Not everyone who
says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one
who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Understanding this statement is what
motivated the study I engaged in. The study was to try to understand the “will
of the Father”. The importance of knowing the will of the Father is vital since
the context in which it is mentioned here also contains a warning. Certain
people who practiced religion in the name of Jesus, prophesied, cast out demons,
and did many miracles in his name, were rejected by him. “I will declare to
them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.”
I do not think it right to simply to
suggest that the motivation of those rejected was wrong. Maybe it was, Jesus
would be able to determine that, whereas we are not able to. We don’t know if
the rejected were deluded, or hypocritical; the frightening thought is that
some at least may have believed they were do the right things. The question we
must ask ourselves is, “is it possible to be religious, a Church goer, a
Christian, and at the end be rejected?”
In this study I portray institutional
religion as an impediment. I believe strongly that one’s relationship with God
is personal and individual. I am a child of God. I relate to him as to my
heavenly Father. There is only one mediator, and that is Jesus. I believe that
the New testament writings were for those living in the last days of physical
Israel. The sixty-six books making up the Bible are a library, not a single
volume. The “principles” found in scripture from Genesis to Revelation apply to
every age, whereas the edicts and specific commands apply to the period specified.
For clarity I have included a timeline on
page 47, followed by a short study on choosing tradition or God’s plan.
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy
in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and
do many deeds of power in your name?' Then I will declare to them, 'I never
knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.'
This short segment is found in the
concluding remarks of the “Sermon on the Mount”. The “sermon” which runs from
Matt 5:3 to Matt 7:27, is a synopsis of Jesus teaching. It also outlines the pattern
of life for people in the kingdom of God. Jesus’ teaching on this occasion is
not a list of individual snippets strung loosely together, nor platitudes to be
recited as mantra. The sermon is one uniform lesson containing thirty or so
individual points. The quotation, and focus of this study, is one part of three
final admonitions; recognition of false prophets, the importance of the will of
the Father, and acting on Jesus’ word. (Matt 7:15-27). What is meant by – “doing
the will of the Father”? This study is a search for what Jesus meant by, “…the
will of my Father.” Jesus spent his life doing the will of his Father, and, his
teaching focused on his Father’s will. What does the statement mean for us?
On the mountain as Jesus sat to teach his
disciples, his first statement clarified the crux of man’s relationship with
God. “Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This
statement is the foundation, the primary principle required for citizenship in
the kingdom of God. The word “poor” in the Greek carries the meaning: “the
state of being a beggar.” This principle emphasizes that humans have nothing to
contribute to a relationship with God. Our approach to God must not be like the
rich young ruler, who when Jesus told him to keep the commandments, said he had
already done all that. But when told to get rid of his wealth, went away
despondent. Jesus called for him to empty himself, to become poor in spirit, to
move his focus and security away from riches to become a beggar dependent on
God’s grace. Jesus said to his
disciples; a master does not thank his slave for doing the things he was commanded to do, “So you
too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy
slaves; we have done that which we ought to have done.'” Becoming
poor in spirit is the beginning. We must empty ourselves to approach God. Paul
admonished the Philippians to do as Jesus did when coming to earth, he “emptied Himself”, and became a slave. Jesus gave up his heavenly position to take on
the form of a man.
The teaching of Jesus amplified the
differences between the earthly Kingdom of Israel and the spiritual Kingdom of
God. Jeremiah foretold that under the new covenant, the governing laws would
not be engraved on stone, but written on our hearts. Jesus reinforced that
concept when he said:
Come to me, all you that are weary and are
carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you,
and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest
for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
These verses are used today in a general way;
however, they are connected to the prayer of thanks Jesus offered to God “…you
have hidden these
things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants.” Jesus knew that the Jewish leaders were shackled by tradition. Of
the scribes and Pharisees Jesus said; “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and
lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift
a finger to move them.” Jesus revealed
the new way of the spirit. Paul on that subject wrote:
Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in
letters on stone tablets, came in glory so that the people of Israel could not
gaze at Moses' face because of the glory of his face, a glory now set
aside, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit come in glory?
The new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah,
and bought into effect by Jesus, was spiritual. The ritual and legal
requirements of the law, were superseded by the covenant of grace. “The law indeed was given through
Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
When teaching his disciples Jesus said
them, “You have heard
that it was said…, but I say… The law focused on wrongful
deeds; Jesus focused on attitudes of the heart. Jeremiah prophesied that; the
new covenant would be written on the heart. In response to the criticism of the
Pharisees, Jesus addressed what was important, saying:
Do you not see that whatever goes into the
mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out
of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out
of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false
witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed
hands does not defile.
The battleground, between the earthly way
and the spiritual way, is the heart. The conflict Pharisees had with Jesus delineated
the line between ritualistic religion, and, “the will of the Father.” Prophesy,
casting out demons, and doing powerful deeds, all in the name of Jesus, seems
to me to be remarkably religious. That’s why it appears Jesus’ statement about
the “many” he didn’t know appears harsh. It was a statement only he could make,
as the Son of God. It is wrong for anyone to assume the role of a judge. None
of us should dare to judge another’s motives -that is God’s prerogative. Our
responsibility is to reflect on our own situation. We need to make sure that our
relationship with God is sound. I am required to look at my own activities; are
they ritual based, or heart motivated. I must decide if the religious acts I do,
are done to make me feel good, or because they are the will of God. A question
we must ask ourselves is, “do the practices that qualify us as religious, meet
the standard of, ‘doing the Father’s will?’” I want to be sure that my religious
activities are not in the same category as those who were rejected by Jesus. I must
ask myself if what I do as religious work, has become more important than, or a
substitute for “doing the will of the Father”.
The day following Jesus’ feeding the five
thousand, he admonished the crowd:
‘Do not work for the food which
perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life’ …. Therefore
they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, so that we may work the
works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is
the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’[10]
The work of God is to believe in Jesus. The
will of the Father comes from the heart –it is to believe in Jesus. James
Russell Lowell captured the essence of true service, as a nobleman shares a
crust with a beggar who then appears as Jesus:
His words were
shed softer than leaves from the pine,
And they fell
on Sir Launfal as snows on the brine,
That mingle
their softness and quiet in one
With the shaggy
unrest they float down upon;
And the voice
that was softer than silence said: —
Lo, it is I, be
not afraid!
In many climes,
without avail,
Thou hast spent
thy life for the Holy Grail:
Behold, it is
here—this cup which thou
Didst fill at
the streamlet for me but now:
This crust is
my body broken for thee,
This water His
blood that died on the tree:
The Holy Supper
is kept indeed
In whatso we
share with another's need.
Not what we
give, but what we share—
For the gift
without the giver is bare;
Who gives
himself with his alms feeds three, —
Himself, his
hungering neighbor, and me.
Lowell captured the emptiness of pursuing a
cause, compared to the reward of doing an act of kindness. Greatness, is not
from the pursuit of glory, but, from humbly emulating Jesus.
The last parable recorded in Matthew’s
gospel is a summation of a life of “doing the will of the Father.”
Then said the
king, ‘Come, you
who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world:
For I was hungry, and you gave me something
to eat;
I was thirsty, and you gave me something
to drink;
I was a stranger, and you invited me in;
I was naked, and you clothed me;
I was sick, and you visited me;
I was in prison, and you came to me.
Then they asked, 'Lord, when did we see you…
hungry, and feed you,
thirsty, and give you drink,
a stranger, and invite you in,
naked, and clothe you,
sick, or in prison, and come to you?'
The King will answer, what you did for one of these brothers of mine,
you did that to me.'
For many, religion has become complicated
and abstract. The history of religion is besmirched by acts of violence,
“defending the faith”, or the exacting legalism of harsh doctrines. For some,
it is too academic, for others it’s too vague. The criticism of biblical
religion, comes as a result of human error, not from biblical inconsistencies.
The requirements of God are obvious to any who want to follow them by faith.
The desire of God has been proclaimed in biblical writings. God told his people
to look back at key events, “So that you might know the righteous acts of the Lord.”
With what shall I come to the Lord and
bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings,
With yearling calves? Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In
ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my
rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told
you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but, to do justice, to love kindness, and
to walk humbly with your God?
--------
o --------
I want to understand what Jesus meant when
he said, “the will of my Father in heaven”. From the context in which the
statement is found, it presumably refers to the preceding teaching. In his
teaching, Jesus said some would claim that they had done many things in his
name, and his response would be, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.” The miraculous works itemized by Jesus appear to be religious,
especially since they were done in his name. One might think that bad motives
were at play; maybe so. It’s difficult to know why people doing religious
activities were rejected. For some reason, which we are not told, the people
performing miracles failed to meet the criteria, “the will of my Father in
heaven”. We must be sure that our religion is, “the will of my Father in
heaven”. It is incumbent on each of us to know when we are doing God’s will,
and when we are doing what we want to do. There shouldn’t be a difference,
however we are humans with a proclivity toward satisfying ourselves. Religious
institutions offer rituals as a salve to ease the conscience. Involvement in
Church programs is no substitute for living each day as a disciple of Jesus.
Contributing to Church functions does not take the place of loving your neighbor as yourself. Each of us must have a relationship with God through Jesus. The
letter written by James addressed some of the same issues that face us. We live
in an age in which Church and Christianity have fused together to mean the same
thing, even though they do not.
If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and
yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's
religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our
God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and
to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Paul spoke of his relationship with the
Lord:
I know the one
in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that
day what I have entrusted to him.
Paul lived in a different time, and his
introduction to Jesus was different to that of anyone else. Along the road he
travelled, Paul was able to dispel doubt and guilt, and have a confident
relationship with Jesus. In that time the assemblies of believers were nothing
like Churches today; those assemblies were functional not institutional. A
question that comes to mind, has to do with the exclusivity of Churches, and
that is; why is it more difficult to be a member of a Church, than it is to be
a citizen of God’s kingdom? Having been committed to a Church for over fifty
years, opting to move away from institutionalism was a difficult decision. I
missed the sense of comfort gained from attending services, I missed the
feeling of belonging to a group, or tribe. I missed fellowship with other
believers. At that time, I decided to make the life and teaching of Jesus my
sole focus. I have somewhat succeeded in letting go of “the all-important focus
on going to Church”. Today when someone speaks to of their trust or
relationship with God, I recognize a kindred spirit. Formerly I would have
doubted the validity of the person’s statement, since he or she was not a
member of “my Church”. I am happy to be in the company of believers as we live
as citizens of God’s kingdom.
Jesus taught his disciples:
You are the light of the world. A city set on
a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it
under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the
house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see
your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Consider the people to whom Jesus addressed
his remarks. They were for the most part ordinary, common people. The
simplicity of the parables Jesus taught were based on everyday occurrences. The
parable of salt being a necessity would not have been missed, and when Jesus
told his disciples that they were the salt of the earth, those hearing it would
have come realized he referred to their influence. Jesus said that salt having
lost its taste was of no value. The simplest understanding of tasteless salt
would be a disciple who has no positive influence. Jesus went on to tell the
disciples that they were lights of the world. Jesus pointed out the silliness
of someone hiding a lamp under a basket. The disciples were associates of
Jesus, they couldn’t hide that, and nor should they try to. The disciples were
to let their commitment to Jesus be seen by all. The good works they would do
as his disciples were to be done in such a way that those seeing them would
glorify God in heaven. The principles of these parables apply to believers today.
Every believer must demonstrate God’s love and grace in their attitudes and
behaviours. Going to Church is not the same as being a living influence.
Believers must be seen and recognized as disciples of Jesus, no matter what
Church they go to.
Jesus telling his disciples that they were
the salt of the earth, and light of the world, wasn’t just a casual statement,
but an imperative. The statements are orders; the purpose of salt is to season;
the purpose of light is to illuminate. Jesus claimed, “I am the Light of the world; he
who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
His disciples were charged with the duty of continuing the work of Jesus. They
were not to seclude themselves; they were to openly display the light as Jesus
did. The mission of the disciples was unique to that time, the principle of
being a representative of Jesus falls to each and every believer. Church has
nothing to do with the personal imperative to reflect God’s love and grace
through our lives. The purpose of gatherings in the beginning was not to
convert unbelievers, it was for believers. It was for encouragement,
fellowship, and thanksgiving. At the time of Jesus there were factions in the
Jewish leadership. Herodians, Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, and among others
–zealots. The majority of Jesus’ time and teaching was focused on common
people. There were occasions of interaction between Jesus and one or more of
the sects, but most of his time was spent with ordinary people. It appears that
Jesus recognized religion and ritual as part of life. He however, focused on
individual needs and requirements. He instructed his disciples to do what they
were told to do by the religious leaders, but not to live like them. The
authority was in the word, not in the institution. He told people that they
must obey the law. Unlike the Pharisees who actively tried to convert people to
Judaism, Jesus always pointed to God, that people must obey him. Early
believers assemble in small or larger groups not to support an institution, but
to gain support to live as disciples of Jesus. It didn’t matter to Jesus what
sect a person affiliated with, or even if the person was Jewish, his
conversations focused on worshipping and honouring God.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all
one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's
descendants, heirs according to promise.
Do not lie to one another, since you laid
aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according
to the image of the One who created him—in which there is no distinction
between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian,
slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
In the time following
the death of Jesus, when Christianity was in its formative years the
distracting influence of Judaism pressured believers to conform to the old
ways. Paul was adamant that people should not squander grace by returning to
the law. His teaching shows the inclusiveness of Christianity. In Christ all
people have the same standing. Following the Council of Nicaea, the inclusivity
of Christianity began to disintegrate. Neither the Reformation, the
Restoration, nor Ecumenism, have done anything to restore the inclusiveness of
Christianity. The factions in Christianity are vastly more numerous today than
Judaism ever was. I believe the teaching of Jesus is still focused on
individuals. I believe the factions of Christianity are a severe hindrance to
believers, but Jesus now as always deals with individuals, not with
institutions. “Nevertheless,
the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.’”
------ o ------
The more I think about “the will of the
father”, the more the opposite – “personal will” becomes the failing
issue.
So the crowd
marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame
walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
When the crowds saw the miracle, ‘they
were awestruck, and glorified God’
The work of Jesus was to do the will of God:
Jesus said to them,
‘My food
is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.’
I can do nothing on
my own
initiative. … My judgment is just, because I do not seek my own
will, but the will of Him who sent me.
For I have come
down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.
For this is the
will of my Father,
that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life.
The purpose of Jesus was to do the will of his Father. Nothing less will
be accepted from those who claim allegiance to Jesus. If one seeks personal
affirmation or acclaim in preaching, attending services, involvement in church
programs, or missionary efforts, then those activities do not register as doing
the will of the Father. In many Churches, genuine fellowship takes place in the
foyer as people mingle, they share experiences and encourage one another. That
pleasant hubbub is the highlight of the week for some, if not all. That portion
of the morning is the real fellowship of assembly. However, the mood is broken
by the “call to worship” –the Church service. The mood inside the formal
service is stilted, as all are to focus on the prepared program. I wonder about
the value of formal proceedings. If the singing is uplifting and good, a
service will get a positive rating. I don’t know how to assess the spiritual
value of choreographed performances. I’m not if we recolonize the difference
between an emotional high, and spiritual encouragement. I am encouraged by
singing hymns, and I am also moved by other forms of music. Is listening to, or
singing hymns spiritual, and enjoying country songs and opera something else?
Is there a difference, and if so, what is it? When preachers use emotionally
charged stories to make a point. Is that a ploy suggesting God’s word needs
assistance? Jesus spoke to people about the way of God; those people were
amazed and gave God the credit. It is good to encourage the person giving the
lesson, but it’s more important to thank God for his grace and love.
When Jesus had finished these words, the
crowds were amazed at his teaching; for he was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their
scribes.
Jesus healed many people in a manner that caused them to see the hand of
God at work, “they
glorified the God of Israel.” Churches today are nothing like the early
Christian gatherings. Today’s Churches are largely centered on converting the
lost. Week after week the evangelist performs his duty, on most occasions there
are no lost people in attendance.
‘Take the rod;
and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock
before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water
for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.’ So Moses took the rod from before the LORD, just as He had
commanded him; and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock.
And he said to them, ‘Listen now, you rebels; shall we
bring forth water for you out of this rock?’ Then Moses
lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth
abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. But the LORD said
to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you have not believed Me,
to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not
bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’[28]
The people complained and Moses prayed to the Lord. Moses was told that
he and his brother were to (ἐκκλησίασον τὴν συναγωγὴν) –assemble the gathering,
and speak to the rock so the people would see the water pour out. Moses accused
the people of being rebels, “shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” Instead of speaking to the rock as instructed,
Moses struck it twice. God told Moses that because he and Aaron had not done
what they were told to do they would not get to enter the Promised Land. It
appears that by making the issue theirs, and placing themselves as the ones who
would quench the thirst of Israel, they dishonoured God. On that occasion,
Moses very much out of character, inserted himself into God role. That wasn’t
the will of the Father. There are other situations in scripture similar in
which people have drawn attention to themselves rather than to God. Jesus
pointed out the folly of seeking personal glory:
Beware of practicing your piety before others
in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in
heaven.
And whenever you pray, do not be like the
hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street
corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received
their reward.
Jesus demonstrated the attitude and behaviour required for doing his
Father will:
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ
Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with
God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of
a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he
humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a
cross.
------ o ------
Saul disobeyed God’s command to completely
wipe out the Amalekites. Samuel rebuked Saul the king, saying:
Has the Lord as much delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey
is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For
rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and
idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected
you from being king.
The old covenant period is generally
thought of as a time when ritual and law were all that mattered. The importance
of obeying laws and ceremonies must not be understated. However, the
performance of ritual obligations, without a pious humble spirit, was not
acceptable to God even for those under the law. God told Samuel to go to Jesse
in Bethlehem and anoint one of his sons as king to replace Saul. Samuel was
impressed with the sons of Jesse; more than once thinking that the one who
stood before him had the qualities of a king. God intervened saying, “God sees not as man sees,
for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” God still looks at the
heart of an individual, not the outward appearance. That principle is
reinforced numerous times throughout the period of the first covenant. The
psalmist wrote, “The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O
God, you will not despise.” The
Hebrew words translated as “broken” and “contrite” convey the idea of being
crushed or shattered. Contrite and broken are much the same as Jesus’ saying
“poor in spirit”, which means “the state of being a beggar”.
Regarding the Jewish “Day of Atonement” the
Israelites were warned to have the correct attitude, “If there is any person who will not humble
himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people.” There is a
principle that all people approaching God must empty themselves, recognizing
they have nothing to offer him. The high priest on the Day of Atonement was to
make a sacrifice for his own sins and those of his family. He was to dress in
clean clothes before entering the Holiest of Holies to make atonement for the
people. Only after special arrangements, and only once a year, did the chief
priest entered the Most Holy Place. Jesus in his parables taught about the
kingdom of God. In the parable of the wedding banquet, a man was cast out
because he wasn’t wearing the appropriate wedding garments. Paul in his letter
to the Galatians wrote, “… all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with
Christ.” The
only access to God is through Jesus. That was so in the last days of the temple,
and it was true after the temple sacrifices were stopped. Jesus is the only
path to God, from the end of first covenant sacrifices until today, and on into
eternity. Jesus said:
I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no
one comes to the Father but through Me.
Jesus clearly stated that he was the way to
God, and not just a way, but, the “only way”.
At the appearance of Moses and Elijah standing with Jesus, Peter exclaimed
that if Jesus desired, the disciples would build three tabernacles. Right then, a bright cloud covered them as a voice commanded, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with
him I am well pleased; listen to him!” Jesus
is superior to the lawgiver, and greater than the prophets. The author of the
letter to the Hebrews focused on aspects of Israel’s religion which were very
important. He did so, to elevate the better way of Jesus and his teaching:
Jesus, greater than angels
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many
and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to
us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created
the worlds. He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of
God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had
made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on
high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has
inherited is more excellent than theirs.
Jesus, greater than Moses
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a
heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our
confession; He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was
in all His house. For He has been counted worthy of more glory than
Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the
house.
Jesus, greater than the high priests of
Israel
Therefore, since we have a great high priest
who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our
confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with
our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet
without sin. …having
been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
Jesus, mediator of a better covenant
But Jesus has now obtained a more excellent
ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has
been enacted through better promises.
Jesus, a better sacrifice
For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the
sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so
that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our
conscience from dead works to worship the living God! For this reason he
is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the
promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them
from the transgressions under the first covenant.
Jesus, king of a better kingdom
You have not come to something that can be
touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the
sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not
another word be spoken to them.
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the
city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in
festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled
in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous
made perfect,
At that time his voice shook the earth; but
now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but
also the heaven." This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates
the removal of what is shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be
shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that
cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable
worship with reverence and awe…
The letter to the Hebrews was written to
Jews. In his letter the author referenced key religious beliefs of Israel. First
century Judaism was not in full accord with Levitical laws, it had developed
its own regulatory standards and traditions. At the time of Jesus, Judaism was
fragmented into different sects. The general thought of the day did not include
a passive Messiah. The author of Hebrews took the most important beliefs of
Judaism and showed them to be inferior to Jesus and his teaching. The purpose
of the author was to establish that Jesus and his teaching was superior to everything
before.
The period starting with Jesus to the
cessation of sacrifice, was a time of transition. As the Hebrew letter states, “When He said, "A new covenant,"
He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing
old is ready to disappear.” Paul
wrote to the Corinthians about the behaviour of their ancestors who fled Egypt,
not all of it was good. “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written
for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” The transition period, or,
the last days, preceded the end of the Jewish religion and kingdom. It was
also, relatively speaking the time of most rapid growth of the new kingdom.
Jesus told this parable to some people who trusted
in themselves that they were righteous, but viewed
others with contempt:
Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a
Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying
this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other
people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast
twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was unwilling to
lift up his eyes to heaven, instead, beating his breast, said, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his
house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be
humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.
The Pharisee was self-righteous with no
hint of humility or contrition, the tax collector was empty of self-worth,
recognizing that he was a sinner.
Six time when teaching his disciples
on the mountain Jesus said, ...it was said... but I say
to you... The topics included: anger, lust, divorce, oaths,
retaliation, and loving enemies. His teaching was a departure from the demands
of the Jewish legal system. The topics Jesus chose to address at the time were
likely those with the greatest impact in those days. The Pharisees attempted to
engage Jesus in an ongoing dispute between the disciples of two great Rabbis,
Hillel and Shammai. The argument was over divorce; “Beit Shammai held that a
man may only divorce his wife for a serious transgression, but Beit Hillel
allowed divorce for even trivial offenses, such as burning a meal.” By saying,
“But I say to you...” Jesus was laying the groundwork
for life and attitudes in the new kingdom. Jesus asserted that his teaching
demanded more from people than the prohibitions of the Law. The principles that
Jesus taught his disciples were not limited to the six topics listed in his
sermon. His teaching related to spiritual life, and life in the kingdom of God.
God, after He
spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many
ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed
heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the
radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds
all things by the word of His power.[49]
The author of Hebrews pointed to
Jewish history, addressing the different ways God spoke to people. Most
importantly the author stressed that the ways God communicated with people in
the past had been upgraded; God’s communication would not be through prophets,
not through visions, and not through heavenly messengers. Any, and all,
communications would be through his Son. Not only did God choose his Son as the
means of conveying his will, but his Son is the only channel through which
people can have a relationship with God the Father. On the occasion of the
transfiguration after Peter had suggested building tabernacles, one for Jesus,
one for Moses, and one for Elijah, God spoke from the cloud; “This
is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”[50]
Moses represented the Law, and Elijah, the prophets, and from that time onward
Jesus was God’s communicator with people.
And
the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory
as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to
him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me
ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'") From his fullness we
have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through
Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.[51]
“From his fullness we have all received, grace upon
grace.”
The Greek word -πλήρωμα, plērōma, is translated “fullness”.
The reference in the context is to the incarnate Word. In
Him the whole fulness of divine grace has become actively present. For this
reason the relation of the believer to Him can be described as a continual
receiving from the superabundance in whose historical manifestation Gpd has fully
made Himself known as the Saviour.[52]
The word “fulness” indicates that grace and truth were
complete in Jesus, there was no dilution, no contamination, or any space not
filled. He was the glory of God, and fully God.
He is the head
of the body, the church ekklēsia;
he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have
first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased
to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all
things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his
cross.[53]
For in him the
whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in
him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.[54]
Jesus the man completely embodied
the divine essence of God. Jesus said to Philip, “Whoever has
seen me has seen the Father.”[55] There was
nothing lacking or missing, nothing to suggest that God the Father was not
complete in Jesus his Son. Jesus was God in every aspect. “The
Son was sent to speak and live God's message, and he has been
given the full power of God's Spirit.”[56]
In Col. 1:19 πλήρωμα
is used directly in the abs., but here precisely in the context of a developed
terminology …There are similar formulations in the 'Rabb. writings. Here
however, because of the emphasis on God's transcendence, the concept of the
shekinah is introduced, … 1 K. 8:27: 'Has' it really pleased the Lord to cause
his shekinah to dwell among men who live on the
earth?" In Col. Christ replaces the Jewish temple. But both formally and
materially the statements in Col. go much further than the Jewish statements
(cf. Mt. 12:6),42 including those on the eschatological Jewish expectation that
God will dwell among His people, which means, acc. to Jub. 1:17, in His
sanctuary "in their midst." The word πλήρωμα emphasises the fact
that the divine fulness of love and power acts and rules in all its perfection
through Christ.[57]
Shekinah - From the Hebrew
word שׁכִינה (shekhinah) meaning "God's
manifested glory" or "God's presence". This word does
not appear in the Bible, but later Jewish scholars used it to refer to the
dwelling place of God, especially the Temple in Jerusalem. This concept from
Jewish history fits very well with what God revealed through the prophet
Jeremiah concerning the new covenant; “I will put My
law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God,
and they shall be My people.”[58]
And, also what Paul wrote, “Do you not know that you are a
temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”[59]
Then Jesus
cried aloud: "Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who
sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as
light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in
the darkness. I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep
them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. The one
who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the
word that I have spoken will serve as judge, for I have not spoken on my
own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what
to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal
life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me."[60]
Seeing Jesus, is seeing the Father. Hearing Jesus, is
hearing the Father. Knowing Jesus, is knowing the Father. Believing in Jesus,
is believing in the Father. It is important that we realize that God walked on
the earth in Jesus.
The absolute Godliness of Jesus compels people to submit to
his message. His life, behaviour, and teaching, were invested in him by the
Father. Every doctrine, and every tradition, must be subjected to the
magnifying glass the Word; that is the complete Jesus.
--------
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The apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian
Christians warning them of Judaizing teachers. He claimed that believers were
the real kingdom of God, not those who were reverting to Jewish ways. He said
that believers should not put confidence in material things, but worshipped in
the spirit of God and glory of Christ. By way of emphasis he pointed out that,
he himself had more to boast about in terms of being a Jew, than the false
teachers. He also spoke about his commitment to Christ.
…whatever things were gain to me,
those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than
that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and
count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in him,
not having a righteousness of my own derived from law, but that which is
through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the
basis of faith, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and
the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death; in order
that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Paul as an enemy of believers, pursued and
persecuted them. Through an intervention by Jesus, his life and attitudes
changed from persecuting believers, to being one of them. Because of his strong
Jewish background, he was able to argue effectively that the way of Jesus was
the correct way. Paul spoke of his former life as an ardent defender of
Judaism, and the change that came about when he committed himself to being a
disciple of Jesus. His education under the renowned rabbi Gamaliel, his life as
a Pharisee, his impressive credentials; he left behind. In coming to Jesus, he
emptied himself, as he stated, “not having a righteousness of my own derived from law, but that which
is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on
the basis of faith.” For a Jew, giving up the material
rewards of legalistic rituals would have been extremely difficult. It is
equally difficult for people accustomed institutional programs and activities
to move to a close personal relationship with God. A relationship with God is
expressed in living every moment as one of God’s children. Every day behaviours
must be governed by God’s law written in our hearts. It is not ritualistic, or,
institutional; it is personal. Having a personal relationship with the Father
does not necessitate leaving a Church, but it does mean committing every moment
to the relationship with the Father. Our hope and security are in Christ, not
the Church. A reward may be immediate when praised for engagement in church
programs, but personal acts of kindness in the name of Jesus comes with greater
reward. If not careful, attendance at religious services can lead to
self-righteousness performed as a duty. Churches need to avoid becoming
ritualistic, and overstressing the requirement for compliance to church rules. It
is simply too easy to become satisfied with religion, if “spirituality” is
confused with ritualistic performance, or emotional comfort.
…by grace you have been saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of
God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are
His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Paul’s statement is necessary since it
represents the hope of mankind. Scriptural teaching stresses that there is
nothing one can do to earn God’s acceptance. The only way to access God is
through Jesus. It is impossible to have a relationship with the Father, while
rejecting the Son.
The most
important example of dogmatic influence in Luther’s version is the famous addition
of the word “alone in Rom. 3:28 …. for the sake of clearness”. But he thereby
brought Paul into direct conflict with James, who says (James 2:24), by works a
man is justified, and not only by faith… It is well known that Luther deemed it
impossible to harmonize the two apostles. He characterized the Epistle of James
as an "epistle of straw," because it had no evangelical character.
Paul’s statement is emphatic in his letter
to Roman believers, man
was justified by faith apart from works of the
Law.” He
wrote to the Ephesians, “…by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God; not as a result of works.” It may seem that there was a difference of belief between Paul
and James. However, that was not the case; Paul’s statement to the Romans and
Ephesians are consistent with biblical teaching, as was that of James. Paul’s
remarks to the Romans clarifies what he had in mind when he wrote to them. “…man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” Looking at the context “works of the law” was specific to the
argument he was making that the Old Law was not consistent with the way of
Christ. To the Ephesians he said, one is “…saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works.” Justification and
salvation are both gifts from God, they are not based on anything we do. We
contribute nothing, and nor do we deserve anything.
Paul told the Ephesians that they were
saved by grace, he pointed out that people are not saved by works – but “created in Christ Jesus for good
works”. I do not take what James wrote as a denial of
Paul’s assertion. I read it as complimentary to the undeniable fact that
salvation is a gift.
Every good thing given and every perfect gift
is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no
variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us
forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among
His creatures.
The recipients of James’ letter were believers,
his instruction was given to citizens of the kingdom of God. The issue he faced
according to the context related to the idea, that only faith mattered. He challenged
his audience, “…prove
yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” As Jesus taught, by their fruit you will know them.
God told Abraham to look up at the stars,
and told him that his descendants would be as numerous. Paul addressed his
remarks to people wanting to go back to the system of law.
What then are we to say was gained by Abraham,
our ancestor according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by
works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say?
"Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness."
Addressing the issue before him, James
taught that it would be wrong to see someone in need, and not to do anything
about it.
“Was not our ancestor Abraham
justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see
that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion
by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham
believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was
called the friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and
not by faith alone. ”[68]
James and Paul faced different situations.
Paul contended with teachers espousing the necessity of law, he stressed faith.
James instructed people some of whom believed that only faith was required, he
stressed works. Both were right in what they taught.
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…let it be known to all of you, and
to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good
health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God
raised from the dead. This Jesus is 'the stone that was rejected by you,
the builders; it has become the cornerstone.' There is salvation in no one
else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we
must be saved.
Peter and John boldly announced that the
only means of approaching God was through Jesus, whom the council had murdered.
The term Christianity has evolved to include many religions, some of which
minimize the importance of Jesus. The Catholic Pope has assumed importance not
given to any man. The Catholic Church believes the Bible is correct only “as
interpreted by the Church”. The Mormon Church believes the Bible is the word of
God, “if interpreted correctly”. Numerous religions can be traced back to human
founders. Most Churches, stated or not, believe that their brand of
Christianity to be the best, if not, the only way to access God. Paul wrote to
the Galatians concerning false teachers saying;
I am astonished that you are so quickly
deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a
different gospel—not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are
confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or
an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we
proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, so
now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you
received, let that one be accursed!
Joseph Smith or the “angel Moroni”, the
pope, Ellen G White, or the local preacher, none of these have authority to
change anything related to salvation or the gospel.
God put this power to work in Christ when he
raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly
places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above
every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.
Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for
misapplying the law. He acknowledged their meticulous attention to tithing, and
accused them of ignoring the most important aspects of service to God. He
stated, “You blind
guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!” The
scribes and Pharisees paid close attention to legalities, but neglected, “justice, mercy, and faith.” It seems to me that human
nature and religion haven’t changed very much from the time of Jesus until now.
Some people might look at the scribes and Pharisees as being atypical; however,
I believe they represented a large sector of religious behaviour. I would
suggest that the charge of straining out gnats and swallowing camels plays a
huge role in the proliferation of religious sects. Among religious institutions
there is a pervading attitude of competition. Most religions exert more effort
on being right, than on being righteous. One’s energy should be spent on trying
to be like Jesus, through practicing justice, mercy, and faith. Paul addressing conflict and
division wrote, “I
appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that
you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.”
The concept that Church provides protection is a fallacy. Jesus didn’t die to
save religions or Churches; he came to save sinners.
For God so loved the world that he gave his
only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have
eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn
the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those
who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are
condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son
of God.
Aligning yourself with a religion, or being
a member of a Church, will not save you. Believing in Jesus is personal,
believing in the name of Jesus is personal, as being a child of God is
personal. It makes little difference whether you belong to a religion, are
active in a Church – your personal relationship with God is what matters. It doesn’t
matter what name is on the billboard outside the Church building. Our lives must
reflect reverence for the name of Jesus.
Peter and John having been ordered not to speak or teach in
the name of Jesus, were released. Joining
their friends, they told then what the council had said. Sometime later, Peter
and John were arrested again. The Council debated what should be done to them; Gamaliel
warned the Council:
‘I say to you, stay away from these
men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be
overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them;
or else you may even be found fighting against God.’ They took his advice; and
after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak
in the name of Jesus, and released them. So they went on their way from
the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to
suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from
house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus the Christ.
After being flogged, Peter and John said it
was a privilege to suffer for the name of Jesus. Church sponsored programs nay
be robbing believers of their right to honour the name of Jesus in their own
way. Institutional programs can diminish the right of believers to reflect the
light of Jesus in their lives. It is necessary that believers let the love and
grace of God be seen in their lives, not as a representative of an institution
or Church, but as a disciple of Jesus, and child of God.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the
word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and
admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do
in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
through Him to God the Father.
Anything we do or say must be done in the
name of Jesus. Jesus said to his disciples, “Whatever you ask in my name, that will I do, so that
the Father may be glorified in the Son.” For
many the command to do everything in “Jesus’ name”, has been reduced to closing
prayers with, “in Jesus’ name, amen.” While it is not wrong to invoke the name
of Jesus closing a prayer, that is not the intent or meaning of “in the name
of”. “In the name of Jesus” is not an incantation to be repeated mindlessly, it
is a reference to the authority, the majesty, the mission, and purpose of
Jesus.
Jesus allowed a man, other than one of his
disciples, to cast out demons in “his name”. “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who
will perform a miracle in my name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of
me.”
However, when the sons of Sceva tried to cast out a demon in the name of Jesus it didn’t work out
so well.
In times past in many cultures, a person’s
name meant a lot more that simply a tag to designate one person from another:
There was and is
a world-wide belief that the name of an object, man, or higher being is more
than a mere label only incidentally associated with the one who bears it. The
name is an indispensable part of the personality. One might say that a man is
constituted of body, soul, and name. Various rites are used to seek, find, and
give a name to a child. If a man has the name of an ancestor, he represents
this ancestor in his social group. When a child receives the name of a deceased
person, he fills in his clan the gap caused by the death. …. When the name is
invoked or pronounced, the one invoked appears or works whether desired or not,
or the one who invokes affects the one invoked. …. The name is thus a power
which is very closely associated with the bearer and which discloses his
nature. Pronouncement or invocation of the name sets in operation the energy
potentially contained in him.
The importance of the full meaning of “name”
is vitally important when speaking of Jesus. When a believer acts in the “name
of Jesus” it is an act of grace coming from commitment to everything Jesus
stood for. An angel told Joseph that the baby was to be named Jesus, “Mary will bear a son, and you are to name him
Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
As foretold in prophecy the babe would have an additional name, “Look, the virgin shall conceive
and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, ‘God is
with us.’” Jesus is the Saviour, and he was God on
earth. Religion has trivialized the name of Jesus; it has become a repetitive
mantra. In some religions the name Jesus shares power with icons. Churches make
the claim that they are “Jesus centered”. It’s a sad commentary that any
Christian religion has to say that, rather than it being obvious. If a Church
or individual has to say they focus on Jesus –they probably don’t. Christians
in the first century demonstrated that they had an affiliation with Jesus. “Now when they saw the boldness of
Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they
were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus.” Some
years later the believers were observed as followers of Jesus. “…the disciples were first called
Christians in Antioch.” We
don’t know if the name Christian was admiring or disdainful, but we know it was
accurate. The example of a disciple is a window through which people can see
Jesus.
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Jesus, after arriving
in Jerusalem rebuked the religious leaders:
…you are not
to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all
students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one
Father—the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you
have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your
servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble
themselves will be exalted.[85]
Jesus instructed his disciples on how to be
pleasing to God. Jewish leaders enjoyed praise from people. They sought to be
recognized as special, and respected for how pious they were. Jesus taught his
disciples to give alms secretly, and to pray in private, saying that the Father
sees in secret and would reward them.[86]
We may have a distorted view of religion;
if, to be acceptable, what we do must be done through a Church. That is
contrary to the teaching of Jesus. Church programs are designed to further the
purpose of that Church. People pay and the Church decides what to do, and the
Church gets credit for what is done. That system negates personal
responsibility by institutionalizing what should be individual acts of love. It
would seem more in keeping with the teaching of Jesus if assemblies were times
of encouragement for believers. When one considers Nicodemus and Joseph, it
suggests that you can be a disciple of Jesus without breaking ties with your
religious affiliation. It is important to enjoy the fellowship of believers.
It’s important live your life for Jesus, not an institution.
The first Roman Church used the pattern of
the temple and empire to structure itself. Every Christian Church that exists
has copied the basic structure of the Roman Church, with tweaks to make itself
unique. New Testament believers lived in the end of the age. It is abundantly
clear that the Law of Moses was still in operation. Judaism continued
unhindered until the destruction of the temple, which along with other things
ushered in the end of the age. The letters and gospels were written to those
who believed that Jesus was the Messiah. For many years that was unique to
Christian Jews; it was their belief in Jesus which set them apart from other
Jews. When Paul journeyed to Jerusalem he was accepted warmly. The brothers in
Jerusalem had a warning for Paul:
You see, brother, how many thousands of
believers there are among the Jews, and they are all zealous for the law.
They have been told about you that you teach all the Jews living among the
Gentiles to forsake Moses, and that you tell them not to circumcise their
children or observe the customs.[87]
The Jerusalem believers laid out a plan for
Paul to follow:
Join these men, go through the rite of
purification with them, and pay for the shaving of their heads. Thus all will
know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you
yourself observe and guard the law.[88]
Paul did what he was told; complying with
the instructions. The Jewish Christians agreed that the Gentiles did not have
to participate in Jewish rituals. And reminded Paul that a letter had been sent
to Gentiles instructing them on appropriate behaviours, and that they were not
bound to following the Jewish Law.
I believe that we have unwittingly been led
down the wrong path. The instructions given to believers in the mid-first
century was for that period, and not for those who lived after the end of the
age. Paul offers principle for believers then and now. He used an allegory of Hagar and Sarah, stating that Hagar
represented Mount Sinai, which included the Law, and its requirements. Hagar
represented the material Jerusalem, while Sarah represented the heavenly
Jerusalem.
For it is written that Abraham had two sons,
one by a slave woman and the other by a free woman. One, the child of the
slave, was born according to the flesh; the other, the child of the free woman,
was born through the promise. Now this is an allegory: these women are two
covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for
slavery. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present
Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the other woman
corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our
mother. For it is written, "Rejoice, you childless one, you who bear
no children, burst into song and shout, you who endure no birth pangs; for the
children of the desolate woman are more numerous than the children of the one
who is married." Now you, my friends, are children of the promise,
like Isaac. But just as at that time the child who was born according to
the flesh persecuted the child who was born according to the Spirit, so it is
now also. But what does the scripture say? "Drive out the slave and
her child; for the child of the slave will not share the inheritance with the
child of the free woman."
So then, friends, we are children, not of the
slave but of the free woman.[89]
Paul taught that salvation was in Jesus,
the Law could not save anyone. Some teach that Christians have nothing to do
with the Old Testament, however we must remember that the promise of a new
covenant was made to Israel. Peter addressed Jews saying:
…all the
prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also
announced these days. It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of
the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'and in your
seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' For you first, God
raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you
from your wicked ways."[90]
Peter told his Jewish audience that they
were the recipients of God’s promise:
But the things which God announced beforehand
by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus
fulfilled. Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped
away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ
appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the
period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His
holy prophets from ancient time.[91]
Peter referenced the prophets and the
events they foretold, saying that everything had been fulfilled, yet one event
had to come to complete prophesy; the “period of restoration of all things…” which took place when Jesus returned in his
kingdom. His return initiated the judgement of Israel; the end of Judaism, and
the establishment of the heavenly kingdom on earth. Through the period of
transition from Jesus to the destruction of the temple, Christianity was is its
gestation stage, only coming to full bloom with the return of Jesus, and end of
earthly Israel. The spiritual Israel embraced Jews and Gentiles. “…if you belong to Christ, then you
are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.”[92]
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…you have come
to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to
innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the
firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the
spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new
covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood
of Abel. See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they
did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much
less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! At that time
his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will
shake not only the earth but also the heaven." This phrase, "Yet
once more," indicates the removal of what is shaken—that is, created
things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are
receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we
offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our
God is a consuming fire.[93]
This passage addresses two kingdoms, two
laws, and two covenants. The spiritual kingdom is superior to the earthly
kingdom. The new law is superior to the old law. The new covenant is superior
to the old covenant. The entire letter to the Hebrews shouts that Jesus the
Christ is superior to anything, and anyone, who came before him. We are looking
at the culmination of all that is said in the letter as the author describes
the unimaginable joy of the kingdom heaven stretched out to include believers
on earth. Paul wrote saying:
…Hagar is
Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in
slavery with her children. But the other woman (Sarah) corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is
free, and she is our mother.[94]
Authors wrote of the hope of Israel, the
promise of a better kingdom, and the blessing of being with God. They wrote
that God had fulfilled his promise to Abraham, that the new covenant was in
full force, and that hope was reality. Look at what the Hebrew author wrote;
You have arrived
at Mount Zion, and the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to
the general assembly, and the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven,
and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made
perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. There is no place in this picture of the
glorious fulfillment of the promise, for any Church. The insertion of the word
Church by some translators in this spiritual environment is absolutely sinful.
The author spoke about the mountain on which God gave the law, and the fear
Israel felt at that time, and wrote that believers had come into the supreme
presence of God. Therefore,
since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable
service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.[95]
By elevating Church, the kingdom of God is diminished.
Church has a function, but nothing to do with the spiritual promise of God. You
will not find the word Church in the original language or even a facsimile of
it. Church is a word coined by institutions to designate their religious
characteristics. Even using the word Church takes away from the glory of God’s
kingdom.
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Jesus was acknowledged as Lord many times.
At the supper before his death Jesus spoke to his disciples about service and
humility. He said, “You
call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for I am.”
Jesus is pictured in the Revelation as, “Lord of lords and King of kings”. He has all power and
authority. I want to focus on one specific aspect of Jesus as Lord:
Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on
all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall
dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and
female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. I will show
portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of
smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before
the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. Then everyone who calls on
the name of the Lord shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there
shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall
be those whom the Lord calls.
Peter in his sermon on the day of Pentecost
claimed that what was occurring was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. The
events he spoke of were those predicted by Joel. The timing of those events would
be before “the great
and terrible day of the Lord.” That day, Jesus said to
his disciples was the end of the Jewish age. “The day of the Lord” is not a
specific day, but a specific event. The flood came as a result of man’s depravity.
The people of the earth were scattered after building a tower and city to make
a name for themselves. The ten northern tribes broke away from Judah and
Benjamin, setting up idols and temples of their own. Eventually having rejected
God, they were destroyed by the Assyrians. Circa 585 BC, the temple of Solomon
was destroyed along with the city of Jerusalem because of Judah’s wickedness. The
final and utter destruction of Judaism was foretold by the prophets. Jesus
spoke to his disciples about the destruction of the temple, which was “the
great and terrible day of the Lord. Each of the catastrophic interventions by
God are events which can be classified as “the day of the Lord”. The last one
mentioned; the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem was special in that it
was the end of Judaism. Jerusalem was destroyed, and more importantly; the
temple was destroyed, bringing an end to sacrifices. That event was what Joel
referred to as “the great and terrible day of the Lord”.
Responding to the Sadducees and Pharisees
who asked for a sign from heaven, Jesus said:
When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair
weather, for the sky is red.' And in the morning, 'It will be stormy
today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the
appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
What Jesus meant by “the signs of the
times” was not revealed. The miracles Jesus performed could be considered
signs. The events around his birth and life foretold in prophecy also could
have been signs that demanded attention. The waning respect for God’s laws may
have suggested something to more observant Jews. We don’t know what Jesus had
in mind, but his rebuke suggests that the leaders should have been aware of
those signs. Jesus in his discussion of the destruction of Jerusalem and the
temple told the disciples to watch for a sign. That talk started with a
question, “As he was
sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us,
when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of your coming,
and of the end of the age?’” One
sign was, “…when you
see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place, as was spoken of by
the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to
the mountains…”
Another sign would be, “Immediately
after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will
not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven
will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and
then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see 'the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory.” It has been
noted that when the disciples of Jesus living in Jerusalem became aware of the
Roman army’s approach, they fled the city. Being forewarned what to look for,
disciples left Jerusalem. One other factor the disciples knew was the general
timing of Jesus’ return and the end of the age. “Truly I tell you, this generation will not
pass away until all these things have taken place.” Joel
prophesied that God would pour out his spirit, before the Great and Terrible
Day of the Lord. Jesus outlined those events and the general time that they
would occur. Jesus birth, life, and death, were the beginning of the end for
Judaism. There has never been, nor will there ever be a more important set of
events, than what took place beginning with the birth of Jesus up to and
including his triumphal return at the end of the age.
There are few if any prophecies concerning
the end of the world in the scriptures. That doesn’t mean we have no warning
concerning the end of materiality. The time of the flood, the time Jesus
returned, and any future event, will have similar signs. A disregard of God and
his ways, an attitude that the sun will rise tomorrow as always, and life continues
without regard for anything other than personal gratification. We do not know
when or how God will put an end to abuse from humanity, or when he will close
this chapter completely. When or how, doesn’t really matter, because none of us
have a guaranteed life expectancy. We know by observing the natural processes
that anyone of us, at any time, might cross the final threshold. Some think
that the pandemic, the increasing number of natural disasters, the decay of
morality, are harbingers of the end of the world. Maybe, the signs should at
least cause people to consider their relationship with God, no matter what else
they might mean.
The mania surrounding “climate change”, is
largely the fear of change. That, coupled with human pride, and the idea that man
can control nature and his own destiny. It would be so much better if climate fanatics
recognized that nature is beyond their control, but like the people building
the tower of Babel, they are driven by pride. Hyper-environmentalists need to
read the story of King Canute and the tide, he tried to demonstrate –that
humans have no power over the elements of nature. I wonder if instead of trying
to prevent climate change, we should consider it a sign of the times. I do not
make y predictions, I do suggest that climate change, natural disasters, dysfunctional
governments, protests, wars, and killings, are in fact signs that should make
us turn to Jesus. The disciples got after the women anointing Jesus, saying the
ointment could have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. Jesus rebuked
them, and said, “…you
always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.” I consider
causes in the same light, there are innumerable causes, but only one Lord.
Don’t be misled into thinking that causes are spiritual, even if they are good.
Causes appeal to our sense of responsibility, they may be put forward as
essential and urgent, or they may be dressed up as religious responsibilities.
When asked about the greatest commandment Jesus answered,
’You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This
is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall
love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and
the prophets.
The devotion demanded of Israel to love God;
is the same devotion we must give to Jesus. As I read the scripture, I
recognize that total commitment to the Lord involves every aspect of our lives.
The same commitment as referred to earlier, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all
in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Causes are wrong if they dilute commitment to Jesus, or, if they are
substitutes masked as duties to Jesus. For instance; attending Church is not a
spiritual work or duty, it is opportunity to gain encouragement. You do not
attend Church to please God, you attend for personal benefit.
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For if that first covenant had been faultless,
there would have been no need to look for a second one. God finds fault
with them when he says: "The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I
will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of
Judah; not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors, on the day
when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they
did not continue in my covenant, and so I had no concern for them, says the
Lord. This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and write them on
their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And
they shall not teach one another or say to each other, 'Know the Lord,' for
they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will
be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no
more." In speaking of "a new covenant," he has made the
first one obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old will soon disappear.
Jeremiah prophesied some
six hundred years before Jesus was on earth. Few if any Jews would have
understood the breadth of Jeremiah’s prophesy. Most would have heard a promise
of better things to come. The author of the Hebrew letter refers to the
prophecy while speaking of Jesus having a better priesthood, and mediator of a
better covenant. God speaking through Jeremiah said the new covenant would by
very different to the first covenant made with Israel. The fist covenant’s laws
were engraved in stone. The second covenant’s laws would be written on human
hearts. The apostle Paul alluded to this when speaking to the Corinthian
believers:
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again?
Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? You
are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being
manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with
ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on
tablets of human hearts.
One of the features of
the new covenant, not found in the first, was absolute forgiveness of sin
leading to a relationship with God. “…they shall all know me, from the least of them
to the greatest … For I will be merciful toward their
iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” The first covenant’s promise came with
conditions, “Now then, if you
will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant,
then you shall be my own possession among all the
peoples … and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” The second covenant has no caveats, it is a covenant of grace. Paul said
that the righteousness he had was not derived from obedience to law, but, “…one that comes through faith in
Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.” Peter
used similar terms to those found in Exodus saying, “…you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a
holy nation, and God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty
acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Sins
under the first covenant were, by the sacrifice of animals rolled forward year
by year. Those sins could only be removed by the sacrifice of Jesus.
Forgiveness of sin in the new covenant is also through the sacrifice of Jesus.
John the Baptist seeing Jesus said, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” As
Jeremiah prophesied, under the new covenant God “will remember sins no more."
‘Our ancestors worshiped on this
mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.’ Jesus
said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you
will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You
worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from
the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks
such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in spirit and truth.’
This represents a
second important feature of the new covenant, “I will put my laws in their minds, and write
them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” The covenant with Israel was to guard God’s promise to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. That promise was fulfilled in Jesus. Israel took possession
of the land promised to the patriarchs, and God saw to it that the promise of
blessing would be fulfilled through the lineage of Abraham.
For the promise that he would inherit the
world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through
the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to
be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings
wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason
it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be
guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but
also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of
us, as it is written, "I have made you the father of many
nations")
Paul outlines the nature of the second
covenant. The promise was to Abraham and his descendants, but would include all
nations. With the destruction of the temple 70 CE the first covenant and its
regulations ended. Without the temple, there could be no sacrifices.
Sacrifices, which the writer of Hebrews pointed out were done away with, by the
sacrificial blood of Jesus. Paul makes it very clear that the law had nothing
to do with the blessing that was given to Abraham, long before the first
covenant came into effect. The new covenant is based on faith. Abraham to whom
the promise was first given lived by faith, and is the father of the faithful.
Now this is an allegory: these women are two
covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for
slavery. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present
Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the other woman
corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our
mother. For it is written, ‘Rejoice, you childless one, you
who bear no children, burst into song and shout, you who endure no birth pangs;
for the children of the desolate woman are more numerous than the children of
the one who is married.’ Now you, my friends, are
children of the promise, like Isaac.
Like Abraham we are to live by faith. The
new covenant is not like the first, there are no laws or regulations written in
stone. As heirs of the promise, God writes upon our hearts. God is spirit and
our worship must be in spirit and truth. Consider the conversation
between the Samaritan woman and Jesus. Jesus responded to her question saying,
“Neither on this
mountain nor in Jerusalem”, He was
not only referring to a geographical location, but to the systems of worship.
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and scribes:
You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly
about you when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their
hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human
precepts as doctrines.’
Judaism developed laws and regulations
which became more important than scripture; Rabbinical Gezerah which could
carry as much weight as the word of God. Since the establishment of the Church
under Roman authority, the practice of introducing human rules has expanded. It
doesn’t matter what Church you look at, the primary edicts of most will have
their foundation in tradition. Even the translation and interpretation of
scripture is influenced by traditional beliefs. Unfortunately, the Church has
never undertaken a “zero-based” review of itself. The Reformation steered
largely by Luther, was an adjustment to Catholic doctrine. Luther never considered
that the Catholic regime was fundamentally wrong. The people behind the
Restoration movement, claimed to be seeking to reestablish the New testament
Church. That was based on faulty assumption. The premise was, that in New
Testament times there was a Church, and that Church is the model for the modern
Church. A basic fact to keep in mind is, the word Church is never used in the
Greek text. The Restoration movement ended up with similar results to Luther.
The Church, the Restoration leaders settled on apart from some cosmetic
differences was basically the same as the Roman Church. The sects of Judaism
that were in place at the time of Jesus represented different ideologies. They
represent various human inclinations. It appears from scripture that Jesus
didn’t align himself with any sect. Jesus represented truth and God, not any of
the opinions of men. Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God being near, that was his
mission and his message. The first Christians, being Jews maintained their
Jewish practices, including the institution of the synagogue. The difference
between Jewish believers and non-believing Jews, was that believers accepted
Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus did not establish an institution, nor he didn’t
condemn religious institutions of his day. In a synagogue, beside a lake, on a
mountainside, Jesus spoke to people demanding a response from each person.
Churches provide an institutional response, muting the voices of believers.
Churches expect conformity to their rules, and to their doctrines. Jesus
rebuked Pharisees for requiring people to follow their rules and regulations. Jesus
rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for neglecting justice, mercy,
and faith.
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The modern Church is a business, despite
attempts to prove its scriptural authority and design. Churches supply a
service. The hierarchy of a Church is much the same as that of a company. The
first gatherings or assemblies were egalitarian as indicated in Paul’s writing.
Often a Church has a mission statement, a wordy list of objectives and goals,
to be carried out in a certain manner. The Church accomplishes its mission
through programs. The programs are paid for by the congregation. There nothing
in scripture remotely like the modern Church. Modern Churches are landowners,
locked into a physical address. In general, Churches invest more money in material
holdings than in people. The Church is a human institution, that doesn’t mean
it is without value. The synagogue was also a human institution. Believers
according to Paul are united in Jesus, “Now you are the body of Christ and
individually members of it.” In another place Paul wrote of Jesus, “He is the head of the body, the
ἐκκλησία” That
body was what Jesus said he would build. A kingdom spanning the globe, reaching
into eternity. As Paul wrote to the Colossians:
…giving thanks
to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints
in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred
us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the
forgiveness of sins.
Where do you read that Jesus’ mission was
to establish the Church?
From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Jesus was going through all the cities and
villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the
kingdom.
And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of
heaven is at hand.'
When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and
does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has
been sown in his heart.
Jesus presented another parable to them,
saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to…
…another parable,
saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like… ‘
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of
heaven…
Truly I say to you, there are some of those
who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man
coming in His kingdom.
…unless you
are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of
heaven.
The word kingdom
shows up thirty-two times in Matthew’s gospel. It is evident from the
scriptures above and many others that Jesus was true to his ministry. He taught
that the kingdom of heaven was near. Common people accepted what Jesus taught,
but how many of them understood that the kingdom he spoke about was that of
prophecy, we don’t know. It can be expected that the common people would have
the same expectations as their leaders. That expectation was wrong.
God is faithful, through whom you were called
into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore
you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you
were called in one hope of your calling.
God … who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to
our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in
Christ Jesus from all eternity.
in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts
of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
To those who are the called.
I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon
this rock I will build My ἐκκλησία …
Jesus said, “…upon this rock I will build my church” ἐκκλησία –which
means: called out. God “has
saved us and called us with a holy calling.” Called – καλέω; calling –κλῆσις; these words are related.
ἐκκλησία: is the assembly of the δήμος (municipality) in Athens and in
most Greek πόλεις (cities). The etymology is both simple and
significant. The citizens are the ἐκκληtτοι, i.e., those who are summoned and called
together by the herald. This teaches us something concerning the biblical and
Christian usage, namely, that God in Christ calls men out of the world.
The word ἐκκλησία occurs about 100 times in
the LXX, … In the LXX ἐκκλησία is a wholly secular term; it means
"assembly," whether in the sense of assembling or of those assembled
(for the first, cf. Dt. 9:10; 18:16:
This leaves us with very little option but
the simple rendering "assembly" or "gathering." On this
basis we can then differentiate between secular and ecclesiastical assemblies
even though we use the same term. This word also enables us the better to
understand the obvious conjunction of the singular and the plural. The plural
implies assembly in the sense of assembling. The decisive point is not that
someone or something assembles; it is who or what assembles. The explicit or
implicit addition τού θεού or τού Κυρίου tells us who assembles, or who causes
men to assemble.
The word ἐκκλησία in the Greek Old
Testament as indicated above refers to “the called out”. The word referred to
those were called out of slavery to be God’s people. It referred to Israel, the
kingdom of God. Matt 16:18 translates the word ἐκκλησία –wrongly and
purposely, as “Church”. Matthew was a Jew writing in Greek, he used ἐκκλησία
to indicate that Jesus was going to establish a new assembly of the called out,
i.e. a new kingdom. The division of scripture into chapter and verse complicates
understanding, by suggesting that the context is broken rather than contiguous.
Take away that obstruction, and Jesus in the same breath uttering he would
build his ἐκκλησία, said, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of
heaven.”
It is absolutely wrong to insert the word “church”, when the context and
language clearly speaks about the spiritual kingdom, the assembly of those
called by God, not an institutional group.
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…we are no longer to be children, tossed here
and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery
of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in
love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even
Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what
every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part,
causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. [136]
Therefore leaving
the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not
laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward
God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the
resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will do, if God
permits.[137]
The writer indicates that believers must grow spiritually, not stagnate.
A major concern regarding the Church is that it fails in what is its primary
function. That function, is supporting and encouraging spiritual growth in
believers. Evangelism is not the function of the Church. The roots of the early
Christian gathering, was the synagogue. The apostles and first believers didn’t
give up being Jews, they were Jews, but with a difference – they believed Jesus
was the Messiah. The first converts met together in the temple and homes, “And
every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching
and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” They were spoken of
as a Jewish sect, “the sect of the Nazarenes”
The process of maturing as a believer leads to the ability to discern
good and evil. There is a difference between twenty year’s experience, and one
year’s experience repeated twenty times. Disciples of Jesus are expected to grow
spiritually. The Hebrew author stressed the need for maturity. The list of
topics he puts forward as foundational are a mystery to many believers. The
author shows frustration with believers who were still neophytes, when they
should have been leaders.
For though by this
time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the
elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and
not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not
accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid
food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to
discern good and evil.[140]
The last
sentence is very important in that it lays out the difference between mature
believers and babies. Mature Christians are those whose experiences have honed
their senses to be able to distinguish between good and evil. Or it could be
said, the determination of good and evil has become second nature to those who
are mature. Their familiarity with the teachings of Jesus, and their
understanding of life in the spirit, enables them to draw from their experience
and knowledge, to see situations for what they are. Out of the wealth of their
experiences they can provide direction and instruction. Neophytes require
instruction in the very basics of the word. Spiritual infants rely on a
sentence or verse of scripture to support, or define what is right. They don’t
have the abilities of the mature. Babies are limited to what they can digest,
they do not live by the spirit, but by the constraints of written edicts.
…seek first His kingdom and His
righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.[141]
Jesus
taught his disciples to seek the kingdom of God, that the kingdom should be
their priority. That principle was contrasted against what Gentiles sought –
which were material things. The term “seek” or search, suggest an ongoing
pursuit of life – a way of life. In other words, searching for the kingdom is a
lifelong quest. Believers must explore the benefits and responsibilities of
citizenship. The point is not to find the gate of the kingdom, walk through it
to the first park bench and sit down. As citizens of the kingdom we are to grow
in confidence and hope. In some of his parables, Jesus pointed out that people
were to develop what they have been given. A servant who hid his master’s
money, thereby gaining no interest was punished.
------ o ------
Then he began to teach them that the Son of
Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief
priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took
him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his
disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind
me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human
things.’ He called the crowd with his disciples, and
said to them, ‘If any want to become my
followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow
me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose
their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For
what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their
life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who
are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of
them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his
Father with the holy angels.’ And he said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death
until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.’
The first part of this paragraph is focused on the disciples. Peter
being the impetuous disciple seems to have spoken or acted first on a number of
occasions. Peter did not have bad motives in in rebuking Jesus, but obviously his
behaviour was inappropriate. Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, maybe
they shared the same concern as Peter, maybe they were hoping for a different
future than what Jesus offered. We don’t know, but the force of Jesus response
indicated the true origin of Peter's rebuke. “Get behind me, Satan!” Did Jesus call Peter Satan, or did he reveal
the source behind Peter’s remarks? Satan manipulated Peter’s impetuous nature,
and the ignorance of all of the disciples. “Get behind me” was directed at
Peter, a statement to tell Peter that he was the disciple and Jesus the master.
All of the disciples were guilty of the same human desires. Jesus followed
through by speaking to the disciples and the crowd gathered, about what being one
his disciple meant. Being a disciple of Jesus was to give up your own interests
and follow Jesus wherever that might take you. The disciples were confused and disappointed
by talk of Jesus suffering, dying and rising from the dead. They like everyone
else believed the Messiah would make Israel a thriving liberated nation once
again. Even after the resurrection, the disciples seemed to be bewildered,
Peter appears resigned to accepting that what he’d hoped for was lost, saying,
“I am going fishing.”
Later the disciples would come to realize that Jesus had promised something far
greater than an earthly kingdom, “Truly I tell you; there are some standing here who
will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with
power.”
Jesus’ reprimand of Peter would have been heard by the other disciples “…you are setting your mind not on
divine things but on human things.”
How often do we have that same mind set? Being human is not an excuse for have
a life trajectory set on satisfying personal desires. We have a Saviour who
experienced life in all ways, and was tempted in the same ways we are. He
didn’t give in to any temptation, and yet knows what we go through. James in
his letter states, “…do
you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, ‘God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’”? “Submit yourselves therefore to
God.” And “Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and he will exalt you.”[144] It is reassuring to me that God yearns for the spirit he put in me. We
hear more about the need to measure up, to conform to Church doctrine, than we
do about the Spirit of God within us. Paul wrote concerning the Spirit of God
within us; “Do you
not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells
in you?
------ o ------
I can’t remember
the circumstances of an exercise which asked participants to decide on the
percentage of a son’s obedience, whose father told him what crop to plant in
each of four fields. After inspecting the fields, the son agreed with his
father’s order on three of the four fields and planted what he had been told
to. In the fourth field the son planted a different crop. He determined his
choice was better than his father’s. Most of the participants doing the
exercise said the son obeyed his father 75% of the time. However, the real answer
was 0%. The son planted what he decided was the best crop in each field. Three
times his decision agreed with his father’s. The son planted what he decided
was best in the all four fields, he did not do what his father had said he
should do. It is very important that each of us recognize when we are doing
what God wants us to do, and what we want to do, even if it is the same as what
God wants. Under the old Law the doing was important, but Jesus made it clear
that what is in the heart is more important.
In our spiritual
lives we must do the will of the Father. There is no instance in which it would
be right to ignore God’s will. We must be diligent in seeking to do the
father’s will. Consider the account of Saul and battle against the Amalekites.
When Samuel came, Saul said to him, ‘May you
be blessed by the Lord; I have carried out the command of the Lord.’
But Samuel said, ‘What then is this bleating of sheep in my
ears, and the lowing of cattle that I hear?’ Saul said, ‘They have
brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep
and the cattle, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; but the rest we have utterly
destroyed.’ Then Samuel said to Saul, ‘Stop! I will tell you what the Lord
said to me… the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, utterly destroy the
sinners, the Amalekites … Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord?’ ‘I have
obeyed the voice of the Lord … I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I
have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But from the spoil the people took
sheep and cattle, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice
to the Lord your God in Gilgal.’ And Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord
as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obedience to the
voice of the Lord? Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than
the fat of rams. For rebellion is no less a sin than divination, and
stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word
of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.’
I don’t know if
Saul gave any thought to what God had said. I don’t know if he planned on
sacrificing the best of the animals. What Saul did was wrong; then he tried to
justify his actions. God was not satisfied with Saul’s attitude.
God’s will is the
ultimate authority. It is incumbent on each of us to know the will of God, and to
do it. People must not leave it up to a Church to inform them of God’s will –it
is our personal responsibility to know the Father’s will. Don’t make the
mistake of thinking that the Church is God’s voice on earth, it isn’t. No
institution can take the place of God’s authority. Look at the vast number of
Churches, each of which believes it is more correct than the next one. There is
no way they can all be right, but they can all be wrong. I don’t believe it
matters what Christian Church one attends. It is our individual responsibility
to shape our relationship with God according to his will. God through the
prophet Jeremiah said he would put his law in within us and write it on our
hearts. He did not say he would use an institution
to give us his law, or a Church to design programs to live by. The onus is on the individual to do God’s
will. The new covenant is different to the first, the new law is different to
that given on Sinai. Christian gatherings can provide an essential component of
life; they were never meant to be a place to which non-believers were
encouraged to attend so that a preacher could convert them. Our lives, every
moment, must be devoted to doing the will of the Father. Fellowship helps to
keep us going, it builds us up, and helps us thrive as children of God. The
scripture is very clear that serving God is a personal matter. A believer is a
child of God, which is a personal relationship. While God is Father to all
believers, he is my Father and I am his child.
------ o ------
Jesus, on several
occasions stated that his purpose was to do the will of God. In Samaria when
the disciples got back from buying food, Jesus said to them that he had food
they didn’t know about. They mused that someone had given him something to eat.
To which Jesus said, “My
food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” Another time Jesus said, “I can do nothing on my own initiative.
As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me.” Jesus said, he had not come from heaven to do
his own will, “but
the will of him who sent me.”
“…this is the will of
my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son
and believes in him will have eternal life…” Jesus
set the example for believers to do the will of the Father. We need to remember
that Jesus offered himself to the task of coming to earth. Paul takes up the
need to be doing God’s will:
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies
of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which
is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove
what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
This short
paragraph was Paul’s introduction to the rest of his letter to the Roman
believers, in which he spoke to them of life in Christ. Doing the will of God
requires a transformation, much of which is outlined in what follows in Paul’s
letter. Throughout their history
Jews sacrificed animals on special occasions. In his letter Paul says that the
appropriate sacrifice for a believer is to offer one’s life. In another letter
expressing it this way:
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is
no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now
live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
Himself up for me.
Jewish Christians
understood the requirements of sacrifices. Late in the fifth century BCE the
people Israel did not treat the sacrifices to God with honour, which brought
God’s reproach upon the people:
“You are presenting defiled food upon my altar.
But you say, 'How have we defiled You?' In that you say, 'The table of the LORD
is to be despised.' But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it
not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer
it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you
kindly?” says the LORD of hosts. “But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but
sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King,” says the LORD of hosts, “and my name is
feared among the nations.”
Paul stated that godly
service was the appropriate sacrifice. That is, living for the Lord; a life of
worshipful behaviour, reflecting the love and grace of God. The demands of a
living sacrifice are not necessarily a daunting list of trials to go through,
but like Abraham it means living by faith. Much of what we can read of Abraham
suggests his life was similar others at that time. Abraham’s life was ordinary,
apart from leaving his ancestral home and moving to Canaan. Abraham lived
before the law; God made a covenant with him which was passed on through his
descendants. Abraham’s relationship with God was faith based. There is no
mention of any institutionalized religious order to which Abraham belonged. Abraham’s relationship and the covenant with
God was based on his faith. This is important because Paul links life under the
new covenant to the life of Abraham.
Just as Abraham "believed God, and it was
reckoned to him as righteousness," so, you see, those who believe are
the descendants of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would
justify the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham,
saying, "All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you." For this
reason, those who believe are blessed with Abraham who believed.
The institutional
Church is structured more in line with Jewish temple worship, and the Roman
political structure. Despite the efforts of the Reformation, or the later
Restoration movement, there has been no break with the underlying structure of
the Roman Church. The Reformation resulted in a proliferation of look-a-likes.
The effort to restore the New Testament Church was misguided. New Testament
information relating to Christian activities and assemblies was manipulated to
support already existing groups and off-shoots. For some years, the Christian
body was exclusively Jewish. The first Christian followed the pattern of the
synagogues for their gatherings. James in his letter used the word synagogue in
reference to a Christian assembly. Reformers,
and Restorers paid no attention to the unique situation in the first century.
The temple continued with its rituals and sacrifices, and Jewish Christians
participated in Old Law ceremonies and rites. There was no clear-cut separation
between the old and the new. Circumstances for Christians were very different
in that time. Until the destruction of the temple and city (70 CE) Christianity
and Judaism were on parallel lines. Christianity was considered a Jewish sect.
Basing a Christian institution on events and circumstances in New Testament
times disregards all that the prophets spoke of.
------ o ------
Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
The prayer Jesus
taught his disciples is likely one of the most recited in Christianity. The
first part of the prayer represents what Jesus came to accomplish. The prayer has
a three-pronged focus; the first, was to treat the name of God as holy; the
second, was the founding of God’s kingdom; the third, was that God’s will be
done. The prayer was addressed to the Father in heaven, the three points were
to have, the glorification of God’s name on earth; the kingdom of God established
on earth; and, God’s will be done on earth. Each, to be on earth as it is in
heaven.
Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came
from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will
glorify it again. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work
that you gave me to do.
And he said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death
until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.’
The kingdom of God is not coming with things
that can be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it
is!' For, in fact, the kingdom of God is inside you.
For you need endurance, so that when you have
done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet ‘in a very
little while, the one who is coming will come and will not delay; but my
righteous one will live by faith.’
Now may the God of peace, who brought back
from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of
the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may
do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through
Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
------ o ------
“What do you
think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in
the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his
mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he
answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of
his father?” They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into
the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of
righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the
prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your
minds and believe him.”
To understand
this parable, one must look at what came before it. Challenged by the chief
priests and elders on his authority Jesus asked them a question, “was John’s
baptism from heaven or men?” The leaders wouldn’t answer. Jesus told them that
the people they considered sinful and immoral believed John. The people they
disdained were going into the kingdom before them.
The Jewish
leaders did not believe John was a prophet.
Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea
were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were
baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he
saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You
brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit
worthy of repentance.
Even the stinging
rebuke of Jesus did not penetrate the hardened shell of the leaders. Like the
second son in the parable, the leaders gave the impression that they were
willing to serve God, they wore the clothes, they prayed, they assumed the
authority of leaders in Israel, but they were phony. They were shallow facades
of piety; they were as Jesus said, like beautiful tombs full on dead bones –
good on the outside and rotten on the inside.
------ o ------
Then the devil took him to the holy city and
placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are
the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you
up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to
the test.’”
Doing the will of the Father, does not include lawlessness. Modern day
pastors and preachers who violate laws unnecessarily, are not martyrs, they are
foolish and inconsiderate.
For it is a credit to you if, being aware of
God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten
for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and
suffer for it, you have God's approval.
For it is better to suffer for doing good, if
suffering should be God's will, than to suffer for doing evil.
A woman asked Jesus who worshipped in the correct location, Jews or
Samaritans?
Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for
salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when
the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father
seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship
him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Church buildings fall into the same category as mountains. Church
building, cathedrals and other fixed locations are symbols of fractured
Christianity. Churches have damaged the body of Christ. The world sees an image
of a bloodied and bruised body, Instead of the glorious body of the risen Lord.
The pandemic has forced people to consider alternatives to going to Church. In
some cases, the restrictions have brought believers back in touch with reality.
I applaud preachers and teachers who are staying in touch with believers, by
phone, radio, or video. A person’s relationship with God is personal. Leaders
are communicating with believers, encouraging them, and supporting them. That
encouragement is personal and spiritual. My hope is that people will listen to
what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, and maintain their personal connection
with God, after the virus has gone. When again you attend Church, do as a child
of the Father, not a Church member.
------ o ------
People comfortable in their Church are in danger if they don’t challenge the traditional doctrines of that Church. Comfort
may be limiting to spiritual growth. If study is to simply prove what the
Church teaches is correct – it will be proven correct. We must listen to those
who criticize us; sometimes we can learn more from antagonists of the Church,
than those satisfied with the status quo. Sceptics may illuminate realities
that people in the Church have missed. The two quotes that follow are from men
who were atheists. I do not put these men forward as examples of anything, only
that they offer insights to a reality which most Churches ignore.
All national institutions of churches, whether
Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and
monopolize power and profit.
I am concerned with Christ as He appears in the Gospels, taking the
Gospel narrative as it stands, and there one does find some things that do not
seem to be very wise. For one thing, He certainly thought that His second
coming would occur in clouds of glory before the death of all the people who
were living at that time. There are a great many texts that prove that. He
says, for instance: ‘Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the
Son of Man be come.’ Then He says: ‘There are some standing here which shall
not taste death till the Son of Man comes into His kingdom’; and there are a
lot of places where it is quite clear that He believed that His second coming
would happen during the lifetime of many then living. That was the belief of
His earlier followers, and it was the basis of a good deal of His moral
teaching ... The early Christians did really believe it, and they did abstain
from such things as planting trees in their gardens, because they did accept
from Christ the belief that the second coming was imminent. In that respect clearly,
He was not so wise as some other people have been, and he was certainly not
superlatively wise.
Thomas Paine
states his aversion to Christianity clearly, and yet despite what he wrote he
seems captivated by scripture. There is not a whole lot for a believer to gain
from Paine, but there are a few perceptive comments. “All national institutions of churches … appear
to me no other than human inventions.” This is a point people should at least
consider. It is a statement too quickly dismissed. A statement that may require
attention. It may even be true.
Bertrand Russell wrote that Jesus’ “second coming would occur in clouds of glory before
the death of all the people who were living at that time.” Russell derided
Christianity for not believing what Jesus said. Most Churches have theories
concerning the return of Jesus, but very few of them, if any, actually teach
that Jesus did what he said he would do. It seems to me that Russell saw a flaw
in traditional doctrines. Russell saw an inconsistency in what people believed.
I would suggest that if Jesus didn’t mean what he said, we have a problem. When
people say negative things about Christianity, it may be more than belly-aching
and criticism. It may be a legitimate observation of what’s going on. It may
also show the inconsistencies in the institutional Church.
------ o ------
While he was still
speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and brothers were
standing outside, seeking to speak to him. Someone
said to him, ‘Behold, your mother and your brothers are standing outside
seeking to speak to you.’ But
Jesus answered the one who was telling him and said, ‘Who is my mother and who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Behold my mother and my brothers! For whoever does
the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.’
This episode was
connected to what some were saying about Jesus:
And he came home,
and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a
meal. When his own people heard of this,
they went out to take custody of him; for they were saying, ‘He has lost His senses.’
Somewhat of a strange situation is presented here. It was still early in
his ministry, and it appears that his family had not accepted Jesus purpose. We
learn from John’s gospel that his brothers did not believe in him, even after
Jesus had been ministering for a while. With information that Jesus had not
been eating, it seemed prudent that his family would want to see to his needs.
Especially if people were saying he was out of his mind. The incident presented
a teaching opportunity. One lesson that can be gathered from the occasion is
that spiritual connections are to be honoured above family ties. Jesus pointed
out that his disciples were his family; and, “whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven,” is
family. The inference was; that his disciples, those who followed him, and learned
from him, were doing the will of the Father in heaven. This occurrence brought
into sharp contrast, Jesus the human, and Jesus the Son of God. It shows the
balance Jesus had to maintain between his earthliness and his divinity. To do
the will of the Father the children of God must make the same decisions daily;
to walk according to the spirit, or to walk according to the flesh? It was
important for Jesus, and it is important for believers to choose as Jesus did
the spiritual path. He was not throwing his earthly family away; his duty to
them and all mankind was to accomplish his task, to offer redemption for all. The
love Jesus had for his mother is documented, as from the cross he spoke; “When Jesus then saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved
standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ From that hour the disciple took
her into his own household.”
------ o ------
Not everyone who
says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one
who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me,
'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your
name, and do many deeds of power in your name?' Then I will declare to them, 'I
never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.'
