Posts filed under ‘ABC Extra’
ABC Extra – “Jesus was born of a…”
When trying to understand a particularly puzzling or perplexing passage of Scripture, it is helpful to turn to other interpreters and study how they have interpreted the passage. This is especially helpful in the case of Isaiah 7:14, a famous prophecy about the birth of Jesus: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.” This passage became a source of heated debate and disagreement when the Revised Standard Version of 1952 famously translated, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Traditionally, this verse has been taken as a prophecy of the miraculous conception of Christ as one who was born of a virgin girl named Mary: “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). It was the Holy Spirit, Matthew says, who planted the Christ child in Mary’s womb. Mary, therefore, was still a virgin when she had Jesus. But the RSV changed the traditional translation of Isaiah 7:14 from “virgin” to “young woman.” Why the change?
The crux of the debate centers on the Hebrew word for “virgin,” or, as the RSV translates, “young woman.” The word is almah. And although almah does generally refer to a young woman who is a virgin, there are limited instances where it may refer to a young woman not in a virginal state, the most famous being Proverbs 30:18-19: “There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden.” The Hebrew word for “maiden” is almah. In this instance, the word seems to be referring to a woman already married and, hence, no longer in a virginal state. This is why the translators of the RSV opted for a more general translation of almah – “young woman” – rather than a more specific one – “virgin” – in Isaiah 7:14. The difficulty with this translation, however, is that Christianity’s critics have quickly pounced on this translation to undermine the Christological implications of this prophecy. Rather than foretelling the virgin birth of Christ, these critics maintain that this prophecy points only to events in the Isaiah’s own day.
This debate, then, leads us to this important question: Which translation of almah is correct? “Virgin” or “young woman”? And make no mistake about it: At stake here is far more than trifling lexical nuances. At stake here is a prophecy which the gospel writer Matthew says is fulfilled finally and fully in Jesus Christ! Indeed, Matthew cites this prophecy in his birth narrative: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’—which means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:22-23). Did Matthew misquote, misunderstand, or, worse yet, purposefully misuse this passage from Isaiah 7:14 when he applied it to the virgin birth of Jesus?
It is here that it is helpful to turn to other interpreters and see how they have understood this particularly puzzling and perplexing passage of Scripture. One of the oldest interpretations of this passage comes to us via an ancient translation of the Bible called the Septuagint. The Septuagint is a Greek translation of the Old Testament, commissioned in the third and second centuries as more and more Jews, after Alexander the Great undertook his project of radically Hellenizing the whole world, were no longer able to speak and understand Hebrew fluently. This Septuagint was a way for the Jews to maintain their religious Scriptural heritage in a language they could read and understand. And in Isaiah 7:14, the Hebrew word almah is translated as the Greek word parthenos. And although there may some limited linguistic ambiguity in the meaning of the word almah, there is no such ambiguity in the word parthenos. It means “virgin.” Thus, ancient Jewish translators, living before the birth of Christ, interpreted this prophecy Messianically, referring to a miraculously virgin born Messiah. And Matthew, in his account of Jesus’ birth, picks up on the Seputagintal translation of this prophecy and too uses the word parthenos. Interestingly, later Jewish Greek translations of this verse from the second century AD translate almah as neanis, meaning “young woman,” no doubt in an attempt the mute the Christian interpretation of this passage. But before the birth of Christ, the Jews were expecting nothing less than a miraculously born Messiah – a virgin born Messiah.
Thus, this particularly puzzling and perplexing prophecy stands as it has traditionally been interpreted. And this particularly puzzling and perplexing prophecy is puzzling and perplexing no more. For it has been fulfilled in Jesus.
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ABC Extra – “Rejoice…Always!”
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4)! This verse has always frustrated me. Not because I think it is somehow incorrect. Quite the contrary, I believe the command to rejoice is a divine and a good command. No, this verse has always frustrated me because I’m no good at it. The command is clear: I am to rejoice in the Lord always. I, however, seem to manage to rejoice in the Lord only sometimes. There are plenty of moments when I either find my joy in something other than the Lord or I lose my sense of joy altogether. I fail miserably at following this command.
It’s far too easy, when reading a verse like this, to chalk up Paul’s language here to a bit of hyperbole – a bit of overstatement just to make his point. “Surely Paul wasn’t being rigidly literal!” we might whisper to ourselves. “As long as I rejoice in the Lord sometimes, or even most of the time, I’m sure the Lord will be content with my best efforts.” But when our God gives commands, He does not hand out “A’s” for effort. He actually expects us to follow His mandates. And this mandate is clear: We are to rejoice in the Lord always.
But how can this happen? On the one hand, we must confess that it doesn’t happen – at least on this side of heaven. As I admitted above, I certainly fall short in the joy department. But I can rejoice that God forgives me through Christ for my lack of rejoicing. As with every other command of God, this is a command which we do not – and, because of our sinful natures, cannot – follow. On the other hand, it is important to note that Paul does not give this command to rejoice without offering us a roadmap to joy when he writes, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). In verse 4, when Paul exhorts us to rejoice in the Lord always, the Greek word for always is pas. In verse 6, when Paul tells us address everything with prayer and petition, the Greek word for “everything” is pas. Here, then, is how we are to rejoice in the Lord during everything – we are to encounter everything with Him through prayer and petition. That trial that we face – we are to face it with the Lord. That triumph that we enjoy – we are to enjoy it with the Lord. That question that we have – we are to ask it to the Lord. We are to live our lives with a keen awareness that we live with the Lord. For as long as we are with the Lord, we always have reason to rejoice. This is why Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always!”
Rejoicing, then, begins not with an effort to conjure up joy, but with an awareness of God’s continual presence. It begins with an awareness that, as Paul states, “The Lord is near” (Philippians 4:5). He is near in time – for His second coming is imminent. And He is near in space – for He promises to always be with us. And when you are aware of God’s presence and closeness, which is an indication of His care, concern, and compassion for us, it’s hard to anything but rejoice…always.
Want to learn more? Go to www.ConcordiaLutheranChurch.com and check out audio and video from Pastor Tucker’s message or Pastor Krueger’s ABC!
ABC Extra – Christ Alone
Human beings tend to be attracted to either legalism or antinomianism. Legalism describes when a person adds to the Law of God, creating rules, regulations, and stipulations which God has neither commanded nor forbidden. Antinomianism is when a person subtracts from the Law of God, claiming autonomy to do whatever he wants. In the Bible, the Pharisees are legalists. They continuously add their own laws to God’s law (e.g., Mark 7:3-4), creating “heavy loads and putting them on men’s shoulders” (Matthew 23:4). Satan, on the other hand, is an antinomian. In the Garden of Eden, he calls into question the veracity and gravity of God’s law. After God warns Adam not to eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil under penalty of death, Satan declares, “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4)! Satan seeks to subtract from what God has said.
Interestingly, legalism and antinomianism often go hand in hand. The legalist Pharisees, at the same time they add to God’s law, also “let go of the commands of God and hold on to the traditions of men” (Mark 7:8). In other words, given the choice between holding to their own legalist traditions and letting go of the true law of God, they always choose their own legalist traditions. They subtract from God’s law at the same time they add to it. The antinomian devil, at the same time he rejects God’s law, also initially tempts Adam and Eve with a question: “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’” (Genesis 3:1)? God did not say this. He only forbid eating from one tree in the garden, not every tree. Satan adds to God’s law at the same time he subtracts from it.
Ultimately, legalism and antinomianism make the same mistake – they trade the law of God for the will of men. And this is the problem in Philippians 3, our text from past weekend in worship and ABC. In this chapter, Paul addresses a group known as the Judaizers, who, while being believers in Christ, nevertheless insist that a person must be circumcised according to Jewish tradition in order to be saved. They fall into the error of legalism. And Paul has a harsh word of warning to the Philippians and against the Judaizers: “Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh” (Philippians 3:2). Paul describes legalism as “dogged” and “evil.” And he says that an insistence on circumcision for salvation is nothing less than a mutualizing of the flesh and of no value to the soul. Legalistically insisting on regulations and stipulations, no matter how pious or holy they may sound or seem, is wicked and heinous. It harms faith rather than helping it, for it seeks to add the work of men to Christ’s work on the cross.
Tullian Tchividjian, the senior pastor at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida, preached a sermon series a couple of years back with a title that succinctly explains the glory of the gospel while countering every specter of legalism. It was titled, “Jesus plus nothing equals everything.” Legalism tries to add something to Jesus. Antinomianism seeks to subtract something from Jesus. But Jesus will not be added to or subtracted from. He alone is sufficient. Thus, we are to find our joy, our hope, our meaning, our purpose, and our salvation in Him alone. He is to be our everything because He has given us all that we have and promises to provide all that we need – even our eternal lives.
Do you add to Jesus with your own pious rules and regulations? Do you seek to subtract from Jesus with, engaging in what he forbids and chasing after the own sinful lusts of your heart? If you answered “no” to either of these questions, you’re not being truthful with yourself. We all do these things. But by God’s grace, we are continually called back to Christ and Christ alone. Today, thank God that you have everything in one thing – Jesus Christ.
Want to learn more? Go to
www.ConcordiaLutheranChurch.com
and check out audio and video from Pastor Tucker’s
message or Pastor Zach’s ABC!
ABC Extra – Let Slavery Ring!
“Men desire above all things to be free and say that freedom is the greatest of blessings, while slavery is the most shameful and wretched of states.”[1] So said the first century Roman philosopher, Dio Chrysostom. Although philosophers are known for writing convoluted and delicate treatises, there is no convolution or delicacy here. Freedom is great. Slavery is wretched. The end. Dio could not be clearer.
The reason Dio does not need to speak of slavery delicately is because, in ancient Rome, slavery truly was a wretched state. Consider this description of slaves from Apuleius, a Roman author from the second century:
What scrawny little slaves there were! Their skin was everywhere embroidered with purple welts from their many beatings. Their backs, scarred from floggings, were shaded, as it were, rather than actually covered by their torn patchwork garments. Some wore only flimsy loincloths. All of them, decked out in these rags, carried brands on their foreheads, had their heads half-shaved, and wore chains around their ankles. Their complexions were an ugly yellow; their eyes were so inflamed by thick dark smoke and the steamy vapor they could barely see.[2]
According to Apuleius, slavery was so intolerable that he could not bear even to look at slaves without gasping. Seutonius, in his history of the Roman emperors, describes Augustine’s policy of, with few exceptions, allowing only free men to serve in his army:
Except as a fire-brigade at Rome, and when there was fear of riots in times of scarcity, [Augustus] employed freedmen as soldiers only twice: once as a guard for the colonies in the vicinity of Illyricum, and again to the defend the bank of the river Rhine; even these he levied, when they were slaves, from men and women of means, and at once gave them freedom; and he kept them under their original standard, not mingling them with the soldiers of free birth or arming them in the same fashion.[3]
No one wanted to be a slave. Everyone wanted to be free. And this is what makes Paul’s words in Philippians 2 so striking.
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:5-7). The Greek word for “servant” here is doulos, meaning not only a servant, but a slave. Jesus, being in very nature God, became a slave! And He did so willingly. No one coerced, cajoled, or compelled Jesus into slavery.
Jesus’ willingness to become a slave is especially gripping when one considers that Philippi was a town filled with veterans and soldiers. Thus, those who lived there prided themselves on being free men, for, as Seutonius explains, only free men could serve in the Roman army. So Paul writes to a town full of people who prided themselves on being free about a man who willingly let go of His freedom to become, of all things, a slave.
Jesus’ willingness to let go of His freedom for the state of slavery can serve us a model for us. After all, Paul regularly identifies himself as a doulos of Christ (e.g., Romans 1:1, Philippians 1:1). Like his Lord, Paul is happy to be a doulos to his Lord.
How about you? Do you pride yourself so much in your freedom that you forget that you are called to be a slave to Christ? Slavery, when it is to the things of this world, is indeed wretched. But slavery to Christ is glorious. For serving Christ is hopeful and heartening. In a world that is obsessed with freedom, we rejoice that we are slaves to our Savior!
Want to learn more? Go to
www.ConcordiaLutheranChurch.com
and check out audio and video from Pastor Tucker’s
message or Pastor Zach’s ABC!
ABC – Pain, Suffering, and the Gospel
"The Apostle Paul" by Rembrandt
As a pastor, I have been at the bedside of more than one person nearing the end of their life. And it always breaks my heart to see how much pain they must often endure as their body slowly shuts down and the sickness they have been valiantly fighting slowly takes over. This kind of suffering is truly sad. But suffering is not only physical. Just as heartbreaking for me to watch is the woman who is being emotionally abused by her spouse or the young boy who is made an outcast by his peers. Emotional, psychological, and spiritual suffering can leave very real scars on a human heart, soul, and life just as physical suffering can.
In our text from this past weekend, we read how the apostle Paul was a man who, like Jesus, was “familiar with suffering” (Isaiah 53:3). As he preached the gospel, he encountered persecution after persecution and pain after pain. In Philippians 1, we learn that Paul is encountering physical suffering. He is imprisoned in Rome for preaching the gospel, awaiting a hearing before the Roman emperor Nero, who is not exactly a friend and fan of Christians. And yet, even in the midst of this suffering, and his impending martyrdom at the hands of a ruthless emperor, Paul has hope and joy. He writes to the Philippians: “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (Philippians 1:12). Paul says his suffering advances the gospel. And it does! He goes on, “It has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ” (Philippians 1:13). As I mentioned in ABC, the “whole palace guard” could have numbered between 13,000 and 14,000 men. That’s a lot of men who have become aware of Paul’s suffering “in chains for Christ!” Apparently, Paul is sharing the gospel with the very men who are presiding over his suffering in chains. He is sharing the gospel with the guards.
Much like our suffering, Paul’s suffering is not merely physical. Paul goes on to speak of those who add to his suffering: “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry…supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains” (Philippians 1:15, 17). Paul has such vehement detractors of his ministry that they want to kick him while he’s down – they want to cause him trouble while he is in prison, as if being in prison isn’t trouble enough. Thus, through their envy and rivalry, they add to Paul’s physical suffering emotional suffering as well by preaching Christ for all the wrong, selfish reasons. And yet, even as Paul suffers, the gospel continues to spread.
The gospel has a funny – and even miraculous – way of spreading in and in spite of adversity and suffering. In Paul’s case, the gospel continued to spread thanks to his witness to the palace guard. Even today, adversity often serves as an unwilling and unwitting catalyst for the truth of the gospel to reach ears it might not otherwise tickle. I think of the Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, which was so popular and controversial when it first hit store shelves in 2003. Rife with ecclesiastical conspiracy theories, it became a flashpoint around which detractors of the Church and her message could rally. But its shoddy history, theology, and ecclesiology was made quick work of by the brightest and best Christian scholars who knew the theories put forth in this book were utterly unsubstantiated. It was only titillating conspiracy coupled with fantasy. However, because of the big questions this book raised, many people began to study Christianity – its history, theology, and ecclesiology – and found its teachings and truths to be on much more solid ground than they might have previously expected. Thus, the faith of many in Christ was strengthened and bolstered – and all this through a book antagonistic to Christianity.
What trials are you currently encountering? What suffering are you currently bearing? Is it physical, emotional, spiritual, or psychological? Whatever form your trials and suffering may take, pray to God – that He might give you strength to endure and that He might strengthen your faith in and through your suffering.
Want to learn more? Go to
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and check out audio and video from Pastor Tucker’s
message or Pastor Zach’s ABC!
ABC Extra – Forever and Ever and Ever
"The Road Goes on Forever" by Bob Jagendorf on flickr.com
There are some things we do not want to last forever. I was reminded of this as I was reading Psalm 74 in my devotions this past week: “O God, why do You cast us off forever” (Psalm 74:1)? The Psalmist is here lamenting God’s anger which has resulted in the dislocation of God’s people from their homeland by the Babylonians. The Israelites, the Psalmist says, have been “cast off” by God. And he’s worried that there may be no redemption. He’s worried that they may be cast off forever.
There are some things that we do not want to last forever. We do not want our workdays to last forever. That’s why there are so many songs about the glories of five o’ clock. We do not even want our vacations to last forever. That’s why there are so many songs about the yearning to be home. The Psalmist does not want his people’s exile to last forever. That’s why he writes a song pleading with God to restore them by His good grace. There are some things – and maybe even most things – that we do not want to last forever. But there are some things that we do.
In 1 Peter 1, the apostle writes about the kind of eternity that every Christian should desire – the kind of thing that every Christian should want to last forever:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. (1 Peter 1:3-6)
Peter says that in this world, like the Psalmist, we may have to suffer “all kinds of trials.” We may feel like we have been cast off by God “forever.” But not to worry, Peter says, for these trials will only last “a little while.” In fact, the Hebrew word for “forever” in Psalm 74:1 is nesach, which has a sense of “continually,” or “perpetually.” God may have cast His people off again and again in judgment for the sin they have committed again and again, but that doesn’t mean that they must be cast off forever. They can repent and God will restore them. This is why the Psalmist continues, “Remember Your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which You have redeemed to the be tribe of Your heritage” (Psalm 74:2). God will take His people back. Their exile will not last forever.
There are some things that we do not want to last forever. But there are some things that we do. Peter says we have an inheritance that does indeed last forever. It ‘s an inheritance that can “never perish, spoil, or fade.” Why? Because the One who holds our inheritance never perishes, spoils, or fades. And He promises us that, by faith in Him, we too will never perish, spoil, or fade. We will live with Him forever. This is our inheritance. And this is a forever inheritance that we should want.
There are some things that we do not want to last forever. Life with Christ, however, is not one of these things. For we were created by God to live forever. But sin interrupted God’s forever plan. Yet Christ, by His death and resurrection, put God’s forever plan back together. And His forever plan is a forever that never gets old.
Want to learn more? Go to
www.ConcordiaLutheranChurch.com
and check out audio and video from Pastor Tucker’s
message or Pastor Zach’s ABC!
ABC Extra – Heart Cleaning
When I was a little kid, one of the places my dad used to take me was the zoo. I loved to see the animals – the bears, the giraffes, the elephants, and the otters. I especially liked the otters. They always seemed so playful and energetic. But as much as I enjoyed seeing the animals, they were never my favorite part of my zoo trips. No, the highlight of these trips was always my ride on the zoo train. At my local zoo, they had a real, coal burning, steam engine which ran a mile long trek around the perimeter of the zoo grounds. And I loved to ride it. The wail of the train whistle, the chug, chug, chug of the pistons, and the waft of the smoke rising from the train’s stack always mesmerized me. I also loved the open-air cars. There was nothing like having the wind blow in your face as lots of beautiful scenery whizzed by beside you. In fact, I always wanted to hang my head out the side of the car and feel the wind rush through my hair. But in each car, they had these notices posted: “Please remain seated and keep your hands and arms inside the car until the ride has come to a complete stop.” I despised these notices. And my dad would never allow me to fudge the rules…not one bit. Whenever I’d try to stick my hand out the side of the car to feel the breeze, my dad would grab it and point it up to the notice. I could look at the scenery whizzing by outside, but I could not stick my hand out the window to get closer to it. I had to keep my hands to myself.
In worship and ABC this weekend, we looked at the story of a sinful woman who comes to anoint Jesus as He is dining with a Pharisee named Simon. As I mentioned in ABC, many scholars believe this woman not only lived a sinful life, but a scandalous one as a prostitute. When Simon sees this woman weeping over Jesus and pouring perfume on Him, Simon mutters to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him and what kind of woman she is – that she is a sinner” (Luke 7:39). Simon is upset that this sinful woman would dare to touch Jesus…and that Jesus would allow her to do so! In fact, from this, Simon deduces that Jesus cannot be a true prophet – for a true prophet would never let a sinful woman come into contact with Him. Simon believes this woman should keep her hands and arms inside her own little space at all times. She should keep her hands to herself.
According to Old Testament law, coming into contact with something or someone which was physically, spiritually, or ceremonially unclean rendered you unclean. For instance, Moses writes:
If a person touches anything ceremonially unclean – whether the carcasses of unclean wild animals or of unclean livestock or of unclean creatures that move along the ground – even though he is unaware of it, he has become unclean and is guilty. Or if he touches human uncleanness – anything that would make him unclean – even though he is unaware of it, when he learns of it he will be guilty. (Leviticus 5:2-3)
Moses is warning, “Be careful what you touch! Because if you touch the wrong thing, you will get the wrong result – you will be rendered ‘unclean’!” So please keep your hands and arms inside your own little space at all times. Keep your hands to yourself.
A touch can defile. This was the way the religious leaders viewed sinfulness and righteousness, uncleanness and purity. This is why Simon is so upset with Jesus. After all, He is allowing a clearly unclean prostitute to defile His ceremonial cleanness without so much as a wince! Jesus, however, knows better about purity and uncleanness:
Nothing outside a man can make him “unclean” by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him “unclean.” For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man “unclean.” (Mark 7:15, 21-23)
Jesus knows that a sinful woman cannot defile a pure person, for a person becomes sinful not because of some external source of wickedness, but because of his own sinful heart! The Lutheran Confessions explain, “Neither sin nor righteousness should be placed in meat, drink, clothing and like things” (Apology XXVIII 7). These external things cannot defile us. It is our own hearts which make us wicked.
This sinful woman’s touch does not defile Jesus’ purity. But Jesus’ purity does cleanse this sinful woman. Jesus announces to her, “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:48). This woman’s sinfulness is no match for Jesus’ forgiveness. And the same is true for us. We are cleansed through faith in Christ!
Want to learn more? Go to
www.ConcordiaLutheranChurch.com
and check out audio and video from Pastor Tucker’s
message or Pastor Zach’s ABC!
ABC Extra – God’s Immutable Provision
An old spiritual says:
I don’t know about tomorrow;
I just live from day to day.
I don’t borrow from its sunshine
For its skies may turn to gray.
I don’t worry o’er the future,
For I know what Jesus said.
And today I’ll walk beside Him,
For He knows what lies ahead.[1]
These words are simple, but powerfully true. And, I would add, they are also sorely needed in our world.
We live in a world full of uncertainty. The stock market can swing several hundred points in a day. A single poll can crown a new frontrunner in our current presidential race. Tragedy can strike in an instant. It’s impossible to know what tomorrow will bring. That’s why I love the words of this spiritual: “Today I’ll walk beside Him, for He knows what lies ahead.” Jesus, the song says, knows with certainty what lies ahead in an uncertain world. The chorus continues:
Many things about tomorrow
I don’t seem to understand,
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.
We cannot even manage to predict the weather of tomorrow, much less control the events of tomorrow. But Christ can do both. Tomorrow is held by Christ.
In ABC this past weekend, we kicked off a two-week mini-series titled “More Blessed” where we are taking a look at faithful stewardship. The Bible calls us to steward our resources faithfully by stewarding them generously. The Psalmist puts it succinctly when he says, “The righteous give generously” (Psalm 37:21). However, I know that in such a shaky world, sometimes the call to give generously can be a daunting one. After all, the specter of being generous with our resources only to watch them evaporate in the calamity of a terrible tomorrow is unsettling. This is why so many people prefer to keep what they have while they still have it!
Contrary to the world’s call to keep what you have while you still have it, Christians are called to be givers and sharers. And we can be givers and sharers – and feel at peace about it – thanks to the doctrine of God’s immutability. For with the rock-solid assurance God’s changeless character, we can trust Him to provide for our needs, even as He has done in the past (cf. Luke 11:3). This frees us up to fearlessly share with others that which God already has provided us. For more good gifts are sure to come from His hand.
The church father Augustine connected the doctrine of God’s immutability to the doctrine of God’s omniscience:
God does not pass from this to that by transition of thought, but beholds all things with absolute unchangeableness; so that of those things which emerge in time, the future, indeed, are not yet, and the present are now, and the past no longer are; but all of these are by Him comprehended in His stable and eternal presence.[2]
Augustine’s argument concerning God’s immutability and omniscience is an important one. Because God, Augustine argues, knows all – past, present, and future – nothing catches God off-guard. Thus, God responds to the tragedies, trials, and terrors of this world not spastically or sporadically, but intentionally and wisely because He is already thoroughly familiar with them, even before they happen. We can therefore trust God with our futures and be assured that He will carry us through by “His stable and eternal presence.”
Augustine’s words are a great comfort to me. For if God knows all, then he knows all that I need. And He will surely provide for what I need in His changeless, steady, stable, and immutable way. For nothing – none of my needs, tragedies, or trials – catches my God off guard.
The final verse of that old spiritual goes:
I don’t know about tomorrow,
It may bring me poverty.
But the One who feeds the sparrow
Is the One who stands by me.
This is the precious promise of God’s immutable provision. I hope you steward your resources like you believe it.
Want to learn more? Go to
www.ConcordiaLutheranChurch.com
and check out audio and video from Pastor Tucker’s
message or Pastor Zach’s ABC!
[1] “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow,” http://www.hymnlyrics.org/newlyrics_i/i_know_who_holds_tomorrow.php
[2] Augustine, City of God, 11.21, http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/120111.htm
ABC Extra – Knowing and Being Known
In 1754, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the preeminent Genevan philosopher of his day and pictured in this blog, wrote a book titled Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men. In it, Rousseau opines longingly for man’s primitive state. Contrary to the restrictions and mores modern society thrusts on us, primitive man, Rousseau declares, was carefree, without any language, any personal property, and any need to live in committed relationships. Rousseau declares, “Males and females united fortuitously, according to chance encounters, opportunity, and desire…They parted just as readily.”[1] In other words, primitive society was the ultimate free love society, that is, minus the love part. Rousseau continues, “Man’s first sentiment was that of his existence, his first care that for his preservation. The earth’s products provided him with all necessary support, instinct moved him to use them…There was one [instinct] that prompted him to perpetuate his species; and this blind inclination, devoid of any sentiment of the heart, produced only a purely animal act.”[2] According to Rousseau’s primitive, paradisiacal world, sex was only a brute, animal act, devoid of any pesky sentiments or connections. There was no affection, no emotional warmth – just skin against skin, flesh against flesh.
Rousseau’s vision and version of primitive man, of course, is diametrically opposed to the Bible’s account of our origins. Sex, according to the Bible, is not the result of brute, animal instinct. Rather, sex is a gift from God, bestowed on humans to connect husbands and wives in every human way possible: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).
The Old Testament uses an interesting euphemism for sexual relations. Rather than using the word “sex” as a verb, it will speak of people “knowing” each other. For example, when Adam and Eve come together as husband and wife, Genesis says, “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain” (Genesis 4:1).
This euphemism of “knowing” for sex gives us some insight into the depth and profundity of human sexuality. Contrary to Rousseau’s assertion, sex is not just skin against skin and flesh against flesh devoid of any commitment or compassion. Sex unites people – not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well. The apostle Paul explains it this way: “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, ‘The two will become one flesh.’ But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:15-17). As I mentioned in ABC, the city of Corinth boasted a temple dedicated to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and sex. At the temple, there were over one thousand prostitutes who serviced so-called “worshippers” in wild orgies celebrating Aphrodite. Apparently, even the Corinthian Christians developed a penchant for participating the temple’s debauchery. Like the pagans of Corinth, the Christians too began hooking up and breaking up. It was a Rousseaurian dream. But Paul knows that this kind of sexual looseness is not God’s dream. “Sex,” Paul says, “unifies one person to another in body. Thus, if you have sex with a prostitute, you are unifying yourself to her bodily.” But sex does not stop with fleshly unification. Paul also speaks of being “one with the Lord in spirit.” This too is a part of sex. This is why the Hebrew writers use the word “know” as a euphemism for sex. For sex creates a deep, emotional bond between two people. This is why divorces hurt so badly. Two people are being ripped apart who have been connected at the deepest levels of their being.
The apostle Paul writes concerning eternity: “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). The knowing of sexual intimacy is deep and abiding. But it will pale in comparison to the richness and depth and breadth with which we will know our Savior in heaven. This is the true and greatest knowledge for which we hope…and for which we wait.
Want to learn more? Go to
www.ConcordiaLutheranChurch.com
and check out audio and video from Pastor Tucker’s
message or Pastor Zach’s ABC!
ABC Extra – Harder Than A Hard Day’s Night
Christianity promotes and celebrates the value and the glory of work. Indeed, the famed, even if sometimes maligned, “Protestant Work Ethic” has been instrumental in engendering much of the industriousness that has marked the history of this country. From the faith’s earliest years, Christians have esteemed work and eschewed laziness. The Didache, a manual of early Christian practice, doctrine, and discipline from the turn of the second century, lays down this rule for those who wish to join the Christian community:
Let every one that comes in the name of the Lord be received…If the comer is a traveller, assist him, so far as you are able; but he shall not stay with you more than two or three days, if it be necessary. But if he wishes to settle with you, being a craftsman, let him work for and eat his bread. But if he has no craft, according to your wisdom provide how he shall live as a Christian among you, but not in idleness. If he will not do this, he is trafficking upon Christ. Beware of such men. (Didache 12:1-5)
With these words, we hear a call to both charity and industry. On the one hand, Christians are to receive even strangers into their midst and assist them as much as possible. On the other hand, if Christians catch whiffs of idleness among a person who joins their ranks, he is to be disciplined. Laziness will not be tolerated.
Certainly such a strict and demanding work ethic has raised more than a little ire among many. Overbearing corporate policies and malfeasance among management types is the bane of many rank and file employees. These troubles, in turn, often lead to a spirit of idleness. After all, the reasoning goes, if a work environment is miserable and miserly, why would an employee want to give it their all? If the powers that be won’t treat them fairly, they simply won’t offer their best. They’ll just do what they need to do to keep their job until a better prospect comes along. The difficulty with this kind of thinking, however, is that it is patently unbiblical. The apostle Peter admonishes:
Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. (1 Peter 2:18-20)
A couple of words jump out at me from this passage. First, the word for “masters” is despotes, from which we get our English word “despot.” In our day and age, nobody likes a despot. Dictionary.com defines a “despot” as “any tyrant or oppressor.”[1] Peter says, despite the wickedness of some despotic superiors, we still ought to work hard. Their vileness should not result in our laziness. Second, the word for “harsh” in Greek is skolios, from which we get our medical term “scoliosis,” a condition which describes an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine, or, more popularly stated, a crooked back. Peter knows full well that many managers are crooked. Yet, he encourages us to be faithful in our work even when these managers are unfaithful in their leadership.
The sentiment put forth by Peter’s words is certainly not a popular one. But is a Christian one. Peter knows and admits that our work will not always be easy. And yet, when our work is hard and the road is long, we have this promise: God is working in us and through us amidst even the most adverse of circumstances. As Paul reminds us, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). Our work, then – even our arduous work – is a place and a space for God to work. God hides His glorious work in our sorrowful work.
Do you see your work this way? By faith, you can. I love the way Gene Veith puts it in his book on Christian vocation: “It is faith that transforms suffering into a cross.”[2] May we see the suffering we encounter in our vocations as a cross, gifted to us by Christ, redeeming our suffering for His glory.
Want to learn more? Go to
www.ConcordiaLutheranChurch.com
and check out audio and video from Pastor Tucker’s
message or Pastor Zach’s ABC!
[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/despot
[2] Gene Edward Veith, Jr., God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2002) 153.
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