• By Lloyd Murphy
  • Posted in Bible Study, Doctrine, Friends
  • Created for a Relationship with God (Relationships Part 2)

    In the last post we began our series on relationships by backing way up and looking at the theological foundation of all relationships: that we are relational beings because we are made in the image of God, who Himself, by His very nature as the triune God, is relational. We noted that the fact that we are male and female reveals to us the diversity within the unity of the triune God. We ended by noting that God does not need us in order to be fulfilled; He does not need a relationship with us in order to be a relational God because He has perfect fellowship within the three Persons of His triune being…and yet He chose to create us, and He created us in His own image.

    This is the second theological pillar that must undergird our thinking on relationships: the wonderful truth that God, out of no necessity, created us in order to have a relationship with us. In Genesis 1:26–28 we read that

    …God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

    From this passage we note that it was the willful decision of the triune God to make man in His own image and likeness. A central part of this image is certainly the relational aspect of man. But this relational aspect of man was not meant only to display God’s glorious nature, the creation of man was for the purpose of relationship. We see this personal relationship take shape in Genesis 2, which is an elaboration on the creation of man in day six. While the first chapter of Genesis is like a full panoramic view of the creation; chapter 2 is more of a telescopic zooming in on the most important part of the picture. We know this because of the tolodot (Heb. תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת) literary marker in Gen. 2:4 (“this is the account” or literally, “these are the generations”). This marker is used to introduce the major divisions of this entire book (cf. Gen. 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 10:32; 11:10; 11:27; 25:12; 25:19; 36:1; 37:2). Each one of these tolodots marks the outlining of the development of mankind and the various tribes of men, focusing especially on the line of Israel. So what we have in Genesis 2 is the first of these tolodot markers which sketches the beginning of all mankind. In Gen. 2:15–17 we see in this passage some very critical aspects which help to define our understanding of relationships:

    The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

    First of all, we see that God communicated with man. Communication is basic to any relationship; if two people cannot communicate, it is very difficult for them to have a relationship! Secondly, we see that there were roles in the relationship. God made it clear to Adam that He was the Creator; Adam, was the created, and therefore Adam was to serve God. God gave the commands which Adam was to obey, and Adam would find delight in obedience to God. This brings us to a third aspect of this relationship: trust. Trust is the basic, foundational aspect of any good relationship; without trust a relationship falls apart. Trust is a like a boundary marker for a relationship. It’s like the lines on a basketball court or a baseball field which alert us to what is out of bounds and will cause damage or potentially even destroy the relationship if we cross those lines. Different relationships have different trust markers which define them. The trust marker of Adam’s relationship to God was made explicitly clear: it was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That tree was the boundary of trust. Many believe that the tree was a marker for a probationary test of obedience, and if Adam and Eve had just obeyed long enough they would have been confirmed in righteousness and eventually would have not been able to sin any longer. But I don’t see any reason for this kind of speculation. God merely warned Adam that if He did eat of the tree he would surely die. If we understand the tree as a test, it was a test of relationship.

    In Genesis 3:8 it appears that God had regular, personal fellowship with man in the Garden. And apparently this fellowship would have carried on to Adam and Eve’s children and their descendants because God had given him the command to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” Yet we see that this perfect fellowship was broken when Adam and Eve listened to the serpent and violated the boundary of trust. Adam was dependent upon God and obligated to Him; this was his nature and his role in relationship to God. And yet he chose to rebel against this nature and this role and to make himself his own god. As a consequence of this, man died. Adam and Eve began to die physically at that point, but far worse, they immediately died spiritually as they were cast out of the Garden and out of the presence of God. In that instant, sin infected all mankind, as Romans 5:12 tells us: “…through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

    But in the midst of Genesis 3, we find the first indication that God had a plan for rescuing man from the consequences of the Fall. In fact, the rest of the Bible is the story of God’s redemption of man. We see, then, that although the Fall broke man’s relationship with God, the recreation of man was for the purpose of relationship. Augustine’s famous line rings true for all men: “You have made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you.” God, who is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex. 34:6) immediately made this possible, as we see in Genesis 3:15. God announced the consequences of sin first upon the serpent, whom He told, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” This is what theologians call the protoeuangelion, or the “first Gospel.” This was the promise of a Redeemer who would one day come to crush Satan and defeat sin and death and hell forever.

    From here on out, God begins to deal with man in a gracious manner, calling a people to Himself through whom would come the Messiah, the Savior, who would reconcile men back to Him. As we mentioned, the tolodots of Genesis map out this choosing of a people, and God continues on throughout Scripture to tenaciously pursue a relationship with mankind despite their sinfulness. He makes covenants with them, he issues promises to them, and He acts for them. He gives them His law in order to show them their sinfulness and alert them to their need for a Savior. And ultimately, He sends that Savior who, as the “last Adam,” (1 Cor. 15:22, 45) was perfectly obedient, always doing what the Father commanded, perfectly fulfilling His role as the God-man. Through the new birth which we receive when we believe in Christ, we receive eternal life, the definition of which was given by our Lord Jesus Christ: “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). Eternal life is to know God, to have a restored relationship with Him. It is to no longer be His enemy (Rom. 5:10), but to be His friend (John 15:13-14). This new birth gives us entrance into the family of God (John 1:12) and introduces us into the transformational process of becoming more like Christ (Col. 3:9-10). All of this is summed up in 2 Corinthians 5:17-19:

    Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

    What wonderful news it is to know that God is committed to a relationship with us and that by heeding His call for us to turn away from our own way and to turn to Him through Christ we gain eternal life, the essence of which is a relationship with the living God. This is what we were created for!

  • By Lloyd Murphy
  • Posted in Doctrine, Friends
  • The Relational God

    When approaching certain subjects in student ministries, we have the tendency to jump to the practical–the stuff that we can grab a hold of. The subject of relationships is definitely one of these. Let’s be honest: the minute students hear the word ‘relationship’ every ear in the room suddenly perks up. Everybody immediately thinks of ‘dating’–and they immediately get excited about receiving answers as to how they can venture into these mysterious waters with God’s sanctified blessing. Those who teach on this subject are often just as zealous, and they either begin to declare with dogmatic certainty that it’s God’s will for you to “Kiss Dating Goodbye,” or they step out on shaky ground and provide some cautious “practical wisdom” (that, in reality, they themselves are not quite sure about). The reason for this is that the Bible does not say a whole lot about ‘dating.’ In fact, it doesn’t say anything about what is typically called ‘dating’–the idea of hanging out exclusively with someone of the opposite sex, just “having fun” for an indefinite period of time with no real intentions for the future. Nor does it give a systematic program for “courting” (an idea that has gained almost canonical status in some evangelical circles). This is why many youth leaders are either dogmatic or sheepish about the subject: they really don’t know what they’re talking about! Believe me–I’ve been one of them.

    What I’ve found through the years is that we just have to accept the fact that the Bible is not a textbook for dating. Instead, the Bible views this sort of thing within the broader rubric of relationships, and it certainly has a lot to say about relationships of all sorts. In fact, the Bible is a relational book written by a relational God to relational people who were created in His image. As I often tell students, theology matters. And the reason relationships and even marriages are oftentimes such train wrecks, even in the church, is because we put the proverbial cart before the horse-we want to jump into something sacred before we think God’s thoughts after Him and develop deep convictions which help guide us. It’s no mystery why we do this; it is because relationships are bound up with feelings, and it is so easy to let our feelings direct us rather than our minds. And typically, we’re young when we start to be interested in this sort of thing, and therefore we are what the book of Proverbs calls “simple” or “naive.” What we’re in need of in this condition is wisdom.

    Now, I never seek to talk down to young people, but I do know from experience that I did not know what I now know when I was fifteen (it’s okay if you need to read that sentence again). Being simple or naive is not a bad thing unless you are unwilling to listen to wisdom (the Bible calls that person is a fool). But the wise man was not born wise; he became wise by listening to the instruction given to him. Now, as we approach the subject of wisdom, we must remember that it is knowing how to rightly apply knowledge. So we must not think that we can simply fill our heads up with knowledge. We must get knowledge but then we must apply it to life. But let’s back up even further. The knowledge that one needs in order to apply wisdom is rooted in right theology. What we believe about God and what God requires of us is the knowledge we need in order to have godly wisdom. What people tend to do is to start with what they believe to be wisdom they have gained from the masses of voices who are all too eager to speak into their lives. This advice may or may not be sound, but it’s usually a hodgepodge of biblical wisdom and something they heard from Dr. Phil, and that is a cocktail fit for disaster! So what I would like us to do is wade into this vast subject of relationships by looking first at the theology behind it before we go and start laying down principles of wisdom derived out of so-called sanctified common sense. And to begin, I want us to take a closer look at our relational God.

    Genesis 1:27 tells us that God made man in His own image, and so what I have grown to realize is that if we want to know more about ourselves–especially our relationships–we should not start with ourselves, but with God. The more we learn about God, the more we learn about ourselves. Obviously I’m not saying that we are gods, but I am saying what the Bible says – that we are made in God’s image, and so it makes sense to try to understand what God is like if we are to know what we are like. In doing so, we learn that there are ways in which we are indeed like God, and there are also many ways in which we are not like Him. We need to keep in mind that whenever we see likenesses between ourselves and God they are just that–likenesses. We are not God, and we will never possess the qualities that make us like Him to the degree that He does.

    With that in mind, let’s begin at the beginning, in Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God…” It is interesting to note that the Bible doesn’t have a dust cover with an “About the Author” section on the back flap. It doesn’t tell us where He came from or give us His credentials for being God–it just states matter-of-factly, God… What we know about God is revealed to us throughout the pages of Scripture, and it is not typically given in textbook style; we typically get to know about God by reading about how He has acted in the past. This is what we see in Genesis 1:1. Before there was time, before there was anything else, God was, and He created all things out of nothing. Well, we don’t find much likeness to God in this description–we are not self-existent beings who have the power to create things out of nothing! We are part of His creation. But, when we fast-forward to the creation of man we see that we are made in His image, and it is here that we begin to learn more about God. The first thing we learn about God in regard to relationship is that God’s creation of man in his own image reflects his relational nature. The pronoun that God uses in v. 26 – “Let Us make man in Our image” (emphasis added) tells us much about His nature. Deuteronomy 6:4 states clearly that God is one, and yet right here, in the first chapter of the Bible, we learn that there is more than one Person within the one God. This is the first reference to what Scripture reveals more fully in its progressive revelation as the Trinity–that God is three in one. The Old Testament eludes to this truth throughout, although not explicitly. Take Psalm 45:6–7 for example: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy above Your fellows.” Here there are two individuals who are being called God, and the writer of Hebrews tells us that these two who are called God are the Father and the Son (Heb. 1:8). In Isaiah 48:16, we see three individuals speaking: “Come near to Me, listen to this: from the first I have not spoken in secret, from the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His Spirit.” Here we have “Me,” which seems in this passage to be the Messiah; we have the “Lord God,” which is obviously the Father; and we have the “Spirit.” In the NT, we see this truth very explicitly. At the baptism of Jesus, for instance, we see Jesus coming up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, and a voice (obviously the Father’s voice) from heaven (Matt. 3:13-17). We see it very clearly in the baptismal formula of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19): “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Each of these three individuals is said to be God; each is to receive worship, and yet God is one.

    Now, this is how it usually goes when we talk about the Trinity. It is such a heady subject that we typically do a systematic Bible survey and wind up analyzing the Triune God as if He were some sort of scientific experiment! Don;t misunderstand me. I’m not saying it’s not necessary to diligently search the Scriptures systematically, not at all. But we can’t stop there. Once we’ve reached the conclusion concerning what the Bible teaches about a certain subject, we have to look deeply at what the implications of it are. I fear that the Trinity is something we sort of set on the back burner. We affirm it and we dare not disbelieve it, but it’s just so mind-boggling that we don’t think about it much. But this is who God is, and this is the God whom we worship, and this is the God in whose image and likeness we were created! We learn a lot about ourselves from the Trinity, and perhaps the most important thing we learn is that the reason we are relational beings is because God, by His very nature is relational! You see, if we study Scripture closely, we get to peek in on the inner working of the Trinity, and here in Genesis 1:26, we see the three Persons of the Triune God conversing about the creation of man! There are many snapshots of this relationship throughout the Gospel of John. In John 14, Jesus said that He was going away, but that He would send “another Helper,” – the Holy Spirit to His disciples. You remember Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17, where He is speaking directly to the Father. In that prayer we see not only a sharing of glory between the Father and the son, but a sharing of love.

    You see, God is relational by His very nature; He is three Persons in one God, three relational Persons who communicate and share in perfect harmony and love. And further, we learn that within this perfect relationship of unity there is a distinction of roles. Throughout the Gospel of John it is clear that although Jesus and the Father are one, Jesus submits to the Father and seeks to bring glory to Him. Jesus constantly made it a point to state that He was speaking only the words and doing only the works which the Father had given Him. He said in John 8:29, “…I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” He said in v. 26 of the same chapter, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” He said in  John 15:26, “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me.” In all of this, as we see in v. 14, the Spirit’s role is not to glorify Himself, but to glorify Christ. Now, in 1 Corinthians 11:3 Paul notes the theological truth that “Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.” “Head” is speaking of authority; this passage is teaching that the role distinctions between men and women are rooted in the roles of the Persons of the Trinity. In fact, as the revelation of Scripture progresses we see that the dynamics all of our relationships are rooted in the nature of God. All of this understanding is huge for us because we see that God is a Personal God because He relates to Himself within His Triunity.

    A second thing we learn about God in regard to relationship, which follows from the fact that His creation of man in His own image expresses His relational nature is the fact that God’s creation of man was not necessary for His fulfillment. Basically, what we’re saying here is that God does not need us because He has perfect fellowship with Himself. In other words, creating man did not make God a relational being; His very nature is relational, and He had perfect relationship within His Triunity. This is why we, who are His image-bearers are relational persons as well, and this is one of the reasons why He made us male and female, in order to be a true image of Him: a unity of diversity, equal in essence yet differing in roles and existing in relationship with one another. This part of God’s nature is called His aseity by theologians, which is from a Latin root means “from oneself.” This is the doctrine of God’s self-existence. But His Triune nature reveals that He is also a personal God. This is one of the primary differences between the god of Islam, “Allah” and the one, true God. Allah is not presented as a Triune God, but merely one god, and therefore He is not the one, true, personal, relational God of the Bible.

    Hopefully this brief survey has helped you to see that when we understand God better, we understand ourselves better. We are relational beings because we are made in the image of the relational God. This is the first and foremost bedrock piece of theology we need in order to properly understand relationships. In the next post we’ll endeavor to build upon that foundation…

  • By Lloyd Murphy
  • Posted in Doctrine, School
  • A Student for Christ

    Jonathan Edwards stands as an enormous figure whose shadow stretches over each successive generation. Edwards was Born in 1703 in the colony of Connecticut, just three years before Benjamin Franklin, and was a bright and inquisitive young man. By the time he was only 13 years old he had already learned Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and was accepted to Yale College.  He graduated valedictorian of his class with his Bachelor’s degree in 1720, at the age of 16 and went on for 2 more years of graduate study at Yale. It was around this time that he was converted to Christ and began to pen his well-known ‘Resolutions.’ These resolutions were personal commitments to holiness which Edwards put into writing and reviewed regularly. For example:

    #4 Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.

    #5 Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

    #17. Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

    Edwards was a pastor and theologian, a writer, and the third president of Princeton Seminary. He is considered to be the greatest of American theologians, and is considered by many, even secular scholars, to be the greatest mind America has ever produced. His sermons and writings, such as Religious Affections and The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, have left an indelible mark upon the world. Many schools still assign students the reading of his most famous sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Edwards was a life-long student of the Scriptures, of philosophy, and of nature. He worked hard at not only studying things, but analyzing them, categorizing them, synthesizing them, and then expounding upon them for the benefit of others.

    Jonathan Edwards is an example of someone who had an incredible work ethic; but more than that, he understood the concept of work from a biblical perspective. He was what we might call the foremost example of a ‘student for Christ.’ By this term I do not mean to describe someone who is merely a student of the Bible, although that is certainly a prerequisite, but a person who approaches everything in life, including his studies, from a biblical perspective. A student for Christ understands what Scripture has to say about masters and work, and one’s attitude concerning them so that he can, by God’s grace, glorify Him in this most important area of life. Colossians 3:22-25 states:

    Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

    Now if you are a student reading this, you may be saying to yourself, “Wait a second, this is talking about slaves and masters; what does this have to do with me? I’m not a slave! I don’t have a master!” Slavery was an institution that was part of the fiber of Roman society during the 1st century. Although the principles of the gospel were contrary to slavery, the gospel is not intended to change society, but to change men’s hearts. God’s desires for Christians is that they will live according to biblical principle no matter what their station in life; Christians are those who submit to the authorities that have sovereignly been placed over them. The section of this letter to the church at Colossae in which our passage is found begins in verse 18, where Paul begins to give instructions concerning relationships in the home. Wives are to be subject to husbands, children to parents, and then here, slaves to masters. Although slavery is not a part of our culture, we see a direct correlation of this principle to the employer-employee relationship because slaves are basically workers who do not get paid. This brings to bear upon the passage an intensification of application, a lesser-to greater argument, because if slaves, who are not paid for their services, are to do what is commanded in this passage, how much more should an employee who is paid?

    But you may now object further, “Wait! I am not an employee; I am not getting paid to be here in school! So how does any of this have anything to do with me?” The answer is that you are wrong about not getting paid, and your payment is far more valuable than money. You are being paid with knowledge from your teachers, who are your “earthly masters,” and you cannot put a price tag on knowledge. Money comes and goes, but no one can take your education from you. What you are receiving is the foundation of knowledge that you will carry with you all your life, and it will be this very foundation that will allow you to earn a living someday. Furthermore, the more you apply yourself in your vocation as a student, the more wealthy in knowledge you will become. There is no limit to your learning; what you put into it is what you will get out of it.

    But God calls us to a higher understanding of this principle. There are two commands in Colossians 3:22-25: “obey your masters” (v. 22) and “do your work” (v. 23). The rest of the passage tells us how we are to do this, and it focuses upon the way you view both your master and your work – it gets to the heart-attitudes concerning these duties. All of us can obey to a certain extent. All of us can do work. But it is how we view these obligations and our attitudes toward them that are what God is looking for.

     

    The first principle we learn from this passage is that we are to obey and work reverently. Obedience is to be done “fearing the Lord” (v. 22). Work is to be done “for the Lord (v. 23). It is “from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward” (v. 24), and “You are serving the Lord Christ” (v. 24). “Your earthly masters” are your temporal masters, placed over you here and now, but you answer to a higher Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. As a student, your master is your teacher, but ultimately, “You are serving the Lord Christ.” The parallel passage of Ephesians 6:5-8 says that Christians slaves are really the “slaves of Christ;” therefore you can consider yourself a “student of Christ.” A great way to check your attitude in this area is to imagine that your teacher was sick one day and it was announced that Jesus Christ would be your substitute teacher. How would this change your attitude and obedience toward your “earthly masters?”

    A second principle we learn from this passage is that we are to obey and work completely. Verse 22 says, “slaves (or students) “in everything obey those who are your earthly masters” (emphasis added). God desires that His children obey completely, not just in the things that we desire to do. There are some things teachers tell us to do that are great (they are usually the P.E. teachers), like “Play basketball for next half-hour.” We gladly comply with that! But what about when he or she tells us to go run a mile? Not so fun! When the science teacher tells you boys to dissect a frog that’s pretty cool – no problem! But when she tells you to read the next two chapters in the textbook and memorize the definition of 30 words like “meiosis” and “mitosis,” that’s not cool at all! But God says, “obey in everything!” Okay, but what about the those teachers who are unreasonable, like the Literature teacher who tells you to read Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” all the way through and then turn in a detailed synopsis of it with footnotes by the end of the semester (without watching any movies)? What about you students who “suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” brought on by teachers who are so unreasonable to the point where you cry out: “To obey or not to obey, that is the question!” Well, God answers that question in 1 Peter 2:18-19:

    Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.

    So, we are to obey even those teachers who are (or at least seem to be) unreasonable.

    A third principle we learn from this passage is that we are to obey and work sincerely, “not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.” “Eye-service” has the idea of working only when the master is watching. We all know what this means: when the teacher announces that she must leave the room for a moment and that everyone is to read quietly while she is gone…and then the moment she is out of sight everyone starts talking and throwing things and all chaos is beginning to break loose until someone whispers loudly, “Hey, she’s coming!” And then everyone goes back to their books, pretending as if they’ve been obeying her directions all along. This is the opposite of sincerity; this is hypocrisy. This is “eye-service” obedience. Students who obey only with eye-service are “people-pleasers.” We are to obey our earthly masters, not to simply please them in the moment. We are to have integrity, obeying even when no one is watching. We are to do this not only for the sake of our earthly masters, but for our true Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to obey with “with sincerity of heart,” a singleness of heart that is not two-faced, hypocritical, or deceptive. This really gets to the heart of the matter, that true obedience is an issue of your heart-attitude. And what a sobering thought it is to know that our heavenly master can see it all; not just what we are doing on the outside, but what is happening on the inside.

     

    A fourth principle we learn from this passage is that we are to obey and work heartily. “Heartily” literally means “from the soul.” It is the idea of putting your whole self into it, working with enthusiasm, “leaving it all out on the field,” as it were. Just like you are to “obey in everything,” you are to do “whatever you do” with this sort of enthusiasm and vigor. Whether you are on the basketball court or in the classroom, shooting hoops or writing a paper, you are to do it from your soul – do it “heartily.” Again we see here the reason why we are to do this: it is because we are to work as to the Lord and not to men, which brings us to the final thing we learn from this passage.

     

    Not only are we to obey and work reverently, completely, sincerely, and heartily, but we are to do all of this with eternity in mind. Since Christ is your ultimate Master, He will grant the ultimate rewards for obedience. When we do our work with the right attitude, even when no one else sees, our Lord Jesus Christ sees. Even when we are not rewarded properly for our work, we will someday receive the inheritance that is laid up for us in heaven, and we will hear “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21). This makes every ounce of effort and self-discipline worth it all. And the byproduct of this sort of Christ-centered faithfulness is that we will typically excel in whatever we do. Students who apply these principles will not always, but on the whole, get better grades, receive more scholarships, and retain more knowledge than others who are ungrateful, disrespectful, and slothful in their studies. Why not take this passage to heart and begin to obey and work from the heart this school year? Why not see your studies not as a roadblock to your happiness, but a primary means to the joy that comes from doing whatever you do for the glory of Jesus Christ (Col. 3:17)?

  • By Lloyd Murphy
  • Posted in Doctrine, Holidays
  • A Lesson in Love

    You remember The Princess Bride and Buttercup’s quest for “true love” with Wesley – and you well remember the scene with the priest proclaiming, “…and wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva… So tweasure your wuv…” True love – isn’t that what we all want to find? From the time little girls hear their first princess story, they long for the day they will find their true love. Even guys (who would never admit it) long for true love. But have you ever stopped to think about why we call it “true” love – why not just “love?” It’s obviously because there are a lot of things that go by the name “love” that in fact are not.

    The Question A popular song released back in the early 90’s asked: “What is love?” That’s a really good question. What is love? And what is true love? And is there even really such a thing? Our culture seems to be constantly trying to convince us that there is – Hollywood makes millions selling movies that apparently model “true love.” The Billboard charts are filled with songs about love (of course country music makes its millions singing about how some poor guy has lost his love). Books, magazines, advertisements, commercials – they all seem to tell us that we can find “true love.” But true love as the world defines it is an illusion. This is because the world’s concept of love is rooted in selfishness – it’s all about me and what I can get out of someone else. In John 13:1-17 we are given a lesson from the Master Teacher which reveals that true love is the polar opposite of the world’s definition of love. What our Lord Jesus wants His disciples to see in this passage is that we, as His followers must not only understand what love is – we must practice it – and in doing so, we will be blessed beyond measure!

    The Example In John 13 we find Jesus in the Upper Room with His disciples on Thursday evening, preparing to eat the Passover meal. But before the meal begins, Jesus does something absolutely remarkable. We’re told in vv. 1-3 that Jesus, knowing that His hour had come, that He had loved His own for the full extent of His time with them, that the plot to take His life, ultimately orchestrated by Satan and willingly ascribed to by Judas Iscariot was already in motion, that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God, leaving the glory of heaven, and was now ready to return to the right hand of God, did not demand that His disciples fall down at His feet immediately. Instead, He “got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.” This is incredible! In 1st Century Jewish culture, to wash someone’s feet was the job reserved for the lowliest slave – never did a Jew (not even a Jewish slave) wash another person’s feet! And yet here we see the Son of God taking on the garb and posture and action of a  lowly slave to wash the dirty feet of His disciples! Jesus, who had come from the heights of glory and would be returning there shortly, was descending to the lowest depths of service in this humble act. Notice that He states in v. 11, “and you are clean, but not all of you” – and John adds for us the fact that Jesus knew that one of them would betray Him. Now, if we thought that this act of humble love performed by Jesus could not be any more stunning, we are reminded of the fact here that Judas was among those whose feet Jesus washed! Can you imagine that! Jesus knew that this man was about to betray Him to death, and yet He washes his stinky, sweaty, dirty feet!

    The Lesson Beyond the theological nuances of this sacrificial act, Jesus teaches a very practical lesson to His disciples. He takes His garments and reclines once again at the table and asks them if they understand what He has just done. He agrees with their calling Him teacher and Lord – they are right in this – He is their Teacher and He is their Lord. Now, if that’s true, and He has washed their feet, they ought to do the same to one another. He gave them an example, and the example was that no one who is under the authority of another can justify his refusal to do something that his master has been willing to do. Now, some have tried to turn this act of foot washing into another ordinance of the church – there is baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and foot washing. But this misses the point of what Jesus is teaching us here. His example of foot washing was just that – an example. And what was it an example of? True love! True love means humbly serving others – it means dying to self and sacrificing for the good of someone else – even someone who is your enemy, like Judas was His. It means that you are no longer selfish, but self-less – that you’re not interested in what you can take, but what you can give.

    The Blessing Notice what Jesus says in v. 17: when you do this you’re blessed! Now how about that, Hollywood? When you stop thinking about what you can get out of someone else and start thinking about how you can serve them instead, you are blessed! Another way of translating the word “blessed” here is “happy.” People want love because they ultimately want to be happy, and Jesus says, start applying yourself to true love and you will be happy! V. 17 gives us the principle of obedience for life – if you know what is right, and you do what is right, you will be blessed (happy). In other words, if you know what’s right, and you do what’s right you will feel right. But you see, we sinners have it all backwards – we start with our feelings – we want to feel happy now because our focus is on ourselves and not on God, so even though we know what’s right, we do what’s wrong and then we wind up feeling bad! Oh, that we would apply ourselves to true love! But why don’t we? Perhaps because it’s hard; perhaps because it’s humbling. The fact of the matter is that it’s impossible without Christ. You see, the world can’t love because the world has never known true love –the love that was demonstrated ultimately at the cross. If foot washing was enough to make the disciples’ jaws drop, in just a few hours Jesus would humble Himself even to the point of death on the cross. And in doing so, He would take upon Himself the wrath of God for the sin of all those who would trust in Him. When we get our eyes on Jesus Christ, and on His perfect sacrifice of love for us on the cross, we begin to exemplify that love in our lives. And when we do, we find the satisfaction that we’ve always longed for.

  • By Lloyd Murphy
  • Posted in Doctrine, News
  • Common Grace in Uniform

    With all of the shock and horror of the San Bernardino killers’ act of terrorism last week, the headlines have been filled with questions, blame-shifting, and the standard solution proposed by some in order to ensure protection from a future attack: more gun control. Some people have given themselves over to fear in the wake of this event and are scrambling for answers about why the attackers were allowed into the US, why they were able to acquire the weapons used, and why they were permitted to carry out such a wicked act without someone being alerted prior. It’s easy to point the finger at the government. In fact, this has been going on a lot these days, not only in the political scene (where it has come to be expected), but on the streets of our cities, as police officers are being deemed incompetent race mongers who can’t wait to brutalize the next minority who flinches.

    What often gets drowned out by all the negativity is the heroism of everyday first-responders like Detective Jorge Lozano of the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office, who courageously and calmly escorted people out of the building where the shootings were taking place, telling them “Try to relax everyone…I’ll take a bullet before you do…” Or Officer Nicholas Koahou, who was wounded during the shootout with the assailants and yet kept providing cover for his fellow officers until the situation was resolved. Beyond these acts of valor, we have heard little praise of the immediate response and coordination of federal, county, and city police forces to put together a massive manhunt which was successful in tracking down the two highly armed and dangerous suspects and rendering them incapacitated within only hours of the massacre. It is tragic beyond description that 14 people were slaughtered in the attack; it is absolutely commendable that officers were able to subdue such violent perpetrators so quickly with no further casualties, and only one non-lethal injury to an officer.

    There is no doubt that our government has serious gaps, inconsistencies, agendas, and corruption, but before Christians jump on the bandwagon of fear and finger pointing, we must not only look at our world objectively, but we must come back to the Bible’s instruction about what government is, what it does, and what our responsibilities are in light of this instruction. The Bible is far from silent in regard to this issue, clearly commanding all men to “be in subjection to the governing authorities” (Rom. 13:1; Tit. 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:13). This command has no conditional statements attached to it, for we are told further that it is God Himself who establishes these governing authorities (Rom. 13:1; cf. Dan. 4:17). And just like any command, we are not to merely obey externally, we are to have the proper attitude of honor toward the governing authorities (1 Pet. 2:17). That’s right. Christians, of all people, ought to be known as those who honor and obey those in authority. In addition to these commands, we are told to pray for the salvation of all in authority (1 Tim. 2:1-4). When we do this, we are strengthened to lead the quiet and peaceful lives of godliness to which we have been called, without being carried away by the agendas of either the left or the right.

    As noted, these biblical commands are given to us because government was given to humanity as part of God’s common grace. When we talk of God’s grace, we typically think in terms of the sending His Son to die for the sins of men, or of the special empowerment which He provides His children, but God’s grace extends even to the world that is lost in sin. As Jesus reminded us, God “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust” (Matt. 5:45). As an instrument of God’s common grace, government helps to restrain evil in the world so that it does not become as bad as it could be and so that people have some level of order, justice, and protection upon which they can rely. While it is foolish to expect that all government officials will be Christians, Romans 13:1-7 nonetheless calls them “God’s servants.” As the God whose “sovereignty rules over all” (Ps. 103:19 NASB), He has chosen to maintain order in society through the means of government. We may cast our ballot on election day, but He is the One who ultimately appoints rulers over us. What we must recognize is that government is God’s servant “for our good” because government is “the avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer” (Rom. 13:4b). In fact, God has delegated the authority to government to use the sword – it has the right to take the life of the one who violates the law. On the other hand, government gives approval to those who honor and obey the law (Rom. 13:3b; 1 Pet. 2:14).

    While we see politicians on TV and hear them on the radio, the average person is typically at a distance from the lawmakers. But what we do see nearly everyday, are the law enforcers. We must remember that these men and women are not a threat to us if we are committed to obeying the law. For us, police officers are “for our good,” and we should have the highest level of honor, appreciation, and thanksgiving to God for them – and we should pray for their salvation and safety regularly – for they are God’s instrument of restraining evil.

    Because of the curse of sin, there are certainly times when the lawmakers will pass laws that are contrary to God’s law or the law enforcers will do things that are immoral or unjust. It is at these times that we are to follow Peter’s example and “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). We must take a stand and be willing to suffer the consequences for doing what is right. We must demand that justice is served for everyone – even those in authority who think they are above the law. Nevertheless, we must do so with the same attitude as Peter had when he said these words. Remember that this is the same Peter who commanded that we “honor the emperor” (1 Pet. 2:17), who at the time of Peter’s writing was Nero, the infamous persecutor of Christians.

    When we align our thinking under the clear teaching and commands of Scripture concerning governing authorities, we will have the right perspective of government, and especially police officers. We will be more joyful, and more at peace as we think of the fact that every day our streets are patrolled by those who are committed “to protect and to serve” by God’s sovereign appointment.

  • By Lloyd Murphy
  • Posted in Bible Study, Doctrine
  • Why ask Why?

    This summer in One28, we’re seeking to answer the question, “Why do we believe this?” or “Why do we do this?” I am excited about this series,  and  as I contemplated the idea, I was struck by the fact that the very act of asking “why” is a big part of our worship as believers in Christ. In his first epistle, Peter likened believers to “newborn babes,” calling them to “desire the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (2:2). At the close of his second epistle, he instructed believers to “grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (3:18). Paul states that he counted “all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8a). Repeatedly we are called and reminded to grow into the likeness of Christ, and that this growth occurs as we apply ourselves to knowing Him more. This happens as we ask questions, and the question “why” is of vital importance because it helps us to move beyond the mere acceptance of things we’ve been taught to personal conviction about these truths.

    So there is a sense in which the question “why” keeps us seeking after the inexhaustible knowledge of God. But part of the proper worship of God is to make sure that what we believe about Him is indeed true, and the knowledge of God comes from His word which is not only true, but is the truth against which all things must be measured (John 17:17). Therefore, we want students to learn how to search the Scriptures for themselves, asking the question, “Why do we believe this?” or “Why do we do this?” Acts 17:11 commends the Bereans because they “were more noble minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so” (emphasis mine). When we think of the Reformers, we are grateful that they were bold enough to question why the church was teaching things that were not in accord with Scripture. And isn’t this precisely what our Lord Jesus did as a pattern for us all in His frequent questioning of the traditional practices which the Jewish leaders had elevated to the place that belongs only to Scripture (e.g. Matt. 15:3; Luke 12:57)? The church has been guarded from error from the very beginning, and whenever false teaching has crept in, God has always raised up those who, like their Lord, were relentless in the quest for truth.

    Of course, there have always been those who are led off into error because they ask “why” with a wrong a heart attitude. Instead of sanctified curiosity, they approach everything they hear with self-righteous suspicion. They know enough to be dangerous and they are arrogant enough to believe that their particular take on that knowledge is superior to what the church has believed and taught for centuries. Therefore, when we ask “why” we need to check our motives carefully to be cautious of any theological novelty. But we also need not be afraid to humbly challenge things that we are taught which, through careful study, at least appear to be out of sync with Scripture.

    With all this in mind, we must remember that asking “why” is only part of our worship. Worship is technically our response to what we have come to know about God. To know Him and what His will is for us and then to ignore it, or outright refuse to respond to it with the proper attitudes and actions is a mockery of worship! Jesus affirmed this when He asked, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). Our prayer for our students is that they are spurred on to humbly ask questions and to learn how to find answers in God’s word, and then ultimately, to apply what they learn to their hearts and lives in order to truly “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” not only this summer, but for the rest of their lives.

  • By admin
  • Posted in Bible Study, Doctrine, Family, Friends
  • It Takes Sweat to Sit

    Last time we noted David Wells’s astute observation that in our day and age, “if we’re not self directed we’ll be tumbled along by our culture…” Growing up in the desert I saw a lot of tumbleweeds, so I get a familiar visual when Wells uses the term “tumble.” In the same way tumbleweeds are blown whichever way the wind carries them, we 21st century American Christians are led about from one distraction to another…unless we’re “self-directed,” which a nice way of saying “self-disciplined.” In other words, if you don’t discipline yourself, you’re at the mercy of life’s distractions, and therefore the chances that you’ll have a consistent quiet time (or even one at all) are pretty slim.

    Wells is on to something here that is biblical. In fact, it’s exactly what Paul told young Timothy: “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (NASB). That word “discipline” or “train” (ESV) is where we get our English word gymnasium. It was a term used of athletes and it meant to run or train unhindered. Just as sports are popular in our day, the Greek games were a hit in Paul’s, and so he used athletic terminology to illustrate aspects of the Christian life. Several times he spoke of the Christian life as a race, and here he tells Timothy (and us by implication) that if we’re going to grow in Christ-likeness, it is going to take some spiritual sweat! We all understand how hard professional athletes work. They train relentlessly to be the best they can be, and this obviously takes discipline. They have rigorous routines which demand focus and sacrifice. This is the picture Paul is painting for us when it comes to the Christian life. He’s saying, “give it all you’ve got in order to be more like Christ!” If we were honest, the fact of the matter is that we typically give it our leftovers – after the distractions of life have drained us dry.

    So what is the first step in having a consistent and productive quiet time? Get disciplined! Yes, it’s really that simple. Set a time. Set a place. And then discipline yourself to make it happen. Of course, there’s more to it than that. But it’s the place to start.