Accurately Using Scripture

There was a moment, as a teenager, that I learned something profound about Scripture that matured me greatly. I was in a very conservative church and often heard the phrase "abstain from all appearance of evil" as a proof text for staying away from anything anyone could even misconstrue as sin. I remember passing the local movie theater and seeing a couple from church in line to buy tickets. There was some innocous movie playing along with a steamier R rated movie. They were in sin--because even if they were going to the fairly innocent movie, someone passing by (like me) might think they were going to see the R rated movie. If they appeared to be doing wrong, whether they really were or not didn't matter. Not according to I Thess. 5:22.

Then one day, I read it in context. Here it is in the ESV.

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20Do not despise prophecies, 21but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22Abstain from every form of evil.

Don't despise prophecies. Instead, test them and hold on to the ones that past the test. But when evil appears, stay away from it. This Scripture has nothing to do with avoiding things that give the appearance of evil. Instead, it is a warning against evil itself. When evil appears, abstain.

When it finally dawned on me from Scripture that I had been obsessed with a spiritual standard that God Himself did not hold, it ticked me off. I was a teenager. I trusted those in spiritual leadership over me to correctly teach me the Word. And I became a bit of a polite cynic. Is that REALLY what Scripture says? I want a preacher to take his time accurately handling the Word. And I lose respect quickly when someone is sloppy with Scripture.

Fast forward to today. I have just realized that I have assumed, based on sloppy handling of the Scripture on both my part and others, a wrong application of Scripture. The verse in question is I Tim. 5:8.

8But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

My assumption was that this is talking about men providing financially for their families. Except that I did a quick study this morning just to realize that it doesn't address "any man" but "anyone". There is no specific gender implied at the beginning of verse 8. I need someone with a greater knowledge of Greek than I to tell me where "he" comes from in the 2nd part of the verse. Is specific gender implied in the Greek or is it just the choice of the translator?

But even more than that, the context of this verse in chapter 5 is the care of widows.

3Honor widows who are truly widows. 4But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. 5She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, 6but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. 7 Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. 8But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Hands down, this is about families taking care of their own. Anyone who doesn't provide for the needy relatives in their own household is worse than an unbeliever.

As I read this in context, I think it's a bit of a cop out if I only assign application to my husband bringing home the bread to pay our bills. This has application for me as well.

But in an even larger sense, this reminds me that I need to handle Scripture accurately. I need to value understanding the meaning in context of Scripture before I open my mouth and most certainly before I make judgements of others. We will never make the case for Christ to unbelievers with skewed interpretations of Scripture. Only the weak minded will follow and they'll be snatched away in the first heat of the sun. Anyone with a lick of discernment will smell the foul air and distrust anything else you say. We MUST be accurate with Scripture.

Cheap Grace

Thoughts on grace from Dietrich Bonhoeffer in The Cost of Discipleship.

"Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ."

"Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus, it comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. It is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: "My yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Hard Words for Hurting People

There is a moment in the story of Job that disturbs me when I read it. In Job 23, Job is at his lowest moment. His children have died, he's lost all of his money, and he's covered in painful boils. Everything he has given himself to in this life has become dust. His comforters bring anything but comfort to him. He says his complaint is bitter and cries that he doesn't even know where to look for God. Job, a righteous man by God's own account, is in a miserable place not by his own foolishness. Really, if anyone deserved comfort, by my system of accounting, it was Job.

But, after who knows how many months of silence, when God finally speaks to Job in chapter 38, His words don't fit the profile of what I think Job deserves to hear.

1Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 2"Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. 4"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.5Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?

God continues on this way for four chapters. "I am GOD, Job! I hung the stars in the sky, created the oceans and every animal in them. Can you do that?! I am all powerful and all knowing. Don't act like you could possibly know better on any issue than I do."

I would expect God to say something more comforting--at least as I define comfort. Something like nothing can separate us from the love of God. Or that God works all things together for our good. Or that they who wait on God mount up on wings like eagles. Or that He who began the good work in us will be faithful to complete it. But none of those promises are emphasized here.

Instead, to the guy who was probably at the lowest point of anyone ever named in Scripture, God says, "I am God. I am all powerful. And I know what I'm doing!"

I have been wrestling personally with God over some things in my own life. Recently, I very seriously prayed for a word from Him--"God, give me something to make sense of this time in life. Help me know how to think about all this and how to respond in obedience." I don't know what I expected, but His word was pretty clear. "Without faith, it is impossible to please Me." (Hebrews 11:6).

God didn't tell me that my troubles would soon end or that things would make more sense soon. Instead, He said pretty forcefully, "Trust Me! Believe in Me. I hung the stars in the sky and I know what I'm doing."

I am reminded that God never explained to Job on earth (at least according to the Scriptural account) the purpose for his suffering. As far as we know, Job didn't know until heaven what all was going on behind the scenes. In fact, Job's suffering had no earthly purpose at all. It was fully about proving the trustworthiness of God's character in the heavenly places to Satan and his minions.

I am beginning to see that the primary point of long periods of silence by God during our earthly sorrows and suffering is that we prove His worthiness of our belief and trust based fully on who He is and not on what things He gives us. Satan can't believe we would trust God just based on His character and not on the blessings on earth He gives us. That's Satan's taunt--"They only worship you because you are good to them. They'd never worship you if you didn't answer their prayers and take care of them like they expect."

The truth is that true faith doesn't worship God because God is good but because God is God. We don't endure because we expect deliverance but because He is worthy. And we will never fully clarify this in our own hearts until God stops fitting our definition of goodness and requires us to sit patiently at His feet without answering our prayers for a season. And even if that season lasts the remainder of our lives, He is worthy.

The other truth is that for no one in Scripture did that season last the rest of their lives. God's promises are that He will complete the good work He began in our hearts. He will work all the hard circumstances for honest to goodness GOOD in our lives. And when we wait on Him to work, He lifts us up on wings as eagles.

But that isn't why we trust Him, have faith in Him, or worship Him. We worship Him because He alone is God. And He is worthy.

On Disclaimers

Last night, I was thinking of writing a blog post on my problem with disclaimers. Then I came across this one this morning and was intrigued to know I am not the only one who has noticed this issue.

I used to buy books in a Christian bookstore where the manager would place in the front cover of every book a disclaimer along the lines of "though this book is sold in this bookstore, it does not mean we endorse or support the author or content of the book." It seemed paranoid, but I can't really blame them. They had years of experience with people's nitpicking complaints over things with which they disagreed.

The reality is that no author, pastor, or publisher ever gets it right all the time. Really, if you believe in total depravity and progressive sanctification, then you ought to expect that everyone is going to miss the mark at times. Some hit the mark more often than others. But some who rarely hit the mark still occasionally do.

So what should a person do if they like something an author says even if they possibly disagree with other things? As a blogger, do I have to identify every criticism I have? Do I do readers a disservice if I only mention the things that positively influenced me?

First, I assume that the readers of this blog aren't mindless sycophants with an inability to think discerningly for themselves (or without the ability to look up sycophants at www.dictionary.com).

Second, I believe much of our criticism of Christian authors, pastors, and publishers is based on bad theology. We don't really believe God's promise to finish the work He's begun to build His church and beautify His Body (Phil. 1:6). We see potential failure all around. In this paradigm, every pastor or author is only one step away from denying the faith and sending all those under his influence to the land of cults and heresy. And our job is to point out everything they get wrong all the time.

I'm adopting my own personal policy for this blog concerning disclaimers--I'm going to do my best to not use them. I'll probably give into my own paranoid fear on occasion and use them just to protect myself from the inevitable criticism if I don't. But my goal is to act consistently with my belief that readers here are discerning and that a strong focus on those things that are correct is way more effective than emphasizing the things with which I disagree.

With all that said, I really liked the Gospel of Ruth by Carolyn Custis James and I'm currently in the middle of and learning alot from Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel.

Is he the one?

Does your theology dictate how you view either your own journey in finding a spouse (if you're single) or how you encourage your single friends in their journey (especially if you are married)? My experience is that there is often a disconnect between what we say we believe about God and what we believe about finding a spouse. I know this well from my own experience.

When I was 25, I was dating a cowboy from the midwest that I thought for sure I was going to marry. He was a great guy, but in the end, I couldn't do it. I had terrible bouts with anxiety as I considered both moving forward with him toward marriage and breaking up with him and never seeing him again. But in the end, I couldn't make myself go forward no matter how much I prayed and tried.

Then I moved to a new city and started a new job. Suddenly, with no new prospects on the horizon, I sank into depression. I believed I had lost my last chance at happiness. I even had a godly older person say something along those lines to me. I finally mustered up the courage to call the cowboy. He was very kind on the phone, but at that point, he had begun dating the woman he would later marry. I was devastated. I had squandered my last chance at happiness by breaking up with him. Or so I thought.

During the time I was wrestling with myself concering marrying the cowboy, my older sister gave me some advice. She said that I would know if I should marry him. Know?! What does that mean? She just said I would know when it was right. It was a little frustrating because I needed a better definition.

It reminds me now of my first trip to Seattle. My husband and I were intent on seeing Mt. Rainier. But it was cloudy and overcast the first few days of our trip. We looked at the outline of the Cascades. Was that Mt. Rainer? Then we saw the Olympics. Maybe that tallest thing in the middle was Mt. Rainier? Then we went to the Space Needle and asked the tour guide there to show us Mt. Rainier. She looked but said the mountain wasn't out today. A day later, my husband and I were driving south on I-5 heading toward the airport. And suddenly, there it was. "Oooohhhhh. THAT'S Mt. Rainier." When you see it, there is no way on earth you won't recognize it.

When my husband finally entered my life, I didn't have to talk myself into it. I knew.

Two passages come to mind that I would use to encourage women on this issue.

Proverbs 3:5-6 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

I think we can look at this 2nd passage two ways. First, delight in the Lord and He will give you the things you desire. Second, delight in the Lord and He will give you desire for the things He wants you to pursue. Regardless, if we love and pursue God first and foremost, we don't have to be suspicious of our desires. In every avenue, rather than analyzing what we want and why we want it, the exhortation of Scripture is to analyze GOD. Set your mind on Him. Love Him. Delight in Him. And He will give you your desires. He will make your paths straight.

Does your theology match your views of dating? Are you Calvinist on your soteriology but Arminian practically speaking? If you believe in a sovereign God who loves His children and has a good plan for their lives, you don't have to live in fear that you are going to squander your one chance at happiness. You don't have to talk yourself into marrying someone because you are afraid of an empty life if you don't. That is not the character of our Father. Stop striving and rest in Him.

Suspicious of Grace

We are by nature suspicious of grace. My pastor used this phrase in a recent sermon and it stuck with me. I have a long history in the church and have experienced my share of conflict. Though I can't remember a time where I was actually in the middle of the conflict, I've observed much conflict from the sidelines. And I'm becoming increasingly convinced that it is our suspicion of and lack of endurance with grace that is the turning point in each conflict. When we loose hope in grace, conflicts become unreconcilable and deeply wounding. We label our brothers and sisters in Christ as wolves. We treat them as enemies. And we take a hammer and chainsaw to those who are ears, or thumbs, or elbows, or toes in the Body of Christ. Then we wonder afterward why the pain is so deep and the blood doesn't stop flowing. And we live in denial that we just knifed the dear, sweet Body of our beautiful Savior in the back. I have 25 years of experience in such church conflicts. I'm a veteran. There is nothing new under the sun, and I sadly recognize the cycle well.

However, instead of citing examples of how I've seen God's example of grace abandoned in Christian conflict, this week I saw an example of God's grace embraced for the long haul. And you know what? It worked! Forbearing long with our brother in Christ in love, forgiveness, humility, and grace actually worked to bring someone to repentance.

But despite those moments when we see grace work, we often remain suspicious of its power. The argument I hear against such longsuffering grace usually goes something like this. "Well, aren't you tolerating sin if you bear long? At some point, don't you have to stop enduring or others will think you are condoning their actions? You need to separate yourself and take a stand against their sin. Otherwise, everyone will think it's OK to do what they are doing!"

And you know what? I'd probably agree with all of that IF Jesus hadn't died on the cross to atone for our sins. Jesus' payment for our sins demands a different response.

Colossians 3:13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

When I heard how grace worked with my friend, I wept. Because I too am suspicious of grace. I want to be gracious. I want to bear long with people and have hope for their repentance and transformation. Instead, I often despair. But I was reminded this week that grace works. That it is the goodness of God that draws us to repent, and that our longsuffering love with our unrepentant brothers in Christ ministers grace to them that will draw them to repent as well.

Beware of viewing your brother or sister in Christ as the Pharisee to be shamed and rebuked with scorn. That is a response reserved for the unelect, and there is serious warning in Scripture against presuming to know who is and who is not of the elect. Love God. Love others. Period.

Grace works.

Back to Theology -- God is my Help

It's time to get back to the vision for this blog -- that understanding the character of our God equips us to all that God has called us, especially as women. God wasn't a woman, and Jesus never had PMS. So does that mean we have less to look for from God in terms of our example to live by as women? Absolutely not! And no where is this clearer than the first mention of the first woman in Scripture. Here are some recycled thoughts from earlier entries on how knowing the character of our God equips us to all He has called us.

In our culture, when we talk about God’s instructions to women, there will be inevitable misunderstandings. Our culture thinks “submission” means “doormat”. They think “gentle” means “weak”. And they think “helper” means “slave” or “enabler”. Instead, I want to take what we know of God and use that to equip us as women for what God has called us to be in our homes and churches. So let's look at how we as women are made in the image of God and how understanding the image of God prepares us to embrace our role in marriage. Though it should be common sense to those who know Scripture, we will offer the obvious disclaimer that Christian wives are not called to be helpers of or submitters to men who violate God’s commands by abusing their family. Men who abuse the laws of God and laws of our country have abdicated their God-given role and will be held to account by God.

At the first mention of the first woman in Scripture, we begin to understand the necessary relationship between what we know about God and what He has called us to be as wives.

Genesis 2 18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

If you don’t know God, His Names, and His character, then hearing that woman was created to be some man’s helper is going to sound incredibly condescending and substandard. “I’m called to be Help?! That sounds like some 18th century plantation snob referring to their servants. I’m not the Help.” But before we adopt that attitude, let’s consider a few things from Scripture. We want Scripture and not preconceived notions from our culture to guide our thinking on this. First, the Hebrew word translated “helper” is ezer, meaning to help, nourish, sustain, or strengthen. It’s used often in the Old Testament of God Himself. Consider it’s use in Deuteronomy 33:29.

Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places.

God Himself here is called our helper, our ezer, the same word used of the first woman in Gen. 2:18. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is also called our Helper, Counselor, and Comforter (depending on which translation of the Bible you use—these are all translations of the Holy Spirit’s role of “paraklete”, or one who comes alongside in help.)

God is our Help. The Holy Spirit is our Helper. When we understand God’s role on this issue, it puts this in perspective. God, Almighty Sovereign Lord of the Universe, is our helper and we, as women, are created in His image. If we hold on to the attitude that being created as a helper is condescending and substandard, we mock the Name of God and His character, for the role of Helper is one God willingly embraces. Christ says in Matthew 10:25 that it is enough for the disciple to be as his master and the servant as his Lord. It is enough that we seek to be like Him.

So let’s consider God’s example on this issue of Help. Do you see yourself exhibiting God’s characteristics or the contrasting ones? In Exodus 18:4, God our help defends (in contrast to attacking or ignoring the fight altogether). In Psalm 10:14 God our help sees and cares for the oppressed (rather than being indifferent and unconcerned). In Psalm 20:2 and 33:20, God our Help supports, shields and protects (rather than leaving unprotected and defenseless). In Psalms 70:5, God our Help delivers from distress (rather than causing distress). In Psalm 72:12-14, God our Help rescues the poor, weak, and needy (rather than ignoring the poor and needy). And in Psalm 86:17, God our Help comforts (rather than causing discomfort or avoiding altogether).

Often, instead of following God’s example on this, we become the very persons from whom our spouses feel they need to protect themselves. Rather that expecting compassion and support, our spouses tense as they enter our presence expecting condemnation and criticism. It should not be so among Christian wives.

God’s example reveals a high and worthy calling for wives as “helpers suitable to their husbands”. We are called to show compassion, to support, defend and protect those in our care, to deliver from distress and to comfort. We are called to be conduits of God’s grace in our homes. We are called to be like Christ.