Faith and God's Provision

Genesis 22 is a marvelous passage of Scripture. We call passages like this "Messianic" passages because they anticipate, foreshadow, or predict the Messiah/Christ in some way. Genesis 22 is so sweet because it anticipates the death of the Lord Jesus as a substitute, atoning sacrifice for our sins. On Mount Calvary Jesus Christ gave Himself as our sacrifice for sin, as God the Father's sacrifice for sin. Just as God provided the ram for the sacrifice on Mount Moriah for Abraham, so God provides Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, for our sins on the cross. Wow! Just thinking about this is glorious! Indeed Calvary is God's provision for the sinner. In the cross of Jesus Christ, we see God's provision for the sinner.

1. God provides forgiveness for our sins.

2. God provides cleansing for our sinful guilt and shame.

3. God provides justification whereby the sinner in Christ is wonderfully acceptable to God and clothed with divine righteousness.

But there is also a teaching on Christian faith in Genesis 22 as well. Using sanctified imagination I wonder if Abraham struggled when God told him to sacrifice his son, his only son, Isaac. Surely Abraham wondered why God would give to him a son of promise, and then ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on the altar. And yet, Abraham demonstrates absolute, undeniable, and unwavering confidence in God. He did as God commanded. Whew, that must have been tough! But Abraham did it, and he did it because he believed God that much!

Hebrews 11:17-19 says, "By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, 'In Isaac your descendants shall be called.' He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type."

Two main ideas are given here: 1) Abraham's faith in Genesis 22 is a type of Christian faith, as is indicated in Hebrews 11, and 2) The essence or core of Abraham's faith, and Christian faith, is the belief that God is able to save us in Christ. Thus, the critical component of Christian faith is not the faith itself, rather, it is that God is able to do what He has promised in Christ.

OK, I want to draw some relevant and associative connections between Abraham's faith and true, Christian, saving faith, such as...

1. True faith is based in the revelation of God.

Abraham believed what God had said to him. He believed God's word and promise. Today we must believe God's word which is God's Word, the Bible. The Bible is the focus of our faith today. God has spoken today, but not in dreams or visions or prophetic thoughts in our heads (see Hebrews 1:1-3). Rather, God has spoken in His Son (Jesus) and the Scriptures; we are called to believe God's Word, the Bible.

2. True faith is real hard.

In fact, true faith is impossible for people to provide. This is why God gives faith as a gift (see Ephesians 2:8). If one has faith, true faith, then God is operative in his life to provide this as a gift to him. It must have been very hard for Abraham to have faith in God when God asked him to sacrifice his son. But Abraham did the hard thing; that is faith.

3. True faith is sacrificial and life-changing.

Faith in Abraham's life radically changed him completely. It changed where he lived, what he wanted in life, and what his life was all about. This is true of true faith. Faith in Christ is not a "ticket" to heaven or a "fire insurance" policy to keep us from hell. True faith is certainly the means by which we are brought into a saving relationship with God, and thus avoids hell and gains heaven, but this is not mean that faith leaves us unchanged. True faith transforms our will, our affections, and our mind. This is so radical in our lives that Paul calls Christians "new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17)."

4. True faith is convinced of God's ability and promise.

True faith does not look at itself; true faith looks at God. It depends upon God. It takes God at His Word; it rests upon the veracity and integrity of God alone. This is true faith.

Now for a final caution: Be careful to not misinterpret a non-prescriptive biblical passage and make it prescriptive. For example, some might read Genesis 22 and say, "Well, God called Abraham to sacrifice his son, therefore God calls all of us to do the same." No, no, a thousand times NO! The text in Genesis 22 is not prescriptive, that it does not command us to do the same as Abraham did. Rather, the passage is DESCRIPTIVE and ILLUSTRATIVE. The passage is descriptive in that it describes what God told Abraham to do, not us. But it is illustrative of true saving faith. The application of Genesis 22 has nothing to do with offering one's children to the Lord as sacrifices. It is about how God provided a type or foreshadowing of Christ in a remarkable moment and event in the life of a man long ago. If a biblical passage is prescriptive and exhortative, then it will be clearly seen all through the Scripture. Just a word of caution...

The Comfort of God's Faithfulness and Compassion

When I teach biblical hermeneutics to my college students I tell them to take the biblical text very seriously. Many questions must be asked concerning the text including, "Why does the Bible say what it says in the way it says it?", and "What does God want us to know about Himself in this text before us?" Often approaching the text in such a way will enable us to perceive, with meditation and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, some important truths that are meant to be extrapolated from the text.

I was reading Genesis 21 today, and I was struck by two verses that seem to shout out a marvelous truth about the nature of God's sovereign goodness and faithfulness - verses 1 and 17. Verse 1 reads, "Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised." The application and reference concerning the content of this verse is the conception of Isaac in Sarah's womb in keeping with God's covenant promise to Abraham and Sarah. God had promised Abraham and Sarah that though they were childless, He would give to them a son through whom God's covenant to Abraham would be realized. This verse (above) speaks about the person and nature of God in light of that promise. God did not forget His promise, and God kept His word to Abraham and Sarah.

Abraham and Sarah had disobeyed the Lord by trying to work out God's promise on their own. They had utilized an ancient culturally acceptable arrangement whereby a man could have a son to call his own by having a child through a female servant of Sarah's (Hagar, Genesis 16). But when Sarah had her own son, the promised son, friction developed between she and Hagar and Hagar's son, Ishmael. The result was that Hagar and Ishmael were driven away into the wilderness of Beersheba (Genesis 21:14). There, destitute and without any resources for survival, Hagar thought both she and her son would die. One can hardly imagine the emotional trauma this mother felt as she gently and lovingly laid Ishmael under the shade of a bush knowing that soon he would die without water. She could not bear to endure the suffering of her son, so she moved a distance away because she did not want to watch him die. There she wept in agony of heart and soul (Genesis 21:16). But in verse 17 the Bible says, "God heard the lad crying." It also says in the same verse that the angel of the Lord called to Hagar from heaven and said, "Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is." The angel of the Lord gave her the promise of the Lord's provision and pointed her to a nearby well where water was available for them. And they both survived.

Now, why did God put this passage here? Why does God tell the story in the way He tells it? What is God wanting the reader to grasp from the story and how the story is presented? Perhaps, as some would suggest, this story essentially describes the origins of the descendants of Israel and the Ishmaelites (nomadic Arabic tribes in northern Arabia). But I feel differently on the matter. As interesting and helpful as this information in the story is concerning the ancient genealogical referencing of people groups, I think more is being said here. I believe something is being said about God; God wants us to see Himself in the story. What can we learn about God in this passage?

1. God is the God who sees, understands, cares, and acts.

There is an essential, absolute, transcendent goodness in the character and nature of God. And God is involved in His creation and human history in such a way that His wisdom, truth, and goodness are seen in evidential means giving hope and purpose to history. This will be ultimately demonstrated in the application of the Lordship of Jesus Christ at the end of history. The Bible wants us to know that God sees, and this should comfort us. God understands what we are going through, and He cares about us. And God acts in accordance with His eternal decrees, sovereign wisdom, and providential will to bring about goodness for us in our circumstances. This is our hope.

2. God never forgets His promises.

The very fact that God makes promises to humans is a phenomenal truth. God's promises can be categorized into a number of categories including promises regarding the physical continuance of the earth and seasons and His promise not to flood the earth again, but most of God's biblical promises are identified with His covenant of redemption and the people He has chosen in that covenant. All through the Scriptures God is shown to be trustworthy and faithful, keeping His promises to His people (Numbers 23:19; Joshua 21:45; 23:14) . God cannot fail to keep His promises to His people, because God is the faithful God. God can be counted upon to stand by His Word absolutely and undeniably.

3. God is compassionate and merciful.

God delights in showing His compassion and mercy in the lives of people. This is most powerfully seen in the life of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 20:29-34 two blind men cry out to Jesus to heal them as He was passing by. When Jesus asked them what they wanted, they replied, "Lord, we want our eyes to be opened (verse 33)." How simple and straightforward this request is, and yet it is so full of pity and pain. The very next verse says (verse 34), "Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes..." God is moved with compassion; He is full of mercy, grace, tenderness, and compassion. Thus, did God declare Himself as He prepare to pass by Moses hidden in the cleft of the rock in Exodus 33:19.

4. God is the Master of the big picture.

There is one more point to which I turn my mind for our deliberations this day. Even though God showed His faithfulness and mercy to Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Hagar, and Ishmael, there is something greater being revealed here. We must not miss the underlying point in all of the story - God is working on a larger scale to bring about His redemptive plan and will for the benefit of the world and His own glory. If we think God is simply present to help us because we are so important to Him, we miss a bigger point that is included. We must understand that our lives are part of the larger historical and eternal mosaic of divine glory. Everything that happened to the people in the story in Genesis 21, and everything God did for them, resulted in blessing to many other people. And ultimately redemption is achieved in accordance with God's plan, and God is shown to be the glorious God that He is. We must never lose the understanding of the purpose of our individual lives as connected to God's greater plan.

Bigshotitis!

Matthew 18:1-6 - "At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, 'Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, 'Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."

I have had my fill with "bigshotitis." You know what bigshotitis is - it is that attitude that is centered on the perceived importance of self, nourished by a magnificently warped view of our own self-achievement, basted with a heavy dose of the sauce of arrogance and bragadociousness. Whew! That recipe stinks!

And the worst part of it all - I see it too often in myself. Ours is a day that instills pride and self-inflation as primary characteristics of a healthy self-esteem. We don't want our children to lose at athletic games because it may hurt there psychological development. We want them to make the highest grades in school (whether or not they earned them; it looks so good on the resume!). Ours is a culture that has so exalted self-deification that our bookstore chains have whole sections of the store dedicated to how to improve self (or at least, improve your opinion of yourself, whether you improve or not!). It is all so yucky! And worse, it is all so unbiblical!

I read our passage of Scripture referenced above, and I was once again struck by how God thinks so differently than we do. We want to order people around, God says serve them. We want to be thought important in the eyes of others, God says humble yourself. We want to be big shots, but God says be a servant. We want others to invest in us, God says give yourself to others. We are so backward, so upside-down, and so inside-out.

But I live with someone who lives what Jesus is talking about. His name is Joel, and Joel is my son. Joel is 17 years old, and Joel has the marvelous distinction of being very special - he has Down syndrome. Joel's emotional and spiritual DNA is a mosaic of giggles, hugs, kisses, and smiles that would bring the sunshine back on a dark and cloudy day. I come home to the patter of running feet to find Joel leaping into Daddy's arms, and giving him (me) a big, wet kiss. Priceless! The world calls Joel retarded; I call him, "gifted." The world calls him a burden; I call him a "delight." The world calls him limited; I see the unlimited love potential of a boy whose heart is as big as Texas. On the day Joel was born I said, "What am I going to do with Joel?" Now, seventeen years later, I say, "What would I do without Joel?" Something has changed. Life hasn't changed but I've changed. Joel has been my teacher and mentor. He is showing me the beauty of simplicity, the majesty of love, and the glory and depth of sweetness. I want to be more like Joel! I think God wants me to be more like Joel. I think Joel is more like Jesus than I ever will be.

I think Jesus was describing Joel in Matthew 18. May God give us all minds to understand and hearts to embrace the wisdom of gentleness and kindness. May God give us the joy in knowing God's ways are way above our ways. May God give us the courage to grasp God's ways and will regardless of what the world says. Amen!

Logical Biblical Thinking

Sometimes I use my blog to express ruminations of all sorts relative to my Bible reading, current events and trends, theology and ministry, and "burrs" that get under my metaphorical saddle. Today is a "burr" day. This is a period of our national history where logical, rational, and balanced thinking is almost disappearing. We make assertions without evidence, and we make declarations without knowledge. And many times it doesn't seem to bother us much.

This kind of thinking carries over into the Christian world as well. Regularly, consistently (shall I say), almost every day, I hear Christians make assertions and declarations that they contend is biblical, but have little evidence of being a biblical view at all. Many Christians have become "parrots" simply repeating what they have heard or read. If they hear a preacher, teacher, or leader say something that seems to register as being right, then they repeat the view or "fact" without knowing if it is fact or not.

The most obvious and blatant of this kind of faulty reasoning comes from the recent statement that the earthquake in Haiti came because God is punishing Haiti for its sin. Now, there is NO DEBATE about the issue of whether or not God punishes sin; He does, and He will. But the question is, "Did the earthquake occur because God was punishing Haiti for its sin?" If we say, "yes", then we are stating that we have absolute certainty based on absolute epistemological evidence that this cause and effect is clear and undeniable. And we must answer why God has not judged other sinful nations (including our own) in a similar way. The truth is, God does not give us the epistemological insight and certainty to make such statements. The best response that I have read on the biblical and theological meaning of Haiti and the earthquake comes from Dr. Albert Mohler on his blog. I would suggest you read his entry on the topic.

I would like today to think with you about logical, biblical thinking in general. How can we as Christians do a better job of discerning and declaring true biblical truth?

1. Make sure you get the Bible right.

The Bible gives many trans-generational, trans-cultural, and transcendent statements regarding many things, especially in theology including moral and ethical behavior. The main teachings of the Christian faith ("worldview", if you prefer) are clearly, consistently, and obviously taught in the sixty-six books of the Bible. These theological truths are clearly seen when appropriate and right hermeneutical principles are applied to the interpretive process. It is vital and necessary for a Christian to have a right understanding of what these hermeneutical principles are.

2. Don't go beyond the biblical material.

Once President Abraham Lincoln was asked to submit a biographical for use in a speaker's forum. He did so with this note, "Please don't go beyond the material." I believe God would say the same thing to us. Don't say God said things that He did not say. Don't leave out what God said, as if He did not say it. Stick with the material. Dr. James Shields was one of my Bible professors in college at Howard Payne University. He used to say to us preaching students: "When the Bible talks, then talk; but, when the Bible shuts up, shut up." Good advice. Be especially careful to not ADD to the Bible or speak extra-biblically with authoritative power. Do not, for example, speak as if God has TOLD you something in a subjective experience. There is NO SUCH THING AS EXTRA-BIBLICAL REVELATION. God does not speak to us in dreams, visions, or even subjective reasoning (as an old friend of mine used to say, "It must be right, because it seems so right to me." He always said this with a smile knowing and admitting the ludicrous nature of the assertion.)

3. Handle uncertainties with wisdom and care.

There are many modern (and ancient) questions for which we have no clear biblical statement. In such cases we look for guiding principles inherent and stated in the Scriptures that give us guidance for opinion making and decisions. But when one does not have CLEAR and CERTAIN biblical background for making a statement, then it is best to couch such comments with language of moderation and personal perspective. One may say, "It appears to me, in light of what I know about Scripture, that this may be the true explanation of..." Those who hear this type of introductory statement automatically understand the speaker to be saying: "I can't speak definitively from the Scriptures, but what I am about to say seems to me to be right in light of what I know." This is acceptable language in such cases. It is VITAL that if we don't KNOW something, then we should not speak as if we do know something. We can still talk about it, and even offer opinions, but let's reserve the authoritative language for those things about which Scripture speaks authoritatively.

4. Speak the truth with love.

The theology of the Christian faith, and the moral issues relative to the broad-based understanding of what is right and wrong, are all taught clearly, authoritatively, and sufficiently (that is, we have no other authoritative revelation from God other than the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.) taught in the Scriptures. But even when we speak truly, genuinely, and accurately from the Scriptures, we must do so with love and kindness. The Scripture verse that speaks to me on this topic is Ephesians 4:15. Christians are conduits and voices of divine love speaking the truth from God in light of the Scriptures. We must never forget this.

For your convenience, I have put a link here with Dr. Mohler's blog which I referenced earlier in this blog.

Dr. Mohler’s blog

WHY?

Today the news broke about the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Our church is personally connected with Haiti because we have a church member who lives in Haiti (serving the Lord), and we know several in Haitian ministries. The news reports about the terrible destruction causes us all to pause and pray for the many people who have been grieved and hurt by this terrible tragedy.

Many, after such overwhelming events, ask the question, "WHY?" Why do bad things happen? Why do bad things happen to poor people? Why is there such pain and suffering in the world? Although such questions are deep and complicated, it is good to ponder the central issues related to the question, "WHY?", with the following:

1. Why do we ask why? What is the purpose of the question? Are we looking for ways to attack God? Are we looking for ways to justify our sin? The sinful nature is always ready to lash out at all that is good and pure. It looks for ways to excuse our sinfulness rather than confess and repent of it. Often our motives are hidden, even to ourselves. It would wise to ask, "Why do we ask the question, why?"

2. What good would it do to know the answer to this question? Are we capable of understanding the answer to this question? I think Job wanted to know "why?" Job suffered as few of us will ever understand. But in the end God did not explain "why?" Rather, God gave to Job a fresh understanding of Himself, of transcendent reality, and Job's humble place in it. God gave Job a sense of renewal based on a higher appreciation for the Person of God and for his relationship to God and life itself.

3. When natural disasters occur, we need to remember that creation is groaning. Paul would write in Romans 8:19-21, "For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." Here we are reminded that creation is groaning because it is subjected to the awful and terrible effects of man's sin. I think this is why there are earthquakes and other natural disasters. Sin has caused the curse of God to fall on the natural environment. But one day this curse will be removed when God will remake all of creation. Each natural disaster is a reminder of the terrible effects of sin and the joyful anticipation of the coming eschatological victory.

4. These times remind us of the transiency of life and sudden and unexpected reality of death. When things like earthquakes occur, we are reminded that life is like a vapor; it leaves quickly sometimes (James 4:14). We need to always be prepared to die.

5. We are also reminded of our constant dependence upon God. We often think we do not need God. Sometimes we hear people speak of other successful people as "self-made people." Well, this is not really true. No one is self-made. We are all dependent upon God, absolutely, completely, and undeniably, whether we know it or not.

6. We need to care about each other. When tragedies occur, like this earthquake, we are reminded of our responsibility to each other. We need to care for each other, pray for each other, and reach out to each other. Let us pray for the people of Haiti, pray for the workers in Haiti, pray for the gospel workers in Haiti, and pray for the nations who will try to help Haiti.

The Savior's Call

I have many favorite passages of Scripture to which I repose my heart regularly. These Scriptures are like trusted, faithful fountains of living water from which I enjoy drinking cool and refreshing truths to renew my soul. One of these passages is Matthew 11:28-30, "Come unto Me (Jesus), all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." This is the sweetest invitation I have ever received, and it comes from the Love of my soul - the Lord Jesus Christ. Even now reading this call from Jesus causes my soul to leap with joy within me. He needs only to whisper this alluring word, and I run into His arms with all the trust of a little child believing, trusting, yielding, and rejoicing.

Note the DIRECTION of His call. He calls us not to a philosophy or to an ethical system. But He calls us unto Himself. He will not entrust His darling children into the keeping of an angel, no, He will care for us Himself. He has given Himself to us, and He has saved us for Himself. He has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." He has said, "I will watch over you and care for you with the grace of My heart, and no one will take you from my hand." His call to us is always to come to Him.

See also the OBJECTS of His call. He calls those of us who are weary and heavy-laden. Surely this is specifically addressed to those in sin who need a Savior. But it also addresses the Father's little ones who hurt and struggle all through their earthly sojourn. Every pain, every need, every struggle, every weakness is a cause to fling ourselves into the mighty, majestic arms of our darling Jesus.

Again, give attention to the INSTRUCTION of His call. He calls us to take His yoke upon us and to learn from Him. This is the most basic definition of Christian discipleship I have ever read in Scripture. Be yoked to Jesus; you belong to Him. Learn from Him, walk with Him, follow Him, obey Him, share your heart with Him, and listen to Him. This is Christian discipleship - one cannot fathom life separate from Jesus! It is all about HIM!

And finally, please see the PROMISE associated with His call. I can hardly imagine a more precious promise than is given and guaranteed to us by the Lord Jesus in this passage. He says, "I will give you rest...You will find rest for your souls." He says again, "I am gentle and humble in heart...My yoke is easy and My burden is light..." Jesus is no hard taskmaster for His own. Jesus is the kindest, most wonderful Boss one could ever have. There is no more tender heart for us than His. There is no ear more ready to listen to our cries than His ears. There is no hand more prepared to strengthen, support, and deliver than His powerful hands. And best of all, we will have rest in Him. This is rest from the condemnation of the law, the wrath and judgment of God, the shame and sorrow because of our sin, and rest from worry and anxiety of life. We are forgiven, cleansed, renewed, protected, cared for and linked to God's love and family. Jesus is our Savior, the Spirit our life, God our Father, the Bible our guide, grace our strength, and our home is heaven. We rest in the blessings of the gospel, we rest in His providence as we run the race He sets before us, and one day we will rest eternally in His love, glory, and grace. Hallelujah!

The Struggle from Sifting

I am speaking on spiritual warfare at my church on Sunday evenings, and I re-read Luke 22:31-32 in my preparations for those talks. Jesus says to Simon Peter, "Simon, Simon , behold Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."

This is a frightening passage, but it also holds great comfort for Christ's disciple. Satan attacks God by attacking God's people. Satan releases his fury and power against God's people in an attempt to hurt God. This attack is called "sifting" in the text. The word, "sift", contains the ideas of pain, struggle, and hardship in it. How terrible it is that some preachers tell people that if they are "right with God", then they will not struggle at all. The Christian life is inundated with struggle, but this is not bad. This shows two things: (1) Christians have spiritual life, and (2) Satan hates them for it.

But Jesus told Peter that He was praying for Peter. And Jesus is praying for us. One of the most encouraging parts of the gospel is the intercessory, mediatorial ministry of Jesus Christ. He prays continually for each of His people by name and need at the throne of the Father. This has often given me comfort and strength to keep going - Christ is praying for me. He is praying for us concerning our justification and our faith. Jesus is praying that our faith will not fail, and our faith will not fail, because Jesus is praying for this very thing.

And Jesus also said that Peter would need to repent ("turn again"). This implies that there will be times when we will wither in the heat of spiritual battle. Our strength is not sufficient, and sometimes the Lord allows us to fall. But we will not utterly fall; we cannot utterly fail. A Christian's fall is not fatal; the Lord will always bring us back. He Himself will see to this. He will not allow us to absolutely and completely fall. He will always bring us back. And when we are renewed and restored, then we must help out our brothers and sisters in Christ, as the text says. We are not meant to fight the battles alone, and we must seek to help our spiritual family with their struggles in battle.

Several implications and applications come to mind as we ponder what Jesus said:

1. Christian, expect to be attacked; this is normal and natural in this world of sin.

2. Don't be overwhelmed by spiritual attack. Keep fighting, and do not lose hope.

3. The Lord is with us everywhere all the time; we are never forsaken.

4. There will be set backs, but we must always come back to the Lord.

5. Spiritual battle has both individual aspects and community aspects as well. Stick together as Christians.