The Praise of God

"Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³ for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."

John 12:42-43

This observation of John gives us insight into the hearts of the rulers of the Jews who believed in Jesus, that they "loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."  Men ought to always praise God, yet we see God also gives praise to men who believe in Jesus Christ and confess Him.  Because a distinction is made between the praise of men and the praise of God, our actions demonstrate whether we value the praise of men or God more.

When God says "Well done!" to His good and faithful servants, this is praise.  While God is worthy of all praise, by His grace and strength His people can do what is praiseworthy because we are in Him.  Webster defines "praise" as, "Commendation bestowed on a person for his personal virtues or worthy actions, on meritorious actions themselves, or on any thing valuable; approbation expressed in words or song."  Because God is worthy to be praised, when we do according to His will in any thing praise is appropriate and fitting.  Unlike vengeance, which is God's sovereign territory, we have the freedom by the love of God to praise others who do what is right.

There is a notion that we ought not to praise others for their merit, as if this has the power to bestow humility.  The main problem with what we may call praise is it is often insincere and dishonest.  We praise children who have not done well to manipulate them into doing better.  Flattery has often been disguised as praise with self-serving motives.  "It is the voice of a god, not a man!" the men of Tyre and Sidon shouted in Acts 12, not that they really thought Herod was a god, but because he was angry with them and they desired peace.  Then there is the concern that praising one for doing well might foster pride in them or make others feel somewhat less.  While it is true a person can take pride in praise, a proud person can also refuse to accept it and respond with self-depreciation.  We cannot help how people will receive praise for a job well done, yet we can freely offer it by God's grace and example.

It is important to point out God has many things to say unto men, and much of it is not praise.  God's word is filled with correction, instruction, rebuke and commands.  Jesus spoke of servants who did their duty and were not commended for doing it.  We ought not need to be fueled by the praises of men to do our God-given duty when He has also supplied the wisdom, strength and guidance to do so.  We need not try to soften the blow of correction with insincere praise because this prevents both from landing properly.  If we praise, let it be done honestly to please the LORD.  Those who love the praise of God more than the praise of men will live to please Him in all they say and do, longing for the day they will hear Him say "Well done, good and faithful servant!" and give Him all the glory and praise for it.

Benefit of Family and Your Neighbour

When I read G.K. Chesterton, I am thankful God created people and philosophers who believe and proclaim His truth with intelligence that dwarfs my own.  I feel I am doing well to merely keep pace with Chesterton's train of thought that in an instant speeds off and leaves me disoriented in dust.  Though times and scenery has changed, I find his observations are often timeless and easily re-skinned to relate for modern society and the church as well.  The wisdom that comes from God is timeless, for the eternal God does not change.  Mankind that forms societies and cultures around the globe, in the naturally lost and unregenerate condition, has not changed either.  Those who are born again by faith in Jesus are being transformed to be more like Him, and thus those who know God and observe men (not to mention having experience as one!) find solid footing in reality.

Chesterton wrote an essay in 1905 titled On Certain Modern Writers and the Institution of the Family, and he makes some brilliant points.  His ideas that caught my attention are relevant for the church, schools, government and media in our internet age.  Electronics and the internet were not on the radar of a man who probably wrote by candlelight in a house without electricity, yet Chesterton has much wisdom for us today.  Here are a few selected paragraphs from that essay on the topic of community, cliques and family:

"It is not fashionable to say much nowadays of the advantages of the small community.  We are told that we must go in for large empires and large ideas.  There is one advantage, however, in the small state, the city, or the village, which only the willfully blind can overlook.  The man who lives in a small community lives in a much larger world.  He knows much more of the fierce varieties and uncompromising divergences of men.  The reason is obvious.  In a large community we can choose our companions.  In a small community our companions are chosen for us.  Thus in all extensive and highly civilised societies groups come into existence founded upon what is called sympathy, and shut out the real world more sharply than the gates of a monastery.  There is nothing really narrow about the clan; the thing which is really narrow is the clique.  The men of the clan live together because they all wear the same tartan or all descended from the same sacred cow; but in their souls, by the divine luck of things, there will always be more colours than in any tartan.  But the men of the clique live together because they have the same kind of soul, and their narrowness is a narrowness of spiritual coherence and contentment, like that which exists in hell.  A big society exists in order to form cliques.  A big society is a society for the promotion of narrowness.  It is a machinery for the purpose of guarding the solitary and sensitive individual from all experience of the bitter and bracing human compromises.  It is, in the most literal sense of the words, a society for the prevention of Christian knowledge...

We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next-door neighbour.  Hence he comes to us clad in all the careless terrors of nature; he is a strange as the stars, as reckless and indifferent as the rain.  He is Man, the most terrible of the beasts.  That is why the old religious and the old scriptural language showed so sharp a wisdom when they spoke, not of one's duty towards humanity, but one's duty towards one's neighbour.  The duty towards humanity may often take the form of some choice which is personal or even pleasurable.  That duty may be a hobby; it may even be a dissipation.  We may work in the East End because we are peculiarly fitted to work in the East End, or because we think we are; we may fight for the cause of international peace because we are very fond of fighting.  The most monstrous martyrdom, the most repulsive experience, may be the result of choice or a kind of taste.  We may be so made as to be particularly fond of lunatics or specially interested in leprosy.  We may love negroes because they are black or German Socialists because they are pedantic.  But we have to love our neighbour because he is there--a much more alarming reasons for a much more serious operation.  He is the sample of humanity which is actually given us.  Precisely because he may be anybody he is everybody.  He is a symbol because he is an accident...

 But in order that life should be a story or romance to us, it is necessary that a great part of it, at any rate, should be settled for us without our permission.  If we wish life to be a system, this may be a nuisance; but if we wish it to be a drama, it is an essential.  It may often happen, no doubt, that a drama may be written by somebody else which we like very little.  But we should like it still less if the author came before the curtain every hour or so, and forced on us the whole trouble of inventing the next act.  A man has control over many things in his life; he has control over enough things to be the hero of a novel.  But if he had control over everything, there would be so much hero that there would be no novel.  And the reason why the lives of the rich are at bottom so tame and uneventful is simply that they can choose the events.  They are dull because they are omnipotent.  They fail to feel adventures because they can make the adventures.  The things which keeps life romantic and fully of fiery possibilities is the existence of these great plain limitations which force all of us to meet the things we do not like or do not expect.  It is vain for the supercilious moderns to talk of being in uncongenial surroundings.  To be in a romance is to be in uncongenial surroundings.  To be born into this earth is to be born into uncongenial surroundings, hence to be born into a romance.  Of all these great limitations and frameworks which fashion and create the poetry and variety of life, the family is the most definite and important.  Hence it is misunderstood by the moderns, who imagine that romance would exist most perfectly in a complete state of what they call liberty.  They think that if a man makes a gesture it would be a startling and romantic matter that the sun should fall from the sky.  But the startling and romantic thing about the sun is that is does not fall from the sky.  They are seeking under every shape and form a world where there are no limitations--that is, a world where there are no outlines; that is, a world where there are no shapes.  There is nothing baser that than infinity.  They say they wish to be as strong as the universe, but they really wish the whole universe as weak as themselves."  (Chesterton, G. K., et al. In Defense of Sanity: The Best Essays of G.K. Chesterton. Ignatius Press, 2011. pages 10-20)

Small Book, Giant Truths

"Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish's belly. ² And he said: "I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, and He answered me. "Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice."

Jonah 2:1-2

Jonah was directed by God to preach against Nineveh, but he chose to disobey the word of the LORD and fled to Tarshish by ship.  God sent a mighty tempest which tossed the ship and the sailors cried out to their gods, being in jeopardy.  Eventually Jonah was revealed by lot to be the reason the storm had come upon them, and according to his directive Jonah was cast overboard and the sea was calm.  God prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah, and from the prison of stinking flesh Jonah cried out to God and was heard.

This biblical passage has much more going on than what is featured in a book for children:  the prophet needed correction and discipline, the sailors would benefit from a demonstration of God's power and instruction concerning His supremacy and sovereignty, and God desired to provide the people of Nineveh preaching and salvation.  To people who required a sign to believe Jesus was the Christ He pointed to Jonah, that as Jonah was 3 days in the belly of the fish and survived, so Jesus would be 3 days in the grave before rising in eternal glory.  In the book of Jonah everyone seemed to change except for him:  the pagan men on the ship sacrificed to God and made vows, and the people of Nineveh repented of their wickedness with fasting.  The book ends with Jonah justifying his anger and indignation before God who remained gracious, patient and wise.

God's preparation of the storm, the great fish, vine, worm and vehement east wind were more than just lessons for Jonah but for all who read this small book of the Bible.  It is written for the sake of disobedient prophets and people alike to hear, fear and obey God.  It is to correct those who hate other nations or people because of past atrocities to show compassion as God did and does.  It teaches everyone who is experiencing personal hell and feels like God is far from them that God hears the prayer of faith in Him and answers.  This book shows God's wisdom in spreading the knowledge of His power through a prophet and sailors alike in His wisdom.  It demonstrates how God's heart is to hear, save and forgive Jew and Gentile alike by His grace.  When it comes to God's wisdom in His word, our cup overflows.

While we try to avoid affliction, God can use it to draw wayward souls to Himself.  The God who created the heavens, earth and seas, the LORD who called Jonah and saved the sailors and Ninevites who called out to Him, is the Saviour who speaks and works His wonders to this day.  Praise God that He who created the ear can hear, and He is able to deliver us from bondage to stubbornness, idolatry, waves of pride that rise and the belly of affliction.  The book of Jonah isn't kid stuff but a revelation of the glorious God for all ages, all people and for all time.

What Agnostics Can Know

Recently I read an opinion piece that prompted consideration.  From the premise to the conclusion I disagreed with every point made.  A strong agnostic tone was maintained throughout concerning Jesus and the testimony of scripture, and thus there was nothing satisfactory for the soul.  In arrogance the pendulum swung between ignorance and irrelevance, and I don't know that a Christian or atheist who would be satisfied with the straw man arguments presented.  For me the article was of value because it showed the complete bankruptcy of an agnostic position concerning the person of Jesus Christ.

Reading the article, it seemed the fellow was pleased to through out the Baby Jesus but treasured His bathwater:  the value in Jesus being a Saviour for oppressed souls was not in His divinity but His humanity.  In the writer's mind some compelling things have been attributed to Jesus, but whether Jesus existed or not is of little consequence.  What really matters, I read, was the concept of Jesus doing miracles and providing for the needy kindles faith in humanity.  From a biblical worldview, this misses the point entirely.

Jesus only said and did compelling things because of Who He is, the Son of God born of a virgin in Bethlehem, the Christ--exactly as God promised beforehand.  The whole of Christ's life is placed under a microscope because of His claim to be the Messiah, that He came from heaven.  Jesus cannot be a good man and lie to deceive people:  either He is the Christ, or He is not.  Either the whole body of work of His life is consistent with this claim, or Jesus is a deceiver and disqualified as divinity--including being a decent bloke.  His sayings, actions and miracles were not to inspire people with faith in humanity, but for the lost sinner to receive salvation through faith in Jesus.

1 John 5:11-13 says with complete authority from God Himself concerning Jesus:  "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."  For the one who is not sure Jesus was born or is the Son of God, you can know with certainty you are not saved.  Being agnostic towards Jesus Christ and His claims of divinity means you are guaranteed to fall short of the forgiveness and justification He provides by grace through faith in Him.  Saying "maybe" concerning the existence of Jesus Christ or His resurrection means you have no part in Him, remain in sin and are truly lost.

No matter what arguments doubters and deceivers have concerning Jesus, Christians can rest confidently in Jesus Christ our LORD who ascended to the Father in the presence of many witnesses.  We do not need to know everything to know for certain we are forgiven and have eternal life through faith in Jesus.  We who believe in Jesus are called to keep believing, for our faith is according to knowledge revealed in God's word that is true.  Praise the LORD for opening our eyes to see and giving us hearts to understand and know Jesus.  How blessed we are to be known by Him Who has sought us out!