Got Fruit ?

I had quite a few thoughts going on in my jumbled mind last week as I attempted to bring things to order in the post: Christ’s divinity (Apologetics).  That post actually started out not as any type of attempt at apologetics but rather from another observation made while reading Genesis.  As I made mention earlier in Christ’s divinity (Apologetics):

For the Bible believing Orthodox Christian John 1:1-2 is probably the most popular verse that we reach for in explaining or defending the Trinitarian doctrine and beliefs.

That post which is more or less directed against the Jehovah’s Witnesses doctrine (which denies the divinity of Jesus), included verse 3 of John 1 as Biblical evidence for the divine nature of Christ Jesus.  Other verses that speak of Christ’s nature as divine include:

John 1:1-3
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John 10:31-33
31 Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"

33 "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."

Colossians 2:9-10
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

Hebrews 1:5-10
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
   "You are my Son;
      today I have become your Father? Or again,
   "I will be his Father,
      and he will be my Son"?
6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
   "Let all God’s angels worship him."
7 In speaking of the angels he says,
   "He makes his angels winds,
      his servants flames of fire."
8 But about the Son he says,
   "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,
      and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
      therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
      by anointing you with the oil of joy."
10 He also says,
   "In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
      and the heavens are the work of your hands.

Getting back to the main point.  The following is an observation and thoughts from reading Genesis that I believe builds on what John 1:1-3 (as well as the other passages from Scripture) presents of Jesus’ divine nature.

In the first book of Genesis we are told that God created the heavens and the earth, His Spirit meantime hovering over the waters.  Perhaps, purposefully meant to be a "witness" (John 16:13,2nd Timothy 3:16-17) to the creation events?

The first interesting observation comes from Genesis 1:26, which throughout the Genesis account is the only instance where God is read as directly addressing "someone else" ("Let us make man in our image…") ie; inviting "someone else" to participate in either a creative process or the entire creative process.  Or is it?

Again I had always understood the Genesis account as God the Father, being full of power and glory simply speaking into existence what He desired.  The thought that I’m attempting to relate is that I had missed seeing what I’ll refer to as "corporate creation" or "cooperative creation" that goes beyond "Let us make man in our image…" within the godhead.  It’s not that I had dismissed what John 1:1-3 says,nor disbelieved,  rather I never saw the connection literally written out, in and throughout Genesis 1 so clearly as now. Hey, I never claimed to be the sharpest tool in the shed.  Hopefully the following will explain.

Notice in Genesis 1:3-5,9-13 that God makes a declaration, and it’s so; whereas in Genesis 1:6-8,14-27, God makes a declaration, and that declaration is followed by a confirming "God made or God created" statement reflecting what God had intended to create. Seeing Genesis with a different set of eyes expands, clarifies, and solidifies my beliefs in Christ’s divinity.  This clarity is a result of reading and understanding the Genesis account not only as God the Father creating, but also as God (Jesus Christ the Son) being shown in Scripture through a closer examination, to be actively involved in the creation process as well.  Taking a closer look at Scripture…

The following passages from Genesis are broken out and grouped to present where it appears that God the Father is speaking to Jesus (Genesis1:3-5,9-14), thus Christ is the one doing the creating.

Genesis1:3-5,9-14
3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so.

In this second set of Scripture from Genesis (Genesis1:6-8,16-26) this is where it appears that God the Father is the one with the "lead" in the creation process.

Genesis1:6-8,16-26
6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

 

20 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

Finally in verse 27 of Genesis, we have what can be read as speaking of either the godhead or perhaps God the Father only in the first sentence.  I can only assume not to include the Holy Spirit per se, as He was hovering over the waters.  When we jump to the second part of verse 27, "in the image of God he created him;", it seems to be reading as "in the image of God (Jesus Christ the Son) he (God the Father) created him (man);".

Genesis 1:27
27 So God created man in his own image,
       in the image of God he created him;
       male and female he created them.

Just some thoughts that I wanted to share.  I hope that in part or whole this might be of use to someone explaining, defending or otherwise in conversation about Christ’s divinity or the Trinity.

Grace and peace be with you.

Sponge Bob Square Pants and Patrick Starfish called ‘em "sentence enhancers", those of us not in Toon Land know them simply as cuss words, profanity or swearing.  I know… actually admitting that I know anything about a toon, much less Sponge Bob probably is not going to help my cause with the babes I’m sure.  

This weekend a friend from church, asked for my help with a discussion/debate she was having with her friend "Chip" concerning the use of profanity by professing Christians.  Chip holds the opinion that words normally considered as profane or obscene are just words.  Chip believes that since the Bible doesn’t specifically say that s*** or f*** are sinful for example, it’s ok to use such words.  Chip’s rationale is that as long as those words are directed at an object and not a person, no foul no harm.  Looking to the Bible, I can’t say that I follow Chip’s rationale.

Ephesians 4:29
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Colossians 3:5-8
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

James 3:9-12
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt[a] water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

The subject of using improper language came up again this afternoon in a conversation between myself and co-worker "Larry".  As the conversation moved on, Larry and I came to the conclusion that even on occasions where we use words such as "dang" or "darn"; or phrases such as "Oh my gosh!","Oh my goodness!" or "Good grief!"; what we’re really doing is simply fooling ourselves into thinking it’s Ok to say such things since we’ve replaced the offensive or inappropriate term with something that sounds benign.  Rather than commit to yea or nay view in terms of it being an issue of damnation for someone saying "dang",  I think of it more like a character issue that God speaks to our hearts about.

I’m not advocating that a follower of Christ turn into the language police for their workplace.  I do believe however that the Bible has some more to say about how we each should watch what comes out of our own mouths.  In chapter 5 of Ephesians Paul starts his argument by pointing out the standard that Christians are to aspire to live up to…

Ephesians 5:1 
1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children
(See Romans 12:1-2)

Between verses 3 and 5 of Ephesians 5 Paul gives a detailed listing of sinful activities and sinful attitudes that would disqualify a man from inheriting the kingdom of Christ, Paul is telling the church of Ephesus that these things are improper because as children of God, the Ephesians are to be conducting themselves in a holy manner.

• sexual immorality
• any kind of impurity
• greed
• obscenity
• foolish talk
• coarse joking
• idolatry

Ephesians 5:3-5
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

I imagine that himself Paul contended with his fair share of folks in the church that tried to rationalize their use of "sentence enhancing language", hence a reason for this section of the letter to the Ephesians.  Having dealt with this argument, Paul seems to understand not only the impropriety in using "bad words", but also the wayward thinking of anyone attempting to convince a believer otherwise.  Paul says that these advocates are being deceptive, their argument having no merit because it’s from men with a world view, there is no authority here.

Ephesians 5:6-11
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

Grace and peace be with you.

A friend asked: "How to balance it all…" a few days ago on Facebook to which I responded…

"The answer… not too far to the left and not too far to the right. Sorta right there in the center of the midway point. Generally speaking of course. "

I was being somewhat silly with my "answer", however the question has lingered with me over the past few days; though not in a terribly nagging sort of way.  I did however ponder for some time how Jesus for example managed to see the big picture in all things, able to address the more pressing issue at hand when confronted by hypocritical religious leaders; giving them the verbal smack down, while graciously nurturing the "sinner". John 8:2-11  I started to recall where I was in Christ say 3 to 5 years ago, to where I think He’s bought me to now, any good in me of course is to the glory and credit of God Almighty.

Some particular "extremes" that I recall having to let Christ walk me through were that of having to shake off the tainting of New Age philosophy, legalist perspective, and a tendency to focus mostly on God’s love for us and not enough on His other qualities such as His: righteousness, holiness, justice,wisdom and patience to name a few.

The world view I held for almost half of my life was a result of unknowingly falling for New Age philosophy.  This view was a byproduct of my teenage years, formed after reading Richard Bach’s: "Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah".  I had essentially taken hook line and stinker, Bach’s expressed view that one ought not feel guilty if another feels rejected, hurt or otherwise offended because of our actions or decisions to not feel obligated meet another’s needs.  To illustrate, Bach presents a part of the story where a metaphorical vampire makes a request to feed on someone.  The vampire is as best as I can recall a seemingly pleasant person afflicted with being a vampire and thus requiring human blood in order to continue living.  He pleads with someone to meet his need, and the reluctant party responds to the effect of: "Tough luck pal, you’re not sucking my blood, and if you feel "hurt"that’s just too bad.  You choose to feel hurt, and it has nothing to do with me.".  Taking on this world view inoculated me from the concerns of others,I was responsible for me and avoided situations that put me in danger of having to yield for the sake of others.  Now don’t get it twisted, I’m still not letting anyone suck my blood, but I might point you to the nearest Red Cross, blood donation center, hospital or public mental health facility. 

Looking back, I think the legalist perspective was partially a result of attempting by my own "wisdom" to live by the law.

1st Corinthians 8:9
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

There was also an overcompensation to make up for a lack of genuine spiritual worship of the Lord with my heart,soul, and mind.  I was fortunately blessed to understand that I had become more enamored with the intellectual side of things (loving the Book, instead of the Author), which is not to say that gaining Bible knowledge hasn’t been a blessing, nor that it shouldn’t be considered a vital component of our walk with Christ.

Romans 12:1
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

As for an unbalanced focus on God’s love, I thank God that He made it possible for me to receive words of wisdom from the mature Christians that He surrounded me with as well as Him providing timely words from a variety of other sources; namely His Written Word, but also His Word shared by several Christian bloggers and web sites of Godly men and women.  I never saw myself as going to the extreme of the present day "love fest" within Christianity; though some might be tempted to read into this earlier post.  Rather I simply saw myself as not being immersed in the completeness of what God has revealed to us about Himself, hence one possible reason for feeling the need to read and study the Old Testament with dedication to giving  an equal amount of attention as held for the New Testament.  Though I do admit that the Gospels and Paul’s 13 Letters do tend to be easier to read, study and just give me a buzz! 

Having gotten completely sidetracked with my expanded take on maintaining a sense of balance in our lives, especially when compared to what Jesus did, I’d like to close with an urging to readers to check out what John McArthur has to say about Liberty in Christ.  I particularly draw your attention to what McArthur has to say about "The Dangers of Legalism and Libertinism".

Grace and peace be with you

Ezekiel 18:32
32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!

These are the final words of Ezekiel 18, uttered by God.  A simple command which with compliance offers life. "Repent and live!"

On Friday thoughts from Ezekiel 18 were shared regarding how God makes it clear that every man is responsible for his actions, he will suffer the consequences of his sin, not his offspring, as will he also be acknowledged for his righteousness which no one else can take nor receive credit for.

Throughout the bulk of Ezekiel 18 (verses 3-28), God explicitly tells us that the wicked man that repents from all his sinful ways will have life, while the righteous man that turns from the path of righteousness to that of the wicked man will lose his life.

Reading through this chapter of Ezekiel some thoughts and ideas concerning the  "doctrine (?)" of "once saved always saved" crossed my mind.   As New Testament believers, I know that God’s grace is the mechanism by which we are saved, in spite of our past sins and ongoing struggles with sin.  It occurs to me that we have a problem however if we take God’s grace and not properly apply the stipulation of repentance earnestly,honestly and continually to our lives.  Text from Ezekiel 18 clearly points out both the benefit of repentance as well as the consequences of not repenting.  A broader view of the book of Ezekiel in fact pointing to the impending judgement by God as an example of the consequences suffered by Israel for not turning from it’s sinful ways.

Ezekiel 14:6
6 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!

In the New Testament of the Bible we have numerous examples from Jesus Christ Himself as well as Paul exhorting us to walk the righteous walk, to not fall into the deception of living a sinful life.  Below is a brief view of some of those exhortations.

Matthew 7:13
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

Romans 6:1-5
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

Galatians 5:16-21
16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1st Thessalonians 4:7
7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

From the previous examples, and with exception to Jesus speaking in Matthew 7:13, Scripture seems to be emphatically speaking to believers in Christ.  Given that this message of repentance is repeatedly preached, I can’t help but take it to heart that our salvation is an ongoing process.  A process of being strengthened in the Lord and in His Word (the building of the relationship with Christ),versus a false implication drawn from the "once saved, always saved" idea that no matter what one’s conduct is, salvation can’t be lost. (See Matthew 7:21-23)

• We continually wrestle with the flesh (Ephesians 6:10-12)
• Our faith is constantly being challenged by Satan’s deceptions (1st Timothy 4:1)
• Doctrine is constantly under attack  (1st Timothy 4:16)
• Christians are not immune to temptation (1st Corinthians 10:13)
• Righteousness is a product of laboring in Christ (Hebrews 5:11-14, Hebrews 6:1-4)

From the Gospel of Mark, Jesus calls to the people…

Mark 1:15
15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

Grace and peace be with you.

Initially (2006-2007) much of my study time was spent in the New Testament as I had questions that seemed more readily answered in Paul’s Epistles, recently though; especially the past 2-3 months; has been spent primarily reading and studying from the Old Testament.

Having gotten a little "winded" on the Major prophets such as Isaiah,Jeremiah and Daniel, I recently opted to take in some lighter reading by checking into Esther (History & Government).  Making my way through the first few chapters of Esther, I wasn’t really blown away.  That outlook changed however, by the time I managed to finish the book which is only 10 chapters in length.

A few things of interest from Esther that I’d like to share for those not in the know, such as I was.  First, Esther is; as confirmed by my pastor; the only book in the Bible where God is not mentioned.  Back the truck up! Yep, nowhere throughout the book is God mentioned.  No one is praising Him, nor calling on Him for help in their afflictions.  No pleading to God, nor complaining to Him about one’s knuckle-headed adulterous countrymen (and women).  No condemnation or prophetic words spoken in the name of the Lord; just a story about a King named Xerxes (Uh? I don’t think he’s quite the same 13 foot tall dude as portrayed in Frank Miler’s graphic novel "300", adapted for the Silver screen) his rebellious queen Vashti, her replacement Esther, Esther’s cousin Mordecai and a scum bag named Haman.  "Oh!",… and just desserts.

Another interesting perspective that I took from reading the book of Esther is that though God isn’t mentioned in the text, by the time you complete the book you can see God’s hand all over the situation that’s depicted. From the New Testament Book of Matthew I’m reminded of these words from Jesus:

Matthew 23:12
12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

(See also: Luke 18:14 & 1st Samuel 2:7)

For those not familiar, I hope you , take take do take some time to read Esther and that you too enjoy the reading as I did.

Grace and peace be with you.