us.
What then has God promised to us? Truly, he has not promised peace but persecution; he has not promised rest from our enemies, but enemies. Yet, despite the grimness of such promises, there is great comfort for we are assured that we are not deserted by God at such a time but that all these things shall come to pass. It is enough for us to cling to the word of our Lord, who beseeches us to love our enemies, blessing them that curse us, doing good to them that hate us, and praying for those who despitefully use us and persecute us (Matthew 5:44). This is obedience, not only to obey when obedience seems convenient, reasonable and comforting, but to obey in all things and against all trials and temptations. Our Lord died on the Cross, and yet God raised him to sit at his right hand; our salvation does not rest upon there being peace on earth or that we pass our lives without being mistreated by our enemies, and it is in that salvation that we find our true deliverance.
16. My confusion is daily before me : and the shame of my face hath covered me;
17. For the voice of the slanderer and blasphemer : for the enemy and avenger.
Putting to death our worldly desires and base instincts is hard; yet is it greater than the debt of gratitude we owe to the Cross, to which we owe our life itself? Our sorrow at what befalls us is very real and entirely proper, yet it is a sorrow of peace and not of anger. We have one who we know will ensure that justice prevails, who will recompense the wronged and punish the wicked according to their deeds. The world is most assuredly a den of thieves and a pit of vipers, a place where evil abounds and the truth is attacked on every side; and so it is the greatest calling of our love and obedience to our Lord not to repay evil for evil and wrong for wrong, but to share with others the great and glorious message of the Cross, proclaiming the Gospel for the salvation of both our enemies and our allies.
18. And though all this be come upon us, yet do we not forget thee : nor behave ourselves frowardly in thy covenant.
19. Our heart is not turned back : neither our steps gone out of thy way;
Whilst we strive to walk in God’s ways, trusting in God as our King to answer our petition as He alone knows is right, we attest to the faith in which we gain our assurance of salvation. With every temptation comes the opportunity to declare our faith with more than a prayer, to show it with our deeds in listening to the word of God. From faith proceeds faithfulness, and so we may draw great strength in being faithful as it is a true witness to the faith wherein we are assured of salvation.
20. No, not when thou hast smitten us into the place of dragons : and covered us with the shadow of death.
Who then is it that permits us to be smitten with the sword of the enemy, if it is not God? Can any ill befall us if God does not allow it? In all that comes to pass, we may draw great comfort from this – that our God knows our faith and the sacrifices we make for his name, and that at the end of this life of trials we who have faith in him and the work of his Son shall still inherit life eternal.
21. If we have forgotten the Name of our God, and holden up our hands to any strange god : shall not God search it out? for he knoweth the very secrets of the heart.
Just as Job in grievous affliction did not sin against the Lord by cursing him for bringing affliction, so too must we bear the ill-treatment of the world because we call God our Father. Affliction, whilst terrible to us, does not excuse us from obedience to God. It is rather in affliction that we are given a treasured chance to exercise our faith in God, for that easy faith that costs a man nothing likewise is easily denied and almost as nothing. Though we ourselves would at all costs avoid being tried by fire, it is therein that we are purified and strengthened unto the Lord (see I Peter 1:6-7).
22. For thy sake also are we killed all the day long : and are counted as sheep appointed to be slain.
So then, do we resent ourselves being counted as sheep appointed to be slain, if the alternative is to be counted goats appointed for the condemnation? How much better to be slain a sheep and enter into God’s rest than to die a goat and enter into God’s wrath! The Lord is indeed our shepherd, and though he brings us through both evils and even death itself, in following him we shall assuredly “dwell in the house of the LORD
forever” (Psalm 23:1,4,6).
23. Up, Lord, why sleepest thou : awake, and be not absent from us for ever.
24. Wherefore hidest thou thy face : and forgettest our misery and trouble?
25. For our soul is brought low, even unto the dust : our belly cleaveth unto the ground.
26. Arise, and help us : and deliver us for thy mercy’s sake.
Let us then trust in the Lord, although we do not understand his ways or his thoughts (Proverbs 3:5); yet we have reason for great certainty that he does indeed hear our prayers and that he does without fail know of our suffering. Will he will deliver us for his mercy’s sake? Yes, most certainly he will, for he has already done so through the work of the Cross wherein we were delivered; and this for us is the great deliverance that makes all other trial and tribulation bearable. Therefore, it is surely right to ever humble ourselves before God, even with our souls brought low unto the dust, for he alone has done great things for us, our King and our Redeemer and it is in him alone that we put our trust.
As Luther’s moving hymn ‘A mighty fortress’ puts it:
That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.
I don’t see prayer as a means by which one obtains added power or extra luck; rather, it is a petition to Almighty God who alone has sovereign rule over all people, places and times. Both sides may pray, yet I think it a misunderstanding to feel that both sides are somehow aided in their partisan efforts by prayer.
Therefore, on what basis do we assume God is unable to tell us that he wants us to depart from his general command and to go to war? God is unchanging, and his love for us is undiminished. In recent centuries we have not prayed to God with the intention of putting the matter in his hands and trusting in his guidance; but rather we have prayed for help and blessing on a course of action we ourselves have decided.
If we have indeed prayed with trust in God as our ruler, yet God has not recently counseled us to go to war, does that mean he is unable and unwilling to counsel man any more, or that he has left it in our hands to decide what we think fitting? Consider for a moment the doctrine of ‘Just War’, which declares that God smiles upon our violent endeavour when it fulfills certain criteria; amongst which is the exhaustion of all other reasonable solutions. I put it to you that until prayer is exhausted then there is yet a reasonable solution, which is to continue to pray. If we deny this, then as has been discussed at length, we deny that God is King and rather treat him only as the giver of historical moral precepts. If we deny that prayer is always a more reasonable solution than deciding to go to war, then we are reducing the status of the petitions we make to our King to a magic charm to give us a bit of extra power in continuing down a path of our own decision.
It is a very dangerous doctrine to ascribe to God’s seeming inaction following prayer a license to act as if God were not our King. Our rational or emotional thought processes lead us to asking ourselves what we feel God might tell us to do if he were here, whilst forgetting both that God is yet with us and that even when he was here in bodily form his chosen course of action was to be put on the cross to die at the hands of us, his enemies. If God has not revealed to us that we should go to war, but rather directed us against such an action through his word, it must suffice for us to trust in him and mortify our own wishes and emotions.
Unless we are willing to put the word of God above the thought of man in every situation then we do not by any means acknowledge God as our King, but are like traitors and spies who maintain the outward appearance of citizenship but inwardly despise the King, ever plotting to undermine or depose Him.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be ;
world without end. Amen
Posted by vincevincevince on February 16, 2010
Tomorrow (Wednesday) marks the start of Lent, a period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) that ends at Easter. Traditionally it is a time to reflect upon the times when we have not been as loving as we could have been, whether to God or to our neighbour; when we have been selfish, greedy, lustful or disrespectful. This concept of acknowledging this our sin reminds us that we are not by any means acceptable before God, but rather that we are criminals standing condemned. God cannot accept us who have turned away from his will, a will we know well as it is written both on our conscience and in the scriptures.
In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul explains (Romans 3:10-18):
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Romans 3:13
So why should we go through such a depressing season, a time when we focus not on the positive but on the negative? What purpose does bringing up so much negative energy serve? Can such a focus on our wretched state and the impending wrath of God actually serve a useful purpose?
It comes down to answering a simple but very central question – “why did Jesus die upon the cross?” The Prophet Isaiah, writing around 700 years before Jesus was born, prophesied (Isaiah 53:4-6):
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
During Lent we remember that it is us – you, and me – who like sheep have all gone astray, turning to our own ways. It is because of this turning away, because of our sin, that Jesus died on the cross, so that through bearing our sin he could bring us to salvation. Those who are able to help themselves need no saviour; those who do not see their own sinful condition need no salvation. There then appears no meaning to the work of Jesus, no reason to trust in him, no value in his death upon the cross, unless we are able to see the reality of our own sin.
LORD, I am not righteous, not even a little.
I do not understand;
I do not seek after God;
I have departed from your commands, and become worse than useless;
I do no good, not even a little.
My words are like the stench of the open grave;
My tounge is accustomed to lying and deciving;
My lips are armed with venom against my neighbour;
My mouth is full of curses and bitter hatred.
I hasten my feet to the shedding of blood;
I leave destruction and misery in my wake;
I know not the way of peace;
Nor does my heart fear my God.
LORD, have mercy on me, a wretched sinner.
Amen
Posted by vincevincevince on January 24, 2010
Can we really take the Bible seriously when it talks about Jesus wondering around, bumping into people with demons possessing them, and casting them out? In the light of modern science, how can we reconcile the presence and threat of demons, devils and sorcery with our lack of evidence for any of them? Perhaps the demons, the devils and the sorcery are all myths, and perhaps so is their counterbalance, God.
Matthew 8:16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.
Taking the part of the devils advocate – where have all the demons gone? Now; we know that it is the assigned work of Satan to tempt us, bringing us to rebellion against God. I can think of three types of rebellion against God, the first being to disobey the revealed law of God, the second is to disobey the law of God written upon our hearts, and the third is to deny the revealed God entirely. The first two are classical definitions of sin as disobedience to God, yet the third is something a bit deeper. When we deny God despite him having revealed himself to us, we make ourselves god for we acknowledge nobody and nothing as having a greater power than man.
The first two commandments together require us to acknowledge only God, and to put nothing and no person in his place. When we raise ourselves up as God then we fall so surely and so heavily by making an idol of ourselves. This is both blasphemy and idolatry and of the very highest level. This is the state of post-modern philosophy today – there is nothing supernatural and there is nothing beyond us. God is at best conceptual, and usually merely figurative. I do not believe that such a state of godless philosophy has existed in any time since that of Christ; for even savages who know nothing of the special revelation of God acknowledge that there is something or someone greater than them, some form of supernatural power. What a victory for Satan! What an easy job for Satan, when even those who have learned of God deny him and his law, denying the very concept of sin and hence the reason to resist it.
At first, such a philosophy seems fine, we assume that people are generally good and know how to behave. Even without God, we should be able to keep going on a reasonable path, at least no worse than before. Unfortunately, this neglects to ask where our moral anchor comes from, and it comes from God and the Word of God. When a ship raises its anchor nothing happens, the ship does not move, everything remains the same as it was before; yet it is clear that the ship will now drift anywhere it likes, being driven even unto destruction on the rocks. The same is true for a society uncoupled from its anchor – although at first all seems well and of no effect, it is both sure and certain that over time society will drift from its remembered patterns of Christian life into the depths of moral depravity and sin. When nobody has the ability to say “this is wrong” then all that was once wrong drifts towards being right. What a victory for Satan indeed!
Now consider if at this time, Satan were to openly send demons out amongst mankind, possessing them and causing them to curse God, exhibiting supernatural strengths in their depravity and evil. What a disaster that would be for Satan! The post-modern philosophy would evaporate like the morning dew with the clear demonstration of the existence of the supernatural devil and his evil. What a strong testimony to God the devil is when he is perceived by man, for in acknowledging the forces of evil man must acknowledge the existence of evil and hence sin. If a man realises the existence of sin then he too testifies to some form of God – as without a god there can be no definition of what is sinful and what is not. What a disaster that would be indeed for Satan, if man were to again acknowledge the concept of sin and the supernatural, and begin to think of taking care to avoid the former and seek the later.
Matthew 8:28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
Therefore I suggest that it is not due to greater revelation and the closeness of Christ that we rarely see physical manifestations of demons amongst us, but rather due to our denial of even the general revelation of God and our failure to acknowledge the sin that Christ came to take away. Our condition today as those who deny not only the God of the Bible but the very concepts of God, righteousness and sin, is very much more evil than even savages to whom the Gospel has never been preached. The devil has no need to scare us away from righteousness through open works of evil, for we are quite happy to depart for hell of our own accord.
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon us, and mercifully open our ears to hear you and our hearts to receive you as the sole Lord and master of mankind; that through a knowledge of you we might take heed of the depth of our sin, being drawn to repentance and forgiveness in your name. Amen.
Posted by vincevincevince on December 7, 2009
At advent, it is traditional to pray for the new advent, the return of Christ; and amongst these prayers is usually one that Christ return that sin might cease. The end of sin coming with the end of this world is a Biblical concept, and well supported by scripture, and yet sometimes in our zealous longing for the return of Christ we fail to take time to properly think about the sin which is around us now.
We live in what has been described as the ‘now but not yet’; a period in which we have now inherited the promise of salvation, have already seen the coming of the Messiah, and but have not yet seen the final acts of completion take place in the establishment of a new heavens and a new earth when our sinful state and fallen relationship with God will be finally restored. So this means that sin is around us, and indeed within us, even though Christ has already died upon the cross. Yet, our salvation should change the way in which we see sin; for whilst we once looked as sinners without hope, now we look as a people redeemed by the great grace of God.
Without salvation, we could do nothing but measure our lives according to our possessions, whether they be tangible, such as a house or a car, or intangible, such as renown or popularity. Now we are in Christ our glory is hidden until his return, and we no longer measure ourselves with the measure of the world. Christ has turned the loss we once suffered when we are sinned against right on its head.
This morning I awoke to find that someone had broken into my car and stolen money from within it. It wasn’t a lot of money yet it was enough to make a difference. How should I respond? Should I respond? The really important question to answer is whether I have been wronged, and if so, in what way have I been wronged.
I have lost some money, and now have fewer worldly possessions; yet even that is no more than the fulfilment of scripture that earthly treasures are stolen away or decay. Jesus exults us to pile up great treasures for ourselves, but not on earth but in heaven. The lesson of Matthew 6:19-20 looks like a reiteration of the law and not directly founded in the Gospel, yet close attention to 6:21 transforms the message into something we can understand through the Gospel and in the Gospel for it relates the statement of law with our rebirth in Christ.
Matthew 6:
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
What then have I lost, if a man has taken away from me something which is keeping my heart away from God? Have I not rather gained, if only a little, by having fewer treasures here on earth to drag me down on the day of the Lord? Yet, this neutralisation of sin, whilst important is not the end of the story. I depend upon the saving work of Christ, for without it, I have no means to stand before God as a wretched sinner — I rely upon forgiveness of sins in his name. Likewise; as Jesus explains in his chilling warning of Matthew 18:32-35, it would be a rejection of the very act of my salvation if I were not to forgive those who sin against me.
Matthew 18:
32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’
34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.
35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
So, in being sinned against, not only has the effect of the sin been neutralised by Christ, indeed by forgiving the sin of the person who stole from me I am in direct obedience to Christ in showing others the same mercy that I rely on from Him.
Where then is anger and retribution? Where is the need for revenge and punishment? Surely, there was a sin committed last last night; yet the victim was not me. The victim of the sin was the thief, who has piled yet more charges to his wretched account. If anything, I come out of the experience with more than I had whilst the money was still within the car.
I think that if we really think deeply about the sin which is around us in the context of Christ and his great work of salvation, we start to see that the end of the effects of sin which we await with the second coming of Christ has already arrived, if not generally then at least personally. So, I will pray for the person who stole from me, not for my own ends but that God might by his grace bring that person into the knowledge of Christ, an undeserved mercy which I too undeserving obtained through his grace alone.
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Posted by vincevincevince on December 6, 2009
Being sentenced to death is no laughing matter. Based upon serious crimes you have committed, your life is to be ended, and there is now nothing you can do but try to delay the inevitable. Your only hope is that your crimes, which are many, might be forgiven by the authorities and you be mercifully granted a pardon.
All men are sinners, and all deserve death, for all have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The judgement is already clear and our sentence will be carried out at the appointed time. That’s why we must all pin our hopes and lives on Him who is able to pardon us our many sins by taking them on himself, Jesus Christ.
As a reminder of this free pardon, received through no merit or deed of our own but rather despite our lack of merit or righteous acts, download a ‘death row pardon’ deed expressing the glorious declaration of justification by the death of Jesus Christ for our salvation, bringing us to repentance and forgiveness of sins in his name.
You might want to print it onto parchment-style paper and frame it as a talking point, or fold a copy within Christmas greeting cards as a reminder of just why Jesus Christ was, is, and will ever be such a big deal.
Have a correction to the wording you would like to see made? Drop me a comment!
Posted by vincevincevince on October 7, 2009
Having fasted for forty days in the wilderness, the devil came upon Jesus and tempted him in three ways, including on a mountain and at the top of a tower. Where was this mountain and is it called? Was this an actual event, allegory, or is it just a story? What can we learn from it? (Questions via myfaithinjesus.com).
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Matthew 4
Having read a few different sources and considered the matter myself, these are the sum total of my thoughts on the issue… please do correct me where you feel I am wrong using the comments below. Please remember these are a collection of thoughts and not educational or quotable material!
The mountain remains without a name because the name is not important. Indeed, the mountain may have even been in the heavens above. The fact that the devil could show Jesus all the nations of the earth in a moment of time is not due to the particular vantage point, but due to the power of the devil to do so. You may as well ask how the devil was able to take him to the top of the tower, or move him from desert to mountain: these are powers within the ability of the devil.
The event is not allegory; it is recorded exactly as it happened. There is no reason to suggest that it is not an account of fact. However, the very fact that it happened was symbolic of two other events. First, it is a re-run of the fall of man in the garden of Eden, in which man fell for the temptation of the devil. This time Jesus, the perfect man, did not give in. Second, it is a pre-run of the end-times during which Jesus will conqueror the devil entirely and reign with power and dominion over the new heavens and new earth.
The bread reminds us of our mortal lusts that pull us away from the worship of God. Recall that the words “grant us O Lord our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive all who trespass against us” are followed by a prayer that God “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”. This reverses the situation entirely; instead of being tempted by the devil to enrich ourselves and having to depend upon our own wisdom or ability, we trust in God to mercifully provide what we need both physically and spiritually, the devil being held at bay by his grace.
The mountain-top view of all the nations of the earth should bring to mind our lust for power. How many godly men have become corrupted by their drive to become powerful and influential? Surely many enter politics and ministry with the most righteous of goals only to end up compromising everything for the acquisition of more power. Patience is greatly commended to us, for it is the saints who hold steadfastly to Christ that shall judge even the angels. That Christ exults those who would be great to become servants to the rest is by no means unfair; for to those who follow his words will truly be given greatness far beyond that which the world can possible provide; for even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than the greatest prophet born of woman.
From the pinnacle of the tower we might think of another human tendency; that of insubordination. Just as a child who knows the love of his parents will try to direct them make himself their ruler, so too do we have a tendency to try to abuse the love of God and his infinite mercy to our own ends. Even in prayer, we are much faster to ask for favours than to reciprocate the love of God. Although the scripture here reminds us not to test God; when we look further, we see that the reason we should not test God is because to test someone is the action of a master to a subordinate, and never something administered by a subordinate to his master. From this too follows the commandment to honour your father and mother, for to dishonour your parents is to attempt to place yourself above them that gave you birth; just as to dishonour God is to attempt to place yourself above Him who created all of mankind.
Posted by vincevincevince on September 1, 2009
Just a bit of fun! No, it doesn’t ‘actually run’. As I wrote it I was thinking about the power of God’s Word, in particular how his very command can cause things to be created, to come to life or to perform any action that he requires. In a way, it is similar to a programmer – one voice of absolute power with the ability to see, create, destroy and command all things. The parallel text can be found at the very beginning of your Bible.
[word@god ~]# cat creation.word
#!/bin/word // 1:1-5
begin creation
public earth = new domain();
earth.content = 1/0 * void();
earth.startCreation('spirit');
var light = new creation();
try {
earth.addChild(light); }
catch {
throw(E_BAD,'LIGHT FAILURE'); }
earth.light.status = E_GOOD; // all ok
list day('Day','Night') =
earth.light.filter(dark==false,dark==true);
earth.templates.day = day; // save for future days
earth.today = 1;
earth.days[earth.today++] = byVal earth.templates.day;
//firmament routine // 1:6-8
var f = new creation();
for (var a in earth.waters)
if (a.index>f.index)
{
f.waters.addChild(a);
earth.waters.removeChild(a);
}
private heaven = f;
earth.days[earth.today++] = byVal earth.templates.day;
earth.waters.defragment(); // 1:9-13
var dryland = earth.waters.getFreespace();
var seas = earth.waters.getUtilisation();
try { dryland.generate(E_GRASS,E_HERB,E_FRUIT) }
catch { throw(E_BAD,'LIFE ON EARTH NOT GOOD'); }
dryland.status = E_GOOD;
earth.days[earth.today++] = byVal earth.templates.day;
//lights in heavens, use for signs/seasons/days/years // 1:14-19
var lights = Array();
lights[0] = new light
(size = 10,
attach = earth.templates.day[Day]);
lights[1] = new light
(size = 2,
attach = earth.templates.day[Night]);
foreach (lights as l) heaven.addChild(l);
var stars = Array();
for (var a = 0; a < inf; a++) stars[a] = new star();
foreach (stars as s) heaven.addChild(s);
if (earth.checkStatus()) earth.status = E_OK;
else throw(E_BAD,'LIGHTING ERROR');
earth.days[earth.today++] = byVal earth.templates.day;
earth.generate(E_WATERCREATURE, E_FOWL); // 1:20-23
earth.setGenerationSpeed(1000);
foreach (earth.creation as x)
if (x.typeOf == E_FOWL) x.setDomain(earth,heaven);
earth.generate(E_WHALES);
foreach (earth.creation as x)
x.limitChild.typeOf=x.typeOf; //after their kind
if (earth.creation.checkStatus()) earth.status = E_OK;
else throw(E_BAD,'CREATION ERROR');
foreach (earth.creation as x) x.nice--; //more CPU
earth.days[earth.today++] = byVal earth.templates.day;
var livingcreatures = // 1:24-31
Array(E_CATTLE, E_BEAST, E_CREEPING);
earth.generate(livingcreatures);
foreach (earth.creation as x)
x.limitChild.typeOf=x.typeOf; //after their kind
if (earth.creation.checkStatus()) earth.status = E_OK;
else throw(E_BAD,'CREATION ERROR / LIVING THINGS');
//man project
var man = new creation();
man.style = byVal earth.parentNode.style; //cp God
foreach (earth.creation as x)
if (x.hasLife) x.addController(man.groupId);
man.addVariant(E_FEMALE);
man.addVariant(E_MALE);
man.addFood(livingcreatures,E_GRASS,E_HERB,E_FRUIT);
man.nice--;
earth.creation.addChild(man);
foreach (earth.creation as x)
if (x.hasLife && (x.typeOf == E_BEAST || x.typeOf == E_CREEP ||
x.typeOf = E_FOWL)) x.addFood(E_HERB);
if (earth.getStatus() && heaven.getStatus()) return (E_VERYGOOD);
else throw(E_BAD,'FAILURE ON DAY 6');
earth.days[earth.today++] = byVal earth.templates.day;
daemonize();
//TODO: rest
//TODO: expose parent API to creation
//TODO: invoke interactive-mode man object (sometime later)
end program
[word@god ~]# date
Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 GMT 0000
[word@god ~]# ./creation.word
Creation started as pid 143. To stop type: kill -9 143
Got status: E_VERYGOOD
Appending output to creation.log
[word@god ~]# _
Hope you found it worth the read! Drop me a comment if you liked it; but please no technical questions on syntax or language!
Posted by vincevincevince on August 17, 2009
My personal thoughts on Mark 10 verse 21:
Mark 10
17. And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
18. And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
19. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
20. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
21. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
22. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
23. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
24. And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
25. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
I’m going to focus on 10:21:
Mark 10:21. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
The teaching here is addressed to a Jewish man who has asked what he lacks before God. The man professes to have followed the commandments, by which it means the law of Moses. This is part of the covenant between God and his chosen nation; however what Jesus mentions is not directly from the law of Moses. This disappoints the man, who it is likely had hoped to be told he was righteousness in the eyes of God.
There is a juxtaposition here between two covenants; the first is the Davidic covenant, which was given through Abraham and renewed in David – a covenant of inheritance within the world. The second is the new covenant, which is with all peoples – a covenant of inheritance in the world to come. The words ‘and come, take up the cross, and follow me’ are an invitation to join into the new covenant. The reference to the cross has two meanings; the first is that to follow Christ is to die to the sinful world, the second is a reference to future events. To take up the cross, before the crucifixion would have been understood in terms of loyalty even unto death; not unlike a solider who pledges to serve even if it means being killed.
This mix of the two covenants is the key to the passage; the old covenant prefigures the new. It is a model on earth of what is to come to pass later. Where the old covenant was concerned with outwards cleanliness or that which is kosher, the new is concerned in just the same way with inward cleanliness and purity of heart.
Mat 15:11. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Before Christ, the Proverbs already point out the fallacy of riches – that having riches on earth does not make one rich.
Prov 13:7. There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: There is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great wealth.
Later, Paul echoes this proverb in his letter to the church at Corinth. He is to be understood as saying that they are to bring the great gift of God to enrich others, though in terms of money they are poor:
2 Cor 6:10. as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
Perhaps this can be learnt from the passage in Mark: that God requires us to forsake building earthly wealth for oursleves and instead give it to the poor, that they might not be poor. The way that we treat others who are in need is the way that we treat God Himself. If we do not show love to those who are poor and needy, we do not show love to God.
The groundwork already existed from the Old Testment (e.g. Ezekiel 18 5-9) but it related very powerfully by Jesus in Matthew 25 34-40:
Mat 25
34. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35. for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in;
36. naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink?
38. And when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39. And when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40. And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.
So; if a man has money, land or property beyond his needs, it is contrary to what God wishes, because his neighbour (by whom we mean any fellow man) who is poor and in need of support has not been given help. It is not even encouraged to save up riches for our own future needs, for God knows our requirements and if we trust him, he will give us what is right in his sight.
What man can meet this standard? Surely even the monks who claim to take these works literally have safeguarded for their future by joining the monastry. Indeed, if this is part of the standard, who can be saved?
At the last, we must realise that we cannot by our own means achieve righteousness, even though we might strive to do so. It is a mission doomed to failure. Therefore it is only through the atoning work of Christ that we are able to meet the standard; through faith in him whom God has sent we are made righteous before the Almighty.
Mat 6:31. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32. (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
So what do you think? Do I have the wrong end of the stick? Have I grossly misunderstood something? Leave me a comment and let me know!
Posted by vincevincevince on August 13, 2009
We’re used to watching television documentaries about dismal poverty in far-away places such as Africa or Burma; far less accustomed to the same stories happening in our own neighbourhood. Our accustomed numbness and practiced deafness is strengthened by the comforting knowledge that although the stories are sad, they are not really our affair. After all, the neighbourhoods we in which we live have their own problems that need our attention – perhaps not hunger, but probably anti-social behaviour, infrequent garbage collections, unkempt lawns and planning problems at the local council.
Despite what we read in certain tabloids, most of our communities usually do a good job of being a nice neighbourhood. Things do get dealt with, given time, and where there are people or places in real need help does arrive from one place or another. We have charities addressing all kinds of local social ills, hospitals with an increasingly patient focused ethos, schools, benefit payments and all kinds of other means by which things really do hold together.
In another part of your neighbourhood
I’m going to shatter the illusion. Both you and I are living in dreamland if we think the neighbourhood is OK. There are definitely families in your own neighbourhood who are so hungry they are likely to die in the next month. There are others who are seriously ill but unable to get the treatment that would save them. In another part of your neighbourhood there are children who would love to go to school, if only there was one they could reach. In places, things are so bad that the people have taken up arms and are engaged in terrorist action to get attention from the local council.
I can say this with absolute certainty. These people are in your neighbourhood, you just need to open your eyes and understand that the boundaries of your neighbourhood are not geographic but moral. Our duty to be a good neighbour is summed up in the simple words of Moses “you shall love your neighbour as yourself” Lev 19:18.
Jesus explained it, much later, in answer to question. Someone asked him “who is my neighour?”. In response, a story was told Luke 10:29-37, and like all good stories it has a moral behind it.
A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
The question Jesus asked in order to illustrate the moral of the story was: “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers?”. The man answered him “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
We can all learn a lot from this, today especially. Our modern societies are increasingly divided and subdivided; not only do we have very little awareness of those some distance away, but we often don’t know those who live just a few paces from our door. We may never look outside our class, club and profession – whole communities can live in the same town with almost no interaction.
Everyone here on Earth today is your neighbour, and my neighbour; and the entire globe is our common neighbourhood. Remember what St. Paul writes: “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” 1 Cor 10:24 — let’s try to improve parts of our global neighbourhood that don’t directly improve our own quality of life or property value.
Comments welcome
Posted by vincevincevince on August 11, 2009
It’s not easy to find time to read the Bible; however I have finally found a way to get a good hour or so in each evening, guaranteed. It is fairly easy to set up, but takes nine-and-a-half months before things start to work.
1) Know your wife (or husband) and cause your own little tribe to multiply (Genesis 1:28).
2) Wait nine-and-a-half months.
3) Immediately, you will be presented with the inability to sleep at night and the need to spend the early hours reading, rocking, singing and bouncing
The key step comes at this point; in the selection of reading matter employed. A tiny baby does not understand Spot the Dog any more than Exodus. At this stage, the little one is focused upon the rhythm of your voice and the interesting sounds coming from your mouth. Even for the older child (note I am not a child psychologist) I cannot see why Egypt being cursed with plagues would be any less enthralling than a mouse leading a monster around the forest.
Selecting an easy to read translation is probably going to be beneficial here; something like the ESV is probably a good bet. To reduce the light required to read; read from a laptop. Now, you achieve three things: your little one drifts off to sleep before you feel bored waiting, you get to put in some time reading the Bible, and perhaps subconsciously and over a few years, your child will learn something of life-and-death significance.
For a change or when the baby seems a little slow to settle, why not try singing Psalms? In my experience they work just as well as a lullaby; in fact with a bit of a stretch you can even fit them to the tune of a lullaby.
