Category Archives: The Character of God

Wince Some

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You’ve probably never seen a sign that says, “Adult Circumcisions, Overflow Room.”  Wanna get circumcised?  Probably not.  If you have been circumcised, it was probably done to you before you had a vote.  And yet, Paul writes, one of the best things about following Christ by faith is being circumcised (if I write that word enough, I’ll stop wincing…)

“In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ,” (Colossians 2:11)

Obviously, he’s using a metaphor, describing a spiritual procedure with a physical one.  It’s an apt comparison, since both kinds of circumcision cut away an insensitive outside layer to fully expose a more sensitive and responsive inner core (more wincing…).  In Christ, the outside callousness of our “sinful nature” is cut away.  Callouses are built up through repeated acts – hiking, playing guitar, etc. – and protect our nerves, making the acts hurt less.  When we repeatedly do self-destructive things, sinful ones, we build up callouses over our hearts.  The first time you steal or lie, it troubles you more than it does on the umpteenth time.  That is due to the hard, calloused layer of your sinful nature.  In Christ, that layer is cut away, to expose your true sensitivity within, now revitalized by the Holy Spirit.

It’s not that your old habits vanish.  But, “in Christ,” they are now, no longer an integral part of your identity.  Where once they were members of the “family” of you, now, they have been disowned, cut off.  They may still stick around for a time, like unwelcome house guests that will not leave voluntarily.  Having been cut off, they are (slowly) dying as the renewed you emerges from within.  You are bothered by these old sinful habits, more than you were before, because your new nature, sensitive to the perfect ways of God, has been exposed.  You have been circumcised by Christ.

It’s important to understand this, as you struggle with old patterns of sin.  Remember: the reason the struggle is frustrating is because of the new sensitivity of who you have become in Christ.  You wince because you have been circumcised by Christ.

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Fullness

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This may be the most amazing sentence in the Bible:

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

To fully appreciate what that says, answer these questions:

First, according to this verse, how much of Almighty God lives in Jesus?  Answer: All the fullness of the Deity!  All, every part of God’s “fullness!”

Second question: How much of the “fullness” of Jesus is available to those who have surrendered to Him?  Same answer. Oh, wow…

The chances are pretty good, if you have fully trusted Jesus, you have not been fully aware of His fullness in you.  But knowing you have His fullness is the first step to accessing it.  I just got a new Android phone, which came loaded with all sorts of special, tricky things it will do for me – provided I know how to access them and turn them on.  Which, of course, I can not do unless I know they are there!  One of the tricky things my phone will do is let me ask it questions about what other things it is able to do.  Such as, “Can you tell me how to get to Home Depot?”  Jesus comes into you with that feature already installed.  Not how to get to the hardware store, but the ability to show you how to understand and use your new operating system, His life in you. If you need to know how to use Him, just ask.  He will show you.  Because you have all His fullness, you have access to all the fullness of God through Him. In real time!

Astonishing…

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Soul Mechanic

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A mechanic told me the air conditioner on the engine of my old RV was shot and would cost over $2000 to fix.  After one summer trip across the Midwest, I was ready for a second opinion.  I found a guy who was a certified instructor for truck mechanics.  He fixed my a/c for $200 and it has been working fine ever since.  It is tough to know who to trust when your truck breaks down.  It boils down to who has the best information and training.  And the stakes can be pretty high.

The stakes are much higher when your communication with God has broken down, when you need a “soul mechanic.”  I did a quick Google search for “spiritual advisor near me.”  I got 261,000 options, from psychics to witches, faith healers and such.  With such a variety, how do you know who to trust?  Here’s what you need to know: Basically, all “soul mechanics” can be sorted into two categories: those who base their teaching on human opinions and Jesus.  Paul compares the two like this:

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)

But what makes Jesus’ teachings more trustworthy than all the others?  It is the Source of His information.  The good mechanic got his information directly from the actual manufacturers of the equipment, passing their tests, so he would be qualified to train other mechanics in a reliable way.  That other guy was just guessing.  What is the Source of Jesus’ information?

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,” (Colossians 2:9,)

Nobody else comes even close…  Who will you trust?

Quotes:  The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Mirror image

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It’s just dumb to build yourself an idol, prop it up on the mantel – carefully, so it won’t fall over – and then worship it.  Isaiah marvels that some people cut a tree to use for firewood, and then:

“From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, “Save me! You are my god!”” (Isaiah 44:17)

If you build it, it  cannot be your god.  And yet, people still make their own ‘gods’ and worship them – these days they tend to use computer chips instead of wood or stone.  It is inherently foolish to surrender to something you have made – or made up!

I say made up because something similar is going on when we attempt to redefine Jesus to fit our own ideas.  People say, “My Jesus would not have done that” as though they are in a better position, today, to know what Jesus was like than the eye witnesses who wrote the Gospels.  “The Jesus Seminar” was made up of self-described “scholars” who decided for themselves which things Jesus actually said, and which were falsely ascribed to Him, based on their own preconceived notions!  But anything you have made or have made up, cannot be your God.  He cannot guide you or save you.

Psalm 115 says:

“Those who make them [idols] will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.” (Psalm 115:8)

One reason we become like our idols is because we have made them in our own image.  We resemble them because they have been made to resemble us, to agree with our own ideas.  Someone once said, if you pick and choose which parts of the Bible you agree with, discarding the rest, what you wind up is a mirror image of yourself.  A “god” who looks like you cannot guide you or save you.

Plus Nothing

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The man was beat up badly for telling people about Jesus.  And then thrown in prison.  You might think he’d have taken a break and used the time to rest up.  But not Paul.  He said:

“I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.” (Colossians 2:1)

Struggling?  The word he used gives us our word for agonizing.  In jail?  Doing what?  Praying.  Not just “Now I lay me down…”  but agonizing over these folks in prayer – people he had never met!  Why?  What was so important that, even though he couldn’t be there personally, he worked hard in prayer for them?

Turns out, the problem was human ideas were creeping into their understanding.  People who loved to be in positions of authority and control over others were teaching them a bunch of nonsense.  Religious nonsense.  It sounded good.  But it was leading them farther and farther away from what they really needed to know.

“My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:2-3)

Think about the simple but reverent lifestyle and teaching of Jesus.  Compare that simplicity to what the various forms of Christianity have become!  What has changed?  Human ideas have been added, ones that seem good because they sound religious, but which dilute and pollute the essence of what it means to follow Jesus.  Think of the lavish architecture, the costumes, the ritual and the extravagance.  Think of all the rules and regulations that have been layered on the simple message of Jesus.  This distortion in the name of Jesus has been going on from the very earliest days of the church.  Paul couldn’t be there to rail against it, so he agonized in prayer for them.  And he wrote to them:

“I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.” (Colossians 2:4)

God loves you.  Your sins have separated you from Him.  He wants to forgive you and reconcile you to Himself.  He has paid the penalty for your sin, on your behalf, by the crucifixion of His Son, Jesus.  Stop trying to fix yourself and trust Jesus instead.  Surrender to Him and He will come and live in your soul by His Spirit.  In Him you have “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”  If you have His life in you, that’s all you need.  Plus nothing.

 

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

How Long?

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A few days ago, NASA announced they have found a planet very much like the earth rotating around a star very much like the sun.  “Kepler 452b” (that’s what NASA calls it; not sure what God does…) seems to be a planet capable of sustaining life.  Some have dubbed it “Earth 2.0” and there is a lot of excitement around this discovery.  When asked, “How soon can I move there?” the professor who oversaw the find said, “Now would be a good time to buy, before the rush.”

What if that planet is the place God has prepared to be the new earth described in Revelation?  Too unlikely?  Most scientific observations seem to confirm a “Big Bang” beginning for the universe, which neatly fits the description of the beginning in Genesis.  Is it out of the question for us to scientifically observe what Scripture says God has prepared for the end of the age?

” Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”” (Revelation 21:1-5)

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

By current technology, it would take us millions of years to travel the 1400 light years separating us from “Earth 2.0.”  But suppose God could instantly transport humanity to that place and give us a fresh start.  How long do you suppose it would be before we began claiming territory for ourselves and fighting over it?  How long before we humans figured out how to make obscene amounts of money by catering to the lowest urges of some while enslaving others?  How long before we poisoned the atmosphere?  How long before that new world would resemble the one He has already given us?

In the light of the answers to those questions, you can see why, in God’s revealed plan, the new heavens and earth will be prepared “as a bride for her husband,” a place with no death or tears.  God has made it clear that His “Earth 2.0” will be be populated only by those who have surrendered to Him as their absolute King, who have submitted to be “fixed” by His Spirit.  Which is to say who have completely placed their trust in His Son, Jesus.

How long before we know if Kepler 452b is the place?  I don’t know, but this would be an excellent time to make sure you are included, before the rush.

Perfect

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Are you perfect yet?  Me either.  And yet, that is the goal: not ‘pretty good’ but perfect.  Really?  Take it straight from Jesus:

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. “ (Matthew 5:48)

And Paul says, the reason he struggles to teach everyone about “Christ in you”  (See: Don’t Miss This!) is:

“… so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28b)

You’re thinking, “If following Jesus means I become perfect, then either I’ve failed or the whole thing is a hoax.”  Not to worry; Jesus’ brother, James, wasn’t perfect and he knew we all mess up:

“We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.” (James 3:2)

And Paul knew he wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot.

” Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect,… (Philippians 3:12a)

But he knew that perfection was the ultimate goal:

“…but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12b)

So, what’s the deal?  If no one attains perfection, how can that be the goal?  Why does Paul work so hard to “present everyone perfect in Christ”?  It’s the last two words, “in Christ,” that make all the difference.  Perfection is something Jesus does, not something we attain by our own striving.  It comes for all believers in the future, at the end of the age and the renewal of all things .

But right here and now, it is important for us to know that the word, perfect, in Greek, also means, complete.  And that helps us understand.  When someone trusts Jesus, Jesus completes that person by installing the essential, missing piece, His eternal life and Spirit in their soul (See: Don’t Miss This).  Their connection with God is restored immediately and the process by which He will one day  perfect them begins.  All that has been prepaid by the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

“But when this priest [Jesus] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God… because by one sacrifice he has made perfect [complete]  forever those who are being made holy [perfect].” (Hebrews 10:12&14 with my explanations)

So, are you perfect?  Not yet.  But, with Christ alive in you, you will be.

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

 

James 3:2; Phil 3:12; 1 Co 13:10; Heb 10:14 & 12:2; Eph 4.13

Don’t Miss This!

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Sadly, many churches have missed the most important point in the message of Jesus.  Which is to say they missed the whole thing.  They talk about Jesus and the Bible but have never understood what Paul called “the Word of God in it’s fullness.”  It’s the key.  It changes the News into Good News. You don’t want to miss it!

God foretold the coming of Jesus, His crucifixion and resurrection, but He held one part back, hidden, until Jesus had come.  Paul called it a “mystery.”

“…the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.” (Colossians 1:26)

Without grasping this “mystery,” nothing about the message of Jesus “works.”  Jesus’ atoning sacrifice and God’s forgiveness would be useless.  The idea of being “holy and without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:22 – See: No Halfway Measure) would be a farce.  Except for this amazing truth:

“… God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27b)

The “fullness” of the Gospel, the “mystery” held back until Jesus had appeared, is this:  When a person trusts and surrenders to Jesus Christ, Jesus begins to live eternally in his or her soul, by means of His Holy Spirit.  Jesus said,

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)

“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” (John 14:20)

“Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. [literally, dwell within him]“ (John 14:23)

Receiving the Spirit and life of Jesus is how the believer crosses over from death to eternal life.

““I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)

This eternal life in us is the reason for our “hope of glory,” literally, for our confidence in the successful eternal outcome of following Jesus.  Trying to follow Him without His Spirit would be like trying to use GPS without a satellite connection.  Or a blender without electricity.  It would be impossible, without His life in us, to commune with God and grow in His ways.  We would be reduced to trying to follow a list of religious rules and failing.  But the Good News is this: if we truly trust Him, Jesus lives in us, empowering us and transforming us.

Don’t miss this!

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Say What?

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He knew English from textbooks when he got here as an exchange student, but his first exposure to how English was actually spoken was in my college fraternity house.  It was startling but not surprising, therefore, when he was invited to a friend’s house for Thanksgiving dinner and asked for someone to pass him the @#$%*^ potatoes.  After a moment of shocked silence, the friend’s mother said, “Well, you heard him, pass the @#$%*^ potatoes!”

If you don’t know the slang expressions and idioms, you can easily get the wrong idea.  Why do we say, “What’s up?”  Here is some potential confusion from Paul’s letter to the Colossians:

” Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” (Colossians 1:24, NIV)

Huh?  Christ didn’t quite suffer enough?  Paul had to help Him out?  No. Jesus did everything necessary to completely and permanently pay for all the sins of anyone who is willing to accept His gift.  He has prepaid for you to receive complete forgiveness forever.  So why did Paul say there was something lacking in His suffering?  He used a common idiom to say, “I’m glad to do whatever is necessary to help the church, even if it means I will suffer for it like Jesus did.”

Jesus delegated the work of spreading His good news to His followers, who had discovered personally how wonderful it is.  He knew the assignment would come with suffering.  For whatever reason, people frequently get angry when you tell them about Jesus.  Go figure.  That’s why Jesus prayed for His followers, saying:

“I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” (John 17:4 – His atoning sacrifice was complete.)

“I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.” (John 17:14 – They would suffer)

“As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” (John 17:18 – Nevertheless, the plan is for them to tell people about Jesus)

Paul understood these realities, and that followers of Jesus would be witnesses to Him.  His attitude was, “Whatever it takes, I’m glad to do it.”  But it wasn’t that Paul was a masochist.  It was how amazing the message was, and how cool it was to see people catch on.   There is something about Jesus that most people have missed, something mind-blowing!  Knowing that, whatever it takes, even suffering, was worth it.  But what is that nugget?  What part of the message made it so worthwhile?

Stay tuned; we’ll get to that next time.

 

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

When the If Isn’t Iffy

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When you fly standby, they tell you, “If we can find you a seat, we will call your name.”  When they call your name, you ask, “Did I get on?”  And they tell you, “If we called your name, you have a seat on this flight.”  Those two “if’s” mean different things.  The first “if” is iffy.  The second one is not.  The first “if” means “maybe, maybe not.” The second “if” means “since.”   Like when someone says, “If the sun comes up tomorrow… ”  It means, “of course this is certain to happen.”

Why the grammar lesson?  Because maybe you get freaked out when you see the word, “if,” in the Bible.  We’ve been talking about how wonderful it is to be reconciled and be transformed from an enemy of God into someone who is considered by God to be absolutely innocent (See: No Halfway Measure).  But the next line says “if,” and it sounds like there’s a catch.  It says, these wonderful things are yours:

“…if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.” (Colossians 1:23a)

Sounds like those you don’t get to keep the the wonderful things “if” you screw up and wander away from the faith.  But that’s not the right “if.” This “if” means “since you will certainly” continue in your faith.  This “if” isn’t “iffy.”

How do we know?  Well, the folks that read this in Greek could tell just by looking at it, because “if” is spelled differently if it’s iffy.  But without knowing Greek, we know because the next word is “established.”  Established means permanently anchored on a strong foundation.  It’s not something you have to do for yourself everyday.  It is something that has been done for you, once, in the past and is your secure condition forever.

If you get accepted for standby and board, you don’t have to worry about doing anything else to make it to your destination.  (That is, assuming the plane makes it, for the purpose of this illustration…)  People on airliners don’t have to be careful so they won’t fall out.  “If” they are on, they are going to get there.  Same thing for the reconciled.  Once you trust Jesus and are reconciled, you are established, firm and will not be moved from your confidence in the promises of eternity.  You may wonder from time to time, when (if I can club the airliner illustration to death) you encounter some nasty turbulence in life.  But you will discover, in the process, that what Jesus has done for you, He did permanently in you.

That’s why they call it “Good News.”  Because the “if” isn’t “iffy.”

Quotes: The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.