10/24/13

From Ben Fronczek... A Lesson From A Humble Ant

A Lesson From A Humble Ant

Sermon on the Mount – Part 1 (By Ben Fronczek)

Once upon a time out in a southern prairie, there was this huge colony of ants. In a somewhat isolated place their colony flourished for generations. They had been there so long and worked on their nest for so such a long time that there was a six foot tall mound of dirt on top of the ground and hundreds of feet of caves below. Now whether you realize it or not, most of the eggs that are laid by the queens grow up to become wingless, sterile females who are the “workers”. But every now and then a male comes along. In this particular nest a young male was born, and he was one good looking ant, (at least a lot of the other ants told him that he was). Even though he was small he was strong and was able to do his job quite well, and very fast. Seeing that he was so strong and moved quick, it was decide that he would be sent out of the nest to gather food.  As usual, he did this job very well, and gathered more food than any of the other ants. The other ants also notices that he was a fairly smart ant, and quite wise. Eventually he thought that he deserved more recognition, he was strong, good looking, he did his job well, so he thought he deserved more.  He went to the foreman ant and demanded better lodging, and a higher position. But the foreman could not do anything for him and told him that he had to speak to someone higher up. So during his free time that ant went from the manager to the supervisor, to the boss, and even to the big boss ant and basically they all told him the same thing, ‘that they never had anyone make such a request and that they could do nothing about what he wanted.  He would have to go to someone higher up’.  So eventually, he made his mind up to go right to the top, he would seek an audience with the queen.  And why not, he was a good looking, hard working, and a somewhat intelligent ant.  Shouldn’t he deserve more? Well the day finally came, his audience with the queen, his mother. Well, she was actually the mother of all the ants. Mother of thousands upon thousands of ants in that colony. She was very old, and wise, and she was so much larger than the little male ant. She looked like a giant compared to him, and she seem very busy. As the little male ant stated his case before the queen he almost felt that the queen was just too busy, ready to lay even more eggs. She said, “Yes I see that you are a handsome little things, and I heard that you have done very well at your job of collecting food for the colony, and now you say you want something more. Oh my, I’ve never had any other ant ask for more, a promotion per say. All of us ant are born with a job to do and we simply do it, including me. My job is to bring more and more of you into the world and lay more and more eggs”. She told him, “I think you need to talk to someone even higher up than me.” And the little male ant asked, “Is there someone with even more power and authority than you?”   And she responded by saying, “Oh yes my dear, you need to talk to our creator and our God. So go forth and find Him and He will help you understand what you need to know.”  As he left the queen and then left the nest, and began to scurry away from the ant mound he wondered where He could find the creator. He decided to go to the highest place he knew, to the top of the big old tree on the plain. It took him two days to climb to the top. After he reached the top he was amazed how far he could see. So much farther than he ever saw before. At the top of the tree, on one of the highest branches, he began to call out to the creator. Almost all day he waited and continued to plead for an audience with God to ask for more. And then at dusk the Lord came to him. And so the Lord spoke to the little male ant and asked, “Tell me little fellow, what is on your mind.” And so the little ant proceeded to tell the Lord all that was on his mind; how because he was such a good worker, even quicker than most, and because he was so good looking, and even intelligent and wise,  he told the Lord how he thought that he deserved a better position in the colony, better accommodations and more.  And so the Lord God spoke to the ant saying, “So you say you are very intelligent and wise. Since you think this, I would like to show you something.”  And before he even realized it the little ant began to move through the air somehow feeling like he was being carried by the hand of God. The great field he knew so very well quickly disappeared behind him. All of a sudden he began to see things that he could not even imagine. There were all kinds of huge animals, hundreds even thousands of times bigger than even the queen ant. More than he could ever have imagined. The Lord set me upon the a beautiful yet mighty beast called a horse that stood so very high compared to an ant, and it began to run began to run as fast as the wind. And then as he moved away from the horse, up and up, all of a sudden he saw large buildings, so big that they boggled his little mind. Building that reached up and touched the sky. He thought that his ant mound was monstrous.  The Lord allowed him for a moment to place his feet on a sky scraper which was over 2500 feet high. He wondered how anyone could build such a monstrosity. And then he saw them for the first time, humans erecting one of those structures and then he began to rise again.
As the Lord lifted him higher and higher into the air all of a sudden he saw a shiny bird moving across the sky coming toward them. The wings did not move yet it traveled faster than any bird he ever saw. As the Lord brought Him closer he saw that it was not a bird but a huge flying machine filled with even more humans. He could barely fathom the size of that machine, not to speak of how they got it off the ground. And then the Lord began to take him higher and higher now. All of a sudden it turned dark and the stars became brighter than he ever saw them before. He turned his head and looked back to see the planet earth leaving them behind. He never had any idea that he lived on a such beautiful blue ball. They were moving so fast the earth disappeared very, very quickly. He saw that there was more than just one planet, there so many, thousands, millions going around billions of stars. And as they exited out of our galaxy he saw that there were more glaxies, hundreds if not billions of them containing trillions of stars and planets. It was more than the little ant could fathom. And then the Lord said, “I have shown you only a small portion of my physical creation, now I will show you more.” And then something happened.   He was in a totally different kind of place. I believe it is what one would call the spiritual realm. There was bright light that seem radiate love. And the sound of music and praise resounded everywhere and through everything. He heard many other wonderful sounds that he could not even imagine hearing. And the colors, nothing like he ever saw before. There were large and beautiful winged creatures, everything seemed solid yet transparent. It was sensory overload for the little ant. He saw thing so glorious it would be impossible for any earthly being to put into words, yet here he was. But it was too much. He closed his eyes, and then all of a sudden the music stopped, and when he opened his eyes he was again sitting in a safe place atop that tall tree close to his home. And then he heard the Lord speak and say, “Now little wise ant let me ask you a few questions. After seeing the other creatures on your world, the animals small and large, and the humans with their building and machines, where were you when I created them? As you left the planet so beautiful and blue seeing the untold number galaxies and stars did your wisdom help me create them? And when I created the unseen spiritual realm with all its wonders, let me ask you, how did I do it? And how do I hold it all together so that everything works with such harmony?  Tell me ol’ wise one, how and why I should honor you?” The little ant on top of the tree all of a sudden felt very, very, very small. Less than a speck in the universe; small, trivial, and powerless in the presence of the One who created so much. What was he compared to those  beasts of field he saw, or compared to a planet, or stars or a galaxy of stars?He told the Lord, “I did not know what I was talking about. I feel like less than a speck in the grand scheme of things my Lord. I am so sorry for thinking that I was so important to this world. Surely I spoke of things I did understand, thing to wonderful for me to know. You have shown me great wonders and now I feel like a fool and am sorry for being so arrogant.  I humbly bow before you.”  And then he bowed as low as an ant could bow. 
And then the Lord said, “One day My Son stood on a large hill to teach those who would hear Him. He began His lesson by telling them something which is fundamental and needed by anyone who wants to learn more, and become a child in my kingdom. Jesus said,  “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

In other words, it is not the haughty, boastful and proud that will be happy and blessed by Me with true wisdom and life, rather it will be the humble individuals, those who are not puffed up and stuck on themselves.  The only way that the mighty horse that I set you on can be trained and taught is to break his spirit, because he is a proud animal. I hope that this has taught you something.

The ant returned to his home with a totally new perspective. Over time he did get a promotion but it was more because of his hard work and experience in his field. It was not because of his good looks or because of how smart he thought he was.

Another thing he noticed about the other ants in the colony, they all just seem so grateful for what they had. They never sought after more because they were simply thankful for what they had. He also learned to become thankful for what the creator had given him.  In the great scheme of things and considering what the creator had showed him, later he often thought,‘Who are you little ant to demand anything?’

In Proverbs 16:15 it says, “The LORD detests all the proud of heart.  Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.”

Isaiah 2:12 says, “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.” NAS

James 4:6 says “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
In his last letter 

Paul wrote of the future, it may even be our present time, he wrote in 2 Timothy 3:1-5  “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”

From the very beginning of scripture to the end we see God’s intolerance for those who think they are some kind of big shot, those who think they know it all and deserve so much more than others. Rather we see God wants to bless those who are poor in spirit, those who have a humble heart.

And so what can we do to prevent us from falling into this trap.

There are people in this world who are a bit diluted and are trying to convince us that we deserve more. Just watch the ads on your television. You need, even you deserve a new car, and not just any car but rather a expensive designer car. And furniture, and a cruise, and the latest I-Phone, and I-Pad, and the list goes on. You just deserve it.

And don’t settle for what your parents had. Go for the gusto! You deserve it, you are smart, and educated, and good looking. Don’t settle for less. And that line of thinking has led to unrealistic debt and why I think there are so many today going around feeling depressed; because there are too many that don’t have the means to acquire what we are told people should have.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:3   “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”

I can’t help but think that in many ways we are like that little ant who did not realize how small and obscure he was in grand scheme of things, compared to all creation, and compared to a God that can create and manipulate it all. For example, in recent years whith help of the Hubble telescope, scientists have learned much about the universe which we live in. We are all familiar with our solar system and stars, and even a grouping of stars called a galaxy. But did you know this; that the smallest galaxies observed contain over a 10 million stars each? They probably each have their own planets circling them. Our own Milky Way Galaxy has an estimated 200 billion stars. Our closest neighboring Galaxy, the Andromeda Galaxy contains an est. one trillion stars. And there are some larger galaxies out there that contain up to 100 trillion stars.  That a lot of stars and solar systems.

Now what really blows my mind is the fact that some scientists estimate that there are possible more than 500 billion Galaxies, and there is a design and order in each and every one of them. And that’s just the physical universe that we can see. What about that unseen spiritual realm, how vast is it? Nobody knows.

I often wonder, ‘Who do we think we are to make demands of God the creator, or even think that we are smart enough to doubt His existence.’
Paul said, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”

Like the ant, God has communicated with mankind and has given us not only glimpses of His glory, but also what He desires from us, because He loves us. And it all begin with a humble heart; one not so full of self that we can’t see beyond our own nose.

Even though we are small compared to the vastness of all creation God has let us know that He love us and wants up to be part of His eternal realm. He loves us so much that He was willing to send His one and only Son to show us what he is like, he also sent him to deal with our impurity and sin, that is  if we would only believe in Him and accept this wonderful gift. But the choice is ours.

So my encouragement is this today: 

 “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment.   Don’t let yourself become so proud, or arrogant that it blinds you to the truth. Come to appreciate what you have, and don’t worry about what you don’t have. If you are meant to have something down the road, you will get. In the mean time, be thankful and enjoy what you have today!


For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566

From Jim McGuiggan.... Punishment——God and government

 Punishment——God and government




God’s law as expressed in scripture is vast and complex. The bulk of the laws we read in the Old Testament are to enable Israel to live in covenant relationship with God. They have nothing to do with what we today would call criminal (penal) law. The rules and regulations are to shape the believing society and be the glue that holds it together. (Disputes could arise where no crime was involved and the disputants went to the judge or elder who settled the issue and everyone went back to life.) Glad allegiance to Yahweh included worship as well as proper social relationships so there are laws about how worship was to be shaped and practiced (large sections in Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy and the whole book of Leviticus make the point). These laws were not given so that Israelites would have an opportunity to offend. God’s instruction about the kind of fire to be used in worship by the priests was not given so Nadab and Abihu would have something to break and so sin (see Leviticus 10).

And laws governing social behavior such as "Honor your father and mother" were not laid down so that children could have a commandment to break. "Honor your father and mother" is not criminal law but the laws that laid out sanctions against law-breakers come under that heading. Penal laws exist not because there are other laws but because people break the other laws.

Aside from the primary directives, God’s laws changed with the changing face and situation of the Israelite society. For example, many of the laws in the Pentateuch became redundant when the temple replaced the Tabernacle. Laws governing the collection of manna and how Israel was to camp in the wilderness reflected current situations and were set aside when the situation changed. Nothing became redundant that was essential to Israel’s self-understanding as God’s elect servant, working with him to gain larger ends.

When God punishes the sinner personal and relational factors are always present. The righteous God sees us as moral beings with whom he wants a personal relationship and in pursuing that he uses punishment as one of his instruments. The ultimate aim is always to produce in sinners a moral state (repentance) that expresses itself in righteousness and in the pursuit of "the good" as envisioned by God. 

Whatever a secular society’s vision of "the good" is, it makes laws to promote that vision. Again, law is a complex and changing reality of course because human society is a complex and changing reality and it need laws to take that into account. At the simple level we have traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, stop signs and the like so that accidents and traffic gridlock can be avoided and to enable us to take advantage of these aids there are laws that govern their use. The lights and crossings and the rules connected with them are not introduced so that people can have an occasion to offend. The rules governing the flow of traffic are laws true enough but criminal law and the question of punishment only enters when someone ignores or chooses to ignore them but in and of themselves they have nothing to do with crime. These laws govern a series of societal needs and are intended to see that a society gets what it needs so that while the laws introduce restrictions they restrict in order to enable. (In the OT the choice of a special priesthood excluded all but the family of Aaron but one reason for the restriction was to enable the whole nation to worship, something they couldn’t do if they all had to crowd into the little Tabernacle. (See The Blessing of representation.) It’s true, of course, that along with the rules to govern the use of traffic lights society brings in sanctions against those who pay no attention to the rules but the whole mass of criminal law exists because there are criminals. Law is indispensable if humans are to live in a functioning society (rather than in anarchy) and criminal law is inevitable because we will continue to be law-breakers.

Because all people in society don’t want and can’t have a personal relationship with one another they settle for less. Since they don’t care much for the inner moral state of others except where it affects their freedom and rights they settle for the process that makes their fellow-citizens law-abiding and initiate criminal proceedings were they must. Clearly there are those for whom moral states and behavior are vitally important and those who care little for such questions as long as their human rights are permitted (this itself is a moral issue of great magnitude). Society can’t stand still until these serious moral questions are exhaustively studied, debated and infallible guidance given on them so they express their majority opinions through elected officials. The laws laid down express the current opinion of the majority and the courts render judgements in light of those laws irrespective of the moral state or arguments of individual citizens. So what society via government with the support of armed forces is after is law-abidingness whether or not the individual or society at large has any moral convictions. For this reason we often hear statesmen and stateswomen definitively separate legal questions and moral questions. A former Prime Minister here in the UK said, "If you want morals go to your clergyman." At one level this makes perfect sense; nevertheless even people who are so definitely convicted lean on "natural law" as the basis for the human rights which they think should be enshrined in a free society. Whatever we say when pressed, we would insist that human rights and the things that are necessary to achieve those for people are moral rights and a society is "righteous" when it moves to see that they’re gained for the people at large.

This leads to the point of a just society’s punishment of criminals. The capacity and power to punish like every other capacity and power can be abused but we need not take the abuse of it as the only face it has. As Aristotle reminds us, we’re not to take a diseased and stunted tree as the norm for trees. Giving punishment its best face and leaving society’s "the good" to be defined only in general terms, it’s clear that punishment by society needs to be seen as moral and righteous.

It would be immoral for society to knowingly punish a known innocent person. It would be immoral for a society to knowingly punish a person known not to be accountable by reason of mental disability or some other pronounced condition that renders a free choice out of the question. So when a society punishes via government and court structures it wishes to have the approval of "universal moral law" (natural law) even when the crimes are lower level infringements. It is never right to knowingly punish the innocent or knowingly over-punish the guilty no matter how insignificant the offence or punishment attached to the offence. (See Deuteronomy 25:1-3 on over-punishing.) Finding a place for "morals" in governing may be difficult but in the end everyone without exception—either openly or by smuggling them in—appeals to right and wrong. We hear gang-members or police in some parts of the world talk about "a righteous" shooting, by which they mean that it was justified, it wasn’t a mistake and, more to the point, it wasn’t unwarranted.

Societal "righteousness" is shaped and indicated by the values it upholds and seeks to nurture, and society punishes to express that righteousness against the offender’s unrighteousness. Society’s righteousness exists prior to the crime and it is expressed as laws that promote the well-being and moral rights (there’s that phrase again) of the citizens. When it deals with a criminal, society’s righteousness takes the form of punishment, which is society’s homage to the righteousness it stands for. So whatever the criminal thinks or feels, society insists that there is a righteousness to which it is committed and will work to uphold. Once more, punishment is a form that society’s righteousness takes when dealing with a criminal.

In punishing a murderer or rapist society describes itself as valuing the person murdered and acts out that value. But in punishing them it also says to all would-be murderers that it values the lives of all who might be murdered. So that the judgement of one murderer or rapist is a word about murder and rape as potential acts as well as deeds done. Here we’d have specific and general deterrence. That murderer or rapist has been deterred by imprisonment and other would-be murderers or rapists are warned and society at large is better pleased with and therefore more committed to the rule of law so there is a further deterrent effect.

Imagine that the penitent transgressor now sees his crime as unrighteous, deplores it and genuinely commits to promoting the righteousness of the society that just recently acted against him. In such a case the murderer now stands outside his crime, he now rejects the mind-set of a murderer and rejects the justification he offered himself. His state of mind is an anti-murder state of mind. That is, while there is no way to undo the act, he has comprehensively and genuinely condemned the heart that produced the act and is only able to do it because his heart is a changed heart.
Punishment may not be able to achieve such a change of heart in which case the righteousness of the society in the form of punishment failed to gain something it aimed for but it did accomplish some of what it meant to do. But if society did gain a change of heart in the criminal by its dealing with him that would be more than righteousness making itself present in the form of distress inflicted, it would be righteousness echoed in the offender’s heart. It would be righteousness triumphing over the unrighteousness that the offender had championioned. (In the religious and theological realm in such a case we would see Christ truly and fully defeating sin in the person of the sinner—Christians would call it the repentance of faith..)

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... Two Ways To Walk (Philippians 3:17-21) 





                     "THE EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS"

                        Two Ways To Walk (3:17-21)







INTRODUCTION

1. As we continue our examination of Paul's "epistle of joy", we now find
   him discussing two different ways to walk in this life...
   a. The walk of one who is "a citizen of heaven"
   b. The walk of one who is "an enemy of the cross of Christ"

2. Hopefully, there should be no question as to which way we are to walk;
   but to better understand why, we will look closely at some reasons
   Paul gives in this passage

[First, we notice...]

I. AN ADMONITION TO WALK LIKE PAUL AND OTHERS (17)

   A. "JOIN IN FOLLOWING MY EXAMPLE"...
      1. Paul frequently encouraged others to follow his example - cf.
         Ph 4:9; 1 Co 4:16; 11:1
      2. Some brethren evidently took him up on it - e.g., 1 Th 1:6-9
      3. In what way were people to imitate Paul?
         a. To the degree he tried to imitate Christ - 1 Co 11:1
         b. Perhaps also in his devotion to Jesus Christ - cf. Ph 3:7-16

   B. "NOTE THOSE WHO SO WALK, AS YOU HAVE US FOR A PATTERN"...
      1. Just as there were some in Thessalonica who imitated Paul (1 Th
         1:6-9), so there were those at Philippi who did the same, and
         were thus worthy of emulation
      2. Noticing the examples of others can be very beneficial - cf. Ps
         37:37
      3. Especially when we consider the outcome of their conduct - cf.
         He 13:7

   C. WE SHOULD NOT ONLY BE GOOD IMITATORS, BUT GOOD EXAMPLES OURSELVES!
      1. This is especially true of those who teach and preach God's Word
         - 1 Ti 4:12; Ti 2:7-8
      2. Which includes those who serve as elders - He 13:7; 1 Pe 5:1-3

[The reasons for noting those who are worthy of emulation is given
later in this passage.  But first there is...]

II. A WARNING CONCERNING THOSE WHO WALK AS "ENEMIES OF THE CROSS" (18-19)

   A. "OF WHOM I HAVE TOLD YOU OFTEN"...
      1. Paul found "repetition" to be a valuable tool - cf. Ga 1:8,9;
         5:21; Ph 3:1
      2. Also, that it was necessary to be "negative" at times - cf. Ph
         3:2

   B. "AND NOW TELL YOU EVEN WEEPING"...
      1. Negative preaching, when necessary, should not be done without
         compassion - e.g., 2 Co 2:4
      2. Even here, Paul is setting the right example...
         a. To love our enemies
         b. Even those who are "enemies of the cross"!

   C. WHO ARE THESE "ENEMIES OF THE CROSS"?
      1. We know they are MANY people
         a. "For many walk" - cf. Mt 7:13-14
         b. So not just a few
      2. We know their END
         a. "whose end is destruction" - cf. 2 Th 1:7-9
         b. Have we seriously considered the outcome of their conduct?
      3. We know who is their GOD
         a. "whose god is their belly"
         b. I.e., those who are set on satisfying only their fleshly
            appetites
      4. We know wherein is their GLORY
         a. "whose glory is in their shame"
         b. They take pride in things that are actually shameful
      5. We know upon what they set their MINDS
         a. "who set their mind on earthly things"
         b. Contrast this with where Christians are to set their minds -
            Ph 4:8; Co 3:1-2

[Where is our "mindset"?  How we answer may determine whether or not WE
are "enemies of the cross of Christ"!

As a motivation not to be "enemies of the cross", we notice Paul now
shares a few...]

III. REASONS TO WALK LIKE PAUL AND OTHERS (20-21)

   A. "FOR OUR CITIZENSHIP IS IN HEAVEN"...
      1. Our true loyalty is to that above, not that on earth!
      2. It is there where our "inheritance" is reserved - 1 Pe 1:3-4
      3. Therefore, we have special responsibilities - cf. 1 Pe 2:9-12

   B. "WE EAGERLY WAIT FOR THE SAVIOR...WHO WILL TRANSFORM OUR LOWLY
      BODY"...
      1. Though now in heaven, our Savior is coming again one day! - Ac
         1:9-11
      2. When He does, what glory there will be for those who are
         "citizens of heaven"!
         a. He will "transform our lowly body"!
         b. It will be "conformed to His glorious body"!
      3. This He will do by the same POWER by which He subdues all things
         to Himself - cf. Mt 28:18; 1 Pe 3:22

CONCLUSION

1. Are not these good reasons to walk like Paul?

2. Brethren, how are we walking in this life?
   a. As "citizens of heaven"?
   b. Or "enemies of the cross of Christ"?

3. The answer depends upon where we have set our MINDS:
   a. If on EARTHLY things...we are "enemies of the cross of Christ"!
      1) We make our bellies to be our god
      2) We glory in that which is shameful
      3) Our end will be destruction
   b. But if on HEAVENLY things...we are "citizens of heaven"!
      1) We eagerly await Christ's coming
      2) We eagerly await our transformation

4. Have you become...
   a. A "citizen of heaven"?  If not, why not become one today?  - Jn
      3:5
   b. An "enemy of the cross"?  If so, why not "defect" today? - 1 Pe
      4:1-3

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011


From Gary... Puns, truth, introspection and eternity



I like puns!!!  They are the twists in the road, the irony of life; that unexpected surprise that delights.  In short, they appeal to my sense of humor.  But, in each one, there is a seed of truth (sometimes a very SMALL seed) that causes one to reflect about life.  This, I do.  And not just now, I have always been that way because that is how I dealt with my harsh upbringing.  But, hey, its better than turning mean and bitter!!!  The dean of Northeast School Of Biblical Studies used to say something like: We respond to adversity by being bitter (I like to think angry) or better.  So, for me, becoming better meant introspection, reflection and hopefully, growth.  I am not alone in this, for that great king of Israel, Solomon, also sought understanding.  Below, please find the beginning and ending of his book, Ecclesiastes...
Ecclesiastes, Chapter 1
  1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem: 
  2  “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”  3 What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?  4 One generation goes, and another generation comes; but the earth remains forever.  5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hurries to its place where it rises.  6 The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north. It turns around continually as it goes, and the wind returns again to its courses.  7 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.  8 All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.  9 That which has been is that which shall be; and that which has been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.  10 Is there a thing of which it may be said, “Behold, this is new?” It has been long ago, in the ages which were before us.  11 There is no memory of the former; neither shall there be any memory of the latter that are to come, among those that shall come after. 

  12  I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.  13 I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.  14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.  15 That which is crooked can’t be made straight; and that which is lacking can’t be counted.  16 I said to myself, “Behold, I have obtained for myself great wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yes, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”  17 I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind.  18 For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Ecclesiastes, Chapter 12
9  Further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yes, he pondered, sought out, and set in order many proverbs.  10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written blamelessly, words of truth.  11 The words of the wise are like goads; and like nails well fastened are words from the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.  12 Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 

  13  This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.  14 For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.


Okay, Solomon I am not!!!  But deciding how to live life is something we all do and if you think too much you will get a headache and if you study too much you will get worn out and jumpy. But, stepping back and thinking about your life from a distance will help you realize that it will end.  These thoughts will inevitably lead you to God and eternal matters such as life after life and judgment for the things done while on Earth.  Even the most intelligent of us have problems and in his later years, the mighty Solomon radically strayed from God.  As great as Solomon was, God is infinitely greater!!!  In retrospect, Solomon should have listening to his own words (highlighted above)!!!  Without a doubt, I should do the same!!!!  Remember, the pursuit of the pervasive pun can be positively  perverted, so laugh carefully, the joke may be on you (in this case I mean myself).  Today, I intend to carefully consider my life, laugh at the stupid things and do everything I can to change the things that need changing.  I wish the same for you!!!  Also, read the puns in the graphic at the top- who knows, you just might like a few of them!!!!

10/23/13

From Gary... A dog, a letter and a sacrifice

This is a bit unusual for me, but I just want to put this link on the post.  If you read this... you will understand why!!!!

Your Friend,

Gary


From Ben Fronczek.... No Matter What Your Situation, Serve Jesus




No Matter What Your Situation, Serve Jesus

In our study of the Book of Acts, we now come its final story after the Apostle Paul arrives in Rome. I sure he gained the respect of the Roman guards who accompanied him on his voyage to Rome, but he is still a prisoner.

Acts 28:17-31  17 Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 19 The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. 20For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”
21 They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. 22But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”
23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:
26 “‘Go to this people and say,
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
   you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
27 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
   they hardly hear with their ears,
   and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
   hear with their ears,
   understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’[a]
28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” [29]
30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

At this point, Paul is still under house arrest. He is still in chains for a crime he didn’t commit. And he’s awaiting trial before the wicked emperor Nero. And he would be imprisoned for two years. To some it may have seemed as though his life and mission was over. And Paul could have thrown in the towel. And said, “Lord, I’m done.” But that’s not what Paul said. Instead, he said, “Lord, your grace is sufficient for me. And I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. And I’m going to take advantage of my situation. And bring as many people to the Lord as I possibly can.” While in that Roman jail Paul wrote what we know as this prison Epistles, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. 

Listen to what he writes to those in Philippi:

 “12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guardand to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.” 1:12-14

We see the Gospel was advanced as a result of Paul’s imprisonment: 

#1) The palace guard was being evangelized, and  

#2) It helped boost the confidence of other Christians and caused them to be braver about sharing the Gospel  to others.

I believe Paul was a great missionary because he was willing to be one every single day of his life. No matter where he was or what he was going through. In fact, everyone who accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior is accepting a missionary responsibility. How do I know that? Because Acts 1:8 says “you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth!”  And that was the very theme of this entire book. 

Every Christian in this room has a story and is has witnessed  things that God has don in your own life.  You are witnesses to the power and mercy of God and we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it. I recently read about a woman by the name of Myrtie Howell. She was a devoted Christian woman. But she had lived a hard life. Her family was very poor. When she was 10, she quit school and went to work in a steel mill for 10 cents a day. She married at age 17. But in early 1940, her husband was killed in an accident. And when that happened, she lost her home. And she had to go back to work to support herself and her three kids.
Years later, her declining health forced her to move into an old, high rise nursing home. A few weeks later, her youngest son died. And that’s when she fell into a depression. She said, “Lord, what more can I do for you? I’ve lost everything that ever meant something to me. And now I’m stuck in this dark, dreary room. I have nothing left to live for! I want to die! I’ve had enough of this prison. Take me home.” But then God spoke to her as clear as possible. He said, “I’m not through with you yet, Myrtie. I want you write to prisoners.” So she wrote a letter and sent it to the Atlanta Penitentiary. And this is what the letter said: “Dear inmate. I am a grandmother who loves and cares for you. I am willing to be a friend. If you’d like to hear from me, write me. I will answer every letter you write. A Christian friend, Grandmother Howell.” The letter was given to the prison chaplain. And he gave her the names of eight prisoners she could write to. Prison Fellowship gave her some more names. Soon, she was corresponding with up to 40 inmates a day. She became a one woman ministry reaching into prisons all over America. Later she said, “I thought my life was over. But these past few years have been the most fulfilling years of my life! I thank Prison Fellowship! And most of all, I thank Jesus!” Myrtie Howell became a great missionary for God out of a one room apartment.

No matter where you live. Or what your situation is like. God can still do wonderful things through your life. As long as your heart is still beating, and your blood is still pumping, Jesus Christ is not through with you. Some of you may be thinking, “I’m still waiting to find God’s will for my life. If he would only tell me! In a dream. Or in a vision. Or in a moment of inspiration.” Here’s your moment of inspiration: God’s will for your life is right here in Acts 1! Be a witness for Jesus Christ wherever you are and whatever you’re doing!

There are 3 things you should do if you are ready to be a missionary for God.

#1: Be available: In Acts 28, Paul calls together all the Jewish leaders. And basically says, “Guys. I just want you to know that I’m available! I’m a Christian. And I’m able to talk more about it at your convenience.” Well you may be thinking, “Well I’ve tried but the people I talked to did not respond.” Well are you any different than Paul here? How many time did people reject his teachings. For that matter how many rejected the words of Jesus himself?  The simple fact of the matter is, many will not want to hear what you want to say…… but some will.

#2 We should be hospitable. In Acts 28:30 it says that Paul welcomed all who came to see him.” He wasn’t prejudiced against any race or any religion. He welcomed everyone! We talked a lot about this in the last lesson.
I believe there are a lot of people out there looking for something and many of them don’t know what they are looking for. Our Love and Hospitality will help them find what they are looking for.

1 Thessalonians 2:8 Paul wrote to them saying:

 “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but OUR LIVES AS WELL!”

People’s lives are rarely changed because of a sermon or a visit to church. But they are often changed by Christian people who live out the truth of those sermons every day of their lives. You have a chance to become a neighbor like that!   And to become a great missionary for God.
So be available. Be hospitable. 

#3, you have to be biblical. In Acts 28:23, it says that from morning till evening, Paul tried to convince them about Jesus. from scripture. It’s good to be nice,  and neighborly, and compassionate. But at some point, you have to say something. The name of Jesus has to come up in conversation. We should not be afraid to use God’s word at the appropriate time. Do you remember that God’s word is sharper than any double edged sword… it can even cut right down into the heart of the strongest man. Most scholars believe that Paul was set free after this first imprisonment in Rome to continue his mission for Christ. Many believe that this first imprisonment took place between the 60 to 62 AD. After being released he Returned to the Aegean area. And sometime between 62-66 He wrote his Pastorial Epistles of 1 Timothy and Titus. He was again arrested in Rome in the years of 67 where he wrote 2 Timothy and then was Martyred in Rome in the year AD 68. Do you want to know what Paul was all about? Well he lets us know in his writings.

In Philippians 1:21 Paul writes:

 “21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!”                                                                                                                                  

In Philippians 3:7-13 he writes: 

 “7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

But then in his final letter to Timothy he writes just before his death, “6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:6-8)            

If the Church is going to grow in our generation, we’ll need more men and women like Paul. My encouragement this today is than we do not forget our Christian mission, and that is to share the good news about Jesus with those we come in contact with. Like Paul, it will help to be available, to be hospitable, and us the Word of God at the appropriate times.

(Based on a sermon by Dr. Marc Axelrod)


For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566

From Jim McGuiggan... REFLECTIONS ON SIN: Sin and its Cosmic Effects

REFLECTIONS ON SIN

Sin and its Cosmic Effects

 We normally think of the effect sin has within us as individual humans and human communities, which certainly makes sense; its polluting effect on us can hardly be overstated. But sin affects more than the human element in creation because Colossians 1:19-20 says that “all things in heaven and on earth” needed to be reconciled to God. 

Here’s what it says: “For God was pleased…through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (compare Ephesians 1:9-10 on this.)

Whatever we make of the Colossians text it shows plainly enough that with the entrance and presence of sin the whole creation was thrown into some kind of alienation from God. 

The sinful human condition is sign of a wider derangement and chaos. Dachau and Auschwitz say something about distant galaxies and Jupiter probes and Papa Doc’s Haiti says something about a whole creation that groans and longs for redemption (compare Romans 8:18-21 and Ephesians 3:10), The creation and we are under bondage together. 

Pragmatist and psychologist William James who wouldn’t at all have shared the central proposals expressed in this piece, was shaped more than he knew or cared to admit by the Christian faith. He thought life was worth living, from the moral point of view, since it is what we make it. So he thought our moral struggle had profound worth. He goes on to say this:
          For my own part, I do not know what the sweat and blood and tragedy of this life mean, if they  mean anything short of this. If this life be not a real fight, in which something is eternally gained for the universe by success, it is no better than a game of private theatricals from which one may withdraw at will. But it feels ike a real fight, as if there were something really wild in the universe which we…are needed to redeem.

      All things have been restored and “re-created” in Christ who is the representative of the new and true humanity (the last Adam, the image of God—Colossians 1:15, Genesis 1:26 and 1 Corinthians 15:45). Whatever else we should say about all this, this much is true: our sin in some way unhinged the creation or it wouldn’t have needed to be restored or reconciled to God. Sin affected the farthest star. We’re reminded of this when nations like Babylon, Edom or Judah sinned and God’s response is “uncreation”. In literal fact “uncreation” didn’t take place with the judgment on these nations but the description of undone heavens, an unformed earth, birdless skies and fishless seas points us back to the original loss of life and destruction of the world which relates to our original fall (Genesis 3-11). In principle our sins are the same as those that dragged the creation down. When we sin an individual sin we are simply filling up the cup of all our fathers. This single massive network and narrative of sin is the sin for which Christ came to atone and in atoning he liberates the creation from sin and the curse! [See Isaiah 13 & 14 on Babylon; Isaiah 34 on Edom; Jeremiah 4 on Judah for pictures of “uncreation”.] 

The True Measure of Sin
The cross claims that the true measure of sin is not how we feel about it or how repulsed we are by it or even how much agony it has cost us when others have sinned against us. As I see it, this is one of the places at which the cross appears in its most scandalous light.

God does not hold us responsible for not being God. And when he teaches us (as he does throughout the Bible) that he sees sin more clearly than we do he does not hold us in contempt because that’s true. He understands we can’t know it as he does because no one is holy as he is holy and it is only the holy one who truly sees sin for what it is. So when we feel and speak against it as we do—limited though our sense of it is—he is pleased with the genuineness of our renunciation. Just the same, he insists on our believing that the true and full measure of human sin is seen only in the cross of Christ.

But see how difficult that is for millions to believe. Let me focus on the astonishing evil that exposed itself during the Hitler years. There must be a thousand books that rehearse the crimes that leave us speechless until we feel we must say something if only to keep from saying nothing. And who can forget the images that we’ve seen on television and the moves? Haven’t we at times been on the verge of rising to stick our boot through the television set in irrational fury? And haven’t we once or twice shouted at God, “How could you let this go on?” This is how we who are spectators feel, so how must it have been for those who were actually enduring it.

Now try telling those people that the true measure of sin is not the crucifixion of the Jews and other nations by the Nazis at Auschwitz, Dachau, Buchenwald, and elsewhere. Tell them that the true measure of sin is revealed in the crucifixion of a young Jew on a cross outside Jerusalem some 2,000 years ago. Tell them that and see their response!

Tell that to those who know what has happened in the gulag prison system down the years where on Solzhenitsyn’s conservative figure, 68.7 million people have died after prolonged crucifixions. Tell it to the multiplied millions who lived in the dark nights of Stalin, Papa Doc, Pol Pot, and numberless oppressors ancient and modern. Tell them that that the New Testament teaches that the comparatively humane death of Jesus Christ is the true and full revelation of sin. In unison they will tell you that you’re deranged.  And they’ll feel insulted beyond measure because it will look like you’re minimizing the awfulness of their loss and the twisted malevolent evils that confound adequate description.

But that’s not what the New Testament is doing. That’s not at all what the cross of Christ does! It doesn’t make less of human suffering—it makes more of it! We see all that as moral evil and the cross says it’s more than that—it’s sin! When my child is raped or my family tortured I want you to tell me that my feelings matter and that my pain is a measure of the sinfulness of sin. But I want you to tell me it’s worse than that! I want you tell me that God thinks it’s worse than that. I want you to tell me that there aren’t enough words in the entire world or enough passion in the whole of humanity to damn it with. When my personal pain is multiplied by tens of millions and we stand in speechless rage and utter bewilderment at the sights and sounds of it we want someone to say, “Yes, the eternal God agrees with you. It’s as bad as you feel. Your devastation and your ceaseless fury-filled protests are a measure of it all. But it’s worse even than that.”

That’s what Christians mean to do when they say the cross of Christ is the true measure of sin. Minimize the world’s hurt and the oppressor’s wrong? God forbid! And the cross forbids! When Judas betrayed Christ that night something more profoundly serious had happened than a friend turning against a friend. A “world spirit” was defying eternal holiness. Spiritual hosts of wickedness were weighing in against holy love. Cosmic corruption and pollution was showing itself and coming to focus in that specific moral crime and in that specific person. That’s what Luke meant when he said Satan entered Judas! At the cross it was more than religion and politics and realism in a deadly mix doing away with an innocent man (as they have so often done). It was sin against God himself. It was human evil as part of a corruption that reaches beyond the stars. The monster that swelled in the nineteen thirties and forties in Europe until it blocked out the sun is beyond our comprehension. As inexpressibly vile as these crimes are, they are only the ulcers generated by a galactic predator that has ravaged worlds seen and unseen. Sin!

At Calvary, Christ was saying to every sufferer down the ages, “What has happened to you is more sinister than you know. It is part of creation’s self-destruction; it’s part of creation’s sinful alienation from its God and you in your awful agony have exposed its hind quarters.” But we could never have known this except via the cross of Christ for that is where the alien power fully exposed itself. We could stutter something legitimate about moral evil but we couldn’t see it as “sinful” because the word “sin’ only makes sense when God enters the picture.

Make less of our astonishing cruelty and inhumanity? No, Golgotha is Auschwitz and Africa and Cambodia and every other hell-hole seen through the eyes of God. We don’t mean to diminish evil and savagery when we speak the cross. We have another agenda in mind. So while we pile up the phrases and pour out the rhetoric, we live out and speak out and act out-in our ordinances—the cross of God. We catch the sparks that fly from God’s confrontation with Sin and our eyes are opened a little to what it is. 

Here’s how Thomas Guthrie described it in his Gospel in Ezekiel:
Look now at Sin; pluck off that painted mask, and turn upon her
 face the lamp of God’s Word. We start, it reveals a death’s head…
 It is a debt, a burden, a thief, a sickness, a leprosy, a plague, a poison,
 a serpent, a sting—everything that man hates it is; a load of curses and
calamities beneath whose crushing, intolerable pressure, “the Whole creation groaneth.” Name the evil that springs not from this root—the crime that lies not at this door. Who is the hoary sexton that digs man a grave? Who is the painted temptress that steals his virtue? Who is the murderess that destroys his life? Who is the sorceress that first deceives and then damns his soul?—Sin. Who with icy breath blights the fair blossoms of youth? Who breaks the heart of parents? Who brings gray hairs with sorrow to the grave? Who…changes sweet children into vipers, tender mothers into monsters, and their fathers into worse than Herods—the murderers of their own innocents?—Sin. Who casts the apple of discord on household hearts? Who lights the torch of war and carries it blazing over happy lands? Who, by divisions in the Church, rends Christ’s seamless rob?—Sin. Who is this Delilah that sings the Nazirite asleep, and delivers up the strength of God into the hands of the uncircumcised? What Siren is this, who, seated on a rock by a deadly pool, smiles to deceive and to lure, kisses to betray and  flings her arms around our neck, to  leap with us into perdition?—Sin. Who petrifies the soft and gentlest heart? Who hurls reason from her throne, and impels sinners, mad as Gadarene swine, down the precipice, into the lake of fire?—Sin. Who, having brought the criminal to the gallows, persuades him to refuse a pardon, and with his own insane hand to bar the door against the messenger of mercy? What witch of hell is it, that thus bewitches us?—Sin. Who nailed the Son of God to that bloody tree? And who, as if it were not a dove descending with the olive, but a vulture swooping down to devour the dying, vexes, grieves, thwarts, repels, drives off the Spirit of God? Who is it that makes man in his heart baser than a beast and him who was once but little lower than an angel now little better than a devil—Sin. Oh! Sin. Thou hast insulted his holy Majesty; thou hast bereaved him of beloved children; thou hast crucified the son of his infinite love; thou hast vexed his gracious Spirit; thou hast defied his power; thou hast despised his grace; in the body and blood of Jesus, as if it were a common thing, thou hast trodden under foot his matchless mercy. Brethren, surely, the wonder of wonders is, that sin, is not that abominable thing which we also hate. 

The Relational Nature of Sin
It can’t be said too often that reconciliation is not a legal matter. It is not the restoration of a person to a status though to use such speech is legitimate. It is the restoration of a person to the Holy Father. And it can’t be said too often that sin is not a legal matter even though it involves the breaking of what we sensibly and rightly call moral law. The moral law—despite Biblical use of court and juridical metaphors—is the law of a Father. Since atonement deals with sin in order to restore a broken personal relationship we need to get the relational nature of sin clear in our minds.

It’s right to insist that the Holy Father is a judge but it is never right to say that when he acts as judge he has ceased to be the Holy Father. God’s judgment is real and his righteousness is as genuine as any earthly judge’s but it is always a father dealing with his (wayward)) children. God certainly punishes when he sees the need to do so but it is always as a father dealing sternly and in holy love with his (wayward) children. And the man or woman who doesn’t know the difference between how a judge functions as an officer of the court and how he is as a father at home needs to spend time either at court or at home or both! God didn’t create mere “creatures”. He created us as sons and daughters (Luke 3:21, 38 and note Acts 17:24-29) so when we rebelled and “left Home” it wasn’t a court judge we were leaving or a code of ethics we were abandoning, it was our Father.

When we rebelled it wasn’t a set of rules we turned against it was a Holy Father. When we broke his commandment we broke his law and so in a sense we committed a “legal” crime but that isn’t the real nature of it. Sin is relational infidelity. In scripture when he speaks to us in juridical terms and metaphors: God isn’t misleading us; he is using familiar categories to get through to us. He also expects us to get “the big picture”. No father that we have any respect or affection for speaks of his child’s misbehavior at home as “breaking the law”. It isn’t “illegal”; it’s something else, something that goes down to deeper roots. The child hasn’t done wrong against a set of rules nor is she facing an officer of the courts, a stranger who is somehow unrelated to her. This is her father for pity’s sake! Family relationships are not to be reduced to “law abiding” connections. 

What difference does it make if we see sin as legal or relational? It has profound ramifications for how we see the atonement and reconciliation. If sin is a legal matter then atonement must have a legal character and reconciliation also. Believing these things are legal issues, our atonement theory and the result of the atoning process is a legal process and a legal result has consequences. Status rather than relationship is what we talk about and relationship becomes a matter of bookkeeping. Because juridical speech and metaphors have been given center stage for centuries it isn’t surprising that our dominant atonement theory is legal to the core and retributive justice the primary motif in explaining the cross. Atonement is to reconcile and restore persons to a personal God and the way in which personal relationships are restored is by a relational atonement process.

Have we got rid of sin when we call it relational rather than legal? Why would we even think that? Does wrong committed against the family disappear because we won’t call it “legal”? Are hearts and relationships less wounded because we deny that they are “juridical”? And in our fight against it, do you think we’d fight harder against the betrayal of our beloved or the breaking of some law? Would we feel more or less remorse if we broke a law that mattered or broke a heart that mattered? Can we generate more passion to keep laws or to honor and serve the beloved? And anyway, how much do we care about a law that we think doesn’t have the welfare of persons behind it?  Our law will always remain only a law until it becomes the heart’s desire of someone we’re devoted to! Seeing sin (and righteousness) as relational will affect how we understand reconciliation and give added strength in our ongoing brawl with sin.

It’s important that we see the other side of the coin. Righteousness is not conformity to a code of ethics though uprightness and moral rectitude are involved. Righteousness is relational fidelity;it is personal! It’s the way people respond to their personal relationship with God. It has nothing to do with law-courts or legal status. Moral law has no independent existence though what we mean by “moral law” is profoundly real. But moral law has its source and shape in the personal Holy Father—it is a profile of God. However limited, it ultimately reveals God himself as he relates to his children and when we “obey the law” we are living in the image of God as his beloved children. And that’s million miles from courthouses and juridical categories. See Ephesians 5:1-2.

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com
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