This is a set of verses talking about the Weak and the Strong. It starts with "1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters." The keyword to me here is "disputable." For, Paul goes on to talk about differing food and holy day observance as examples.
Then we must ask, what are disputable items? For, these days, I believe the enemy has brought, and we have accepted, into the Western Church such a multitude of "disputable" items that we now are disputing our very faith. We are then asked to abide by Paul's direction in Romans 14 here, that we live to the lowest common denominator of faith amongst the believers.
That brings up more interesting questions, as to how far that extends. In Paul's day, the community of believers extended as far as you could walk in a few days time. Now, every practice by every congregation on earth is common knowledge for all. If a Church in Kansas protests against homosexuality at Military funerals, should we in New Jersey join them? Of course, I'm unfairly combining the "disputable items" with the "common denominator" discussion now.
Good things to think about though, especially "16Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil." and "22...Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves." The first gets to the idea that there is some line to be drawn by how far you're all allowed to push your fellow Christians. The second idea echoes Jesus, with the "take the log out of your own eye first" command. Also note here that all of this is directed at Christians. All the notions of Don't Judge in Romans 14 are only in the context of the body of believers.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Matthew 20:9-16
9"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'
Point one: It is far more, even infinitely more important how we finish our "race" here on earth than how we started it. This is not to speak of making a decision to "work in the vineyards" and changing your mind later, that's covered under a different parable. This parable speaks to those to whom we Christians consider lost causes, despicable humans of the worst sort, but to whom God looks at and simply says "that's because they're not working for me yet" and hires them at the same wage. This brings us to point two.
Point two: It's not fair! This comes up A LOT in the Bible, which is funny because it still comes up today, even as it is dealt with over and over again. Here again we have humans complaining it's not fair. It is fair, it is eminently fair for necessarily one reason alone, and that's It's His Money. It's God's to do with what He will. How you would spend God's money doesn't even factor into the equation. It's just not yours to spend. I can hazard a guess using my corruptible sense of fairness, which obviously falls short of God's. I could say that we are not being paid for the time worked in the Vineyard because time is relative and is a poor measure of infinite qualities such as God has. Rather, we are paid by the only thing that stands the test of time, which is our decision to work at all, before we leave this mortal coil.
Point three: God's "money" belongs to God, and a person's money belongs to a person, to do what they will with. As a Christian, I have made my choice that my "money" (material and spiritual) belongs to God, in fact have decided that it was His all along. But I will respect the choice of others to do with their money what they will, even when I think "it's not fair." After all, their money is passing, while God's currency is eternal. If they don't want to take advantage of the best currency market of all time, it's their loss. But I also want to keep trying to hire them into God's Vineyard, and I'm going to tell them the wage will be the same as mine, though I have been here longer (which really just means I'm aware of more of my sins, so, actually feeling less qualified!).
13"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'
16"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
Point one: It is far more, even infinitely more important how we finish our "race" here on earth than how we started it. This is not to speak of making a decision to "work in the vineyards" and changing your mind later, that's covered under a different parable. This parable speaks to those to whom we Christians consider lost causes, despicable humans of the worst sort, but to whom God looks at and simply says "that's because they're not working for me yet" and hires them at the same wage. This brings us to point two.
Point two: It's not fair! This comes up A LOT in the Bible, which is funny because it still comes up today, even as it is dealt with over and over again. Here again we have humans complaining it's not fair. It is fair, it is eminently fair for necessarily one reason alone, and that's It's His Money. It's God's to do with what He will. How you would spend God's money doesn't even factor into the equation. It's just not yours to spend. I can hazard a guess using my corruptible sense of fairness, which obviously falls short of God's. I could say that we are not being paid for the time worked in the Vineyard because time is relative and is a poor measure of infinite qualities such as God has. Rather, we are paid by the only thing that stands the test of time, which is our decision to work at all, before we leave this mortal coil.
Point three: God's "money" belongs to God, and a person's money belongs to a person, to do what they will with. As a Christian, I have made my choice that my "money" (material and spiritual) belongs to God, in fact have decided that it was His all along. But I will respect the choice of others to do with their money what they will, even when I think "it's not fair." After all, their money is passing, while God's currency is eternal. If they don't want to take advantage of the best currency market of all time, it's their loss. But I also want to keep trying to hire them into God's Vineyard, and I'm going to tell them the wage will be the same as mine, though I have been here longer (which really just means I'm aware of more of my sins, so, actually feeling less qualified!).
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Life of Steel
Lord, let me know Your word. Let it permeate me, like carbon permeating iron. Let Your word turn my life, my very being, into strong steel. Let me withstand the pressures of this world, let it make me stronger, and temper me, O Lord. Keep me from the flames of sin, that might weaken me, and fill me again when I am weakened.
Read I John chapter 4 today. The whole chapter is simply amazing. Such incredible concepts, so profound. I particularly liked the last bit, where it says if you can't love something you see, then you cannot love something that is unseen. If you can't love your brother who is in front of you, you can't love God who no one has seen.
And, Love drives out Fear. Perfect Love has no Fear. Which is a nice conclusion to the statement in Proverbs that Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. So, while our relationship with God begins with Fear (read Honor, Respect, Awe), it ends with Love. We may begin our relationship with God by obeying His commands out of fear of the consequences, but He develops it into a relationship whereby we follow His commands out of love for Him.
Read I John chapter 4 today. The whole chapter is simply amazing. Such incredible concepts, so profound. I particularly liked the last bit, where it says if you can't love something you see, then you cannot love something that is unseen. If you can't love your brother who is in front of you, you can't love God who no one has seen.
And, Love drives out Fear. Perfect Love has no Fear. Which is a nice conclusion to the statement in Proverbs that Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. So, while our relationship with God begins with Fear (read Honor, Respect, Awe), it ends with Love. We may begin our relationship with God by obeying His commands out of fear of the consequences, but He develops it into a relationship whereby we follow His commands out of love for Him.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Only One Law?
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”- Matthew 7:12
Could it be that in the end, after the thousands of lines of regulatory code and statues and ordinances of our societies, after the myriad lists of taboos, that everything comes down to only one Law? At least in governing our relationships with each other, the answer is a simple "Yes."
I recently watched a movies called "The Kite Runner." One character from the story set in pre-Soviet / Taliban Afghanistan lashed out against the Afghan Mullahs and the Communists, and all their lists of "sins." He tells his son, "there is only one sin, stealing." He explains, when you kill someone, you steal their life, and so forth. I pondered this, as I have heard others make similar observations. Then I re-read Matthew 7:12, and I realized this is a variation on Jesus' summary of the Law.
Stealing is a particularly good concrete example of how you wouldn't treat others as yourself, since you wouldn't (or ought not) steal from yourself! It recognizes the basic right of property, and the equality of that right to all. But perhaps Jesus' summation is more eloquent, as it catches both the one who would try to steal property for themselves, and those who have all their property by rights yet deny others opportunities they themselves sought in the acquisition of their own wealth.
Could it be that in the end, after the thousands of lines of regulatory code and statues and ordinances of our societies, after the myriad lists of taboos, that everything comes down to only one Law? At least in governing our relationships with each other, the answer is a simple "Yes."
I recently watched a movies called "The Kite Runner." One character from the story set in pre-Soviet / Taliban Afghanistan lashed out against the Afghan Mullahs and the Communists, and all their lists of "sins." He tells his son, "there is only one sin, stealing." He explains, when you kill someone, you steal their life, and so forth. I pondered this, as I have heard others make similar observations. Then I re-read Matthew 7:12, and I realized this is a variation on Jesus' summary of the Law.
Stealing is a particularly good concrete example of how you wouldn't treat others as yourself, since you wouldn't (or ought not) steal from yourself! It recognizes the basic right of property, and the equality of that right to all. But perhaps Jesus' summation is more eloquent, as it catches both the one who would try to steal property for themselves, and those who have all their property by rights yet deny others opportunities they themselves sought in the acquisition of their own wealth.
Monday, January 5, 2009
The Simple Life (No, not Paris Hilton's)
The first Church is described as follows:
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." ACTS 2:42
That's it. We can make it as complicated as we want, but we ought to at least be doing what they did. And probably not much more, not in terms of Actions but in terms of the basic structure of our fellowship.
Sure, there are activities that require the kinds of organization and bureaucracy that we've all come to know and love, but it seems that it should be ancillary to the above model, an addendum devoted to the specific actions it is needed for. It should not flow its top heavy man made bloat back to the "simple life" of the Church either.
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." ACTS 2:42
That's it. We can make it as complicated as we want, but we ought to at least be doing what they did. And probably not much more, not in terms of Actions but in terms of the basic structure of our fellowship.
Sure, there are activities that require the kinds of organization and bureaucracy that we've all come to know and love, but it seems that it should be ancillary to the above model, an addendum devoted to the specific actions it is needed for. It should not flow its top heavy man made bloat back to the "simple life" of the Church either.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Light Burdens and Heavy Burdens
Jesus said to follow him, for "my yoke is easy and my burden is light." I'm sure some new Christians think, "yeah, right!" But what they might not consider, and what I often forget, is the yoke that I have left behind. Following Christ is not easy, but it is easier than dealing with the burden's of sin in this world.
I'm always reminded of the "swamp of despondence" (I think that's what it was called) in Pilgrim's Progress, where it was harder to move forward (towards Christ and the Celestial City) than to turn around and head back to the City of Destruction. Yes, the immediate decisions to follow Christ are harder, but ramifications of returning to the City of Destruction are infinitely harder on us, to the point of our spiritual death.
But, even without considering the eternal ramifications, the pragmatic impact of following / not following is so obvious. When we don't have Christ's yoke, we have another one, even if it's our own yoke, and they're all heavier. The cruel masters of drugs, pornography, sexual desire, anything that rules our lives, will all drag us down and exact terrible payment, even before our eventual spiritual demise without Christ.
I'm always reminded of the "swamp of despondence" (I think that's what it was called) in Pilgrim's Progress, where it was harder to move forward (towards Christ and the Celestial City) than to turn around and head back to the City of Destruction. Yes, the immediate decisions to follow Christ are harder, but ramifications of returning to the City of Destruction are infinitely harder on us, to the point of our spiritual death.
But, even without considering the eternal ramifications, the pragmatic impact of following / not following is so obvious. When we don't have Christ's yoke, we have another one, even if it's our own yoke, and they're all heavier. The cruel masters of drugs, pornography, sexual desire, anything that rules our lives, will all drag us down and exact terrible payment, even before our eventual spiritual demise without Christ.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Depending on Human Tradition
I've been looking for this verse for almost a year or more now. I consider it one of the foundational verses for the protestant Church, and as a massive nail in our reliance on Communism (and in some ways Capitalism) as the salvation for the world.
Colossians 2, verse 8 and on:
" See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. ...
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians%202;&version=31;
-Ben
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