Category: Faith

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Sin

Sin is a popular topic in many Christian circles. Some constantly preach against it. Most agree that it is a problem, and it is. I see a problem with the way a lot of Christians see sin and our relationship to sin. Some believe that we are “just sinners saved by grace.” Many others believe that there are two natures living in us, and that the one we “feed” the most is the one that is stronger. I believe Scripture shows us a different way of looking at sin.

Sin is the force that ruled us before we came to Christ. We were indeed, sinners before we came to faith. Now though, we are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). We have become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). We have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16), we have a new spirit (Rom. 8:16), and the Spirit of God is in us (1 Cor. 3:16). We are God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10), we belong to God (1 Pet. 2:9), and we are dead to sin (Rom. 6:11).

Yes, but we still sin! True, but that doesn’t change who we are. Sin is still a force that remains in us, but it is no longer part of our nature. Before we came to Christ, sin told us what to do, and those ways of thinking and seeing the world were ingrained in us. When we become a child of God, sin still dwells in us (Rom. 7:17). It is still there, whispering in our ear and seeking to influence us to act in a way that is incompatible with who we truly are. When we sin, it is not because we are still sinful, but it is because we still sometimes do things according to the old way of thinking.

If I am angry with someone and continue to dwell on that anger and not give it up to God, it is not because I am an angry person, but is because I am acting out of an old script in which I was an angry individual who did not forgive and held on to my anger. I need to realize that kind of anger is not compatible with who I am as a child of God. I need to allow the Spirit to transform my thinking in this area.

When I am proud and think that I am better than others, when I fail to see others as God’s image bearers, when I am selfish in my interactions with others, it is not because I am sinful. It is because I fail to see these sinful actions as not fitting with who I am in Christ. Again, I need to have my mind renewed. The same is true when I fail to trust the love and goodness of my Father. Any time I sin, it is because I have not taken my thoughts captive and run them through the filter of my identity as a child of God.

May the Spirit renew and transform our minds so we increasingly live as the new creations we are!

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Forgiveness and Wholeness

The readings this week in the Mosaic Bible are on forgiveness. In one of the selections, Bill Senyard writes:

“Think about this. If the victim and the perpetrator are both, by faith, made whole-
imagine the new dynamics between them and with others. The result is a new creation-
a community that looks strangely fearless, vulnerable, and intimate. Of the present fruit
of the passion of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:18), I would suggest that this is one of the most
neglected.
Many Scriptures describe what redeemed relationships could now look like in Jesus
Christ – husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and workers. If each party is
redemptively healed, then relationships take on a radical trajectory – for no one needs to
steal, to use, to abuse. In the end, only forgiven people are free to give to others with
abandon.”
I agree with Senyard that the most neglected, even forgotten, part of forgiveness is reconciliation. We are taught, rightly so, that God forgives us our sins, and therefore God will not punish us. That is true, but I believe that God’s forgiveness does more than take away our guilt and punishment. According to 2 Corinthians 5:18, God has reconciled us to himself through Christ. One of the aspects of our forgiveness is reconciliation with God. Our relationship with him is redeemed and we are healed. We are made whole.
Because we are forgiven, we are to forgive others. As Senyard writes, only the forgiven are free to give to others with abandon. An important part of forgiving others is reconciliation. If I am wronged by someone, and I don’t seek to be reconciled and see both of us made whole, am I truly forgiving? Am I whole if my relationship with others is not whole? Some who wrong me may have no desire to be reconciled. I believe that I should still go to them and make the attempt. If they do not wish to be made whole, then I have no further responsibility, but I can at least try. In that attempt, I believe healing will take place in my own heart.
Another part of seeking wholeness is making sure that we are blameless in our relationships. Sometimes we are guilty of sinning against others. Either we truly don’t know about the offense, or we are so wrapped up in ourselves that we don’t recognize what we have done. If my relationship with my wife is strained, and I don’t go to her and find out what the problem is and seek forgiveness and reconciliation, can I really say that I love her? By the same token, if my relationship with a brother or sister is strained and I have even an inkling that I may have sinned against them, I am to go to them and do what I can to make it right. If I don’t, can I really say that I love them?
Jesus gives both parties in a relationship responsibility to maintain the health of that relationship. In Matthew 5:23-24, he teaches the responsibility of the one who commits an offense. In Matthew 18 Jesus gives us the responsibility of one who has been wronged. In the passage in 2 Corinthians, Paul states that we who have been forgiven and made whole have been given a ministry of reconciling others to God. I believe that part of that ministry is bringing wholeness to our relationships with others, which brings wholeness to us and to them.
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Qualities of a Learner 4

This is the final post in a series on qualities of a learner. In part 1 we looked at being caring and principled. Part 2 was about being open minded, a thinker, and knowledgeable. In part 3 we looked at being reflective, inquiring, and a communicator. This time I want to look at the qualities of balance and risk taking.

A learner of Jesus should be balanced. This is another dirty word for some. Some see balance as being wishy-washy and not passionate about anything. That is not how I see balanced. Someone who is a follower of Jesus is going to be seen as unbalanced by many in the world. The source of our passion in life is Jesus, and our wholehearted devotion is to him alone. I see balanced as being able to experience all of the myriad ways God blesses us, and the ways we worship him. It can be easy for someone who is an active, serving individual to neglect and even disparage contemplation and study. It can also be easy for a contemplative to neglect action. There are many ways for us to relate to the Father and to draw near to him, and we should be open to those at different times in our lives.
Lastly, the learner of Jesus must be a risk taker. Considering what Jesus said about what would happen to his followers, we should realize that simply throwing in our lot with Christ is taking a risk. We risk when we tell those around us that we owe allegiance to the King of Kings, and no other. We risk when we don’t go along with the powers that be. Those actually may be somewhat easy for some. What many of us find hard is the risk taken in loving others and laying down our lives for them. That is risky because relationships can be messy. If I am not willing to risk rejection and pain, then my relationships will never be as deep as my Master desires them to be. It is risky for me to go to a brother or sister and ask their forgiveness, because they may refuse. It is also risky to go to another and tell them how they have sinned against me. They may well turn that around and hurt me further. My responsibility is not to change them or win them over. My responsibility is to trust my Abba to take care of me and throw myself on his love and grace as I seek to be reconciled. It may not turn out the way I want, but the One who created the universe can redeem any situation, no matter how hard.
Jesus, help those of us who are your followers to be caring, thoughtful, open minded communicators who are principled in our lives. Help us to not fear to take risks, to be knowledgeable inquirers who take time to reflect on you. In all this give us the balance that comes from living in your presence.
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Qualities of a Learner 3

This is the third of four posts in a series on the qualities of a learner. Part 1 is here, and Part 2 is here. So far, we have looked at five learner profile qualities in the IB program. Those five are: caring, principled, thinker, open minded, and knowledgeable. I have tried to relate these qualities to the life of one who is a follower (learner) of Jesus.

A learner is an inquirer. This person asks questions. They want to know, and are not afraid to reveal what they don’t know. As Bob Edwards said in a comment, one of the qualities he thinks of in a learner is humility. I think humility enters in here. Inquirers do not sit back and pretend to know it all. They recognize what they don’t know and will ask. Learners of Jesus have more to learn than we ever can in a lifetime, so we must be always inquiring.
A learner is also a communicator. As learners of Jesus, we are to be communicators. It’s easy to get the idea that we are to simply communicate the “gospel.” While we are to let others know that there is a King and that God is making all things new, we also need to remind our brothers and sisters in Christ of what the love that the Father has shown to us. We also need to remind each other that we are in this together, communicate our love for each other, and encourage each other to love and good deeds. Communication is something we all need to work on. How many problems would be solved if we really sought to communicate with each other instead of just talking at each other.
Another learner quality is reflective. This is the quality of taking the time to think things over. Many followers of Jesus would call this contemplative. While it is true that some are called to a lifestyle of contemplation, all of us could benefit by taking some time out of our far too busy lives to just be in Abba’s presence, thinking about what he has done for us and listening to his voice. Jesus said that his sheep would hear his voice. That is tough to do with so much noise around us, but it is a quality that is vital to our spiritual life.
On top of the qualities of caring, principled, thinker, open minded, and knowledgeable, let us also be inquirers who communicate, and who also take the time to reflect.
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Qualities of a Learner 2

In the first post, we looked at two of the Learner Profile Qualities in the IB program and how they relate to life for followers of Jesus. We looked at being caring and being principled. Today I want to look at three more qualities of a learner.

A learner is a thinker. They stop and ponder before they act. They use the mental faculties that God gave them. A learner of Jesus should be a thinker as well. While faith in Jesus is not an intellectual exercise and there are many things that are a mystery to us, we must be thinkers. We are told to test the spirits and to be alert to the schemes of our enemy, satan. To do that we must be able to think and understand. For too many years, too many Christians have blindly followed those who have been able to sway them with appeals to tradition or rules, or by the strength of their personality. Our relationships with others would be vastly improved as well if we would stop and think about whether what we are about to do or say is showing love.
A learner is also open minded. I know open mindedness is considered of the devil by some, and if it meant just blindly swallowing every thing that came down the road (see above) I would agree. I see being open minded as recognizing that I don’t have a monopoly on truth, that there are some things that I believe now that will be shown to have been wrong. I always told my Bible students that I believe that when we stand before God he will tell us that we were all wrong about certain things (and no, I don’t know what those things will be) Being open minded means being teachable and open to the Spirit changing us as we grow and learn more of Christ.
The next quality of a learner is being knowledgeable. It’s close to thinker, in that being a thinker will make you more knowledgeable. Spend time with folks who have grown up in churches, and you will be amazed at the number who know things that just aren’t so. There is a lot of misinformation out there. Some of it is spread by preachers who feel free to play fast and loose with Scripture in order to promote their agenda. Some of it is spread by preachers who, quite frankly, are themselves ignorant. Again, while I don’t believe following Jesus is an intellectual exercise, and there is much that we just don’t know, We have to use our minds so we don’t become tossed back and forth with every teaching that looks good on the surface.
May God help us who are learners of Jesus to be caring, principled, thinkers, open minded, and knowledgeable.
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Qualities of a Learner

The middle school where I work is part of the International Baccalaureate program. The program is designed to develop students who are able to think beyond their own neighborhoods and cities (and in the case of some middle schoolers, get them to think beyond themselves). One of the things stressed in the IB program is what are called Learner Profile Qualities. As we were discussing these qualities in a class this past week, I was thinking of how these qualities relate to living life as a follower of Jesus. I am going to attempt to put some of these thoughts here in a series of posts. I hope you’ll bear with me.

One goal of the IB program is to develop life-long learners. If we are followers of Jesus, we are learners. We realize that we don’t have all the answers, and that we need constant teaching. We are apprentices who are continually learning to be like our Rabbi. One of the qualities of a learner is caring. I don’t know where this quality is ranked in IB, but I think it is the basic quality for a learner of Jesus. The most important command that Jesus gave us is to love each other. John, in his first letter goes so far as to say that if we don’t have love we don’t really belong to Christ at all. Jesus said that the defining mark of a follower is love for other followers. Beyond that, Jesus said that the second greatest commandment, after love God, is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. A characteristic of the early church is that there were no needy persons among them. We are to care for each other, to love each other, to be willing even to lay down our lives for each other.
A second quality of a learner is being principled. Being principled means doing the right thing, no matter what. This is a quality that some students have a problem with. It is also a problem that sometimes gives learners of Jesus a hard time. It’s far too easy to not do the hard things that Jesus calls us to do. Sometimes we try to justify this by reminding others that we are under grace, and doing certain things is just being legalistic. Sometimes we look at something that Jesus clearly wants us to do, and justify not doing it because of other people. Either they aren’t doing it so why should we, or I’m not going to do that because certain folks might treat us badly. Like a middle schooler, we are afraid of what our peers think or what they might do, so we excuse our failure to do what is right. We are called to obey Christ no matter what, and to leave the results of that obedience in his hands.
Be caring and principled.
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Problems and Opportunities

The stock market is on a roller coaster ride. Some economists say the United States is headed for another recession. European nations are in crisis. The U.S. credit rating has been downgraded. Unemployment continues to be a major problem.

Some say the United States is being punished for “turning away from God.” Others say that this is a sure sign of the end. These things may be true or they may not. I wonder if maybe God is finished with this country as far as blessing it and using it to bless the world. Many see these things as serious problems, and there are some who are even reacting in the same manner as those who put their trust in material things rather than God.
I do believe we may be in for some rough times in this country. What that will mean is left up to far wiser folks than me to figure out. What I do know is that the coming bad times, if they come, will present those who claim to follow Jesus the opportunity to put their money (or their houses, cars, or other possessions) where their mouth is.
One of the primary things said about about the early church was that there were no poor persons among them. If you remember, this was at a time when there were a whole lot of poor people around the Empire. The followers of Jesus, because they were devoted to Jesus Christ and to each other, were willing to go so far as selling their possessions in order to help those who were in need. How far are we willing to go?
Are we willing to sell something to give to a fellow Christian who has lost employment? Are we willing to change our routine and patronize a business on order to help a brother or sister in Christ? Are we willing to provide living space for someone who has lost their home? Are we willing to share possessions (clothes, yard tools, cooking utensils, etc.) in order to ease someone’s burden? In short, are we willing to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters?
A friend said to me that she believed God was telling her that the time was short. While this could refer to the end times, I think that maybe it’s our time as prosperous “American Christians” that is short. I believe that it may not be very long before those of us who claim to follow Jesus will have to put up or shut up.
God help us to be found faithful.
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Soup and Relationships

I know. You’re wondering what in the world soup has to do with relationships. I’m glad you asked. For in-service training at the middle school where I work, we are reading Soup by Jon Gordon. It is a book about a company that makes soup and the lessons that the new CEO learns on her way to turning the company around. While reading this book, I was once again struck by the idea that all truth is God’s truth, and that we can learn from unexpected sources.

At one point in the story, one of the characters makes this statement: “Communication, trust, and love create the foundation for any successful relationship. Without communication, trust, and love, your relationship won’t be very strong; and without strong relationships you can’t have a strong team; and if you don’t have a strong team, then you can’t have a strong organization. Relationships are the foundation upon which winning teams and organizations are built.” While this statement does work for businesses, I believe it is just as true for those of us who follow Jesus.
Our faith is a faith built on relationship. We belong to a God who is a relational Being. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in a perfect love relationship with each other. I think you could say they have communication, trust, and love. We are also called into relationship with God. He has adopted us into his family, and calls us to accept his love and love him in return. God is someone who we can trust, and he communicates with us. Belonging to God is not a matter of saying or doing the right things. It is a matter of accepting and living in the love the Father has lavished on us.
Our relationships with others must be built on communication, trust, and love. Many of the problems in marriages, family relationships, and churches could be solved if we communicated with each other, if we trusted others enough to feel safe enough to communicate and were worthy of that trust, and if we loved enough to work through any problems that come from communication, or miscommunication. The primary command that Jesus gave us is to love each other as he loves us. We are to lay down our lives for our friends. How many times is our lack of communication, trust, and love due to our unwillingness to lay down our preferences, our “rights,” our comfort. We don’t put forth the effort to build relationships with fellow believers, and therefore our lives and churches are smaller and have less joy than what is possible.
Communication, trust, and love take work. It can be messy, and sometimes we can get hurt. But just as building relationships was the foundation on which the revival of the soup company was based, so relationships are the foundation on which God’s kingdom is built. After all, Jesus did say that our love for each other would be the way the world would know that we belonged to him.
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Source of Life

Jan and I spent a week in the Los Angeles area, visiting our daughter Jennie. One day, we went hiking in Eaton Canyon, just outside Pasadena. We hiked on a trail that ran for a mile and a half to some falls at one end of the canyon. It was our first time in one of the many canyons that dot the Los Angeles area. We were struck by the stark beauty of the canyon.
Another thing I noticed was the creek that ran through the bottom of the canyon near the beginning of the hike. The creek started at the falls and was a decent size. By the time it reached the bottom of the canyon it was not much more than a trickle. When I first saw it I thought of the verse in Isaiah 35 where the prophet speaks of streams in the desert.
As we went along the trail I noticed that there were green trees growing along the creek bed. These trees were a far cry from the dry vegetation in the rest of the canyon.
As I looked at the trees and noticed that the green continued only for about 40 feet or so on either side of the creek, I thought of the description of Jesus as the Water of Life. As the trees were green and thriving along the banks of the creek, so we thrive by staying in close contact with Jesus. If we let ourselves get caught up in all the stuff of our lives and let that close relationship fade, we tend to dry out and wither, just as the plants further from the creek dried out.
There may be times when it seems as if we are dry, and there is no Water to quench our thirst. Just as in the dry canyon bottom, there is water. The Source of our life is there. We may need a period where we must sink our roots deeper, or we may need to adapt and live with what seems like a small amount of water for a while. Regardless, the only way we can be satisfied and have the living water flowing out of us is by staying as close to the Source as we can.
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Disunity and the mind of Christ

This is the eleventh post in a chain blog on “Dealing with Traditionally Divisive Issues,” started by Alan Knox. At the bottom of this post you’ll find links to the other posts in the chain blog.

In John 17, Jesus prays that his followers would be one. Anyone who takes even a cursory look at the church today would realize that those who claim to follow Jesus are not one. The body of Christ is divided into groups based on any number of doctrinal differences, and possibly an equal number number of practices. Churches that may agree on doctrine and practice are sometimes divided over relationship problems. I believe that part of the answer to the divisiveness in the church today is found in Philippians 2.

As different denominations and groups have grown up over the centuries, they have usually been built on distinctive doctrines or differences in organization. Dallas Willard calls these things vessels which hold the treasure which we have been given. The treasure is Jesus, and the problems come when our focus gets off the treasure and onto the vessel. Philippians 2 puts the focus back on the treasure and exhorts us to have the same mind as Christ. Paul bases this exhortation on the mercy, love and encouragement that we have in Christ through his Spirit.
What does it mean to have the mind of Christ? Paul tells us that Jesus did not consider his glory and position as something to be used for his own purposes.When he came to this earth, he didn’t come with fanfare as a conquering king. He humbled himself and came as a helpless baby born to a working class couple from a nothing town. As Jesus went through his life, he didn’t force the disciples to do what he said, nor did he lord it over the folks he came in contact with on a daily basis. At the end of his time here, he did the work of a common household slave and washed his disciples’ feet! Then, this one that we rightly proclaim as King of kings allowed a kingdom of this world to put him to death. Unfortunately, this doesn’t sound like some leaders in the church today.
Before Paul gives us the example of Christ, he exhorts the church to be like minded, having the same love. This comes from doing nothing for our own selfish ambition or empty conceit. Instead, we are to humbly value others above ourselves and seek to advance their interests rather than our own. This is exactly what Jesus did. He loved. He did the things he did for the glory of his Father and the good of others. He did nothing out of selfish ambition.
There are valid reasons to separate, but most of the divisiveness in the church today has been caused by losing our focus on the treasure and focusing on the vessel, whether that vessel is doctrine, practice, or our own heart. What would the church look like if we each sought to have the same mind as Christ, if each of us put others first, humbled ourselves, and did what we did for the benefit of others? I would love to see that.
Chain blog rules:

1) If you would like to write the next blog post (link) in this chain, leave a comment stating that you would like to do so. If someone else has already requested to write the next link, then please wait for that blog post and leave a comment there requesting to write the following link.

2) Feel free to leave comments here and discuss items in this blog post without taking part in the actual “chain”. Your comments and discussion are very important in this chain blog.

3) When you write a link in this chain, please reply in the comments of the previous post to let everyone know that your link is ready. Also, please try to keep an updated list of links in the chain at the bottom of your post, and please include these rules at the bottom of your post.


“Links” in this chain blog:

1. “Chain Blog: Dealing with Divisive Issues Introduction” by Alan
2. “Chain Blog: Dealing with divisive issues starts with love” by Arthur
3. “I am divisive” by Jeremy
4. “Chain Blog: Please agree with me” by Jon
5. “Division and our shared humanity” by Andy
6. “Chain Blog: solving the problem” by Bobby
7. “Divisiveness: Acts 2 & Ugly Carpet” by fallenpastor
8. “Stimulating our Collective Memory” by Trista
9. “No, we can’t just get along” by Alan
10. “Who says we are divided?” by Jon
11. Who will write the next “link” post in the chain?