Abide In Life

Having knowledge impacts our perspective.  If you were to walk into a trauma ward without understanding, you might imagine the staff were responsible for causing terrible pain and grievous harm.  One might even be incredulous and angry such painful abuse was rife anywhere.  However, knowing those who suffered pain were brought as patients for life-saving treatments by trained professional medical staff, this shifts the perspective dramatically.  One previously viewed in ignorance as cruel and the cause of suffering could later be seen as the one who supplies the only hope for healing and a full recovery.  The surgeon's scalpel cuts to restore to good health.

Proverbs 19:23 holds forth how the fear of God changes our perspective concerning trials and suffering:  "The fear of the LORD leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; he will not be visited with evil."  The world ascribes to a concept of cause and effect, a secular karma that loosely aligns with sowing and reaping:  do good deeds and good will be returned to you.  One stumbling block people have is, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"  In the face of God being good it seems a contradiction to people who do not know Him that He could allow evil.  But that is like saying a doctor cannot be good who inflicted pain by cleaning or dressing a wound, caused discomfort by setting a broken bone, advised dietary restrictions the patient did not agree with or prescribed medication that had negative side effects.  A good doctor in the practice of medicine must honestly share bad news with the desire to do the most good in the long run.

There are countless people in the Bible who trusted and feared God who suffered much evil.  The point made in Proverbs 19:23 is knowledge of God who is immutably good, righteous, faithful, loving and sovereign shifts our perspective concerning trials and evils He allows us to suffer.  In Christ we know we are not at the mercy of Satan, sickness and this world steeped in sin.  The fear of God leads to abundant life made possible by the suffering and death of Jesus on Calvary who days later rose from the dead in triumphant victory.  Being crucified was a terrible evil, yet Jesus had faith in His Father who would accomplish redemptive purposes for all mankind through His righteous sacrifice.  The cross was not karma but love and grace poured out, as atonement for sinners was willingly made by Jesus who submitted Himself to His Father with joy.  God allowed Job to suffer terribly at the hand of Satan so he would be doubly blessed by God and realise He is compassionate and merciful (James 5:11).  Even when evil is allowed to visit us, faith in God in whom we abide in reveals He intends it for good.  We may not see the good in a situation, but there is no evil in God.

Those who fear the LORD will face trials and suffer, but we know we are kept by Him.  While we cannot understand when we or others feel overwhelmed by pain and troubles God has allowed, the fear of the LORD leads us to trust Him knowing death in His sovereign plan can lead to life, confinement to freedom, beatings and suffering shame to joy, separation to greater closeness, brokenness to healing, depression to exaltation, spiritual attack to double blessing, weakness to strength (in weakness), and cruelty to compassion.  The greatest evils seen in this world in the hands of God can be overturned and made beautiful in time because God is good, righteous, gracious, loving and sovereign over all.  We are satisfied in God who is our life as we abide in Christ without fear of evil.

Examine Yourselves

In the concluding chapter of Paul's second letter to the Corinthian church, he exhorted them in 2 Corinthians 13:5:  "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified."  Paul willingly subjected himself to scrutiny of his hearers, even to those who doubted his qualifications and motivation as he ministered unto them.  He had not come to them boasting in his credential or flashing letters of recommendation as others had after him, and thus he was not given the respect and honour of which he was deserving for his service unto Christ and the Gospel.

After affirming his faithfulness to God and explaining how he suffered for the sake of Christ, his abundant revelations, infirmities and weakness, Paul urged the believers in the church of Corinth to examine themselves as to whether they were in the faith.  Many times Paul referred to them as brethren and encouraged them with compliments:  yet if they questioned the sincerity and spiritual fitness of apostle Paul, shouldn't they also examine themselves with the same lens?  I like how Paul did not make a judgment about them but exhorted them to examine themselves.  The godly, loving pattern of their lives would bear a resemblance to Jesus Christ if they were in Him, for having been born again He was in them by faith.  If they were disqualified or "reprobate," however, they would be unwilling to undergo such searching.  Blinded by pride, hardness of heart and hypocrisy, they would be unable in that state to see themselves in truth.

This concept of being "reprobate" or false silver is seen in other places in the Bible.  In ancient times the value of money was in itself, the precious materials the money was actually made of.  In our modern times money has a representative value and is made of more common, less precious materials because it is far more cheap and convenient to produce.  Precious metals would leave a streak when rubbed lightly upon a touchstone.  This was one way among many that aided shopkeepers, bankers and traders to recognise the true from the counterfeit.  Through the prophet God spoke of His people who bore no resemblance to Him in Jeremiah 6:28-30:  "They are all stubborn rebels, walking as slanderers. They are bronze and iron, they are all corrupters; ²⁹ the bellows blow fiercely, the lead is consumed by the fire; the smelter refines in vain, for the wicked are not drawn off. ³⁰ People will call them rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them."  God sought to refine the children of Israel through judgment but bronze, iron and lead are not silver.  No skill in metallurgy or mixing of chemicals can transform the basic composition of lead into silver.  God's examination revealed them not to be His people in spirit and truth.

When Daniel revealed the interpretation of the writing on the wall to Belshazzar, "tekel" meant:  "You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting." (Dan. 5:27)  Gold is a heavy metal, and God held kings to a high standard to uphold righteous judgment.  Compared to gold Belshazzar was like aluminium that did not measure up.  Paul gave professing believers in Corinth that charge to examine themselves, and with the aid of God's word, the power of the Holy Spirit and their conscience the truth would be clear--whether or not they were willing to own their sin and repent was another story.  Paul had authority in the LORD to instruct, correct and discipline God's people, yet he urged them to take the opportunity to admit their own failings and repent before he arrived and set them straight using harshness with their edification in mind.

A fitting application when we read the Bible is to take the exhortations to heart ourselves, that we would also test ourselves, examine ourselves to see if we are walking in faith.  We in the church claim to believe and follow Jesus:  are our lives therefore marked by Christ's love, joy, peace with longsuffering?  Are we loving and forgiving one another as Jesus loves and forgives us?  Are we like dishonest merchants who attempt to pass off painted lead as gold or polished bronze as silver, walking in deceit and hypocrisy in our workplace or unfaithful in marriage?  If Christ is truly in us, then we will be changed from who we are in the flesh and more like Christ:  quick to listen, quick to humble ourselves in repentance, submit to God's authority, loving those who correct us rather than hating them, choosing to put off sin and walk in righteousness and grace.  It is a little thing to find faults in others.  A far more important discipline is to identify and address our own faults so we are not found reprobates by God.

Wisdom in Sight

I've enjoyed reading through the book of Proverbs lately, and there is an amazing store of wisdom contained therein for the hungry and discerning soul.  The wisdom of God is not secreted away in a monastic commune, written with indecipherable symbols or buried in a chest on the highest mountain.  The wisdom of God is not earned through sacrifice but received by faith in Jesus Christ.  To all people Wisdom cries aloud, and for those willing to heed have wisdom in sight before them as it is written in Proverbs 17:24:  "Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth."

Because Jesus is wisdom for us (1 Corinthians 1:30-31) He opens our eyes to discern and recognise the wisdom of God and begin to understand how God's wisdom is to guide our own thoughts, attitudes and choices.  Jesus is with us and will not forsake us; He is our life so wisdom is always at hand.  After His resurrection this was apparent in the interactions of Jesus with His disciples.  As He walked with them (without them even recognising Him) Luke 24:27 says, "And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself."  Suddenly the Bible became an open book of divine revelation to the disciples.  Later in the passage Luke 24:45 said, "And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures."  It is one thing to read words on a page and another to comprehend them, and it is Jesus who makes all the difference.

In contrast to the one who has understanding Solomon said, "...the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth."  A fool, one the scriptures describe as living as if God does not exist, is without understanding to recognise God and His wisdom is at hand.  Such a one imagines wisdom exists beyond sight and cannot truly be known:  it is a mirage without substance, an unfounded rumour, a theoretical concept obscured by a cloudy mist.  Since God is the source of true wisdom, the fool cannot perceive the wisdom of God to guide him on his present path.  The Bible sits closed and dusty on a shelf, and wisdom might as well be a world away because the fool has no understanding or appetite for it.  Even if the truth of God's wisdom is heard secondhand the unregenerate fool has no capacity to walk in it.

Praise the LORD Jesus is wisdom for us, and He lives!  He walks with us, speaks with us and has sent the Comforter to help, guide and instruct us in all truth.  Having opened our eyes by faith in Him, Jesus is now in our sight.  We can be content, joyful and at rest in the goodness of God right where we are.  We have full assurance God is wisely guiding and leading us to His desired end which is glorious and good, for Jesus Christ is wisdom for us.

Consider One Another

I recently saw a church website that emphasised the importance and meaning of receiving communion.  More than half of the blog posts I read were on this subject and explained how it was the responsibility of believers to remember and proclaim the LORD's death until He comes.  Partaking of the broken bread and cup is a symbolic act which indicates the reality of faith in Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God crucified for us.  These points were all well made and ought to be taken to heart by all Christ's disciples.

What was inferred in the blog posts was the need for believers to join an assembly of believers to do this together as one.  The receiving of communion is an important observation, not to earn or guarantee salvation, but because we are saved and are being saved by faith in Jesus demonstrated by obedience.  If such emphasis on the Last Supper is warranted, then it is also fitting to emphasise the unity of believers in Christ as one Body, the church.  Unless we are personally connected with a local fellowship of Christians it could be compared to a believer who never receives communion.  Communion is an act of obedience to Christ, even as gathering in one accord to praise and worship the LORD together.

Baptism is another symbolic act followers of Christ are called to submit to that illustrates how our sins have been washed clean, that as Jesus died and rose again we have been born again by faith in Him and raised to new life.  To be baptised without first being born again and forgiven of sins is not congruent, and partaking of communion without being spiritually regenerated is a total contradiction:  a believer who does not meet regularly together with Christians is just as contrary as it relates to the reality of our new life in Christ.  Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, ²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

A lot of people focus on the "assembling of ourselves together" as if this is the primary aim, but it is infinitely more than church attendance.  If the prime reason we attend church is out of obligation, we miss the reason behind it:  "consider one another in order to stir up love and good works...exhorting one another."  Going to church ought not to be only to receive communion or be baptised but out of consideration for one another in order to stir up love according to God's word.  This is a good description of what fellowship looks like, contributing to the strength, health and fitness of the church by walking in love, stirring up good works and exhorting one another to walk with Jesus faithfully.  We can only follow the "one another" commands of scripture when we consider and assemble with one another.  It is a blessing beyond words to walk together with brothers and sisters united in the love of God with Jesus Christ as our Head.