Note: This is an edited manuscript from the sermon I preached at Calvary Baptist Church on June 13 th, 2010.
There are plenty of people in this world who are hard to love. Let’s be honest, it’s easy to not to love those who are not like us. It’s convenient to ignore the poor, the outcast, the needy, those of different races that we don’t understand.
It’s also easy to ignore the people we don’t like. Especially those who are constantly defensive and negative, those who lash out verbally and withdraw emotionally. And then there are those who are just plain nasty. You know who I am talking about – its those people who seem to take “perverse pleasure in sabotaging every conversation.”[1]
It’s easy to ignore their calls, emails, and avoid them in the hall. It’s easy to make sure you don’t make eye contact with them when you see them out in public. But Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We read that and might be tempted to think: does Jesus know my neighbor? Now, that’s an impossible imperative!
Sure these people are hard to love. But, the command to love our neighbors is unavoidable in the Scripture. I would argue that if you truly understand that you have been saved by grace, then your attitude towards others will be one of compassionate love – reflecting the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Luke 10:25-28
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
Here you have the ‘Master Teacher’ with all of his disciples sitting down gathered around him. This was the ancient learning environment, much different than today’s classroom. In this environment the process of asking and answering questions was the way of learning. Lessons were not so tightly planned as in the modern classroom; instead a master teacher would skillfully guide the direction of the conversation by asking and answering questions.[2]
The religious leader was probably impressed with Jesus’ wisdom and decides to ask him a sincere question. The[3] religious leader addresses Jesus respectfully as ‘teacher’, but we cannot miss that he is intent on ‘challenging’ Jesus.[4] The religious leader was very “learned”[5]; he knew the details of the law of God. He has spent his life studying, classifying, and categorizing the law – all 613 laws in the Old Testament.[6] Just like In any other complex legal system, some laws eventually take priority over others.[7] The ancient teachers of the law were always trying to distinguish which laws were more important than others.[8]
And while this lawyer knew the law, he did not know its true meaning. This is revealed in his initial question. His question, ‘what shall I do to inherit eternal life’ indicates that eternal life was earned.[9] Note, there is an assumption on the part of the lawyer of human responsibility in the attainment, accomplishment[10] of eternal life.[11] What must I do?[12]
Jesus does not explore the assumption behind the question, but directs the questioner back to the law since he was “an expert.” Jesus asks the religious leader “what is written in the law?” and “how do you read it?”
‘To read’ here is not simply the act of reading, but perceiving the meaning of the text being read.[13] In other words, Jesus question – ‘how do you read it?’ invites the expert’s personal opinion – how do you interpret the law?
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
The experts answer is satisfactory as far as it goes. It is based on the Old Testament[14] passage Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18 – passages fundamental to Jewish life and worship. The Jewish people recited these passages often; every morning and every evening. The lawyer correctly combine the law of God, all 613 commands, and reveals them in one principle — love, directed to God and to others. He knew the right answer.[15] But there was something he did not understand about the law.
Jesus affirms that the man has answered correctly, properly, in fact the word used here is the word from which ‘orthodox’ is derived. In other words, the lawyer had the orthodox answer. But notice what happens in verse 29 as the religious leader responds back to Jesus imperative. Luke writes: that the religious leader, “desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, and who is my neighbor?”
What’s wrong with the Lawyers Heart?
When do we typically try and justify ourselves? When we know we are in the wrong?When we are found guilty or condemned? See, the religious leader knew he could not do what the law required perfectly. Here are the two things revealed by the lawyers question in verse 29:
1. The Lawyer Is Trying to Justify Himself
To the Religious leader, the law was some kind of contract with God by which he could earn eternal life. He wanted a ‘rule’ or ‘set of rules’ that he could keep and so he could justify himself.
2. The Lawyer Assumes That Some People Are Not Worthy Of Love.
This was the heart of the question ‘who is my neighbor?’ The only way he could ‘justify himself’ was to limit the extent of the laws demand. He wants to limit the extent of the laws demand because he knew that there were people he did not love, and there were people who would be very…very hard to love. In saying who is my neighbor he is saying “what kind of person is worthy of my love.”[16]
Jesus, does not answer his question, but tells a parable[17] that aims at his heart. With a dialogue in verses 25-29 in mind, continue reading through 37.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
This was about an 18 mile trip. It was a stretch of road known for its curves, rocky passes, and caves. On this road, robbers could easily hide and strike people – this was a remote area, and traveling it would make you vulnerable to such attacks. Jesus then adds a man lying in the road – half dead, and obviously needs help. So Jesus has set the stage, enter the characters.
The first two people who walk by are religious leaders. They are, by all outward appearances, the ones in Jesus’ time who would have it all together – they know the orthodox answers; they live very clean moral lives. More than that, in the ancient system the Levite and Priest were the typical ones who would bring help to the needy. But they pass right by.
Maybe the religious leader identified with these characters as Jesus told the parable and thought to himself – surely there is a good reason why they just passed by, right?
Well, if the religious leader was not already self condemned through ‘neglect’, here is where Jesus nails him.
But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
A Samaritan? Really Jesus? …
Jesus purposely uses the lawyer’s enemy, the pagan Samaritan to drive home the point: and here is how he did it – by directing one last question at the religious leader:
Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
This right here is the key to the parable: in asking this last question, where has Jesus now placed the religious leader in the story?
See, he had to identify the neighbor from the perspective of the man dying in the road – from that perspective; it was not the religious leader who was upholding God’s law – it was the Samaritan. And Jesus gave him no way around the answer.
Notice what the religious leader says – The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” The religious leader did not even use the word ‘Samaritan.’ Jesus has the religious leader answer his own question ‘who is my neighbor’ – by forcing the lawyer to see that obedience to the command ‘love your neighbor’ is fulfilled in the ‘one who shows mercy.’
Jesus changes the question from – ‘What kind of person is my neighbor?’ and aims it back at the religious leaders own heart, causing him to ask himself “well, what kind of person am I?”
The religious leader knew that if it were a Samaritan dying in the road. He would not have stopped and shown him mercy. So when faced with the question, “am I being a neighbor?” – he would have to answer no. So then, the question – “what kind of person deserves my love?” is changed to “how can I become a loving person who upholds God’s commands?”
See, Jesus was showing him that eternal life is not a matter of keeping rules at all – it goes much deeper than that, obedience flows from the heart.[18] And here is a religious leader who tries his hardest to ‘keep all of the external commandments’ – but Jesus revealed that the problem was in his sinful heart.
And that’s the point. The religious leader walked away thinking… well, where do I get a new heart? This is where we find it, in the Gospel. In the gospel we see how the call to love if achieved in Christ – who gives us the power and the motivation to love, resulting in the ministry of love.
The Gospel Framework
1. The Call to Love
The imperative “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” is the call to ‘love God and others with all of your being.’
It literally means that – every faculty and capacity that we have should display at every moment that God is our supreme treasure, the thing we love most. That all the affections of our heart are enraptured with Him, we delight in Him and in Him alone – and this is demonstrated in every action of our lives, every thought of our mind, and in every physical effort we exert. – They all proclaim the love of God. In other words, the law is not being fulfilled unless it is observed as a way of giving and showing love to God or others – no matter who they are. But, let’s be transparent for a moment.
So, while we have the “call to love” – we admit that we cannot do this ‘in and of ourselves.’ Unlike the religious leaders of Jesus day we cannot look at law as the way to life. We understand that:
The law reveals our death in sin. The law never meant to save man, because it could not. No man can save himself, or justify himself, by keeping the law. The law was given in order that we might be brought to Christ. In Paul’s words it was meant to be ‘our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ’.
But the law also reveals what it looks like to live as God’s people. But, because it reveals our sinfulness, we are forced to realize that we cannot truly uphold the law that is required of God. So, we need outside help. We need someone to come and change our hearts, and enable us to live a godly life. Which God promised to His people in Deuteronomy 30:6
And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
Here is the good news: this circumcision of the heart, this changing of the heart is provided in Christ as the fulfillment of that prophecy. Through Christ, God changes our hearts so that we may live. So we not only see the call to love, but that God has provided the power to love through Jesus Christ.
2. The Power to Love
Jesus Himself Is Our Perfection
Again, this is the paradox of the law. That God requires strict and perfect obedience but at the same time provides the means of dealing with the fact that such obedience cannot be given by sinful human beings. – Solution Jesus. Jesus fulfills the law by keeping it perfectly for us, but also displayed its meaning.[19] Jesus was what the law pointed to. Jesus is the true Israelite upon whose heart God’s law was perfectly written.
He is our only hope for righteousness and thus eternal life – because He is the only one who has fulfilled these commands. When we repent of sin and place our faith in Christ – His righteousness is accredited to us, and we obtain the gift of eternal life.
Salvation happens when we see ourselves as the man lying in the road dead in our sins and trespasses, and cry out realizing we need to be saved. And Jesus out of compassion comes to us – with a love greater than that of the ‘good Samaritan.’ While the Good Samaritan may have risked his life the good shepherd completely surrendered His life on our behalf.
God makes us living and righteous when we as sinners are awakened by His spirit, and see Jesus as our only hope for acceptance before God. Jesus is Himself our perfection. – Our good Samaritan.
Jesus, by His presence and power within us, transforms us to truly love.
When I say that Jesus transforms us – this happens through the gospel, through the Spirit. The gospel is not just for conversion, but for sanctification as the Spirit works to apply the gospel to all areas of your life.
See, when you experience Jesus as your “good Samaritan” it transforms you forever. You were saved only by the grace of someone who owes you nothing but rejection. And when He saves you there is continual transformed behavior through the power of His spirit as the gospel is applied to living. This transformed behavior is the fruit or evidence of this conversion and continual transformation.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5
Continually remind yourself of the gospel. Abide in God’s glorious grace. The gospel not only produces faith, but feeds your faith allowing you to bear fruit. Your loving deeds depend on the power of Jesus in the same way a branch depends on the tree. Therefore, the gospel is not only the power to love, but also the motivation to love
3. The Motivation to Love
Someone once said that “a life poured out in deeds of compassion of love to others is the visible sign that you have experienced the love of God in Christ.”[20] In the beginning of the parable, we see that God’s word requires a love that cannot be mustered up in obedience to a laws requirement; it is a love that comes from a changed heart. We need a changed heart.
Loving God and neighbor is a response to the free grace shown in Jesus Christ, our good Samaritan. It’s when you see Jesus, and what he’s done for you, that you respond out of joy and your heart is changed. You then receive His power, and are motivated to be a neighbor to others. You were saved only by the grace of someone who owes you nothing but rejection. Therefore you love all people – and reject no one, but love them as to show them the beauty of Christ.
So when you see people who you think “don’t deserve neighborly love.” You need to remember that you, yourself were just like that towards Jesus – undeserving, dying in your own sin. Understanding that motivates you to throw down your excuses and sacrificially love others as yourself.
4. The Ministry of Love
A ministry of love demolishes any sinful limitations we might put on mercy. We are to love others even when it is risky and costly to us. Sacrificially loving others means that all the longing that I have for my own safety, health, success, and happiness – I now must feel for others as if he/she were me. Even the people I don’t like. The people who are not like me.
This is what loving your neighbor as you love yourself looks like. It’s only possible through Christ’s work – which changes your heart to desire God with all of your being. Here is how ‘loving God’ and ‘loving neighbor’ are related.
“Loving God is made visible and manifest – by sacrificially loving others.” This is the proper response to the gospel. This is a radical command. It cuts to the deep roots of human sinfulness – and requires the Spirits power.
It’s sad that has to Jesus start with you and I, and our inborn, deep, defining “love for self” as the measure by which we love others.[21] Think about it, we all want to be happy, to live with satisfaction.
So loving your neighbor as yourself means:
Seek for your neighbor the same things you seek for yourself, and do so with the same energy, passion, creativity, and persistence. And ultimately, as Christians we understand that God is the fulfillment of what you desire for yourself, therefore the proclamation of the gospel is the aim of our love for others.
Delight in God, abide in Him in such a way that His love will overflow and extend itself to all those around you – so that they would find Him as the all satisfying treasures of their souls. The external behaviors will only be pleasing to God when they flow from a heart that delights in God – when they flow from love for God.
May your heart delight and find joy in the gospel. Knowing that Jesus, your good Samaritan came to you while you were still yet dead in your trespasses and brought you to life.Remember, that you have been saved by grace, and your attitude towards others should reflect that grace and overflow into compassionate love – reflecting the gospel of Jesus Christ. Live as one who has experienced that beautiful grace.
Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 5:16
Continue reading “The Impossible Imperatives – Luke 10:25-37”
Note: This is an edited manuscript from the sermon I preached at Calvary Baptist Church on June 6th, 2010.
Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices! – Psalm 37:1-7
Opening Thought
While I was in college I worked at an after-school program at my home church. I was one of the counselors over the 5 year-old boys and girls. We had about 20 kids. At about 3:15 everyday there would be a knock on our class room door. And all the kids knew what it was. The excitement was unbearable for some of them. They knew that the snack cart had arrived. On this snack cart was every candy[1] you can imagine. Every day, this was the most anticipated moment – all the kids had their change ready to purchase their hearts desires!
There was always one kid who did not have money when the snack cart arrived. Most of the time it was because this kid’s parents would send him to after-school with a zip lock bag that had a small snack in it. It was always something that no other kid, in the class, possibly in the world, wanted – like ‘wheat oat bran flakes.’ You need to imagine this kid trying to trade his ‘cardboard’ flavored cereal for his favorite flavored skittle. – Not going to happen.
Well, on one of these particular days this poor kid’s emotions were running high. Here he was eating cereal that tasted like cardboard when everyone else was enjoying the sweetest of candies. So, logical response for a 5 year old – he broke out crying – declaring that he ‘hated his snack’, and that ‘it wasn’t fair that everyone else could have candy.’ Me being the wise and compassionate counselor I was, leaned over and looked him in the eyes and as lovingly as I could said – kid, “life is not fair.” Like that was going to make his cardboard taste like skittles. Even though the words “life is not fair” are true – they don’t always taste good. Especially when life is hard and everyone around you seems to be doing wonderful.
Three Hypothetical Situations
I am going to give you three hypothetical situations – three situations that I want you to place yourself in. I think this will help us draw out the emotions we need to deal with this morning, the emotions that King David is dealing with in Psalm 37.
When things like this happen it stirs up emotions within us. These emotions are often stronger[2] when the people who stir them up within us are people we don’t like. I believe the Psalmist is dealing with in Psalm 37. I believe we can learn a lot about ourselves – what makes us do what we do? What drives us? I would argue that our emotional struggles reflect is our deepest desires. More importantly, they reveal our deepest questions about God.[3]
Intro to Psalm 37
Psalm 37 is a wisdom psalm. So, what we have in this Psalm is instruction, ‘ancient curriculum’[4] for the development of wisdom for everyday living. To help your imagination here, glance at verse 25 where the psalmist King David says, “I have been young, and now am old.”
The picture being painted here is that we are sitting under the teaching of an older, wiser man, much more than that, a King. Wisdom Psalms are simply a series of observations about life[5] – this Psalm is not a tightly outlined argument, but a poem that imparts wisdom. David wrote this Psalm in such a way that the Israelites could learn its contents by heart – in the Hebrew it follows a certain rhythmic pattern that makes it easily remembered.[6] This allows for easy recall when needed in day to day living. In this Psalm David deals with some of the deepest issues wrestled with in the human heart – mortal life and eternity, wisdom and folly, and reward and punishment.[7] The treasure of wisdom found in this Psalm is well worth plunging into the depths of God’s Word and letting it expose our hearts and actions.[8]
Psalm 37:1-7
In verses 1-2 David is saying ‘do not allow yourself to become heated, to boil inside because of others’ – namely others who get what you want, or what you think you deserve.[9] So, the warning in verse 1, not to “fret yourselves”, is in the context of ‘envy.’ Do not burn with envy!
Let’s explore this for a moment. What is envy? What causes it? What does it reveal? Well, envy is somewhat complex. John Piper helped me understand the different layers of envy by unpacking it like this:[10]
So, the underlying reason we develop resentful envy is desire, desire mixed with resentment towards someone else. Back to my illustration “three situations” – why would you desire that job, a spouse, better looks?
I believe we desire to obtain certain things because we believe they will give us fulfillment or satisfaction, we need them to obtain our idea of ‘the good life.’ We are all on this quest, this quest to obtain satisfaction and fulfillment, ‘the good life’, and we pursue it without ceasing.[11]
Now, here is where we are faced with the terrible reality of human sinfulness. This is where it gets ugly – where our sinful hearts are most revealed. Envy reveals that deep down; ultimately, we are at war against each other to obtain these things. We are in a never-ending competition with one another. See, when we burn with envy we are enraged in battle against others who are keeping us from getting what we want – keeping us from obtaining the ‘good life.’
With our attention on the ‘three scenarios’, lets explore them on a deeper level: Work, Relationships, and Self Image. When it came to the hypothetical work situation, let me propose to you that ultimately it was not the job you wanted, it is what the job represented, what the job promised. That could be security, recognition, and value. In the same way, when it came to the relationship situation you were envious of the person who married your friend on a deeper level because of what that relationship represented for you, what the idea of a relationship promises. For many of us relationships promise intimacy, love, and belonging. And finally, when it came to self-image you are envious of others good looks and achievements because their lives, to you, represent and promise worth, acceptance, and happiness.
But in the end, these things will not deliver on their promises. There is always more. We are always left empty searching for fulfillment in the things of this world. I have always loved these words of C.S. Lewis, and they ring true here:
“If I find myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”[12]
Now, you may be thinking well what now? I feel like a child with a bag full of corn flakes in the middle of a candy store. If all these things ultimately don’t deliver on their promises. And if we are all at war with each other[13] to obtain these empty things. Where is the hope? The picture here is depravity, war against each other, envy. This is the state of the world, the strategy and aim of every human beings life? If that is the case then the human race is one massive tragedy!
The Beauty of the Gospel
But, there is a God and He came into this fallen world amongst warring men. And He surrendered His own life, instead of warring with us, instead of joining the battle for the things that will not satisfy, he surrendered His life in order to freely give us that which will satisfy the deepest desires of our souls.
The other things we try to find our fulfillment in fade in light of this glorious truth. Jesus gave his life so that we could have the deepest desires of our hearts satisfied – in Him forever. That is the beauty of the gospel.
If you are not a believer I call you to believe the gospel – the good news of Jesus. Place your faith in Jesus as the only one who can satisfy the deepest desires of your heart. Repent of your sinfulness and turn to delight in Christ and the Savior of your soul! For those of you who are already believers – let’s take off the Sunday morning mask for a second. It is quite possible that there are some of you in here who are:
This is why we as Christians need to learn to preach the gospel to ourselves. In other words I am calling you to wage war – not against each other, but against your own deceitful heart. I want to offer you a few strategies for war against unbelief.”
Truths for the Fight to Desire God
1. The things of this world will never satisfy the deepest desires of your heart.
According to verse 2, the things of this world are passing away. So, regardless of how well-off some people seem, they – themselves – are fading.
(2) For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
This is powerful imagery here. For some in King David’s region of the world this would be a very concrete example – in the Middle East “after the rainy season ends in the late spring, there is a great heat and no precipitation, so that everything green becomes parched and quickly withers.”[14] Therefore, the reasons you might burn with envy against others are fading. Plus, these things they delight in are not lasting, they are superficial and not to be envied, they will one day wither in the blazing heat of God’s glory.
Believe that the eternal delights of God will never end. While the temporary delights of this world will wither like parched plants in the blazing heat of the dessert. So “do not burn inside with envy”, in makes no sense. If we believe this it calls us to continually search our hearts to see which desires rule us – cravings for affection, attention, power, love, security, comfort – and enables us to repent and find God’s grace to change.[15]
2. Only God can satisfy the deepest desires of your heart in the gospel.
(4) Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
One of the most devastating realities about resentful envy, in the case of a believer, is that it reveals that you don’t truly believe this verse. Again, our emotional struggles don’t just reflect our deepest desires – they reveal our deepest questions about God.[16] Is God really good? Can God truly satisfy the deepest desires of my heart?
There are going to be times in your life when it does not seem like God is good – when life in not fair. And this is where resentful envy, if we allow it to become a ‘controlling emotion’[17] will lead us to despair. There is no therapeutic technique that can change hearts. Only God’s Spirit can change hearts. But the Bible tells us that we can describe what rules the heart and speak the truth that convicts and liberates.
Verse 4 tells us that when we “delight ourselves in the Lord, he will give us the desires of our heart.”
I beg you – taste and see that God is good – you will delight in Him. When you delight in Him, He will become the desire of our heart. This is much like conversion. When your eyes are first opened to the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ – it’s like tasting pure water from the fountain of delight in a dry and parched land. But this is also our means for Christian growth. Continue to drink from that fountain. Return to that fountain of ‘living water’ over and over, because it is the only source of delight that will fulfill your deepest desires. When we delight in God, God redirects our desires back to Himself as the only one who can fulfill our deepest longings. If you ever doubt this, remember the words of Saint Paul in Romans 8:32:
“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things..”
With this as your motivation I call you to, as verse 3 says, “trust in the Lord, and do good.” In order to, as verse 5 says, commit your way to the Lord [‘way’ literally means all of your life, every area of it] – you must fight to believe verse 4 – that in God the desire of your heart will be fulfilled. This shows you why you are not to envy, and how to think to fight envy in this fallen world, through the power of the Holy Spirit, as we wait until Christ makes all things new.
3. Because of God’s grace, one day we will fully experience fulfillment.
Why do I say ‘because of God’s grace?’ Well, look at verse 6.
(6) He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
So, David says commit your way to the Lord, trust Him, He will act. He will bring forth your righteousness, your justice as noonday. The image here is, again, that of bright light, a consuming blaze of sun. God will bring forth His glory to be revealed like the blazing sun at noon, which breaks into the darkness. All sin will be exposed, all evil, all the temporary things of this world will wither like grass.
Now, in Romans 3 – Paul says of the every human: “None is righteous, no, not one…no one seeks for God. no one does good..not even one.” So what is David talking about here in verse 6?
I believe this is God speaking through David and talking about Christ! Later on in Romans 4-6 Paul argues that “the one who places their faith in Christ is justified and counted as righteous.” There will be one day when God eradicates evil. When Jesus divides the clouds and the bright radiance of His glory is going to pierce this dark world. In that moment you will rejoice because you will see God bringing forth – Christ your righteousness, Christ and your justice in all His glory. See, justice prevailed when Christ offered himself as a sacrifice to be slaughtered on the cross for you and I, and when you repent and place your faith in Him, Christ becomes your righteousness. In light of this truth, hold fast to verses 3:
(3) Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
This idea of dwelling in the land was very important for David’s people. Remember that part of their collected experience involved wandering in the dessert – longing for the Promised Land. And once they got their, they were able to dwell – settle – and rest.
Again, there will be times when you feel like a kid with a bag of wheat oat bran in the middle of a world where everyone is enjoying the sweetest of candies. But you need to remember that your Father has provided a feast of salvation that will satisfy your deepest desires – fulfill your deepest longings. We need to continually dwell in the finished work of Jesus Christ, and rest.
(7) Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
Derek Radney and I gathered/wrote this material for the teachers in our church as we begin studying 1 & 2 Corinthians.
The Letters to the Corinthians and Us
Paul’s pastoral method in writing letters is extremely clear when one ponders the riches of these two letters. While Paul was writing to deal with specific immediate issues in the Corinthian church, which could have been addressed in a few pages, he allows these issues to form a theological agenda for writing. In other words, the issues prompting Paul’s writing provide a platform to discuss certain things in a larger context.
So while these letters were written for a specific church in a specific context, to be circled to a group of churches in the surrounding region[1], its application transcends the immediate and is directly applicable to us today. Just a general overview of the key themes illustrates this:
Corinth in the Time of Paul
The City of Corinth
Corinth was an ancient Greek city, dating back to beginning of the first millennium B.C. However, in 146 BC, the Romans totally destroyed it and burned it to the ground because the citizens there led a coalition of city states in rebellion against Rome. The city was gone for 100 years until Julius Caesar built a new Roman colony there in 44 BC. Thus, Corinth was established again as a very Roman city.
The architecture, political organization, and the very ethos of Corinth was Roman. Therefore, in the time Paul wrote to the church in Corinth “it was geographically in Greece but culturally in Rome.”[3]
The Population in Corinth
The population was primarily made up of Romans, “Caesar colonized the city with persons belonging predominately to the ‘freedman class’[4] and with some soldiers.”[5] As a result the city had a mixed ethnic population that included descendants of the original Greek population as well as former slaves from everywhere in the world – Egypt, Syria, Judea – all who had some familiarity with koine Greek. Furthermore, during the time this letter was composed approximately ‘one third’ of the population consisted of slaves, and Corinth was a main slave trade depot in that part of the world
The Social Culture in Corinth
In Corinth society was hierarchical and elitist. Wealth, status, and power were the dominant values. “Many inhabitants of Corinth were prosperous, and wealth and ostentatious display became a hallmark of Corinth.”[6] The wealth of Corinth was largely owed to its location, which was of great commercial importance. Corinth had two large gulf harbors which made it a hub of commerce in that part of the world.[7] In fact, wealthy Corinth became one of the most notable centers for banking and finance in the world.[8]
At the same time, many of Corinth’s inhabitants were impoverished. One ancient traveler declined to enter Corinth once he learned of the “repulsiveness of the rich and the misery of the poor” in the city.[9] But Garland notes that since it was largely a freeman’s city, “upward social mobility was more attainable than in other more established cities in the empire with their entranced aristocracies. Socially ambitious Corinthians could seize the opportunity to advance themselves.”[10] Individual advancement and the pursuit of success were very possible in Corinth for everyone, and it was thus a high value.
The society revolved around displays of wealth and honor. People sought status by attaining patronage from the powerful through excellence in philosophical eloquence, business ventures, and political connections. It was a highly individualist, egocentric, competitive society dominated by leaders who consistently showed their power, honor, and status. This environment is most obvious in the writings of the ancient philosopher Diogenes, who wrote of his experience while in Corinth:
“That was the time, too, when one could hear crowds of wretched sophists around Poseidon’s temple shouting and reviling one another, and their disciples, as they were called, fighting with one another, many writers reading aloud their stupid works, many poets reciting their poems while others applauded, many jugglers showing their tricks, many fortune tellers interpreting fortunes, lawyers innumerable perverting judgment, and peddlers selling what ever they had.”[11]
The Religious and Philosophical Influences in Corinth
It was a melting pot of old and new religions flourishing together. There was worship of all the Greek/Roman gods, Egyptian mystery cults, magic, the imperial worship of Roman emperors, and Judaism. Aside from Judaism, most people worshiped gods from all sorts of religious backgrounds thinking that the more one worshiped the better. Therefore, the religious climate was strongly pluralistic and nationalistic. Among the many shrines and temples of Corinth the most prominent in the religious and architectural atmosphere was the Temple of Aphrodite.[12]
The Church in Corinth
The Church at Corinth was in a mess:
But, notice how Paul starts the first letter:[13]
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Cor. 1:2-3
The Church hardly looked like a sanctified bunch, and yet Paul greeted them as “those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together.” Paul called them sanctified despite their sinfulness because they had been set apart by God to be holy because of the blood of Jesus Christ. They had been made holy through the washing of Christ’s blood. So, Paul reminded them that they were to live like saints since God had made them holy. And, Paul reminded them that they were to live like saints together.
In one simple greeting, Paul got to the heart of their problem and reminded them of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They were living immoral lives, but God had made them holy to live holy lives! They were living divided as a church, but God had called them into fellowship with himself and with one another.
Paul’s Ministry in Corinth
On Paul’s second missionary journey, he left Antioch, traveled through Asia Minor by passing through Cilicia, Galatia, and Asia before sailing to Macedonia where he planted churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. After planting these three churches in Macedonia, he turned south into Achaia and spent time in Athens. After planting three churches in Macedonia and experiencing persecution there, only a few people believe the gospel in Athens, and so he left Athens in peace without a dramatically effective ministry there.
It was no accident that Paul positioned himself in strategic cities during his ministry. The places where Paul focused his ministry were lively cities and formed a strategic triangle enabling the gospel to be spread among the busiest trade routs in the world. He had good reason to spend much time there. Corinth was specifically profitable for a few reasons:
Key Leaders in Corinth
Priscilla and Aquila
Upon arriving in Corinth, Paul linked up with Priscilla and Aquila. Aquila was a Jew originally from Pontus (the northern part of Asia Minor). But, he had been living and doing business in Rome. His wife Priscilla was a Gentile, possibly from Rome. The two had been expelled from Rome because Emperor Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome in about 49 AD. The Roman historian Suetonius, writing 70 years after the event, said that Claudius expelled the Jews because there was consistent rioting ‘at the instigation of Chrestus.’ This is probably a reference to Jesus Christ. Thus, it appears that Christianity had reached Rome, and that it had caused a stir in the Jewish community to such a degree that all Jews were expelled. Aquila and Priscilla were Christians who had a tent-making business that most likely took them from Rome, to Corinth, to Ephesus. Paul worked for them as he also began his ministry preaching in the synagogue every Sabbath to persuade the Jews and Greeks that Jesus was the Messiah. We learn from the rest of Scripture that these two became great friends and ministry partners with Paul. They helped Apollos get his theology straight (Acts 18.24-26) and they were a tremendous help to all the churches that Paul ministered too (Rom. 16.4).
Apollos
While Paul traveled to Jerusalem and Antioch at the end of his 2nd missionary journey, a Greek Christian from Alexandria came to Ephesus. He was very eloquent, but his theology needed some updating since he had not heard of any baptism but that of John the Baptist. Priscilla and Aquila had stayed in Ephesus to run their business after Paul stopped briefly there on his way to Jerusalem, and they pulled Apollos aside to explain to him what he lacked (Acts 18.24-26). After this, Apollos left and went to Corinth to minister there (Acts 19.1, I Cor. 3.6).
Peter
Several things suggest that Peter ministered in Corinth after Paul planted the church and before he wrote I Corinthians. First, Peter is mentioned in chapter 1 as one of the person’s that people in Corinth were claiming to belong to. Apollos and Paul were the others, and this suggests that people were dividing up along the various leaders that had ministered in Corinth. Second, Paul alludes to the fact that Peter had the right to minister with a wife. This lends support to, though it is not strong, the idea that Peter and his wife traveled to Corinth.
The First Epistle to the Corinthians from Paul
Major Themes:
The Second Epistle to the Corinthians from Paul
Major Themes:
A ‘time-line’ of the letters to the Corinthians:
Continue reading “First and Second Corinthians – An Introduction”
I have noticed a strange phenomenon in the local church. There is a fear among Christians of being open and honest about their struggles – their sin – with other members of the church body. I think this phenomenon is the result of the dangerous combination of teaching focused on moralism and the desire to be seen as ‘a good person’ without a healthy understanding of our sinful nature.
We all want a good reputation. We would rather avoid exposure of who we really are, so we pretend and don’t seek help from our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. But the strange paradox is that our “good reputation” can become an idol. When our reputation becomes our chief concern, where we find security in how others think of us, we often hide sin from our church family and undermine one of the primary purposes of the church. This type of attitude is proof of a deep seeded pride and self reliance, and does not allow true repentance to take place. Dietrich Bonhoeffer describes this mentality in what he calls the ‘pious church.’
The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So everybody must conceal his sin from himself and from the fellowship. We are not allowed to be sinners. Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is discovered among the righteous. So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy. But the fact is, we are sinners.
If you feel trapped in this mentality I want you to think about the Samaritan woman that met Jesus at Jacobs well in John 4. She was a Samaritan, which was a racially mixed group, partly Jewish and partly Gentile. In that time the Samaritans were disdained by other ethnicities because they did not ‘purely’ belong to any ethnic group. Beyond that, this particular woman was seen as highly immoral. She had many marital relationships and was highly frowned upon because of her sexual promiscuousness. Think about the social implications of this.
In order to deal with this situation the Samaritan woman would draw water from the town well each day at a time when no one else was there, this would allow her to avoid facing other people. She was ashamed. She was an outcast and a sinner. What is funny about this narrative is that in her attempt to avoid other people she ends up standing in front of Jesus Christ, God in flesh. It is absolutely beautiful what Jesus does.
Jesus told her everything she had ever done and still offered her living water.
Now, think about that – and its implications on us as Christians in the body of Christ, the church. As members of the church, we are brought into the family of God through salvation in Jesus Christ alone. This is our common bond, the core of our fellowship. We are no longer outcasts; we belong in the family of God through Christ. We have been forgiven of our sin, and are able to fellowship with God through Christ. The church is a community of people who have been saved by grace through trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation – this is where we find our security.
So when we gather there should be no fear in being who we actually are. When we gather we should not have to worry about wearing a masks to fit in. We belong because of Christ and what He has done – not because of who we are.
Now, this does not mean that we ignore sin. We take sin seriously and walk with each other through struggles by the grace of God, and at the same time we are a community of repentance – this is our reputation.
Consider one last point about Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman. When Jesus offers her living water she runs back into the town, to the people she was ashamed to fellowship with, and proclaims the good news openly.
Jesus knows all of her sin and still offers her living water.
This is the testimony that brings people to God. So why is it that so many people hide who they really are from their brothers and sisters in Christ? I would argue that too often we find our security and significance in our ‘reputation’, or outward conformity to social and moral norms. We need to recognize that in the church we are all saved, and we are all sinners. Tim Chester writes:
We will never be perfect in this life, but we can always be and should always be changing…sin is never the last word for the children of God. Grace is always the last word. If we confess our sins to God, He is faithful. He’ll keep His promise to forgive.
The good news is that Jesus sees all of our sin – and still offers us salvation.
The Gospel in Life is an intensive 8 week course on the gospel and how it is lived out in all of life – First in your heart, then in your community, and then out into the world.
I am excited about going through this material on Wednesday nights at our West Campus starting May 12th, we will be meeting in room 3207 from 6:30-8:00pm. I encourage you to participate in this study. Each week we will read scripture together, watch a 10 minute DVD teaching by Dr. Tim Keller, and have discussion. Here is the calendar with a list of the topics:
May 12 – City: The World That Is
May 19 – Heart: Three Ways To Live
May 26 – Idolatry: The Sin Beneath The Sin
June 2 – Community: The Context For Change
June 9 – Witness: An Alternative City
June 16 – Work: Cultivating The Garden
June 23 – Justice: A People For Others
June 30 – Eternity: The World That Is To Come
For more information on the material see gospelinlife.com. I hope you will join us as we seek to further our understanding of how the gospel applies to all areas of life, personally and in the community.
I recently finished teaching a class on Biblical Theology at Calvary Baptist Church where I serve as an associate pastor. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, Biblical Theology is a redemptive-historical approach to teaching the Bible.
Below you will find a PDF file of the first draft of notes, with page numbers and an index. I hope you find these notes beneficial in your studies as you seek to see how the gospel of Jesus Christ is central to the whole Bible.
An Introduction to Biblical Theology: Seeing Christ in the Old Testament
The Strategic Planning Process
Our church is currently in the strategic process of looking ahead to the future, you can read about the 20/20 process here. As our church looks back, “we can see that we are the heirs of a great legacy. Yet it is our privilege and responsibility to look forward and ensure that God’s work through this ministry is passed on, even stronger, to the next generation.”
Part of this process involves assessing and clarifying the mission and core values of the church. While the gospel will never change – the environment in which the church communicates the gospel and reflects the kingdom of Christ will. I believe that the mission and core values should be timeless truths that navigate how the church operates within its local context. These things are very important because they will form the ministry strategy. In other words, the mission and core values of a local church clarify much about the aim, focus, and implementation of all ministry endeavors.
Now, I need to be honest here, ‘strategic planning’ is something that I am growing to appreciate and value. When it comes to reading and study I am more oriented towards theology and ecclesiology. Most resources on strategic planning are business oriented. Now, there are a few ‘common grace’ applications we can take from business wisdom, but with caution. Focusing most of my energy in theology and ecclesiology has made it pretty obvious that the church is a completely different institution than a business.
With that in mind, I have attempted to compile something that might help you think through the strategic planning process – which should always begin with the mission and core values. From these foundational convictions all other things are put in their proper place. So here is one concise attempt to provide guidance in developing the mission and core values of a local church.
Ministry Mission or Purpose
The mission of a church broadly dictates the ministry’s direction. If someone were to ask ‘why does the church exist’, the mission statement should provide a good theologically sound answer. I think the mission or purpose of a church should be a broad Biblical statement of what the church is about, again, why does it exist?[1]
Core Ministry Values
Core values shape the ministry of your local church. Core values are the constant, passionate, biblical core beliefs that drive the overall ministry of a church. In other words, core values determine ministry distinctives, communicate what is important, and guide ministry decisions.
Conclusion
The central questions addressed here are simple: Why does your church exist? How will the people know what your church holds in high value unless it is stated? I think there is much wisdom in Larry Osborne’s statement:
“If [a church body] is going to work together effectively, we have to be reading off the same sheet music. Otherwise, we’ll be a small ensemble to which everyone brings his own favorite arrangement. The resulting sound will be chaos, not music.”
If you are a pastor or ministry leader I would challenge you to take the time and think through these issues. Without a clear picture, things will be blurry, the people will be confused, and everyone will be running in their own direction. I believe that once the mission and core values are established in your church, you are more able to develop the clear strategic objectives that will enable the implementation of a unified ministry.
Last week I completed teaching an 11 part course in Biblical Theology at Calvary Baptist Church, where I serve as an Associate Pastor. In preparation I found that Graeme Goldsworthy’s book “According to Plan” was an excellent introduction to the discipline of Biblical Theology. So I organized the material after ‘Part Three’ of that book, while supplementing the notes with other resources. I hope to continue teaching this class throughout ministry. This is the first draft of the notes, which I will revise continually.
Here are the notes that I taught from, and handed out each week in the class.
For further study I would also recommend the following books:
If you are a Bible Teacher or Preacher I would also recommend these books:
I would also encourage you to visit the website “Beginning with Moses” for some excellent resources.
Matt Capps 