Understating the Gospel

Sometimes I am left wondering if professing Christians realise how dire their situation was before coming to faith in Jesus Christ.  When people speak only of how their life is improved without reference to what Jesus has done for them or Who He is to them, this concerns me.  Recently I read an article that explained the changes Jesus had brought to a person's life who was much "happier now."  This should come as no surprise to someone who was facing the just wrath of God for eternity due to sin.  Such statements strike me like a person who was miraculously healed on their deathbed.  It would seem odd if all they had to say about their experience later was, "I'm glad I don't have to wear that unflattering hospital gown any more."  Focusing on fashion or current happiness ignores the immense gravity of how close they came to leaving the hospital in a box, a huge understatement.

The article went on to say the lifestyle of the person before coming to Christ "wasn't helping" and ditching new age practices for Jesus has "worked."  These quotes are good examples of what I mean:  these are true statements from a biblical perspective, yet they are massive understatements.  Sin condemns us before a holy God who will rightly take eternal vengeance on all those who do evil with power that makes demons tremble.  Jesus (God made flesh) and the Gospel are not just one of many things to "try" to see how it works for us:  there is no other way to salvation, forgiveness and eternal life than faith in Jesus!  As a person grows in knowledge and understanding hopefully they realise and appreciate more fully what God has saved them from and saved them for, but "happiness" hinges on what happens.  When trials and troubles arise, maybe the decrease of happiness will lead the person to find their happy fix elsewhere.

It is important in conveying the Gospel to people that we do not conflate their desperate need for salvation with temporal benefits they will receive in coming to Christ in faith.  If people come to Jesus to be happy, to find something that will work for them, when trials arise (as Jesus promised they will) they likely will look for a better deal when a better deal doesn't exist.  The Gospel isn't a better deal:  it is a gracious gift from God we receive or reject.  To see Jesus as merely providing benefits to our lives when life itself is found in Him alone is to have a skewed and incorrect view of the LORD Jesus.  Many people have "tried" Jesus who have never trusted in Him, were never saved by Him, and thus swore off anything to do with Him because they did not receive the benefits they were promised.  Christians ought to do all in our power to avoid the error of ignoring how God supplied our needs for forgiveness, salvation and spiritual regeneration and distilling all this down to how happy we are--and others can be happier too.

The miracle of spiritual regeneration and the filling with the Holy Spirit transforms us from the inside when we are born again by faith in Jesus.  Those who repent of their sin and look to Jesus for salvation are new creations by His grace and joined with His Body, the church.  Let's not sell Jesus short of the glory He deserves for all He has accomplished through His death and resurrection as we share Him with others.  The man born blind healed by Jesus did not mince words concerning the miraculous change Jesus made in his life:  "I was blind, but now I see."  I (for one) was dead in sin, enslaved by sin and deservedly headed for hell forever, but now I am born again, forgiven and free.  I have the promise of eternal life awaiting me with the comfort and Holy Spirit right now.  Am I happy?  Yeah, you could say that--and infinitely more.  Praise God!

Tightfisted or Openhanded?

God has given people unique personalities, freedom and opportunity by God to have personal opinions and preferences, and this is true concerning Christians and modern translations of the Bible.  There are simple and at the same time complex reasons why we prefer one translation over another, yet it is good to see different translations of the Bible as complimentary to one another rather than conflicting.  Spurgeon brought up a good point on Psalm 40:6 concerning the divine inspiration of biblical texts:  “The Septuagint, from which Paul quoted, has translated this passage, ‘A body hast thou prepared me:’ how this reading arose it is not easy to imagine, but since apostolical authority has sanctioned the variation, we accept it as no mistake, but as an instance of various readings equally inspired.”  These instances of different manuscripts being equally inspired may be uncommon, but is no trouble for God.

I have been reading through the entirety of the Bible in the NIV lately, a departure from translations I use most frequently--reading primarily KJV and teaching from NKJV.  My overall impression is being struck with similarities rather than differences.  When there is a notable difference (which has been exceedingly rare) there is typically a footnote which includes a common rendering and explanation for the variation.  Ever so often I have been pleased with passages that are put forth in a more clear or concise manner than my "preferred" versions.  Other times an unfamiliar rendering puts a fresh perspective on a passage that is beneficial to consider.

I was blessed by the NIV rendering of Deuteronomy 15:7-8 recently:  "If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. ⁸ Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs."  Being "tightfisted" provided more vivid imagery for me than "you shall not...shut your hand from your poor brother" and grabbed my attention.  Rather than being hardhearted and thus tightfisted, we ought to be openhanded and generous to lend to a poor brother.  Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and in the same vein our generosity (or lack thereof!) demonstrates our loving or selfish attitudes towards others.  Being able to connect the words of Scripture with concrete imagery and practical action is critical to us walking in light of God's truth, and whatever Bible version helps accommodate this for you with the aid of the Holy Spirit, wonderful!

God has been generous to give us His word freely and all that pertains to life and godliness.  It is an incredible thing that God makes people to prosper who are generous, yet there will remain poor in the land--as Jesus affirmed, the poor we always have with us.  Through Moses God said in Deuteronomy 15:11, "For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.'"  Whether we are rich in the world's goods or the wisdom of God's word, we ought to be generous to share all God has given to us with those in need.  And based upon what the Bible teaches, there is no shortage of need that will continue perpetually.  We give openhandedly and freely, not in an attempt to make the poor rich so we need never give, but in obedience to our Saviour as we follow His example of sacrificial, joyful generosity.

Proof of Heaven?

I am often bemused when I see articles or books about people who share near-death stories of going to heaven--as if their experience provides proof of heaven's existence.  In his second letter to the Corinthians Paul spoke of being caught up into paradise and saw things he said were "unlawful to utter" and thus remained silent on the particulars.  If there are sensual experiences we have with our spouse that are so personal and precious we will not speak of or describe those moments to another living soul, it is fair to wonder why people are willing to share personal, spiritual experiences (legitimate or not) for fame, clicks or financial gain.

It is possible people have had many spiritual experiences I would not have imagined possible, for God is unlimited in power and His ways and thoughts are beyond ours.  If Paul was caught up into paradise and saw a wondrous vision, it follows others could also have similar experiences for God's good purposes.  Yet these extra-biblical accounts are not the authority on the matter, for God's word has already spoken loud and clear of heaven's existence.  Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  Notice "heavens" is plural and "earth" is singular.  There are heavens above the earth in atmospheric layers, and God dwells in the heaven of heavens which have always been.  Deuteronomy 10:14 reads, "Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it."

The created heavens and earth will someday pass away, and God will create new heavens and earth which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:10-13).  The Bible does not give much detail about what heaven is like, and for this reason many people are curious and intrigued to know more.  Better than seeking supposed eye-witness accounts of heaven to learn what heaven is really like, we ought to make sure we are going there by having our names written in the Lamb's book of life by faith in Jesus.  God has told us enough in His word to filter truth from error, and the lens of Scripture often reveals these dreams or visions deviate from what God has already said.  The LORD said in Jeremiah 23:28, "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?" says the LORD."  God's word is fruitful, yet accounts of dreams or experiences--true or not--are like empty chaff by comparison.

Paul made an interesting observation in Philippians 1:15-18:  "Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from good will: ¹⁶ The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; ¹⁷ but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice."  Some preached Jesus from envy and strife.  While this is far from ideal, Paul rejoiced Jesus was preached.  It may be that books and articles about heaven stir up interest and a desire to go to heaven, and this can be good when it leads people to Jesus Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  The biblical account of Jesus dying on the cross, rising from the dead, and ascending into heaven where He is preparing a place for His people shows me heaven is real, but no vision or experience people can have rises to that absolute level of proof.

Listen to the Holy Spirit

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Revelation 3:22

Today's sermon at Calvary Chapel Sydney centred around the words of the Holy Spirit to believers not to harden their hearts, and the words of Jesus to the seven churches in the book of Revelation also urge us to hear what the Holy Spirit says.  Jesus said the Holy Spirit was sent to convict the world of sin, of righteousness and judgment, and He continues to do so today:  instructing, reminding us of God's word and warning us as needed.  The 10 plagues God visited upon Egypt when Pharaoh hardened his heart are a sobering illustration all people ought to take to heart if we justify continuing in hardness of heart--Christians included.

Interestingly in Hebrews 3:7-11 the Holy Spirit did not say to Hebrew Christians, "Don't be like Pharoah who hardened his heart" but not to be like their Hebrew fathers who hardened their hearts and provoked Him after He delivered them from slavery in Egypt with miraculous signs.  It is a small thing for an idolatrous, proud king to harden his heart against the word of the LORD, but it is awful when God's people who claim to follow and obey Him provoke Him by unbelief, disobedience, murmuring and complaining.  For 40 years they saw God's works firsthand, eating the manna He provided daily as His presence went before them in a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day.  When God brought them to the land He promised to give them they refused to enter in, and thus He caused them to perish in the wilderness.  God was grieved with that generation because they erred in their hearts, did not know His ways, and thus could not enter His rest.

While the whole of scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit, He also spoke through Paul in 1 Timothy 4:1-5:  "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, ² speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, ³ forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴ For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; ⁵ for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."  In these last days the Holy Spirit warns people will depart from the faith because they will give heed to false doctrines, will speak lies, and their conscience will be seared.  They will lack sensitivity to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit because they refuse to heed God's word.  Such use God's word deceptively to impose their legalistic will on others without consideration of what Jesus accomplished on the cross when He established a new covenant.  A seared conscience leads to hypocrisy, commanding others to submit to human ordinances while at the same time disregarding God's voice and the testimony of the whole Bible.

The indwelling Holy Spirit enables us to have a clear conscience by instruction in God's word, knowing God created foods to be received with thanksgiving.  Since we believe and know the truth we remain pure before the LORD even when we eat food that is not kosher under the Law of Moses, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.  People may use the Bible to this day to point out certain foods are unclean, yet God has made a new and living way to a relationship with God by faith in Jesus--not by works of the law that cannot justify a soul before God.  May we stand corrected and humble ourselves before men when we have been convicted by the word of God, and having been made to stand let us continue by faith in God, loving one another and holding fast to the Gospel of grace.