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.

Human Sexuality: A Nexus of Scripture, Science, and Sociology

Surrendering Standards for Sexuality

During my boyhood in the 1950’s, human sexuality was very much on people’s minds but it was not openly discussed in most homes, churches, and schools.  Although sex was a “hush-hush” topic in our farm home, I am thankful for parents who modeled gender differences and helped guide me toward manhood and to faith in God. 

Meanwhile, all around us, the so-called “sexual revolution” was emerging while the intactness and values of many American families were deteriorating.  Many fathers and mothers in post-war America became consumed with their dreams of the good life.  Many chose paths that led them away from honoring God and loving their spouses, children, and families.  Churches that once were an integral part of family and community life also began to compromise the Gospel message.  Divorce and adolescent rebellion became more and more common.

Some churches watered down the Gospel message of salvation by faith in the blood of Christ, God’s provision for redeeming fallen man.  Like ships without an anchor, they began to drift in the current of the morally deteriorating culture.  Other churches fired up their message about the “wages of sin” but failed to welcome sinners with the love and mercy shown by Jesus who welcomed sinners.  Consequently, many conservative, fundamentalist churches fumbled their chances to attract the spiritually lost who were left alone, groping in the dark to find love and purpose.  Ignored and rejected, many young Americans rejected God and set out to find a “love” apart from His plan.

Fast forward to the present.  We can now see the harvest of the seeds sown in the 1960’s-1970’s.  What started as a minority counterculture of rebellion against spiritual and social norms has become a dominant force that threatens to upend the moral foundation of America.  The movement has been given legitimacy by calls for “individual rights” which accompany a “liberal” education and persuasive messages from Hollywood and the main stream media.  As a result, our culture is drowning in moral confusion while being caught up in angry debates over God’s gifts of marriage, family, and human sexuality.

Ignoring or Suppressing the Science of Sexuality
Our understanding of human sexuality is being distorted not only by misguided social influences but also by those who publish misleading scientific reports or who suppress valid findings from the scientific community.  A lack of “good science” and “good social science”  have been misleading our culture ever since the now-discredited Kinsey Report on human sexuality.  In 1954, leading statisticians issued for the American Statistical Association a critique of Kinsey's 1948 report, stating that “conclusions drawn from data presented in the book are often stated by much too bold and confident a manner…[and] the writing in the book falls below the level of good scientific writing.”

More recently, neuroscientists and sex researchers like Dr. Debra Soh are providing mounting scientific evidence that sex differences between men and women are biologically based and not socially influenced.  In a podcast interview with Ben Domenech on the Federalist Radio Hour, Dr. Soh explains that gender differences are real, and are caused by different levels of the hormone testosterone between developing boy and girl babies.  According to Dr. Soh, contrary to politically correct views, there is no scientific evidence that gender is a social construct such that each individual can therefore be free to choose their gender. 

Dr. Soh laments the fact that left-based thinking gives the false impression that men and women should think the same in regard to how and why they engage in sexual relationships and how they respond when relationships go bad.  False, politically correct notions that men and women are not different causes much confusion among women who are left wondering why they do not feel the same as men in judging the quality of sexual relationships and in how they feel compared to men when relationships go bad.  Gender misconceptions combined with the continuing “hush-hush” attitudes about sex that tend to prevent good communication between partners is an ongoing threat to developing strong monogamous relationships.

Given the fact that our moral standards have been eroding; and, that left-leaning, agenda-driven politics is denying the science of human sexuality, it is no wonder that gender identity has become so confusing that it requires a glossary of terms to help us determine who we are sexually.  If Dr. Soh and the large body of scientific research to which she refers is correct, determining our gender ought to be as simple and straightforward as simply being observant during diaper changes, and then “training up our children in the way they should go.” (Proverbs 22: 6). 

I do not mean to oversimplify here.  As Dr. Soh admits, there are differences in degrees of maleness and femaleness among members of each gender.  Dispositions toward increased maleness and femaleness can arise, respectively, in males who developed under lower prenatal levels of testosterone, and in females with higher prenatal levels.  Then, whereas gender is determined by a person’s prenatal neurophysiological development as noted above, I believe variations in hormonal levels within-gender can predispose a boy or girl to respond by developing secondary traits of the opposite sex depending on parental and other social influences.  We’ll return to this point.

Speaking into the New “Hush-Hush” about Sexuality
Although a majority of people are concerned about sexuality and pursuing sexual fulfillment, anyone who dares to speak up about what God’s Word says about sexuality risks being called a hateful bigot.  Thus, western culture has transitioned from a “hush-hush” about human sexuality in the 1950’s and 1960’s to a new form of “hush-hush.” The current “hush-hush” is given to anyone who wishes to address what God’s revelation in Scripture has to say about our sexuality.  How then can a Christ-follower keep his or her call to be “salt and light” in a world that largely rejects the authority of God and His revealed Word?

Given the current climate of moral relativism, you may be asking, “What right does any person have to question the gender preferences and sexual behavior of anyone else?”  Indeed, many people regardless of sexual orientation do not acknowledge the existence of God or the authority of the Bible.  Others may respect the authority of Scripture but question whether God views homosexual behavior as being worthy of eternal judgment in Hell.  Still others argue that Jesus offers love, mercy, and forgiveness of sinners and did not condemn homosexual behavior.  But there is a clear message in the Scriptures--God does exist, His design for sexuality is objectively defined in the Bible, He remains a righteous judge with whom all of us must give account, and He remains ready to forgive and redeem all repentant sinners.
 
If we acknowledge God’s authority revealed in the Bible, then we must accept that God has called us as Christ-followers to love our neighbor and to share His gift of love in the Person of Jesus Christ.  In His “Great Commission,” recorded in Matthew 28: 18, Jesus said, All authority is given to me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples… Jesus calls His disciples to “make disciples”—i.e. make more teachable followers who live by my example and are empowered by the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, if Christ-followers are being obedient to Christ’s commission, it is our responsibility to express our faith in word and in deed.

But there are right and wrong ways to share God’s message.  The Apostle Peter (apostle = “one who is sent”) teaches us the manner in which we ought to approach others to witness of God’s love and purposes for mankind.  He wrote (emphasis mine), But sanctify the Lord God (i.e. set apart and honor God as holy) in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with gentleness and reverence… (1 Peter 3: 15).  According to Peter, our lives must first be a reflection of the humility and love of Jesus Christ as described in the Gospel accounts.  Second, we must be ready to speak the truth as God’s Spirit gives us the opportunities to answer or respond to questions.  And, third, our approach to those who need to hear God’s truth must be with gentleness and respect for both God and our neighbor.

Returning specifically to the matter of sexuality, sexual preference, and sexual behavior, Christ-followers must be able to respectfully explain God’s plan and purpose for sex in the context of marriage as being between a man and a woman.  In response to a question about God’s view of divorce, Jesus answered as recorded in Matthew 19: 4-6 by quoting from the Old Testament (Genesis 1: 27 and 2: 24):  Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, and said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’?  So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.

Christ followers must also be able to answer the claim that, although the Bible does condemn sexual activity outside of heterosexual marriage (e.g. Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13; 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11) Jesus did not condemn homosexuality.  If Jesus didn’t condemn homosexuality, how can Christians claim that God will judge homosexuals?  Dr. Robert Jeffress provides an excellent response to this claim in his short article, “Did Jesus Condemn Homosexuality?”

Conclusion and Recommended Resources
Truly, today’s culture is saturated with sex, erotic imaging, sexual innuendo, and all the preoccupation, confusion, and frustration that results in lives lived apart from God’s plan and purpose for sexuality.  It also follows that a sex-saturated culture can make Christ-followers forget that God sent His Son to redeem humans from all kinds of sins, not only sex outside of the biblical marriage bond, but also such sins as lying, stealing, gossiping, murdering, coveting, etc. (see 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11; Galatians 5: 19-21).  As David wrote in Psalm 51: 5, every one of us were born into this world as sinners.  As fallen offspring of Adam, we are prone to commit any or all of the sins listed above that are outside of the moral bounds established by a loving Creator in His Word.  Because this article focuses on how Christ-followers ought to approach our neighbor when he or she is caught in immoral sexual behavior, I will conclude by reference to two excellent resources.

Allen Atzbi, General Manager at Living Waters, has written an online article, “Coming Out of the Closet on Homosexuality.”  This article provides an excellent resource for individuals and for group discussion.  It is also an excellent preparation for viewing the movie, Audacity, written and produced by evangelist Ray Comfort.  This free online movie provides good insights on homosexuality and good examples of how Christ-followers can address this sensitive issue as loving ambassadors with an informed, gentle, and respectful approach to anyone in need of Christ’s love and forgiveness.   Audacity is also a good resource for group discussion.  The movie subtitle is “Love Can’t Stay Silent.”  I’m thankful that God’s love reached me-- because He couldn’t “stay silent.”

How About You?
1.   What would you do if you saw a same-sex couple approaching a malfunctioning elevator in a high-rise building, knowing that if they step on the elevator, they will plunge to certain death?  Do you have a right to warn them?   Should they feel offended if you approached them with the warning?  The article, “Coming Out of the Closet on Homosexuality” and the movie Audacity uses this analogy and others to emphasize the obligation we have to minister to those around us.

2.  What must a Christ-follower do to earn the right to approach a person or couple who is openly rejecting God’s moral standards?  Watch Audacity and see what one person chose to do and how his action opened the way for him to share his faith.

3.  I welcome your comments, questions and corrections where I may be misrepresenting the issues surrounding human sexuality and the role of Scripture, science, and social science in shaping a proper response to this important issue.

D-Day: Remembering Their Sacrifice

As we pause to remember the sacrifice of so many who stormed the beaches of Normandy 75 years ago, most of us have no direct contact with either a veteran of World War II.  Separated by multiple generations and often hindered by only a limited knowledge of American history, we hear and read accounts of this great struggle and think of it as only useless clamor on some foreign planet. 

I was fortunate to have a good education in American History, and to learn more by direct though very limited conversation my Uncle Glen “Shorty” Silvius who had participated in the D-Day invasion and later, the Battle of the Bulge (December, 1945 to January, 1945.  My uncle seldom spoke of the horrors of war during the 20 some years that I knew him.  But after his death, I had opportunity to read several of the letters which he wrote to his mom and dad, my Grandma and Grandpa Silvius.  Here is an introduction to a letter which he entitled “Something to Forget:”

There are times in the lives of people that incidents occur and one hopes to cherish the happy remembrance of the events.  In times of battle, many of these happy moments are buried or become totally eclipsed by the sight of results from the inhuman work of man.  In any direction you look, the same sights are prevailing, all effort to evade unpleasant scenes are in vain.  In any area where forces have met in organized combat, these scenes are only to be expected.  The strain of nerves anyone must endure is so great that in time even the person who has some chance to use better than average personal protection must return to places where surrounding conditions are more quiet.  It is not always possible to maintain the proper organization and control of units.  The result of such situations only leads to increase the degree of disaster.  No words will explain this except the famed words of the statesman who said, “Together we stand, separated we perish.”

Wars throughout history have generally not started because someone loved war and set out to start a war.  But there have been individuals who became so proud and so convinced that their vision of the world was the right one that they were willing to bring it about at any cost.  Men who come to mind in this context are Adolph Hitler (1889-1945), Joseph Stalin (1878-1953), and Mao Zedong (1893-1976).  These men were directly and indirectly responsible for the deaths of an estimated 17 million, 23 million, and 49-78 million, respectively.

War does not begin when armies amass against one another.  Instead, war begins in the human heart where such vices as anger, hate, pride, and lust for power originate.  James, the half-brother of Jesus writes:  Where do wars and fights come from among you?  Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?  You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war.  Yet you do not have because you do not ask (James 4: 1-2).

General Robert E. Lee is quotes as saying, “It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.”  Yet Lee’s own personal experience teaches us that once the sins of human hearts lead to conflict, it is difficult for anyone to stop it from becoming all-out war.  But thankfully, each of us has access to the One who is called the Prince of Peace—Jesus Christ who came to bring peace to replace the war and turmoil of our hearts.  He said, In the world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer.  I have overcome the world.   Thankfully, one day, Jesus Christ will come to rule upon Earth for 1,000 years to demonstrate what truly godly rule by one man really looks like.  Then, he will defeat the Devil and sin, and the “last enemy,” death itself (1 Corinthians 15: 26).

My uncle was beset by at least a mild case of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but seemed to have found peace with God during his post-war years.  I was privileged to discuss God’s Word with him and to share the truth of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.  Although my uncle is now deceased, occasions like the D-Day remembrance serves to remind us not only of the great sacrifice of so many but also of our responsibility to thank veterans and those in uniform today, and to encourage those who carry the emotional wounds of war.  

Helpmates Can Help or Hinder Their Husbands

Do you remember the last time you went “all-out” to join family and friends in an enthusiastic celebration of an event or perhaps an exciting sports competition?  In 2 Samuel 6:12-19 we read the account of King David leading his nation in extravagant, corporate worship of God.  The focus of the occasion was a joyous procession in which the ark of the covenant was being brought up to Jerusalem.  King David, apparently caught up in a spirit of humility and worship of God, took off his royal robe and … wearing only a linen cloth around his waist, danced with all his might to honor the LORD. (v. 14, Good News Translation).

Immediately following this joyous experience of worship, David returns to his home and family.  What we learn from this brief account from Scripture are important lessons God may have for both husbands and wives.  From 2 Samuel 6: 20, we read: 

When David returned home to bless his household, Michal, daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would! 

What a let-down for David to hear her accusation from his helpmate, suggesting that he was being prideful, selfish, and even immoral.  Michal’s accusation hurled at David must have been particularly hurtful to him considering that he had returned home to bless his household (v. 20) and to invite her to share in the rich blessing he had experienced. 

But there is even more evidence that David was Spirit-filled and held pure motives in all of his actions.  Scholars believe that prior to this occasion, David had devoted his time in personal worship of God to compose an inspiring song especially for the processional—possibly the song now recorded as Psalm 24.  When you read Psalm 24, perhaps you will realize the enthusiasm David possessed-- an enthusiasm that may well have still been lifting his spirit upon his return to Michal.

Although David's motives and behavior were pure before the Lord, Michal’s were not.  Second Samuel 6: 16 records for us that Michal saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.  Michal’s sin of regarding her husband as unworthy of her respect had been first conceived in her heart (James 1: 15) as she watched him worshiping from her window.  By the time David arrived to share his enthusiasm and blessing upon her, Michal’s sin was ready to be birthed.  As we read above, she expressed her loathing by attacking her husband unjustly.  Here is the account of her stunned husband’s response in defense of his motives and behavior:

David said to Michal, 'It was before the Lord , who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord ’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord . I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.  But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.'  And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death (2 Samuel 6: 21-23).

What can we learn from this Scriptural account that began in a “spiritual mountaintop” for a husband named David and ended with a very disappointing reception at home by his wife, Michal?  First, if we consider God’s plan that a wife is to serve as a helpmate to her husband, and the husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church, then we can conclude that David and Michal’s conversation was not in sync with God’s plan first revealed in Genesis 2. 

In Genesis 2: 19-20, we learn about one of Adam’s first responsibilities as a steward of the creation God had prepared for him.  God assigned Adam to study the animal creatures of the garden and to name them according to his understanding of each kind:

The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.  

The significance of God’s homework assignment to Adam goes far beyond simply labeling the animals with names, or even developing an understanding of how each creature related to Adam ecologically, important as that lesson is.  According to the Pulpit Commentary, Adam’s ‘assignment’ to name the animals …was meant to reveal his loneliness. The longing for a partner was already deeply seated in his nature, and the survey of the animals, coming to him probably in pairs, could not fail to intensify that secret hunger of his soul, and perhaps evoke it into conscious operation.

Ellicott’s Commentary provides additional insight on God’s provision of a helpmate for the man.  Referring to Adam’s “naming exercise,” Ellicott’s Commentary adds, But while thus he could tame many, and make them share his dwelling, he found among them no counterpart of himself, capable of answering his thoughts and of holding with him rational discourse.

From these commentators on Genesis 2: 19-20, we can grasp a sense of God's intention for the supportive and complementary role of the wife as a helpmate to the husband.  One implied role of the helpmate is to serve as a spiritual accountability partner for the husband. There are times when our wives observe and discern by observation more than we as husbands can discern.  Therefore, our wives can have a valuable role in cautioning us about behavior that could allow us to fall victim to pride, selfishness, and even immoral behavior toward another person.

However, as we have seen, that was not the case in the situation of David's behavior and how Michal responded.  Her own heart became jealous and vengeful toward her husband, thus allowing Satan to gain a foothold in an otherwise valuable accountability relationship between husband and wife.  Thus, we can see the importance of developing and maintaining a relationship of unconditional love, trust, and humility between husband and wife.

Although the Bible does shy away from including accounts of troubled marriages, it also provides several examples of good marriages.  Joseph and Mary (Luke 1-2) were able to overcome numerous difficulties, especially developing trust in each other and facing public scorn over Mary’s supposed immorality.  Priscilla and Aquila were tremendous examples as Christ-like partners in the ministry of the Gospel with the Apostle Paul (e.g. Acts 18:26).  In the Old Testament, the story of Ruth shows the great redemptive love of God at work as Boaz becomes a kinsman redeemer by arranging to marry the poor, alien widow named Ruth.

Personally, my wisdom and intelligence are no match for that of most experts on Christian marriage, including biblical counselors with whom Abby and I have conferred on several occasions.  So, I will simply write from my own personal experience of having been blessed for nearly 50 years of life with the helpmate God has provided for me.  She has been a wonderful wife and helpmate.  Together with God’s provision, we have enjoyed a “resonance of soul and spirit.”  When we submit together to the love and will of God, His Spirit produces in us a resonance of mind, body, spirit, and soul.  This “resonance” is like that which is produced with a musical tuning fork.  When the fork strikes a solid object, its vibrations can be passed on to another object and the two will “hum together” with the same frequency.   In contrast, when a tuning fork is struck against a cardboard box, there will be little or no resonance--no sense of oneness or correspondence between the two.

During the times that Abby and I have relied together upon the love of God and have been committed together to abide in His Word, the Bible; and have sought together the regular filling of His Holy Spirit according to Ephesians 5: 18-20, we have been able to submit one to another out of reverence for Christ (v. 21).  Admittedly, there are other times when our relationship has resembled that of King David and Michal.  In those times, we do not experience a Spirit-filled oneness and “resonance” but rather, a spirit of discord like a tuning fork striking cardboard or a lifeless mass of clay.

It is likely that some husbands and wives who read this article will, like Abby and I, relate to instances like the one reported here from the life of David and Michal. Thankfully, as we face the blessings and trials of life, with God’s help we can choose to rely on the same spiritual wisdom and strength from Him that formed and matured our marriage in the first place.  Just as communication is important between spouses so we know the blessing of keeping communication with our Creator--hearing daily from Him through time in His Word and conversing with Him as our Friend through prayer. 

Recently, we encountered an online message by Dwight Mason, Newpointe Community Church, entitled Simple Yet Difficult in which Pastor Mason offers “Ten Steps to Resolving Conflict” with direct application to dating and marriage.  We have also begun to use daily prayers provided by "Today's Marriage Prayer" and recommend that you check out this valuable guide to your daily prayer and devotional life.  See www.marriageprayers.today.  I have included “Today’s Marriage Prayer” for May 24 which happens to fit well with the theme of this article.

Digging Deeper -- Here are two invitations for further study:

1.  The popular misconception by many who have not read the Scriptures is that “husbands are to rule and wives are to submit!”  On the contrary, God’s instruction through Paul is that the husband is to submit by loving his wife as Christ loved the church, loving her as much as he loves himself (Ephesians 5: 25-33).  The wife is to submit to her husband by seeing to it that she shows respect toward him (Ephesians 5: 22-24, 33).  Knowing what God has revealed in these New Testament verses (unavailable to David and Michal), I have three questions for further consideration:  Husbands, how would you have responded differently in David's situation?  Wives, how would you advise Michal to be a better helpmate?  And for all of us, how would we “grade” our marriages in light of Ephesians 5?

2.  Compare the lives of two Old Testament husbands—Abraham and David.  Then, compare their wives, Sarah and Michal, respectively.  For your study, in addition to the account of 2 Samuel 6, see Genesis 17 and 18; and 1 Peter 3: 1-7.

Why NOT Celebrate Memorial Day?

Memorial Day is a special day in which many Americans remember men and women who gave their lives and shed their blood for our freedom and for the freedom of other nations threatened by tyrannical powers.  Yet there is an increasing number of Americans who are being educated and indoctrinated with the notion that the birth and existence of the United States of America as a sovereign nation cannot be morally justified.  Does the United States of America have a right to exist; and, are its fallen dead really heroes?

According to those who question the moral legitimacy of the United States, we ought to question the morality of the British-French-Spanish-Portuguese colonialism in North America and other continents beginning in the 16^th century.  Colonialism, they argue, resulted in the eviction of native tribes from their homes in North America, Africa, Australia, and other continents.  In the 18^th century, were the American patriots morally justified in defying British rule to establish the United States through the American Revolution?  How about the blood spilt by both the North and the South, by Republicans and Democrats alike, to determine whether to abolish or defend slavery, respectively?

 

All of this makes for provocative discussion.  So, why not go further back in history, before the beginning of colonialism?  Here, we may want to question the morality of the tribal cultures that waged war against each other and dispersed from the Middle East (the Tower of Babel? Genesis 11: 1-9) into Africa, East Asia, and North and South America to establish and defend their territories.  And, as we question the morality of human behavior in early human history, maybe we should ask about the origin of moral standards in the first place. If humans simply evolved from a line of the more rational and intelligent primates, then who is to say that there are any right or wrong standards for moral behavior?

What we may have to admit is that making moral judgments about human history is impossible unless we consider the records of “His story?”  The Story of God’s creation and dealings with humankind as recorded in His special revelation, the Bible?  In “His story,” we read that our ancestors’ first injustice wasn’t colonialism, or oppression of ethnic minorities, or war, or the industrial revolution and the use of fossil fuels.  Instead, it was the moral choice to disregard the lavish provisions and moral principles provided by a loving Creator God as explained in Genesis 3.  This is the account of the first sin (rebellion against God) in the Garden of Eden. 

But, God did not give up on fallen mankind in spite of our miserably poor stewardship of His abundant provisions for life on Earth.  Instead, God unfolded His master plan in which Jesus Christ, His Son, would come from Heaven to purchase us back from the slavery of sin so that we, by faith in His righteousness, might share in His Eternal Life. 

The cost of God’s purchase of our eternal souls from eternal damnation was very great.  The psalmist (Psalm 49: 7-9) explains that it is impossible for humans to save themselves from the curse of sin and death:

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—
 That he should live on eternally,
            That he should not undergo decay.

The costly price paid by Jesus Christ for our redemption from sin was His own life and His shed blood.  Before Jesus died for all mankind, He was subjected to the greatest injustice endured by any human being or tribe.  His most innocent and pure life was taken by force from another garden (not Eden, but Gethsemane) where He had been praying.  Jesus was then subjected to inhumane accusation and abuse in an illegitimate trial-by-night.  There, He was condemned to a cruel death and crucified on a Roman cross.  But, on the third day, Jesus arose as Victor over sin and death so that, by faith, we too might share in His Eternal Life.

So, as we consider whether or not to be grateful for those who have given their lives for our freedom, it is certainly right to realize that America was brought into existence through much suffering and struggle. And this struggle was indeed among fallen men and women who each believed their cause was the right one—even if their only cause in some cases was selfish material gain.  But, many Americans sacrificed because they believed that the Judeo-Christian moral code offers the only basis for establishing human rights and moral responsibility.  On this moral foundation from God, America is justified in establishing through our Constitution that all humans are endowed with inalienable rights from heaven, including the opportunity for a meaningful life, liberty, and the right to pursue happiness.


True human liberty is ultimately from God through the death and resurrection of Christ and can only be realized by faith in God and in “His story”--in His Word.  But, on this Memorial Day, many who doubt the legitimacy of America and its rightful existence do so because they also deny the rightful lordship of Christ in their lives.  Rather than accept the fact that it was our sin and injustice deep in our depraved hearts that contributed to the inhumane and ugly death of the most Innocent Man, Jesus, on the cross, we seek to justify ourselves by our own good works.  Rather than admit that without Christ’s forgiveness, we deserve condemnation, instead we are quick to criticize our Founding Fathers and all who have loved and died to protect America and other nations against evil actors on the world stage.  Rather than accept the finished work of Christ for our justification, we seek to justify ourselves by identifying with well meaning causes such as seeking justice for minorities or saving planet Earth from climate change.

Today is Memorial Day.  Let’s humbly remember our fallen, dead heroes who gave the ultimate price for our freedom.  Let’s also remember the death and resurrection of the most Innocent Man in all of history, the God-Man, Jesus Christ, who suffered the greatest injustice of all for us so that we might understand our place in human history—in “His story.”

Persevering Prayer Points Us Closer to God

Jesus said, If you abide in Me (believe in Me and humbly yield to my purposes in your life), and My words abide in you (to guide how you think and pray), ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you (John 15: 7).

To me, this is an amazing promise from Jesus to His disciples (obedient, though imperfect Christ-followers).  This means He has entrusted spiritual and material resources to His sincere followers just as a master of an estate would entrust the affairs of the estate to his servants.  In turn, the requests made to the master by His loyal servants (or stewards) would only be in accordance with the interests of the master and His purposes. With this humble understanding, the stewards will also anticipate the master's responses to their requests and respond accordingly.

God’s plan is that every person would serve Him as a steward loyally serves his master.  When we respond by faith as repentant sinners to God’s plan of salvation through Christ (John 1: 12-14) we become His “adopted children (Romans 8: 15).”  So, when we pray, God wants us to ask as children who know and understand their “Daddy’s” wishes.  We bring our requests in a way consistent with what “Daddy” believes is best for us (Romans 8: 15).   Also, as both faithful stewards and as children of a loving Father, we ought to recognize and understand His answers to our prayers even if the answer is “wait” or “no.”

When our Master and Heavenly Father answers our prayers, we ought to be quick to thank Him and give glory to Him.  Like me, you may have experienced answers to prayer that have come, seemingly in spite of all odds.  But what about those prayers we have lifted to our Heavenly Father and continue to lift year after year without receiving an apparent answer?

This morning, I believe God provided me with a new insight; namely, that He is still my Master and loving Heavenly Father, even when He appears not to be answering me.  I had just finished expressed several of my “perennial prayer requests” to Him; requests that I’ve expressed many times according to God’s instructions on prayer:  (a) I asked in faith (James 1: 5-6; 4: 2), (b) in a way consistent with what I believe would be His purposes for the people and situations involved (John 14: 14), and (c) with a pure heart  and motives (Psalm 66: 18; James 4: 7-10).  Then, as if in an inaudible reply, God answered me something like this,

“Am I any less your Master and Loving Father if it appears to you that I am not answering? Though the way seems long and though My answer seems absent from the horizon, I am Almighty God.  In fact, if you will hold onto Me by faith, I will show you more of my sovereign purposes for you and for those persons and situations that concern you—and concern Me.  If you doubt, realize that is not a sin.  But instead, please cast your doubt and cares upon me because I care ever so much for you.  When you want to pray to Me in words but have only groans, let my Spirit carry your groanings to my throne (Romans 8: 26).  For there at my right hand, My Only Son, Jesus also prays for you (Romans 8: 34).  And I will hear Him!   After all, He is the One who offered to Me His loud groanings and tears while He suffered for you during His days on Earth (Hebrews 5: 7).  His suffering on the cross while being mocked by people and by the spiritual forces of darkness was a hellish and eternal suffering.  My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me, He said (Matthew 27: 46).  But His faith held strong, and now that you have died with Him and have been baptized into His death and raised to new life in Him, you too have the faith to wait upon Me (Romans 6: 3-4).  Your faith in Me and my Word will help you to keep looking up to Me while you wait.  Then, you will say as did My Son Jesus, ‘Not my will, but Your will be done (Luke 22: 42).’

Although I thank God for ‘speaking’ to me this morning in my time of prayer and through His Word, I am sure you would agree that we all still have many questions and struggles regarding our prayer life.  Kelly Kapic has written a book, Embodied Hope: A Theological Meditation on Pain and Suffering (InterVarsity Press, 2017).  I am encouraged by Kapic’s insights on how to pray in the face of seemingly inalterable situations like chronic illness or relational challenges.

In a brief excerpt from the book posted in the WORLD Saturday Series, Kapic cautions us against succumbing to “Enlightenment thinking” in our prayers—i.e  believing we can “understand transcendental realities in contemporary terms and sensible formulas.”  Instead, he points us to the psalms “which are full of struggle, [but] do not point us to answers and formulas…The psalms orient us to God. Our hope is in him who made and redeemed heaven and earth, not in our own intellectual acuity.”  Kapic instructs us to direct our prayers to God as did the psalmists and Job through their prayers of lamentation.  He writes,

In the third chapter of Job, for example, the sufferer responds to his situation with heartfelt lament. And his lament is not in isolation but in the context of his closest relationships, namely, with his wife and friends. In their presence he turns this lament toward God in a way that shows his ultimate trust in his Creator-Redeemer. The other laments we read in the Scriptures present this same combination of detailed realism regarding discomfort, pain, and complex fears, and the conviction that God is present, powerful, wise, and good… They see God not as removed from the earthly details of their lives but intimately and interestedly involved in them.

How About You?
May God help us to keep asking, seeking, and knocking (Matthew 7: 7).  And, in the process of praying and abiding in Him and His Word, may we recognize that our Loving Heavenly Father will always answer in either a “yes” or a “please wait” or a “no.”  How will God answer us?  And, more importantly, will we recognize the answer when it comes?  Will we use this time of delay and waiting to draw closer to God.  Will we offer our lamentations in fellowship with spiritual accountability partners who share our burdens (Galatians 6: 2)?  Will we ask God for eyes to see Him even more glorious and lifted up as the awesome God He is? 

Thank you for reading and reflecting with me on what it is to persevere in prayer and to keep trusting and pursuing the God who answers prayer.  Please feel free to “Comment” (below) from your own experience, or send me questions you have about prayer.  In conclusion, take time to pray and meditate over the following adorations of God, one from the psalms and the other from the Apostle Paul:

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
                                                                                       -- Psalm 84: 11

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!  For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR?  Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.  -- Romans 11: 33-36

Stewardship: Aligning Work with God’s Providence

In spite of the reported gains in economic growth, gross domestic product (GDP), and employment numbers, many Americans will agree that we are failing in the following related areas:  

•  education
•  vocational counseling
•  job training and retraining
•  worker wages and satisfaction
•  upward mobility opportunities 

None of these have kept pace with increases in GDP during the past half-century.  The result, according to Oren Cass, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, has been
•  worker dissatisfaction,
•  disruption of families
•  instability in whole communities
•  a surge in drug addiction
•  lowered life expectancy.

In spite of the immensity of this complex set of challenges facing our divided culture, there is reason for hope.  Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, points out that people on all sides of the issue want a better quality of life for all Americans.  All that is needed, he adds, is for people of diverse opinions to sit down together and discuss the best ways to accomplish the goal. 

"How can we lift up the world, starting with...the margins...?"

Brooks has just released a movie documentary entitled The Pursuit in which he visits a community in Appalachia and a homeless shelter in New York; then, interviews people as far away as the streets of Barcelona and Mumbai.  His question--“How can we lift up the world, starting with those at the margins of society?” The film promo adds, “Along the way, [Brooks] discovers the secrets not only to material progress for the least fortunate, but also true and lasting happiness for all.”

Work and Workers Misunderstood:  When some experts think of “lifting up the world,” they think in terms of better and affordable education as a solution.  But Oren Cass disagrees.  In his recent book, The Once and Future Worker (Encounter Books, 2018) Cass writes: “Despite the nation doubling per-pupil spending and attempting countless educational reforms, test scores look no better than they did forty years ago.  Most Americans still do not achieve even a community college degree.”  To add injury to these disappointing statistics, consider that the federal student loan program has driven up the cost of a college education and created a new class of young American debtors.  In the words of Mike Rowe, “We are lending money we don’t have to kids who can’t pay it back to train them for jobs that no longer exist.”

In recent years, a number of scholars and leaders have begun to focus attention away from “wealth redistribution and welfare” and instead, toward improving the “welfare of workers” and their “work ethic.”  According to Cass, we need to shift our priority from researching, wooing, and satisfying the consumer to the priority of encouraging the worker.  In Cass’s words,

“We got exactly what we thought we wanted:  strong overall economic growth and a large GDP (gross domestic product), rising material living standards, a generous safety net, rapid improvements in environmental quality, extraordinary affordable flat-screen televisions and landscaping services.  Yet we gave up something we took for granted:  a labor market in which the nation’s diverse array of families and communities could support themselves.  …What we have been left with is a society teetering atop eroded foundations, lacking structural integrity, and heading toward collapse."

Work and Workers Matter:   According to Cass, “work matters” and fulfilling work promotes strong families and communities.  In The Once and Future Worker, Cass offers his “Working Hypothesis;” namely, “that a labor market in which workers can support strong families and communities is the central determinant of long-term prosperity and should be the central focus of public policy.”

Regarding “strong families,” Cass cites well documented statistics that children of two-parent families have “better physical and mental health, less substance abuse, and better educational outcomes.”  Furthermore, he notes that “…family characteristics within a community also influence each other”—in negative ways as communities deteriorate; but in positive ways as “dense networks of relationships” are established.  “The safety net offered by friends, family, and church will always be more responsive and tailored than a government bureaucracy—and is likely to come with some much-needed moral judgment or a swift kick in the pants.”

Readers who hold to a biblical worldview can detect in Cass’s “Working Hypothesis” a call to return to a moral and spiritual foundation for family and community.   Marvin Olasky, in a recent WORLD Magazine review of Cass’s book, points to the Dominion and Stewardship Mandate revealed by God in Genesis 1 and 2.  Olasky writes, “God could have given Adam a perpetual vacation.  Instead, he put him to physical and intellectual work right away, caring for the garden and naming animals.”  He adds, “… [evidence shows] us how living without work does not make us happy and does not glorify God.  The Sabbath commandment is six-sevenths a work commandment.  This is important to remember at a time when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, one of the world’s richest persons, is among those calling for a universal basic income (UBI), even for people who don’t work.”

To summarize, it is clear that our culture faces a growing crisis that stems from the gradual abandonment and misunderstanding of the interests of workers and the qualities that support worker satisfaction as well as family and community stability.  Instead of valuing quality products through encouraging good workers and workmanship, our emphasis has shifted to increasing GDP and consumption.  Instead of promoting the biblical ethic which promises God’s blessing on quality work that reflects His glory and serves others, workers are supposed to work for the sake of a larger GDP which supposedly guarantees satisfaction through a larger piece of the “economic pie.”  Thankfully, as I have noted, there is an increasing call to revalue good work and a healthy “work ethic.”  The call comes from both secular experts and theologians.

A Theology of Work:  Those readers seeking to delve deeper into the Judeo-Christian “theology of work” will find Pastor Timothy Keller’s book, Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work, an excellent and practical source.   The theology of work is based on the biblical teaching that the design of work rests on our right relationship with God.  According to Genesis 1-2, God created the material universe, found satisfaction in His work (Genesis 1: 10, 12, 18, 21, 25), and rested from His work (Genesis 2: 2-3).  Then amazingly, God appointed mankind to exercise dominion over the rest of His creation as stewards whom He commissioned to work in harmony with Him.   How exactly does a worker apply biblical stewardship in the practical “day-to-day?”

According to Keller, when we make God our foundation, He “keeps all other factors—work, friendships and family, leisure and pleasure—from becoming so important to [us] that they become addicting and distorted.”  Without a larger, God-centered purpose in life, our work can become an idol.  When idolatry invades our lives, according to Dorothy Sayers (author of Creed or Chaos? as cited by Keller) we become vulnerable to the sin of sloth (or acedia), “the sin of the empty soul.”  Sloth opens the door of our lives to allow other deadly sins to enter—covetousness, envy, gluttony, wrath, and lust.  

In contrast, when our work mirrors God’s creative work, “we create culture that conforms to His will and vision for human beings…”  God is not only our Creator but also the Keeper of His creation through what we call His providence.  That is, according to Keller, “God does not simply create;  He also loves, cares for, and nurtures His creation…

 But how does His keeping providential care reach us?  [According to] Martin Luther, God’s loving care comes to us largely through the labor of others.  Work is a major instrument of God’s providence; it is how He sustains the human world.”

But isn’t God’s providence also evident in ways beyond the work of Christ-followers?  Keller explains that by common grace, people who are not Christ-followers contribute much to the human workplace.  However, the steward of God’s provision has a spiritually empowered commission to do his or her work distinctively for the glory of God.  Work that glorifies God reveals itself as an extension of God’s providential work—i.e. it is done in a way worthy of God's approval and for the good of our neighbor.  Indeed, a the worker who seeks to perform his or her work in alignment with God’s providence is practicing stewardship in its most basic form—work as an act of worshiping God.

The manifestation of God’s glory through our stewardship of work will take on different forms according to the nature of the work to which God has called us.  God’s calling, or “vocation” (from Latin, vocare = calling) is not just for pastors or priests, but for the farmer, mechanic, engineer, musician, doctor, homemaker, educator, etc.  You will find great insight into your particular calling from the way Keller and his co-writer of Every Good Endeavor, Katherine Leary Alsdorf, thoughtfully apply their theology of work to various vocations in clear and practical ways. 

Under Pastor Keller’s leadership and the direction of Katherine Leary Alsdorf, Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City established the Center for Faith and Work.  The aim of  the CFW is to understand the intersection of Christian faith and work, and then to work out the applications of this integration for the renewal of communities within New York City.  Its mission is to equip Christ-followers in their personal vocations to integrate their faith and their work as members of their residential and professional communities.  This effort is especially timely as New York City and many American cities and communities try to accommodate the arrival of immigrants, many of whom have a willingness to work but who need acculturation based upon the transforming message of the Gospel.

Your Comments are always welcomed.  I know that many of you prefer to read, reflect, and then move on without comment.  However, I value your ideas because they often help me see issues from another perspective.  Meanwhile, may you be encouraged in the work to which God calls you to do—and I hope you can worship God in your work.