From the Chaplain

Men’s Words or God’s Word

The Apostle Paul commended the Thessalonian believers for their reception of his ministry among them. In fact, he was particularly given to rejoicing because “when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (I Thessalonians 2:13). Paul understood that there is a real distinction, one of genuine consequence, between words of men and the very word of God. Many preachers today have little appreciation for the word of God and, consequently, offer sermons of their own inventions that have no real power to change lives. How infinitely superior is the life-giving and life-changing word of the living God!

Much could be said about God’s word, more than time or space allows. But a few thoughts are worthy of consideration. First, God’s word is simply that – His word. Paul reminded Timothy that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). The word “inspiration” means “breathed out”. God breathed out his word to holy men who wrote the scriptures. Consequently, it bears the very character of all that God is – holy, righteous, true, and much more. For example, God is infallible; therefore, his word is infallible. God is trustworthy; therefore, his word is trustworthy. God’s word cannot be separated from who he is and the attributes he bears.

This fact, that God’s word is “breathed out” from God makes his word living. It is this particular truth that Paul observed among the Thessalonians. They received God’s word and his word effectually worked in them. His word gave them life and changed their lives! Peter writes of the life-giving power of God’s word as the agent of the new birth. He reminds us that we are “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (I Peter 1:23).

Christ during his earthly ministry encountered a time when “many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” When Christ asked the twelve if they would also turn back, Peter answered “to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:66-68). The word of God gives life, but it also changes lives. David wrote “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9). It is by the word of God that we put away sin in our lives and practice righteousness.

Have you received the word of God as those first century Thessalonian believers, as it is in truth, the word of God? Have you experienced its life-giving power through the gospel of Jesus Christ? As Peter wrote, “And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (I Peter 1:25). Whose words are you giving heed to – God’s or men’s?

Members Should Care

Paul had written to the Corinthian believers in response to their questions concerning spiritual gifts. The church in Corinth was characterized by much division (I Corinthians 3:3) and contributing to this division was their misuse of these spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 12:28-31). Paul had explained to them that the gifts were to be used for the benefit of the entire body (I Corinthians 12:7). While the purpose for the gifts was clarified, the cause for division had yet to addressed – discontent.

Paul tells his audience “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him (I Corinthians 12:18). The church is God’s work. Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry made this clear when he told Peter “…I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). The gifts are distributed as God chooses for the purposes which he intends to accomplish in his body, the church. Why then do we grumble and complain when we see the gifts of others and treat our own as inconsequential. We complain against God.

Paul used the human body to make this point clear. “But now are there many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you” (I Corinthians 12:20-21). The parts of the body are made to operate in harmony. We all know of someone who has suffered the loss of use of a leg, hand, eye, etc. The body struggles to compensate for such loss.

And so is the church. God made the church body to be comprised of many members that are dependent on one another for its proper functioning. In fact, such inter-dependency is intended to emphasize unity “that there should be no schism (division) in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another” (I Corinthians 12: 25).

No organization can thrive without each of its members making the contribution expected from their position. And members cannot fulfill their role when they are discontent with their lot and grumbling about others. We see this truth played out in businesses, sports teams, governments, etc. The church is no different.

The key to overcoming these undesirable organizational behaviors is to actually care for one another. Paul writes “…that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it” (I Corinthians 12:25-26). To have real unity, there must be genuine love that looks beyond ourselves to the needs and cares of others. Paul wrote to the Philippians “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:4).

Reflect on this claim in the context of your own organization. Does it matter to you about those with whom you serve?

Love…Not Easily Provoked, Thinketh No Evil

The Bible describes love primarily in how it behaves or acts. In doing so, it necessarily addresses how love does not behave as well. The Scriptures tell us love “is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil” (I Corinthians 13:5). At the risk of oversimplifying, if I am easily provoked or given to thinking evil, my behavior is not loving and cannot be of God or pleasing to God. The Scripture calls that sin.

What does it mean to be easily provoked? The phrase used in Scripture means to be inclined to readily argue or debate. Often this kind of behavior arises from a need to be always right. This person’s view on any matter is correct and, consequently, to be agreed upon by all. We have all been engaged with those who need to control the conversation so that their viewpoint is both heard and embraced. But truthfully, none of us is exempt from such behavior. We are all given over to it to one degree or another and it is only by the grace of God that we are delivered from such an evil inclination.

There is another area of life common to all where such an inclination to argue or debate shows itself. Those who are prone to this kind of behavior do not take instruction well. They chafe at the instruction of those in authority. Note that our definition emphasizes a readiness to argue or debate. Authority requires this person’s submission, but inside there is a readiness to argue. He (or she) thinks he knows better than those in charge which results in a half-hearted obedience. Love is not easily provoked. Are you?

Paul continues with his instruction by reminding his audience that love “thinketh no evil.” To think evil in this sense is to presuppose evil to others actions or motives. Love does not do that. Think of all the arguments, strivings, and malicious behavior that could be prevented if we simply chose to not think evil. It is a choice. Someone may say something to us or we hear from someone else what was said (or done) and our first response is to ascribe evil motives or intentions to the individual. We have all been there and done that – everyone of us! But we can choose to not give ourselves over to that by the grace of God.

Being easily provoked or thinking evil are common practices among us all. But such practices are sin in the eyes of God. We cannot dispense with them by saying that’s just the way I am. It is indeed the way we are, but it is not the way God wants us to be. Christ died that he might deliver us from our sins and these sins include thinking evil of others as well as being argumentative. May we not grow insensitive to those ungodly behaviors that are so routinely a practice of our human nature. John gives the right response, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).

Love Hopes All Things, Endures All Things

In his letter to the Corinthian believers, Paul describes a love that is supernatural in origin and character. It is a love that is beyond the reach of human experience but for the grace of God. He tells them (and us) that among other qualities this Christ-like love “hopes all things, endures all things” (I Corinthians 13:7).

When he says that love hopes all things, he is not referring to personal desires or needs. Love does not hope to win the lottery, overcome sickness, get a promotion at work, etc. Love first and foremost is relational in operation. Hence, this love is directed at others. In this instance, love hopes all things as it pertains to others.

Often we see others facing hard circumstances, e.g., financial setbacks, health crises, difficult family situations, etc. Sometimes, these hard circumstances are brought on by their own behavior. Love sees the opportunity for a God-honoring response to these circumstances. Love hopes for the best in others. This hope is not just a matter of wishful or positive thinking. It’s rooted in the God of all hope who is “good unto all” (Psalm 145:9).

God’s goodness always is directed at drawing men to himself in a saving relationship for God’s own glory. To know God and commune with God is man’s greatest need and his highest aspiration for God himself is man’s greatest satisfaction and joy. Again, the Psalmist writes “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at the right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11).

This undiminished confidence in God “who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (I Timothy 2:4) gives birth to intercessory and persevering prayer on behalf of all men in all circumstances. It is in this way that love truly hopes all things. The Psalmist alludes to this kind of hope when he writes “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13). Circumstances can quench hope; God is above all circumstances.

This hope is firmly rooted in the divine purpose of a personal God that yields itself to enduring all things. Sometimes the unsavory circumstances referred to above touch our own lives in ways that are unpalatable and even harmful. After all, relationships can be messy things that are made cumbersome and hurtful by sin. Rather than take flight and seek its own safety, love endures. The same Spirit that breathes hope into the heart gives strength to hold the course.

It is this love that hopes and seeks for the best in others regardless of the cost to itself that is truly divine. It is the very love that led Jesus Christ to the cross “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Are you walking in that love?

Living for the Glory of God

Paul reminded the believers in Corinth that they had been delivered from sin, i.e. they were “washed…sanctified…justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (I Corinthians 6:11). It was immediately after this that he offered some clear guidelines to help them navigate through this new life now theirs in Christ. Using himself as an example, he wrote “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (I Corinthians 6:12).

The word “expedient” means “helpful.” When Paul said that “all things are not expedient”, he was saying that all things are not helpful. The question then is “helpful to what?” Just a few chapters later in this same letter, Paul shares a conclusion that answers this question. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31). We can say that those things that are helpful advance the glory of God. Making it even more personal and practical, our choices and pursuits should help us and others glorify God.

The glory of God has to do with extoling his unique excellence, i.e. that which expressly pertains to who he is and what he is like. Our lives as his children are to be aimed in that direction. Our choices and pursuits are to “help” us and others to that end.

The second principle Paul shared is captured in his determination to “not be brought under the power of any.” Life is made up of many days and these days are consumed by countless activities. Many of these activities are not necessarily evil, but they can become so if we are not careful. Watching television is not in itself evil (though some TV shows clearly do not honor the Lord). However, many “brought under the power” of television have given themselves over to watching it so excessively that it prevents other God-honoring pursuits. We are committed to watching our special programming to the exclusion of spending constructive time with our spouse, building relationships with others, or even honoring responsibilities in the home or at work.

Television is just an example. I’m sure we can all think of things that are innocent in many respects that can dominate our lives to the dishonoring of God. These things often encroach upon our time and energies without conscious decision on our part. Ultimately, these pursuits distract and deter us from our main pursuit – glorifying God.

Paul’s advice is provided to us by the inspiration of the Spirit of God and, consequently, warrants our adoption. We are to choose activities and pursuits that are helpful in our walk with God and determine not to be dominated by lesser things.

Life Without God

James has a very emphatic admonition for his audience in first century Christianity. He warned them to not live their lives without God. Listen to him speak. “Go to now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain. Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings. All such rejoicing is evil” (James 4:13-16). Unfortunately, this admonition still applies 2,000 years later.

These folk were guilty of making plans to travel, relocate, and start a business – all without contemplating whether God had anything to say about their plans. James called their plans “boastings” because such a spirit amounted to nothing more than pride. It mattered not to them that the God of heaven held their very breath in his hands and that each day was a gift from God to be used for his glory. That is the very essence of pride, i.e. a spirit that denies God his rightful due. It results in a life that is lived as though there were no God let alone that he was present.

Daniel Webster, a 19^th century statesman, maintained that his most sobering thought was his personal accountability to God. The Scriptures would concur with his assessment and any man that denies such accountability is a man that is full of himself. His pride has blinded his eyes to God’s provision and plan for his life. It is unfortunate, indeed, that many Christians today are guilty of this practical atheism that James warns against. They deny God’s provision by refusing to offer him thanksgiving whether it be for safety, for food, for employment, even for every good gift. They reject God’s plan for their lives; in fact, they do not seek for it. They make plans for school, for work, for marriage, for life as though God had no interest in them let alone a purpose for why he even created them in the first place. Life not only comes from God and is sustained by God, but its very purpose is ordained by God. Were this not so, Paul would have never recorded for our benefit the warning he gave to the believers at Rome. “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). We all have an appointment with Jesus Christ, the righteous Judge. How much better it is to acknowledge and live in light of his claims now! For those who fail to do so, one day they will be asking “What will he do with me?”

Judgment, Mercy, and Faith

In his earthly ministry, Jesus was bold in his condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees, the religious leaders in his time. On one occasion, he pronounced “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith” (Matthew 23:23). We don’t often think of judgment, mercy and faith when we consider the law, but Christ maintained that these are among the law’s “weightier matters”.

When the Lord speaks of judgment in this instance, he has in mind not just a right conclusion, but also a right reasoning to achieve the righteous conclusion. In short, these so-called spiritual leaders were inept in rightly dividing the word of God (I Timothy 2:15) and, consequently, unable to render God-honoring judgment in any matter. Jesus spoke to this in his Sermon on the Mount. In that teaching, he showed their traditions replaced the law’s precepts and genuinely missed the mark. For example, he declared “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). We must see sin as God sees it, not as we want to see it.

We really should not be surprised at the Lord’s reference to mercy here as well. Christ had previously taught his disciples that the Father “is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father is also merciful” (Luke 6: 35-36). Mercy is an essential ingredient in satisfying the law. Christ taught that to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart…is the first commandment. And the second is…Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). We cannot love our neighbor as ourselves without exercising much mercy. This is true for each of us! We each need mercy from God and from others.

Finally, to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is the law’s greatest commandment. This commandment speaks of a personal and intimate walk with God. Such a relationship cannot be achieved without faith for “without faith it is impossible to please him [God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). We remind ourselves that the Old Testament saint approached God on the basis of faith as we do today. The prophet Habakkuk wrote “the just shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). It is through faith that we both know God and show our love for God through a walk of loving obedience. Christ taught “if ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

We ought not be surprised at the references to judgment, mercy, and faith in the context of the law. God is the same God today as he was then. These qualities speak to what he values and his is the only opinion that counts.

I Fell on My Face

The Apostle John was exiled to the island of Patmos “for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:9). It was there that the Spirit of God gave him a vision of the glorified Savior. “I saw…one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And…out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength” (Revelation 1: 13-16).

The image is not one of a Lamb, meek and mild, slain for the sins of mankind, i.e. the Christ of Calvary. Rather, here we have Christ, the eternal God and Judge. Jesus declares of himself, “I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, amen; and have the keys of hell and death” (Revelation 1:17-18). John had spent many days with the Jesus of Calvary, but when he saw this Jesus, he “fell at his feet as dead” (Revelation 1:17).

We would do well to see Christ in this light. We speak glibly of “putting our hand in the hand of the man from Galilee”, but don’t often consider standing before the “high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy” (Isaiah 57:15). That is a completely different picture of Christ, one that we are not comfortable with if we do not know him. But the picture reveals him as he is!

Others saw this striking glory of the living God and responded as John did. Ezekiel saw the transcendent glory of the eternal Father in a vision at the River Chebar during the Babylonian captivity. Upon taking it all in, he simply records “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face” (Ezekiel 1:28).

Isaiah records “I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple”. He tells us in this vision “the seraphim…cried one to another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:1-4). John, in his gospel, reveals that this was a vision of Christ prior to his incarnation (John 12:41).

Christ is indeed the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the world (John 1:29). But, the Apostle Paul warned the Athenians on Mars’ Hill that “God…now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31). As the resurrected Jesus said “I am alive for evermore, amen; and have the keys of hell and death.” You need not fear Jesus as Judge, if you know Jesus, the Lamb!

Golden Calves

John Newton, author of that well known hymn “Amazing Grace”, once made this statement, “Lord, save us from our golden calves.” Knowing the background to the “golden calves” will help us understand his plea. After Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, he brought them to Mount Sinai where God delivered unto them the ten commandments. While Moses was delayed in the mount receiving instruction concerning the building of tabernacle and its furnishings, the Israelites below grew impatient. They “gathered themselves together unto Aaron and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him” (Exodus 32:1). They made their own gods.

Newton’s lament makes perfect sense. Lord, deliver us from making our own gods. This cry for deliverance is well founded for we are given to do this very thing routinely. It is not likely that we actually fashion an idol out of stone or wood that we may bow down before it and worship it. But anything that comes between us and worshipping the true God is idolatry.

Paul taught that covetousness is idolatry (Colossians 3:5). The word covet means to “yearn to possess or have.” Therefore, when we yearn for or desire something or someone more than God, that is idolatry. That person or thing becomes our golden calf.

Some covet wealth and it becomes their singular pursuit. Yet Jesus asserted that “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).

Some bow to the god of entertainment. Their schedules are controlled by Netflix, Disney, YouTube, etc. They find no time for the Scriptures or prayer or God’s house.

Even family can come between ourselves and worshipping God. The Lord’s Day becomes used more and more for family gatherings, recreation, and other extracurricular activities rather than seeking the Lord in his house and his word. Listen to Jesus’ admonition as he attests to the relative love we should hold toward God and family. “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37).

Golden calves come in various shapes and sizes. Anything that consumes my time, energy, and resources in a way that hinders, limits or impairs my worship of God is a golden calf. The list is seemingly limitless. Do you have a golden calf? The Lord must be first in every relationship and venue of life or he is not Lord at all.

God’s Dwelling Within Us

The Apostle Paul uses a question to teach a two-pronged truth to the Corinthian believers. He asks, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you” (I Corinthians 3:16)? In this passage he is speaking to the church as a body of believers. Collectively, they are the temple of God – a remarkable statement indeed. But, as if that were not enough, he then adds that the Spirit of God dwells in them – even more remarkable!

The temple in the Old Testament was the place where God would meet with his people. It was divided into two compartments – the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies – separated by a thick veil. God resided in the Holy of Holies behind the veil between the cherubim and above the mercy seat on ark of the covenant. Access to the Holy of Holies was prohibited to all but the High Priest and his access was only permitted once a year on the Day of Atonement when he made atonement for himself and the people.

While the temple spoke to God’s presence among the people, the veil and the Holy of Holies emphasized God’s holiness and resulting unapproachability. God is absolutely holy and utterly without sin! Man’s sin makes him unworthy to come before this holy God. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur on our calendars) reminded the worshippers of this great gulf every year.

It is against this backdrop that Paul’s testimony to the Corinthians takes on a far more remarkable character. The access to God, the holy One of Israel, has been opened by faith. The very veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was rent in two from top to bottom after Christ yielded up the ghost on the cross (Matthew 27:51). The way to God was now open. Every believer today has the Spirit of God in him and so his or her body is become the temple of God because God’s Spirit dwells there (I Corinthians 6:19-20).

How marvelous is the thought that I now can have unfettered fellowship with God, the Creator! The sin which separated me from God has been cleansed by the blood of Christ. He dwells with me and I with him. Guilt so great has been forgiven by love so infinite! The fellowship that God desired with his creation has been restored through faith in the redeeming work of his Son, the Lamb of God.

God has not set aside his holiness. The blood of Christ has made us fit vessels for the Spirit’s indwelling though sin remains present with us. How great is that blood’s power! Consequently, God’s presence within must spur us on to holiness in our own personal walk. Peter quoting from the Old Testament in his epistle testifies that God’s intentions for his people remain unchanged. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (way of life) because it is written, “Be ye holy for I am holy”” (I Peter 1:15-16). God saves us from our sin for himself so that we might enjoy him forever!