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 Newsletter Archive January 2010 January 30 January 16 January 9
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  January 30, 2010 The Christian's "Grown-Up" Law
When I was a toddler, my mother told me not to touch the iron or the stove. As I grew a little older, I learned that it was okay to touch those things, as long as I treated them with a healthy respect. So it is with Law and Grace. God told Adam, "You shall not." God told the Israelites under Moses, "You shall not." The Law and the Commandments were given to us to teach us a healthy respect for sin. But we grow up with the notion that sin consists of specific deeds and actions. In Jesus' time, this is what the Pharisees thought, too. If you did certain things, or did them at the wrong time or in the wrong way, you were a sinner. On the other hand, if you didn't do those things, no matter who was hurt by it, you could call yourself righteous. Jesus began to teach that sin does not consist purely of the things we do, but more importantly of what we thought and believed. When speaking of certain foods, Jesus said, "Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.” (Matthew 15:17-20 NKJV) It's not your actions (e.g., putting something into your mouth) that is sin, but rather your attitude (what comes out of your mouth) that defines a sin. This is in part what Paul meant when he wrote, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify." (I Corinthians 10:23 NKJV) There are some things proscribed by the Law which, under grace and under certain circumstances, may be okay to do, but our actions need to be defined by the higher law of love, i.e., by our attitude and our intentions. Does my action help or edify another? If so, then it is good. If not, perhaps it is sin. When God presented Israel with the kindergarten version of the Law at Mt. Sinai, he also included the grown-up version; the Law of Love. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart." (Deuteronomy 6:5 NKJV) Our actions are to be determined by the Law of Love in our heart. Israel frequently forgot this and became enslaved to the Law of Moses. Do we forget it, too, sometimes when we judge others for their actions? "This is my command," Jesus said, "that you love one another as I have loved you." (John 15:12 NKJV) Let us strive to live by the Love of Love in all our affairs. Linwood Kemp, Web Admin January 16, 2010 What Kinds of Works Make a
Christian
Recently in adult Sunday school we read, "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. . . . For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." James 2:24,26. We discussed the process of salvation in which our good deeds have no part in bringing us to Jesus initially, but once we have trusted in him, the evidence of our salvation is a change of behavior and attitude, resulting in good works. One might well ask, "What kinds of good works?" Are we supposed to take an active role in the ministries of the church? Are we supposed to deliver hot meals to the poor? Should I start collecting for a worthy charity? Is there a manual somewhere that will tell me what to do? The two examples that James gives in the passage are rather interesting. First, he says, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?" (James 2:21) Objectively, this act appeared to benefit no one. There was nothing "humanitarian" or benevolent about it. Yet James goes on to say that “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Abraham's "work" was simply believing God enough to take action, even when it did not make complete sense. In the second example, James says, "Was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?" Here, Rahab's actions were indeed benevolent, but to whom? Not to her own people, and potentially not even to her own family, had she been found out. Her act appeared to be precipitously spontaneous. Yet we are told that it was founded in faith. We must presume that she knew something of the God of Israel and had heard of his mighty works. Her heart had already been persuaded, so that when the moment of decision fell upon her, she knew what to do. James had previously given one other example back in chapter 1:27: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." Here he does speak of reaching out to the poor, but notice the second half. Keeping oneself pure is also a "work" of salvation that is honoring to God. And this gives us a clue to what James was really getting at. Doing good works is not limited to certain specific actions and behaviors. Fundamentally, it is our attitude. In Galatians 5:22,23 we are told that "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." These are the true "works" of salvation. When we allow the Holy Spirit full reign in our lives, his fruit prepares us to do the types of things that James gives as examples. We will obey God as Abraham did. We will be prepared to act spontaneously in the service of God as Rahab did. We will ungrudgingly reach out to orphans and widows. We will keep ourselves unspotted. And we will do all these things because, first of all, our heart is right with God. Linwood Kemp, Web Admin January 9, 2010 What Really Happened With
the Tortoise and the Hare The rumor that the tortoise beat the hare in that classic race was really a case of biased reporting. After the event, the fox from FOX Sports accurately reported that the tortoise had placed second, but then he went on to say that unfortunately the hare had come in next to last. He neglected to report that they were the only two participants at the time. So all the other networks picked up the news and assumed that Mr. Hare had been lallygagging and that Mr. Tortoise had therefore beat Mr. Hare. That was considered such a victory that nobody thought to ask who came in first! Naturally, the hare demanded a re-run. To avoid a repetition of the previous bad reporting, Mr. Hare invited his friends and relatives to participate, as well. So in the second race, at the starting line there were Mr. Hare and Mr. Tortoise, plus two rabbits, two baby bunnies, a frog and a cockroach. When the starter's gun sounded, the hare, the two rabbits, and the frog were off. The two bunnies were so startled that they ran the other way. The cockroach had not finished chewing on the starting line and so was slightly delayed. And the tortoise took a step. In only 10 seconds, the hare had triumphantly crossed the finish line. The frog was close behind and finished second. The rabbits however had become distracted by the grass along the way. The bunnies were still shaking. The cockroach had suddenly noticed that the finish line looked more tasty than the starting line, so he finally headed down the track. And the tortoise took another step. Well, to make a long story very short, there were only three who completed the race that day. The baby bunnies never started. The two rabbits got too involved in lunch and and dessert along the way to ever finish. The cockroach actually did make it to the finish line. Unfortunately, he stopped to nibble on the line before crossing it. And the tortoise took many more steps . . . . . . until he finally finished the race later that day. So the hare did win the trophy for first prize. The frog got a ribbon for placing second. However, after considering the poor showing of the other participants in the race, the judges decided to give a special Persistence Prize to the tortoise for having completed the race. The only unfortunate tragedy of the day was when the tortoise accidentally stepped on the cockroach while crossing the finish line. Get well cards may be sent to the local animal hospital. - - - - - - - - - - In the race that we run daily on our way to heaven, it is not just the one who finishes first who wins, but rather all who finish the race at all. God honors our persistence, no matter what our talents. So run then with endurance to finish the race and receive your reward in heaven. "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2 - Linwood Kemp, Web Admin Home
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