Let me start off by saying that I am terribly unqualified to address this issue. I am a woman, I have short hair, and I wear pants. According to the author that I am addressing today, I am a transgendered liberal.
A friend recently directed my attention to an article addressing gender and gender appropriate clothing/styles. I'll include the link at the end of this entry so that you all can check it out for yourselves. But I was rather taken with it, personally. If it had been the first time I'd heard this, I would have laughed it off and ignored it. But I have heard these statements on several occasions, and feel like it would be worth at least a few moments discussing the claims. This entry will focus on one man's article, but its not merely limited to him. This is a view held by many inside and outside the Oneness Apostolic movement.
I'll start by prefacing Dr. G. Reckart's philosophy on genderism, as it shall be referred to here on out. Men wear pants and sport short hair, while women wear skirts and dresses and grow their hair out long. Any deviation from these two models of manhood and womanhood is considered backsliding into liberal heresy and transgenderism. Or, as Dr. Reckart states,
"It is the endtime apostasy, the great falling away! The doctrine of transgender clothing styles will sweep many through the gates of hell."
Putting aside the fact that this statement comes out of thin air, with no Scriptural backing... If this statement is true, it is certainly deserving of spending a few moments considering.
Lets look at the claims.
First off, it becomes painfully obvious reading through this article, with quotes like,
"Modern charismatic liberals have a transgender agenda to destroy the lines in Christian clothing between males and females. They have a plot to destroy gender specific clothing practices to make homosexual and lesbianism acceptable in their midst. This is due to the rampant and growing trend to accept Sodomism via the first step of cross-dressing or being a transvestite. Among these religious groups there is a growing number of ministers who accept transgender styles and challenge holiness and holiness standards accusing them of being Phariseeism."
that Reckart has been sadly misinformed as to what transgenderism actually is. He assumes that to take on unisex styles (such as pants) or hairstyles (such as certain hair lengths) means a move towards transgenderism.
For those who may be unaware, transgenderism is actually quite a complex issue in which an individual who was born one gender identifies as the other. This does not necessarily, as Reckart apparently believes, affect sexual orientation.
Right off the bat, he has discredited himself and his entire argument by refusing to educate himself on something he claims to be so passionate about.
And even more sadly, he states he wrote his article to challenge the mindset and arguments of his opponents, but his logic and eisegesis become so hard to follow that its quite questionable if he is actually responding to arguments he's received or if he's attempting to invent arguments to respond to in order to make it look as if he's a great apologist for this movement.
Nonetheless, he does attempt to provide a couple of arguments using logic and Scripture, so I'll address those.
"Deuteronomy 22:5 lets us know there are gender specific clothes for men and women."
The verse in question.
“A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God. - Deut 22:5
This is the major prooftext for this movement. According to those who hold to genderism, This proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that a man must wear pants, and a woman must wear skirts.
But is that what it is saying?
No.
Notice the verse does not expand upon what is meant by gender-specific clothing. There is no mention of pants. There is no mention of skirts. All it says is, "men, don't wear women's clothing. Women, don't wear men's clothing."
So what determines what is men's and what is women's clothing? Seems quite evident to me that the culture determines that.
Take a trip over to Scotland and observe how it is the men who wear kilts (which are strikingly similar to a skirt), and yet women do not. Or hop over to Saudi Arabia, a culture which vigorously and passionately pursues gender roles to the extreme. See how many men you spot wearing robes, which are eerily similar to dresses. And yet the distinction between the genders remain in both cases. Christ would have worn a similar kind of robe in His day. So how can people like Reckart claim that it is only pants that is appropriate for men's clothing? They've incorporated their own subculture into their theology and put it on the same level as the gospel. Hence why it offends them so much that they would refer to men and women who do not conform to their view of what is appropriate style for each specific gender as, "transgender liberals", "spiritual murderer", "backsliders", "perverts", "tranvestites", etc... and why Reckart equates modern dress/hairstyles with damnation.
It would seem that there was a message God was trying to get across to His people. He didn't focus on the specifics of clothing style, because that was irrelevant. He made men to be men, and women to be women. And He expected each group to hold true to that. It was about affirming Godly masculinity and femininity. He wasn't teaching His people to worship clothing or styles.
"Did Saul wear a skirt like women have worn for centuries? No! What is it Saul wore as he slept? He wore a man's robe. He sure didn't wear a woman's robe. If he had on a woman's robe he was in violation of Deuteronomy 22:5. There is a difference between a man's robe and a woman's robe. The transgender charismatics may not have the intelligence to figure this out, but those of us who are the elect can do it easily. "
I have to applaud Reckart for admitting that Saul wore a robe, considering his mission to see men wearing only pants. And his claim that men did not wear skirts in Biblical times. I wonder if he has taken the time to consider the similarities in design between the robes Saul would have worn, and the dresses hanging in his wife's closet. But I digress.
"Pants or breeches were designed by God for men to wear (Exodus 28:42). Since they are and were distinctly for men, it is an abomination for any woman to put them on no matter what style they make them for acceptance and trend. "
40 “For Aaron's sons you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them for glory and beauty. 41 And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. 42 You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs; 43 and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they bear guilt and die. This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him. - Exodus 28
All this proves is that God required a certain piece of clothing for the priests, and this was specifically referring to what they should wear while ministering to the Lord. Notice how this was directed to the priesthood, and the priesthood alone? If Reckart wants to be logically consistent, he shouldn't be arguing that this style of dress was commanded for men and men alone - he should be arguing that pants are meant for only those men who are serving in ministry. But his tradition forces him to reach for straws, as he does here, to justify his position.
Reckart is losing sight of the spirit of the commands as well. The priests were required to be covered completely, "lest they bear guilt and die." This is clearly symbolic of the covering we, as part of the royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), find in Christ. We are covered in the blood of the Lamb before God, and therefore we bear no guilt before Him and do not have to fear death.
Having read through the article several times now, I am actually quite disappointed Reckart did not attempt to justify his claims more. It would have been much more interesting to do a thorough inspection on how the Bible identifies and treats gender, and what God's views are on the subject. Yet, for a topic he is so clearly passionate about, the points are weak.
I leave you all with one point of irony.
And I am especially attacked very brutally because I speak out against transgender women wearing pants and transgender men wearing skirts. They speak to me in great judgmental and angry words. They are not the least loving or kind. They mock, scoff, ridicule, and slander. It is their way of boasting they will do what they want and dare any man to condemn their transgender choices of clothing.
There is not one word of love typed in this article. Only condemnation, judgment, name-calling, and hatred. If by some chance Dr Reckart should read this, I only want to leave him with one small passage.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. - 1 John 4:7-8
For those interested in reading the article:
Did Men in the Bible Wear Skirts? - Dr. G Reckart
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Friday, July 15, 2011
Dating outside Christianity
After being asked by a friend the other day to help find passages that discuss believers marrying unbelievers, the only passages that came to my mind were the ones that probably just popped into yours: the two key proof-texts of the modern day western church, 1 Corinthians 7:39 and 2 Corinthians 6:14. even a quick google search (the answer for the lazy theologian) didn't yield any better passages in Scripture. To me it was appalling to discover that no one seems to want to address this indepth. Marrying and dating unbelievers is a very real issue in the church today. Everyone has at the very least been tempted to date outside the faith, and sadly most will do so because they do not understand why it is not only a bad idea but why it is extremely dangerous to their own faith. The church has done a very poor job of teaching on this issue; two proof-texts - one of which does not even discuss marriage in the context - is not enough to arm a generation of Christians in their dating years as they search for their spouse.
Lets start at the very beginning. All doctrines found in the New Testament find their basis and foundation in the Old Testament. Marriage is no exception. But before we begin to look at what God expects of us in choosing a spouse, we must look at the reasoning behind those expectations. Otherwise it will be impossible to clearly understand whats being taught.
1. God is Jealous
Its all right there in the ten commandments:
I will not go indepth here, but just a few things to take note of are:
*God is jealous, and will not look kindly upon being replaced by any other false god or idol
*God demands total devotion from His people
*God demands to be revered as the holy Creator and Lord that He is. There is to be no taking Him for granted.
I'll present a hypothetical example to address these issues.
Samantha has been dating Dave for three years and have gotten engaged. She is saved. He is not. She has always said it would not affect her faith - she can go to church and to Bible study on her own, right? Except that because Dave has shown no interest in going to church, Samantha's interest has also waned. She finds herself taking up his interests and has pulled away from Christ in the process. This is where 2 Corinthians 6:14 comes into play. Because Samantha has made the decision to "yoke" herself to Dave, her faith has been affected and now she is guilty of not properly revering God as she is called to.
Lets take it a step further. Lets say that Dave is a devout Mormon. And Samantha is an evangelical Christian. Clearly in this situation Samantha would have to choose to compromise her faith in order to support her partner in his to any extent, or to break up with him. There's no middle ground in an interfaith relationship. She can either affrim that his faith has validity, or she can take a stand and say his church preaches a false gospel. If Samantha chooses to stay with him and support him in his faith, she would be guilty of having other gods before the One true God if not by directly embracing his god then by passively giving credence to the faith.
This only becomes more important to take note of if Samantha and Dave have children - the children would be taught from both parents to believe in two gods. Which one will they choose? Matthew 6:24 declares that they will choose one over the other.
She will also be guilty in this situation of taking Him for granted. She's showing by the choices she makes in her life that she doesn't believe that God means it when He says He will be first in the life of His people. She's showing that her devotion is to her man, but not her God.
It becomes quickly apparent that choosing to even becoming romantically involved with a nonChristian, even if it does not lead to marriage, has serious ramifications on the believer's walk with the Lord.
God has Always Called His People to Live Separate from the World
Notice here that the contention is not based on the race, but on the faith of that people group. Israel has been called, just as believers are called, to be separate from the world; to be holy and set apart for the Lord. And that includes when choosing a spouse.
Its not just, as some would argue, fundamentalist paranoia that states that interfaith marriage will lead to believers walking away from the Lord in favour of other gods and faiths - God Himself has stated that as truth; and if James 1:17 is correct that God never changes - He's still a jealous God, and He still knows that interfaith marriage is fatally dangerous to the faith of His children. That is something to take seriously.
For those interested in a little more indepth study, I would direct you to Ezra 9-10 and Nehemiah 13 in which we see Israel being challenged on this very issue. They had deliberately disobeyed God's commands about marrying into pagan people groups, and in these passages we see the conviction of God upon their hearts as they realize just how terribly they had sinned against the Living God.
Here is where we can start getting into the New Testament proof-texts we've already looked at earlier. Because now they're not just random verses pulled out of thin air - there's a Biblical context to understand them by.
Paul is reminding his audience of a very basic doctrine that was already well understood within Jewish and Christian circles in that time. Interfaith marriage was unacceptable. But believers do have freedom to marry whomever they choose within the faith.
Marriage is the closest form of fellowship two believers can share. Husband and wife are supposed to be one another's closest companion, confidante, accountability partner, and greatest encouragement in the faith. This is why it is so crucial to be discerning in who one chooses as that partner through life. Is it going to be someone who lifts you up in Christ or someone who pulls you away?
in closing, I will just leave you all with the most famous, and possibly overused, passage to address the issue. Hopefully after this short Bible study the command to be set apart and only equally yoked with others will give someone fresh perspective on the importance of this issue.
(I should take a moment here to say I am not trying to condemn those who have already chosen to marry unbelievers. Or those who became saved after marriage and are still praying for the salvation of their spouse. I do know there are passionate Christians who are married to unbelievers. Its not my intent to condemn or discourage those believers in anyway.)
Lets start at the very beginning. All doctrines found in the New Testament find their basis and foundation in the Old Testament. Marriage is no exception. But before we begin to look at what God expects of us in choosing a spouse, we must look at the reasoning behind those expectations. Otherwise it will be impossible to clearly understand whats being taught.
1. God is Jealous
Its all right there in the ten commandments:
1 And God spoke all these words, saying:
2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. - Exodus 20
I will not go indepth here, but just a few things to take note of are:
*God is jealous, and will not look kindly upon being replaced by any other false god or idol
*God demands total devotion from His people
*God demands to be revered as the holy Creator and Lord that He is. There is to be no taking Him for granted.
I'll present a hypothetical example to address these issues.
Samantha has been dating Dave for three years and have gotten engaged. She is saved. He is not. She has always said it would not affect her faith - she can go to church and to Bible study on her own, right? Except that because Dave has shown no interest in going to church, Samantha's interest has also waned. She finds herself taking up his interests and has pulled away from Christ in the process. This is where 2 Corinthians 6:14 comes into play. Because Samantha has made the decision to "yoke" herself to Dave, her faith has been affected and now she is guilty of not properly revering God as she is called to.
Lets take it a step further. Lets say that Dave is a devout Mormon. And Samantha is an evangelical Christian. Clearly in this situation Samantha would have to choose to compromise her faith in order to support her partner in his to any extent, or to break up with him. There's no middle ground in an interfaith relationship. She can either affrim that his faith has validity, or she can take a stand and say his church preaches a false gospel. If Samantha chooses to stay with him and support him in his faith, she would be guilty of having other gods before the One true God if not by directly embracing his god then by passively giving credence to the faith.
This only becomes more important to take note of if Samantha and Dave have children - the children would be taught from both parents to believe in two gods. Which one will they choose? Matthew 6:24 declares that they will choose one over the other.
She will also be guilty in this situation of taking Him for granted. She's showing by the choices she makes in her life that she doesn't believe that God means it when He says He will be first in the life of His people. She's showing that her devotion is to her man, but not her God.
It becomes quickly apparent that choosing to even becoming romantically involved with a nonChristian, even if it does not lead to marriage, has serious ramifications on the believer's walk with the Lord.
God has Always Called His People to Live Separate from the World
1 “When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, 2 and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. 3 Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly. - Deuteronomy 7
Notice here that the contention is not based on the race, but on the faith of that people group. Israel has been called, just as believers are called, to be separate from the world; to be holy and set apart for the Lord. And that includes when choosing a spouse.
Its not just, as some would argue, fundamentalist paranoia that states that interfaith marriage will lead to believers walking away from the Lord in favour of other gods and faiths - God Himself has stated that as truth; and if James 1:17 is correct that God never changes - He's still a jealous God, and He still knows that interfaith marriage is fatally dangerous to the faith of His children. That is something to take seriously.
For those interested in a little more indepth study, I would direct you to Ezra 9-10 and Nehemiah 13 in which we see Israel being challenged on this very issue. They had deliberately disobeyed God's commands about marrying into pagan people groups, and in these passages we see the conviction of God upon their hearts as they realize just how terribly they had sinned against the Living God.
Here is where we can start getting into the New Testament proof-texts we've already looked at earlier. Because now they're not just random verses pulled out of thin air - there's a Biblical context to understand them by.
39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. - 1 Corinthians 7:39
Paul is reminding his audience of a very basic doctrine that was already well understood within Jewish and Christian circles in that time. Interfaith marriage was unacceptable. But believers do have freedom to marry whomever they choose within the faith.
Marriage is the closest form of fellowship two believers can share. Husband and wife are supposed to be one another's closest companion, confidante, accountability partner, and greatest encouragement in the faith. This is why it is so crucial to be discerning in who one chooses as that partner through life. Is it going to be someone who lifts you up in Christ or someone who pulls you away?
in closing, I will just leave you all with the most famous, and possibly overused, passage to address the issue. Hopefully after this short Bible study the command to be set apart and only equally yoked with others will give someone fresh perspective on the importance of this issue.
11 O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open. 12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections. 13 Now in return for the same (I speak as to children), you also be open.
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“ I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”
17 Therefore
“ Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
18 “ I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the LORD Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6
(I should take a moment here to say I am not trying to condemn those who have already chosen to marry unbelievers. Or those who became saved after marriage and are still praying for the salvation of their spouse. I do know there are passionate Christians who are married to unbelievers. Its not my intent to condemn or discourage those believers in anyway.)
Monday, June 20, 2011
John 1:1-5
Tonight I started rereading a book in the Bible that I've read a hundred times before, and I couldn't get past the depth of these first five verses. I felt compelled to write about them. I dunno If I'll continue to share my own musings as I go through this amazing piece of Scripture, but I'll share what little I can tonight.
Right there, we see major truth being taught. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was both with God and God Himself. So incomprehensible to our human minds, but truthful nonetheless.
Jesus is the Word. Jesus co-existed with God right from the beginning, and Jesus is God. That doctrine cannot be emphasized enough. There is a scary move within the church today to be united with all others who carry the title, "Christian". And for those that worship the God of the Bible, and know His salvation that is a good thing.
However... for all the churches out there who claim to be Christian yet effectively deny these first two verses of John by denying Christ's divinity and/or His eternal co-existence with God as part of the Trinity, we need to understand just how important this is. Its not a part of Scripture to be compromised on in the name of unity because this is describing the one and only Jesus Christ and God through whom we are saved. If a church or individual tries to deny these basic facts of Christianity then the sad truth is that they are preaching a different gospel. We can pray for them, we can show them the love of Christ in the way we treat them and act towards them, but the truth is that we cannot have real spiritual unity with them unless we deny the gospel ourselves or they renounce their false gospel to follow the Truth.
Sounds harsh? yep. But the gospel is an offense. It doesn't leave room for watering down in the name of false unity.
Christ Himself is not only co-eternal with God as part of the Trinity, He created the universe. He is the sovereign Creator over all of Creation. He created you, and He created me. He wasn't some lowly created mortal who randomly showed up in the plan of some impersonal god, and was blessed greatly. He wasn't just some prophet. He wasn't just a very moral man who showed us how to live a good life. He is, and always has been, God; the sovereign Creator of Heaven and earth.
And in coming to earth in the flesh, this God and Creator of all creation, brought with Him life. This doesn't mean that John is acknowledging the obvious - that Christ, as a man, was alive. And it doesn't mean that Christ was a mere man with God living inside him, as some may claim; remember - Christ was co-existing with God and as God right from the beginning. What this life is referring to is the eternal life He came to offer us all by being the sacrifice in our place on the Cross to satisfy the wrath of God which burns against us all for sinning against Him.
There needed to be an atonement to God for our sins so that we may be forgiven and be reconciled to Him and enjoy the fellowship with Him that we were originally supposed to have. Just as in the Old testament we see the offerings given on the Day of Atonement to satisfy the wrath of God, Christ came to be the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of all who would believe and accept that offering as sufficient atonement for our sins.
After the affirmation of Christ's divinity and eternal co-existence with the Father, and His purpose in coming in the flesh, we see that this light of hope found only in Christ could not be understood by those clouded by darkness. Those who are dying in their sins, with their hearts hardened against the truth, cannot understand the gospel. The Holy Spirit must give them understanding, and they must be willing to love the truth; unless both parties work together in this regard, the person blinded by sin will never see the light of salvation spoken of here. Its kind of a sobering fact - even those of us who are saved must never stop loving truth nor should we allow ourselves to harden our hearts against truth. It is truth that saved us, and truth that sustains us - why would we ever want to turn a blind eye because.... say... a pastor we love is preaching something unBiblical, or a song that moves us in worship is teaching false doctrine?
Like I said at the beginning of this post, I've read those verses a hundred times before. But never really took the time to soak in what was actually being said. Its just one of the beautiful things about Scripture - no matter how many times you read something, you can always learn from it.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. - vv. 1-2
Right there, we see major truth being taught. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was both with God and God Himself. So incomprehensible to our human minds, but truthful nonetheless.
Jesus is the Word. Jesus co-existed with God right from the beginning, and Jesus is God. That doctrine cannot be emphasized enough. There is a scary move within the church today to be united with all others who carry the title, "Christian". And for those that worship the God of the Bible, and know His salvation that is a good thing.
However... for all the churches out there who claim to be Christian yet effectively deny these first two verses of John by denying Christ's divinity and/or His eternal co-existence with God as part of the Trinity, we need to understand just how important this is. Its not a part of Scripture to be compromised on in the name of unity because this is describing the one and only Jesus Christ and God through whom we are saved. If a church or individual tries to deny these basic facts of Christianity then the sad truth is that they are preaching a different gospel. We can pray for them, we can show them the love of Christ in the way we treat them and act towards them, but the truth is that we cannot have real spiritual unity with them unless we deny the gospel ourselves or they renounce their false gospel to follow the Truth.
Sounds harsh? yep. But the gospel is an offense. It doesn't leave room for watering down in the name of false unity.
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. - v. 3
Christ Himself is not only co-eternal with God as part of the Trinity, He created the universe. He is the sovereign Creator over all of Creation. He created you, and He created me. He wasn't some lowly created mortal who randomly showed up in the plan of some impersonal god, and was blessed greatly. He wasn't just some prophet. He wasn't just a very moral man who showed us how to live a good life. He is, and always has been, God; the sovereign Creator of Heaven and earth.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. - v. 4
And in coming to earth in the flesh, this God and Creator of all creation, brought with Him life. This doesn't mean that John is acknowledging the obvious - that Christ, as a man, was alive. And it doesn't mean that Christ was a mere man with God living inside him, as some may claim; remember - Christ was co-existing with God and as God right from the beginning. What this life is referring to is the eternal life He came to offer us all by being the sacrifice in our place on the Cross to satisfy the wrath of God which burns against us all for sinning against Him.
There needed to be an atonement to God for our sins so that we may be forgiven and be reconciled to Him and enjoy the fellowship with Him that we were originally supposed to have. Just as in the Old testament we see the offerings given on the Day of Atonement to satisfy the wrath of God, Christ came to be the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of all who would believe and accept that offering as sufficient atonement for our sins.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. - v. 5
After the affirmation of Christ's divinity and eternal co-existence with the Father, and His purpose in coming in the flesh, we see that this light of hope found only in Christ could not be understood by those clouded by darkness. Those who are dying in their sins, with their hearts hardened against the truth, cannot understand the gospel. The Holy Spirit must give them understanding, and they must be willing to love the truth; unless both parties work together in this regard, the person blinded by sin will never see the light of salvation spoken of here. Its kind of a sobering fact - even those of us who are saved must never stop loving truth nor should we allow ourselves to harden our hearts against truth. It is truth that saved us, and truth that sustains us - why would we ever want to turn a blind eye because.... say... a pastor we love is preaching something unBiblical, or a song that moves us in worship is teaching false doctrine?
Like I said at the beginning of this post, I've read those verses a hundred times before. But never really took the time to soak in what was actually being said. Its just one of the beautiful things about Scripture - no matter how many times you read something, you can always learn from it.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Nurturing a Heart for Missions
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. - Matthew 28:18-20
These are the words that Matthew chose to end his gospel with and they pack quite a punch when we stop to really reflect on what is being said. Jesus here is commanding His disciples to go into all the world and bring people to Him. We, as followers of the living God, have been given the same mandate. But here in the western church our love for the lost souls around us seems to be all but stamped out. And it is my sincere opinion that our attitude towards the dying world is both incurring God's anger upon us and breaking His heart.
At a recent apologetics conference I attended one pastor stood up to give a talk on missions and one story in particular this man had to share made my blood boil and serves in part as the inspiration for this article. He spoke about a church where he was a guest speaker and the pastor of this particular church had an appalling attitude towards missions. One example was shared about how he would threaten his congregation into giving money to visiting missionaries by telling them that if they didn't he would pray for their children to be called into the missions field – as if being a missionary was a fate worse than death. Needless to say this is an attitude that directly contradicts the Bible and God's heart towards the dying world.
Let us first examine why missionaries are necessary both in our own backyards at our jobs, schools, and our own cities as well as abroad in all corners of the world.
But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. - Isaiah 59:2
God cannot look upon sin and if we have sinned, even once, we're guilty of breaking the whole law (James 2:10). We're separated from the living God and in desperate need of forgiveness and reconciliation. But there's a problem.
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God - Romans 3:21-23
We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. How can any of us approach the throne of the living God and beg for forgiveness when we have all sinned and God cannot have sin in His presence? Romans answers this question.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 6:23
In Christ we find our hope, our salvation, our eternal life. As in Egypt it was the blood of a lamb without blemish that allowed the wrath of God to pass over the houses which were covered, so too does the wrath of God pass over those of us who are covered in the Perfect Lamb's blood. Those of us who have repented and accepted the free gift of salvation made available through Christ's atoning death on the cross have absolutely nothing to fear (John 3). But what about those who have no such covering over their souls?
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. - Revelation 21:11-15
Needless to say this is not a desirable fate for anyone to ever have to face. But now lets move on to why we, as Christians, should have a desire to reach out to those who are on their way to this horrific destination.
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross - Colossians 1:19-20
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9
This alone should be a wake-up call. It might be tempting to look at the state of this world and wonder why God allows the depravity to continue. Why haven't we moved on to the New Jerusalem yet? And there is one simple answer for that. God longs to see people saved. He's not ignoring the sad state of affairs here on earth. God isn't blind. The fact that He hasn't stepped in yet is a testament to His merciful character. The only reason His patience concerning the depravity among mankind has lasted as long as it has is because He wants to see all men saved.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. - 1 John 4:7-9
As God is love and He showed His love towards us while we were still sinners and separated from Him by sending His Son to die in our place to reconcile us to God, should we not also be love to the world that God loved (John 3:16)? Scripture makes it clear He is not willing to see anyone perish, so shouldn't that likewise be our heart's desire?
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. - 1 John 4:20-21
Logically, if we know our neighbour is headed towards an eternity in Hell and we do nothing to warn him and point him in the direction of salvation then we cannot claim to love him. How can we say we love God when we hold such a low opinion of sharing the gospel? The plain and simple truth is we cannot. As the apostle John says if we do not love, then God is not in us.
Paul served as a good example to us in the way he lived his life after coming to Christ. He lived, breathed, and died all for the sake of the gospel. Nothing was more important to him than ensuring he led as many people to Christ as he could (1 Corinthians 2:2, 1 Corinthians 9:19-23). He loved the dying world around him with a passion we need to see within the western church today.
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
“ How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” -Romans 10:14-15
© Shari Smith February 16, 2007
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
How to be a Christian Teacher
My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. James 3:1
The above verse will be the theme for my article today. Teaching a younger or weaker brother or sister in the faith is certainly not a bad thing by any means, teaching an unbeliever to come to Christ is not a bad thing. What is troubling, however, is how many people pursue ministry in the hopes of teaching the church and yet have no understanding of the faith or the Bible they are teaching.
We live in a culture that embraces teachers, missionaries, and pastors as somehow holier than the laypeople that fill the pews. This means the children growing up in lukewarm environments that offer them no understanding of the faith or the Bible are being told to pursue careers in ministries in the church to teach the laypeople in the church. The end result is we now have a generation of believers in the western church with little to no grasp of Scripture or Christianity but one that believes it is the greatest authority on truth since the beginning of the church age.
I have run into many pastors, priests, etc... who hold themselves up to be authorities on the written word and yet when asked cannot explain to me the purpose of the law or whether or not the Old Testament is still valid for believers today. They cannot tell me how to properly read the Bible, metaphorically or literally, a product of divine inspiration or human intellect or a mixture of both. They cannot even tell me how it is we are saved; by faith alone, by works, by the cross, or by the eucharist. I've had pastors in authority over me who could not explain the basic concept of the Trinity and who could not identify what was a Christian teaching and what was not. How is this in any way acceptable?
Now obviously none of us has our doctrine 100% figured out, and I'm not saying that's necessary, but if we presume to be a teacher to anyone in the faith, there are a few things we need present in our lives and ministries.
We Need to Know What We Believe and Why
But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. - 2 Tim 3:13-17
If we are going to be effective at all in our ministries, we need a solid standing in the word of God. We need to have a firm grasp of the gospel and be able to identify gospels which breakaway from the one true gospel that leads to eternal life with Christ. As Paul told the Galatians:
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. - Gal 1:8-9
Unless teachers know what they believe and why they will never be able to guide those under their spiritual watch to truth or be able to guard their students from the deceptions that are so rampant in the church today. We aren't all apologists or cult researchers and we don't need to be to identify a lie. If we have a firm grasp of the gospel and Biblical truth we will usually be able to spot the deception when it pops up. The allusion is often drawn from counterfeit money investigators who spend their time studying real money in order to be able to identify a fake bill when it shows up. The same is true for gospel truth, if we spend our time in the word digging for truth we'll be able to spot the lie when it shows up.
Now that's not to say it will be obvious every time. Satan is a master of deception and can appear as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14) which is why we need to examine all things against the word of God (1 Thess 5:21). We cannot be lazy in our pursuit or guarding of the truth especially if we're placing ourselves in any kind of position where we'll be teaching or in spiritual authority over other believers, truth is too important to be apathetic towards. The enemy is roaming to see which believer he may devour with his lies and we need to be vigilant and teach others how to be vigilant in their faith.
We need to Understand the Difference Between Exegesis and Eisegesis
Too many people, laypeople and those in ministry, rely entirely too much on one or two prooftexts to prove whatever doctrine we want to believe to be true. This is unacceptable. Every verse, passage, chapter, book stands in a context by which we are able to understand what is being told to us. When we remove that passage or verse from its context it becomes entirely too easy for us to twist it in whatever way we choose to prove whatever it is we want to believe.
I'll give you an example from a recent discussion I had.
This individual was trying to convey the importance he believes the Eucharist has in the life of a Christian. To support this doctrine he took us to John 6 and quoted:
I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” 52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” 53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live
forever.” 59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. 60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” 61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
He just produced an entire passage which he believed showed Christ telling His followers to literally eat His flesh and drink His blood. But this person removed the passage from its complete context by which we are to understand it, and completely changed the meaning we are to take from it:
What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
The words were spiritual. He wasn't telling us to literally eat Him, he was showing us that in Him was life. As the manna that sustained the Israelites in the wilderness and(vv 48-51) He was the Bread of life offering eternal life to whoever believed on Him. This was consistent with Christ's regular style of preaching, which meant using figurative and symbolic language to illustrate a truth to the people.
Christ regularly chose to preach in a figurative style because He knew that by choosing symbols the Jews were already familiar with from their religious teachings and traditions as well as their daily lives they would understand His message better. To take one part of this message from its context in history, the teaching context, the context in which it is found in Scripture is to remove it from how it was originally meant to be read and understood.
If we truly wish to teach we need to know how to teach exegetically rather than eisegetically.
We Need to be Open to Rebuke and Correction
We are not infallible, no matter what church we may belong to or how much education or experience in ministry we may have behind us. There is only One who is infallible in matters of doctrine and not a single one of us can claim to be that One.
Now there is a pattern in Scripture for those who love truth; God will make sure we are corrected one way or another in our own doctrine:
1 Thus says the LORD: “ Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?
2 For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the LORD. “ But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.-Isa. 66:1-2
Often, He uses our own brothers and sisters to correct us just as He used Hilkiah and Shaphan to correct Josiah (2 Kings 22:3-13) and He used Paul to correct Peter (Galatians 2:11-21). If we presume to be beyond correction then we are fooling ourselves and have no place in ministry at all. We need to serve with a humble spirit (Romans 12:16, Col 3:12) not a prideful one.
If we choose, however, to put ourselves above the need for correction in our doctrine or other areas of how we may choose to live our lives we end up with the consequences mentioned in the rest of the passage from Isaiah:
3 “ He who kills a bull is as if he slays a man; He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he breaks a dog’s neck; He who offers a grain offering, as if he offers swine’s blood; He who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol. Just as they have chosen their own ways, And their soul delights in their abominations, 4 So will I choose their delusions, And bring their fears on them; Because, when I called, no one answered, When I spoke they did not hear; But they did evil before My eyes, And chose that in which I do not delight.” -Isa. 66:3-4
when we choose our own glory and pride to the exclusion of truth and serving the one true God, we are choosing delusion and we will fall into deception. There are no if's, ands, or buts about it. Pride and deception go hand in hand, pride and truth do not.
We need to be Able to Serve with the Fruit of the Spirit
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires - Gal 5:22-24
If we are missing this crucial part of Christianity from our lives, we have no business being in any form of ministry. Christ crucified needs to be evident in our daily lives, not just when we're behind a pulpit or on stage or in church teaching Sunday school. He didn't die just to give you an escape route out of Hell, He died to reconcile you to God and to make you a new creation. Now that that has been accomplished it is your mission to spread the word of reconciliation and
share Christ with those around you to lead them to the path of salvation but unless they see Christ evident in your life there can be no sharing of that message with those that need to hear it and your credibility as a Christian witness and a teacher has been shot. (2 Cor 5:18-19).
1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Eph 5:1-2
© Shari Smith August 6, 2007
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The above verse will be the theme for my article today. Teaching a younger or weaker brother or sister in the faith is certainly not a bad thing by any means, teaching an unbeliever to come to Christ is not a bad thing. What is troubling, however, is how many people pursue ministry in the hopes of teaching the church and yet have no understanding of the faith or the Bible they are teaching.
We live in a culture that embraces teachers, missionaries, and pastors as somehow holier than the laypeople that fill the pews. This means the children growing up in lukewarm environments that offer them no understanding of the faith or the Bible are being told to pursue careers in ministries in the church to teach the laypeople in the church. The end result is we now have a generation of believers in the western church with little to no grasp of Scripture or Christianity but one that believes it is the greatest authority on truth since the beginning of the church age.
I have run into many pastors, priests, etc... who hold themselves up to be authorities on the written word and yet when asked cannot explain to me the purpose of the law or whether or not the Old Testament is still valid for believers today. They cannot tell me how to properly read the Bible, metaphorically or literally, a product of divine inspiration or human intellect or a mixture of both. They cannot even tell me how it is we are saved; by faith alone, by works, by the cross, or by the eucharist. I've had pastors in authority over me who could not explain the basic concept of the Trinity and who could not identify what was a Christian teaching and what was not. How is this in any way acceptable?
Now obviously none of us has our doctrine 100% figured out, and I'm not saying that's necessary, but if we presume to be a teacher to anyone in the faith, there are a few things we need present in our lives and ministries.
We Need to Know What We Believe and Why
But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. - 2 Tim 3:13-17
If we are going to be effective at all in our ministries, we need a solid standing in the word of God. We need to have a firm grasp of the gospel and be able to identify gospels which breakaway from the one true gospel that leads to eternal life with Christ. As Paul told the Galatians:
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. - Gal 1:8-9
Unless teachers know what they believe and why they will never be able to guide those under their spiritual watch to truth or be able to guard their students from the deceptions that are so rampant in the church today. We aren't all apologists or cult researchers and we don't need to be to identify a lie. If we have a firm grasp of the gospel and Biblical truth we will usually be able to spot the deception when it pops up. The allusion is often drawn from counterfeit money investigators who spend their time studying real money in order to be able to identify a fake bill when it shows up. The same is true for gospel truth, if we spend our time in the word digging for truth we'll be able to spot the lie when it shows up.
Now that's not to say it will be obvious every time. Satan is a master of deception and can appear as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14) which is why we need to examine all things against the word of God (1 Thess 5:21). We cannot be lazy in our pursuit or guarding of the truth especially if we're placing ourselves in any kind of position where we'll be teaching or in spiritual authority over other believers, truth is too important to be apathetic towards. The enemy is roaming to see which believer he may devour with his lies and we need to be vigilant and teach others how to be vigilant in their faith.
We need to Understand the Difference Between Exegesis and Eisegesis
Too many people, laypeople and those in ministry, rely entirely too much on one or two prooftexts to prove whatever doctrine we want to believe to be true. This is unacceptable. Every verse, passage, chapter, book stands in a context by which we are able to understand what is being told to us. When we remove that passage or verse from its context it becomes entirely too easy for us to twist it in whatever way we choose to prove whatever it is we want to believe.
I'll give you an example from a recent discussion I had.
This individual was trying to convey the importance he believes the Eucharist has in the life of a Christian. To support this doctrine he took us to John 6 and quoted:
I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” 52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” 53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live
forever.” 59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. 60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” 61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
He just produced an entire passage which he believed showed Christ telling His followers to literally eat His flesh and drink His blood. But this person removed the passage from its complete context by which we are to understand it, and completely changed the meaning we are to take from it:
What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
The words were spiritual. He wasn't telling us to literally eat Him, he was showing us that in Him was life. As the manna that sustained the Israelites in the wilderness and(vv 48-51) He was the Bread of life offering eternal life to whoever believed on Him. This was consistent with Christ's regular style of preaching, which meant using figurative and symbolic language to illustrate a truth to the people.
Christ regularly chose to preach in a figurative style because He knew that by choosing symbols the Jews were already familiar with from their religious teachings and traditions as well as their daily lives they would understand His message better. To take one part of this message from its context in history, the teaching context, the context in which it is found in Scripture is to remove it from how it was originally meant to be read and understood.
If we truly wish to teach we need to know how to teach exegetically rather than eisegetically.
We Need to be Open to Rebuke and Correction
We are not infallible, no matter what church we may belong to or how much education or experience in ministry we may have behind us. There is only One who is infallible in matters of doctrine and not a single one of us can claim to be that One.
Now there is a pattern in Scripture for those who love truth; God will make sure we are corrected one way or another in our own doctrine:
1 Thus says the LORD: “ Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?
2 For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the LORD. “ But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.-Isa. 66:1-2
Often, He uses our own brothers and sisters to correct us just as He used Hilkiah and Shaphan to correct Josiah (2 Kings 22:3-13) and He used Paul to correct Peter (Galatians 2:11-21). If we presume to be beyond correction then we are fooling ourselves and have no place in ministry at all. We need to serve with a humble spirit (Romans 12:16, Col 3:12) not a prideful one.
If we choose, however, to put ourselves above the need for correction in our doctrine or other areas of how we may choose to live our lives we end up with the consequences mentioned in the rest of the passage from Isaiah:
3 “ He who kills a bull is as if he slays a man; He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he breaks a dog’s neck; He who offers a grain offering, as if he offers swine’s blood; He who burns incense, as if he blesses an idol. Just as they have chosen their own ways, And their soul delights in their abominations, 4 So will I choose their delusions, And bring their fears on them; Because, when I called, no one answered, When I spoke they did not hear; But they did evil before My eyes, And chose that in which I do not delight.” -Isa. 66:3-4
when we choose our own glory and pride to the exclusion of truth and serving the one true God, we are choosing delusion and we will fall into deception. There are no if's, ands, or buts about it. Pride and deception go hand in hand, pride and truth do not.
We need to be Able to Serve with the Fruit of the Spirit
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires - Gal 5:22-24
If we are missing this crucial part of Christianity from our lives, we have no business being in any form of ministry. Christ crucified needs to be evident in our daily lives, not just when we're behind a pulpit or on stage or in church teaching Sunday school. He didn't die just to give you an escape route out of Hell, He died to reconcile you to God and to make you a new creation. Now that that has been accomplished it is your mission to spread the word of reconciliation and
share Christ with those around you to lead them to the path of salvation but unless they see Christ evident in your life there can be no sharing of that message with those that need to hear it and your credibility as a Christian witness and a teacher has been shot. (2 Cor 5:18-19).
1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Eph 5:1-2
© Shari Smith August 6, 2007
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Swedenborg and History of the Church of the New Jerusalem
Swedenborgianism, also known as The New Church or the Church of the New Jerusalem, is the topic of today's discussion.
Based on the teachings of the son of a well known Lutheran minister, Emanuel Swedenborg, born Emanuel Swedberg(1688-1772), had always had a deep interest in matters relating to religion and faith. This passion led him, in 1736, to take a leave of absence from his job in the mining industry and move to Paris, in the interests of studying human anatomy in order to discover the location of the soul in the human body.
In 1743, Swedenborg began to have terrible dreams and visions and feelings that he was being attacked by evil spirits. This supposedly was to be the period in which his spiritual eyes were being opened, enabling him to see into the spirit realm. This, he claimed, led to an encounter with Christ in 1745 to call him to be a seer and revelator of divine truth.
Swedenborg didn't limit his spiritual discussion with mere commoners among the angels either. He was known to debate theology with noted theologians such as Augustine, Paul, Luther, and Calvin.
This claim alone should be enough to raise red flags with all Christians. Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them:
I am the LORD your God. - Leviticus 19:31
“When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you. - Deuteronomy 18:10-14
Doctrines & Beliefs
Sacred Writings
Swedenborg alone is considered to have had the discernment in sensing what books of the Bible were in fact inspired and should be considered scriptural. These books of the Bible of course can only be interpreted properly by first going to Swedenborg's own writings which seek to analyze the deeper meaning of the texts.
So what books constitute the Bible?
Books of the Law: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
The Historical Books: Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings The Wisdom Books: Psalms, Lamentations, Daniel
The Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel
The Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah, Malachi
The Books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Revelation
The Trinity
There is no Trinity as the mainstream Christian church refers to it as. To propose such an idea is considered heretical and blasphemous. There is one God and one person in the Godhead and the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are all really one being embodied in Christ alone.
This view of course can only be supported by overlooking many passages which say otherwise.
And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. - Revelation 5:1-7
The context surrounding this passage from Revelation shows us that there are at least two distinct persons here on equal footing. Him who sits on the throne is seen to be God by the fact that the elders are worshipping Him at the end of the previous chapter and the Lamb is also seen to be God by the same reasoning; immediately after this passage we see all of Heaven worshipping Him as God.
Now that we can see two distinct persons, God the Father and God the Son do in fact exist, what of the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is obviously a distinct person as well, He is shown in Scripture as Someone who creates(Gen. 1:1), can be grieved(Isa. 63:10), the only person of the Trinity against whom blasphemy will not be forgiven (Matt. 12:32), is a teacher (John 15:13), is a Helper(John 14:26), seeks to glorify Christ (John 15:14), and can be lied to (Acts 5:3). Every one of these things can only be attributed to individuals as common sense tells us.
So now we see that there are three distinct beings being recognized as God. Yet the Bible is also clear that there is only one God.
Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. - Deuteronomy 4:39
Inasmuch as there is none like You, O LORD (You are great, and Your name is great in might), Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You. - Jeremiah 10:6-7
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! - Deuteronomy 6:4
Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me - Isaiah 46:9
The only logical conclusion that can be drawn from these passages is that though there are three distinct persons, there is very clearly one God, this is known as the Trinity. It may not be easy for our finite minds to comprehend, but that fact alone does not make it any less true.
It is also of interest to note that according to the New Church, Christ was born simply as a human and as time progressed, God replaced Christ's humanity with His divinity so that by the time Jesus was resurrected He was fully divine and his human was glorified, as this church refers to it.
This of course overlooks the fact that Christ is said to be co-eternal with God the Father.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. - John 1:1-5
The Atonement
So why did Christ come to die on the cross? It is believed by members of the New Church that about 2,000 years ago there was an uprising of evil spirits against humanity, enslaving the human race in temptation and sin. As a direct result Christ came, not to be sin for us that we might be saved, but to free us from the evil spirits that we might have a real chance to be saved.
This would be a good point to mention that according to the New Church, man exists as two beings - the internal and external being. The internal being, built in identical form to our external bodies (organs and all), lies asleep as long as our external beings are alive. Once we're done with our external bodies, our internal beings awaken in an intermediate spirit world known as the World of Spirits where we're to await a sort of self judging process that tells us what our 'ruling love' is and where we'll spend eternity, and whether we'll be spending that eternity as an angel or devil.
What is 'Ruling Love?'
To put it simply, our ruling love is what drives and motivates us. It is inherent in each and every one of us and it will be the basis on which it is decided whether we'll go on from the World of Spirits as angels in Heaven or satans/devils in Hell.
There are four categories in which every ruling love falls into:
1. Love to the Lord This is considered to be the greatest ruling love a person can have. The person whose ruling love is 'Love to the Lord,' rests his or her every thought on God. His every action comes as a direct result from wanting to worship God. This person will be graduating from the World of Spirits as an angel in Heaven.
2. Love to the Neighbor This person's life revolves around his love for the people around him. This too is considered a good type of ruling love to have (though not nearly as great as #1) that will ascertain that person's spot in Heaven as an angel.
3. Love to the World This is considered to be the opposite to ruling love #2. Rather than loving the people around him, this person loves the world. This person will be leaving the World of Spirits as a satan or devil in Hell.
4. Love of Self This is considered the opposite of ruling love #1. This person is a very selfish and materialistic sort of person who also will be leaving the World of Spirits as a satan or devil in Hell.
Salvation is Universal
"Everyone who lives up to the best he knows, whether Christian, Jew, Moslem, or Pagan, is truly a member of the church Invisible." - This We Believe (Zacharias)
All of this of course negates real truths that Scripture tells us. None of us are good or righteous in the eyes of God apart from the atoning sacrifice of Christ Jesus.
But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. - Isaiah 64
Thus says the LORD: “ Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. “ Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. “ The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings. - Jeremiah 17:5-10
It is interesting to note that while Swedenborg and the members of the New Church do not consider any of the epistles of the New Testament Scriptural, they do refer to them as good to read in any case. If they would look at those books however the above verses might make more sense to them because then they would have a real context to understand them in.
... we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: “ There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “ Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced 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 they have not known.” “ There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith- Romans 3:9-27
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ... For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:1-5, 7-10
so it is through Christ that we have any righteousness at all:
For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “ Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’” Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them ” (which are offered according to the law), then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. - Hebrews 10:11-14
It is not, as many inside and outside of the New Church would like to believe, by our own goodness that we are saved because Scripture makes it quite clear that on our own none of us are good. It is by accepting the free gift of salvation that comes through Christ's death and resurrection that matter. Contrary to popular belief - what you choose to believe has very real consequences on where you spend eternity:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” - John 3:16-21
I hope this brief article has done some good in dispelling any thoughts that the Church of the New Jerusalem might be Christian, indeed it is not. The church itself does claim to be Christian, however the evidence I have shown you speaks for itself. They do not know the narrow path that leads to salvation, in fact the gospel this church preaches distorts who Jesus really is and what salvation itself means
© Shari Smith July 27, 2006
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Based on the teachings of the son of a well known Lutheran minister, Emanuel Swedenborg, born Emanuel Swedberg(1688-1772), had always had a deep interest in matters relating to religion and faith. This passion led him, in 1736, to take a leave of absence from his job in the mining industry and move to Paris, in the interests of studying human anatomy in order to discover the location of the soul in the human body.
Always he was inquiring: "Where is the soul?" At one time he thought it must be in the blood stream; at another time in the brain; then, again, in the heart and lungs. At last he began to see that it was not contained to any one particular organ, but was in the whole body, at every part at once. The soul was, in fact, in the human form, and the physical body took its form from the building-up, vitalizing and governing the physical body at every point. - Inner Light (Kingslake), page 11
In 1743, Swedenborg began to have terrible dreams and visions and feelings that he was being attacked by evil spirits. This supposedly was to be the period in which his spiritual eyes were being opened, enabling him to see into the spirit realm. This, he claimed, led to an encounter with Christ in 1745 to call him to be a seer and revelator of divine truth.
...the Lord appeared to him again the following April 1745 while he was having dinner alone in his room in a London hotel. Evidently by that time his inner eyes were fully open, for the Lord commissioned him to give to the world a new revelation of truth for the building-up of a new church. From that day onwards, for 27 years until his death in 1772, he was an inhabitant of both worlds. While living a normal life on earth as to his natural body, he was also concious of his spiritual body in the spiritual world. He met and talked familiarly with angels in Heaven, newly awakened spirits in the intermediate region and with devils and satans in Hell. He visited with them in their homes, shared their lives and discussed every subject with them. At the same time, the Lord was enlightening his mind so that he could understand and convey to the world the spiritual sense of God's holy word. - Inner Light (Kingslake), page 15
Swedenborg didn't limit his spiritual discussion with mere commoners among the angels either. He was known to debate theology with noted theologians such as Augustine, Paul, Luther, and Calvin.
This claim alone should be enough to raise red flags with all Christians. Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them:
I am the LORD your God. - Leviticus 19:31
“When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you. - Deuteronomy 18:10-14
Doctrines & Beliefs
Sacred Writings
Swedenborg alone is considered to have had the discernment in sensing what books of the Bible were in fact inspired and should be considered scriptural. These books of the Bible of course can only be interpreted properly by first going to Swedenborg's own writings which seek to analyze the deeper meaning of the texts.
So what books constitute the Bible?
Books of the Law: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
The Historical Books: Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings The Wisdom Books: Psalms, Lamentations, Daniel
The Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel
The Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah, Malachi
The Books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Revelation
The Trinity
There is no Trinity as the mainstream Christian church refers to it as. To propose such an idea is considered heretical and blasphemous. There is one God and one person in the Godhead and the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are all really one being embodied in Christ alone.
168. When we say that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the three essentials of a single God, in the same way as soul, body and activity are in man, it may look to the human mind as if the three essentials are three persons. This is impossible. But when we understand that the Father's Divine which makes up the soul, and the Son's Divine which makes up the body, and the Holy Spirit's Divine or the Divine which proceeds and makes up the activity, are the three essentials of a single God, then it can be grasped by the understanding. For God the Father is His own Divine, the Son out of the Father is His own, and the Holy Spirit out of both is His own. Since these are of one essence and one mind, they make up a single God. If, however, those three Divines are called persons, and each has attributed to Him His own property, imputation to the Father, mediation to the Son, and activity to the Holy Spirit, then the Divine essence is divided.
Yet it is one and indivisible. In this case none of the three is fully God, but each is God to the power of one third*, a proposition no sane understanding can accept. - True Christian Religion (Swedenborg), n. 168 * i.e. the cube root.
He has several planes of being and works on several levels; this has led people to think of him as consisting of several different "persons." But the splitting-up of God, even to make Him Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, produces a multi-headed monster which would, in the end, destroy itself. - Inner Light (Kingslake), Page 20
This view of course can only be supported by overlooking many passages which say otherwise.
And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. - Revelation 5:1-7
The context surrounding this passage from Revelation shows us that there are at least two distinct persons here on equal footing. Him who sits on the throne is seen to be God by the fact that the elders are worshipping Him at the end of the previous chapter and the Lamb is also seen to be God by the same reasoning; immediately after this passage we see all of Heaven worshipping Him as God.
Now that we can see two distinct persons, God the Father and God the Son do in fact exist, what of the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is obviously a distinct person as well, He is shown in Scripture as Someone who creates(Gen. 1:1), can be grieved(Isa. 63:10), the only person of the Trinity against whom blasphemy will not be forgiven (Matt. 12:32), is a teacher (John 15:13), is a Helper(John 14:26), seeks to glorify Christ (John 15:14), and can be lied to (Acts 5:3). Every one of these things can only be attributed to individuals as common sense tells us.
So now we see that there are three distinct beings being recognized as God. Yet the Bible is also clear that there is only one God.
Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. - Deuteronomy 4:39
Inasmuch as there is none like You, O LORD (You are great, and Your name is great in might), Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You. - Jeremiah 10:6-7
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! - Deuteronomy 6:4
Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me - Isaiah 46:9
The only logical conclusion that can be drawn from these passages is that though there are three distinct persons, there is very clearly one God, this is known as the Trinity. It may not be easy for our finite minds to comprehend, but that fact alone does not make it any less true.
It is also of interest to note that according to the New Church, Christ was born simply as a human and as time progressed, God replaced Christ's humanity with His divinity so that by the time Jesus was resurrected He was fully divine and his human was glorified, as this church refers to it.
Like other children, Jesus had a dual heredity, paternal and maternal. His paternal heredity was, of course, divine. (His birth was not strictly a "virgin birth" or parthenogenesis, which would necessarily have produced a female offspring; Jesus did have a Father, but the father was God.) His maternal heredity was like that of any other child. Mary gave him flesh and bones, his physical senses, his natural intelligence. He began life in complete ignorance and had to learn everything like any other child... But as he drove out the evil spirits who were tempting him, that "temptable" part of his nature was replaced bit by bit with divine substance from his Father... His infirm human was completely destroyed after the crucifixion, after which his Divine-Human took over, even down to his flesh and bones... - Inner Light (Kingslake), page 76
An illustration can be taken from the building of a house. When a house in under construction, scaffold poles are first erected. Sometimes these rough poles are set up all around the site, and passers-by might even mistake them for the intended building! But when all is completed, the scaffold poles are removed, and there stands a beautiful stone edifice. In the case of Jesus, the parts of his nature which he inherited from his Father were the stones. The scaffold poles ensure that the stones are placed in the right position, they are afterwards removed. So the parts from Mary enabled God to form his Divine-Human, but they were eventually discarded. - Inner Light (Kingslake), pages 76-77
This of course overlooks the fact that Christ is said to be co-eternal with God the Father.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. - John 1:1-5
The Atonement
The New Church holds that there is no substitutional atonement for our sins.
This I can affirm, that whenever the angels hear anyone say, that God determined in anger on the damnation of the human race, and as an enemy was reconciled by His Son, as by another God begotten by Himself, they are affected in a manner similar to those who from an uneasiness in their bowels and stomach are excited to vomiting; on which occasion they say, What can be more insane than to affirm such things to God? - Miscellaneous Theological Works (Swedenborg), p. 203
The theory was developed late in the 11th century, somewhat like this; God-the-Father had intended to destroy humanity as a punishment for sin. However, His son Jesus, who had always been with him in Heaven, was persuaded to go down to earth to be punished on humanity's behalf.("How wonderfully kind of God-the-Father to send him," people used to say!)So Jesus came to earth and lived a life of exemplary sinlessness, at the end of which he was unjustly tortured and nailed on the cross. This entirely satisfied the "justice" of his Father, who thereupon forgave the sins of the human race and humanity was saved! The only requirement now is that we should "believe" that Jesus died on our behalf; this will bring us into the redemptive scheme and all will be well. Such an explanation of the redemption does not make much sense as you will agree... - Inner Light(Kingslake), p.68
So why did Christ come to die on the cross? It is believed by members of the New Church that about 2,000 years ago there was an uprising of evil spirits against humanity, enslaving the human race in temptation and sin. As a direct result Christ came, not to be sin for us that we might be saved, but to free us from the evil spirits that we might have a real chance to be saved.
10828. The Lord came into the world in order to save the human race, which otherwise would have perished in eternal death; and He saved it by this: that He subjugated the hells which were infesting every man that came into the world and that went out of the world; and at the same time by this: that He glorified His Human, for in this way He can hold the hells in subjection to eternity. The subjugation of the hells and the simultaneous glorification of His Human, were effected by means of temptations admitted into His Human, and by continual victories then. His passion on the cross was the last temptation and the full victory. That the Lord subjugated the hells, He Himself teaches in the following passages: Jesus said, Now is My soul troubled, Father, rescue Me from this hour; but for this cause came I into the world. Father, glorify Thy name. There came forth a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and I will glorify it again. Then Jesus said, Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out (John 12:27, 28, 31). Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33). Who is this that cometh from Edom, marching in the multitude of his strength, great to save? Mine own arm performed salvation for Me; therefore He became their Savior (Isa. 63:1, 5, 8; also 59:16-21). That He glorified His Human, and that the passion of the cross was the last temptation and the full victory through which He was glorified, He also teaches in these passages: After Judas was gone out, Jesus said, Now hath the Son of man been glorified, and God shall glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him (John 13:31-32). Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee. Now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was (John 17:1, 5). Now is
My soul troubled, Father, glorify Thy name; and there came forth a voice from heaven saying, I have both glorified it, and I will glorify it again (John 12:27, 28). Ought not the Christ to suffer this, and to enter into His glory? (Luke 24:26). "To glorify" denotes to make Divine. From this it is now evident that unless the Lord had come into the world, and had become a Man, and had in this manner freed from hell all those who believe in Him and love Him, no mortal could have been saved. This is meant by its being said that without the Lord there is no salvation. - Arcana Coelestia(Swedenborg), n. 10828
This would be a good point to mention that according to the New Church, man exists as two beings - the internal and external being. The internal being, built in identical form to our external bodies (organs and all), lies asleep as long as our external beings are alive. Once we're done with our external bodies, our internal beings awaken in an intermediate spirit world known as the World of Spirits where we're to await a sort of self judging process that tells us what our 'ruling love' is and where we'll spend eternity, and whether we'll be spending that eternity as an angel or devil.
What is 'Ruling Love?'
To put it simply, our ruling love is what drives and motivates us. It is inherent in each and every one of us and it will be the basis on which it is decided whether we'll go on from the World of Spirits as angels in Heaven or satans/devils in Hell.
54. IV. LOVE IN GENERAL. The very life of man is his love, and such as the love is, such is the life, yea, such is the whole man. But it is the governing or ruling love which constitutes the man. That love has many loves subordinate to it, which are derivations. These appear under another form, but still they are all in the ruling love, and constitute, with it, one kingdom. The ruling love is as their king and head; it directs them, and, through them, as mediate ends, it regards and intends its own end, which is the primary and ultimate end of them all; and this it does both directly and indirectly. That which is of the ruling love is what is loved above all things - Heavenly Doctrines(Swedenborg), n. 54
There are four categories in which every ruling love falls into:
1. Love to the Lord This is considered to be the greatest ruling love a person can have. The person whose ruling love is 'Love to the Lord,' rests his or her every thought on God. His every action comes as a direct result from wanting to worship God. This person will be graduating from the World of Spirits as an angel in Heaven.
2. Love to the Neighbor This person's life revolves around his love for the people around him. This too is considered a good type of ruling love to have (though not nearly as great as #1) that will ascertain that person's spot in Heaven as an angel.
3. Love to the World This is considered to be the opposite to ruling love #2. Rather than loving the people around him, this person loves the world. This person will be leaving the World of Spirits as a satan or devil in Hell.
4. Love of Self This is considered the opposite of ruling love #1. This person is a very selfish and materialistic sort of person who also will be leaving the World of Spirits as a satan or devil in Hell.
Salvation is Universal
It used to be fashionable for Christians to condemn all non-Christians to Hell. But in the New Church we know that it is the ruling love that makes a person an angel or a devil, and the ruling love of a Hindu or Moslem or so-called heathen savage is just as likely to be good as that of a "civilised" Christian. - Inner Light (Kingslake), page 53
Seen from God's point of view, the "Church" consists of all regenerating people throughout the world, whether Christians, Jews, Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists, or even Animists. All who are trying to live a good life according to their lights (that is to say, all whose ruling love is good) constitute the church... - Inner Light (Kingslake), page 121
"Everyone who lives up to the best he knows, whether Christian, Jew, Moslem, or Pagan, is truly a member of the church Invisible." - This We Believe (Zacharias)
All of this of course negates real truths that Scripture tells us. None of us are good or righteous in the eyes of God apart from the atoning sacrifice of Christ Jesus.
But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. - Isaiah 64
Thus says the LORD: “ Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. “ Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. “ The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings. - Jeremiah 17:5-10
It is interesting to note that while Swedenborg and the members of the New Church do not consider any of the epistles of the New Testament Scriptural, they do refer to them as good to read in any case. If they would look at those books however the above verses might make more sense to them because then they would have a real context to understand them in.
... we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: “ There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “ Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced 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 they have not known.” “ There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith- Romans 3:9-27
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ... For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:1-5, 7-10
so it is through Christ that we have any righteousness at all:
For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “ Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’” Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them ” (which are offered according to the law), then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. - Hebrews 10:11-14
It is not, as many inside and outside of the New Church would like to believe, by our own goodness that we are saved because Scripture makes it quite clear that on our own none of us are good. It is by accepting the free gift of salvation that comes through Christ's death and resurrection that matter. Contrary to popular belief - what you choose to believe has very real consequences on where you spend eternity:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” - John 3:16-21
I hope this brief article has done some good in dispelling any thoughts that the Church of the New Jerusalem might be Christian, indeed it is not. The church itself does claim to be Christian, however the evidence I have shown you speaks for itself. They do not know the narrow path that leads to salvation, in fact the gospel this church preaches distorts who Jesus really is and what salvation itself means
© Shari Smith July 27, 2006
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
How Much Power Does Prayer Hold Over God?
Have you ever heard anyone claim that the Christian is able through the power of prayer to change the mind and will of God? Chances are pretty good that you have. Its a rather common belief in the church today. Perhaps the argument was not put to you quite so bluntly, but its out there on the bookshelves of every Christian bookstore and very likely in a few books that you yourself own.
This belief is part of what is known to theologians as open theism; the belief that God does not know nor can determine future events. He is free and open to work with believers in a dialogue fashion to determine what will happen. Essentially, this argument glorifies and lifts man up while dragging God down until we're both equals with one another. That should be red flag number one in the mind of every believer. We are the creation and He is the Creator, and if we have power over Him? Something is wrong.
What Biblical passages do adherents of this view use to justify their arguments?
There are several. And I want to look at a few of them in the course of this article to determine if there really is any merit to the claims.
1. Hezekiah changed God's mind through prayers (2 Kings 20:1-11, Isa. 38:1-8)
1 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, Thus says the LORD: "Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live." 2 Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying, 3 "Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 5 "Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, "Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD. 6 And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David." - 2 Kings 20
I'll admit this is a difficult passage to grapple with, but it becomes clearer to understand when you look at it in the context of the rest of Scripture.
First of all, Scripture specifically says That God does not change His mind. Writers from the Old Testament attest to this (Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29) as well as those from the New Testament (Hebrews 13:8, James 1:17). So why do some argue that He is able to change his mind? How can we make the texts concerning King Hezekiah fit this understanding of Scripture? Or is trying to understand it through that lens, forcing a piece of the puzzle into a spot it cannot possible fit?
The short answer? No, it is not. Scripture cannot and does not contradict itself. If it appears to, then it is our understanding which is in error.
First God was calling Hezekiah to repentance in telling him to set his house in order. He was telling him what was evident: he was about to die, and he needed to respond to that knowledge in some way. But in the end, when Hezekiah bowed before the Lord, God showed mercy on him and saved him. Does any of this sound familiar? Hezekiah was not ultimately spared from his physical death. He did die as God said, but God granted him mercy in delaying that death, and in so doing He used Hezekiah's circumstances as a foreshadowing of the mercy we find in Christ and Calvary. He glorified Himself ultimately both immediately by showing mercy on Hezekiah and in defending his city as He promised, but eternally as he pointed His servant to Himself and forward to the cross.
Whereas we were all condemned in our sins to die, God showed us mercy and grace when we bowed before Him in true humility and repentance and granted us life.
2. Moses changed God's mind through prayer
11 Then the LORD said to Moses: "How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they." 13 And Moses said to the LORD: "Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them, 14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, LORD, are among these people; that You, LORD, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, 16 'Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.' 17 And now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, 18 'The LORD is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.�[b] 19 Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.' 20 Then the LORD said: "I have pardoned, according to your word" - Numbers 14
21 They forgot God their Savior,
Who had done great things in Egypt,
22 Wondrous works in the land of Ham,
Awesome things by the Red Sea.
23 Therefore He said that He would destroy them,
Had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach,
To turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them. - Psalm 106
Again we must remember that all of Scripture points to the cross in some way. God's wrath demanded death and payment of some kind. Because His people consistently and willingly rebelled against Him and refused to believe in Him after seeing His power displayed so prominently in their lives, God's wrath burned against them. There was only one resort - to let them die in their own sins. Unless there was someone to stand in the gap and intercede for them.
Time and time again, Scripture points us to the need for an intercessor on the behalf of sinners. The Israelites needed one, and found one in Moses as we see in these passages. Jerusalem needed one, and they faced the consequence of the Lord finding none to intercede (Ezekiel 22:30); i.e. the wrath of God poured out upon them. We as believers needed Someone to intercede on our behalf (Eph 2:14-18), and in Christ, we find that Intercessor we so desperately need (1 Timothy 2:5). Outside of that divine intercession, all we will know is the wrath of God.
Again, God was pointing His people toward the cross. Those individuals against whom God's wrath burned still died in their sin because of their disbelief (Numbers 14:23) but God still had mercy on Israel and in so doing used their sin and punishment as yet another foreshadowing of Calvary's grace and mercy. Not one member of Israel deserved life, but He allowed the nation to live anyway. Not one believer among us deserves eternal life and once was condemned, but He granted us that life with Him anyway.
Another way to look at it is this: Was God lying when He said all who die in the sins will never be saved (John 3:18)? Does He change His mind whenever He grants grace and salvation to those who will humble themselves before Him and repent (Romans 10:9) No. When someone is saved, we don't see God changing His mind; we see Him being faithful to His word and His promises (Acts 16:31; 2 Cor 7:10). In our sin, God is faithful to His promise of our damnation and condemnation, but in our repentance and faith God is faithful to His promise of salvation. The same promises He's made throughout Scripture to both Israel (Ezekial 33:11) and the church (Hebrews 9:15)
Another possible interpretation of this passage is that God is testing the heart of Moses. You may have noticed that when God declared His plan to abolish Israel in their sin and unbelief, He also promised to create an even greater nation in Moses. But Moses's heart lay with the people of Israel and in the promises of God concerning them, and not with glorifying himself.
3. James exhorts people to pray. This is argued as proof of the power of prayer over God's will.
3 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. - James 5
The problem with using this as a proof text is that the church emphasizes here the power of prayer over all else when James is actually emphasizing who is doing the praying: righteous and faithful believers. As the author of Hebrews states,
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. - Hebrews 11:6
It is not the mere fact that we pray that we see results, it is righteous and faithful people who are praying in accordance with the will of God who see such things happen. But God is not a servant that we should expect Him to bow to our whims if we pray earnestly enough, or if we're faithful enough. Scripture also makes it plainly clear that God will answer with a "no", when a righteous man prays for something specific if the request does not coincide with God's will.
Lets look at the most poignant example of this. David, called by God Himself a man after His own heart, did not see his prayer request fulfilled in the way he asked.
And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became ill. 16 David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, "Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!" 19 When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "He is dead." - 2 Sam 12
And Scripture is equally clear that sometimes it is simply not His will to heal someone. Even the righteous.
The righteous perishes,
And no man takes it to heart;
Merciful men are taken away,
While no one considers
That the righteous is taken away from evil.
2 He shall enter into peace;
They shall rest in their beds,
Each one walking in his uprightness. - Isaiah 57
There are always going to be more arguments than there is time to address them or space to refute, so I'll limit this article to these three arguments.
And before I end this article, I want to be clear that I am in no way arguing against the importance of prayer in a Christian's life. Its something we're all commanded to do (1 Thess 5:17). It is something we're told to do for each other, and it is absolutely essential for a healthy personal relationship with the Lord. Prayer is not something you can ever separate from the life of a true believer and still see them flourish in their faith. But it is not a magical or mystical tool we're to use in order to manipulate God for our own purposes either. Prayer, like everything else in the believer's life, must be used for the glory of God; not the glory of man.
One thing believers must always keep in mind when they encounter any claims from anyone concerning Scripture or the Lord is we must test it against Scripture and we must think critically. Does the Bible support the claims? Are the passages being used to support the claims taken out of context? Are there passages which would refute the claims being made? How do the claims affect the presentation of who God is and the dynamics of the believer's relationship with Him? Do the claims affect the gospel in any way? These are all important questions all believers must ask before accepting something as truth. Its all too easy, and sadly all too common, for errors to slip into the church simply because a trusted pastor, teacher, or author says something and few think to question it. but even the most sound pastor alive today is capable of falling into deception.
© Shari Smith December 16, 2010
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
This belief is part of what is known to theologians as open theism; the belief that God does not know nor can determine future events. He is free and open to work with believers in a dialogue fashion to determine what will happen. Essentially, this argument glorifies and lifts man up while dragging God down until we're both equals with one another. That should be red flag number one in the mind of every believer. We are the creation and He is the Creator, and if we have power over Him? Something is wrong.
What Biblical passages do adherents of this view use to justify their arguments?
There are several. And I want to look at a few of them in the course of this article to determine if there really is any merit to the claims.
1. Hezekiah changed God's mind through prayers (2 Kings 20:1-11, Isa. 38:1-8)
1 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, Thus says the LORD: "Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live." 2 Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying, 3 "Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 5 "Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, "Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD. 6 And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David." - 2 Kings 20
I'll admit this is a difficult passage to grapple with, but it becomes clearer to understand when you look at it in the context of the rest of Scripture.
First of all, Scripture specifically says That God does not change His mind. Writers from the Old Testament attest to this (Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29) as well as those from the New Testament (Hebrews 13:8, James 1:17). So why do some argue that He is able to change his mind? How can we make the texts concerning King Hezekiah fit this understanding of Scripture? Or is trying to understand it through that lens, forcing a piece of the puzzle into a spot it cannot possible fit?
The short answer? No, it is not. Scripture cannot and does not contradict itself. If it appears to, then it is our understanding which is in error.
First God was calling Hezekiah to repentance in telling him to set his house in order. He was telling him what was evident: he was about to die, and he needed to respond to that knowledge in some way. But in the end, when Hezekiah bowed before the Lord, God showed mercy on him and saved him. Does any of this sound familiar? Hezekiah was not ultimately spared from his physical death. He did die as God said, but God granted him mercy in delaying that death, and in so doing He used Hezekiah's circumstances as a foreshadowing of the mercy we find in Christ and Calvary. He glorified Himself ultimately both immediately by showing mercy on Hezekiah and in defending his city as He promised, but eternally as he pointed His servant to Himself and forward to the cross.
Whereas we were all condemned in our sins to die, God showed us mercy and grace when we bowed before Him in true humility and repentance and granted us life.
2. Moses changed God's mind through prayer
11 Then the LORD said to Moses: "How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they." 13 And Moses said to the LORD: "Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them, 14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, LORD, are among these people; that You, LORD, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, 16 'Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.' 17 And now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, 18 'The LORD is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.�[b] 19 Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.' 20 Then the LORD said: "I have pardoned, according to your word" - Numbers 14
21 They forgot God their Savior,
Who had done great things in Egypt,
22 Wondrous works in the land of Ham,
Awesome things by the Red Sea.
23 Therefore He said that He would destroy them,
Had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach,
To turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them. - Psalm 106
Again we must remember that all of Scripture points to the cross in some way. God's wrath demanded death and payment of some kind. Because His people consistently and willingly rebelled against Him and refused to believe in Him after seeing His power displayed so prominently in their lives, God's wrath burned against them. There was only one resort - to let them die in their own sins. Unless there was someone to stand in the gap and intercede for them.
Time and time again, Scripture points us to the need for an intercessor on the behalf of sinners. The Israelites needed one, and found one in Moses as we see in these passages. Jerusalem needed one, and they faced the consequence of the Lord finding none to intercede (Ezekiel 22:30); i.e. the wrath of God poured out upon them. We as believers needed Someone to intercede on our behalf (Eph 2:14-18), and in Christ, we find that Intercessor we so desperately need (1 Timothy 2:5). Outside of that divine intercession, all we will know is the wrath of God.
Again, God was pointing His people toward the cross. Those individuals against whom God's wrath burned still died in their sin because of their disbelief (Numbers 14:23) but God still had mercy on Israel and in so doing used their sin and punishment as yet another foreshadowing of Calvary's grace and mercy. Not one member of Israel deserved life, but He allowed the nation to live anyway. Not one believer among us deserves eternal life and once was condemned, but He granted us that life with Him anyway.
Another way to look at it is this: Was God lying when He said all who die in the sins will never be saved (John 3:18)? Does He change His mind whenever He grants grace and salvation to those who will humble themselves before Him and repent (Romans 10:9) No. When someone is saved, we don't see God changing His mind; we see Him being faithful to His word and His promises (Acts 16:31; 2 Cor 7:10). In our sin, God is faithful to His promise of our damnation and condemnation, but in our repentance and faith God is faithful to His promise of salvation. The same promises He's made throughout Scripture to both Israel (Ezekial 33:11) and the church (Hebrews 9:15)
Another possible interpretation of this passage is that God is testing the heart of Moses. You may have noticed that when God declared His plan to abolish Israel in their sin and unbelief, He also promised to create an even greater nation in Moses. But Moses's heart lay with the people of Israel and in the promises of God concerning them, and not with glorifying himself.
3. James exhorts people to pray. This is argued as proof of the power of prayer over God's will.
3 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. - James 5
The problem with using this as a proof text is that the church emphasizes here the power of prayer over all else when James is actually emphasizing who is doing the praying: righteous and faithful believers. As the author of Hebrews states,
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. - Hebrews 11:6
It is not the mere fact that we pray that we see results, it is righteous and faithful people who are praying in accordance with the will of God who see such things happen. But God is not a servant that we should expect Him to bow to our whims if we pray earnestly enough, or if we're faithful enough. Scripture also makes it plainly clear that God will answer with a "no", when a righteous man prays for something specific if the request does not coincide with God's will.
Lets look at the most poignant example of this. David, called by God Himself a man after His own heart, did not see his prayer request fulfilled in the way he asked.
And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became ill. 16 David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, "Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!" 19 When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "He is dead." - 2 Sam 12
And Scripture is equally clear that sometimes it is simply not His will to heal someone. Even the righteous.
The righteous perishes,
And no man takes it to heart;
Merciful men are taken away,
While no one considers
That the righteous is taken away from evil.
2 He shall enter into peace;
They shall rest in their beds,
Each one walking in his uprightness. - Isaiah 57
There are always going to be more arguments than there is time to address them or space to refute, so I'll limit this article to these three arguments.
And before I end this article, I want to be clear that I am in no way arguing against the importance of prayer in a Christian's life. Its something we're all commanded to do (1 Thess 5:17). It is something we're told to do for each other, and it is absolutely essential for a healthy personal relationship with the Lord. Prayer is not something you can ever separate from the life of a true believer and still see them flourish in their faith. But it is not a magical or mystical tool we're to use in order to manipulate God for our own purposes either. Prayer, like everything else in the believer's life, must be used for the glory of God; not the glory of man.
One thing believers must always keep in mind when they encounter any claims from anyone concerning Scripture or the Lord is we must test it against Scripture and we must think critically. Does the Bible support the claims? Are the passages being used to support the claims taken out of context? Are there passages which would refute the claims being made? How do the claims affect the presentation of who God is and the dynamics of the believer's relationship with Him? Do the claims affect the gospel in any way? These are all important questions all believers must ask before accepting something as truth. Its all too easy, and sadly all too common, for errors to slip into the church simply because a trusted pastor, teacher, or author says something and few think to question it. but even the most sound pastor alive today is capable of falling into deception.
© Shari Smith December 16, 2010
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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