Special Mid-Summer Bible Conversation on Hard Sayings in the Bible (Question 3 - Born Again))

  

1.    John 3 Rebirth - "Being Born Again" & Salvation. This passage is so loaded doctrinally!   I think the three most offered answers when people are asked if they are born again are: “I don’t believe in that holy roller stuff!” (no doubt referring to the frantic behavior of some who are presumed touched by the Spirit during worship); the second is, “what do you mean?”; and, lastly, “I don’t know!” Some believe that being born again means that God refreshes us with His Spirit, which would infer that we are reborn several times.

God reveals to His people the character or operationality of salvation for believers. (we find a further level of understanding in John 4.) Salvation was not earned by being legally ‘right’ by an obedience to the Law. God says that the 10 commandments and the other Mosaic laws could not eternally save; in the Law God demonstrates how to worship Him, how to rely solely on Him for our needs; He refers to the Law as a "disciplinarian" that would reveal our need for a Savior, but which could not eternally save someone. Nicodemus and other religious leaders of his time relied upon both the Torah – God authored,  and the Talmud, or the “Oral Law” – human interpretation of the Torah. Holding fast to both the Law and interpretations developed by the priests and rabbis was the standard of righteousness that was thought to make them worthy of life in the world to come.

Before we go into the deep exposition of Jesus’s words in John 3, let’s look at Ephesians 2 to get a fundamental understanding of salvation.

 

Evangelicals and others generally believe that salvation is a synergistic process – that before you can be saved, you have to develop faith, so that salvation is dependent first upon actions we take. That is, according to some beliefs, it is our efforts through which we can negotiate a peace with God that makes us worthy of salvation. Or, more commonly, “you have to get right before you come to Church!” Reading the first 3 verses of Ephesians 2 we are told by the Holy Spirit a different beginning. [read a couple of times from different versions - easy to do at the Biblegateway.com link above] Can a dead person believe in God and develop faith? Because the Spirit is telling us here that we were dead – D E D D -- spiritually. We were consumed by lusts that lent to trespasses – the act of going outside of the law into forbidden area – and by a myriad of sins, which are inherent in us and easily influenced by the satanic world culture in what we think, do, and are.

 

Answer this: when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, was Lazarus really dead? Or was he in-between life and death in some suspended state of consciousness? Put a pin in the Ephesians passage for a minute and Let’s see what the Spirit tells us at John 11 about Lazarus. We’ll read verses 11-17, and then pick up at 38-39. 

Not only was Lazarus dead, but his body was beginning to decay – there was already a stench emanating from Lazarus’ tomb! Lazarus was dead – D E D D. There was no life in him – not even one gasp of breath. So when Jesus got to the tomb, did He wait for Lazarus to come out simply because He was present there in front of the tomb? Did the mourners – both genuine and in tradition – through their tears and crying, through their pleadings, cause Lazarus to come back to life? Or was Lazarus starting to remove the many bandages that were on him so that he could be ready for Christ’s arrival? NO! NO! Read verses 41-44. No matter how much crying and mourning, no matter that the family believed that “someday” in “the resurrection” that their beloved brother would return to them – someday, somehow, somewhere. No. It was only by the power of God in Christ that Lazarus is raised from the dead. Jesus COMMANDS Lazarus to come out! He commands him. It was not until then that Lazarus could move, become sentient, become alive and obediently come forward from the tomb (since he was bound head to toe, some scholars suggest that he came forward without walking). He was made alive by Christ, regenerated/re-created. Regenerated is a word you’ll hear church folk say sometimes; it means, relative to being born again, to form or be formed again; come or bring into existence once again spiritually through the Holy Spirit.

Going back to Ephesians 2 again at verses 1-3: Spiritual death is as insusceptible by human efforts as was Lazarus’ physical death. What is worse is that the spiritual death which we ALL walked in – you know that expression, “dead man walking”, was and is the result of the inherited sin nature from Adam. Our already condemned state of spiritual death was exacerbated with our being infused with a world culture influenced and guided by the devil and his demons. We were objects of God’s wrath, because God loathes sin and does not “entertain”, i.e., He does not become Abba to spiritually dead people. We were born spiritually dead, dead relationship with God, and remain so until a similar command is given to us to become alive spiritually. let’s pick up at verse 4 through verse 10. [reader reads it] What does the Spirit say had to occur before we could be saved? [God had to make us alive; He calls us out of our spiritual death (KJV says quickened)], He without any help from us resurrects us or raises us up back to spiritual life, raises us up as it were to life in the Spirit, placing His Eternal Spirit within us to regenerate us and deposit a new faith instantaneously as He did with Lazarus. In the face of those Bible truths, the thought that we of our own volition according to evangelicals and others who make that claim, can prepare ourselves to be saved, can clean up our life to become fitting before a Holy God, can read scripture and understand it and then apply it in a way that pleases God is ludicrous! Can dead people think? Can dead people reason?

Do you think that being raised from the dead changed Lazarus’ outlook on life? When God raises us from spiritual death to spiritual life, He performs an unequivocable miracle within us where we not only come to life but are endowed with the faith needed to please God. God has chosen – we did not originate that choice - to create new life in us, restores us to spiritual aliveness. This is the "process" referred to in John 3 as being born again.

So with this detailed backdrop on God's salvific plan, we can now 'unpack'  Jesus' explanation to Nicodemus of being born again. We’ll take it step by step.

(a) Nicodemus bravely comes at night to where Jesus is staying. What he had to say he did not want to ask in an open forum or on the street as many of the Pharisees liked doing with the purpose of tripping Jesus up. Nicodemus wanted more than what his opening words said; Jesus, who was fully God and fully man knew in His Godship what was on Nicodemus’ heart, what brought him out of his home at night to seek Him out Jesus, and so Jesus wastes no time getting to the heart of the matter. Cool, right? Read verse 2. During the course of the conversation Jesus would ask Nicodemus how could he, i.e., Nicodemus, who was a teacher of Israel not understand the requirement of being born again and what that means. Even today, those who have a standing within the Church of God are still puzzled by what it means, although they have before them God’s Word of truth that provides the answer.
(b) Entering the kingdom of God – was Jesus saying that in order to go to heaven you have to be born again, thus equating the kingdom of God with heaven? It is true that many equate God’s kingdom with heaven since God and Christ sit on thrones in the Kingdom. In studying this passage, I am thinking that Jesus, in speaking of the kingdom of God, means not just the ‘heavenly’ Kingdom, but His universal kingdom – God’s rule, over those who are His Church – both here on earth and in heaven. It is not a singular geographical location, nor is it solely heaven. I mean, what did Jesus teach us to pray in the Lord’s prayer about God’s kingdom? [allow answer] That God’s kingdom would also be on earth. So the kingdom is borne from heaven, "from above", – i.e., God’s rule emanates from heaven. Thus, I think that Jesus was referring to entering into God’s theocratic spiritual domain where worshipers on earth and heaven obey God and do the work and will God has appointed them to do. The Holy Spirit binds together believers who are living on earth into this kingdom domain which is growing with believers daily. Jesus’ parables of the kingdom refers to this change of rule within our hearts while we are still alive on earth. Therefore, It is not a geographical location as Jesus confirms in the account at John 4 where Jesus’ encounters the Samaritan woman. Jesus further shows the invisible aspect of the kingdom of God when He says that "the kingdom is within you" – [ask for any questions or more clarification]
(c) Born again of water... Let’s talk about the “water” first. Jesus says we must be born of water and Spirit before we can enter into the kingdom. Nicodemus was clearly puzzled because he knew that in order to be born, conception must take place and one must live in the waters of a mother’s womb for nine months. So he tells Jesus, I’m a grown man; I cannot climb back into my mother’s womb! So we come to this point on which Christians will sometimes disagree – even Christians within the same denomination! I do not want this to be an argument, or a "2 by 4" insistence on a point of view, or judgement but rather an opportunity to share what we have learned, and allow the Holy Spirit to correct any misplaced thoughts.

This is where believers have different viewpoints of what the “water” represents, namely:

• Some say that the “water” is baptismal water – that you have to have been baptized in water in order for the ‘salvation transition’ to take place; 
• Others say that Jesus was telling Nicodemus that only those born from the womb – who lived within that protective sac for the duration would meet the requirement of “water”. 
• Yet others say that the ”water” means that a person will be required to know God’s Word – which the scriptures metaphorically refer to as water, as part of the qualification for being born again.

My personal thought, based on the context of the conversation, is that the “water” refers to the waters of birth from a human mother.  Jesus says as He continues explaining this regeneration process to Nicodemus: “what is flesh is flesh (born of a woman) and what is Spirit is Spirit” (born of God). It would seem that in being born again, a person must first be human born of a woman. As such, there are no born again angels, no born again animals. In passages of the Gospels where we read about the person that hanged on the cross next to Jesus, and who confessed his belief in Jesus as Savior and Messiah, the criminal had first rejected Jesus and had joined in with the other criminal in the verbal abuse of Christ. (Mark 15:29, 32) Luke’s account in chapter 23, verses 39-43 reflects that when the Holy Spirit opened the thief’s mind and heart, the thief repented and rebuked the other criminal for his continued castigation and berating of Christ, and then asks Jesus to remember him when He enters the kingdom. Jesus, who in His Godship foreknew the “election” of the thief, did not act surprised by the thief’s question, did not have to convince the thief that his change of heart was by the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit did His work with the thief, so that Jesus responds, “Truly I tell you today that you will be with me in Paradise”, i.e., he would be raised back to life and would live again in Jesus' presence. Jesus does not add, “but, first we have to get you down from this cross and baptized in the Jordan River or the temple pool for this salvation to stick, and then put you back up on the cross.” Some denominations equate the Christian water baptism to the water baptism that John the Baptizer performed for the forgiveness of sins – a baptism of repentance. It was synonymous to a cleansing ritual under the Mosaic Law that would make God's people ready to worship Him and to come into His presence before the Tabernacle. The Christian’s cleansing is by the blood of Christ and the Word according to Ephesians 5 and Hebrews 9; it is a continual cleansing – when you’re not in the Word you are not getting clean! As scripture shows us and even the catechism shows—to some extent, that water baptism does not guarantee salvation; rather, it is an outward sign or symbol of an inward grace or saving faith transferred to us, so as to make a worthy commitment to Christ. According to Ephesians 1:12-14, it is God the Holy Spirit in us that is the guarantee. In Romans 6:2-4, the apostle Paul refers to the grace of salvation that causes us to die to sin – being transferred from spiritual death and darkness, to spiritual life and light. Creating a complete change of heart within the individual, and becoming submitted to Christ using the metaphor of being baptized into Christ’s death, i.e., dying to Christ is dying to sin, as Christ died for all sin. Then there comes the raising to life, The Life of Christ sustained by the Holy Spirit.

(d) Born again through the Spirit. Undoubtedly, Nicodemus – as some professing Christians do even now – saw and see the Holy Spirit or Spirit of God solely as a power or force of God. They did not/do not understand the personhood of God the Holy Spirit. Also, during the “Old Testament Times” the Holy Spirit’s work in and with a human was often limited or bestowed for a particular time frame or purpose. Like the anointing of artisans in the building of the Tabernacle; in God’s prophets who spoke by the Spirit; the writers of OT scripture who were informed by the Spirit. Or the accomplishment of miracles and such. However, due to what Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah would accomplish on the cross, God the Holy Spirit would actually dwell within a person who has confessed Christ crucified for his/her sins, and who have made Jesus the Lord over their life; they recognize that they have been bought or redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus and no longer can claim ownership of themselves. 1 Corinthians 6 plainly shows that one’s salvation becomes operational within a person who has been washed in the blood, which justified them before a Holy God, and who are sanctified (set apart by God to accomplish His purpose through them) through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which guarantees that position. [repeat slowly] God the Holy Spirit had Paul communicate this truth more than once to the churches of his day (see Ephesians, Romans, et al.), and has caused it to permanently reside in the collection of holy writings, i.e., the Bible – made holy because it’s Author, God the Holy Spirit, is Divine. Jesus, during His last night on earth, told soon-to-be traumatized disciples in John 14-17 that the Holy Spirit would come and be in them, indwell them to guarantee their salvation and empower them for God’s purposes for them. Romans chapter 8 tells us plainly that the Spirit gives life, and if He does not dwell in a person they are not of Christ – no matter how they identify themselves. Ephesians 1 tells us that God has placed the Holy Spirit in those who are saved as a guarantee of our salvation, signifying that the Holy Spirit is tasked with the growing of believers into the image of Christ. [touching back to the “election” - a hard saying whose explanation would consume the better part of half a day - God foreknew who He would choose to be graced with salvation; therefore, God the Holy Spirit cannot be influenced by any rite or ritual to indwell someone who is not called to salvation – no matter what happens within the worship tradition of a congregation. We humans are made individually aware of our salvation, but we cannot read anyone’s heart – let alone police our own without the Spirit’s intervention. In Acts 11:16 and 1 Corinthians 12, scripture refers to this indwelling as being baptized by the Spirit. It is that baptism which guarantees our salvation. (Ephesians 1:13,14)

(d) Sainthood. The Roman Catholic Church for hundreds of years has claimed the right and authority to reward certain persons with the designation of sainthood. Such individuals were believed to be men and women of “heroic virtue” who would after their deaths hold a privileged place with God in heaven. [see full article here] Because of this, saints were considered to be spiritual guides and mentors, who would add their prayers in heaven to those offered by Christians still living in the material world. Their ranks include martyrs, kings  and queens, missionaries, widows, theologians, parents, nuns and priests, and “everyday people” who dedicated their lives to the loving pursuit of God. The designation process is called canonization, which has been described as a long and a politically fraught process. The first canonized person by the Roman Church occurred in 993 AD; certain named persons in scripture, including the apostles and those associated closely with Christ, were posthumously referred to as St. Peter, St. Mark, St. John, etc. Yet, is this the Bible’s definition of saints?  [see also full articles at the online Encylopedia Brittanica, on this day, BBC report]

I’m afraid not! In scripture passages (and this is just a partial list) we find the opposite: at Matthew 27:52, Acts 9:13,32, 41; Romans 1:7; Romans 8:27; Romans 12:13; Romans 15:25, 26.31; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Corinthians 16:15; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:10; and Revelation 5:9. As you read these passages, you will see that these were written to the common folk who worshiped God in the community of believers. These were persons indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit calls them “saints.” (pls. note that of the commonly used Bible versions, only the NIV omits the word “saints” and uses instead, “holy ones”). 

For those whose minds are still married to the Roman Catholic See’s self-authority to name saints, let us go deeper into the language in which these passages listed above were written – Koine Greek. The word for “holy” in the Greek language derives from the word hagios (HAH-gee-ohs). Interestingly, there are passages in the Old Testament, e.g., Psalm 31:23; Deuteronomy 33:2-3; 2 Chronicles 6:41, to name a few - speak also of “holy ones” or saints; in that instance the Hebrew word kedosh or phrase kol kedoshav is used. So what does holy one in scripture refer to? It is translated – appropriately – as “saints” (harking back to the Latin translation of hagios to "sanctus") – which means individuals set aside by God through the Holy Spirit indwelling them to do God’s holy work and purpose. God does not make us saints because of our works, but because of His work in us. We could never on our own merit be made a saint through heroic works, despite the “sainthood” that the Catholic Holy See authorizes itself to perform.  We become saints positionally – that is, when we are saved and born again through the Spirit, God makes our position that of being holy, covered by Christ’s blood, no longer estranged from Him. We are transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:12-13). Again, God does not make us saints because of our works, but, rather, because of His work in us, through the Holy Spirit, Who makes us “children of God, born of God, heirs with Christ.” That is the Biblical definition of what a saint is. The Bible does not claim levels of sainthood as some have been led to believe; as seen above, sainthood is not a title earned by exceptional acts, therefore to be something that places persons at a better advantage than others. That is not Biblical. There are no lower saints, higher saints, etc. Sainthood is a position in which God places all who have been saved - being a saint simply means that God makes holy what was once unholy. (See 1 Peter 2) (Dr. Charles Stanley preached more than once on this topic because of the ingrained wrong understanding held by many as to what God calls a saint. The sermons can be found online at intouch.org.) It is surmised that the Roman Catholic Church was persuaded to promote the idea that persons "achieving" sainthood would be assigned to different levels of holiness by the governing body incorporating culturally accepted teachings in that regard. This would appease some, and by so doing, the Roman Church would place itself in a role of authority presumed endowed by God, but which is, in truth, one that God never gave it.

Per the above, not all translations make the distinction of translating the original languages for "holy ones" as "saints" in the English translation, but the Hebrew and Greek words cited above will be present each time. Translations that use the word “saints” appropriately in their English versions (this list is not all-inclusive but am citing some of the familiar translations/versions) are the English Standard Version, the Amplified Version, the 21^st Century NKJV, the American SV, the Holman Christian, International Standard, King James V./NKJV, The Living Bible, NASB, and NRSV. The NIV does not include the word saints in either the Old or New Testament, no doubt because of the Latin rendering of "sanctus" for the ancient Hebrew and Greek words. It translates the original Hebrew and Greek as "holy ones" without the added Latin version.  

So is it wrong to call the apostles St. so and so? No. What is wrong is not calling all of the persons saints that God calls saints.

So, by God’s determination, He sets aside persons to carry out His will. He does not leave this up to a denomination or a political process; only He can read the heart and know its contents. Jesus plainly says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” 

So to sum up: how does God make His determination as to who He sets aside? The process is formally called election. In the Old Testament we see God's hand at work: it was those who were bought/redeemed by blood from enslavement in Egypt, and brought into covenant relationship with Jehovah God/Elohim/Adonai, who would be called to be holy as God is holy. Their keeping covenant with God would allow them to be in right standing with God, or as some are described in the Old Testament, being “righteous persons.”  (Deuteronomy 7:6-8; 2 Samuel 7:23-24; et al.) God created a people through whom He would reveal Himself, record the oracles and employ them in God’s Name, and it would be that God ordained/set aside nation through whom the Messiah – God’s remedy and salvific provision would come; He would become the bridge that heals the broken relationship between God and humanity. In the OT, those saints or persons set aside or apart by God to carry out His holy purpose would be enabled to do so by the Holy Spirit - e.g., see 1 Kings 8:53 - for a determined time frame. The psalmist David, in Psalm 51, asks God to not take His Holy Spirit away from him; the psalmist knew that God’s Spirit would rest on certain individuals for a limited time and for a unique purpose – that He would not be permanently indwelling persons at that time. Things would change upon Christ’s coming and His work at the cross. He fulfilled the requirement to be a perfect sacrifice for the death-dealing sin inherited from Adam. Because of that one act, we who are not under the Mosaic Covenant are graced to enter into a New Covenant with Christ that would restore our relationship with the Father. The Holy Spirit baptizes us, indwells us to guarantee that relationship; He does so following the individual’s repentance of sins and repentance of their rejection of Jesus, and removal of self from the throne that belongs to Christ and make Him our Lord. 

Special Mid-Summer 3-Night Series on Hard Sayings of the Bible (Answers to Questions 1 and 2)

The participants in the discussions were asked to consider the questions individually and share thoughts with others. We were also asked not to judge or criticize a person's response, nor declare the person's response wrong (if doctrinally very wrong, then gently suggest another way to look at the matter). We are all learning and will hopefully continue to do so until we are translated. Look to the Holy Spirit for final say.

 July Study Moderator's Answers -- Questions 1 and 2

1.    Ezekiel 3:1-20 - Do you believe in the above statement? How do you reconcile the popular saying “Once saved always saved”?  in reference to the second half of verse 20?
-Important to understand context. And the context of this chapter in Ezekiel is two-fold. But first, a brief background on the prophet Ezekiel and his mission: a prophet to the exiled Jewish people now living in Babylonia along the river Chebar in a settlement called Tel-abib. These Jews were those who had been captured and taken from Judah when the Babylonian armies under King Nebuchadnezzer had laid siege on Judah and Jerusalem, destroying much of what was familiar.

The context of the Jewish culture and belief system during that era still had elements of the Mosaic law structure, however, given their now foreign surroundings, keeping kosher so to speak, i.e., strict adherence to the original ceremonial system has been altered. Yet, for many who survived the Babylonian conquest, they were torn as to why their Protector God subjected them to such extreme circumstances. Some held to the tradition that said if you ‘faithfully’ obey the ten commandments and the body of laws contained in the Old Covenant, you could consider yourself a righteous person. The legal system promised blessings for obedience. (similar to what some Christians believe today) Many would begin to worship the blessings and nationalistic identity instead of Elohim Yahweh. They worshiped Gentile gods and often mixed such worship practices with those iterated in the Law of Moses. They’re unfaithfulness and rejection of Yahweh led to God’s punishment of Israel and Judah at the hands of the Assyrians and Babylonians – foreign empires that God used as a rod - as the covenant warned against. (see Deuteronomy 27 and 28)

Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry was both a “forth-telling” and a “foretelling” of messages from the LORD of hosts to the exiled Jews. Where we are in the third chapter, Ezekiel has been charged by God with forth-telling the many sins that led up to the Jewish defeat and exile. Ezekiel had lost his wife some time before this mission, yet God warned, commanded Ezekiel not to mourn for her, as a way of showing what God’s relationship with Israel and Judah had become, i.e., so broken that God no longer mourned for His people as they experienced the consequences of their rebellion. In his humanity, Ezekiel was very challenged in this complex role. As you see when you read verses 1-21 of chapter 3. He was overwhelmed in contemplating what His God was calling him to (v. 15), the way He called him, and how this mission was to happen. It was a lot. So, he just sat there among the residents of Tel-abib for seven days stunned, paralyzed by the emotional and psychological rollercoaster he was on. Until God arouses him once again with the words beginning in verse 17 where He frankly and graphically explains what God is calling him to do.

As noted above, the “righteousness” was the perceived “right” keeping of the Ten Commandments and all of the Law – a perfect standard which, in reality, was one that no one could achieve, yet, keeping those that they did keep gave them a feeling of being right before God. (see Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler who was certain of his righteousness in keeping of some of the commandments – Matt. 16:19-22; Mark 10:17-22; Luke 18:18-23. Also see Jesus’ statement on righteousness – Matthew 5:19-20.) Confirmation of their perceived righteousness was when God would bless them with a good harvest, rain, children, etc. and forgive them their misdeeds. To turn from their “righteousness” was intentionally breaking the laws and commands. The role of a prophet or priest was that of speaking God’s truth to the offender or “telling forth”, admonishing them to repent and return to God’s ways. Their repentance could bring forgiveness from God and reposition them from law breaker to law keeper. However, the Mosaic Law could not give them eternal life (Prov. 19:16 as do other passages notes that obedience to God gives us a good life and may bless us with a long life (“so that it may go well with you”). but eternal life was not promised under the law, as Paul shows in Romans 7 and Galatians 3:21, but it was to act as a disciplinarian until Christ came.

And so with that backdrop we come to verses 18-20. God instructs Ezekiel on admonishing the ‘righteous’ – that a prophet or priest or anyone called to witness to others on God’s account who fails to warn a ‘righteous’ person about their sin, and they die/perish as a result, then the person – whether it be prophet, priest, or one who has been given the commandment to love one another – that person shall be accountable for the death of the ‘righteous’ person.

The righteous person – one who perceives him/herself to be right because of being a standard-keeping, legally responsible in their own eyes child of God, does not simply by the term ‘righteous’ has received the guarantee of eternal life with Christ. Jesus says in Matthew 7 such persons would come to Him in the judgment and say, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you who behave lawlessly.” Such a person may do “works”, even good works, and justify those works as deserving of salvation, but the One who reads hearts will determine if there are works of faith- works that emanate from a heart full of desire to serve their Heavenly Father and that are submitted to Him and His will. So it is important to read the context of some passages to identify what is the righteousness that is being claimed compared to a saving faith. No such thing as “saving works”.

 

2.    Does Genesis 22:12 contradict God’s omniscience – His all-knowing ability?
So this is one with which I struggled for years. Some Bible scholars explain this by saying that God chose not to know what Abraham was going to do. Which sounded a little sketchy, but for a minute it sounded good since God is powerful. Some others say that of course God knew, but Abraham did not know, and so God was really saying that “now you, Abraham, know that you fear God…”. That sounded a little more reasonable, but there were still gaps in that premise because a reader would have to assume that God switched the awareness from Himself to Abraham. Even though it was thin ground I tried to stand on that one and it just did not set well with me. Like walking across a floor with a partially rotted subfloor, I anticipated that under a brighter light that explanation would also fail.  But God! I was listening to a minister and reading and re-reading the passage a few times. Notice verses 10-12: “¹⁰ Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. ¹¹ But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ¹² He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”  The Angel that God had appointed for this event is the one who did not have foreknowledge, was not all-knowing. It was he who did not know what the outcome of Abraham’s obedience would be; compare verses 1-2 where God speaks directly to Abraham. Further along the chapter beginning at verse 15, we see the same Angel speaking and identifying at that juncture that he was repeating what the Lord had instructed him post-sacrifice; verse 15 says that the Angel of the Lord  called to Abraham from heaven, this time, adding the phrase “says/declares (KJV “saith”) the Lord … Therefore, the answer is “no” for the reasons noted above. Plus, doesn’t understanding this truth reaffirm your faith in the Lord’s omniscience and sovereignty?!!

 

Special Mid-Summer Three-Night Bible Study Series

 A mid-summer special Bible study took place with my church this year. The topic: Hard Sayings in the Bible. There were a number of passages that have raised questions over the years that we have had Bible studies, so the questions presented for choice were legitimate concerns of some parishioners. However, because it was only a 3-night conversation, we had to settle on 6 main topics and passages. As a "just-in-case" there were additional reserve questions offered as "fillers" for those evenings where our main topic conversation concluded before the hour was up. This post will list the topics. Follow-up posts will offer some feedback on the sayings/passages that will hopefully provide some meaningful understanding for readers of the blog. For the sake of privacy of the individuals who participated in the conversations, I've only included my reflections on the questions in the posts. Links to my reflections are included at the end of the question. 

Questions for Discussion During the Special July Bible Study 

 

1.     This first question was submitted based on Ezekiel 3:20; for context, verses 18 and 19 have been added[1]: [¹⁸ When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. ¹⁹ But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.] ²⁰Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.”   Do you believe in the above statement? How do you reconcile the popular saying “Once saved always saved”?  in reference to the second half of verse 20? [see answer here]

2.     Does Genesis 22:12 contradict God’s omniscience?    [see answer here]

3.     Jesus in John chapter 3 speaks to a Pharisee named Nicodemus who came in search of him one evening, wanting to get the ‘low-down’ on who Jesus really was. Jesus responds to Nicodemus’ query with a profound statement: “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Puzzled Nicodemus to no end – “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” he asked. Jesus gives Nicodemus a second answer that further puzzles him: “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Traditionally under the Mosaic Law, one was considered ‘righteous’, favored of God, if they kept the law “perfectly.” They believed material blessings proved they had met the standard. So, Jesus’ response not only puzzled Nicodemus but also Christians throughout the centuries. What does it mean to enter the kingdom and be born again – to be born of water and Spirit? Can a person still be a Christian but not born again – like isn’t that just an evangelical thing? Why is it important to know the answer to this question? Tied closely to the explanation of this is: Who are the saints, and how is their sainthood determined?   [see answer here]

4.     Why does God send people to hell if He is a God of love? (note the emphasis)   [see answer here]

5.     a.  Matthew 16:15-19.  Jesus held an interesting conversation with His disciples after going a ‘round’ with the Pharisees and Sadducees. He asks them: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They tossed out a couple of names, then Simon Peter says: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Then Jesus says to Simon Peter: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven has. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Many readers of this passage believe that Jesus was anointing Peter to be head of the church, and the Roman Catholics also say that Peter was the first Pope. What message was Jesus giving His disciples at that time, and throughout the millennia? [see answer here]

b. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Simon Peter writes to the elect in Christ the message in 1 Peter 2, beginning at verse 2 through 10 (this was part of a recent lesson preached on at a Sunday worship service). What is being conveyed in this passage about our identity as Christians – which Jesus was implying in His words recorded at Matthew 16:15-19?   [see answer here]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The following questions are reserved for those evenings where the 2 scheduled questions do not take up the full hour.

 

A.    How do you reconcile Matthew 18:20 (when 2 or 3 are gathered there I am also) with John 17:20,21 (I am in the Father and the Father is in Me and We are in them); that is, why would Jesus have said that there needs to be 2 or 3 believers together at one time before He can be present, when we are already individually in Him? [see answer here]

B.    Jesus said that we each would need to bear our cross daily. Many Christians have been taught that it means to be able to bear the burdens of life, or as a way of enduring a nagging / annoying person, situation, etc. What did Jesus want us to understand from His statement at Luke 9:23?  [see answer here]

C.    The Blessed Virgin Mary: we know that, in order for God’s salvific plan to be accomplished, Jesus could not have been born through human reproduction; a virgin was chosen to carry His human life in her womb. The virgin, of course, was Mary; however, did she remain a virgin after Jesus’ birth? Even though she is venerated by a number of denominations, is it appropriate to pray to her or “through” her? (Luke 1:26-56)   [see answer here]

D.    What does Jesus mean when He says: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’”? This passage can be found in part or in whole in the Gospels at Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27.   [see answer here]

E.    In Luke 14:26 Jesus says that unless we hate family and self we can have no part in His kingdom. Whaaat? What does He mean?  [see answer here]

                                                                                           

---

[1] An even more clear understanding may be had in verses 1-17 in Ezekiel’s response to God’s command.

"My people perish..." - Passage Citation and the Relevance of the Camp Lejeune Story

 

“My people perish…”

    If you are just now ‘tuning in’, please find a copy of the email I sent to the worship community at my blog link: https://mycuprunnethover14.blogspot.com/2023/06/my-people-perish-can-you-complete-bible.html  

Hosea 4:6 is the passage that was partially quoted:  “My people are perishing/destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”  A simple Google search of what scripture passage tells us that God said His people will perish could have helped an interested person find the answer quickly. Ancient words, yes, but eternally true! Don’t make the same mistake that God’s people made in the past, but, rather, allow those ancient words from God’s eternal Word to change you, your children and your children's children. You see, God is serious about, protective of us, and has radical love for those who are called by His name to know Him and His ways and Word. This past Sunday, the Pastor preached on that relationship factor in our lives.

 

In the true story about Camp Lejeune, the people died from lack of knowledge. They did not know that their water supply was poisoned by toxic chemicals that activated dormant cancer cells or caused new cancers within individuals.  Back then, as now, even the best water filters cannot filter out all toxic substances. They did not know the real reason why they were getting sick and dying. Back then, the fight against cancer was ongoing like it is now; new cancers and their causes took longer to identify and to source. In some cases, that is still very true. The people who lived at, worked at, visited regularly, or otherwise had constant contact with the base at Camp Lejeune and drank its coffee, tea, used ice cubes, or ate food from there that was cooked with the contaminated water had no idea what they were consuming. They lacked the knowledge about why they were becoming ill and dying. They did not know. And, sadly, it is suspected that the knowledge of how the water was being contaminated was not told to the people and the public immediately. Those who had the knowledge or were given the information did not respond to the urgency of what that knowledge and information implied. Thus, thousands of lives were ruined, people died because of the lack of knowledge. The excruciating suffering of thousands and their deaths were the horrific consequences of the lack of knowledge. 

    Here is a brief background to the quotation from Hosea 4, verse 6: God’s prophet Hosea had one of the most challenging assignments as a prophet. Because the majority of God’s people in the nations of Israel and Judah had turned to idol worship, had rejected God’s law for generations, God called Hosea to marry an unfaithful wife to illustrate the unfaithfulness of His people. God’s people had lost interest in things of God; they had turned His festivals into drunken celebrations and mixed in with it worship of foreign gods. The foreign gods from the countries around them fascinated God’s people because of the carnal natures they

represented and promoted. Some of God's people even offered their children to the god Molech as burnt offerings, in order to appease the deity. God had warned His people from “Day 1” (Deuteronomy 27-29) of the consequences of worshiping other gods. Yet, they did not heed God’s warnings, no doubt some of them counting on the game of "sketchy repentance for a while to get blessings from Yahweh," a game that they played way too often and actually thought God was stupid enough to believe! As a result, the majority of the people perished or were destroyed because they rejected both God and the knowledge and counsel of God: Who He is, what He says, and what He requires. In 721 B.C., the northern nation of Israel was destroyed and those who survived the siege were hauled away like cattle. Outlying parts of Judah were also terrorized; a number of Judah’s kings chose to ally themselves with foreign countries and pay tribute to their gods for help, and eventually setting up idols in God’s temple for the people to worship. Thus, a little over one hundred years later, the Babylonian empire destroyed Judah, demolishing the temple and carrying off what was left of its treasures that the Judean kings had not offered to foreign gods and governments.

[It is interesting and compelling to me personally, even knowing why, that God would create a people, a nation upon whom He desired to pour out unheard of blessings and favors, yet knowing that a large number of those in the nation would reject God and His Word. And, that He would permanently record those experiences so that generations to come would have all the warning and information needed for a reasonable person to consider. ]

    Here we are in the 21^st century, surrounded by idols and culture very much like God’s people in Hosea’s day. Inside of God’s Church today, as it was with the called out people of God in Hosea's day, idolatry still takes place. Idols do not have to be statues or pictures of ‘gods’. An idol is anything that takes the place of God in our life. What might some idols be? Some have made their careers an idol – they have placed their careers in a position where their lives are consumed by it – they eat, drink and sleep – as the saying goes – their jobs. Everything else becomes second. Perhaps sports and similar activities have become an idol – how many hours a day are spent doing or watching sports, working out, etc.? A number have made devices their idols – so that they have become addicted to their phones and other communication or gaming devices; there are some youths that have had murder in their hearts when parents or persons in authority have taken away their devices. Pride and self-interest, and social media have become idols – several hours are spent on self-absorbed activity and/or on social media sites; many surf and scroll through their media sites/text messages, or gaming during times of worship. Pride exalts oneself as the supreme authority – ignoring, rejecting, and sometimes berating God and His Word as outdated or not modern enough, and persons who are prideful are easily offended. Family, certain cultural traditions that do not align with the Word of God; entertainments; money, cigarettes – tobacco and marijuana, vaping; cocaine and other drugs that produce psychotropic effects; sex and all versions of carnality including promoting sexuality through appearance, through speech, etc.; gossip. These and other behaviors and actions are the toxic things that persons professing Christ have allowed into their own lives that have supplanted or caused over a course of time and repetition, a rejection of God and His Word. The Jewish nations were engaging in the 8^th, 7^th, and 6^th century B.C. versions of the 21st century noted above. To use an old saying – same dance, different instrument. God has told the Church and members of it that there is no excuse for not knowing Him, and that those who falsely claim to know Him will be unknown by Him.  

  In the catechism contained in the Westminster Confession of Faith, we are told that “The purpose of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” We who have been saved and who are being sanctified by the Holy Spirit continually are a new creation of God - a people created by God and for God. Thus, we are obliged, very privileged to commune with God daily – through His Word, through prayer and praise, and service. What if all of God’s people did this? What would the Church look like? What would be the same? What would be different? God has called each member of His Church to be a priest – that is, one who offers worship to God, glorifies Him, serves Him, serves others. In 1 Peter, chapter 2, verses 1-12 we read about our identity in Christ. Did anyone who is reading this and who is a part of God’s Church know that the calling of God on all of His people was to be a priest? This is not to be confused with the terms used by denominations to describe clergy or ministerial leaders. The priesthood that God has called all His people to is one based on the knowledge and authority of God and His Word, and the purposes and commandments of
how to live out our faith in that role as described in Peter's letter. 

    Just as in the days of Hosea, the devil, satan, knows scripture better than many churchgoers or persons professing Christianity. Some people shirk off reading and studying scripture because what God says in it is the opposite of what they want to do, and/or they think that God’s Word is so old-fashioned, that it has little to do with our lives today. And that is just the position that the devil wants us in. That is why so many churchgoers are filled with false knowledge, why so many barely resemble Christ in their thoughts, actions, and character. They do not know or they choose to reject knowledge of God and His Word, and instead seek to glorify self, satisfy self by whatever means at hand, and even do so in a way that they think they are giving God praise and worship!

    Sadly, Hosea’s warnings are going unread and unheard - even in His Church. God's Word is being 'reinterpreted', being changed, out of the mouths of those who have chosen to rebel against God. Those who solely self-identify as people of God in their own eyes are perishing, because they are ignorantly rejecting God and snubbing His Word for reasons such as told to me: "I already went to Sunday School when I was a kid", "I don't want to be embarrassed because I don't know as much as other people", "I don't have time; I'm a mother and stay busy", among other seemingly 'good reasons'. The rejection continues despite how many times they have heard it and have even been in the company of those who are anointed by God's Holy Spirit; the sad  consequences of which are always eternal if repentance does not occur. Those victims in Camp Lejeune did not know and were not told that the water was contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals. They did not know why they kept getting sick. It would be decades before the truth came to light, and persons were made knowledgeable about their situation. Unlike humans, God has not withheld the truth from anyone. It has been spoken and recorded in His Word for thousands of years. Anything we face and encounter today has been illustrated, spoken to, and has had principles established for it within the pages of scripture; the Bible doesn't have to be made relevant - it has always been relevant to any and every generation. We who disbelieve or who want something more palatable are the ones that are irrelevant before God! That should make us shake in our boots. 

Today, as you read God’s Word, heed the warning God has given through Hosea. Repent of the choice to reject God and His Word, and seek forgiveness and mercy from God. Ask Him to show you His cleansing truth and allow you to experience it, to address your needs and situation, to answer your questions, to draw closer to Him.  

 "O that today you would hear His voice and not harden your hearts!" (paraphrased from Hebrews 4:7)