Passion of God…Long Before “Passion Week”

Each year, starting with Palm Sunday and ending with Resurrection Sunday, Christians worldwide observe "Passion Week" in holy remembrance of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This holy week highlights Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem and forceful cleansing of the temple which soon led to His betrayal, arrest, illegitimate trials by night, terrible physical and emotional abuse, and eventual crucifixion. 

But the greatest significance of Passion Week is that it highlights Christ's willing journey to the Cross.  As the sinless Lamb of God, Jesus gave up His life to become the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world.  But a borrowed tomb could not keep Him!  Jesus's glorious resurrection on Easter morning as Victor over sin and death opened the way to salvation and Eternal Life to all who believe in Him.

Although Passion Week is the culmination of the Lenten and Easter observance each year, we would like to suggest that the "Passion of Christ" began long before "Passion Week." Could it be that the "sufferings of Christ" as an expression of the eternal love of God for His creation began with the first sin in the Garden of Eden?

What follows is a series of daily devotional meditations.  Each one has a specific theme that is supported by Scriptures followed by an invitation to consider how these Scriptures practically apply to our daily living.  We hope each meditation will help users to explore and appreciate both the lovingkindness of God and the infinitely long history of His redemptive passion and plan, a plan which He conceived "before the creation of the world" (Ephesians 1: 4).  [Note:  If you begin with "Day 1" on Palm Sunday, you will finish on Resurrection Sunday (Easter).] 

Day 1: “A Perfect Communion--God and Man”
Scripture: 
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  - Genesis 1:1
God created man in His own image,
in the image of God He created him; male and female...- Gen. 1:27 
And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good.  
And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. - Gen. 1:31 
Consider:
The Triune God-- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, existed in a perfect, loving relationship as One God from eternity past. Then, God created the heavens and the Earth and formed the first human being, Adam.  As a living person, Adam was equipped to think, communicate, and act in fellowship with God as a perfect image and reflection of God's Person and character.  From Genesis 3: 8 we learn that Adam and his human companion, Eve, enjoyed perfect fellowship with God, walking with him in the cool of the day, hearing the sound of His voice, and receiving the warmth of His love.
Application:
Can you remember a loving relationship that you hoped would never end? Did God know that His love for Adam and Eve so warmly reciprocated would end with their rejection of Him?  Yes, He did!  But this knowledge did not cause God to love Adam and Eve any less.  Instead, God had already determined that He would redeem Adam's fallen race, including all who will turn to Him by faith. ln fact God chose us in Him [Jesus Christ] before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence.  In love... Ephesians 1: 4.  He had restoration of humankind and creation in mind long before Adam's tragic fall into sin.
Response:
Imagine the blessing of Adam and Eve as they walked with God in a mutually shared love and joy!  Can you personally relate to the blessing of regular communion with God?  If so, thank Him now for making it possible through Christ  

Day 2: “Perfect Love Relationship--Broken!”
Scripture: 
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. 
And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves... 
Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3: 6-8)
Consider:
Adam and Eve were free to choose either to love God by living lives consistent with their image-bearing, divine nature; or by living in contradiction to a life that would express their love and honor to their Creator.  One day, possibly just before the "cool of the day" when they would often enjoy walking with God, Adam and Eve made the fateful choice to doubt and then reject God's loving provision for them.  The effect of their choice was immediate!  They felt a sense of alienation from God.  Then, guilt and fear led them to hide from God, or so they thought. 
Application:
Like all of their descendants, Adam and Eve were created to be holy images of God as long as they chose to obey Him.  Unfortunately, they yielded to Satan's temptation and allowed the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life [to rule them, a spirit that] is not from the Father but is from the world (1 John 2: 16).  Adam and Eve would never be the same or have the same loving communion with God.  Fortunately, although they had rejected God, He had not rejected them.  His love never fails. 
Response:
Take time to thank God that His love endures, and His mercy never fails.  Song:  "Goodness of God," Bethel Music, Jenn Johnson  Click HERE.

Day 3: “God's Passion and Pursuit Begins”
Scripture: 
Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:8- 9)
Consider:
Adam and Eve had been accustomed to walking with the LORD in the cool of the day, hearing His voice, and basking in the love, joy, and peace that radiated from Him.  But on one particular day, they yielded to the tempting voice of Satan and ate the fruit from the only tree that God had pronounced "off limits." Suddenly, they were gripped by fear when they heard God's voice and they hid from Him. Tragically, the effects of that first sin upon Adam and Eve have been experienced by their descendants of every generation down to the present day.

Application:
Can you remember the hurt and pain you felt when you lost a cherished relationship? Terrible as such an experience of loss can be, it is impossible for us to fathom the anguish of God when Adam and Eve rejected His love. Their rejection of His command pierced the loving heart of God. But the divine grief over their sin was more than matched by God's passionate and just plan to redeem the fallen couple--and their offspring.  From that moment in the Garden when God asked, "Where are you?", God knew the sin and sorrow His Son would bear on the Cross for you and me. 
Response:
Enter a time of quiet meditation on God's question, "Where are you?" Make it personal; and then respond in prayer as God's Spirit leads you.

Day 4: “The Gravity of Sin Requires Bloodshed”
Scripture:
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked,
and they sewed fig leaves together and made loin coverings. -Genesis 3: 7
The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. - Genesis 3: 21
No man can by any means redeem his brother
   Or give to God a ransom for him—
For the redemption of his soul is costly,
  And he should cease trying forever— - Psalm 49: 7-8
Consider: 
Adam and Eve are the only humans who were able to know God intimately, walk with Him, and intimately know each other without sin and shame.  All of these privileges were diminished with the fall.  Suddenly, "their eyes were opened." Guilt, shame, and fear exposed their nakedness physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  As God's image bearers, all of us as Adam's descendants have inborn sense of justice that calls us to make peace with God.  Adam and Eve chose to hide from God in their sin and shame, and to cover their naked vulnerability by make-shift means.
Application:
How old were you when you first realized the guilt and shame of disobeying your parents or a teacher?  Can you relate to how Adam and Eve must have felt?  Maybe like them, you tried to "fix things" or "cover up." But chances are your sin was discovered, and the wrongness of your actions were made clear through explanation and maybe even punishment.  If you were disciplined, you may also remember the relief of having "paid the price" for your sin.  But who "pays the price" for our sins and our "sin nature" in God's sovereign plan?  Amazingly, God Himself "paid the price!"  In God's mercy, He spared us of what we deserved--eternal death and separation from Him. In God's grace, He gives us what we don't deserve--eternal Life. 
Response:
Have you received His Gift (John 3: 14-21)?   If so, thank God now for the free Gift of faith and salvation through Christ's sacrifice.  How will you confront temptation and the sin that so easily confronts you?  See Hebrews 12: 1-3; 1 John 1: 5-9.  

Day 5: “The Grief of God--And His Mercy”
Scripture: 
The LORD God said to the serpent...I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” - Genesis 3: 14a, 15 
Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the LORD’s help, I have produced a man!” - Genesis 4: 1 
Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.  - Genesis 6: 5-6
Consider:
On Day 4, we reflected on how our disobedience as a child brought guilt and shame upon us. But did we ever think how our parents or a teacher might have felt?  Likely, they were disappointed, maybe angry, and likely ready to make you pay the price for your disobedience.  As much as I dreaded the punishment, I eventually realized that my disobedience hurt my parents and teachers.  Their disappointment in me hurt them.  It also hurt them to "apply physical hurt" to me!  Above all, I must realize how much grief God has born since the Garden and all the way to the Cross.

Application:
According to our Scripture for today, when God saw the extent of the wickedness on the Earth, It broke his heart.  What would God do?  The Old Testament understanding was, The soul that sins will die (Ezekiel 18:20).  But, from before the beginning of time, God had another plan.  Beginning with Adam's sin, God would enter in and participate in addressing the penalty for sin. To show the seriousness of our sin, God the Creator of animals chose to commit the first act of killing an animal and shedding its life blood to make skin coverings for Adam and Eve. Then, in Exodus and Leviticus, God outlined a sacrificial system by which sin was atoned through blood sacrifices.  For ...according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9: 22). 
Response:
Praise God for His love that flowed from His grieving heart as mercy and forgiveness, first through the repeated blood sacrifices under His Old Covenant; and then, in the New Covenant, sealed once and for all through the blood of His precious Lamb, Jesus Christ.  See also, Hebrews 10.

Day 6: “God's Passionate Love Doesn't Give Up”
Scripture: 

I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; 

       I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.

       I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’

      To a nation which did not call on My name.

I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,

      Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts,

      A people who continually provoke Me to My face… - Isaiah 65: 1-2

“Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. - Hosea 11: 8
Consider: 
The Old Testament Scriptures are the account of the many ways in which God was seeking to redeem mankind.  Although Adam and Eve had once been God's perfect image bearers, they and their descendants had become fallen images tarnished by sin. Think of it!  But how could an infinite, holy, longsuffering God convey to mankind the greatness of His love and passionate longing for our redemption?  The book of Hosea gives us one of many Old Testament accounts.

Application:
Most of us have or have had the blessing of loving another person very deeply--perhaps your spouse, your parents, or a boy- or girlfriend.  For some of us, a loving relationship came to a screeching halt followed by a time of deep hurt and grief.  The Book of Hosea gives us the account of how God asked Hosea the prophet to marry a woman named Gomer who became immoral (or may already have been immoral) and sold her body as a prostitute.  Hosea obeys, marries, and loves Gomer even though she is unfaithful and leaves him.  God uses this tragic, adulterous marriage and Hosea's loving pursuit of unfaithful Gomer to convey how much He loves us and all of lost, sinful mankind. 
Response:
Meditate on the depth of God's passionate love for you according to the Scriptures above.  How will you respond?

Day 7: “Centuries of Sacrificial Lambs: Then, 'the Lamb'”

Scripture: 
When He approached Jerusalem, He [Jesus] saw the city and wept aloud over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. - Luke 19: 41-42

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. - Jesus Christ (Matthew 23: 37) 
Consider:
God's passionate longing to gather, comfort, and restore fallen mankind was repeatedly expressed through the Old Testament prophets like Hosea.  However, the ultimate expression of God's unfailing, covenant love ("lovingkindness" or "mercy") occurred through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The first "Palm Sunday" began what we now call "Passion Week." God had sovereignly planned from before the beginning of time for Jesus to suffer and die as "the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world" (John 1: 29). The first Palm Sunday was also the Jewish "lamb selection day" when spotless lambs were selected for sacrifice to achieve atonement for their sins. On that very day, God had ordained that His "Lamb," Jesus Christ, would approach Jerusalem riding humbly on a donkey.  Overlooking Jerusalem, Jesus paused on His mount, wept loudly, and cried out the words recorded by Luke (above).

Application:
We have emphasized the tragic effect of sin --the guilt, shame, and ruination of relationships both with God and our neighbor. We also emphasized how our sin brings grief to God who, after all, is a Person with moral consciousness and emotions.  But, in spite of being grieved and offended by our sin, and instead of conferring the death penalty upon mankind, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully human, to take our death penalty.  What a Savior!
Response:
God's Spirit, our Comforter convicts us of sin, and if we humbly repent, He restores us to fellowship with Him under the blood of Christ's righteousness.  Don't hide from the One who awaits your repentant spirit and freely offers reconciliation and sanctification, all because of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God.

Day 8: “Fellowship of His Suffering”
Scripture: 

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.  And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. – Romans 8: 22-23.

And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him. - Romans 8:17

I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. - Colossians 1: 24

I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death… - Philippians 3: 10

Consider: The inspired Scriptures above from the Apostle Paul's epistles emphasize three themes that run throughout the Bible: 
1) the "groaning of creation" with its "anxious longing" for freedom from the curse of sin. 
2) God as "Shepherd of Israel" (Psalm 80: 1) seeking to call the wayward sheep back His sheepfold where they can receive His comfort. 
3) God the Holy Spirit teaching, convicting, indwelling, and interceding "with groanings too deep for words..." (Romans 8: 26-27). 
Combining these three themes, we see a groaning creation, God passionately seeking sinners; and God/s Spirit, our Comforter, who comforts us in our groaning, identifying with us who share in "the sufferings of 'Christ" because of our testimony for Him.  Together these themes speak of a God whose passion for a lost world and a lost humanity would spare nothing, not even His only Son, to bring restoration. 

Application:
We close this series with a great question for which we have no satisfying answer. Why would a holy God who, in the words of A. W. Tozer, is "...not simply the best we know infinitely bettered...[but instead, One who] stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable"-- how could such a holy Being, One "who knew no sin," willingly "become sin for us" (2 Corinthians 5: 21)? The only answer is God's "incomprehensible and unattainable" love for His creation and for humanity, His image bearers.
Again, A.W. Tozer:" God is holy and He has made holiness the moral condition necessary to the health of His universe. To preserve His creation God must destroy whatever would destroy it.  Whatever is holy is healthy; evil is a moral sickness that must end ultimately in death." 

God sent His only begotten Son to be "the Lamb" that would take upon Himself all the sin, the "moral sickness" of the world.  Through His death, Christ ended the curse of sin and provided a way to Life Eternal.
Response:  If you began this daily devotional series on Palm Sunday, the first day of "Passion Week," you are now reading this on Easter Sunday. Maybe you will be led of the Spirit to take time to review, and we hope you will be even more in awe of the redemptive plan of God.  All of this provision was made before the foundation of the world, born from the passionate, loving heart of God--long before "Passion Week."  Meditate on the amazing truth that God made Him [Jesus Christ] who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5: 21).

#BlackHeartsMatter: Getting Our Hearts Right

This blog article originated partly from a social media exchange and partly from a phone conversation.  Both were related to our current national response to the tragic murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, on May 25.  During the phone conversation, my friend noted that one or more of her friends had been called “racist” for not including #BlackLivesMatter in their social media posts.

Watching Our Words and Hashtags
My first thought was to remember my own current blend of emotions over Floyd’s death and the passion now on display across America—the mixture of grief, disgust, anger, hate, hopelessness, etc.  These emotions have also embroiled social media.  Even well-meaning posts can erupt into exchanges that express the dark side of our hearts. 

I hope not to add to the tensions that already exist among people online.  But I am trying to make sense of what is being reported in the media, and through conversations I have had recently.  Forgive me, but it helps to write out my thoughts—hopefully, I am not worthlessly “spewing.”

First off, we may agree that virtual conversations involving brief repeated exchanges can easily be misunderstood by our inaccurate wording.  Even well worded sentences do not convey the tone of voice or facial expressions we normally see in real-time, face-to-face conversations.  On top of this, add a “hashtag” and suddenly, a well-meaning statement can become a flaming arrow with a life of its own, ricocheting about and stabbing into hearts of readers.

Today, “#BlackLivesMatter” is a potentially incendiary hashtag that carries with it much of the hurt, grief, passion, anger, and disgust that is driving both peaceful demonstrations and accompanying looting and violence.  I am honestly trying to be sensitive to these emotions.  I also believe there is justification for prolonged expression of these emotions along with respectful, impassioned calls for justice and reform.  However, it is also evident from the instance I cited at the beginning of this article that the use of #BlackLivesMatter (or other similar expressions--e.g. #BLM, the phrase “Black Lives Matter”), because of the connotations it carries, can easily squelch constructive conversation as well as legitimate public demonstrations.

Evaluating #BlackLivesMatter
As I am trying to understand some of the incendiary nature of #BlackLifesMatter, it seems to me that some who use this slogan have given in to the temptation to appoint themselves as the standard for how all others ought to think and act toward “Blacks” (or other ethnic minorities).  With all due respect, they seem to be the self-appointed “high priests of ‘blackness’.”  Therefore, to them, because I am “White” (or “white”), nothing I am writing here carries value or authority.  Neither am I perceived as one who understands or empathizes with Blacks, Black cultural heritage, or the current struggles of Blacks.

Because of my ethic background and my personal experience, I will admit that I have trouble understanding and empathizing with Black Americans.  Nor do I currently experience the kinds of ongoing, subtle or outright emotional and physical causes of anxiety, suffering, and death that have been or are currently being experienced by Blacks.  But then, who is worthy to represent Black lives and to define its mission?  And who possesses the authority to decide when the #BlackLivesMatter mission is accomplished?  And what will the area now occupied by the United States of America look like when the mission is accomplished?  The answers to these questions are not obvious to me but they would appear to be at least somewhat elusive.  In fact, many people wonder whether the Black Lives Matter movement has any consensus as to its actual mission and desired outcome.  For example, here are several points I’ve been pondering.

Biology and Politics of “Black”
First, we would assume “the worthy” person or persons of #BlackLivesMatter ought to be “Black.”  But how “Black?”  Biologically speaking, I have explained elsewhere that humankind is of one race, not many.  How black must a person’s skin be in order to be “Black?”  Or how “White” in order to be disqualified?  According to D. J. Witherspoon, S. Wooding, et al. publishing in the journal, Genetics (176: 351–359 May, 2007), “…most human genetic variation is found within populations, not between them.”  Rob DeSalle and Ian Tattersall, both at the American Museum of Natural History, conclude, “race is a totally inadequate way of characterizing diverse humankind or even of helping understand humanity’s glorious variety.” [See “Black History 3:  Bible and Biology Erase Racism”].
 

There are many Blacks such as Ben Carson (@SecretaryCarson), Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO), and Jack Brewer (@JackBrewerBSI) who disagree with the tenants of Black Lives Matter.  Therefore, some in #BlackLivesMatter dismiss these Blacks because they are not really “Black.”  Legitimate voices from both “Blacks” and “Whites” are rejected or silenced, often by both #BlackLivesMatter and some media outlets, if they do not meet the standard of “the worthy.”  But what constitutes the “standard” for being among “the worthy?”

Individual versus Institutional Sin
Turning our attention to a major source of the passionate cry for justice, our law enforcement officials across the nation, it is clear in at least some cases that there is need for reform, greater accountability, and justice to those who are proven guilty of abuse of their authority.  George Floyd would likely be alive today if Derek Chauvin had been held accountable for multiple earlier violations of proper police guidelines.  But, while it seems clear that Chauvin and his colleagues who were complicit in the murder of George Floyd should be charged and sentenced for their grievous crime, some in #BlackLivesMatter claim that all police regardless of ethnicity, professional record, or character are unworthy to be our protectors or enforcers of the law.  In fact, #DisbandPolice movements are emerging in major cities on the premise that all police are unworthy. 

If Black Lives really Matter, how can anyone who cares about Black Lives support dismissal of entire police departments and leave some of the most vulnerable communities including Black communities vulnerable to what will undoubtedly become vigilante law?  Here we can see the illogic of “throwing out the whole barrel of apples” when one or two “bad apples” are discovered.  It is both biblically and legally justified to condemn individuals who commit acts that clearly stem from bigotry.  It is also right to identify and reform institutions guilty of “institutional racism”—i.e. where one or few “bad apples” have spread their “rot” to the point of corrupting the mission and purpose of the institution.  However, it cannot be either biblically or legally justified to condemn a whole institution for the actions of one or a few.  This point brings us to the social media exchange I noted at the beginning.

Church Discipline or Demolition?
The following is a Facebook post from my friend followed by a response from one of his/her friends:
FRIEND:  The decline of Christianity in Europe and North America, whatever its proximate causes may be, is ultimately God saving the Church from white supremacy.  God can, in his time, rebuild what he tears down. But now is a time for tearing down (Ecclesiastes 3:3).  Let us not be found opposing God’s will.  I’m sure others have already said this, and I confess I am late in seeing it clearly.

RESPONSE:  Yes!!  Thank you, __ (name)!  The church has been one of, if not THE main agent in perpetuating white supremacy.

I love my friend and his/her family.  We have been friends for many years.  I do not know his/her friend.  I also understand and respect his/her genuine concern and desire for the Church to flourish in all of her roles on Earth to proclaim the good news of salvation, release to the captives held by sin’s bonds, to bring man sons to glory, and to glorify our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.  But I also understand the tremendous diversity that exists within the true Church and within Bible-based local churches.  Therefore, I resist the pessimism that many seem to have.

Some local churches are almost entirely Caucasian, others are a mix of many ethnic groups, and some are almost entirely Black.  Our church is largely Caucasian.  Therefore, we may be unknowingly naïve or ignorant of ethnic diversity and struggles.  Ignorance is not sin unless we are not teachable and allow it to lead to wrong judgments.  We are fortunate to have a godly Black man who is married to a lovely Caucasian wife who serve on our pastoral staff.  We can learn from their example and teaching, first as our brother and sister in Christ, and secondly from the insights on cultural diversity which they bring to us.  But most of all, where the Scriptures are taught and sincerely followed, and where even biology is understood, there ought not to be a hint of bigotry or white supremacy.

Here, we must return to our question, “Who is Worthy?”  Specifically, who among #BlackLivesMatter is worthy to pass judgment on a local church, or upon “the Church” worldwide?  For those who reject the authority of God and His inspired Word in Scripture, nothing beyond this point in the article will be agreeable to you—I understand your rejection for reasons you can find taught in the New Testament.  If you are currently choosing to reject the teachings of the Bible, please consider what Jesus Himself taught in His parable of the sower and the seed (Luke 8: 5-15) and what the Apostle Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 2: 6-16.  Personally, neither can I discern these truths apart from God’s love and His grace that opened my eyes spiritually.  Regardless of our personal choices, we must be assured of this:  All men and women are created to live under authority—the question is which authority will we choose or allow?  If not our government and our local justice system, then who?   And will that authority have our good interests in mind?  Sadly, anarchist views are being directed toward both local police and toward our children to incite them to defy their parents.  

Church Discipline and Restoration
Based on the authority of Scripture, I also find no teaching in Scripture that licenses an individual to judge a local church or “the Church (worldwide).”  That right is reserved for God Himself and His Son Jesus Christ who condemned proud, corrupt religious leaders (e.g. Matthew 23).  He wept out loud over His holy city (Matthew 23: 37; Luke 19:41-44) and promised stern judgment against apostate and lukewarm local churches (Revelation 2 and 3).

But what if there are indications of bigotry among God’s people in a local church today?  The Scriptures teach the individual born-again believer how to interact in the body of Christ.  We find particularly in Paul’s Epistles instruction for right living for husbands, wives, children, employees, church leaders, etc. The focus is on individual responsibility and accountability before God for how we conduct ourselves in relation to God and toward our neighbor, whether they are a brother or sister in Christ or an unsaved person-- and we are to make no distinction between ethnic groups (1 Corinthians 12: 13; Galatians 3: 28 and Colossians 3: 1-17, especially v. 11).  Bigotry is a sin against God and our neighbor!

The Scriptures give clear instructions that it is the responsibility of mature Christ-followers to confront a brother or sister in Christ who is believed to be living in sin.  Galatians 2: 1-2 states, Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.  Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ [which, see Gal. 5: 14, is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves].  Jesus outlined our responsibility as individuals if we are offended to go directly to the offender privately (Matthew 18: 15) and if he or she doesn’t repent and turn from the sin, bring one or two others with you and confront again (v. 16).  If he or she still refuses, then the whole church membership should hear the matter and if there is still no repentance, the offender is to be dismissed from the local membership as a step toward their repentance and loving restoration when that occurs.  When local churches practice godly discipline, individual sin of any kind does not become “institutional sin.”

The question remains, “Who is Worthy?”  Answer?  None of us is ultimately worthy to judge his or her neighbor, regardless of ethnicity or spiritual condition for the purpose of condemnation.  Nor are we worthy to condemn our parents (Exodus 20: 12, the fifth Commandment), our churches, the Church, or our institutions of government for God has placed rulers in authority over us for our good (Romans 13).  Instead of pessimistically judging and condemning individuals and institutions, we are to exercise stewardship, living as salt and light to others—one at a time (Matthew 5: 10-16), even in our dutiful confrontation where necessary.

The Life and Death that Matters Most
In all of these claims, my authority is the Lord Jesus Christ who suffered the most unjust and horrible death imaginable, and He alone is with without any sin.  Read carefully Isaiah 53 and allow God’s Word to speak truth into your heart—Jesus died not only for your sin and mine, but also for our sorrow, our grief, our frustration.  Let us look into our own “black hearts” which can so easily express the fallen tendency of our sinful nature (Galatians 5: 16-21).  At the foot of Christ’s Cross, we see how much He suffered to take away sin from us (1 John 3: 5).  Praise God!  May God help us to adopt a lifestyle of repentance of our sin and arise in new life, yielded daily to the work of the Holy Spirit in us.  He alone can produce the Fruit pleasing to God and a blessing to our neighbor—Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, etc. (Galatians 5: 22-26). 

How About You and I?

Do you and I need to “call ourselves out” to repentance (James 1: 19-27)?  

If we do, repentance will help us rightly discern the error in the spirit behind #BlackLivesMatter.  Perhaps we will be directed to live by #BlackHeartsMatter, being among those who look first into our own hearts, taking the log out of our own eye first before pointing to sin in our brother or sister (Matthew 7: 3-5).  Above all, we must never forget that no one is truly Worthy except our Savior, our Redeemer, our Counselor, and our Friend.  Why not take time, as I want to do again, to read carefully the Scriptures I have cited in this article, especially Colossians 3: 1-17. Let's allow God’s Spirit to speak His Truth to our hearts?  I would recommend while you read, to listen to Chris Tomlin’s lovely song, “He is Worthy.”  Indeed, only Christ is Worthy!

Love and Forgiveness Can Overcome Injustice

Just when many of us thought we were beginning to emerge from the separation of the pandemic and gaining a sense of “normal” again, we heard the tragic report from Minneapolis on Monday, May 25.  George Floyd, also known as “Big Floyd,” was mercilessly asphyxiated under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, while other officers stood idly by and bystanders begged Chauvin to stop.  Floyd, who was described as “always cheerful” and “the gentle giant,”  had been laid off from his job as a bouncer at Conga Latin Bistro when Minnesota was placed under the pandemic lock down.

The report of George Floyd’s murder spread faster than Chauvin was charged for his alleged crime.  Within hours demonstrations began in Minneapolis, eventually spreading to other major cities.  Now, over a week after this senseless murder, America is embroiled in yet another national tragedy, piled on top of our continuing anxiety over the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Law and Order Is Needed for Reconciliation
We should note that lawful demonstrations to express grief and grievances is a legitimate and historic part of our First Amendment rights.  Unfortunately, this precious freedom of expression comes with a responsibility to respect both law and order and those who seek to enforce it.  When this responsibility is dismissed for the selfish pursuit of material gain, then the looting and destruction of property begins and the original cause for the demonstration is lost in violence and destruction.  In addition, far left, anarchist groups have crept in to incite legitimate protesters to join in destructive behavior for the purpose of destroying the foundation of American government and society. 

It is clear from a biblical understanding of the nature of man that there can be no meaningful expressions of grief, compassion, repentance, or forgiveness unless human communities are maintained with law and order.  Yet, while destructive behavior can be forcibly quelled, police strong-arming can only provide the structure within which the emotional and spiritual roots of violence can be addressed.  The widespread violence and destruction of property suggest that many Americans simply do not know what to do with their anger over what they perceive as yet another grave injustice toward a Black American at the hands of a law enforcement official. 

Biblical Meaning of Justice
According to Scripture, all of us have a God-given sense of right and wrong, and a desire to see justice done for wrong committed.  Even when we were children, we sensed when we were unjustly (and justly) accused.  And, while it was unpleasant at the time, when discipline was applied and we recovered emotionally, we were relieved at having paid for our wrong and experienced restoration.

The Bible reveals what God says about law, law-breaking, our conscience, and just judgment.  The Apostle Paul reminded the Jews that, although they were favored by God by being given the Law in the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God on tablets of stone (Exodus 31: 18), God wants to write His law on the hearts of all mankind, both Jew and Gentile (“non-Jew”).  In Romans 2: 14-16, Paul writes (emphasis mine):

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.

When Derek Chauvin saw what he had done to the life of George Floyd, assuming his conscience was not totally seared, he knew something terrible (which God’s Word calls sin), had caused his horrible action.  The same sense of guilt and shame was there in the heart of Cain when murdered his own brother, Abel (Genesis 4: 8-13).  Cain’s sin was so grievous that the Scripture says God heard “the voice of [Abel’s] blood crying to Me from the ground (v. 10).”  From that time on, every time Cain looked at the ground from which he earned his livelihood, he would think of his brother’s blood spilled there.  His response to God, “My punishment is too great to bear (v. 13)!”

God’s Answer to Hate and Violence
For every murderer since Cain right down to Derek Chauvin, and for those who have become murderers during the recent riots in protest of George Floyd’s murder, the same is true—“the punishment is too great to bear.”  It is also too great for all of us who have not murdered outright but who have responded in anger—perhaps toward Derek Chauvin or another person who has aroused our sense of right and wrong.  Jesus said, “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty [of murder] before the court… (Matthew 5: 21-22a).” 

By God’s standard, we have already committed murder in our hearts when we are angry at our neighbor.  My anger against Derek Chauvin or against the masses who have risen up to plunder and destroy lives and property puts me right there among those who actually commit murder.  Indeed, I was also there among the jeering crowd at the Cross of Christ, angrily accusing Him of being just another sinful criminal.  My heart was full of anger, hate, and murder when I once thought that Jesus Christ was no different.  The Prophet Isaiah wrote the following description of Christ on the Cross 500 years before the coming of Christ (Isaiah 53: 4-6, emphasis mine):

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles
were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.

Jesus Christ’s death was the most unjust murder of all because He was totally sinless and blameless.  Who knew?  We thought He was getting what was coming to Him!  Yet, He yielded up His life as an atoning sacrifice, bearing the penalty of our sin that He might bring to God all of those of us who will repent of our sin and ask in faith that His blood cleanse us of our sin and cover us in His righteousness (1 John 1: 9). 

Love and Forgiveness:  Unique to Christ-Followers

Our conscience is too unrelenting of an accuser to allow us peace as long as our sin is unconfessed and unatoned.  And the punishment is too great for us to bear.  Only Jesus, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God, can take away or sin and cleanse even our “conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9: 14).”  Only by the love of God can the sinner be forgiven (John 3: 16).  And, once forgiven, we ought to have a new compulsion to love God and love our neighbor.  Just hours before His brutal death on the Cross, Jesus spoke the following intimate words to His disciples (and to us):

A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another:
just as I have loved you,
you also are to love one another.
By this all people will know
that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.
               –  Jesus (John 13: 34-35)

In these few words, according to Ellicott (Ellicott’s Commentary), Jesus gives His disciples “a bond of union, by which they should always be linked to Him and to each other in the principle of love.  The followers of great Teachers and Rabbis had their distinctive marks. Here was the distinctive Christian mark, which all men should be able to read…, not in any formulary or signs, but in the love which asserts the brotherhood of man.  The Pulpit Commentary adds that this love “…is new to the human race: and it is the power which has revolutionized thought, society, and life.”

But how do we express the love of Christ in us?  One distinctively Christian way is through forgiveness.  When we are wronged by someone else, we ought to remember the love of Christ expressed on His Cross when He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do (Luke 23: 24).”  Before His death, Jesus taught His disciples to pray like this, "Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who fails in his duty to us (Luke 11: 4, Weymouth)."  There is no greater power on Earth than the love of God expressed through forgiveness on the part of dedicated Christ-followers.

F. B. Meyer wrote, in Our Daily Walk (May 7),
Forgiveness is the exclusive prerogative of Christianity. The schools of ancient morality had four cardinal virtues—justice in human relations; prudence in the direction of affairs; fortitude in bearing trouble or sorrow; temperance or self-restraint. But they knew nothing of mercy or forgiveness, which is not natural to the human heart.  Forgiveness is an exotic, which Christ brought with Him from Heaven. As long as He abode on earth, He forgave, and He left it as an injunction and example that His people were to forgive even as they had been forgiven.
 
Neither the grieving Floyd family, nor the protesters, nor those trying to maintain law and order can ultimately bring peace of mind and conscience to us as individuals or to our divided America. 

However, maintaining law and order is essential to healthy communities where people can express grief, compassion, repentance, and forgiveness as appropriate.  We need restored human communities and especially Bible-based churches because our struggle is ultimately in our hearts (James 4: 1-10).  Jack Brewer has rightly pinpointed the source of our current struggle in America as a spiritual battle because of the evil in our hearts (video clip).  Only if we yield to the love and forgiveness of Christ and then express His love and forgiveness to one another will we gain the victory and bring many sons to glory (Hebrews 2: 10).

How About You?
While we all observe the unfolding of demonstrations and associated violence, each of us face the same challenges as the any of the participants we observe.  How do you and I deal with perceived injustice, our need to control anger, offer forgiveness, seek forgiveness, or just plain understand people that are difficult to get along with?  As for myself, today is the birthday of a family member very dear to me, a person with whom I have sought reconciliation for several years.  I mention this person only to emphasize that we all need God’s love and forgiveness and to be channels of this love and forgiveness to others.  How about you?   Your “Comments” are always welcome.  

Helpful Resource:
“The Risk of Forgiveness:  What It Means to Forgive”   by Gary Inrig.  Discovery Series, Our Daily Bread Ministries.   Available at the above link or in booklet form.

The Gospel: Power that Saves, Heals, Assures

Your phone rings, and it’s your doctor. 
She is calling to report your recent test results.
“I have ‘good news’ and ‘bad news,’ she says.
“Which would you like to hear first?”

Maybe you’ve been in that situation.  You know that something is wrong physically in your body.  But you cling to the hope that “good news” will outweigh the “bad.”  Hard as it may be to hear, you want the truth.  And, what good doctor would keep you from receiving an accurate diagnosis?

When we sense we are sick physically, we pursue a medical diagnosis.  Likewise, when we take time to examine our “spiritual health,” we may sense an uneasiness that all is not well.  Here, we also need to confront “what we think” about ourself (subjective) with an objective spiritual diagnosis (one from an outside source).

Hearing the Real “Bad News”
Two factors influence our spiritual health—one is objective.  It’s what God who knows all things says about our spiritual condition.  The other is our internal sensitivity and response to God’s Spirit and truth. 

A majority of humans on Earth have heard the message that God is a God of Love, Mercy, and Truth.  Sadly, Adam, the first man God created, chose to rebel against his Creator.  As Adam’s descendants, we were born into a genealogy that is plagued by a “spiritual sickness” known as sin (missing God’s mark).  This is the “bad news,” and it doesn’t come from within us—it is divine, objective revelation from God. 

The Old Testament psalms (e.g. Psalm 14: 1-3) and the Prophets (e.g. Isaiah 53: 6) declare what the Apostle Paul later confirmed in the New Testament: All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 23).  Quoting from Psalm 14, Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote, in Romans 3: 10-12,

as it is written:  None is righteous, no, not one;
    no one understands; no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside;
    together they have become worthless;
no one does good, not even one.

The “bad news” that we are not only sinners but are infected with sin as part of our nature is made worse by the fact that God will by no means clear the guilty (Numbers 14: 18).  In Hebrews 9: 27, we read:  And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…  Bottom line, all of us are infected with the sin nature, we are sinners, and one day we must give account of our sin to God.

How We React to “Bad News”
Our spiritual health is also affected by a second factor—our reaction as sinners to the news that we are spiritually fallen and sin-sick in God’s eyes.  Such news is upsetting to our pride and quest for power, prestige, and profits.  As individuals, we are clever in our sin nature.  Our tendency is to deny, dismiss, and reject the “painful thought” that we are sinners.  Some of us join sociopolitical groups with others of like mind who reject God’s authority.  Here are a few “natural reactions” to our fallenness:

Excuse ourselves: “I’m not perfect, but I’m not a bad person.”
Extra humility (misplaced): “I’m so lost and depraved that God has given up on me.”
Dismiss God:  “I am perfectly complete in my world--without acknowledging God.”
Deny God: “God doesn’t exist.  Even if He did, He wouldn’t notice or care about me.”
Mischaracterize God: “God is Love.  Love cannot be vengeful toward anyone.”

Can you remember using any of these characterizations to deal with the impact of your “spiritual diagnosis?”  They are “natural reactions” to “bad news.”   But just as enduring a harsh Winter makes the Spring all the more wonderful, so accepting and acting on the Bible’s “bad news” makes the “Good News,” the Gospel all the more wonderful.  To use our medical analogy, we must hear the “bad news” and our doctor’s wise recommendations and then act upon them if we want the best possible medical outcome. 

Here’s how God’ and His Word does its work.  Greg Gilbert explains in What is the Gospel? how the “bad news” that God is a Holy Judge (Hebrews 9: 27) and mankind is condemned in sin (Isaiah 53: 6a)) is followed by the “Good News” that Jesus Christ became our sin-bearer (e.g. Isaiah 53: 6b).  First Peter 2: 24 states, Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’  Our only rightful response as sin-sick people is to bow in humility before the cross of Christ where the blood from Jesus’s wounds was shed to cleanse us from our sin.  There, by a humble act of faith, we can repent of our sin and be willing to confess it (saying what God says about sin) and then, turn from sin to live a life that pleases God according to His Word.

Two Online Messages You Must Hear
Because we are sin-full rebels from birth, it is difficult for us to accept the “bad news” of our spiritual sickness in sin.  It is even difficult for Christ-followers who have accepted Christ’s gift of salvation to realize how deeply ingrained sin is within us.  It is also difficult for us to continually surrender to His Spirit and to the Word of God [which] is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  But, if unsaved sinners believe and trust the Gospel, God will save completely forever (1 Peter 3: 18).  And, if saved, Christ-followers will submit to the Good News of the Gospel, it has the power to heal them. This is why I have written this relatively brief introduction to encourage you to view two excellent Gospel messages, each briefly described below.

The first message is “How to Change Deeply,” by pastor Timothy Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City.   Keller offers a Scriptural message that is greatly encouraging to many who will admit their sin just as the Apostle Paul so aptly confesses in Romans 7: 18-25.  Keller’s solution is to come to our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, who lovingly bears your name on His breast.  There, in humility and gratitude for what Jesus did on His Cross, be filled with the Joy of knowing His great sacrificial love for you.  Then, as you embrace God’s joy and delight over you, realize who you are in Christ, and dare to allow His Word to pierce deeply into your heart and soul so that you can discern the thoughts and intentions of your heart.  As Keller says, “convict yourself with the Joy in Christ,” how deeply He loves you, and how much He suffered to ‘take away’ your sin and bring healing.  Then we can ask, “Why should I go on grieving the One I love… when He’s given me all I need in Him?

But, watch out!   Our sin nature doesn’t give up easily.  Lest we become diverted by assurances like Romans 8: 1 to devalue God’s saving grace and dismiss our sin lightly, Keller also includes examples of how to pray by applying the Joy of Christ by speaking back to him lovingly, intimately, and repentantly, about the depth of our sin.  In so doing, Keller notes, we can learn to connect the glories of the Gospel with our particular sin patterns to achieve consistent victory.

The second message I want to recommend is “The Gospel Heals,” by our own Pastor Zach Swift, West Hill Baptist Church, here in Wooster.  Pastor Swift provides practical teaching from Scripture in 1 John 3 on how you can be assured of your salvation by faith in Christ, and how you can be confident in your standing in God’s eyes in the face of lingering memories of past failures, or spiritual defeat that comes from falling short of God’s standards each day, or just not being able to “diagnose” why you are down or depressed.  According to Swift, our loving Father in Heaven “longs for you to have a healthy heart and a clear conscience…If you belong to God and you have repented of your sin, He doesn’t want you to live under that condemnation any longer.  Live your life to glorify Him, for the Gospel, for who He is, and what He has done in your life.”

In conclusion, I hope you will avail yourself of these two messages if for no other reason than to be encouraged through worship and love of our Creator and Savor God.  If you are struggling with pride and sin, realize that God’s power through the Gospel is greater.  If you are struggling in your conscience with sin you have already confessed and forsaken, realize that God knows all things.  He is our Judge, but He is also our Loving Father in Heaven.  If you have questions, reactions, or new insights, please use the “Comments” link below or write to me by e-mail: silviusj@gmail.com.

*******
Dedicated to the members of a Small Group at West Hill Baptist Church within which Abby and I are privileged to fellowship with other Christ-followers in pursuit of God, knowledge of His Word, and lives that please Him.

A Christmas Readers Theater

Christmas Eve day afforded our family an wonderful opportunity to gather in our home for conversation, a meal together, and opening presents.  A additional special treat for me was to watch our daughter Mindy Salyers with her husband, Steve, their son, Caleb, and older daughter, Kiara present a readers theater based on the draft of a script I had composed and invited them to present.  I have included the words below for your own reading, and will send you as a PDF the readers version of it arranged for four readers if you would like to request a copy by e-mailing me at silviusj@gmail.com.

Readers theater by members of the Steve Salyers family.

May the names and themes highlighted in this short script point your attention to God’s greatest Gift to us, leading you to worship and praise Him as you celebrate the amazing birth of Jesus Christ, “the Word become flesh.”

Christmas!
Celebration
Traditions.
Gifts!

God's Gift!
God so loved the world
that He gave.
Gave His only Son.

And the Word became flesh:
Born of a virgin,
Born of Mary,
Born in Jerusalem.

The Word became flesh
and dwelt among us.
Emmanuel:
"God with us."

The Law came through Moses.
The Law exposed our sin.
We fall short.
We die.
Grace and truth came through Jesus.

He came…
not to judge the world,
but that all who believe might be saved.

“The people who live in darkness
Have seen a great Light.”
The Light of the world,
The Light of Christmas.

Jesus!!
Jesus is the true Light
that lights our way.
Jesus!!

The gift!
The gift of God.
The Gift!
For all who will believe in Him,
The Gift!
For all who will receive Him,
The Gift!

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us..." John 1:14

Jesus!!
Wonderful Counsellor,
to guide us.
Almighty God,
to help us.
Everlasting Father,
to comfort us.
Prince of Peace,
to calm us.
Emmanuel:
"God with us."

Joy to the World!!
The Lord is come!!
Let us sing!
Let heaven and nature sing!
O come!!
O come, Emmanuel!!