What is True Faith?

If I say, “My faith will be proved true if…” then I am demonstrating the lack of that faith which I claim. “If God does thus and so, I will give Him glory” also betrays a lack of perfect trust in whatever God may do. True biblical faith believes God can do whatever He wishes and we will still have faith. Hear Job: “Though He slay me, I will still trust Him.” To trust God as Job did is to have true faith in Him. I have recently uncovered a shortcoming in my own faith, regardless of how stridently I proclaim it. I will explain.

Hebrews 11:1-2 says: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report.” It’s not often I praise the King James for having the best translation of a verse, but in this instance I will. This passage in Hebrews has always seemed to me to hold the key to understanding what true, saving faith is. “Faith is the substance,” it says. The word substance (sub-stance) might be seen as meaning standing under the way a foundation stands under a building. Substance is almost a literal translation of the Greek word used here (ὑπόστασις); it translates as “that which stands under.”

Another way to look at the word substance is to think of it as having concrete meaning versus abstract meaning. Faith is an abstract noun – a noun without material substance. Faith, love, hope, anger, greed are all abstract nouns; they have no concrete representation unless they manifest in a “substantial” way. The Hebrew writer is saying that our faith gives substance or material reality to the things we hope for. Hope, being another abstract concept, requires something to substantiate it.

Faith is also “the evidence of things not seen.” In a judicial sense, evidence is that which proves certain facts to be true. In this case, we have faith that certain facts are true even though we cannot see them. It is as if our faith makes them visible. I did not see my Savior walk dusty Palestine or preach from a boat on the lake or climb the hill of Calvary, but I believe He did those things as firmly as if I had seen them. There are mounds of evidence confirming that the Bible is a true record of historical happenings, but it is my faith that makes those unseen things real, visible to me. Verse two explains how faith is proven: “For by this the people of old were approved.” Their faith was evident in their lives.

It is the knowing/believing the truth of God’s Word that caused God to approve the people of old, as the Hebrew writer says. The same applies to us according to verse six: “Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and is a rewarder of those who seek him.” As we can see from the example of the “people of old,” the confirmation of our faith may not come to pass in our lifetime. Hebrews explains: “These all died in faith without receiving the promises, but seeing them from a distance and welcoming them, and admitting that they were strangers and temporary residents on the earth…. Therefore, God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

The Gospel of Luke gives us two examples of faith in God’s people. The elderly priest, Zechariah, was told by an angel that his elderly wife would have a child. Lacking immediate faith, he asked for a sign to prove the truth of the angel’s words. God graciously overlooked Zechariah’s lack of faith by continuing with His plan, and the sign the priest asked for was to be struck dumb until the promise was fulfilled. About nine months later, Zechariah got his voice back and being filled with the spirit spoke a hymn of praise to the God who proved faithful even when he was not.

The other character Luke mentions in the same context is Mary. She had an experience similar to her uncle’s, having the same angel, Gabriel, visit her with astounding news. The difference is that Mary didn’t ask for proof; she simply wondered how it could be since she was a virgin. She didn’t doubt Gabriel’s word; she just voiced her natural curiosity. In her heart, she understood the concept that, “With God, nothing shall be impossible.”

There is another character mentioned the Gospels who struggled with belief. A man had a son who was tormented by a demon. The evil spirit was apparently quite robust; Jesus’ disciples, though sometimes able to cast out demons, were not successful in this case. When Jesus came on the scene, he asked the father if he believed He could heal his boy. The man responded, “I believe; help my unbelief.” Jesus accepted the father’s imperfect faith and delivered the boy from the demon. Note that Jesus also chided His disciples for their little faith.

This leads me to believe that there are stages or states of true faith. It takes only a simple faith – like that of a child, Jesus said – to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The one thing necessary, the sine qua non of saving faith is a slippery thing. It is not enough to believe that the God of the Bible exists; even demons believe that says James. The faith that saves must have substance; there must be evidence that it exists. I believe that is what the passage in Hebrews eleven is saying. The substance is within the believer, but the evidence is apparent to others.

If you don’t know me well, the depth of my faith may not be evident to you. However, if you observe me over time, there should be something in my words and deeds that proves the existence of faith in my life.  Commenting on Psalm 104:16, “The trees of the Lord are full of sap,” Charles Spurgeon says, “As the sap manifests itself in producing the foliage and fruit of the tree, so with a truly healthy Christian, his grace is externally manifested in his walk and conversation. If you talk with him, he cannot help speaking about Jesus. If you notice his actions, you will see that he has been with Jesus. He has so much sap within, that it must fill his conduct and conversation with life.”

To be called a sap is a derogatory remark. Being sappy is usually meant in a negative sense of being too sweet – too emotional. But, considering Spurgeon’s commentary on sap, let me encourage you with this: don’t worry; be sappy.

Be Salty

“Have salt in yourselves and be at peace.” These words of Jesus raise some interesting questions. There is at once a question of interpretation. The second principle of Bible interpretation (the first being to ask for the Spirit’s guidance) is to seek to understand the words as the original audience would have. I learned a great deal about salt in the ancient world when I looked into it. I have long known of its several uses: preserving, flavoring, healing. These are the properties I have often heard applied to this curious word of Jesus to His disciples. I always felt there must be more to it.

It surprised me to find that salt was valued almost as dearly as gold or silver in the ancient Near East. It was valued for the properties we all know, and it was rare enough to have what we would call monetary value because of that. I had always thought of the Dead Sea, also known as the Salt Sea, as a waste of space. Not so! It was more like a gold mine. The people of that region could extract salt from the sea water through evaporation or mine it from the salt flats surrounding the sea. They would then find a ready market to exchange their salt for money or goods they had need of.

There is another important use of salt that Jesus’ listeners would have been well aware of: it was a necessary ingredient in the sacrifices they offered at the altar of God. The priests were required to sprinkle salt on the grain offerings, and some commentators believe it was used on other sacrifices as well. Yahweh God never explained why the salt was important, but one can imagine that its natural properties could be applied in a supernatural sense. Commanding its use as a holy ordinance leant a quality of holiness to the salt itself.

There is one more meaning for salt that a first-century Jew would have known very well. Three times in the Old Testament the term covenant of salt is used. A covenant of salt symbolized a permanent, loyal, and unbreakable agreement. According to Jan Paron, “In terms of an agreement initiated by God, salt symbolized preservation of covenant with Him against corruption.” One of the occurrences of a covenant of salt is God’s promise to David to place an eternal king on David’s throne one day.

Jesus, the king promised to David, used salt in another passage that isn’t immediately clear to modern readers. In Mark 9, He mentioned that His hearers would be “salted by fire” in reference to a time of judgment. This statement comes immediately after Jesus’ hyperbole suggesting they cut off offending body parts that might keep them from entering the kingdom. Just as salt can preserve meat to keep it from spoiling, fire is used to refine gold and increase its purity. Paul used this metaphor when he told the Corinthians that their works would pass through fire to either prove them genuine or to burn them up as unworthy.

Being salted by fire may also refer to times of trial that are often part of the cost of discipleship. James and Peter both point to trials as an occasion for growth in believers. I was reminded recently of the observation that our spiritual growth is generally more intense during hard times than when everything is going well. It is easy to ignore the daily grace we enjoy with a full stomach and light heart. When the tough times come, as they certainly will, we are forced to rely on the strength of the One who is greater than we are.

Jesus appears to have coined the phrase “salt of the earth.” It has come to mean a stout-hearted person who is trustworthy and true. It is more meaningful to us as Christians. Combine the first century understanding of the priestly use of salt with the knowledge that we are a royal priesthood and you get an interesting take on Romans 12:1-2. Our living sacrifice is “salted” to present it as holy to God, and to make it effective at producing good works according to His will.

We should be sacrificially salting the earth with holy and righteous judgment, but we must do it in a loving way. The Mosaic law was one of strict commandments. When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus summed up the whole law in these words: “You shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and from your whole soul and from your whole mind and from your whole strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Salt has been used for thousands of years for treating wounds. Though it will be painful, there is no more loving thing you can do than to treat your neighbor’s sin-wounds with salt.

I have one more salt-related thought before I finish. One of the first things triage medics do with injured patients is begin a saline drip – infuse them with salt. Here is the medical explanation: “Today, saline solution is used in medicine to cleanse wounds and help promote healing… This is because saltwater helps to clean and promote healing by a process called osmosis. Salt… forces the liquid in cells to move out of the body when it comes in contact with them. If there is bacteria in the liquids, it is forced out too, helping to cleanse the skin.”

I can’t imagine a better metaphor for what God’s Word does for a convicted sinner. Jesus directed His followers to, “Have salt in you and be at peace.” We can have peace knowing that we have done our Lord’s will if we are being the salt of the earth. We do our priestly duty by salting our sacrifice, and the “salt” aka God’s Word will do its work. Therefore, I recommend this to you: “Be salty, my brothers and sisters.”

 Related Posts: The Burning Bush Today; Paging Phinehas Eleazar; Encounters With Eliphaz

Called Versus Chosen

In his Gospel, Matthew records Jesus’ parable about a king who had a wedding feast. The people he originally invited declined to come, so he directed his servants to go into the streets and invite anyone who was willing to come. As I wrote in “Many Called; Few Chosen,” first century weddings had strict social expectations. One was that the guests would dress appropriately. In Jesus’ parable, one guest failed to wear acceptable garments, so the king threw him out to a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. That seems harsh. The parable ends with this curious statement by Jesus: “For many are called but few are chosen.”

In the previous chapter, Matthew says that the Pharisees knew Jesus was addressing them directly. We can see clearly that in the parable, the king represents God, and the original invitation represents the call of Abraham and his descendants, Israel. God called Israel His own nation. We can also see that Israel repeatedly declined God’s invitation. From our perspective, it is obvious the street people represent God’s invitation to the Gentile nations that the prophets foretold. This upset the Pharisees, and they wanted to do something about Jesus, but their hands were tied because of His popularity.

I want to differentiate between “called” and “chosen.” The Greek word for called is very much like the English word; it means called, summoned, or named. Likewise, chosen is a good English translation; however, the Greek carries a more explicit meaning and is often translated as “elect.” The implication is that the elect are favored among the called. Both in Abraham’s day and ours, there is a dual nature to the election from among the called.  Abraham confirmed God’s call on his life by choosing to place his faith in the One who called. Paul draws a sharp line between the mere biological descendants of Abraham and the true elect by pointing out that Abraham’s choice to believe is what constituted righteousness. Being called Abraham’s descendant did not ensure election to righteousness. Only faith did that, and faith is a choice.

I believe there is a similar division between the called and the chosen in the church today. A person may make a profession of faith; he may walk an aisle; he may even be baptized. None of those prove his faith. James said, “I will show you my faith by my works.” Even here we find a distinction. Jesus predicted that many would come to Him on the last day and proclaim their belief and tout their works. His shocking response may be, “Depart from me; I never knew you.” Faith is the ground; works are the fruit. A bad tree, an improperly rooted tree, cannot produce good fruit, Jesus said. It is the heart, the innermost being that produces either good or evil. That is what identifies the elect.

Here is what it might look like to be called but not chosen. I have known businessmen who called themselves Christians but broke the laws they could get away with, misled (lied to) customers, reneged on promises if they became too costly, and lied on their income tax returns. A Christian who is a businessman is different from a Christian businessman. Being “called” a Christian is not the same as being a Christian – being among the elect.

I once worked at a Christian school that could not abide my insistence that all truth is God’s truth, and the Bible is the foundation of all wisdom. They wanted to make Bible an elective course. They wanted to be the best college prep school in town, and they were afraid being too “Christian” would scare away potential students. They replaced me with a retired public-school administrator to fulfill their vision. A visit to their website today reveals that they have reverted to the type of Christian school I envisioned. Apparently, the college prep idea didn’t work out.

I once knew a pastor who had a long ministry preaching the Word effectively and appearing to live an exemplary life. Then he became obsessed with numbers as he saw churches drawing crowds of thousands into beautiful buildings. We were outgrowing our facility, so a building program was begun. A substantial windfall in a property sale gave the church a savings account of about one million dollars. The pastor promised the congregation that no money would be borrowed to build. Somewhere in the process, he fell in love with an architect’s proposal that would cost millions to complete. Despite his pledge not to borrow, he convinced the people to start the project which resulted in a two-million-dollar mortgage for the first of three phases. Within a few years, the bank was forcing foreclosure, and the congregation had to move. Today they are a mere shadow of what the church had once been.

I believe God calls every human in one way or another. Paul argues that no one can plead ignorance of God’s existence. In the next chapter he adds that conscience is a universal judge of everyone’s behavior, either excusing or accusing them on the day of judgment. Our Savior died for all people, but the gift of saving grace comes through faith, and faith is a choice – an election. When faith is presented as an alternative, everyone can elect to believe or not believe.

It will be necessary to go one step further in defining words. Belief has many shades of meaning. Go back to James: belief must be attended by works. He goes so far as to say the demons believe, but theirs is not a saving belief; it is a trembling belief. Often, demons claim to know who Jesus is as He is casting them out. I see that as a peek behind the curtain revealing the cosmic nature of Jesus’ ministry on earth. Demons are thought to be fallen angels who sided with Satan when he tried to seize power from God. This would imply that they knew the second person of the trinity intimately. Yet their knowledge did not produce faith. I think James meant this to be a caution for those who profess to know about God but never truly know Him and trust Him with their lives.

People love to quote Paul’s word to the Ephesians that we are saved by faith/belief not works. Those people often fail to read one verse further where Paul said we are saved to do works that God has prepared for us. We are not saved by works; we are saved to work. I believe this is what Jesus was getting at when He said many are called but few are chosen. Many who call themselves Christians are happy to think they will go to heaven when they die, but they choose not to do the work that has been prepared for them on earth before they leave. These people will be among the surprised professors who will be told by Jesus, “Depart from me; I never knew you:” called but not chosen.

Related Posts: What is Church?; Bringing the Kingdom; Many Called; Few Chosen

The Exception to the Rule

Humans are rule-breakers by nature. It began with Adam’s disregard for the one prohibition in the Garden. He broke it, and ever since, we have been prone to follow in his footsteps. The well-known proverb says that to every rule there is an exception. Perhaps that is just an excuse people use to cover their indiscretions, but it has the ring of truth to it. The Farlex Dictionary of Idoms says, “The saying simply means that real-life situations are messy. Policies often bend for special circumstances.” The Bible has plenty of examples of policies being bent by heroes and villains alike.

Abram told the half-truth that his lovely wife was his sister to keep himself out of the king’s sights – twice. Jacob and his mother, Rebekka, told a whopper to poor blind Isaac to cement Jacob’s inheritance over the rightful claim of his brother Esau. Afraid the lie would come back to bite him, he ran to his uncle Laban’s ostensibly to find a wife, but equally to hide from his brother’s wrath. He then proceeded to run a complex breeding scam on Laban to pay him back for his dastardly sister-wife swap with Leah and Rachel. His own sons told an awful lie after they disposed of their father’s very favorite son, Joseph. Joseph parried a lie of omission into the motivation to get his wayward brothers to bring the family to Egypt. Jacob’s son Judah produced a son from an incestuous relationship who would have a prominent place in the genealogy of the Messiah.

Speaking of the Messiah, Jesus did some rule breaking of His own; at least, that is what the Pharisees would have called His miscreant behavior. He regularly healed on the Sabbath; gasp! He led His disciples through a field where they “harvested” grain for their seventh-day meal. When the Pharisees brought Him a woman taken in the act of adultery, He skillfully defused the situation by questioning their motives. He became angry and drove the money changers and their beasts from the Temple with a whip He fashioned from cords. He intentionally withheld an important aspect of His mission from His followers for two years by omitting to say that He would eventually be executed and they would become hunted as heretics. In each of these instances, it was the Savior's love that grounded His actions.

All of this proves to me that although Yahweh is a God who is always truthful and makes rules for His people, He is adept at conforming our rule breaking into His ultimate plan for our good, even when that rule breaking is committed by the perfect Lamb of God – or especially where the Lamb was concerned. One cannot miss how grievously the Father broke His own rule about child sacrifice. The Sanhedrin heard a prophetic statement from its leader when he said, “It is profitable for you that one man should die for the people, and the whole nation not perish.” The immensity of this breakage is amplified by the knowledge that the Father and the Son knew this would be the outcome of their redemption plan hatched before the world began.

So, where does this leave us as mere humans struggling to trust and obey. I think it leaves us in a quandary. We know that God has given us His Word for adequate “doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.” However, the Word also says that the approved workman will “rightly [divide] the Word of truth.” (KJV) The literal Greek for that phrase is “straightening the Word of truth along a straight path.” In other words, an approved workman will not bend the truth for his own benefit. But it leaves open the interpretation that the “straight path” may require some “straightening” of the Word. I think the essence here is that we need to follow the spirit of the teaching and not necessarily hold to an ironclad literal application.

Well-meaning Christians in the antebellum South of this country straightened the Word to support their version of slavery. The abolitionists were appalled; we should be too. Degrading humans made in God’s image to less than human status was inexcusable. Paul’s advice to slaves was in a context far different from the plantations of the American South in 19^th century America. Yet, the plantation owners used biblical evidence in their defense. A similar “straightening” of the Word is happening today with regard to the crisis of gender dysphoria. I listened to a trans “priest” preach that God is trans according to her/his interpretation of Scripture. That much straightening is heartrending – rending mine and God’s.

I have witnessed many aberrations in the application of the Word by sincere Christians. Early in my Christian education ministry, I faced a school board of hyper-fundamental Baptists who rebuked me for allowing a school-sponsored trip to hear a contemporary Christian concert. There were guitars and drums in the band. Horrors! My teachers loved it; their students loved it; the parents loved it. The board hated it. In that case, I have to insist that the board completely misinterpreted Scripture in their objection, but they thought they were making a “straight” application.

I think we are treading on dangerous ground when we claim that our human policies represent the straightest application of God’s Word. The Pharisees in Jesus’ time were dead certain that they were right and He was wrong. Jesus rebuked them saying, “You splendidly ignore the commandment of God so that you can keep your tradition,” aka human policies and procedures. The slavers of the nineteenth century were wrong. The twentieth century Baptists who forbade dancing and movies and playing cards were wrong – at least in part. I believe we err when we place adherence to policies above the needs of the people we are meant to serve or reach with the gospel. Sometimes, there are righteous exceptions to the rules. Love demands that we get that straight.

Related Posts: Values Clarification; The Knowledge of Good and Evil

The Nations Rage

Psalm 2 opens with this curious depiction of political realities: “Why are nations in tumult, and countries plotting in vain? The kings of the earth establish themselves, and the rulers conspire together against Yahweh and his anointed: ‘Let us tear off their bonds and cast their cords from us!’ He who sits enthroned in the heavens laughs. The Lord derides them.” I think this is a peek behind the curtain so to speak. I wrote at some length in “Who Are the Other Gods” about this mystery – a mystery for some anyway. We are told that God “breathed” His word to His holy writers, and that they were “moved along” by His Spirit to put His thoughts into words. That we miss the meaning of some of those words should not be surprising since His ways and His thoughts are high above ours.

Yet Jesus also promised that the Holy Spirit would come to guide us into all truth. If we apply ourselves to the study of God’s Word diligently as Paul recommended to Timothy, the Spirit can give us insight into the mysteries of God’s purpose. I don’t want to focus on politics, but because this is a mid-term election year, and because our two-party system is in such a factious state, it might be good to step back and rediscover who is really in control. The nations rage, as the King James puts it, and God laughs. But there is more to that picture than human actors playing parts on the earthly stage.

Throughout the Old Testament, we are offered glimpses of the real battle that is going on at a cosmic level. I mentioned several examples of this in “The Evolution of God.” In Psalm 2, we see the arrogance of the “kings of the earth and the rulers.” I believe “kings” and “rulers” refer to two different classes of beings. Kings are obviously earthly leaders. However, in both the Old and New Testament, the word rulers is consistently used to refer to spiritual powers. Paul famously said our battle is against “world rulers of this darkness,” which he then identifies as, “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Speaking of His ultimate purpose on earth, Jesus declared, “Now is the judgment of this world! Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out!” He echoed this twice in His final discourse. (Jn. 14:30; 16:11)

When Yahweh created the separate nations by His judgment of the Tower of Babel builders, He did more than confuse their language. Language is an integral part of any culture, so Yahweh indirectly created different cultures that each went their own way from the Plain of Shinar. The Old Testament record clearly states that all the nations under heaven were in the thrall of various demi-gods – small “g” gods who were the compatriots of the Angel of Darkness and complicit with him in his rebellion against their Creator. We are told that the angels who rebelled were “thrown to the earth,” a condition which positioned them to tempt Adam and Eve resulting in the curse upon the perfect earth Yahweh had created, and the deposing of God’s chosen ruler over earth, Adam.

When Yahweh called Abram to start His favored nation, He sent him to a land which was crawling with lesser gods who controlled different regions of the promised land. The oracles against the nations that we find in several Old Testament prophets reveal God’s distinct displeasure with the behavior of the angelic beings who had made it their business to influence humans to commit all sorts of wicked behavior. Idol worship is itself a detestable thing to Yahweh, but He repeatedly mentions such abominations as ritual prostitution and infant sacrifice to these demon-gods. The reason God gives Abram for delaying his acquisition of the land is curious: “The guilt of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

Yahweh says that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that He wishes all men would come to salvation. In this we can see His patient endurance that gives time for repentance. Those statements were ostensible spoken of humans, but can we not assume that He feels similarly toward the heavenly cohort of His creation? We tend to forget that the angels were created before humans, and they are “higher” than us in God’s creation order. Paul implies that the mystery of the gospel is now being made known “to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places through the church.” I picture Yahweh speaking to His heavenly audience saying, “Watch this! I am going to show you how much I love my creation.”

This makes me wonder what Yahweh thinks about the current world-rulers in the heavenlies. I have no trouble imagining Hitler, Pol Pot, Iddi Amin, or the Iranian Khamenei as under the influence of demons. We can also extrapolate from Scriptural evidence that God uses evil regimes to move His plan forward so that He may yet be disciplining His people through them as I suggested in “Today’s Chaldean Chastisement.” Someone has said that in a representative democracy such as ours, the people get the rulers they deserve. Our society has changed dramatically since it ceased to be “one nation under God,” and the Bible was removed from the public square. America was never a Christian nation per se, but biblical principles undergirded our founding documents and flavored our culture for nearly two hundred years. No longer. That cannot be pleasing to God!

I think it is beyond likely that the disgusting moral condition of modern society is being driven by heavenly rulers through their earthly minions. The dissolution of biblical marriage and the acceptance of all manner of sexual perversion will do more to destroy Western society that any invading army could ever do. I once read that the elevation of sexual perversion has historically preceded the fall of every society we know of. The family is the foundation of any culture, and once it is degraded, the fabric of society must necessarily be torn apart.

There is a passage in Zechariah similar to many others in the prophets where God says, “And many nations will join themselves to Yahweh in that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent Me to you.” In that context, Zechariah is speaking about the coming of the “Branch,” aka the Messiah, our King and Savior, Jesus Christ. Although we still live in a world where nations rage, we know that the rulers in the heavenlies have been defeated. It is our Christian duty to elect representatives to government who are least likely to be influenced by evil rulers. Nations rage; God laughs. But He also cries. Remember, although the nations were separated at Shinar; they are welcomed back into the fold at Calvary. That is the mystery of the gospel.

Related Posts: America Held Captive; Isaiah as a Cautionary Tale; Jesus Wept?; The Cry of Sin

Spiritual Warfare: The Sequel

If you haven’t read the original article, “Spiritual Warfare,” or the related article, “What Were You Thinking,” I recommend reading those before this one. Soon after writing “Spiritual Warfare,” I was led by God to consider Paul’s situation that he reported in 2 Corinthians 12. Paul says, “So that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, in order that it would torment me.” He says he asked God to remove the “thorn” three times, but eventually God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, because the power is perfected in weakness.” Then Paul makes this curious statement: “Therefore rather I will boast most gladly in my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may reside in me. Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in calamities, in persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.”

I realize now that my situation closely resembles Paul’s. Paul’s thorn was permitted by God “so that [he] would not exalt [himself.]” As I prayed about the similarities between Paul’s situation and my own, I began to think I was raising the “shield of faith” Paul recommended to the Ephesians by my own strength. In fact, the shield is called the shield of faith because it exists as evidence of our faith in God not by some conjuring of our own. I think I was trying to mentally raise a shield instead of resting in my faith that God would shield me. That subtle difference in attitude reminds me of the error committed by many so-called charismatic believers who seem to be proud of their power over demonic forces. They sound like the 72 who came back from their super-powered mission whom Jesus mildly rebuked saying that they should revel in their salvation rather than their power over evil.

I wrote previously, “I struggle; I raise my shield against Satan’s fiery darts. I’m waiting impatiently for the maturity that will allow me to consider my situation ‘all joy.’” That “I raise my shield” highlights the first half of what I have been learning from my situation. The other part is equally important. It is in my comment that I was impatiently waiting for the joy that my suffering was supposed to bring. I also quoted Paul’s line to the Philippians that God “graciously” allows us to suffer on behalf of Christ. That means that if I resist or complain overmuch about the suffering God has allowed in my battle against evil, I am resisting the grace of God. Oh!

Just the other day, someone suggested that I consider Paul’s instructions in Romans eight. “For if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live….  The Spirit himself confirms to our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer together with him so that we may also be glorified together with him.” We suffer with Him, Paul asserts, so that we may also be glorified with Him. Strange as it may sound, this seems to be teaching that our suffering on Christ’s behalf brings glory to God.

There is a related idea hidden in Paul’s comment that we will live [spiritually] if by the Spirit we put to death the deeds of the body. Paul uses “body” here as a synonym for “flesh” which he used in the first part of the sentence. The flesh he is speaking of is the part of the inner man he lamented in the previous chapter; it is the part of every believer that must be continually put to death because in Galatians it is in opposition to the Spirit; it is the “old man” of Colossians that must be put off so the new man may be renewed, recreated in the image of the One who created him.

As if all that wasn’t enough to spur me on, there is also this from Romans eight: “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba! Father!” In my previous post, I shared my poem about what I came to call “The Dreads.” I was waking up almost every night with an irrational fear of getting up and getting on with life. It was often centered on school, but many times it was as mundane as whether I forgot to turn out the lights in the garden; did I remember to pay a bill; would our trusty old car start or fail us. Irrational. I see now that this was also based on my perception of my ability to perform as I was expected to. The truth is that if God is my Abba, I can rely on Him to see me through whatever may befall me. No fear.

It seems fair to ask at this point where Satanic attacks come from. I believe the Scripture reveals many different sources, although our Sovereign God is ultimately responsible whether through direct action on His part or through the actions of others allowed by His grace (as Paul said.) We know His direct action is supported by Scripture. Numerous words of the Old Testament prophets declare that God brought “evil,” known also as calamity and disaster on His people. Read Micah 2:5 as one example: “Behold, I am devising against this family, an evil demise from which you cannot remove your necks.”  His judgment of wayward Israel is both direct and indirect. There is no reason to think this cannot still happen to His renewed Israel, the church.

As examples of mediated attacks, think of Job’s situation or that of Paul and his thorn. Paul also mentions several instances of attacks coming from within the church. Even Jesus suffered this kind of trouble from his disciples; remember He said, “Get behind me, Satan,” speaking to Peter. Without doubt, God uses secular governments to deliver His judgments. The prophets consistently report God’s intention to use other nations to punish Israel. Consider the evil perpetrated by the Supreme Court approving abortion or the redefinition of marriage. The Jewish Sanhedrin did one of the most dastardly evils in all history when they condemned their Savior to death.

Your family, your friends, your employer, whether they are believers or not, may be used to buffet you for God’s gracious purposes. So, I am committed to return to the battlefield; my King has requested my service for His glory. As for the joy, I am reminded of the explanation given for my Savior’s willingness to enter the greatest battle of all human history on the hill of Calvary. The Hebrew writer says that we should “Fix our eyes on Jesus, the originator and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” My joy is that I have the privilege of serving Him, and I will one day join Him in the throne room. That’s good enough for me.

Related Posts: What Were You Thinking; Spiritual Warfare; Driven to the Cross; Forget Not His Benefits

Spiritual Warfare

 

This post is mostly autobiographical, but I hope something in it helps someone face the realities of the battle every believer is in. I have often written (See below) that everything from Genesis to Revelation and beyond centers on a cosmic conflict between the forces of good and evil. I am not referring to the pagan mysticism of yin and yang; those are lies intended to obscure the truth made popular by the Star Wars franchise and other media hypes. What I am referring to is the plain truth of Scripture which describes the battle as an historical record with commentaries by prophets and preachers – one of the most significant being Jesus Himself.

The Apostle Paul couldn’t have been more clear than his warning to the Ephesians. “Our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. When the seventy-two disciples were sent out to preach the gospel, they returned astounded at their ability to do battle against evil forces. Jesus’ response was to proclaim, “I saw Satan falling like lightning from heaven.” He may well have been referring to an actual historical event in His recall. He was no doubt present when Satan tried to wrest power from God Himself, only to be cast down to the earth. He cautions His followers with this: “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are inscribed in heaven.” Indeed!

I interpret that to mean that power over evil spirits is helpful for those afflicted, but it is paramount to remember that the power is only there because you are a member of Christ’s family – God’s anointed, chosen few – “the elect” as Paul calls us. When people begin to revel in their power over the enemy, they often go astray. I know people who became deeply involved in the so-called charismatic movement years ago. They shared teachings and experiences with me that expounded the wonders of deliverance ministries and demon exorcism. I was fascinated but cautious. My upbringing did not include such wonders. I studied. I concluded that they were not wrong, but that they had focused on the minors instead of the majors. As Jesus said, remember where the power comes from rather than on what it can accomplish.

When I graduated from university with a degree in teaching, I often learned that more than one hundred applicants sought the position I was applying for. Through one of my father’s contacts, I was offered a teaching position in a Bible college. The president of the college offered me a part-time position with the suggestion that I take courses while teaching. I did. That was definitely a Godly coincidence. I fell into Bible study like a starving man into a five-course dinner. I discovered that teaching positions were available in Christian schools, and I found one when I finished my course of study.

This is where it gets interesting. My first position was in a school that was so severely fundamental that I could not abide them nor they me. Next, I moved to a school with a more broad sense of what the church of Christ should look like, and I fit in rather well. Although I think I flourished there, the administrator/pastor who hired me was released due to internecine conflicts. Because I was his protégé, I was not welcome to stay. In my next three situations, I had similar issues. I was either too conservative or too liberal for their tastes. Eventually, I became frustrated with the petty issues that consumed our time, and I left teaching for a sabbatical. My seminary advisor at the time tried to comfort me by saying that he knew the conditions of the schools where I had struggled, and he assured me that the problem was theirs, not mine.

My expected two-year sabbatical ended up being twelve years long. After that, I came back to teaching in a secular, for-profit college for a few years, and then I retired. After ten years, I took a job substituting in a Christian school in the city where we were spending our winters as RV travelers. My reasons were strictly mercenary: I wanted some extra money. When they saw my resume, they immediately asked if I would consider teaching full-time. Initially, I said no. The full story of what happened is in “What Were You Thinking.” Suffice it to say, after four requests, my wife and I concluded that I was supposed to take the position. We assumed that the reason we were in place was to do something for God at that school.

I have been miserable since day one. At first, I had trouble learning four new computer programs that were necessary to do my job. Three weeks in, I was getting comfortable with the computer, but I was still miserable. Then I began to suffer from physical maladies. I missed more days off work in four weeks that I had missed in twenty years of classroom teaching. My response was to ask God what was going on. As the result of much prayer by myself, my wife, our friends, the school staff, and the parents it has become clear that this is a satanic attack. As I continued in prayer, I realized that my problems reach all the way back to when I began my ministry at Christian schools.

In the 90-91 school year, I began to suffer from a neuro/muscular affliction that was never diagnosed. After seeing an ENT and a neurologist, I was sent to a university study hospital for tests. They concluded that I had been attacked by some sort of nerve virus (never identified) that disabled the muscles controlled by my right cranial nerve. Those included my right vocal cord. I didn’t lose my voice entirely, but speaking became difficult with only partial use of one cord. A full day of classes resulted in very sore muscles in my throat. That, along with my frustrations with Christian school administration, caused me to take the sabbatical.

Because my voice is still not 100%, I initially declined the latest offer of full-time teaching. I relented because I believe God can empower me to do whatever He wants me to do. That’s when the latest attacks began. I have had sinus problems, digestive problems, emotional problems, recurring speaking difficulties, and serious doubts about the wisdom of taking another teaching position. Some of you may have seen my poem, written in the midst of this entitled, “He Comes to Me in the Night.” (See below) I am not a happy camper!

Paul gave the Philippians some strange advice: “[Don’t let] yourselves be intimidated in anything by your opponents, which is a sign of destruction to them, but of your salvation, and this from God, because to you has been graciously granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on behalf of him.” This is the not first time I have marveled at how being “allowed” to suffer is a good thing for believers. I would prefer that God’s grace would deliver me from suffering. But I am reminded that Paul asked God to remove the thorn in his flesh – a condition that he attributes directly to Satan. God’s answer was that He allowed the buffeting of His servant as a means to keep him humble. Anyone who knows me will see the likely parallel there.

Commenting on Paul’s recommendation to take up the shield of faith, John MacArthur says: “As a believer, the shield that protects you is your faith in God. If you never question His character, power, or Word, you’ll never fall victim to Satan’s attacks. That doesn’t mean he won’t besiege you; but when he does, his assaults will be ineffective.” Hmm? That sounds like a contradiction. “You’ll never fall victim… but [Satan will] besiege you.” That same paradox caused James to say, “Consider it all joy, my brothers, whenever you encounter various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.”

I’ve probably said a hundred times that God is more concerned with our character than our comfort. I have also heard it said that our faith seldom grows when we are at ease; it takes pressure to make a diamond. So, I struggle; I raise my shield against Satan’s fiery darts. I’m waiting impatiently for the maturity that will allow me to consider my situation “all joy.” The enemy wants Christian education to fail. Our pastor at the school told the students that they were fortunate to be starting their lives as believers at a young age; they have a lifetime to serve Christ. Satan sees that too; he sees an army of well-equipped soldiers coming against him. I pray they will all raise their shields and wield their swords in a wave of victory for the Kingdom. In the meantime, I battle against the spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies.

Related Posts: War is Hell; Understanding Salvation; It’s Not All About You

He comes to me in the night,

That ancient enemy of my soul.

He whispers in my sleepy ear

That I’m not up to the fight.

 

I tell my heart not to fear

When I wake in the valley of shadow

I remind myself of God’s promise

Always to be near.

 

In the dark of night, it is good to know

That God has promised to bless me.

 And when I rise with morning light

He’s with me wherever I go