Special Mid-Summer Bible Conversation on Hard Sayings in the Bible (Question 4 - Hell))

 

1.    Why does God send people to hell if He is a God of love? (note the emphasis)

For many years many Christians have been taught either directly or indirectly, that if we sin, God will send us to hell. What is hell? There are two definitions. 

• First, it is the definition of grave or the state of the dead. The Apostles’ Creed says that Jesus descended into hell at His death -see page 53 in the Book of Common Prayer. In this instance, the words “Hades” and “Sheol” are interchangeable with the word “hell”. 
• The second definition of hell is that it is eternal separation from God, an existence in complete darkness. The Bible uses the image of fire to represent complete destruction of any hope of life again in the “light”; in human experience the only persons who, by God’s Divine will, literally lived in a fire without a speck of smoke on them nor any singe of fire on them were Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego, as recorded in Daniel chapter 3. Their being cast into the fiery furnace because they refused to worship the king. The king was so enraged (after all, he had conquered the entire nation and now here were 3 upstarts who thought that their wills were unconquerable), that he ordered the fire to be “cranked up” high to the highest heat level possible; the heat of the fire destroyed the very guards who cast them into the fire. Fire destroys completely; no one could reassemble ashes back to their original form. Thus, the Bible speaks of this definition of hell when it describes a permanent separation from God as the “lake of fire” or “eternal fire”. If you have ever been in a house fire where the heat escalates and the electricity fails, so that the black smoke all but eliminates a person’s ability to see their hand before their face, use that picture to understand what this permanent separation could look and feel like. Complete and eternal darkness.

So, the question: why does God send people to hell? The answer: God does not send people to hell.

The fact is, people are already condemned to go to hell because they are sinners, obeying the god of darkness (compare Ephesians 2:1-4). Because of that humanly irreversible sin condition and the rebellion attached to it, God’s wrath is naturally upon them – regardless of what they themselves, or anyone else says otherwise. But God, who in His great love and mercy for those created in His image, gave his only begotten Son as the means to escape the wrath. Let’s see that at Romans 5:6-11, and also the clearly spoken illustrative declaration by Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46. As Jesus indicates, the lake of fire what we call hell, was created for the devil and his angels from before time because of their rebellion to God. Since the fall of man in the garden, we have been obliged to follow the king of all rebellion into the same fate as he and his demons because of our inherited sin and accompanying lifestyle and allegiance to the devil’s world system. Let's say that you are on a cruise ship and something happens that is causing the ship to slowly sink. The ship releases its lifeboats; the Coast Guard rushes to the scene with additional lifeboats. What is the purpose of the lifeboat? To rescue someone from certain death. Between the two rescue options, there are more than enough lifeboats to save everyone on board the cruise ship. What would you do: get into a lifeboat, or take your chances with the sinking ship? After all, all of your possessions that you brought on board are still in the cruise ship and maybe there is still time to run and grab them! Do you pass up a seat in the lifeboat in the hopes that you will be able to retrieve the precious items and get on one of the lifeboats when you reach the deck? That's the same scenario that faces all of us: God has made a provision for deliverance from the sinking ship through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, and accepting Him as Lord and Savior. He is the Lifeboat. Will you choose to accept Him, or will you cling to those things that give you pleasure, wealth, feel-good vibes, etc. and try the Lifeboat later? Or maybe you have already chosen...

Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, Questions 8 & 10

“Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health,” Donald S. Whitney. 2001. NavPress*
Questions 8 & 10:  Do You Still Grieve Over Sin? & Do You Yearn for Heaven and to Be with Jesus? (excerpts and highlights from Chapters 8 & 10, with references to “Respectable Sins – Confronting the Sins We Tolerate,” Jerry Bridges, NavPress. 2007.) 

In this paper I have reflected on both Questions 8 and 10, as they complement each other. 

Do You Still Grieve Over Sin?

God Hates Sin. Put that on a street sign, and I guarantee you that each reader will come up with their own definition of sin. We readily do so because we have a warped view of sin; we often compare our righteousness as favorable over another’s. We find it hard to see ourselves as sinners. We are good people who do good things. We characterize sinners as persons who commit wicked and evil acts against people – especially children. We take offense at being called a sinner; a person, when a Bible teacher quoted to the group Psalm 51:5, “we are all born in sin” -- she defensively responded, “I wasn’t! my mother and father were married!” The apostle Paul, the one hand-picked by Christ to be sent to the Gentiles with the good news and to whom was given much power and grace, who was also given a glimpse of heaven, even he admits to his own sin estate, which makes his Spirit-led writings on sin more compelling.

What does God call sin? Lawbreaking. Any just law, but especially God's law. When Adam and Eve broke the law in the Garden of Eden, going against God’s command not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, acting on pride and desire to be equal to God, sin was imprinted on and inside humankind. We all inherited Adam’s “sin DNA” so that every human born carries that “DNA”. We all are sinners, born to die, since Adam’s sin carried a death penalty. Therefore, everyone born, regardless of their character and conduct, are reckoned by God as sinners even in the womb. 

God grieves over sin. He hates it. He sees the damage and destruction it causes in those who were created in His image. It separates us from Him. Inherited sin causes spiritual darkness and results in spiritual death. Sin mars God’s image in us; the character of God, the mind of Christ – all parts of that image were once in Adam and Eve. Their descendants’ God-image reflects something like a mirror into our souls that has been smeared over with a liquid haze in which a very faint and distorted reflection of God is seen. Sadly, there are some mirrors into souls that have shadowed and dark imperceptible reflections – more akin to the impact of the prince of darkness on such souls. 

We often think of the impact of the sin DNA as affecting our conduct and behaviors. However, the impact of man’s sin on humankind has been devastating to the human body. Over the thousands of years, the human body has broken down from total perfection to a flesh and blood frame in which diseases and conditions of many kinds inhabit - some curable and many uncurable. This is a universal consequence of the inherited sin condition from Adam. Sin’s effects have caused every generation since Adam and Eve to suffer with divers degenerations: e.g., the number of births of children with deformed body parts, missing chromosomes or other gene-related issues, born intersex, blind, deaf, unable to speak, with predispositions to cancers, juvenile diabetes, and the list goes on. These traits of inherited sin continue to increase despite medical and scientific breakthroughs. 

In addition to its impact on humankind physically, mentally, and spiritually, all of creation has suffered from the influence of humankind’s fall due to intentional sin - going against the law of God. When Adam was placed in the Garden, to be joined by Eve, they were given dominion over creation as God’s appointed stewards; they were co-regents of the earthly kingdom; they were the 'earthly management' placed by God to steward His earthly creation - everything with life on the earth, even the earth itself. Both humans and animals – “everything that has the breath of life” – were created to be plant and vegetation eaters. That was God’s original plan for a world of peaceful coexistence between man and beast. But when sin came, this peace was damaged, and within time humans and animals became carnivores.

 Dr. Whitney shares an experience where he once “heard seminary professor John Hannah say, ‘The closer one comes to Christ, in one sense the more miserable he becomes.’ Those who have a Holy Spirit implanted love for holy truth, holy things, and [for] the Holy One, can’t help but feel miserable when they are reminded of that which is unholy within them.” The closer we grow to Christ through the work of the Spirit in us, the more sensitive we become, seeing the “red flags” of potential sin more quickly.

 How should we grieve our sin? A young child – maybe 2 or 3 years old –has learned what to say to their parent to avoid chastisement. “Jimmy, did you hit your sister?” Jimmy weighs the question, then spurts, “She hit me first!” Mother: “Jimmy and Jenny, say I’m sorry.” Jenny, still playing with her doll, says a quick “I’m sorry.” Jimmy mimics her apology “I’m sorry.” And ten minutes later they are back at it! Well, older youth and adults do the same thing. To avoid whatever embarrassment or punishment that could result, we are quick to blame someone else, and/or offer our apologies which are so hollow the words come out like words shaped with outlines only. Like Adam and Eve did when God called them out of hiding. The Genesis account does not record an apology from either. We grieve because we get caught, we grieve at the consequences of being found out. But are we truly sorry? Do we see our error as a sin against God? Dr. Whitney notes that the Bible passage at 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 juxtaposes godly grief or sorrow with worldly grief focused on the punishment. True godly grief or sorrow is more than admitting our transgressions. Considering against whom we have committed the sin, should a child of God feel more than a perfunctory “I’m sorry” that is momentary to get him/herself off the hook? Does our “sorry” lead to sorrow? 

Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, delivered a set of beatitudes to the listening crowd. One of them is: “Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.”  We more often than not feel this beatitude at a time of loss, during a funeral service, or when mourning over the death of a loved one. The Lord My Shepherd who comforts Jesus' listeners knew, but Jesus wanted His hearers to understand the deeper meaning of the mourning He spoke about. He wanted them to know that the legal standards of the Mosaic Law were more than just laws; they were a bridge to relationship with God, an opportunity to reflect His character and holiness and grow in intimacy with Him. The people felt righteous because they obeyed the laws, and saw that as a bridge to blessings from God. The righteous teachers took pride in exacting strict adherence to law. Jesus notes in His Sermon, however, that it is a merciful heart that yearns for God – that is what God desires. Jesus, on the mount, would further clarify the foundation of the Law, that even in our so-called righteousness from obeying the law, we are still sinners in our thoughts, desires, in our DNA. We are still lawbreakers. Thus, His message exhorts us to mourn over such sins – feeling deepest sorrow that we have grieved our Heavenly Father. Genesis 6, linked to above, plainly states that our sin grieves God. Knowing that, we ought to feel a sorrow that leads to a change of heart, a repentance – a sorrow that seeks and gives forgiveness. To return to a right standing before God. Do we really mourn our sinful thoughts and actions? 

In his book, “Respectable Sins – Confronting the Sins We Tolerate,” Dr. Jerry Bridges asks that while we mourn or are grieved about the “big sins” – sexual sins and idol worship within the Church, “why do we not also mourn over our selfishness, our critical spirit, our impatience, and our anger? It is easy to let ourselves off the hook by saying that these sins are not as bad as the flagrant ones of society. But God has not given us authority to establish values for different sins. Instead, He says through James, ‘Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for [is guilty of] all of it.’…When a person commits murder, he breaks God’s law. When a Christian lets corrupting speech (that is, speech which tends to tear down another person) come out of his/her mouth (Ephesians 4:29), he/she breaks God’s law.” All sin is lawlessness.  He further notes that “In our human values of civil laws, we draw a huge distinction between an otherwise ‘law-abiding citizen’ who gets an occasional traffic ticket and a person who lives a ‘lawless’ life in contempt and utter disregard for all laws. But the Bible does not seem to make that distinction. It simply says sin – that is, all sin without distinction – is lawlessness.” “Sin is sin.” Dr. Bridges continues, “even those sins I call ‘the acceptable sins of the saints,’ those sins we tolerate in our lives – are serious in God’s eyes. Our religious pride, our critical attitudes, our unkind speech about others, our impatience and anger, even our anxiety; all of these are serious in the sight of God.” In his book, Dr. Bridges exposits on other so-called ‘respectable’ sins: ungodliness, anxiety and frustration, discontentment, unthankfulness, pride, selfishness, lack of self-control, impatience and irritability, anger, judgmentalism, envy, jealousy, and related sins, sins of the tongue, and worldliness.  

As we enter our journey of transformation and sanctification through the Holy Spirit, Dr. Bridges reminds us that in collaboration with God’s Spirit, we are to put to death the various expressions of sin in our lives. (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5) In chapter six, he offers seven general directions for dealing with sins. Not enough space to fully explain here, but I will list them.

 

First – we should always address our sin in the context of the gospel; our sins are forgiven and we are accepted as righteous by God because of both the sinless life and sin-bearing death of our Lord Jesus Christ – both together are the greatest motivations.

 

Second – we must learn to rely on the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. We can never get beyond our need for the Spirit, and should cultivate an attitude of continual dependence.

 

Third – while depending on the Holy Spirit, we must also recognize our responsibility to diligently pursue all practical steps for dealing with our sins. This is the meaning of Philippians 2:12-13.

 

Fourth – identify specific areas of ‘acceptable’ sins. (covered in the book’s chapters on specific sins) As we read each chapter, humbly ask the Holy Spirit to help us see if there is a pattern of that sin in our life, which will enable us to better put it to death.

 

Fifth – find specific applicable Scriptures to each of our subtle sins, (use concordance) memorizing them, reflecting on them, applying and praying over them as we ask God to use those God-breathed words to help us deal with those sins.

 

Sixth – cultivate the practice of prayer over the sins we tolerate. Prayer is one of our major directions for dealing with sin; through prayer we consciously acknowledge our need of the Holy Spirit for dealing with our sin and stay aware of the presence of them.

 

Seventh – we should involve one or two other believers with us in our struggles against our subtle sins in a mutual relationship as we seek to exhort, encourage, and pray for one another.

 

…The biggest motivator in our spiritual battles against sin is in Chapter 10 of Mr. Whitney’s book: Do You Yearn For Heaven And To Be With Jesus?

Mr. Whitney states that “those who have been on a long pilgrimage increasingly desire to reach their destination, especially one as glorious and excellent as Heaven. Those who have spent decades loving and living for Jesus naturally long to see Him.” That is the message of Romans 8:22-23. Paul makes a similar statement in 2 Corinthians 5:2. “These longings for the coming great change in body and place are simply part of a normal, healthy, growing Christian life.” Does our yearning for heaven in and of itself confirm that we know the very one with whom we wish to be, or is our yearning focused on getting relief from this hard life? 

Mr. Whitney offers that “the question is not merely, ‘Do you yearn for Heaven and to be with Jesus?’ but also, ‘For which Heaven and Jesus do you yearn?’” Do we yearn for a place of holiness? If being holy as God is holy is off-putting for us in our earthly existence, then we will hate heaven. Are we longing for and looking forward to a heart without sin? To have a pure heart to see the Lord? To being clothed in righteousness? That is what growing Christians increasingly long for – not just a “rest” from troubles and difficulties, but a holy heaven, holy relationships in heaven, a Holy Jesus, a holy joy, where we will be able to gaze and gaze upon the Lamb of God, on Jesus our Savior. Is that the thing we want above everything else? Is our groaning for that kind of heaven? 

I confess that at one time my “heaven” was a place of green valleys, of beautiful sunsets, of peace all around me, of a Garden of Eden. The more I grow in Christ, the more I know Him personally, I find my desire for Him is growing more than a desire for a heavenly geography. 

We have the Spirit of the Living God moving in us, motivating us, energizing us, developing joy into a once burdened heart. We are riddled by sin’s woes, and we work with that same Spirit to put off those things displeasing to God. But, let us not forget that this struggle is not forever:

·  “You are from God, little children, and have overcome [the spirit of the evil one]; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

·  ⁴For whoever has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. ⁵ Who is the one who overcomes the world, but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5

·  The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.’ Revelation 2:7

·  The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’  Revelation 2:11

·  The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows except the one who receives it.’  Revelation 2:17

·  The one who overcomes, and the one who keeps My deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations;   Revelation 2:26

·  The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.   Revelation 3:5

·  The one who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.   Revelation 3:12

·  The one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne.   Revelation 3:21

 

For these things we fight the good fight of faith; we do spiritual battle against sin and the evil one everyday. We know that we have the power to be faithful to the end, because Jesus has given us that kind of power that raises us up to life with Him. We are victors who will see the one for whom we yearn, Jesus Christ, in all of His glory and splendor, and we shall be clothed with His righteousness.

 

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. -  Ephesians 3:20-21

Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, Question 6

 “Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health,” Donald S. Whitney. 2001. NavPress

Question 6:  Do You Delight in the Bride of Christ? (notes, excerpts and highlights from Chapter 6) “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” (Hebrews 6:10)

So, who is the “Bride of Christ?” The Bible doesn’t say anything about Jesus being married when He was on the earth! So, what / who is this “Bride?” 

Scripture tells us about this Bride in a couple of places directly, and in other places alludes to the Bride and Her Bridegroom in parable or figurative speech. Look, for example, at Revelation 19, verses 5-9 (NASB); those who sang in or attended the Messiah concerts that St. Christopher’s used to hold will recognize in the verses words from Handel’s  “Hallelujah Chorus”. In verses 7 and 8, the Bride promised to the Lamb, who is the Bridegroom - one of the names for Christ - is identified as the collective body of saints, whose way is righteous and holy before the Bridegroom.  

So, who, then, are the saints? Canonized individuals who have died and have subsequently been elected as saints by church councils? No – the Bible is very clear that the saints are those persons born again by Spirit, and thus are those within whom the Spirit of Christ indwells, and who have been set apart by God from the world to be transformed into the image of Christ. The saints have been chosen by God from before time. The saints are each of us in whom the Spirit of Christ lives! We have been in God’s plan for all of eternity! That is why the epistle writers could address the members of the churches to whom they wrote as “saints”.  The Bride, then, is the Church – the collective Body of Christ – the saints, that has been in existence for millennia. The author, Dr. Whitney, refers to saints as “authentic Christians”. One of the first instances of this designation of “saint” is used by King David in Psalm 16:3. The Hebrew word translated “saints” is qadas, which corresponds to the Greek word hagios, are both words meaning “something set apart, holy, made sacred, consecrated – chosen ones of God.” Other passages include Romans 8:9, Daniel 7:18, Roman 1:7, Romans 12:13, 1 Corinthians 1:2, Ephesians 1:1,3-4,15, 1 Thessalonians 3:13 (look up the word “saints” or “holy ones” in your personal Bible). It is by the Holy Spirit within us, and the blood of Christ that purifies us, that we are made saints by God, and through the Spirit-written Word of God that continuously cleanses us when we apply it to our lives. We cannot become saints through any human means. Being a “saint” does not make us perfect persons in Christ during our earthly journey – not hardly. Rather, being a saint is a position God places us in – through God we become something sacred, a people called by God and set apart by God for His purposes.

Jesus loves the Church[i], His Bride. In Ephesians 5:25-30, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to compare Jesus’ relationship with the Church to that of a husband who loves his wife and is willing to give his life for her. The Spirit also gave to Paul the content of what we call Ephesians chapter 4, which iterates how we are to be the Church; verse 32 ends the chapter stating that we are to have compassion for one another and forgive just as Christ forgave us. In Ephesians 5:1-2, Paul finishes that thought with an imperative for the Church to walk in love as Christ loves, to imitate His love for His Church. The author reminds us that if we are one with Christ, then we will love the things He loves.(see John 14:11-12; John 15:9-17) That means we must love, have compassion for His Church. Do we delight in the Church? Do we find joy in the presence and the ministry of Christ’s people, both in their congregational form and as individuals? 

About the saints: as we have been studying the Bible letters or epistles, we have as yet to come upon a perfect church to whom the apostles and disciples wrote. Nary a one. That has remained the same for millennia; a local church filled with saints does not make it perfect. Recall the letters to the churches at Corinth, Galatia, and Ephesus (not to mention the several churches in Revelation). With that reality in mind, to delight in the Church of Christ and all of its members is not always going to be a pleasant or easy venture. Within the Church, each individual who has been made a saint by God is still undergoing a lengthy transition through sanctification in the journey to completion of God’s purpose in each of us. We are apt to be rubbed, or to rub, others in the Body Christ the wrong way. Does this surprise God? No, which is why the training, transformation -- the sanctification, can be a little painful at times because the Spirit is ‘scrubbing out’ those aspects of our character that do not resemble Christ. We are to strive to work in harmony with the Spirit’s work in us, praying unceasingly, doing our daily “oblation” or cleansing through intentional meditation on God’s Word, particularly on how to live and interact in love with the Church – which standard Jesus sets as how the rest of the world will identify “authentic Christians.” When we begin to see the Church as Christ knows it and realize what a privilege salvation through Christ is, that we have God living inside us in the Spirit of Christ – who touches everything in and about us, we will begin to look for the Christ in others.

Which leads to the question by the author: “Do you delight in Her company?...For the Christian, the presence of the ‘saints who are in the earth,’ just by virtue of their being saints, evokes delight. When authentic Christians assemble in a local church, the omnipresent God dwells in their midst in a special way.” (Ephesians 2:21-22; 2 Corinthians 6:16) Do we delight in worshiping corporately as a gathered assembly? Is it a priority for us to be present on a Sunday for worship with the saints or to engage in Bible study with the saints? Do we have conflicting priorities? As noted above, “growing Christians will readily delight in being with the saints of God because the delight involves the very presence of God Himself living within ordinary people” who belong to God. Do we view each other that way? 

The author further asks us, “Do we delight in the Bride, the Church willingly?” That is, do we look forward to fellowshipping with the members of the Body and Bride of Christ, or must we be coerced to do so? Quoting the author: “Something is amiss when a person participates in the life of a church only because of the forces of ‘ought’ (i.e., doing what one ought to do or is expected to do)…the child of God does not have to be persuaded (emph. added) to delight in the supernatural spiritual sweetness found only in God’s Church. Delight in the Church is inborn in those who are born again.” 

“Do you delight in Her activity?”, the author asks, citing Paul’s example at 2 Corinthians 11:2,23-28 and 2 Timothy 2:10. He further notes that the “work of Christ’s Church is the greatest, most soul-satisfying enterprise in the universe. Nothing compares – career, family, conquest, success, wealth, politics, retirement – nothing! … it is the only eternally enduring work we can do. Those who are not committed to the work of the Church are not just extremely short-sighted and self-defeating, they also forfeit an incredible privilege.” If there is any hesitancy on the part of believers to serve the Church in a ministry – not just showing up for meetings with limited interest, but to rather roll up your sleeves and get ready to do some real labor, picture Jesus in a flipped script at John 13 handing the towel to one of His disciples and commanding him to wash His feet! Jesus was definitely thinking of each of us who have been born again at that moment recorded in John 13, verses 12-17. 

The author offers a few suggestions on how to delight in Christ’s Bride:

·       Grow to see the Bride of Christ and Her work more as Jesus sees Her. Jesus loves the increasing clarity of His own reflection in the Church and her ministry. He gives His Bride the beauty of His holiness. What are three examples of the beauty of Christ’s holiness that we can each identify in our local church? Are our spiritual eyes seeing through a maturing faith that causes our visual acuity to become sharper and more penetrating? (2 Corinthians 4:16) The more our eyes perceive Jesus’ Bride and Her work in the way He does, the more you will love Her and it as He does.

·       Demonstrate delight in the Bride of Christ in ways that will make a real difference. The work of the local church is the work of Jesus in the world. Where does the church of Christ we attend need help? Undoubtedly, it makes its needs known regularly. Are we listening? Can’t find your niche? Then take the initiative and create a ministry that will serve God’s people and glorify His Name. Give heart and time and money and zeal to the Bride for whom Christ gave His life. How long should one do this? For as long as you can say of those who have the Spirit of God, “They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight” – i.e., for as long as Christ loves His Bride.

Consider this, suggests the author: In God’s Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5), how much space will be devoted to how the stock market fared daily, which NFL team, soccer team, or college team consistently held team records for achievements in their relative sport; on how the presidential elections shaped the political environment; on who won Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Tonys? On who won the Olympics? Or about what products Apple will develop in the next 100 years? Won’t God’s Book of Life instead “be dominated by actions in and through local churches, deeds that passed unnoticed at the time by people the world overlooked? By the names of those who suffered for the Name of the Lord? By the names of those who loved the Lord and ministered to His saints – won’t these fill the pages? Written in gold letters on the flyleaf may be this inscription, “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His Name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” (Hebrews 6:10) Psalm 149:4 tells us that “the LORD takes pleasure in His people.” Do we? (compare 1 John 3:11-17)

I truly got to see the author's heart in this moving work, and am grateful for that privilege.

*The foregoing represents my personal reflections on a study by Dr. Donald S. Whitney, Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health. (2001. By Donald S. Whitney. NAVPRESS. ISBN 978-1-61747-187-2) Quotations and excerpts are from that source, unless otherwise identified. For the 2023 Lenten season I provided these thoughts to my local congregation's Bible study group. The questions are not, however, constrained by a particular liturgical season, holiday, or age group: these are questions every Christian may find useful in fulfilling God's command at 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test!" The church at Corinth looked a lot like many of our churches today.

 

 

 

 

 

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[i] The “Church”, with a capital “C”, is the universal body of Christ that has existed for millennia and is chosen by God for His Son. (see John 6:35,37,44)

How Did I Miss It?

The abbreviation or short speak of choice for sharing an announcement on social media -  ICYMI - just this moment held special meaning for me because I had missed it.

After all of these years of the stories of Jesus' death and resurrection I had missed it!! I admit to a slowness from time to time, but this???

Per Hebrew custom, a day is from evening to evening. So between the evenings of Jesus's arrest and of  Passover, a time referred to as the Day of Preparation in the Biblical account, Jesus is crucified. He is placed in a newly hewn tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea and preliminarily dressed for burial. Of course, that Passover was a fulfillment of the original Mosaic Law for remembrance of the redemption and deliverance of God's people from enslavement in Egypt - the firstborn lamb sacrificed and its blood slathered on the door posts and lintels of abodes, which brought salvation to those inside, and the redemption price paid in the death of the Egyptian firstborns. The Passover had been in effect for hundreds of years and after hundreds of celebrations of that ancient event, it is all fulfilled in that one night. Jesus becomes the Passover Lamb whose blood saves. I have for so long been in awe of this aspect of that evening to evening, of that Passover night almost 2,000 years ago, and my soul feels it once the 'busyness' of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday settle. 

But, what I have missed is this: the next day was Sabbath! The day following Jesus' death is the sabbath! Knowledge of it has been buried in my cerebrum somewhere, and like a memory prodded from a deep place, ICYMI was impressed on me! Exodus 31:15 says: "For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord." It was a long six days that week - take time to see the work Jesus accomplished that week up to and including His greatest work.

Jesus enters into a special sabbath rest in the tomb. Think about it: the Lord of the Sabbath enters a special sabbath rest that seventh day. Because this knowledge has been newly resurrected in me, I am going to consider and contemplate this significance. O, O, O, O - sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble...