Holy Days

In preparation for my citizenship test, I learned several significant dates in Australian history.  Different countries, cultures, and people tend to distinguish some days over others.  There are traditions, accomplishments, and milestones remembered and celebrated.  There are days of national, personal, and even religious significance.  Having just celebrated Good Friday and Easter (which many Christians have termed "Resurrection Sunday"), I was reminded of a statement by a colleague:  "To me, Easter is the most holy day in the year."  This statement caused me to think.  Is one day "holier" than another?

To be "holy" means to be "dedicated, consecrated, or sacred."  God set aside many days and feasts as "holy convocations," gathering of His people for a prescribed purpose.  These references seen in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers are translated a "holy assembly" in the NIV.  Though God saw it important to set aside certain days to be observed according to the Law such as the Sabbath, feasts, and gatherings, it was not that particular days on the calendar were more special than others.  The point was God was holy, and His people had been made holy through His covenant.  It is a holy assembly because it was a gathering of God's people, consecrated and dedicated to Him.

The truth is, this world and its system of time observed with calendars and clocks will someday pass away.  Even now, God operates outside of the confines of time.  The day Jesus was born, died, rose from the dead, or ascended up into heaven are only significant because Jesus is holy Himself.  The day or date is not what is important, for long after the end of this world and time as we know it He will remain holy.  Revelation 13:8 says, "All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."  The day we celebrate as Good Friday (which is not always observed on the same date!) was known by God when the world was founded.  In the same way a church is people, not the building, holiness comes from God and not from a service or observance.

Since God instituted feasts and holy observances, sacred assemblies of God's people uniting in faith in Him, there is clearly value in honouring God together as His people.  It is important we do not begin to make our gatherings a source of pride which we believe distinguishes our group as more spiritual than others, or become divisive or combative with believers whose practices vary from our own.  Whether believers observe a day or not should not cause us to judge one another.  As it is written in Romans 14:4-9:  "Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. ⁵ One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. ⁷ For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. ⁸ For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. ⁹ For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living."

The Law tells us to "remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy."  Under the Law, the Sabbath day was one set apart as sacred, set apart to rest even as God worked for six days in creating the universe and on the seventh day He rested.  But Colossians 2:16-17 tells us Sabbaths and festivals were simply a shadow of what Christ is the substance:  "So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, ¹⁷ which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ."  If you have the substance, one does not need to focus on the shadow.  When we are adopted into God's family by grace through faith, we are made holy unto the LORD.  Every day is equally holy, for we are made holy in Christ.  It is lawful for us to do good, worship, and bring honour to God's name every day, not to be reserved for certain dates on a calendar which will pass away.  Many times in scripture God spoke to His people, "Be holy, for I am holy."  We are positionally holy, are called to be intentionally holy in our conduct, and to be holy every day, perfecting holiness in the fear of the LORD (2 Cor. 7:1).

Psalm 118:19-24 is a passage which well sums up my thoughts:  "Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the LORD. ²⁰ This is the gate of the LORD, through which the righteous shall enter. ²¹ I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation. ²² The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. ²³ This was the LORD'S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. ²⁴ This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

Jesus Will Judge

"Moreover I saw under the sun: in the place of judgment, wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, iniquity was there. ¹⁷ I said in my heart, "God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work."

Ecclesiastes 3:16-17

King Solomon recognised the irony of wickedness is a place of judgment, and iniquity in the place of righteousness.  In the face of injustice or wickedness Solomon did not charge God with wrong or doubt God's existence as many do.  He saw hypocrisy and evil as contrary to God and His righteous judgment, and ultimately the holy God of all will hold accountable those responsible.  During our short time on earth, the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts are heard and seen clearly by God.  The fact evil exists is not an indictment against the goodness of God, but rather confirms His righteousness.

A good judge will not allow guilty lawbreakers to escape punishment, and God is a good Judge.  The Bible tells us every word a man speaks will be weighed according to God's righteous Law, and to be guilty of breaking the Law in one point makes a man guilty of breaking all.  Because all have sinned, every man faces the full weight of punishment the Law demands:  the death of the body and ultimately the second death of the soul.  Having recently celebrated Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, a time to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the implications of Christ rising again is a sign to all everywhere.  Paul spoke to seekers of truth in Athens concerning Jesus Christ in Acts 17:30-31:  "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, ³¹ because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."  Jesus Christ is the Judge of all the earth, and He only does what is right.

The amazing truth is Jesus has paid the price for sin with His shed blood on Calvary, and His resurrection is a clear demonstration of His power over sin and resulting death.  All who repent and trust in Jesus can be forgiven of all sin and declared righteous through the Gospel.  The world is saturated with wickedness and righteousness.  We know God will ultimately judge the righteous and wicked:  the believer who lives righteously or wickedly, and the wicked who believes himself innocent.  The entire world is guilty before God according to His Law (Romans 3:19), but through the Gospel we can be cleansed and born again.  Jesus is the Son of God written of in 1 John 5:11-13:  "And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. ¹² He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."

Ask In Faith

Times change, but people manage to stay the same.  The way people responded to the Gospel in Paul's day is strikingly similar to how people do today.  Acts 17:32-34 records the response of listeners to the doctrine of Christ's resurrection, "And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, "We will hear you again on this matter." ³³ So Paul departed from among them. ³⁴ However, some men joined him and believed..."  To this day some mock in unbelief, others are temporarily intrigued but ignore the implications of Christ's resurrection, and there are a few who believe.

I read through Luke 23 this week and was struck by King Herod's response to Jesus.  A passage describes the occasion when Jesus was sent by Pilate to Herod Antipas in Jerusalem before His crucifixion.  Luke 23:8-11 says, "Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. ⁹ Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing. ¹⁰ And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. ¹¹ Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate."  King Herod responded as many people do today concerning Jesus.  They have heard of Jesus and are curious to see if what they have heard is true.  They would love to see blind men see, the dead raised, and thousands of people fed with only a handful of small loaves of bread.  People thirst for entertainment and would be dazzled to see a man actually walk on water without secret tricks.  People are drawn to power.  They want to see it for themselves, and that is what Herod hoped for.

Herod was disappointed with Jesus, who refused to even speak with Him!  Herod asked many questions, but Jesus gave no answer.  Herod did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah, the King of the Jews.  This is evidenced by his treatment of Christ when his expectations went unmet.  He and his men of war treated Jesus with contempt and mocked Him.  Herod was curious to hear Jesus speak and do something, but when Jesus did not act according to his desire he despised Jesus and treated Him like a fool.  Many seekers of the world are like Herod, desiring Jesus to accomplish their will rather than abdicating the throne of our hearts for Christ alone.  So many people go to church for a season and even serve in various roles in churches with the heart of King Herod.  They are willing to jump through a few hoops to obtain their desire.  But when their prayers are met with silence, and nothing seems to be happening, they abandon all hope in Christ.  This is a tragic choice, for in forsaking Christ they deny their only hope of salvation, joy, and peace.

We ought to be as Christ who was obedient to the Father.  Even when the cross loomed before Him, Jesus asked if that cup might pass from Him.  "But not my will, but your will be done."  Christ laid down His will in Gethsemane, and laid down His life on Calvary.  If Herod had humbly approached Jesus in belief, Jesus would have spoken words of peace - even as He did to the criminal on the cross who begged Jesus to remember him when Jesus came into His kingdom.  Jesus answered, "Assuredly, today you will be with me in Paradise."  God is not interested in satisfying the curiosity of men.  But He is interested to give wisdom and insight to all those who ask in faith.  James 1:5-6 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind."  How important is faith in establishing a genuine relationship with God!

The Issues of Ethics

One thing I love about Australian culture is the high value placed on volunteerism and being involved in the local community to make a positive impact.  For over a century in Australia, scripture teaching has been provided in public primary schools.  I have been delighted over the last year and a half to volunteer to teach one class a week at a local school.  While scripture teaching is available to all students, parents are free to have their child "opt out" of these classes.  I am in agreement with this policy.  As much as I believe in the power, truth, and necessity of scripture for life, I respect the rights of parents to choose for their kids.  May God use the children who attend scripture to positively live out the scriptures before their classmates in obedience to Christ - a far more powerful and persistent influence than I could ever wield.

In recent years there have been additional options provided, such as "philosophical ethics."  It has been put forth as a secular alternative to scripture with the slogan, "Just Think About It."  Truly, this is the desire of all who teach scripture as well.  Christian apologist Dr. Ravi Zacharias has an aptly named radio program called, "Let My People Think!"  I do not view any tension between scripture teaching and philosophical ethics as in any way being in competition with one another, as if "anything you can do I can do better."  The fact is, the worldview and philosophies of scripture and ethics are on opposite ends of the spectrum.  From a biblical perspective, the approach of ethics saddens me for many reasons.

The basic claim of scripture is it is the divinely inspired Word of God.  It is the unchanging truth of an unchanging God who created all things, loves His creation, and created man in His own image.  He holds forth absolutes concerning the fall and subsequent sinfulness of man, the consequences of sin being death, and He has demonstrated His love for all by sending Jesus to be the Saviour of the World.  Through Jesus alone does man find eternal life and the power to live life now in the way that pleases God.  God has revealed Himself, and man can have a relationship with the God who created and loves Him through faith.  The Bible teaches us only God is good, and man despite his best efforts is futile and lost.  Man needs God, and that is a critical problem in ethics.

Since anything good comes from God, anything "good" (by the scriptural definition) must come from God.  Anything "good" therefore in the philosophies of men has been borrowed from the Bible and repackaged.  Ethics appeals to the supposed good found within people which God's Word says does not naturally exist, nor is it fostered through the efforts of the flesh (Ps. 53:3).  Even if the right thing is done, it can be performed with the wrong attitude.  Philosophy is powerless in itself  to provide the actual means, motive, or ability to do the good which only comes through the Holy Spirit empowering a person to do so.  The very nature of a secular approach to ethics suggests man can be good or do right without God.  Humanistic ethics denies the necessity of repentance, spiritual regeneration, and salvation.  It substitutes man's wisdom (which the scripture deems folly) for God's wisdom - the true wisdom from above.  Instead of mere behaviour modification, God desires to transform us from within by His grace.

The scripture says in Colossians 2:8-10, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; ¹⁰ and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power."  God is not like a man, and God's wisdom is not like man's wisdom.  The Bible is a spiritually discerned book, and we can only implement the truth into our minds and lives by the power of God who dwells within born-again believers.  Most men will proclaim their own goodness, and there is a rare man who sees his faults and acknowledges them.  Without the power of Jesus Christ, however, no man has within him the power to change himself or earn forgiveness of sin.  Jesus Christ is the Way, Truth, and the Life, the wisdom from above who powerfully transforms all who trust in Him!

So the question which must be asked is, has scripture teaching been reduced to ethics or an exercise in behaviour modification?  Or is an opportunity been provided to experience the truth of God's Word and a life of faith in Christ so the change comes from within?  One of the expressed purposes of scripture teaching in New South Wales is for children to hear the scriptures from people who personally exercise faith in their lives.  Information is important, and a relationship with God far more important still!  If scripture is ever reduced to focusing on sharing information or addressing behaviour, it is sorely missing the point.