Category: Scripture

Posted on

Twisted Scripture

When Peter closed out his second epistle, he gave a warning to his readers, specifically about Paul’s writings (2 Pet. 3:15-16). First, he accuses Paul of penning things that are hard to understand (coming from an apostle who wrote one of the most difficult/controversial paragraphs in Scripture [see 1 Pet. 3:18-22]). Secondly, and more importantly, he acknowledged that “ignorant and unstable” people are given to twisting Paul’s words.

What Peter was right about Paul is true about Scripture in general. Scripture can and is often abused. Paul told Timothy to “rightly divide” God’s word (i.e. “be responsible with” in 2 Tim. 2:15). John, at the conclusion of his apocalyptic revelation, warns his readers not to “add or take away” (Rev. 22:19) from the words of his writing. Ultimately, his warning is the same as Paul’s to “handle with care” God’s word (ironically, more twisting of John’s Revelation has occurred than almost any other part of Scripture).

Jesus addressed twisting Scripture in the early portion of the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:21-48). Fueling hate in your heart breaks Scripture’s command not to murder. Lusting after a woman breaks Scripture’s command to not commit adultery. Breaking any oath is tantamount to breaking an oath directly to God. Seeking personal revenge (i.e. “eye for an eye”) abuses a directive given to judicial settings not for the common people (see Ex. 21:23-25; Lev. 24:19-20). And Scripture never taught people to hate their enemies, but just the opposite (Lev. 19:18). In every example Jesus undermines our bent to twist and manipulate Scripture in order to justify our pride or our sin; we’re just not as good as we make ourselves out to be.

Jesus confronted a blatant twisting of Scripture during his temptation by the devil (Mt. 4L1-11; Lk. 4:1-13). Satan quoted Psalm 91:11-12 to assure Jesus that God’s protective promise was on him. Jesus never argued context or meaning, but went to Deuteronomy 6:16, a warning about putting God to the test. It’s one thing to live with a faithful trust in God, but it’s another to arrogantly test God with your so-called “faith.”

While volumes have been written about the tools and guardrails needed for understanding Scripture, time and space limits this particular discussion. Clearly we’re living in a time when people’s understanding of Scripture has been moved to the front burners of life. And some of those approaches to God’s Word has had devastating results. As we try to avoid twisting Scripture to our own agenda Jesus offers at least three principles to keep Scripture straight.

First, loving God and loving each other is the ultimate command to follow (Mt. 22:34-40; Mk. 12:28-34; Lk. 10:25-27). These two commands are tied together so that how we love God is expressed in our love for each other (Jas. 2:8; 1 Jn. 4:20). And as Paul says, every other law can be summed up by loving our neighbor (Gal. 5:14). In other words, god is less concerned with our need to impress him with (said ritual), than he is about how we treat each other.

Secondly, religious rituals were made to serve us, not master us. When Jesus was confronted about Sabbath laws, not only did he claim Lordship and rule-maker over the Sabbath, but he reminded us that the Sabbath was never to be a burden to the people (Mk. 2:27-28). People are more important than the ritual. So if you’re hungry and walking through a grain field, it’s ok to pluck the grain to eat it. The spiritual disciplines and rituals have a place and role, but they are not end game. The disciplines and rituals only lead us to the End Game.

Finally, God is actually more concerned about us showing mercy than he is about our religious rituals, even if those rituals are commanded (Mt. 12:7; Lk. 6:36). When we stand before God on judgment, (I believe) we’ll beg for mercy. The level of mercy God grants us will be in direct portion to the level of mercy we’ve granted here in our lives. Being accused of showing too much mercy in the “here and now,” may be better than being accused of not showing mercy in the “then and there.”

Twisting Scripture is a complicated discussion and study. Our own bias and prejudice tend to blind our spiritual eyes to see clearly. Maybe the key to ironing out our penchant of twisting Scripture is to spray our approach with a little more humility.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

Posted on

Broken Heart: When God’s Word is Misused & Abused

Scripture may be a window into God’s heart, but it’s through a very complex lens. It was written over a vast period of time (traditionally 1500 years by forty individuals) including multiple cultures and three primary languages (Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic). The original audiences, who received portions of Scripture at a time, were far from uniform. The Hebrews of the Pentateuch looked nothing like those in the divided kingdom nor like the exiled Israelites. By the time of the New Testament, the issues in Corinth looked nothing like the issues facing Philippi nor even the ones in Asia Minor where John sent his Revelation. Scripture is filled with multiple genres (poetry, narrative, prophetic, wisdom, law, genealogy, apocalyptic, et. al.) and sometimes we can find sub genres amidst the main genres (i.e. parables and poetry contained within narrative). None of that addresses the reading level of Scripture or translation ideologies.

While Scripture is complex, it does not give us a step-by-step process for reading or interpreting it. It’s as if God believed mankind was smart enough to figure out how to handle his word. It does give us some warnings about abusing Scripture, and it’s a reoccurring theme in the New Testament. For instance, in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he restored how Scripture was intended to be used instead of how the religious leaders used it to validate their self-righteousness (Mt. 5:21-48). Paul exhorted Timothy to handle God’s word properly (2 Tim. 2:15), and of course the irony is how often that verse has been misused. Peter acknowledges how “ignorant and unstable” people distort Scriptures (2 Pet. 3:16). Finally, John’s warning not to “add or take away” is a colloquial phrase to alert them against abusing Scripture, specifically his apocalypse (Rev. 22:18-19). You can almost hear the writers testifying how manipulating Scripture is a way of breaking God’s heart.

I could spend some time discussing necessary steps to unlocking Scripture to safeguard how we handle God’s word respectfully. If I did I’d cover things like context, background, key words or themes, genre and much more. But now is not really the best time or format for such a discussion. Instead, following Scriptures’ lead, we might look at some end-results to show how devastating some approaches to Scripture actually are. The fallout includes how much we’re actually breaking God’s heart.

When Scripture is used to promote sinfulness, we either pursue happiness at all costs or one hold a corrupted view of grace (Rom. 6). Anytime we try to justify behavior contrary to the will and character of God we break his heart. Instead, when confronted by the sinfulness in our lives, we repent and stop the behavior to re-align ourselves with God. Only then does healing begin.

When Scripture is used to justify hatred we’re appealing to our own sinful nature. By the first century the Jews defended their loathing for the Samaritans and the Gentiles by misusing Leviticus 19:18, believing that “neighbor” is proximity to you. Not only does Jesus challenge that assertion in Luke 10:25-37 but he explicitly calls for us to pray for our enemies and those who do us harm (Mt. 5:43-47).

When Scripture is used to promote divisive sectarianism instead of faith and unity, we’re breaking God’s heart. Oddly, people who have a high view of Scripture tend to look for reasons to separate and divide. Denominational loyalty of “we’re right and they’re wrong” ignores the possibility that we might be wrong too. Political loyalties, a dangerous threat to Scriptures’ integrity, tends to choose a handful of issues that may line up with Scripture while ignoring others that don’t. For instance, abortion may very well be murder, but ignoring the plight of the homeless or refugees is just as sinful. Many social issues from race relations to poverty should be shaped by a healthy view of Scripture, but many times are driven by a political bent view of Scripture. And God’s heart breaks.

For those of us who hold a high view of Scripture, our challenge is to remove our own blinders in order to hear God’s voice speak to us. It’s easier said than done. But as James says, “Blessed is the one who does what the word says and not merely listen to it” (my paraphrase from James 1:22). When that happens we mend a broken heart, and that heart is God’s.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is Glorified!)

Posted on

A Light to Guide My Faith? Or A Barrier to My Own Belifs?

The Psalmist says that God’s word is a lamp to his feet and a light for his path (Ps. 119:105). He goes on to proclaim his loyalty to God’s law and his word no matter the circumstances, for his hope is in God’s word (v. 114).

The backbone of my faith has always been Scripture. I was taught at an early age to read it and to study my Bible. We carried it with us to church and, like the Bereans of Acts 17:11, followed the preacher’s logic to see if it lined up with Scripture. We kept the Bible by the bedside to read before going to bed. And if that wasn’t enough, I was sent to a small, private Christian school where daily prayer and Bible classes were mandatory to my education. The result was the emergence of a high view of Scripture, and a conscience effort to root my teaching and preaching in God’s word.

While I was taught to trust God’s word, I was also taught to be suspicious of anyone whose view of Scripture differed from mine. Since I was a conservative Christian, anyone to my left was held in suspicion. Since they didn’t take God’s word seriously (according to the standard I was shown), they were not to be trusted. They watered down God’s word and refused to preach the whole council of God. But in my twenty-five years of preaching, my experience has not quite lined up with what was taught me.

In the book of Zechariah, the people came to the prophet for advice. Following the fall of Jerusalem and the temple, Israel initiated a day of fasting to mourn the temple. For seventy years they commemorated this day, but now that the temple had been rebuilt they weren’t sure if they should continue this tradition. So they asked Zechariah for a word from God on this matter.

The response they received was not what they expected. God indicted them. First, God questioned their motives for their so-called “moment of silence” (Zech. 7:5-6). Secondly, he told them that their continued actions was not better than their forefathers taken into captivity (Zech. 7:7). Then he landed the final blow to Israel when he outlined what he really wanted from them, and it wasn’t a feast or a “moment of silence.”

Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other (Zech. 7:9b-10).

I wish I could tell you that the Israelites responded and repented. I wish I could tell you that they tore their clothes in sorrow for their self-righteousness. I wish I could tell you how revival swept the land. But they were no better than their forefathers. They stood, turned their backs to Zechariah and plugged their ears to his message (Zech. 7:11-12). The response of the prophet did not fit their definition of what God wanted from them, so they refused to listen.

Where the word of God is intended to be a light to guide our faith, more times than not, it’s a barrier to what we want to believe. When we’ve stood to condemn people for undermining Scripture to support their belief system, we’ve failed to consider if we’ve done the same thing. We believe we should forgive, but justify the refusal to forgive “that” sin. We believe we should be compassionate, until we don’t trust people’s motives. We believe we should help the poor, only as long as the poor help themselves. We believe we should show love, until it’s a person difficult to love. Somewhere Jesus voice is silenced: “Yes, forgive ‘that’ sin. Yes, continue to be compassionate. Yes, keep helping the poor. Yes, true love is being stretched to its full measure.” If the truth be known we are the ones undermining the very authority of the Scripture we hold so dear.

A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) once said, “Most churches don’t hear God’s voice because we’ve already decided we aren’t going to do what he says.” I don’t think it’s just an indictment on those to my left, but to all who claim to follow the word of God.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

Posted on

Blessed Are the Blest, for They Will Be a Blessing

The word, “blessed,” has become a “go to” word among the Christian community. People’s prayers are filled with acknowledging how blessed God has been, including our health, the friends we have, and the country we live in. The word has run the gambit, from the blessings received for the building we assemble in to the slogan, “Too blessed to be stressed.” Certainly, this word has probably been overused over the last decade or so, and the connotation has been given a “health & wealth” slant.

The word, “blessed” has a rich heritage, and a form of it appears about 65 times in our Bibles. While the Hebrew and Greek word for “blessed” can be translated “happy,” contextually, the kind of happiness the Bible speaks about is not something external but internal. Being blessed carries with it the grace of God’s approval, so that the person blessed by God is the person who has God’s esteem. That approval does not always translate into physical or material prosperity.

As already noted, the word “blessed” appears frequently in Scripture. However, the formula found in the Beatitudes (Mt. 5:3-11) is a twist on a common formula in Scripture as well. In order to reorient our lives to a life truly “blessed” by God, we need a clearer understanding of God’s perspective.

● The Psalms > When the book of Psalms opens up, it boldly begins its journey with the blessing formula, “Blessed is the man” (Ps. 1:1 [this formula occurs fifteen times in Psalms]). Most scholars will tell you that the placement of this Psalm at the beginning of the Psalmist collection is intentional, and sets a tone for the rest of the Psalms. The Psalm contrasts two different people, the one blessed because he/she walks in righteousness versus the wicked one who has no place in the assembly. While the Psalmist does not tell us what the wicked has done, one can assume he/she is contrasted with the righteous who spend their time meditating on the law and allowing God’s word to sink in.

● The Gospels > Both Matthew and Luke contain what we call, The Beatitudes, though each do so very differently. Matthew (5:3-12) focuses on the inner spirit and character development of the follower of Christ. One might paraphrase Matthew’s “beatitudes” as “blessed are the broken,” for only the ones who see themselves as broken before God are the ones God can truly fix. On the other hand, Luke (6:20-26) seems to focus his attention on material possessions. The poor, as opposed to poor in spirt, are the ones blessed. Those who hunger now, for physical food, will be satisfied. Luke also records Jesus’ scathing rebuke to the wealthy because, in contrast to the poor, they’re enjoying the good life now (and probably at the expense of the poor).

● Revelation > The “Blessed” formula appears seven times in John’s apocalypse. Like the Psalms, the first one opens the letter and sets a similar tone to Psalm 1. The one who is blessed “takes to heart what is written in (his revelation” [Rev. 1:3]). John is concerned about his audience buying into what he’s offering, “because the time is near,” though he doesn’t explain right there what he means by “time is near.” Of course the rest of Revelation fleshes out his message of to the churches in Asia Minor they are to “take to heart.”

While this is a sampling of the way Scripture uses “blessed,” and not a complete study, it does point us in the direction we should go when we drop the phrase, “I am blessed.” It has less to do with the physical things many of us already experience simply by living in a country of wealth and prosperity. It has more to do with the spiritual perspective of emptying ourselves and depending solely on God for his grace.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(only God is glorified!)

Posted on

Be Still

Be still . . . for in the midst of the storm God is our refuge (Ps. 46:1). So the Psalmist speaks of sink holes and earthquakes, foamy and turbulent waters, and trouble with danger. But he also speaks of God’s actions, how God makes war and destroys the bow, shatters the spear, and burns the shields of his enemies.

Be still . . . in a world filled with white noise. From screaming kids to the TV blaring to the cars honking to the neighbors shouting, we long for quiet. I believe my father’s joy of working in his garage, whether it was on the car or wood working projects, was probably and partly motivated as a means to seek out quiet solitude from a household of five children.

Be still . . . so that when the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee, gale force winds unexpectedly emerged. Sudden storms were common on the sea because the mountains surrounding the lake acted as a funnel for the wind. Even experienced sailors, with no life jackets, feared such storms. So while the disciples were facing the raging storms, Jesus was sleeping on the job. In their fear and panic, they woke their master who faced the storm, saying, “Peace! Be still!” (Mk. 4:35-41).

Be still . . . and in the early morning hours a young mother nurses her baby. While they rock together, comforting the little one in her arms, she whispers her love in the night while praying over her child.

Be still . . . for as Elijah was told to stand in the opening of the cave, God was going to pass him by. When the wind tore through the mountains, God was not in the wind. And when the earth shook beneath his feet as rocks and boulders produced landslides, God was not in the earthquake. And when the fire raged through the valley destroying everything in its path, God was not in the fire. But when a soft gentle whisper was heard, Elijah pulled his cloak over his face (1 King. 19:11-13a).

Be still . . . for when chaos runs wild, a calm presence is needed to ascertain what is happening. The easy response is always a knee-jerk reaction to match the intensity of the event. A vase breaks and it’s matched by a scream from the other room, “What is it?” Or a child falls and the adult gasps, running and screaming to pick up the child, making one wonder if the child needs comforting or the adult?

Be still . . . as Jesus arose early in the morning, while it was still dark, he found a place where he was by himself so he could pray. No interruptions. No responsibilities. No distractions. Just time with him and God.

Be still . . . the messages that bombard us daily are trying to shape our thinking and world view. They incite fear and sometimes lay the groundwork for others to create conspiracy theories. We’re stressed, worried, and believe the worst case scenario will unfold before us. We struggle to find a solace anywhere.

Be still . . . and know that I am God (Ps. 46:10).

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)