Jurnalul Electronic Al Păstorilor, Rom Ed 9, Ediţia Toamnă 2013
Ediţia Toamnă 2013
Produs de ...
Dr. Roger Pascoe, Preşedinte,
The Institute for Biblical Preaching
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
www.tibp.ca
“Întărind Biserica în Predicare Biblică şi Conducere”
Partea I: Predicarea: Pregătirea Predicatorului
“Predicarea şi Lucrarea lui Dumnezeu” Pt. 3
De: Dr. Roger Pascoe
The Institute for Biblical Preaching
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
În ediţia de primăvară şi vară 2013 a acestui Jurnal al Păstorilor (publicat pe acest website), am discutat despre pregătirea spirituală şi personală a predicatorului. Vom continua acest subiect din nou în această ediţie. Ceea ce învăţăm este că înainte de a predica Cuvântul cu putere, acurateţe şi credibilitate, trebuie să fii calificat spiritual şi personal. Persoana calificată pentru a predica Cuvântul este numită „omul lui Dumnezeu” de către apostolul Pavel.
De asemenea observăm că, pentru a fi calificat să slujeşti Domnului în lucrare, trebuie să ai în atenţie patru domenii principale: (1) păzeşte-ţi viaţa morală; (2) condu-ţi viaţă de acasă; (3) îngrijeşte-te de viaţa personală; (4) disciplinează-ţi viaţa de slujire. Ultima data am discutat despre „Păzeşte-ţi viaţa morală”. În această ediţie vom privi la celelalte trei aspecte ale omului lui Dumnezeu.
Condu-ţi viaţa de acasă (1 Tim. 3:5)
Caracterul adevărat al omului, valorile şi stilul de viaţă se vad acasă. Acolo se vede cin este el cu adevărat. John MacArthur spune: „De vreme ce păstorul trebuie să fie liderul bisericii Domnului şi un părinte iubitor pentru familia lui Dumnezeu, unde se poate califica mai bine decât în conducerea spirituală a propriei lui familii?”1 Dacă un bărbat nu se poate raporta corect la soţia şi copii lui, dacă nu îşi poate conduce propria lui casă, cum va putea să conducă biserica? (1 Tim. 3:5) Conducerea spirituală în casă este premisa pentru conducerea în biserică. Aceeaşi conducere jertfitoare şi slujitoare pe care o aştepţi în conducerea bisericii trebuie să fie evidentă acasă.
De aceea, viaţa ta de familie trebuie să fie caracterizată de echilibru, bucurie şi supunere faţă de Cuvânt, disciplină, ascultare, dragoste, spontaneitate, slujire, sacrificiu pentru ceilalţi, respect reciproc, etc. De aceea, dedică timp adecvat şi de calitate şi atenţie faţă de soţia ta şi familie, iar apoi ia asupra ta responsabilitatea ritmului şi direcţiei spirituale fiind un exemplu duhovnicesc. Tu eşti responsabil de stabilirea priorităţilor spirituale şi concentrare asupra căminului. De vreme ce predici şi înveţi prioritatea Scripturii şi ascultarea de Dumnezeu în viaţă ta de slujire, fii sigur că eşti un exemplu al acestor lucruri în viaţa ta de familie.
Dacă tu nu aşezi un exemplu, dar ceri respectul soţiei şi copiilor, cum vei putea face aceasta în biserică, sau într-o agenţie de misiune sau într-o slujire para-bisericească?
De aceea vreau să te încurajez să pui deoparte timp adecvat şi potrivit pentru soţia şi copii tăi. Nu îi pune pe locul secund, după slujire sau biserică. Posibil că ai criticat pe cineva din biserica ta pentru că a făcut lucrul acesta, aşadar nu o fă şi tu. Arată familiei tale că eşti gata să laşi deoparte orice altceva pentru că îi preţuieşti pe ei. Fii accesibil, fii disponibil pentru ei prin prezenţa ta, în mintea şi emoţiile tale.
Fii responsabil de bunăstarea spirituală, fizică, emoţională şi mentală a tuturor din familia ta. Dacă nu îţi iei această responsabilitate acasă, cum o vei putea face în slujirea ta, dovedind credibilitate sau succes?
Aşadar oamenii lui Dumnezeu trebuie să fie soţii şi taţi iubitori şi credincioşi.
1. Fii Un Soţ Iubitor Şi Credincios (1 Tim. 3:2; cf. Efes. 5:22-33)
Te încurajez să-ţi laşi soţia să să-şi dezvolte şi să-şi stabilească mai degrabă propria ei identitate, să-şi exercite darurile ei, decât să-şi derive identitatea ei din identitatea ta şi din vocaţia ta ca pastor. De asemenea, ea trebuie să te sprijine în rolul tău de păstor şi viaţa ei trebuie să-ţi dea având, nu să te frâneze.
Sunt atât de multe surse de stres pentru soţiile păstorilor:
- Câteodată se simt pe locul doi, după cerinţele lucrării soţului şi asta poate duce la resentimente.
- Se pot simţi izolate, fără prieteni apropiaţi în biserica, lucru ce poate duce la singurătate.
- Văd că soţii lor primesc atenţii de la alte femei din biserică, lucru ce poate duce la gelozie şi suspiciune.
- De multe ori simt presiunea de a fi perfecte, lucru ce duce la o imagine falsă, în încercarea de a mulţumi pe toată lumea.
- Pot trăi într-un „acvariu” spiritual la biserică, lucru ce poate duce la oboseală spirituală
- Câteodată păstorii nu câştigă mulţi bani, lucru ce poate face ca soţia să cadă sub presiune financiară
- Câteodată există o întrerupere a intimităţii în căsătorie şi o lipsă a sprijinului reciproc din cauza cerinţelor lucrării, lucru ce poate duce la răcire, mânie, anxietate, depresie şi îndepărtare sexuală.
Toate aceste surse de stres pot duce la dificultăţi în familie. Aşadar haideţi să fim plini de dragoste, sensibili, susţinători şi credincioşi soţiilor noastre.
2. Fii Un Tată Iubitor Şi Credincios(1 Tim. 3:4; Efes. 6:4)
Fii binevoitor şi blând cu copii tăi (cf. 1 Tes. 2:7, 11). Fii într-o relaţie bună cu mama lor şi prin mărturia creştină arată copiilor tăi ce înseamnă să fii un creştin evlavios şi consecvent. Dacă vrei să fii folosit de Dumnezeu ca lider spiritual al bisericii, începe prin a fii un lider spiritual al copiilor tăi.
Ţine minte să nu foloseşti copii tăi pe post de ilustraţii de la amvon, chiar dacă ei sunt de acord. Copii tind să agreeze repede aşa ceva dar atunci când reflectoarele sunt pe ei, s-ar putea să apară resentimente.
Nu neglija timpul petrecut cu copii tăi. Nu există acel timp de „calitate” care să compenseze lipsa „cantităţii”. Copii tăi au nevoie de timpul tău şi de atenţia ta.
Familia ta este de o importanţă supremă. Este o responsabilitate cu care te-ai încărcat când ai primit copii. Nu poţi scăpa de ea. Aşadar ia această responsabilitate ca un lider evlavios.
Nu lăsa ca copii tăi să simtă că sunt pe locul doi – nici chiar după lucrare – pentru că vor fi frustraţi. Dacă lucrarea şi responsabilităţile familiale sunt într-un conflict continuu, atunci ajustează-ți agenda lucrării.
Oferă copiilor tăi spaţiu pentru a creşte ca persoane, aşa cum Dumnezeu i-a creat să fie. De multe ori, copii crescuţi în casele păstorilor simt presiunea de a fi perfecţi. Dacă soţia ta se simte ca într-un acvariu, cu cât mai mult copii tăi! Aşadar, haideţi să nu punem presiune, obligându-i să se conformeze aşteptărilor celorlalţi oamenii. Îi putem ajuta să treacă peste asta, menţinând o intimitate continuă în casele noastre şi oferindu-le o copilărie normală.
În cele din urmă, haideţi să-i protejăm de cinism prin a nu discuta problemele din biserică în faţa copiilor noştri.
Hrănește-Ți Omul Din Lăuntru
În lucrare folosești foarte multă energie emoțională, spirituală, mentală și fizică. Nu numai că slujirea îți acaparează întreaga personalitate, dar într-un mod foarte ușor ajunge să absoarbă totul. Înainte ca să îți dai seama, nu mai ai viață sau interese în afara slujirii. Din acest motiv, trebuie să te disciplinezi și să te îngirijești de persoana ta, punând timp deoparte pentru:
1. Restaurare Spirituală
Dacă ești pastorul unei biserici locale, dai totul pentru biserica pe care o slujești – încurajare, îmbărbătare, mustrare, avertizare, consiliere, predicare, învățătură. Dacă faci acest lucru suficient de mult timp fără ca să te hrănești tu însuți din punct de vedere spiritual, în cele din urmă vei rămâne gol. Într-un moment Domnul Isus le-a spus ucenicilor să vină în deșert pentru o perioadă de odihnă.
Trebuie să te hrănești din punct de vedere spiritual. Cum poți să faci acest lucru? O modalitate ar fi să ai pe altcineva care să te încurajeze. Ascultă pe alți predicatori, citește cărți devoționale, participă la conferințe, sau invită predicatori într-un mod regulat ca să predice pentru tine – este bine pentru biserică și pentru tine. Indiferent de varianta pe care o alegi pentru a fi restaurat din punct de vedere spiritual, disciplinează-te astfel încât aceasta să fie făcută în mod regulat pentru ca bateriile tale să nu ajungă descărcate.
2. Reîmprospătare mentală
O viață mentală sănătoasă necesită atât relaxare cât și stimulare. Relaxarea mentală poate lua diferite forme cum ar fi vacanțe obișnuite, plimbări cu soția, o seară de părtășie alături de prieteni cu care te poți relaxa și să fi tu insuți.
Și nu uita să îți programezi timp pentru a fi singur – solitudinea este bună, în special pentru relaxare mentală.
Opusul acesteia este însă și el necesar – stimularea mentală. Apostolul Pavel scria: „Tot ce este adevărat, tot ce este vrednic de cinste, tot ce este drept, tot ce este curat, tot ce este vrednic de iubit, tot ce este vrednic de primit, orice faptă bună, și orice laudă, aceea să vă însuflețească”(Filip.4:8). „Tot ce este vrednic” stimulează mintea cu gânduri
“Aceste lucruri” iti stimuleaza mintea cu ganduri bune si subiecte provocatorare care te vor edifica.
Nu devenii inactiv sau necurat in gandirea ta. Iti poti tine mintea treaza si stimulata astfel:
- Citind carti bune pe subiecte cat mai diverse
- Asociindu-te cu oameni care impartasesc aceleasi idei privind abilitatile intelectuale si maturitatea spirituala, care se pot angaja in conversatii antrenante despre subiecte esentiale
- Ascultand muzica buna care sa te ajute
- Ascultand predici bune
- Imbunatateste-ti in mod continuu abilitatile profesionale prin participarea la cursuri si seminarii – in mod special la cele despre predicare si conducerea bisericii.
3. Recreerea Fizica
In 1 Timotei 4:8, apostolul spune: “Exercitiul fizic ajuta putin”– i.e. are ceva valoare. Fiecare pastor are nevoie sa isi ia timp pentru munca fizica afara si pentru recreere fizica pentru a compensa responsabilitatile menatale si spirituale ce vin din predicare. Nu intelege gresit, predicarea si slujirea pastorala inseamna munca grea. Sa iti petreci toata ziua la intalniri, consiliere, administrare, studii inseamna sa iti planifici timp si pentru ceva activ.
Activitatea fizica este buna nu doar pentru trupul tau dar si pentru mintea ta. A avea grija de trupurile noastre este o administrare la fel de importanta ca administrarea banilor, a timpului, si a darurilor spirituale. Pavel a crezut ca trupul trebuie sa fie consacreat (Rom. 12:1); pastrat (1 Tes. 5:23), antrenat (1 Tim. 4:8), si disciplinat (1 Cor. 9:24-27). Nu uitati, “trupul vostru este templul Duhului Sfant “(1 Cor. 6:19-20).Asadar, trebuie sa avem grija cum il folosim. Trebuie sa il pastram in curatie pentru gloria lui Dumnezeu. Trebuie sa ii mentinem sanatatea. Si trebuie sa il “glorificam pe Dumnezeu in duhul si trupul nostru care sunt ale lui Dumnezeu” (1 Cor. 6:20).
O parte din acest proces de a avea grija de trupul nostru il reprezinta angajarea intr-o forma de exercitii fizice in ideea de a-l mentine in greutate si sanatate. Incearca sa te disciplinezi in acest domeniu. Pe masura ce vei imbatranii o sa fi multumitor ca ai facut-o.
4. Recuperare Emotionala
Pastorii sunt foarte vazuti si auziti – toata lumea vede ce faci si aude ce spui. Unele lucruri pe care le spunem si le facem vor genera:
- Critica din parea celor al carui cuget va reactiona la ceea ce spunem
- Conflict si, poate, judecata din partea celor care nu sunt de acord cu noi
- Ingrijorare pentru cei pentru care suntem responsabili fizic, emotional si spiritual
Conflictul si critica au un cost emotional ridicata. De aceea, din cand in cand avem nevoie sa ne recuperam emotional. Cum putem face acest lucru? Cateva sugestii
- Bucura-te de partasia cu prietenii care te incurajaza si te ajuta sa razi
- Intalneste-te cu alti pastori care te pot sfatuii cum sa tratezi situatiile dificile
- Citeste carti despre slujirea pastorala – vei descoperii ca nu esti singur; chiar si predicatorii remarcabilii se confrunta cu conflictele si critica.
Disciplinarea Vietii De Slujire (2 Tim. 2:1–6, 15)
Un lider / predicator bun are solemna responsabilitate de a se “infatisa inaintea lui Dumnezeu ca un om incercat, ca un lucrator care nu are de ce sa ii fie rusine si care imparte drept Cuvantul adevarului.” (2 Tim 2:15)
Acest standard al predicarii biblice este descris mai sus in acest capitol prin trei imagini privind efortul disciplinarii - disciplina si angajamentul zilnic al unui soldat, al unui atlet, al unui agricultor (2 Tim. 2:1-6). Imaginile care ne sunt trasate in aceste versete zugravesc disciplina, datoria si devotamentul, care, atunci cand sunt manifestate, aduc rasplata.
1. Liderii evlaviosi trebuie sa aiba acea „tinta unica” a unui soldat (2:3-4)
In primul rand, principala tinta a unui soldat este aceea de a fi gata intotdeauna de a suferi (2:3) – de a „indura greutati”. Suferinta este de asteptat in slujire datorita razboiului spiritual (Ef. 6:1-20) si a tratamentelor rele.
In al doilea rand, principala tinta a unui soldat este de a fi gata de sacrificiu (2:4a). Nu poti fi preocupat cu „treburile vietii” daca vrei sa fi intotdeauna la datorie si disponibil pentru lucrare. Aceasta este o chemare la sacrificiu – sa de debarasezi de orice alta datorie care te-ar putea distrage de la principala preocupare. Asta nu inseamna ca este gresit in “treburile vietii” insa acestea au tendinta de a ne incurca, si pentru aceasta ele trebuiesc puse deoparte.
Orice ne-ar fura din timpul nostru necesar cu Dumnezeu (in rugaciune si in Cuvant) si pentru Dumnezeu trebuie sacrificat.
In al treilea rand, principala tinta a unui soldat este aceea de a avea intotdeauna dorinta si de a fi gata pentru oaste (2:4b) – „dacă vrea să placă celui ce l -a scris la oaste”. Ca si soldati ai Domnului Isus Hristos, noi trebuie sa fim gata sa il slujim pe Cel care ne-a inscris in oastea Sa. Suntem intotdeauna de serviciu.
Un soldat adevărat este marcat de devotiune din toata inima pentru slujire, angajament total si care nu are nimic care sa il tina pe loc. Rasplata unui soldat este aprobarea ofiterului superior. Pentru aceasta lucram noi – pentru aprobarea Domnului.
2. Liderii evlaviosi trebuie sa aiba „efortul intens” al unui atlet (2:5)
Un atlet An athlete displays strenuous effort in training and competing. In order to win an athlete must strive toward three objectives:
- Tinteste excelenta. Aceasta implica exercitiu, efort, antrenament, intelepciune, angajament, competitie, si acestea facute bine. Predicatorii trebuie sa faca lucrarea lor cu excelenta si intelepciune.
- Tinteste dupa randuieli. Aceasta inseamna sa te supui regulilor, in mod sincer. Cunoscand regulile si urmandu-le, chiar si atunci cand nimeni nu se uita. Predicatorii trebuie sa aiba o asemenea integritate.
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Tinteste sa castigi. Rasplata este de a primi cununa, de a fi victorios, cautand doar aprobarea Domnului. Rasplata predicatorului este acceptarea din partea Domnului acum si cununa sus in cer.
Un atlet trebuie sa aiba o discipina totala daca doreste sa participe in competitie si sa castige dupa reguli. Iar rasplata este acea de a fi „incoronat” ca si castigator.
3. Liderii evlaviosi trebuie sa aibă „perseverenta continua” a unui fermier (2:6)
Fermierul lucreaza mult si din greu fara a avea vreun semn de succes. Aceasta necesita foarte multa auto-disciplina si perseverenta. Dupa pregatirea terenului si plantarea semintei, ei trebuie sa astepte recolta. Aceasta necesita incredere – incredere in Dumnezeu, pentru ca numai Dumnezeu poate face ca o samanta sa creasca si sa produca o recolta. Fermierii trebuie sa munceasca din greu si sa fie dependenti.
Predicatorii duhovnicesti pot pregati cele mai bune predici si studii biblice si sa le transmita cu mare pasiune dar rezultatele, de a aduce pe cei morti la viața, ii apartin Domnului (Ef.2:1).
Concluzii
Numai prin munca asidua, angajament din toata inima, si auto-disciplina putem sa ne infatisam ca niste lucratori „vrednici inaintea lui Dumnezeu” care „nu au nimic de care sa se rusineze” (2:15).
Este usor sa devii lenes in lucrare, sa iti pierzi angajamentul si sa devii descurajat.
Haideti sa ne disciplinam in a pune timp si energia necesara pentru a ne face treaba bine. Sa ne comportam astfel incat oamenii sa vada ca noi suntem dedicati marturiei crestine si slujirii. Nu fi cu inima impartita cu privire la viața ta crestina sau sa fi satisfacut cu mediocritate in slujirea ta. Predicarea si conducerea bisericii inseamna munca grea! Si tot ceea ce facem trebuie facut pentru gloria lui Dumnezeu iar asta inseamna sa o facem cu toate puterea noastra si cu excelenta.
La un nivel personal, masurarea slujirii crestine pentru omul lui Dumnezeu inseamna, pe de-o parte, a fi cu luare aminte pentru a fi gasit fara pata inaintea lui Dumnezeu, si pe de cealalta parte, a fi un slujitor care nu are nimic de ce sa ii fie rusine.
La un nivel practic, masura unei slujiri crestine pentru omul lui Dumnezeu inseamna predicare si invatatura corecta, appropriate, si cu autoritate – impartind corect cuvantul adevarului.
Partea A-II-A. Lidership: A Fi Un Exemplu Crestin
“Sfintirea Ta Personala”
By: Dr. Roger Pascoe
The Institute for Biblical Preaching
Cambridge, Ontario
Vom continua tema sfințeniei personale din ultima noastra editie a Jurnalului Electronic al Păstorilor. Ultima dată când am discutat puritate în viețile noastre sociale. În această ediție, ne vom uita la puritate în gândurile noastre, motivele, și cuvinte.
Puritate In Gandire (2 Cor. 10:5)
Gandurile noastre pot fi atat de pacatoase, nu-i asa? Cateodata te gandesti de unde iti vin anumite ganduri. Fara indoiala ele izvorasc din natura noastra pacatoasa, activate de Satan si de ispitele pe care el le pune in calea noastra.
Pentru a ne pastra puritatea in ganduri trebuie sa fim atenti cu privire la lucrurile la care ne gandim. Trebuie sa ne disciplinam mintea astfel incat sa controlam gandurile pe care le alimentam. Cand gandurile noastre sunt necontrolate, fanteziile pot usor sa preia controlul mintii noastre. Iar fanteziile care sunt necontrolate tind sa devina realitate. Biblia spune, „ceea ce omul gandeste, aceea el este” (Prov. 23:7). Gandurile noastre modeleaza caracterul si comportamentul nostru. Fiecare actiune sau obicei incepe cu un gand.
Deci,trebuie sa fim atenti la ce ne gandim.
Dacă aveți în minte gânduri nesănătoase sau păcătoase , rugați-vă lui Dumnezeu să le alunge din mintea ta . Aceasta funcționează ! Dumnezeu ne eliberează de rău , pentru că puterea lui Dumnezeu este mai mare decât Satan sau decât orice ispită pământească .
Gândurile noastre sunt de multe ori generate de lucruri pe care le -am citit sau văzut . Deci, fi atent la ceea ce te uiți, pentru că ceea ce te privești pătrunde în inima ta și are un impact asupra dorintelor tale . “Apoi pofta, cînd a zămislit, dă naştere păcatului; şi păcatul odată făptuit, aduce moartea.” ( Iacov 1:15 ) . Acesta este modelul , dacă gândurile noastre merg necontrolate .
Probabil că ceea ce se întâmplă în minte este mult mai periculos decât toate celelalte ( mai mult chiar decât acțiunile exterioare ), pentru că nimeni nu poate vedea gândurile. Nimeni nu te poate trage la răspundere pentru ceea ce gândești pentru că nimeni nu le știe. Dar Isus a spus : “ce iese din gură, vine din inimă, şi aceea spurcă pe om. Căci din inimă ies gîndurile rele, uciderile, preacurviile, curviile, furtişagurile, mărturiile mincinoase, hulele.” ( Matei 15:18-20 ) Ce se întâmplă în mintea ta va ieși la iveală - . Fie gândurile bune fie cele rele . Și aceste gânduri vor sta la baza a ceea ce esti si ceea ce faci .
Puritate In Motiv
Motivele impure sunt atunci când facem lucrurile corecte pentru motive greșite – când facem ceva pentru a obține un rezultat dorit, dar pentru un motiv gresit. Deci, haideți să ne întrebăm: de ce facem lucrarea? Care este motivația noastră? Noi trebuie să facem ceea ce trebuie si pentru motivele corecte.
În Apoc. 2:2-3 biserica din Efes a făcut lururile bune dar dintr-o motivație greșită. – mai exact, ei nu au făcut lucrarea din dragoste pentru Hristos. Avertismentul este că, dacă nu se vor pocăi de motivele lor necurate, Dumnezeu va îndepărta sfeșnicul de la ei (mărturia lor publică ca biserică). Pentru cine facem lucrarea? Pentru ce trăim?
Facem lucrarea pentru propria noastră glorie asemenea celor care “se laudă singuri” care “se măsoară cu ei înşişi şi se pun alături ei cu ei înşişi, sînt fără pricepere.” (2 Cor. 10:12)?
Trăim pentru câștigul nostru personal, cum ar fi cele care “presupun că evlavia este un mijloc de câștig” (1 Tim. 6:05)?
Căutăm noi propria noastră promovare? Isus a spus: “Sunt printre voi ca unul care slujește” (Luca 22:27). Pavel a spus că el a “slujit Domnului cu toată smerenia, cu multe lacrimi și încercări” (Faptele Apostolilor 20:19).
În cartea sa, “Păstorind Biserica,” Joe Stowell, scrie: “Cei care slujesc spre slava și câștigul Lui găsesc cea mai mare bucurie a lor nu în afirmația ce ar putea veni la ușă, după predică, ci într-o viață care, în timp, este schimbată prin intermediul slujirii de proclamare. Într-o viață care aduce acum mai multă slavă lui Dumnezeu decât în vremurile de demult. Într-o viață care dă credit la Dumnezeu - nu noi - pentru ceea ce a făcut Dumnezeu în viețile lor prin noi “Da.!
Motivele curate ne fac să slujim pentru slava lui Hristos și de a beneficia de împărăția Lui. Motivația lui Pavel pentru lucrare a fost că “Hristos va fi proslăvit în trupul meu, fie prin viață sau prin moarte. Căci pentru mine a trăi este Hristos și a muri este un câștig “(Filipeni 1:20). Pavel a spus, “Eu sunt ultimul dintre apostoli și nu merit să fiu numit apostol” (1 Cor. 15:9). Motivul lui Ioan Botezătorul a fost că Isus Hristos “trebuie să crească, dar eu să mă micșorez” (Ioan 3:30).
Să ne verificăm inimile noastre să vedem care sunt motivele noastre ca și lideri ai poporului lui Dumnezeu.
Puritate In Cuvant (1 Tim. 4:12; Tit. 2:7)
Discursul nostru este un domeniu care poate fi cel mai periculos și cel în care se pot strecura greșeli cel mai ușor. Ce spunem (cuvintele și expresiile pe care le folosim) și cum le spunem (limbajul corpului, tonul vocii), poate să împuternicească rolul nostru de lider sau să îl imobilizeze. Puteți da un sens total diferit cuvintelor pe care le utilizați doar prin punerea unui accent în mod diferit sau prin limbajul corpului.
Trebuie să fim atenți cu privire la alegerea cuvintelor noastre. Am observat din ce in ce mai multe cuvinte și expresii seculare nepotrivite folosite de creștini (și predicatori), cuvinte care în alte vremuri nu ar fi fost niciodată folosite de creștini. Am auzit pastori și lideri creștini spun lucruri care mă fac să mă pitesc. Uneori, ei folosesc expresii care sunt comune in societatea noastră, dar care nu ar trebui să fie parte din limbajul nostru de comunicare. Am auzit lideri din biserică folosind cuvinte de argou tot timpul, care sunt derivate din cuvintele de blestem (și cred că ei nici macar nu știu asta).
Cuvintele sunt spuse atât de ușor și nu pot fi retrase. Când au ieșit, ele sunt ca apa care s-a vărsat pe pământ - nu pot fi ridicate din nou (. 2 Sam 14:14). Atunci când cuvintele gresite sunt spuse, e prea târziu, răul a fost făcut.
Cuvintele sunt fondul de comerț pentru liderii creștini. Lucrarea noastră se învârte în jurul utilizării cuvintelor. Prin urmare, este de datoria noastră să fim experți în utilizarea lor - nu numai de la amvon, ci în toate interacțiunile noastre. Noi trebuie să jonglăm cu cuvintele, să alegem cu grijă cuvintele pe care le folosim pentru a transmite cu exactitate ceea ce vrem să spunem.
Dar acuratețea și adevărul nu sunt suficiente. “Vorbirea voastră să fie totdeauna cu har, dreasă cu sare” (Col. 4:06). “Spune adevărul în dragoste” (Efeseni 4:15). “Fi lent în a vorbi și grabnic în ascultare” (Iacov 1:19).
Deci, încercați să evitați limbajul ușor sau cel de stradă – vă va aduce numai probleme. Nu folosiți cuvinte dure sau aspre (Efeseni 5:4) - nu este modelul lui Hristos. Încercați să nu folosiți cuvinte cu dublu înțeles.. Atunci când este posibil, fiți atenți pentru a folosi cuvinte politicoase, constructive, bine alese.
Feriți-vă de bârfă, calomnie, minciună, înșelăciune, concluzii, aluzii, seductie, murmurări, nemulțumiri, laude, exagerări. Ele toate provin din utilizarea și aplicarea greșită a cuvintelor (cf. Efeseni 4:25, 29, 31,. 5:04, Coloseni 3:8-9, 4:6;. Matei 15:11, 17-20) . Stai departe de cuvinte care pot avea conotații necurate.
Să folosim “vorbire sănătoasă” (Tit 2:08), care este o mărturie pentru alții a “cuvintelor pline de har”, care ieșeau din gura Domnului, a purității în exprimarea pe care ne-o dorim ca alții să o adopte, și de tipul de cuvinte care îi îndeamnă pe alții la Hristos.
Profesorii obișniuau să ne spună: “bețele și pietrele pot să imi rupă oasele, dar cuvintele nu-mi vor face niciodată rău” - nu este adevărat! Cuvintele rostite în furie, glumă, tachinare, critică poate răni mult mai mult decât durerea fizică și produce o suferință de nedescris în relațiile creștine. Cuvintele pe care le folosim sunt importante, asa ca alege-le cu grijă.
Partea A-III-A. Gânduri Devotionale
“Slujirea Vaselor de Lut, Partea a-2-a: Motivarea pentru Slujire” (2 Cor. 4:16-5:9)
By: Dr. Roger Pascoe
The Institute for Biblical Preaching
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
În ediția de vară a acestui jurnal, am început să studiem subiectul “Slujirea vaselor de lut” (2 Corinteni 4:7 - 5:21). Ne-am uitat la 2 Corinteni 4:7-16, care se ocupă cu tema “Natura Slujirii”. Acum vom continua cu următoarea secțiune, 2 Corinteni 4:16 - 5:8, care se ocupă cu tema “Motivația pentru Slujire “. Apostolul arată trei motivații pentru lucrare: (1) motivația pentru transformarea viitoare (4:15 - 5:8), (2), motivația dării de seamă înaintea lui Dumnezeu (5:10-13), și (3) motivația dragostei lui Hristos (5:14-17). În această ediție a Jurnalului păstorilor, vom acoperi doar MOTIVAȚIA PENTRU TRANSFORMAREA VIITOARE (4:16 - 5:9).
Apostolul dezvoltă acest subiect al slujirii vaselor de lut în jurul a patru paradoxuri ale slujirii. Ultima dată am observat primul paradox al slujirii: mesagerul slab versus mesajul plin de putere. Acum, în legătură cu motivarea pentru slujire (specific, motivația pentru transformarea viitoare) avem următoarele trei paradoxuri.
Al doilea paradox al slujirii este: decăderea exterioară versus reînnoire lăuntrică (4:16-17). Pentru creștini paradoxul este că, „chiar dacă omul nostru de afară se trece, totuş omul nostru din lăuntru se înoieşte din zi în zi.”(16b).
Există o diferență între exterior și interior - exteriorul se degradează, iar interiorul se reînnoiește. Pe de o parte, suferim de degradarea progresivă a ființei. “Omul nostru de afară” (de exemplu, ceea ce este vizibil - corpul nostru fizic și abilitățile noastre) „se degradează” (de exemplu, în mod constant și ireversibil se îndreaptă spre moarte). Pe de altă parte, ființa noastră interioară este progresiv reînnoită după chipul lui Dumnezeu. “Omul nostru din lăuntru” (de exemplu, ceea ce este invizibil - noua noastră viață în Hristos, ființa noastră spirituală, asemănarea noastră cu Hristos) “se înnoiește din zi în zi” (adică sfințiți, transformați în imaginea lui Hristos).
Realitatea pentru cei necredincioși este înspăimântătoare. Ei experimentează doar degradare exterioară fără nici un fel de înnoire interioară, pentru că ei nu au viață spirituală. „Căci” introduce explicarea acestui paradox al degradării exterioare versus reînnoire lăuntrică „întristările noastre uşoare de o clipă lucrează pentru noi tot mai mult o greutate vecinică de slavă.”(17). Observați elementele contrastante ale paradoxului creștin:
- suferința prezentă de dragul lui Isus = lumină și probleme aleatorii
- gloria viitoare în prezența lui Isus = o slavă veșnică, care depășește cu mult toată suferința sau problemele noastre actuale
Pavel nu ne învață că suferința fizică este recompensată cu merite spirituale. El nu este favorabil asceticismului. Ci mai degrabă, Pavel încă se confruntă cu problema modului în care slava și puterea lui Dumnezeu sunt afișate în vasele de lut (7), problema spirituală (și, probabil, fizică), moartea împreună cu Isus (10a), problema vieții lui Isus manifestată în noi (10b), problema de a fi dat la moarte din pricina lui Isus ca astfel încât viața lui Isus să se arate în noi (11).
“Tema lui Pavel de-a lungul acestei epistole este că fragilitatea cadrului uman și suferința pe care o susține în cauza Evangheliei mareste, din cauza contrastul uimitor, și oferă posibilitatea pentru a experimenta, transcendenta glorie, putere și harul Dumnezeului Cel Atotputernic”2. Nu contează cât de severe pot fi suferințe fizice “pentru Isus” (de exemplu, suferința, care este îndurata și suportate pentru Isus in slujirea Evangheliei), este “usoara”și “trecatoare” în comparație cu “slava veșnică” care este rezervata pentru noi în cer.
Al treilea paradox al slujirii în acest pasaj este : vizibil versus invizibil (04:18) . Ochiul credinței nu este preocupat de ceea ce se vede , ci cu ceea ce nu se vede . “Pentrucă noi nu ne uităm la lucrurile cari se văd, ci la cele ce nu se văd.” Noi nu ne concentram pe slăbiciunea noastră umană, pe suferință, pe moarte ( adică pe decăderea fiintei noastre exterioare, fizice ), și pe situațiile dificile, ci, mai degrabă , ne uitam la “lucrurile care nu se văd.” Necreștinii se concentrează pe elementele fizice, pe comorile exterioare, și prezent (comorile de pe pamant, lucrurile pieritoare), dar creștinul este axat pe lucrurile spirituale, launtrice, și eterne. Noi suntem axati pe realitățile spirituale (adevăr, viața în Hristos). Noi suntem axati pe puterea interioara, reînnoirea Duhului Sfant. Suntem axati pe slava veșnică - o perspectivă viitoare, cereasca, când vom fi in cele din urma pe deplin ca si Hristos. Noi alergam inainte, fără să ne uitam înapoi ( Filipeni 3:14 ). Induram prezentul pentru asigurarea viitorului. Noi știm că cele tranzitorii vor face loc celor permanente. Noi cautam ca necazurile vremelnice să fie înlocuite cu slava veșnică.
Al patrulea paradox al slujirii este: cortul pamantesc versus casa cereasca (5:1-8). Explicația pentru acest paradox anterior urmează acum: “Caci noi știm...” Fundamentul perspectivei noastre asupra suferinței și degradarii prezente este cunoștințele noastre cu privire la glorificarea noastra viitoare, răscumpărarea trupurilor noastre, precum și a sufletelor noastre, o anume speranța a slavei. Singura incertitudine este daca vom muri înainte de venirea lui Isus - “…dacă se desface casa pămîntească a cortului nostru trupesc...” (5:1).
Corpul în care trăim acum este temporar și trecător, nefiind locul nostru permanent de adăpost. Dar, chiar dacă acesta este distrus în moarte, “... avem o clădire în cer dela Dumnezeu, o casă, care nu este făcută de mînă ci este vecinică”. Imaginea “cortului” versus “casă” este o aluzie la Cortul Intalnirii al Israelitilor din pustie vs templul permanent de la Ierusalim (cf. Evrei 11:8 ff.).. Ca și ei în pustie, noi suntem străini și călători pe pământ, doar in trecere - cetățenia noastră este în ceruri. Si atunci când vom ajunge în cer, vom avea corpuri potrivite pentru că existența cerească - “nu este făcut de mâini” (nu din aceasta lume, creații legate de pământ), nu temporare, care nu sunt supuse la putrezire, nu sunt afectate de păcate, ci trupuri permanente, eterne, glorificate asemenea trupului glorios înviat al lui Hristos (Filipeni 3:21).
„Si ( explicarea v. 1) gemem in cortul (trupul) acesta” ( cf. Rom . 08:23 ), plini de dorinţa să ne îmbrăcăm peste el cu locaşul nostru ceresc ... “( 2 ). În cortul nostru pamantesc noi gemem ( pentru că este supus la putrezire, suferință, durere). De aceea tanjim dupa trupurile noastre glorificate ( locuința noastră , care este din cer ), care sunt privite ca hainele ce vor fi puse peste trupurile noastre pământești (cf. 1 Corinteni 15:53), astfel încât exista atât continuitate cat și transformare – trupurile noastre pământești vor fi acoperite și schimbate de trupurile noastre ceresti. Ceea ce dorim cu adevarat este posibilitatea ( “...dacă într-adevăr” , v. 3 ) de a primi trupurile noastre glorificate, fără moarte (“...a fost îmbrăcat”) - să fim în viață la venirea lui Hristos , astfel încât , “fiind deja îmbrăcati” cu trupurile noastre glorificate , “nu vom fi găsiţi desbrăcaţi de el “(3). Speranța exprimata aici este că noi nu trebuie să fim separati de trupurile noastre la moarte, ca nu am experimenta o stare în afara trupului, ca nu murim înainte de a primi trupurile noastre glorificate „îmbrăcați cu locasul ceresc “( 2b ) .
“Caci” (ca explicații suplimentare), noi, cei care sunt în acest cort (existență fizică temporara in degradare) gemem apăsaţi; nu că dorim să fim desbrăcaţi de trupul acesta, ci să fim îmbrăcaţi cu trupul celalt peste acesta, pentruca ce este muritor în noi, să fie înghiţit de viaţă (4). Gemem din cauza poverii trupurilor noastre actuale, nu pentru că vrem să murim (să fim dezbrăcați și trupurile noastre sa se intoarca in tarana),ci pentru că vrem să fim îmbrăcați în continuare cu trupurile noastre glorificate (trupuri potrivite pentru glorie), astfel că trupurile noastre muritoare (trupurile noastre prezente aflate in degradare), pot să fie înghițite de (preluate, absorbite, îmbrăcate cu) viața veșnică la reîntoarcerea lui Hristos, astfel încât să nu murim niciodata și sa nu experimentan coruperea.
Aceasta se va întâmpla cu cei care sunt în viață la venirea lui Hristos. Noi nu vom fi “dezbrăcati” (goi, fără trup), ci “îmbrăcati”, prin punerea trupurile noastre glorificate peste trupurile noastre muritoare. Când acest lucru se întâmplă, trupurile noastre muritoare, legate de pamant vor fi absorbite imediat și transformate in starea noastra glorificata, pentru ca trupul nostru muritor (viața noastră, pământească, dar cu trupuri muritoare) va fi “înghițită” (dispărea în interiorul, absorbita, integrata in, digerata) “de” (ceea ce va fi cu adevărat) viață”.
Deci, portretul prezentat în 5:1-4 este că trupurile noastre muritoare sunt asemenea unui vesmant care acoperă sufletul, care la moartea devin goale, pentru că vor fi separate de trup. Pe de altă parte, trupurile noastre nemuritoare sunt asemănate la venirea lui Hristos cu o haina care re-imbraca (sau acopera) sufletele noastre, sau, pentru cei care sunt în viață în acel moment, vor fi “imbracati”- adică vor fi puse peste trupurile noastre muritoare.
“Acum, El, care ne-a pregatit pentru aceasta, este Dumnezeu” (5a). Dumnezeu însuși ne-a modelat pentru primirea (îmbrăcarea) trupurilor noastre glorificate. Această transformare finală în starea noastra glorificata este în întregime și numai lucrarea lui Dumnezeu. Acest lucru ne dă incredere pentru ca aceasta nu depinde de noi, ci de Dumnezeu si prin urmare se va împlini cu siguranță. Ceea ce a început Dumnezeu, El va finaliza (Filipeni 1:06), pentru că El “...ne -a dat arvuna Duhului.” (5b). Nu numai că avem instructiunile apostolului cu privire la aceasta certitudine viitoare a faptului ca Dumnezeu va realiza transformarea noastră finală, dar acum avem aceasta garantie interna (plata jos) a Duhului ca si garanție a faptului că Dumnezeu o va face cu siguranță (cf. Efeseni 1:14;... cf. Romani 8:11 și urm.). Duhul Sfânt în mod constant și continuu ne asigură că puterea care L-a înviat pe Hristos din morți ne va ridica si pe noi în slavă (Efeseni 1:9-20).
Ce încredere și motivație ne dă acest lucru, în special în aceste timpuri suferință și bătrânețe! Trupurile noastre exterioare se degradeaza, suferim de mortalitatea noastra, dar mai ales de dragul lui Isus. Dar totul se pierde în increderea și speranța transformării noastre viitoare în asemănarea lui Hristos, caci nu se poate compara cu slava care va fi. “Deci “(ca un rezultat al acestei asigurări că Dumnezeu va face acest lucru și a arvunii date prin Duhul Sfant), “suntem mereu încrezatori...”(6a) – increderea noastra in împlinirea lui Dumnezeu a transformării noastre este de neclintit și constanta - “... stiind ca ( încrederea este bazată pe cunostinta), dacă sîntem acasă în trup ... “(care trăiesc în acest cort pământesc ) “... pribegim departe de (prezența ) Domnul. Pentru că umblăm prin credință , nu prin vedere ( cf. Evr . 11:01 ). Suntem încrezători, da, și ne place mult mai mult să părăsim trupul ( adică să murim) și de a fi prezenti cu Domnul “( 6b - 8 ) - când vederea vor înlocui credința . Deși moartea este dușmanul nostru final , nu este un motiv de teamă . Mai degrabă , suntem plini de încredere și motivație .
Dumnezeu este în control, atât în viață cat și în moarte. Duhul lui Dumnezeu ne dă asigurarea interioara ca Dumnezeu va încheia transformarea vietii noastre. Viata noastra temporara este amintirea noastră constantă că nu suntem încă în prezența lui Dumnezeu - într-adevăr, în această stare trăim prin credință, nu prin vedere. Dorinta noastra este de a parasi viața noastră pământească prezentă și să fim cu Domnul, chiar dacă am intra intr-o perioadă de goliciune, așteptand să fim îmbrăcați cu noile noastre trupuri. Aceasta nu este o dorinta de moarte, ci o expresie a dorinței de a fi cu Hristos care pune în umbră obstacolul mortii (cf. Fil. 1:21).
Dar cea mai buna din toate circumstanțele ar fi să fim în viață la venirea lui, transformati și schimbati pentru a fi cu Hristos, fără moarte (cf. Fil. 1:21-13).
Concluzie: “Deaceea ne şi silim să -I fim plăcuţi, fie că rămînem acasă fie că sîntem departe de casă.” (9). Indiferent ce se întâmplă, fie că suntem acasa in trup in momentul venirii lui Hristos sau despartiti de trup in momentul cand Hristos vine, scopul și motivația noastra pentru slujirea noastră este de a fi „placuti Domnului”.
Partea A-IV-A. Schițe De Predici
Ioan 4:19-42, Dialogul Domnului Isus cu Femeia Samariteancă, Partea a-2-a
Pentru versiunea în limba engleză a acestor mesaje, facți click pe aceste link-uri: Link 1 - Jn. 4:19-22; Link 2 - Jn. 4:22-26; Link 3 - Jn. 4:27-30; Link 4 - Jn. 4:31-42
Titlu: Metoda Stăpânului în Evanghelizare, Partea a-2-a
Subiect: Învingând bariere sociale si spirituale în evanghelizare
Continuare de la punctul 3 din ediția precedentă a jurnalului
Punctul 4: Îndrumă persoana spre Dumnezeu (4:19-24)
1. Printr-un răspuns trezitor (19-20)
a) Despre cine este Domnul Isus (19)
b) Despre găsirea lui Dumnezeu (20)
2. Printr-un răspuns care aduce lumină (21-24)
a) Despre unde Dumnezeu poate fi găsit (21)
b) Despre modul în care ne închinăm la Dumnezeu (22-24)
Punctul 5: Revelează Dumnezeirea Domnului Isus (4:25-26)
1. Prin a găsi ceea ce ei cunosc despre El (25)
a) Despre venirea Lui
b) Despre revelarea adevărului
2. Prin descoperirea lucrurilor pe care ei nu le cunosc despre El(26)
Punctul 6: Dezvoltă credința în alții (4:27-38)
1. Dezvoltă credința în alții prin mărturia ta personală (28-30)
a) Prin demonstrarea faptului ca Dumnezeu schimbă vieți (28)
b) Prin invitarea altora de a vedea ei înșiși (29a)
c) Prin proclamarea a ceea ce a făcut Hristos (29b)
d) Prin arătarea a cine este Hristos (29c-30)
2. Dezvoltă credința în alții printr-o teologie corectă (31-42)
a) Lucrarea lui Dumnezeu în lume este lucrarea lui Hristos (31-34)
- de a face voia lui Dumnezeu
- de a termina lucrarea lui Dumnezeu
b) Lucrarea lui Dumnezeu este o lucrare „neobișnuită” (35)
- recolta spirituală iese în momente când nu te aștepți
- recolta spirituală iese în locuri în care nu te aștepti
c) Lucrarea lui Dumnezeu este o lucrare în echipă (36-38)
-Lucrarea lui Dumnezeu este compusă din semănători șu culegători
- toți membrii din echipa lui Dumnezeu sunt la fel de importanți
- toți membrii din echipa lui Dumnezeu lucrează pentru același rezultat
Punctul 7: Concluzii – Rezultatele (4:39-42)
1. Câțiva vor crede prin mărturia ta personală (39-40)
2. Mai mulți vor crede prin Cuvântul lui Dumnezeu (41-42)
1 John A. MacArthur, Rediscovering Pastoral Leadership – Redescoperind Conducerea Pastorală (Dallas: Word, 1995), 91.
2 Philip Hughes, 2 Corinthians in “The New International Commentary on the New Testament,” 157.
Related Topics: Pastors
Thanks for the M̶e̶m̶o̶r̶i̶e̶s̶ Reminders
Related MediaA year ago on February 20th, my father, Howard G. “Prof” Hendricks, died. Two years after finishing sixty years of teaching at Dallas Theological Seminary, he said his goodbyes to the family, then rolled over and went into a deep sleep. A little more than two days later, he quit breathing on earth and began breathing whatever resurrected bodies breathe in the House of the Lord.
Needless to say, this past year has given me much opportunity to reflect on the whole notion of legacy—what someone leaves behind when they depart this earthly existence. Indeed, one of the most common things people have said to me this year is, “Your dad left such an incredible legacy!”
I can’t disagree with that. Sixty unbroken years of teaching. An estimated 13,000 students in his classes. Untold thousands, perhaps millions, of people impacted through his books, speaking engagements, radio broadcasts, visual media, and other means of communication. By any measure, he lived an extraordinary life.
But as I’ve pondered that legacy, along with its obvious implications for my own legacy, I’ve come to realize that a great deal of what I believed about leaving one’s mark on the world, and much of what is commonly taught on that subject, needs to be re-examined. It’s not that it’s outright wrong. It’s just shortsighted.
Let me explain. The matter of leaving a legacy is usually formulated as a question: Eventually you’re going to die, and when you do, what will you leave behind?
There are countless ways in which people answer that question. Some leave buildings. Some leave books. Some leave a family. Some leave the gift of wonderful memories and stories. My Dad left his students, with the charge to go and reproduce themselves.
Others, sadly, leave nothing but wreckage and sorrow. Broken relationships. Ruined finances. The shame and waste of bad choices and errors in judgment. Perhaps the tragedy of having squandered enormous potential on silly, pointless pursuits. Maybe even the memory of an act so vile that all one has to do is say the person’s name and people shudder.
I suppose there’s a third category: some people won’t leave much at all. They’ll live their lives and then just. . .go away. There won’t be anything to outlive them, really. It will be as if they never existed.
Eventually you’re going to die, and when you do, what will you leave behind?
As I say, that’s how the question of legacy gets posed most of the time. It’s a great question.
Nonetheless, it’s the wrong question!
This World Is Not Home
My Dad recognized that. At the beginning of his memorial service (which Stonebriar Church was kind enough to videotape, and you can view it on YouTube), a delightful media remembrance of his life was shown that brought laughter, tears, and ultimately hope. It inspired hope because it ended with a clip of Dad’s own voice delivering one of his most memorable lines: “We are in the land of the dying, headed toward the land of the living.”
The bookend to that theme came toward the end of the service when a men’s quartet sang Dad’s favorite spiritual: “This world is not my home, I’m just a’passin’ through, my treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”
If Dad understood nothing else, he recognized that this world was not his home. Oh, yes, with Shakespeare he fully appreciated that the world is indeed a stage. But for him, it was not the main stage. It was just the green room. He realized that the big show is in the life to come. Because that’s when the Star will make His appearance—and we with Him. That’s when what really matters will finally matter.
Dad understood truth that at the core of his being, and it affected everything about his life. Even his legacy. Though I never heard him phrase it this way, for him the question was not, What am I leaving behind? Rather, What am I leaving for?
That forward-looking perspective kind of turns the traditional notions of legacy on their head. It suggests that our lives ought not to be focused primarily on what we leave behind, but on how we are preparing—and how we are helping others prepare—to live permanently with the King and His people, in His kingdom.
In short, this world is not a museum. It’s a nursery. God is not asking us to leave memorials to ourselves. He’s asking us to grow up and get ready to live with Him, and to grow others up and get ready to live with Him.
My Dad is a great model of someone who invested his time on earth with that long-range view. He was not, as they say, so heavenly minded that he was no earthly good. No, he was very present. But it was a presence and focus informed by the fact that the King had called him to teach. So he taught.
So even though his investment was in the world, it was not of the world. His was an investment in the King’s business, which, in his particular calling, involved the teaching of men and women.
And so whatever we leave behind ought not to be merely a memory, which points to the past. No, our legacy ought to point to our future with the Father, Son, and Spirit, which the Westminster Shorter Catechism claims is the reason we were created in the first place.
Memories are good (as long as they are good memories). But reminders are better. My Dad’s legacy is a great reminder that this world is not our home—it’s our launching pad to go home. Which means everything we do here matters. But it matters only because it’s a baby step toward all that our Father has prepared for us when at last He hands us our inheritance, which is the eternal weight of His glory.
In that day, no one will ask, What did you leave behind? Only this: How much glory are you prepared to bear?
Related Topics: Christian Education, Christian Life, Comfort, Cultural Issues, Funerals, Glory, Leadership, Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Gifts, Spiritual Life, Worldview
Whoever Loves Much, Does Much
To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin or your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable...The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers...of love is Hell.
Rhythm of Prayer
Related MediaIntroduction to the Rhythm of Prayer
Rhythms define our lives. The habits we adopt and the patterns we repeat form our daily existence, direct our decisions and feed our motivations. The rhythms of life bring normalcy to unforeseen disasters and our highest celebrations. This is true of our physical and emotional lives and also true of our spirituality. We were created for a loving relationship with our Creator that is renewed and strengthened by the rhythm of prayer.
By rhythm of prayer we mean regular, fixed times of the day. The morning and the night are often cited in the Psalms as a call to prayer:
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly (Ps. 5:3)
On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night (Ps. 63:6)
The rhythm of prayer has a rich spiritual history. “Fixed-hour prayer…actually had its origins in the Judaism out of which Christianity came. Centuries before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the Hebrew psalmist wrote the ‘Seven times a day do I praise you’ (Ps.119: 164).” By the time of Christ, the people of God responded to ringing of forum bells that called them to prayer, including both Jews and then Christians. 1 Scriptures teach us that Jesus followed a rhythm of prayer while on earth. Often he rose early in the morning to pray.
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed (Mark 1:35)
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed (Luke 5:16)
With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night (Matthew 14:23 The Message)
As the early church saw in the lives of Old Testament saints and the Lord Jesus Christ a rhythm of daily prayer, they incorporated into their lives this same practice. “…by the second and third centuries the great Fathers of the Church- Clement (c 150-215 A.D.), Origen (c. 185-254 A.D.), Tertullian (c.160-225 A.D.), etc- assumed as normative the observance of prayers in the morning and at night as well as for the so-called ‘little hours’.” 2 Although the Catholic (west) and Orthodox (east) Churches broke fellowship around 1000 AD both continued to practice a form of the “Daily Office” or “Daily Hours” (names given to fixed rhythms of prayer). Likewise, as the Reformation swept Europe, Anglicans produced The Book of Common Prayer (a daily/monthly/yearly rhythm of prayer guide).
Throughout church history, though the wording of the prayers has changed, the rhythm of prayer has remained a spiritual constant necessity for growing believers.
Knowing the biblical and historical call to a rhythm of prayer we might ask how to we join this on-going practice? The writer includes several choices below.
The Psalms
“The Psalms were written as Prayers. God’s people have prayed these prayers for thousands of years as they have sought guidance and help in everyday experiences.”3 Praying through the Psalms, monthly or yearly, morning and evening reveal the common challenges of life, its joys and sorrows and the faithfulness of our loving, caring God.
The Lord’s Prayer
When the disciples asked how they should pray, Jesus answered:
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one
(Matthew 6:13 Or from evil; some late manuscripts one, / for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.) (Matthew 6:9-13)
“The Didache, a collection of practical instructions for the early church, instructs believers to say the Lord’s Prayer three times a day.”4
The Jesus Prayer:
“The Jesus prayer is recognized in the Church as a very important form of prayer to help us progress in our spiritual maturity by coming closer to a unity with God. Some say it is the only prayer we need to learn. The prayer is very simple. It is said like this: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. This prayer can be said by anyone at anytime. One does not even have to be literate to be able to invoke this prayer. Metropolitan Anthony Bloom says, ‘More than any other prayer, the Jesus Prayer aims at bringing us to stand in God’s presence with no other thought but the miracle of our standing there and God with us, because in the use of the Jesus Prayer there is nothing and no one except God and us.’ ”5
Although we may have a plan to join the rhythm of prayer, there will be times when we just don’t “feel” like praying. There are times for all of us when the routine of the rhythm gets tiresome. We don’t “feel” like shaving before going to work, we don’t “feel” like planning another meal. Yet, despite your feelings, you choose to get up, get dressed and go to work, to drive the children to school, to do those scheduled errands. Your life rhythm goes on regardless of how you “feel” that day. Sometimes you will not “feel” like praying. An invaluable help can be a prayer book that lists your prayers for the day (see endnotes and resources). As you read you can honestly confess to God a lack of desire to pray. Perhaps you will discover that keeping the rhythm of prayer changes the heart. “Sometimes all you have to do is show up.”6
Can You hear, O God, what I have to say?
Do you feel something of what I feel this morning?
I know, O God, that You are grieved
by the selfishness of Your children.
The world you created seems to be falling apart.
Your creatures are living for themselves alone.
They are proud and self-sufficient.
They think they don’t need You any longer.
I also know, O Lord, that I cannot exist
without the assurance of Your eternal love.
Thus I commit myself once more to You and Your purposes.
Help me to walk in Your path for my life.
Give me the grace to overcome the many obstacles in the way
(Psalm 5:1-8)7
Additional Resources:
Bounds, E. M., E.M. Bounds on Prayer .
Barton, Ruth Haley. Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation. [use with discretion]
1 Phyllis Tickle, The Divine Hours (New York: Doubleday, 2000), x.
2 Tickle, xi.
3 Rueben P. Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for All God’s People (Nashville: Upper Room Books), 13.
4 Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and Enuma Okoro, Common Prayer (Grand Rapids: Zondervan), 16.
5 http://www.orthodoxprayer.org
6 Claiborne, 20.
7 Leslie F. Brandt, Psalms/Now (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House), 11.
Related Topics: Devotionals, Sanctification, Women's Articles
Do Atheists Believe in Just One Less God Than Christians?
Article contributed by Cold Case Christianity
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As an atheist, I used to challenge my Christian friends with a common objection heard across the Internet today. Although my formulation of the objection differed from time to time, it was a lot like the popular statement attributed to Stephen F. Roberts:
“I contend we are both atheists, I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.”
My point was simple: All of us are atheists to some degree if you really think about it; we just disagree about which gods we reject. Christians are atheistic in their attitude toward, Zeus, Poseidon, Lakshmi, Vishnu, Cheonjiwang, Na Tuk Kong, Achamán, Huixtocihuatl and thousands of other historic gods. When asked, Christians typically offer the same reasons for rejecting these other “deities” that I would have offered for rejecting the God of Christianity. So (as I often claimed), if my believing friends simply approached Yahweh in the same way they approached other mythologies, they would inevitably take the final step toward rationality and reject all false gods.
This objection is still popular. I hear it (or read it) frequently in my efforts to make the case for Christianity now that I’m a believer. While there are certainly several valid responses, I’d like to offer one from my experience as a detective and case maker. I think it provides a brief, but rhetorically powerful rejoinder to this misguided, iconic objection.
In every criminal trial, a jury is asked to evaluate the actions of one defendant related to a particular crime. While there are millions of other people in the world who could have committed the crime under consideration (and indeed, millions of these people were actually available to commit the crime), only one has been charged. If the jury becomes convinced this defendant is the perpetrator, they will convict him based on their beliefs. They will convict the accused even though they haven’t examined the actions (or nature) of millions of other potential suspects. They’ll render a verdict based on the evidence related to this defendant, in spite of the fact they may be ignorant of the history or actions of several million alternatives. If the evidence is persuasive, the jurors will become true believers in the guilt of this man or woman, even as they reject millions of other options.
As Christians, we are just like the jurors on that trial. We make a decision about Jesus on the basis of the evidence related to Jesus, not the fact there may be many alternative candidates offered by others. If the evidence is persuasive, we can reach our decision in good conscience, even if we are completely unfamiliar with other possibilities. Christianity makes claims of exclusivity; if Christianity is true, all other claims about God are false. If the evidence supporting Christianity is convincing to us as the jury, we need look no further. In the end, our decision will be based on the strength (or weakness) of the case for Christianity, just like the decisions made by jurors related to a particular defendant must be based on the strength (or weakness) of the evidence. At the end of a trail, juries are “unbelievers” when it comes to every other potential suspect, because the evidence confirming the guilt of their particular defendant was sufficient. In a similar way, we can be confident “unbelievers” when it comes to every other potential god because the evidence for Christianity is more than sufficient.
Related Topics: Apologetics, World Religions, Worldview
Speaking in Tongues
Related MediaIntroduction
This is not the final chapter to be written on the subject of speaking in tongues. Men (and women) will be having their say until our Lord returns to settle this matter once and for all time. It is difficult to say how, when and where the modern tongues movement began. In the many pamphlets and books I have examined opinions differ. We do know that the phenomenon of tongues-speaking is widespread, and it is likely that no issue in Christendom has caused as wide a split in its ranks in modern times as has speaking in tongues.
All Bible-believing Christians who study the Word of God are in agreement that the gift of tongues is present in the inspired Scriptures. In the New Testament two lists of gifts appear in which the gift of tongues is included. In 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 “kinds of tongues” and “the interpretation of tongues” are said to be sovereignly bestowed gifts of the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 12:28-30 “tongues” appears in the list of gifts. We call them “spiritual gifts” from the Greek word charisma, suggesting that the gift is a bestowment of God’s grace. It is not a natural ability that one might develop, but rather a special gift as those appearing in the above mentioned passages in First Corinthians.
The Holy Spirit is sovereign in the distribution of these gifts. Following the listing of the gifts, Paul adds, “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will” (1 Corinthians 12:11). No one person has all the gifts, nor are we to seek the gifts. We must be careful that we do not confuse the Spirit as a gift to the believer with the gifts the Spirit gives to believers. Every believer has received the gift of the Spirit, but not every believer has received the gifts which the Spirit bestows.
The Meaning of Speaking in Tongues
In my travels many persons have approached me with questions about tongues. Some of them ask about its meaning. The term that is used to identify the tongues movement is “glossolalia,” made up of two Greek words, glossa (language or tongue) and lalia (speech). It therefore means speaking in languages or tongues. Glossology is that department of anthropology which has to do with the study and classification of languages and dialects.
The word glossa appears in the Greek New Testament not less than fifty times. It is used to refer to the physical organ of the tongue as in James 3:5; once in reference to the flames of fire shaped like tongues (Acts 2:3); at least once in a metaphorical sense when referring to speech as in the statement, “my tongue (speech) was glad (joyous)” (Acts 2:26). As far as I understand the remaining usages of the word it always means a language.
When our Lord predicted the gift of tongues (the only mention of tongues in the four Gospel records) He said, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues” (Mark 16:17). The adjective “new” (Gr. kainos) can only mean they were going to speak in languages new to them, that is, languages they had not learned or used until that time. If I say the Russian language is “new” to me, I do not mean that I never knew there was such a language, but rather its use by me is new to me because I can neither speak it nor understand it when I hear others speak it. On the other hand the German language is not altogether “new” to me because I can both read and speak it with a small degree of understanding.
In Acts 2:4 Luke uses a different adjective when he says, “they began to speak with other tongues.” The word “other” (Gr. heteros) simply means that they spoke in languages different from the normal language they were used to. The context substantiates this. Notice the surprised reaction on the part of the hearers—“And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?” (Acts 2:7,8). Every man heard them speak in his own language (Acts 2:6). Here the word “language” is the translation of dialekto from which our word “dialect” comes. The two words glossa (tongue) and dialektos (language) are used synonymously, making it obvious that the disciples were speaking in known languages other than the language native to them. In verses 9-11 the languages are then identified. It was a miraculous phenomenon which enabled the disciples to speak in languages which they had never learned. Here in this Acts passage we have tongues-speaking in its pure and unperverted form as God gave it.
The following verses in the Book of the Revelation should be examined carefully (Revelation 5:9; 7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 17:15). In each passage where the word “tongue” is mentioned it means one of the languages associated with the various nationalities and races. I see no reason why anyone should raise a question as to the tongues in those passages in Mark, Acts and Revelation meaning languages.
But the more serious problems arise in the interpretation of the twenty-one references to tongues in 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14. There are those who tell us that the tongues in First Corinthians are ecstatic utterances not known in any country on earth. They base their conclusion on the term “unknown” which appears in 1 Corinthians 14:2, 4, 13, 14, 19, and 27. But the reader of this chapter in God’s Word must not fail to observe that the word “unknown” in every place where it appears is in italicized letters, which means that it does not occur in any Greek manuscript but was inserted by translators. The Holy Spirit did not direct Paul to write that the tongue is unknown.
I find no warrant for changing the meaning of tongues in First Corinthians. In every other place where the word is used it means languages. Why then should the meaning be changed in First Corinthians? I know of no textual license that will warrant changing the meaning of the word. All the usages of tongues in Paul’s treatment of the subject refer to foreign languages. “So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into air” (1 Corinthians 14:9).
There is no reason for anyone to speak except to converse intelligibly. The Greek word laleo means “I speak.” The word is never used for mere sound or noise. Nor is it used for a mere mumbling or muttering of unintelligible gibberish. The tongues-speaking in the New Testament was in the native languages of hearing people. The supernatural phenomenon which took place at Pentecost was the exercise of a gift whereby many people from many countries, gathered at Jerusalem, heard God’s message in their own language. This was indeed a miracle of God.
It would be an arbitrary and strange interpretation of Scripture that would make tongues-speaking in the New Testament anything other than known languages. There is no trace of Scriptural evidence that tongues were ever heard by anyone as incoherent, incomprehensible babbling.
The Ministry of Speaking in Tongues
At this point in our study we shall pursue an examination of the reasons why God gave the gift of speaking in tongues.
First, to communicate the Gospel message. With unmistakable clarity Paul says, “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not . . . ” (1 Corinthians 14:22). The word “sign” (Gr. semeion) in the New Testament is often associated with the conveying of a Divinely-given message to unbelievers. This is the emphasis in John 20:30, 31 where we read, “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.” The signs (miracles) were never performed without purpose, but because of the message they communicated.
The true function of the gift of tongues is “for a sign . . . to them that believe not.” To exercise the gift when unbelievers were not present would be exercising the gift above the purpose for which it was given. The gifts were never given for the self-satisfaction or self-glory of the recipients. The one upon whom the gift was bestowed was merely an instrument through whom God wanted to communicate His message.
Because of the abuse and misuse of tongues in the Corinthian Assembly Paul states its purpose. The spiritual immaturity of the saints in Corinth called for instruction, so in the middle of his discourse on tongues he writes, “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men” (1 Corinthians 14:20). The Greek word for “men” (teleios) means mature. In their misuse of speaking in tongues they were showing their immaturity, a behaviour pattern which characterized the believers at Corinth. The Apostle reminded them that they remained “babes in Christ” (3:1).
Their failure to grow up spiritually resulted from their neglected study of the Scriptures. The Epistle to the Hebrews stresses this point. “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14). Peter wrote, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby” (I Peter 2:2). One will find confusion and license where the study of God’s Word is neglected.
Now let us return to 1 Corinthians 14:20. Immediately upon rebuking them with the words, “Brethren, be not children in understanding,” Paul adds, “In the law it is written . . . ” (Vs. 21), thereby pointing out their weakness, namely, their failure to acquaint themselves with that which was written in the Old Testament Scriptures. They had failed to study God’s Word, therefore they had become victims of arrested development.
Speaking in tongues was a gift bestowed by the Holy Spirit, but it, or any other gift, can be misused. Speaking in tongues was no mark of spirituality, because the Corinthian church was unspiritual, having manifested carnality (3:1-3) and even gross sin (5:1). And so Paul points them to a Scripture they should have known, saying, “In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord” (12:21).
Paul is here referring to a prophecy God had given through Isaiah. The nation of Israel had failed to heed God’s message which He gave through their own prophets, so the Lord told them that at a future time they will hear His message through tongues (languages) other than their own. “For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people “ (Isaiah 28:11). Thus Paul sees in this Isaiah prophecy the gift of tongues as a sign to Israel. The words “this people” in Isaiah 28:11, in its context, can refer only to Israel. The abuse of tongues-speaking in Corinth did not arise from the belief in speaking in tongues, but rather in the neglect of the Scriptures which teach its proper use.
This purpose of the gift of tongues, namely to communicate God’s message to Israel, is verified in the three passages in Acts where speaking in tongues is mentioned. In Acts 2 tongues-speaking was used as a missionary or evangelistic tool in fulfillment of Isaiah 28:11. There was no need for the disciples to learn other languages before they could communicate the Gospel. God overcame the language barrier through the miracle-gift of tongues. On the day of Pentecost there were “Jews out of every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5). And when the disciples “began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4), the hearers responded with the question, “And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?” (Acts 2:8). Observe that they were “Jews” from other countries who spoke many languages and dialects, and yet each heard the Gospel in his own tongue. Isaiah’s prophecy was being fulfilled.
In Acts 10:46 the second mention of speaking in tongues occurs. The occasion again was to communicate the Gospel, this time for the purpose of effecting the conversion of Cornelius and his house. This event cannot be totally disassociated from Pentecost because Peter, when relating this experience, said, “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning” (Acts 11:15). At the house of Cornelius tongues-speaking was a sign to Jews at a time when the Gospel was being communicated (Acts 10:44-46).
In Acts 19:6 there appears the third passage in Acts in which speaking in tongues is recorded. Again its purpose was missionary and evangelistic. When Paul came to Ephesus he encountered twelve disciples of John the Baptist. He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Ghost when (not since) you believed?” (Acts 19:2, see the R.V.). These at Ephesus considered themselves to be Christians because they had heard through Apollos the message of John. You see, there is a belief unto salvation and a belief that does not result in salvation. The latter is a mere academic, intellectual belief that even Satan and the demons have (James 2:19. cf. Mark 5:7). Doubtless there are people today who have an historical faith in Jesus Christ as a man and even the Son of God, but who have not been saved. Paul suspected that such was the case with the disciples of John whom he met at Ephesus. When he learned they were not saved, he told them they must trust Christ for their salvation. We can understand the confusion they might have experienced, therefore some evidential sign was necessary. “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came upon them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied” (Acts 19:6). Again the purpose for speaking in tongues is obvious, namely, to communicate the Gospel message.
These are the only instances of tongues-speaking recorded in the Bible, except the passage in First Corinthians. None of the later Epistles mention speaking in tongues. The gift was used only in the transitional period between Law and Grace. The sign gifts continued through the period of the Apostles while the New Testament was in the process of being written.
Second, to confirm the Gospel message. It was not merely a communicating sign but a confirmatory sign as well. When the Apostles used the gift of tongues it was because they did not have what you and I have today, the completed Word of God, God’s full and final revelation to man. When they went about preaching the Gospel, their message was confirmed by the exercise of the sign gifts. Tongues-speaking vindicated both the message and the messenger. “Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds” (2 Corinthians 12:12). If one could find an Apostle living today who saw the bodily-resurrected Lord Jesus, he would not be exercising the sign gifts because he would have what you and I have, and what Peter, Paul and John did not have, the completed written Word of God. Now that we have the Scriptures we do not need miracles to confirm God’s message.
Signs were for the Jews rather than for Gentiles. “For the Jews require a sign . . . ” (1 Corinthians 1:22). Repeatedly it was the Jews who asked for a sign. “Then certain of the Scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from Thee” (Matthew 12:38). Again, “The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired Him that He would shew them a sign from heaven” (Matthew 16 :1). “Then answered the Jews and said unto Him, What sign shewest Thou unto us, seeing that Thou doest these things?” (John 2:18). “They said therefore unto Him, What sign shewest Thou then, that we may see and believe Thee? What dost Thou work?” (John 6:30). All these who asked for a sign were Jews, and their insistence upon signs will at last be their sad undoing.
During the Tribulation the Antichrist will appear, “whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (II Thessalonians 2:9), and at that time many Jews will be deceived into receiving the Antichrist as their Messiah.
Let us who are Christ’s not be seeking signs as did the unbelieving Jews. We who are the Lord’s have the Holy Scriptures, so let us “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Whenever the gift of tongues was exercised Jews were present, tongues-speaking being used either to communicate the Gospel or else to confirm to the Jews that the Gentiles were worthy of salvation and should therefore have the Gospel also. Such confirmations are seen in Acts 10:45 and 19:6. “And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen” (Mark 16:20).
If anyone denies the message of God’s written Word today, there is no other court of appeal. In the days of the Apostles, the New Testament being yet unwritten, the Holy Spirit supported their message by accompanying it with signs. But after those holy and inspired men completed writing the New Testament, such confirmations were no longer necessary. The rich man in Hell asked Abraham to send Lazarus from the dead that he might witness to his five unsaved brothers, hoping that such a sign (or miracle) would lead them to repent. But Abraham replied, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:27-31). The Pentecostal sign ushered in a new age before the New Testament was written. But if men reject God’s inspired Word now, they need not look for any supernatural signs.
A significant New Testament passage which adds to the fact that the sign gifts were given to confirm the Gospel message is Hebrews 2:3,4:“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to His own will?” If the Epistle to the Hebrews was written between 65 and 70 A.D. it would be obvious that the people to whom the message was “confirmed” with signs and gifts were that generation immediately following our Lord’s death.
The Mistakes About Speaking in Tongues
As an introduction to this part of our study, I want you to see Paul’s introduction to the subject of spiritual gifts. And incidentally, this is the only place in the entire Bible where spiritual gifts are discussed. The Apostle writes, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant” (1 Corinthians 12:1). In the Authorized Version the word “gifts” is in italicized letters, telling us that it did not appear in any of the Greek manuscripts but was inserted by translators. Paul actually said to the Corinthians, “I don’t want you to be ignorant about pneumatica” (the spirituals), meaning of course the spiritual gifts.
Now the Corinthians were not ignorant of the fact of the spiritual gifts, for the Apostle had already said to them, “Ye come behind in no gift” (1:7). When he said, “I would not have you ignorant”, he was not speaking about their ignorance of the existence of the gifts, but rather about their ignorance of the right exercise of the gifts. They were well informed as to what the spiritual gifts were, but they were ignorant about the proper use of the gifts, as is evidenced by the mistakes they made in their exercise of them.
Before Paul launches into a discussion of the spiritual gifts, he reminds them of how easily they were led astray. He says, “ye know that ye were gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led” (12:2). In substance he is saying, “Before you tell me about your experience let me remind you of your lack of spirituality (3:1), and therefore your inability to discern between the Holy Spirit and false spirits” (2:15). Because they were carnal, “babes in Christ” (3:1), their exercise of the gifts were self-induced by fleshly energy, not by the Holy Spirit. All Christians do not use their gifts properly, so that a Christian’s use of a gift might not be in accord with the Word of God. Mistakes can be made by any of us in the exercise of a gift.
(1) It is a mistake to assume that speaking in tongues is synonymous with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is unscriptural teaching which says that all who are baptized by the Holy Spirit will speak in tongues. The Scriptures state emphatically that all saved persons have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body . . . ” (1 Corinthians 12:13). All the believers at Corinth received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, however all did not speak in tongues. The question asked in verse 30, “Do all speak with tongues?” is so phrased so as to convey the expected answer, “No.”
The baptizing work of the Spirit is not an experience in the believer subsequent to salvation. Rather it is that act of the Holy Spirit which joins the believing sinner to the Body of Christ. More emphatically, there is no other means whereby one can become a member of the Church which is Christ’s Body. All saved persons have been baptized by the Holy Spirit, but not all saved persons speak in tongues. The baptizing work of the Spirit places the believer in the Body positionally.
Be careful that you do not confuse the baptism of the Spirit with the command to be “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). All believers share equally in this position in Christ and thus share equally in union with Him. There is only one experience of baptism by the Holy Spirit but there can be many experiences of being filled with Spirit. Paul said that not all of the Corinthian Christians spoke in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:5), and yet he stated clearly that all had been baptized with the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13).
(2) It is a mistake to assume that speaking in tongues is an evidence of being filled with the Spirit. All believers are commanded to “be filled with (controlled by) the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), but nowhere in Scripture are believers commanded to speak in tongues. A Christian can be under the influence and control of the Holy Spirit and not speak in tongues. There are numerous instances when the disciples were filled with the Spirit but did not speak in tongues. See Acts 4:31 and 13:9-11. To be Spirit-filled is to be Spirit-controlled. Are we to believe that the thousands of mightily used men and women of God who were among the world’s best missionaries of Christ’s Gospel and Bible teachers were never filled with the Holy Spirit because they never spoke in tongues? Perish the thought!
Can one know if he is filled with the Spirit? Look at one verse in the Bible where the command to be filled with the Spirit is recorded. “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:18-21). Three things are mentioned as evidence of being Spirit-filled; a joyful heart, a thankful heart and a submissive heart. Nothing is said about speaking in tongues. To sum it up in one word, Christlikeness is the manifestation of being filled with the Spirit, and the Scriptures do not tell us that our Lord ever spoke in tongues.
(3) It is a mistake to assume that speaking in tongues is the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit results from being filled with the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is mentioned in Galatians 5:22, 23 and includes nine characteristics. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” None of the sign-gifts are included in this nine-fold cluster of fruit. The Christian who is filled with the Spirit will manifest the fruit of the Spirit apart from ever having spoken in tongues. As a matter of fact, in Ephesians and Galatians, where the fullness and fruit of the Spirit are discussed tongues-speaking is not mentioned once. Moreover, in the list of gifts mentioned by Paul, gifts that the ascended Lord bestowed upon His Church, the sign gifts are omitted. “And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11).
All Christians should be filled with the Spirit and all are to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, but not every Christian has all the gifts. Spirituality does not depend on speaking in tongues. God’s goal for every child of His is to be Spirit-controlled, but that goal does not include speaking in tongues. No Christian need ever feel that he is lacking in spirituality because he has not spoken in tongues. Quality of life is the best evidence of the fullness and fruit of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptizer was filled with the Spirit from his mother’s womb (Luke 1:15), yet this Spirit-filled man did no miracles and never spoke in tongues (John 10:41). But he was so Christ-like that people who were looking for the Messiah were led to ask of him, “Art thou the Christ?”
(4) It is a mistake to assume that speaking in tongues is an evidence of one’s faith. To the contrary, the persons who seek signs and sign-gifts show their lack of faith. It is a sin for any Christian to seek for signs before he will believe God’s Word. As was pointed out earlier in this study, “tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not” (1 Corinthians 14:22). So you see, the Christians at Corinth were showing that they were weak in faith, and possibly some who identified themselves with the believer had never been saved. The person who seeks any sign, whether it be speaking in tongues or any other sign-gift, is either a babe in Christ or an unbeliever.
Thomas is an illustration of a disciple weak in faith who would not believe without seeing. After our Lord arose from death, He appeared to the disciples. “But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:24, 25). Thomas was like the Corinthians, weak in faith, demanding to see the sign (miracle) before he would believe.
Eight days later the Lord appeared again. “Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side:and be not faithless but believing.” (John 20:27). The doubting Thomas needed a sign, so the Lord appeared to him so that he would not continue without faith. And then He said to Thomas, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). The Christian who will study the Bible and believe what it says will walk by faith, not by sight or sound.
(5) It is a mistake to seek the gift of speaking in tongues. It is clear that not all in the church at Corinth spoke in tongues. Why didn’t they? The Apostle says, “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit . . . for to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will” (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Please note that the gifts were given “as He (the Holy Spirit) will,” not as we will, “as it hath pleased Him” (vs. 18), not us. The reason why all the Christians did not have the gift of tongues is because all of the gifts are divinely bestowed. The Spirit divides and distributes to each believer his own gift. Not one of us is capable of choosing his own gift. The Spirit will not give a gift according to our desire and the way we pray. Don’t try to tell God which gift He should give to you. We are but members of the Body, and no one member has any right to tell the Head what to do.
It would have been a mistake for the Corinthians to seek the gift of tongues because it is the least of all the gifts. Where the gifts are listed twice in 1 Corinthians 12, in each instance tongues and their interpretation are placed last (verses 8-11 and 28-30). Note the careful wording in the latter passage: “First . . . secondarily . . . thirdly . . . after that . . . ” The least to be desired comes at the bottom of the list, the scale being according to importance and usefulness. The minor place of tongues is further stressed in 1 Corinthians 14:1, 5, 6, 19. The modern cult of tongues would have you believe that this gift is the only one that really counts and that every Christian ought to have it. The Corinthians erred in overemphasizing the gift of tongues as the most coveted gift of all. To them tongues was the prestige gift, hence its misuse and abuse at Corinth.
Paul charges them with such misuse of the gifts in 12:31. When he writes, “But covet earnestly the best gifts . . .” he is not exhorting or commanding them, as the imperative mood might indicate. Rather he is issuing a statement of fact, as is suggested in the indicative. In substance he is saying, “You are selfishly desiring the more spectacular or demonstrative gifts.” The word “covet” is not used in a good sense, but in a bad sense, that of self-seeking. “You are not satisfied to be a foot, concealed in a stocking and shoe; you want to be an eye. You want to be seen and heard.” And then the Apostle adds, “Yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal “ (1 Corinthians 12:31,13:1).
A young man who claimed to have the gift of speaking in tongues told me that the biblical basis for his doing so was 1 Corinthians 14:4, namely, self-edification. But this is both selfish and wrong. Paul did say, “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself” (14:4), but then he added, “Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the Church” (14:12). The gifts were given for the edification and profit of the entire Body of Christ, not merely one member. “The members should have the same care one for another” (12:25). Self-edification is contrary to the principle of love as taught in Chapter 13, for “love seeketh not her own” (13:5). The gifts were given for the common good of all (12:7).
(6) It is a mistake for a woman to speak in tongues. “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak . . .” (14:34). The prohibition here has a direct relation to the problem with which the Apostle is dealing, namely, speaking in tongues. Earlier in the same Epistle he told the women how to dress when they prayed or prophesied in the church (11 :3-10), therefore he would not forbid them here in Chapter 14 that privilege which is countenanced in Chapter 11. The setting of 1 Corinthians 14:34 has reference primarily to women speaking in tongues. It is clear and unmistakable that speaking in tongues was a gift limited to men and is never to be exercised by women. Now he is not saying that women may not teach or testify or pray, but that they may not speak in tongues. Elsewhere Paul writes, “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence” (I Timothy 2:12). The point of this passage is that a woman’s ministry must not usurp authority over the man. She may teach women or children, but not men.
If this admonition were heeded today much of the present tongues movement would be eliminated. Women are the worst offenders in the modern confusion of tongues. The word “speak” in 14:34 is the same word used in verse 28, therefore it cannot mean mere “chatter” that would disturb a service in the church. The purpose of this entire section on speaking in tongues is to curb the wrong use of the gift. Verses 27-33 give instruction for men in the matter of speaking in tongues. “If any man speak in an unknown tongue . . .” (14:27); verses 34-36 are directed to “women” exercising the gift of tongues. And if any women wanted to take issue with Paul, he would ask them one question, “Which book in all the inspired Scriptures was written as the result of the Holy Spirit revealing the woman?” (Verse 36). It is a mistake for a woman to speak in tongues.
(7) It is a mistake to assume that the sign-gifts are given to believers today. Now I am not arbitrarily closing the door on miracles. God does intervene in supernatural ways performing miracles when and wherever He pleases to do so. The matter before us now is whether or not the Bible teaches that certain gifts were temporarily given. The evidence of God’s Word must be the final source of authority. I am stressing this because there are many persons who are not students of the Bible, therefore their only source of knowledge and understanding is subjective, namely, reason or experience. Whatever appeals to their reason, or whatever experiences they have had, settle a matter for them once and for all time.
It is not uncommon to hear someone say something like this: “I cannot believe in Hell because I cannot conceive a loving God sending anyone to such a place of torment.” Such persons might listen to clear and sound expositions on the biblical doctrine of Hell, and yet they will reject what the Bible teaches because of their inner feelings and rationale. And so their rationalization becomes their final authority.
Now I am not suggesting that there is no validity in experience or reason. I am quite sure that there are times when one’s reason and experience are correct and therefore reliable. But neither reason nor experience can be accepted as final authority. Someone will argue: “I have had the experience of speaking in tongues; I find this experience in the New Testament; therefore my experience is true.” Any trained Christian philosopher will tell you that such an argument is not valid because it makes experience the basis of truth, so if one does not experience all of the experiences he does not have all of the truth. True Christian philosophy moves from truth to experience, therefore any valid Christian experience must be determined by the right interpretation of Holy Scripture. Experience, which is related to our emotions, can be deceptive, but a correct interpretation of God’s Word can never deceive.
We come now to the question, Is the gift of tongues a part of God’s program for the Church today? If it is, then we would be wrong if we closed our minds to it. If it is not, then we are wrong if we insist upon the exercise of tongues-speaking.
Let us turn to 1 Corinthians 13. Now keep in mind the fact that the subject in Chapters 12-14 is spiritual gifts with the main emphasis on tongues, because tongues was the one gift that the Corinthians were abusing. Chapter 12 concludes with “tongues” (12:30) and Chapter 13 begins with “tongues” (13:1). Obviously from the behavior of the Corinthians they were lacking in the fruit of the Spirit, namely, love. And so in Chapter 13 the Apostle dwells upon the essential ingredient of love which supercedes the gifts, and without which the Christian is nothing at all.
Among the Corinthians there were quarreling and division, but the needed fruit of the Spirit, love, was missing, so Paul writes, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (or love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal” (13 :1). In Corinth the tongues-speaking amounted to so much noise because carnality had invaded their exercise of the gift. Even today there is a kind of spiritual prestige associated with tongues-speaking. For a Christian to show off any gift that God has given manifests pride that is lacking in love. Where love is lacking, the exercise of any gift is worthless.
If Christians would take seriously, within context, all of the teaching about tongues in 1 Corinthians, they could not fail to see that tongues-speaking would cease. Paul writes, “Charity (love) never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away” (13:8). There will always be the need for love, therefore love will never drop off. But when the canon of Scripture is made “perfect” (or complete), there will be no further revelation from God, neither in predictive prophecy nor in divinely revealed knowledge other than prophecy. The gifts of “prophecy” and “knowledge” will be entirely unnecessary with the completion of the Scriptures. And “if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18).
Paul acknowledged the incomplete nature of the Scriptures in his day when he said, “For we know in part, and we prophecy in part” (13:9), or more literally from the Greek, “For in part we are knowing, and in part we are prophesying.” Then he adds, “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away” (13:10). The word perfect is in the neuter gender, and therefore refers to the perfect (finished or completed) Word of God. If the word perfect referred to Christ it would be in the masculine gender. The sign gifts were “done away” (rendered inoperative) with the completion of the New Testament.
Now what about tongues? “Whether there be tongues, they shall cease” (13:8). Tongues shall cease (Gr. patio), that is, they shall come to a complete halt. Who needs tongues? Only the untaught, carnal babes in Christ, for Paul added, “When I was a child, I spake as a child . . . but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (13:11). The word “spake” in context can only refer to speaking in tongues. So that Paul himself came to the place of Christian maturity, through God’s revelation to him, where tongues were no longer necessary. And so in the same tongues context he admonishes the Corinthians, “Brethren, be not children in understanding . . . but in understanding be men” (14:20). Experientially, tongues cease when the Christian matures on a diet of the meat of God’s Word. Actually tongues is baby talk.
For the past two years I have made it my practice to ask many of the leading Bible teachers and scholars, some of whom having a rich working knowledge of Hebrew and Greek, if they have ever spoken in tongues. Among them are college and seminary presidents and professors. To date I have not had one of about sixty men tell me that he ever spoke in tongues!
I have been asked if I ever spoke in tongues. No, I have not. God and I have gotten along nicely for the past forty-five years in English. I speak to Him in English and He hears and understands me. He speaks to me in English through His Word, and I understand Him.
How then can we account for the wide-spread practice of speaking in tongues? I do not have all of the answers to this question, but I will make three suggestions for your prayer consideration.
First, speaking in tongues can be self-induced. Second, speaking in tongues can be group-induced. Third, speaking in tongues can be satanically-induced.
Since the creation of man Satan’s insidious master-plan has been to put a veil between God’s children and God’s inerrant Word. It began in the Garden of Eden when the Devil asked Mother Eve, “Yea, hath God said . . . ?” (Genesis 3:1), thereby raising doubt as to the authority and authenticity of what God has said. We know that this enemy has stepped up the pace of his strategy.
Our present generation is witnessing the growing menace of satanic activity in the realm of the miraculous. Where the Devil does not succeed in taking the Bible from us, he works hard at taking us from the Bible. And he succeeds in getting Christians to focus their attention on the claims of men and women to some supernatural experience, and in so doing those seekers after the experiences of others have neither time nor interest in searching the Scriptures for God’s truth.
God does have a plan in His dealings with the human race, and that plan does not necessarily include the continuing repetition of the same miracles in every succeeding century. The miracles of God are rare occurrences in history. Enoch’s bodily translation from earth to heaven was the only recorded miracle performed by God in over 1700 years between Adam and the flood.
The Church of Christ does not need a new Bible, nor new apostles, nor new faith-healers, nor new charismatic movements, nor self-styled miracle workers. What the Church needs is to return to the Word of God and proclaim the whole counsel of God in the power and love of the Holy Spirit.
And if my reader has never had a personal experience of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, I urge you to receive Him at once, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
Related Topics: Pneumatology (The Holy Spirit), Tongues
Lesson 47: Terrible Words from the Loving Savior (John 8:21-29)
Related MediaMarch 9, 2014
Thomas Fuller (cited by C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David [Baker], 4:328) said, “You cannot repent too soon, because you do not know how soon it may be too late.” As long as you’re alive and mentally competent, you have the opportunity to believe in Christ for eternal salvation. But the second you die, it’s too late—you’ll be lost forever.
That’s not just my opinion, but something the loving Savior says over and over to warn us to believe in Him while there is still time. Three times in our text (8:21, twice in v. 24) He warns the Pharisees that they will die in their sins. This means that they will face God’s judgment for their sins. But Christ’s final warning contains a word of invitation and hope (8:24b), “For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (He is not in the original; it was added by the translators.) The invitation is, if you will believe that I am the Lord, who I claim to be, you will not die in your sins.
And so it’s crucial that we understand clearly who Jesus claimed to be and that we believe in Him before we die and face God’s eternal judgment. Our text tells us:
To go to heaven, believe the truth about yourself and the truth about Jesus while there is still time.
Jesus is interacting with the Pharisees at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles. At that feast, in conjunction with a ceremony that commemorated the water that God provided for Israel in the wilderness, He has claimed to be able to give living water that flows out of the innermost being of those who believe in Him (7:37-38). In conjunction with a lamp-lighting ceremony that remembered God’s presence in the pillar of cloud and fire in the wilderness, Jesus has claimed to be the light of the world and promised that the one who follows Him will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life (8:12). These were astounding claims that you can’t just shrug off. They grab you by the lapels and demand that you respond.
But, sadly, the Pharisees responded with hostile challenges, not with faith in Jesus. In 8:13, they claimed that His testimony about Himself was not valid. In 8:19, they sneered, “Where is Your Father?” which was probably a slur about the rumor that Jesus’ mother conceived Him before she was married. In our text, they continue throwing out comments that reflect their hardened hearts. But, rather than trying to take the speck out of the Pharisees’ eyes, we need to take the logs out of our eyes by recognizing that by virtue of our fallen nature, we’re just like them. Thus …
1. To go to heaven, recognize your true condition before God as a sinner.
In 8:19, Jesus pointed out the root problem with the Pharisees: “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” This is the root problem with the entire human race: We’re born as sinners, alienated from God. We don’t know Him or the one He sent to bear our sins on the cross. We have no idea of the holiness of God, who is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29), who dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:16). And, since we don’t know how holy God is, we don’t see how sinful we are. Rather than comparing ourselves with the holy God, we compare ourselves with people who are outwardly more wicked than we are, so we think we’re not so bad.
But we’re using the wrong measuring stick! Jesus draws a line between Himself and the Pharisees by saying (8:21), “I go away, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” He was going back to the Father in heaven and they would not and could not go there as long as they remained in their proud self-righteousness.
But they mistook His words, saying (8:22), probably in a deliberate put-down, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” The Jews thought that a person who killed himself would go to the worst place in hell (Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John [Eerdmans], p. 446). So they may have been saying, “Well, if He kills Himself and goes to hell, at least we won’t have to listen to Him there, since we’ll be in heaven!” But they were sadly mistaken. Jesus came from heaven and was returning to heaven, but in their sinful condition, they would never see heaven.
So Jesus continues (8:23), “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.” There is a humanly unbridgeable chasm between the holy God in heaven and all of us who were born in sin on this earth. We can try to compile good deeds to bridge the chasm, but that’s doomed to fail. All our good deeds are like filthy rags in God’s sight (Isa. 64:6). And all the good deeds in the world cannot pay for all the sins that we’ve committed. Just a single sin would be enough to condemn us to hell, but we’ve all piled up thousands of sins. To go to heaven, we first have to recognize our true condition before the holy God as rebellious sinners.
Furthermore, our sinful condition has rendered us blind to spiritual truth unless the Lord opens our eyes to see. John explains (8:27), “They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father.” You would think that Jesus had made this point pretty clearly back in 5:18-47, where the Jews knew that by calling God His own Father, Jesus was making Himself equal with God. The only way that I can explain John’s comment in 8:27 is by Paul’s comment in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (See, also, 1 Cor. 2:14.)
Jesus will go on to explain to the disciples (John 16:8) that one role of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin. The word “convict” means “to convince,” as a lawyer convinces a jury of his case. Before we will turn from our sin and trust in Christ as our Savior, we have to be convinced that we are sinners who cannot save ourselves. So to go to heaven, we must believe the truth about ourselves, that we are guilty sinners before the holy God.
2. To go to heaven, believe in Jesus as He is revealed in Scripture.
As I’ve often said, the crucial question in all of life is Jesus’ question to the twelve (Matt. 16:15), “Who do you say that I am?” There is no more important question in the world! Everything about your eternal destiny depends on believing the right answer to that question. Here, the Jews ask (8:25), “Who are You?” But before we yell, “Yay, they’re finally asking the right question!” we need to understand that they were not asking the question sincerely, with a desire to know the truth about Jesus. Rather, their question could rightly be translated (according to several commentators), “Who do you think you are to tell us that we will die in our sins?” They were challenging Jesus, not seeking to know the truth about Him.
Jesus’ reply (8:25) is difficult to translate, but the sense is probably either a statement (ESV), “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” or a rhetorical question (NASB), “What have I been saying to you from the beginning?” Their problem was not that they had not heard what Jesus was saying from day one of His public ministry, but that they didn’t believe Him. Our text contains four important truths about Jesus that we must believe if we want to go to heaven:
A. Believe in Jesus as the eternal God, sent to earth by the Father.
As Jesus said in 8:14, “I know where I came from and where I am going.” In 8:23 He asserts that His origin is from above, not from this world. He repeatedly emphasizes (8:16, 18, 26, 29) that He came to earth because He was sent by the Father. And, He says (8:24), “unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” He repeats (8:28), “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He….”
The translators have added “He” to complete Jesus’ “I am” statement. The legitimate sense may be, “I am who I claim to be,” or “I am the Messiah.” But given the Jewish audience, and especially the Pharisees, who knew the Old Testament well, Jesus was probably referring to the “I am” statements of Yahweh in Isaiah 40-55, which in turn allude to God’s disclosure of His name to Moses (Exod. 3:14), “I am who I am.” (See D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John [Eerdmans/Apollos], pp. 343-344.) So Jesus was probably saying, “Unless you believe that I am the Lord God, you will die in your sins.”
In Isaiah 41:4, God says, “I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. I am He.” The Greek LXX translates “I am He” with “ego eimi,” the same Greek phrase that Jesus uses in John 8:24 & 28. In Isaiah 43:10, the Lord says, “‘You are My witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me.’” (It’s more than ironic that the Jehovah’s Witnesses take their name from Isaiah 43:10, but deny the deity of Jesus. They fail to see that, in part, Jesus bases His claim to be God on it!)
Then in Isaiah 43:13 the Lord adds, “Even from eternity I am He, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?” In Isaiah 48:12, the Lord says, “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last.” (In Revelation 1:17 & 2:8, Jesus claims to be the first and the last, a clear assertion of His deity.)
So when Jesus tells the Pharisees, who knew Isaiah well, “I am He,” using the same phrase that the Lord repeatedly uses in Isaiah, He was claiming to be the eternal God. Yet at the same time, here and throughout John’s Gospel, He frequently distinguishes Himself from the Father. He makes it clear that the Father sent Him to this earth to be our Savior. To believe in a “Jesus” who is not God in human flesh will not get you to heaven. As Bishop Moule once said (source unknown), “A Savior not quite God is a bridge broken at the farther end.”
B. Believe that Jesus lived a sinless life in total dependence on the Father.
In John 8:29, Jesus makes another astounding claim that no one else can legitimately make: “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” In a similar vein, Jesus asks these same critics (8:46), “Which of you convicts Me of sin?” No one, not even Jesus’ enemies, could convict Him of sin because as a man He always lived in total dependence on the Father, being obedient to His will. If Jesus had sinned, then His death could not have atoned for others, because He would have had to pay for His own sin. He was the Lamb of God, without spot or blemish, who alone could take away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
C. Believe that Jesus was lifted up on the cross to die as the substitute for your sins.
In John 8:21, Jesus again (7:33-34) tells the Jews that He is going away and that they will not be able to come where He is going. He’s referring to His upcoming death, when He would willingly lay down His life for His sheep. Then in 8:28, Jesus tells them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.” “Lift up” also refers to His upcoming death on the cross (3:14; 12:32).
John intends some irony here, in that the verb usually means “to exalt.” To be put on the cross as a public spectacle was the most degrading and humiliating thing that could happen to a man. But the cross above all else revealed Jesus’ glory. The night before He was crucified, Jesus prayed (17:1), “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You.” The cross reveals the holiness and justice of God, who cannot allow any sinners to go unpunished. But it also reveals His abundant love and mercy, in that through the death of His Son, He can save sinners and clothe them with Jesus’ righteousness.
Satan hates the cross and is always trying to distort its meaning or eradicate it from any teaching about how a person gets to heaven. But any teaching that diminishes or denies the centrality of the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross for our sins is heretical to the core. To teach that Jesus died as an example of love is correct; but if it stops there, it’s heretical. He is the greatest example of love that the world has ever known. But you can try all your life to imitate His example of love and you will still go to hell when you die if you have not trusted in His death for your sins.
The same thing applies to trying to get to heaven by good works. If we can get to heaven by our good works, then Jesus didn’t have to die on the cross for our sins. Or if we can get to heaven by combining our works with His death on the cross, it still diminishes the centrality of the cross and allows sinners to share His glory, which can never be. Paul wrote Galatians to combat the Judaizers, who claimed to believe in Christ, but argued that you must also add keeping the Law of Moses to faith in Christ to be saved. But Paul called their view a different gospel which is not a gospel and said that they would be damned for believing it (Gal. 1:6-9).
Thus to go to heaven, we must believe that Jesus is the eternal God, sent to earth by the Father; that He lived a sinless life in total dependence on the Father; and that He was lifted up on the cross to die as the substitute for our sins. Also,
D. Believe that Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven.
Jesus knew that He would soon die on the cross, but He also knew that that wasn’t the end of things. Rather, He would be returning to the Father in heaven (8:21, 22). This anticipates both His bodily resurrection from the dead and His ascension into heaven. Believing in Jesus’ bodily resurrection and ascension is absolutely essential to saving faith. As Paul argues (1 Cor. 15:14, 17), “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is vain…. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.”
God has given much evidence that Jesus was raised from the dead. There was the empty tomb. If Jesus’ body was still in the tomb, His enemies gladly would have taken people there and refuted the disciples’ claims that He was risen. There were the many independent eyewitnesses, who saw Jesus alive in different settings. There is the fact of the changed lives of the witnesses, who did not expect the resurrection and were fearful and depressed after the crucifixion. But they went on boldly to proclaim the resurrection, even when it cost them their lives.
So, if you don’t want to die in your sins and face God’s judgment, or to put it positively, if you want to go to heaven, you must first recognize your true condition before God as a sinner. Also, you must believe in Jesus as He is revealed in Scripture. But there is one other crucial matter:
3. To go to heaven, believe in Jesus while there is still time.
The loving Savior says some terrible, terrifying words (8:21): “I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” Then in 8:28 He says, “When you lift up the son of Man, then you will know that I am He ….” The implication of these words is not that these religious leaders would seek Jesus after His death and come to know Him through saving faith, but rather that they would seek Him and know Him too late. The door of mercy would be shut because they had rejected the Light of the world when He was with them.
So while Jesus appealed to them to believe in Him (8:24), He was also warning them that even though they would seek Him later, they would still die in their sin, which is to face judgment and eternal punishment in hell. So I think He means that they would seek Him and come to know Him when it was too late, at the judgment. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man in hell cried out to Abraham in heaven for mercy and relief from his suffering. But Abraham tells him (Luke 16:26), “Between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.” Those in hell now want to go to heaven, but it’s too late!
Also, it’s possible to harden your heart against the light that God has given you to the point where you cross a line in this life and you can’t go back. Like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal, when he later sought for repentance with tears, he could not find it (Heb. 12:17). You ask, “Where is that line?” That’s like asking, “How close to the edge of the Grand Canyon can I go without falling over?” That’s a bad question! You don’t want to find out the answer. If you don’t want to fall over, stay back from the edge!
Jesus told the story of the ten virgins who were waiting for the bridegroom. Five were wise, but five were foolish. The wise virgins had prepared for the event and had plenty of oil, but the foolish virgins did not have enough oil. While they were away buying more oil, the bridegroom came and took the five wise virgins into the wedding feast. But when the foolish virgins came later, they were shut out. Jesus’ application was (Matt. 25:13), “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day or the hour.”
Also, it’s possible to seek Christ now, but for the wrong reasons. Maybe you want some blessing or you want to get out of a crisis, so you start going to church, praying, and trying to reform your life so that God will give you what you’re after. But you aren’t seeking salvation because you know that you’re a guilty sinner who has offended the holy God. You aren’t seeking Christ because He is the eternal God who took on human flesh to die for your sins. And so after your crisis blows over or you figure out how to get what you’re after, you go back to your old ways.
But to go to heaven—to not die in your sins—you must see yourself as a sinner deserving of hell and believe in Jesus Christ as He is revealed in Scripture while you still have time. That time is now!
Conclusion
Some may think that it’s unloving to talk about hell and judgment. But if the words of Jesus are true, then the most loving thing anyone can do is to warn you to flee from the wrath to come. Frances Quarles wrote (cited by C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David [Baker], 4:328, English updated), “He that has promised pardon on our repentance has not promised to preserve our lives till we repent.” Or, to repeat Thomas Fuller’s wise words (ibid.), “You cannot repent too soon, because you do not know how soon it may be too late.”
Application Questions
- What is the “unpardonable sin” (Matt. 12:31-32)? Is it possible for a person to harden his heart so far that he can’t repent? When does one cross that line?
- How much knowledge of who Jesus is does a person need to believe for salvation? Can’t much of that knowledge come later?
- What’s the difference between believing in Jesus to get you out of a crisis or to solve a problem and believing in Jesus to save you from your sins? Why is this an important distinction?
- Some argue that a God of love won’t send anyone to hell. They use verses like Col. 1:20 to argue that eventually everyone will be reconciled to Christ. How would you answer them?
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2014, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
Related Topics: Christology, Heaven, Soteriology (Salvation)
Lesson 48: True Freedom (John 8:30-36)
Related MediaMarch 16, 2014
As Americans, we value freedom. Our nation was founded on the principle of “liberty and justice for all.” Our First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble, and freedom to petition the government for redress. While our freedom of religion is under assault today more than ever before, it is the foundation of our nation.
Political freedom is a wonderful thing, but spiritual freedom is even better, because you can experience it no matter what sort of government you live under. And true spiritual freedom lasts forever. But what is it? John Piper (“You Will Know the Truth and the Truth Will Set You Free,” on DesiringGod.org) describes true freedom: “You are fully free when you have the desire, the ability, and the opportunity to do what will leave you with no regrets forever.” He explains,
If you don't have the desire to do a thing, you are not fully free to do it. Oh, you may muster the will power to do what you don’t want to do, but nobody calls that full freedom…. And if you have the desire to do something, but no ability to do it, you are not free to do it. And if you have the desire and the ability to do something, but no opportunity to do it, you are not free to do it. And if you have the desire to do something, and the ability to do it, and the opportunity to do it, but it destroys you in the end, you are not fully free—not free indeed.
He illustrates this with an example of skydiving. Say you want to experience the thrill of the freedom of skydiving, but on the way to the airport you have an accident and can’t get there. You lack the freedom of opportunity. Or, suppose you get there, but you didn’t take the required class, so you don’t know how to operate your parachute. You lack the freedom of ability. Or, you get to the airport, you took the classes, and you go up in the plane. But when they open the door and you look down, you’re paralyzed with fear. You lack the freedom of desire, so you don’t jump.
But there’s one last requirement for true freedom. Suppose you get to the airport (freedom of opportunity), you took the classes (freedom of ability), and you go up in the plane, look out the door, and can’t wait to jump (freedom of desire). So you jump and are enjoying the freedom of falling through the air. But your parachute is defective and you’re going to smash into the ground. You are not truly free because what you’re doing is going to destroy you. To go back to his definition: “You are fully free when you have the desire, the ability, and the opportunity to do what will leave you with no regrets forever.”
So, how do we get that kind of freedom spiritually? The Jews with whom Jesus was speaking in our text thought that they were spiritually free through their descent from Abraham (8:33): “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus explains that even though they don’t see it, they are actually enslaved to sin. He shows them (and us) the way to true spiritual freedom:
True freedom comes from knowing Christ through genuine faith and abiding in His word.
Jesus gives these arrogant Jews both a warning and an invitation. After stating that they are slaves to sin (8:34), He gives the warning (8:35), “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.” He means, “As descendants of Abraham, you’re in God’s household, but because of sin, you’re in His household as slaves, not as true sons. Slaves don’t enjoy the full privileges of sons. Slaves can be expelled from the household at any time, especially if they’re not faithful. You’re currently enjoying the privileges of being in God’s household, but you could lose this status if you continue in your sinful ways.”
Since they had mentioned Abraham, the story of Ishmael, the son of Hagar the slave, is behind verse 35. When Ishmael taunted Isaac, Abraham was forced to expel him from his household. The Jews who were threatening to kill Jesus (8:37, 40) were in danger of losing the privileges of being in God’s household (Rom. 9:4-5). But Jesus didn’t leave them with a warning only. He gave them an invitation (8:36), “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” He’s saying, “Come to Me; I will give you true freedom.”
1. It’s possible to have a superficial, false faith in Christ that does not save from sin.
John 8:30 tells us, “As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.” Verse 31 states that Jesus was addressing the following comments to the Jews who had believed Him. So you would think that these people had come to know Christ through faith. But as the dialogue continues through the chapter, we learn that not only were they slaves of sin (8:34), also they were seeking to kill Jesus (8:37, 40); God was not their Father (8:42); in fact, they were children of the devil (8:44); they accused Jesus of having a demon (8:48); they were liars (8:55); and they attempted to kill Jesus (8:59). So why does John say that these Jews believed in Jesus?
Some have tried to resolve this by saying that 8:30-31 speaks about true believers, while “they” in 8:33 refers to the hostile Jews that we encountered earlier in the chapter. But the text does not indicate that there is a change of subject. Others argue that there is a difference in meaning between the Greek construction used with the verb “to believe” (in 8:31), but this distinction doesn’t hold up in other places (D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John [Eerdmans/Apollos], pp. 346-347). Other solutions have been proposed.
The best interpretation is that the “believers” in 8:30, 31 are like those back in 2:23, who believed in Jesus after seeing some of His miracles, but Jesus didn’t entrust Himself to them, because He knew that their faith was superficial. We saw that same false faith in 6:60, when many of Jesus’ disciples turned away from Him after He said some difficult things that they didn’t like. False faith is implied in 8:31, where Jesus says that if they continue in His word, they are truly His disciples. And so we should conclude that it’s possible to have a superficial, false faith in Christ that does not save from sin.
Other New Testament texts support this view. Jesus’ parable of the sower (Luke 8:5-15) mentions the seed that was sown on the rocky, thin soil. These people received the word with joy, but they had no root. They believed for a while, but in a time of temptation or trial, they fell away. The same was true of the seed sown among the thorny ground. Eventually the thorns choked out the word, so that it did not bear fruit. We see the same thing in the warning passages in Hebrews (6:4-8; 10:26-31) and in John’s mention of the false teachers who went out from the church, but never were genuine believers (1 John 2:19). Paul mentions false apostles who disguise themselves as workers of righteousness (2 Cor. 11:13-15).
I’ve seen the same thing many times, even with some who have served for a while in some capacity in the church. Perhaps they came to faith at a time when many of their friends were professing faith in Christ. It was the cool thing to do. Or, maybe they came to Jesus because they were told that He would give them some blessing or solve some difficult problem that they were wrestling with. But when things didn’t go as they had hoped, they fell away. Some now even deny the faith that they once professed.
How can we know that our own faith is genuine? I’ll say more about that in a moment, but for now, note two marks of false faith that we see in these “believing unbelievers”:
A. Those with false faith do not recognize their own slavery to sin.
After Jesus tells them (8:32), “And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free,” they react defensively by asserting that they are Abraham’s descendants and they have never been enslaved to anyone. They couldn’t be referring to political slavery, since the nation had been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years, plus to many other foreign powers, such as Babylon, Greece, and (as they spoke) Rome. So they must mean that they were spiritually free and, as Jews, always had been free.
But they were blind to their self-righteousness and spiritual pride. Their religion was externally impressive, but their hearts were far from God (Mark 7:6-7). In Matthew 23:27-28, Jesus, who knew their hearts, reams them out: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” They thought that they were righteous, but their sin deceived them so that they didn’t see their own slavery to sin.
As I said last week, the starting point for going to heaven is to recognize that you are a guilty sinner in God’s sight. If you think that you’re good enough to go to heaven, or that by adding a few more good deeds, you’ll merit eternal life, you don’t understand God’s absolute holiness and justice. If our good deeds could get us into heaven, then Christ did not need to die on the cross. Invariably, those with false faith do not see their own slavery to sin. They brush it off by thinking that they just have a few faults.
B. Those with false faith are trusting in their own righteousness or religion to save them, not in Christ alone.
These Jews were trusting in their religious heritage as descendants of Abraham to put them in right standing with God. John the Baptist had already hit them with this when he called them to repentance (Matt. 3:9): “And do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.” If you think that going to church or going through religious rituals or giving money or any religious activity will commend you to God, you do not have genuine saving faith in Christ. You aren’t truly free spiritually. False faith does not save from sin.
2. True freedom comes from knowing Christ through genuine faith, which means to continue in His word.
In 8:31, Jesus says, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.” The mark of genuine faith is not just mental or verbal profession that you believe in Christ. The mark of true faith is to continue (or, “abide”) in Jesus’ word. This is not the condition for getting saved; rather, it’s an evidence that you are truly saved. It’s the evidence that your faith in Christ is genuine. So, we need to understand what Christ’s word is and what it means to continue or abide in it.
A. Christ’s word is the same as God’s Word.
Christ’s word is everything that He taught, summed up in all that He is and all that He did for us on the cross. Jesus said that all of Scripture speaks of Him, His suffering, and the glory to follow (Luke 24:25-27, 44-46). Jesus told the Jews (John 5:38-39), “You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me.”
To continue in Christ’s word implies that you first started in His word. The starting point for saving faith is when you recognize from God’s Word that you’re a sinner and that Christ died to pay the penalty for your sin. God saves you when you stop trusting in your own good works and instead rely totally on what Jesus did for you on the cross and believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. Christ’s word is the same as God’s Word. The central message of God’s Word is how we can be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
B. To continue in Christ’s word means to be at home in His word and to obey it continually.
“Continue” translates the Greek word that the NASB translates as “abide” (15:4, 6, 7, 10). It means to dwell or be at home in God’s Word. You don’t just visit the Word as an occasional guest. You move in and live there. You wake up there and you return there every night. The Word shapes your worldview. It governs and guides your thinking, your attitudes, your speech, and your behavior. There isn’t any area of your life that is not subject to God’s Word or influenced by it. Continuing or abiding obviously implies time spent in the Word over the long haul.
Are you abiding in God’s Word? Do you “live” there? Are you comfortable there? Do you know its rooms? Do you enjoy its many amenities that are for your blessing? Do you seek to obey it? Let me suggest a radical idea that could transform your life: Turn off your TV, computer, and phone for between one half to one hour each day and spend the time reading, meditating on, and memorizing God’s Word with the prayer that you might know Christ better. God’s promise in Joshua 1:8 applies to us: “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”
We’ve seen that it’s possible to have false faith that does not save. True freedom comes from knowing Christ through genuine faith, which means to continue in His word.
3. Christ’s word is the truth that truly sets us free when we abide in it.
Rather than being a slave of sin (8:34), “you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (8:32). “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” So, how does abiding in Christ’s word of truth set us free?
A. Abiding in Christ’s word sets us free from spiritual ignorance.
Jesus emphasizes truth in this dialogue (8:32 [2x], 40, 44 [2x], 45, 46), which refers especially to saving truth. Those who do not know God are in spiritual darkness (Eph. 4:18). They cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:14). They do not know why they’re on earth or what will happen after they die. But when we come to know the truth through knowing Christ, all the riches of God’s grace are opened to us (1 Cor. 2:9-10; Col. 2:2-3).
This is illustrated even in the natural realm: truth liberates, but ignorance keeps people in bondage. A person who can read is much freer than an illiterate person. He is free to study medicine or law or finance or whatever field interests him. But the illiterate person is severely restricted in what he can do.
In the same way, spiritual ignorance keeps a person from knowing the living and true God and from being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Ignorance cuts a person off from enjoying the many blessings that are ours in Him. Abiding in Christ’s word opens the treasure chest and frees us to enjoy Him.
B. Abiding in Christ’s word sets us free from slavery to sin.
This is the primary focus of Jesus’ words (8:34), “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.” Jesus does not mean that committing a single act of sin enslaves a person (although one sin is the first step to slavery), but rather that a person who continues in sin is under its domination (Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John [Eerdmans], p. 458). But as we abide in Christ’s word, we can experience consistent victory over sin, beginning on the thought level (where all sin begins).
Note that religion can’t free a person from slavery to sin. These Jews were as religious as they could be and yet Jesus asserts that they were slaves to sin. They were trying to kill the sinless Son of God, but they thought that they were spiritually free! The first step to being free from sin is to recognize your slavery to it.
True spiritual freedom is not the freedom to sin, but the freedom not to sin. Let me illustrate how abiding in Christ’s word sets you free from slavery to sin. Say that a young man from a pagan, immoral background becomes a Christian, but he doesn’t know what the Bible says about how to resist temptation. He still feeds his mind on gross TV shows and movies where couples quickly jump into bed. So he has professed faith in Christ, but he hasn’t learned to abide in Christ’s word. Meanwhile, a cute girl where he works flirts with him every day. She invites him over to her apartment where he yields to her advances. Soon, he’s living the same way he used to live, in slavery to sin.
But take the same young man and say that after he trusts in Christ he begins to abide daily in God’s Word. He reads the Word often and begins to memorize key verses. He listens to sound preaching of the Word. In the process, he reads the story of Joseph and how he resisted the advances of Potiphar’s wife, even though he could have found many excuses for yielding. He learns from Joseph’s Godward focus when he says (Gen. 39:9), “How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?”
He also reads the Book of Proverbs, with its many plain warnings about the dangers of sexual sins. He reads Jesus’ warnings about lust beginning in the heart (Matt. 5:27-30). He memorizes Paul’s warning (1 Cor. 6:18), “Flee immorality,” and the promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” So when the young woman at work acts seductively toward him, he is able to resist and remain pure. Abiding in the Word set him free from his former slavery to sin.
You can apply this to any sin: anger, jealousy, bitterness, drunkenness, selfishness, or whatever. If you abide in God’s Word, you will be freed from bondage to those sins. If you do not abide in the Word, you will be enslaved to various sins.
C. Abiding in Christ’s word sets us free to serve others in love.
Paul wrote (Gal. 5:13), “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Before we were saved, we lived to serve ourselves. We indulged the flesh, thinking that it would satisfy. But Christ saved us and set us free from selfishness so that we can serve others in love. As Jesus said (Mark 10:44-45), “Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Conclusion
Let’s come back to John Piper’s description of true freedom: “You are fully free when you have the desire, the ability, and the opportunity to do what will leave you with no regrets forever.” When you truly believe in Christ, He gives you the desire to please Him who lavished His grace upon you. He gives you the ability to obey Him as you walk in the Spirit who lives in you. He gives you opportunities daily to say no to sin and selfishness and to serve others in love. And you will dwell with Jesus in heaven forever, with no regrets that you left your life of sin to follow Him.
That’s the true freedom that comes from knowing Christ through genuine faith and abiding in His word! If you’re still a slave of sin, Jesus offers you true freedom: “If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (8:36).
Application Questions
- Besides abiding in Christ’s word, what are some other marks of genuine saving faith? (Check out 1 John for starters.)
- Can genuine Christians be defeated by sin? (See Romans 7.) Can a defeated Christian have genuine assurance of salvation?
- Some teach that there is a difference between being a believer in Christ and a disciple of Christ (a higher commitment). Why is this a false distinction? Support your answer with Scripture.
- A professing Christian tells you that God’s commandments restrict our freedom and that we’re free from the law. How would you answer him?
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2014, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Christian Life, Faith, Hamartiology (Sin), Soteriology (Salvation), Spiritual Life
Lesson 49: True and False Children of God (John 8:37-47)
Related MediaMarch 23, 2014
Some of the scariest verses in the Bible are Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:21-23:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”
Here are people who call Jesus “Lord.” They have served Him in some impressive ways by prophesying, casting out demons, and performing miracles in His name. And yet they will be turned away from heaven at the judgment because they were false children of God, as revealed by their lawless lifestyles. Since you and I will dwell forever in either heaven or hell, you want to make absolutely sure that you are a true child of God, headed for heaven, and not a false child of God, who will spend eternity in hell.
The dialogue in our text follows John 8:30-31, where we saw that although many professed faith in Christ, it was not genuine, saving faith. This is first seen in 8:33, where it becomes clear that these “believers” were trusting their Jewish lineage for right standing with God. They mistakenly thought that being Jewish by birth automatically made them spiritually free. But Jesus said that actually they were slaves of sin. Only those who abided (“continued”) in His Word were truly His disciples. In 8:34-36, Jesus dealt with their claim to be spiritually free by showing them that they were only free if He set them free. Now He deals with their claim to be children of Abraham by showing that their claim was false as seen in their deeds. Their murderous intentions toward Jesus revealed that they were not children of God, as they thought, but of the devil.
Jesus is teaching here what He taught elsewhere, that conduct stems from one’s nature. Good trees produce good fruit; bad trees produce bad fruit. Children of God produce good deeds; children of the devil produce bad deeds. But it’s not quite so easy to tell which are which, because often bad trees seem to us to produce good fruit. For example, we see many people who are not believers in Jesus Christ, but they’re “good” people. They’re caring and kind. They give generously to charitable foundations that help the needy. They’re the type of people that you want to have as neighbors. And, on the other hand, there are some who sure seem to be children of God, and yet they do some horrible things that sometimes even land them in prison.
Only God knows what is in human hearts, so we always have to be a bit tentative when determining whether someone else is a true or false child of God. And sometimes we don’t even know our own hearts! We fluctuate in our desires from loving God to loving this world (which are mutually exclusive, 1 John 2:15). So to the best of our ability, we need to apply the tests that we see in our text, first to ourselves; and then, with a bit more hesitation, to others whom we are trying to help spiritually. The principle is:
False children of God follow Satan and his evil deeds because they have not been born of God;
true children of God love Jesus and obey His Word because they have been born of God.
The text reveals a number of characteristics of both false and true children of God:
1. False children of God think that they’re following God, but they’re actually following Satan and his evil deeds because they have not been born of God.
What makes this dialogue scary is that these Jews who were actually children of the devil were very religious people who professed to believe in Jesus. In other words, they weren’t raw pagans, avowed atheists, Muslim terrorists, or Hindu idolaters. These people professed to believe in the God of Abraham and outwardly they were zealous for their religion. But Jesus plainly tells them that they were deceived. They actually were in Satan’s camp. And so we who profess to be Christians and perhaps even are zealous about our faith need to think carefully through these five characteristics to make sure that we’re not deceiving ourselves!
A. False children of God count on their religion to put them in good standing with God.
This theme is repeated here so that we don’t miss it. In 8:33, they tell Jesus, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone.” In 8:37, Jesus acknowledges that they were Abraham’s descendants physically, but He contends that they were not Abraham’s descendants spiritually. But they still repeat (8:39), “Abraham is our father.” When Jesus points out (8:39b-41a) that their deeds were not in line with Abraham’s, but indicated a different father, they retort (8:41b), “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.”
There could be a couple of things behind that comment. It could be a subtle slur against Jesus’ birth, alluding to the fact that His mother conceived Him out of wedlock. Rumors about Mary’s pregnancy with Jesus had circulated for decades. So the Jews may be putting Jesus down by saying, “You’re illegitimate because Your mother was immoral, but we’re not!” Or, it could be an assertion that they were not like Gentile idolaters. Often idolatry in the Old Testament is described as spiritual adultery. So the Jews’ retort here could mean, “We were not born like idolatrous Gentiles; rather, as Jews, God is our Father.”
But however you take it, it’s clear that these Jews were counting on their Jewish heritage and religion to put them in right standing with God. The apostle Paul did the same thing when he was a Pharisee. He boasted in his Jewish credentials (Phil. 3:4-6). But after God saved him, he counted all of that as loss. He wrote (Rom. 2:28-29), “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.” And (Gal. 3:7), “Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.”
It’s a great blessing to be born to Christian parents and reared in the church, as I was. But that blessing increases your accountability to respond to the light that you’ve been given. Your religious upbringing will do you no good and will only increase your culpability on judgment day if you do not respond to the gospel with repentance for your sins and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
B. False children of God are deceived into thinking that they are children of God, while their actions actually show them to be children of the devil.
These Jews claimed that Abraham and God were their spiritual fathers (8:39, 41), but they were blind as to who their real spiritual father was, namely, the devil! In reply to their contention that Abraham was their father, Jesus said (8:39, 40), “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.” Then, in response to their claim that God was their Father, Jesus replies (8:42), “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.”
So they were claiming to be devoted followers of their religion, but at the same time they were trying to kill God’s unique Son, whom He sent to earth for their salvation. Their actions revealed their true nature, that they were children of the devil.
Jesus goes on (8:44) to explain that Satan is both a murderer from the beginning and the father of lies. He murdered the entire human race by lying to Eve about what God had said. As such, he is the author of all the murders and lies ever since that tragic incident in the Garden. Since these Jews were seeking to murder Jesus (8:37, 40) and since they were liars (8:55), they were reflecting their true nature as children of the devil. As they say, “He’s a chip off the old block.” Or, “Like father, like son.” But tragically, these Jews didn’t see how deceived they were. They thought that they were the righteous ones and that Jesus was the liar and deceiver.
Here’s the hard question that each of us needs to ask ourselves, so that we don’t end up being deceived: “Whose child do my actions reveal me to be?” There are far more tests than the two in verse 44, but take them: Do you have murderous intents for others? You say, “Whew, I’m off the hook on that one! I don’t want to kill anyone!” But not so fast! Jesus said (Matt. 5:21-22):
“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”
Whoa! If you’re an angry person, you need to get radical in eliminating that sin from your life or at the very least, it indicates that the devil has gotten a foothold in your life (Eph. 4:26-27). At worst, it indicates that you may not be a true child of God. But in either case, anger is not a “minor fault.” It’s a major sin!
Or, take the other test in verse 44: Lying. Jesus says of Satan, “[He] does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” Are you committed to being a truthful person, or do you bend the truth when it’s to your advantage? Do you put on a “Christian” front so that you look good at church, but you actually live in violation of God’s Word at home or when you’re in private? Hypocrisy is lying. Being truthful is a mark of God’s true children, but lying is a mark of the devil’s children.
C. False children of God seek to eliminate Christ and His Word from their lives because they don’t want to hear the truth about their sin.
These Jews were seeking to kill Jesus because His Word had no place in them (8:37). Jesus tells them further (8:40), “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.” In 8:45, Jesus adds, “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me.” The truth threatened them because it exposed their sinful hearts. Rather than believing the truth and repenting of their sin, they were trying to eliminate the messenger.
Again, keep in mind that we’re not talking here about atheists or agnostics. We’re talking about outwardly religious people. In modern terms, they were active church members, some of whom served on the governing board. Some were even ministers. So you have to ask, “How do professing Christians today try to eliminate Christ and His Word from their lives?”
Some liberal “Christians” do it by undermining the authority and inerrancy of Scripture. It often starts by rejecting the early chapters of Genesis as history so that they can accommodate evolution. It moves on to eliminating the miracles in the Bible as mythical stories. Then they distance themselves from the parts of the Bible that don’t align with our modern “enlightened” understanding of things. For example, they argue that the biblical roles for men and women are culturally antiquated and not binding on us today. They argue that the Bible’s view of homosexuality is “homophobic.” The overarching virtue in the Bible is love and tolerance for everyone, so we can’t condemn as wrong any behavior or belief, no matter how unbiblical it may be.
But, it’s easy to throw stones at the liberals and ignore how we as evangelicals may be eliminating Christ and His Word from our lives because we don’t want to hear the truth about our sin. One way we do it is simply by neglecting the Word. We don’t read it and seek to obey it. We’re ignorant of what it says because we haven’t taken the time to read and meditate on it.
Another way that we eliminate or at least dilute Christ and His Word from our lives is by mixing it with worldly ideas, such as modern psychotherapy. The widespread self-esteem teaching flooded into the church, not because it was discovered in the Bible, but because it came in through worldly psychologists, such as Carl Rogers. It flies in the face of biblical teaching on humility and it serves to build our pride, which is the root of all sins.
Another way that we eliminate or dilute Christ’s Word so that we can do what we want, rather than what God commands, is by putting other “revelations” alongside the Word, which in effect supersede the Word. I’ve heard Christians say that God told them that it was okay for them to marry an unbeliever. A Christian man once told me that God had told him that he could divorce his wife. A charismatic pastor was separated from his wife, but the elders of his church had not asked him to step down. When I asked why they had not done this, one of the elders replied, “The Lord hasn’t told us to do that.” I persisted, “But the Lord has told you to do it. He told you in 1 Timothy 3.” But he kept saying, “No, the Lord hasn’t told us to do that.” So unbiblical “revelations” take precedence over God’s Word, allowing us to do what we want when it isn’t convenient or easy to do what God commands.
D. False children of God attack or look down on those who convict them of sin.
This is behind the Jews’ comment (8:41), “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” As I said, that either was a slur against Jesus so that they didn’t have to listen to Him, or it was a derogatory remark about Gentile idolatry. But either way, it diverted the issue from their need to confront their own sin by pointing at others and their supposed faults. Invariably, false believers do not let God’s Word confront their sins (John 3:19-21). True believers allow the light of God’s Word to expose their sins so that they can turn from them and grow in holiness.
E. False children of God are not able to understand or obey Jesus’ Word because they are not born of God.
This gets to the root of their problem. It comes up twice here. In 8:43, Jesus asks, “Why do you not understand what I am saying?” He answers His own question, “It is because you cannot hear My word.” He does not say, “You do not hear My word,” but rather, “You cannot hear My word.” The Greek word refers to inability. They lacked the spiritual ability to hear Jesus’ word, which primarily means, to obey it. Then, in 8:46 He asks, “Which of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me?” Then He again answers His own question (8:47), “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.” In other words, they were not born of God.
The Bible is clear that because of sin, unbelievers cannot do anything pleasing toward God (Rom. 8:8). They are unable to understand the gospel or other spiritual truth (2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Cor. 2:14). And yet, God holds them responsible for their unbelief (Acts 2:23). If you say, “That’s not fair,” then you’re contending against the Sovereign of the universe! Be careful! Rather than rail against Him, cry out to Him for mercy! “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13). But when you get saved, remember (1 Cor. 1:30), “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus ….” The reason that false children of God follow Satan and his evil deeds is because they have not been born of God.
2. True children of God love Jesus and obey His Word because they have been born of God.
Briefly, here are four marks of true children of God:
A. True children of God give God’s Word the primary place in their lives.
This is the converse of what Jesus said about these false believers (8:37), “My word has no place in you.” The word translated “no place” can mean, “My word makes no progress in you.” Or, as we saw in 8:31, they did not continue in Jesus’ word, which is the mark of His true disciples. As I said last week, continuing or abiding in Jesus’ Word is the key to experiencing consistent victory over sin. True children of God can say with the psalmist (Ps. 119:11), “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.”
B. True children of God obey God’s Word.
Jesus says (8:47), “He who is of God hears the words of God; …” “Hears” does not mean just hearing the words audibly; the Pharisees did that. Rather, it means to hear so as to obey. In 8:39, Jesus says that if they were Abraham’s true children, they would do the deeds of Abraham. Abraham was noted both for believing God so that he was justified by faith (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:3); and obeying God, which demonstrated that his faith was genuine (Gen. 26:5; James 2:21-23). As John says (1 John 2:3), “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.” Is your life marked by obedience to God’s Word?
C. True children of God love Jesus.
Jesus says (8:42), “If God were your Father, you would love Me ….” Jesus repeatedly asked Peter when He restored him after his denials (21:16), “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Paul shows the importance of this (1 Cor. 16:22), “If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed.” Love is a commitment to seek the highest good of the one loved. Love for Christ is a commitment to seek His glory through all that I do. It certainly involves my feelings, in that I am most happy when I see my Lord most glorified. But the basis of biblical love isn’t feelings, but the commitment to seek His highest good. Have you made that commitment? Do you love Jesus enough to forsake your sin?
D. True children of God love Jesus and obey His Word because they have been born of God.
As we saw, at the heart of why false children of God are not able to understand or obey Jesus’ Word is that they are not of God. The flip side of this is (8:47), “He who is of God hears the words of God; …” Being “of God” means being “born of God” through the new birth. The reason that we now love Jesus and obey His Word is that we have a new nature. The Spirit of God dwells in us and opens up to us the treasures of God’s Word (1 Cor. 2:9-10). So it’s the reality of the new birth that distinguishes the true children of God from the false.
Conclusion
In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul writes, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” It’s possible to go too far and become overly introspective, so I don’t want anyone to do that. But it’s also possible to go glibly through life, assuming that you’re a true child of God because you go through the outward motions of Christianity, while your heart is far from God (Mark 7:6). It would be utterly tragic to hear the Lord say (Matt. 7:23), “I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” Make sure that you’re a true child of God!
Application Questions
- Some evangelism approaches encourage you to give assurance of salvation to a person who just prayed to receive Christ. In light of these tests, is this wise? Why/why not?
- Are there any marks of false converts that you need to deal with personally? What is your plan for doing this?
- What are some other marks of the new birth than those mentioned here? Cite Scriptures.
- How can you sensitively use these tests to help others without becoming judgmental?
Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2014, All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation
Related Topics: Faith, Hamartiology (Sin), Satanology, Soteriology (Salvation)
I am dating someone who is divorced (because his ex-wife refused counseling) and who would like to get married. Can you give me a Biblical answer on remarriage?
I think all Christians would agree that God's ideal for marriage is "one man and one woman, living together in marriage until parted by death."
We see this emphasized by our Lord in Matthew 19:3-12. As strict as the Pharisees were, they believed that divorce was permissible. The question they had for Jesus was, "Could one divorce for any and every reason?" This seems to be the same attitude we see in our own day. Jesus responded that the divorce should be governed by God's original intent for marriage, and not by the culture of the day. God made it clear that those whom He joined together in marriage, man should not separate.
Our Lord's questioners responded by asking why Moses commanded that one give his wife a bill or certificate of divorce. Jesus made it very clear that Moses never commanded divorce; he permitted it because of the hardness of men's hearts (Matthew 19:7-8). In a perfect world, there would be no divorce. In a sinful, fallen, world, divorce is a pragmatic way of dealing with broken relationships. While Jesus looked upon divorce as a "necessary evil" for those who live in a fallen world, it is never looked upon as good. Divorce, Jesus said, was never commanded, but only permitted. This was, Jesus again repeated, not the way it was in the beginning (divorce is one of the fruits of the fall).
Jesus was even more restrictive on divorce than the most conservative Jews. He said that unless it was due to sexual immorality, the one who divorced his wife and married another would be committing adultery. Virtually everyone was shocked to hear what Jesus was saying. Realizing that Jesus gave no "easy out" from marriage, the disciples concluded that it might be better not to marry. Rather than to try to persuade His disciples otherwise, Jesus said that staying single might be an option to take seriously. Some, He said, were born as eunuchs, while others were involuntarily made to be eunuchs. Some men even chose to become eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom. These were difficult words, but Jesus urged His disciples to consider them seriously.
This text makes sexual immorality the only basis for divorce. I disagree with those who attempt to take this text further than what Jesus has said. They tell us that Jesus meant for this to apply only during the betrothal period, before the marriage was consummated. They would turn to texts like Matthew 1:19, to prove their point. I would agree that the engagement was taken so seriously it had to be broken as though it were a marriage. I disagree that this limits our Lord's words to the engagement period, and not beyond.
What, then, do we say concerning Mark 10:11-12, which seems to teach that anyone who divorces and remarries is committing adultery? I would remind you that this is a parallel passage to Matthew 19. I understand that the reason why Jesus does not mention the exception in Mark's Gospel is that He is trying to emphasize "the rule" and not "the exception." That was the problem with the Pharisees. They had made the exception (there can be divorce, when there is sexual immorality) to be the rule (there can be divorce for any reason at all). Divorce was so rampant that Jesus wanted them to see that God was not permissive about divorce.
It seems to me that those who hold to this highly restrictive view fail to remember the purpose of divorce. Divorce was permitted because of man's sin; it was a protection for the innocent party. It gave them the freedom to re-marry, without the guilt of committing adultery. When I look at passages like Deuteronomy 24:1-4, it seems to me that divorce was granted so that the divorced party could remarry, without becoming guilty of adultery. Whether one can remarry, then, is determined by whether or not the divorce itself was biblical. A divorce on biblical grounds constitutes the right to remarry, in my opinion.
The only other biblical grounds for divorce that I find in the Bible pertain to a divorce that an unbeliever seeks because he (or she) does not wish to live with a Christian spouse. This is based on 1 Corinthians 7:10-16. I understand Paul to be instructing Christians not to divorce. If they have already divorced, the must either remain single, or they can only re-marry each other. The believer should not pursue a divorce from an unbeliever, but if the unbeliever wants out of the marriage, the believer should not contest this, and the believer would then be free to remarry.
The two grounds for remarriage, then, would be a divorce that involved sexual immorality, and a divorce initiated by an unbeliever.
There are a lot of fine points here, but these cannot be explored here. The only way that I see for you to do this is by seeking counsel from a trusted Christian who is a student of the Bible, and who can meet with both of you personally.
Let me make just a few other comments about divorce.
First, sin is always messy - it creates untold problems. Sometimes it is very difficult to sort out all the causes of divorce.
Second, I do not agree with those who say, in effect, "It takes two to sin . . ." This has various forms, but in the end it attaches blame to both parties in a divorce. Clearly none of us is "without sin," and so any of us (married or divorced) can be found guilty of sin against our mates. But I would also insist, on the basis of 1 Corinthians 7, that one may be divorced because of righteousness, and not because of sin. Jesus said that the world would hate us, just as it hated Him (John 15:18-19). Peter tells us not to be surprised if unbelievers turn against us when we are saved (1 Peter 4). Certainly, then, some marriages may break up because of the righteousness of one mate.
Third, I would say that there is a sense in which divorce is the "lesser of two evils." By this I mean that divorce is never really "good." It is not a part of God's original design for marriage. Those who are divorced biblically and remarry will have more challenges to face, more baggage from the past to deal with. The Old Testament does not allow the priests to marry a divorced woman, and not even a widow (Leviticus 21:7, 14). A priest can only marry a virgin (21:14).
I have married a number of people who have been divorced, but hopefully these have fallen into the categories I have described above. In each case, I have pointed the couples to the Biblical texts, and told them that they needed to study those passages very carefully. They need to be fully persuaded about the matter of divorce and remarriage. They need to be willing and able to live with their decision the rest of their lives, without going back and constantly second guessing themselves. They need to be able to endure the disapproval and even rejection of some, who will believe their marriage to be unbiblical. They must certainly be able to have on-going marital (sexual) relations without feeling that they are committing adultery. In this way, they must reach their own convictions on this matter of divorce and remarriage (Romans 14). You must be fully convinced in your own mind, and you must do nothing from doubt (Romans 14:5, 22-23).
In addition to being fully convinced that you can marry, you really need to be certain that you should marry. I was counseling a couple a few years ago who each had a divorce in their past. At the end of our study the man said something like this to me, "I've come to the conclusion that it is not just a matter of whether I can remarry or not. The most important question is, Will this marriage glorify God?" He was right (1 Corinthians 10:31).
I would give this word of caution. You really need to resolve this matter in your own hearts and minds, before you become emotionally attached and committed to each other. Most certainly, you must deal with this question before you become involved physically. In all too many cases I've seen people trying to deal with the divorce/remarriage questions after they have already gone too far in their relationship. You may need to give your relationship some distance so that you can think through the matter clearly. If you both cannot say, with conviction, that you can and should marry, then back away and give this up to the Lord. If God has marriage in His plans for you, He will surely have a mate that a marriage that will please Him.
One final word of caution. Be careful not to use my words, or those of another, to validate your actions. This is a decision you must make, before God. It is to Him that you must give an account, so think very carefully on these things.
Related Topics: Marriage