TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.  Rom. 1:18, N.I.V.

For a long time preachers have been "calling down" the wrath of God against sinners.  The message is plain: "If you don't shape up, God is going to get you.  And good!"  Though they never really say it quite this way, they might as well: "Love God--or else!"

What an incentive to love!  But love never happens when demanded "at gun point," as it were.  And even if He puts the gun away, as long as you know He's wearing it in His holster and that it's loaded and ready to shoot, it's difficult to warm to His overtures.

What about God's wrath, anyway?  It's about time we take a good look at it and see it for what it is.  Will what we discover fit into our growing understanding of who God is?  Or will we have to  live with our old ideas of God's wrath, like it or not?  After all, He is God!  And the Bible does use words such as "wrath" and "anger" when describing the punishment of the wicked.

The clearest explanation of the wrath of God is found in chapters 1 and 2 of Romans.  In our text for today we read, "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness."  The first indication of what this wrath is referring to is found in verse 24: "Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts" (N.I.V.).  Verse 26 echoes this thought ,and verse 27 becomes explicit: "Men...received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion" (N.I.V.).

It is evident that God's wrath is His posture of allowing the consequences of sinful acts and behavior to fall upon man.  In Eden He set in motion the plan of salvation whereby we have been spared, to a great degree, the effects of separation from Him.  Were we to experience the actual results of this separation, we would not live to learn the awful truth of it.  However, in order for us to experience reality, He allows us to encounter, even now, a measure of the consequences.

Romans 2:5-8 describes the final results of our choices.  Those who have sought the Life-giver shall live.  Those who have rejected Him have rejected life.

THE MORE EXCELLENT WAY

If I...understand all mysteries and all knowledge...but have not love, I am nothing.  1 Cor. 13:2, R.S.V.


I am almost embarrassed to admit it, but when I would see him coming toward me from across the campus I would quickly find a pressing appointment that would justifiably steer me in another direction.  It's not that I was afraid of him; he was really quite harmless.  He was simply an obnoxious know-it-all.  With a keen mind, a photographic memory, and a voracious appetite for books and technical magazines, he seemed to know at least something about almost everything.  And every encounter gave him an opportunity to tell you more than you really cared to know about whatever was on his mind.

For most of us common mortals, who still puzzle over the instructions for our new pocket calculator, know-it-alls are often quite intimidating.  And if we feel this way about people with vast information about historical or technical matters, we are even more put off by people with all the religious answers.  Perhaps this is because it exposes our own confusion in this vital area that is so close to home--which should serve as a caution to all Christians bound to share their faith (their vast knowledge of truth) to any listener.

How easy it is to feel that people who "have all knowledge" have accumulated it more that they might impress others than that they might help others.  Hurting people need more to be loved than to be overwhelmed.  More than having their ignorance exposed, they need their tender self-esteem sheltered by sensitive, caring arms.

Paul understood how easy it is, even for Christians, to become caught up in the self-congratulations of the knowledge they have gained--even though it is true knowledge.  He cautioned Christians not to become known in the world as a group of pious know-it-alls, because Christians are going forth to reveal One who really does know it all!  Bruised sinners, who could be so easily crushed by the Omniscient One, need first to be assured that He is loving.

James assures us that people can come to the One who really does know it all and ask Him for whatever insights they need without Him "making them feel guilty" (James 1:5, Phillips).  His first commitment to His people is to calm their fears, for only then can He teach them.  That certainly is the more excellent way.

YOU DO KNOW HIM!

If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him.  John 14:7, N.I.V.

Jesus was going away.  The eleven remaining disciples at the Last Supper wanted to go with Him.  Their anxious questions caused the Master to utter some of the most explicit language ever recorded in Scripture concerning the Father.  He was not going to another village; He was going to His Father in heaven.

The disciples simply could not grasp what He was telling them, even as He told them more about where He was going--how much room there was in His Father's house.  "I will come back and take you to be with me," He told them reassuringly.  "You know the way to the place where I am going" (John 14:3, 4, N.I.V.).

Their response was amazing.  "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" (verse 5, N.I.V.).  To say that they did not know where He was going said, in essence, that they did not know the Father.  "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.' "  Then He told them plainly, "If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him" (verses 6, 7, N.I.V.).  "To know Me is to know the Father."

Dear reader, has your heart ever cried out to really know God, yet He seemed very remote, quite far away?  Focus in upon His Son, the "express image" of the Father (Heb. 1:3), and be assured that in knowing Him you do know God!  You need not allow your feelings of estrangement from Him to persist as did the disciples.  You may trust the Saviour's pronouncement.

Read the rest of John 14; go on to chapters 15 and 16 until Jesus sighs with loving relief, "You believe at last!" (chap. 16:31, N.I.V.).  "You believe that My Father has shown Himself to you in Me!  You know that the Father Himself loves you!  You understand that His eagerness to have you with Him is no less than Mine."

Let our hearts be comforted, which was Jesus' desire.  Let us know that the Father's heart yearns for us.  So much so that He sent Jesus to give us that very message.  And let this knowledge set you free to engage actively in friendship with Him.

A FRUITLESS SEARCH

When that day comes, you will make your requests to him in my name, for I need make no promise to plead to the Father for you, for the Father himself loves you.  John 16:26, Phillips.

I had heard it so often that I finally decided I would find its biblical basis.  I had been hearing that Christ's righteousness is something like a robe that He puts over us to make us acceptable to the Father, and that the Father then agrees to view the sinner differently because of the substitutionary merit of the Son.  In brief, I heard that Jesus changes the Father's mind and heart towards us, which is necessary in order for us to be saved.

Assuming that no biblical personality knew more about the plan of salvation than Jesus did, I decided to go to the Gospels, particularly the spoken words of Jesus, to find evidence for such a view.  I searched for any place  where Jesus expressed or implied that His Father's attitude toward us was changed or modified by the Son's appeal, merit, substitutionary life, or legal covering.  I found none.  I would encourage you to check for yourself; it just isn't there.

Instead, I filled a half dozen notebook pages full of verses in which Jesus is telling us how much the Father already loves us and pleading with us to change our opinion of the Father!  And in the context of this particular quest, how grateful I was to come across the familiar text quoted above.  What could be more excellent?  Jesus is promising not to plead with the Father to change in any way toward us!  The Father, He assures us, is already steadfastly loving toward us.

What is more, Jesus has just finished saying "the time is coming to give up parables and tell you plainly about the Father'' (John 16:25, Phillips).  With only hours left with His earthly friends. Jesus needed to move beyond limited insights, trimmed down to accommodate the dull understandings of the masses.  He wanted to speak the most accurate, complete, and vital truths about His Father that their growing minds could grasp.  He wanted them no longer to cower in fear before God, rendering the trembling obedience of a whipped slave.  Rather, He wanted them to be made whole by His Father's loving acceptance.

My search, then, was far from fruitless!

THE GREAT AMONG US

Whoever wants to become great among us must be your servant.  Matt. 20:26, N.I.V.

The missionaries traveled deep into the desert wasteland, encountering many interesting tribesmen.  Though uncivilized, these natives had a culture that was rich with elaborate ritual and dress.  Claws, feathers, and the teeth of wild animals adorned their bodies as they danced to the beat of hollowed-out log drums.  As the missionaries moved closer to areas settled by white Europeans, they noticed the subtle intrusion of modern paraphernalia into tribal attire.  Cast-off tin lids and other odd items were included in the decorations worn by the dancers.

We smile at the innocent ignorance of such heathen peoples.  Not knowing what to do with the items they discovered while foraging near civilized communities, they simply wore them.  I wonder if we as Christians sometimes haven't done similarly as we "discover" the teachings of the Master.  Take, for example, His statement about greatness: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant."

Some get the idea that the lowest station in life is to be worn as a sort of badge of humility--that any kind of personal achievement is to be shunned because self-depreciation equals piety.  Such ideas are gathered up and uselessly hung upon the life of the Christian.  The sad part is that no good is brought to the wearer, and others are misled as well.

In the first place, humility is a quality of spirit, not an outward adornment.  Someone who has a heart to serve will do so in any capacity.  If the need arises for great achievement in a given field in order to accomplish the highest service, the Christian who has the spirit of humility will not defer because of some compulsion to announce inner piety.

In God's eyes, true servanthood makes for greatness, whether an individual is in a prestigious position or a lowly one--which tells us something about our "great God!"  In the passage in which today's scripture is found, Jesus touched the nerve of the Isrealite nation by alluding to Roman rulership.  He said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them [and you], and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you" (verses 25, 26, N.I.V.).  "Don't lead as they do!" was what He was saying, not "Don't seek to be leaders."

Rather than seeking to avoid achievement, let us seek to utilize all our abilities to attain excellence in service.

PRESCRIPTIVE OR DESCRIPTIVE

If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  John 14:15, R.S.V.

Try to remember what it was like when, as a child, your parents asked you to do something you really didn't want to do.  They tried to find various ways to persuade you to do it, from promising a reward to gently threatening that there might be a "laying on of hands" if you didn't comply!  Perhaps they even used the familiar approach of reminding you of all the good things they had done for you, from the gifts at Christmas to the warm bed and plenty of food.  Then they would ask, "Do you love us?"  In a tiny, cautious voice you would answer, "Yes."  Then you would hear the logical trap spring shut with a note of triumph: "If you love us, you will do what we say."

It's called being manipulated by love, and it doesn't feel very good.  But what can you say without sounding like an ungrateful cad?  Many Christians read John 14:15 through those same eyes.  They see God as parading in front of us the infinite evidences of His generous love--life, health, salvation in Jesus Christ, and all the gifts and blessings of His kingdom.  Then as we look in slack-jawed amazement at the immensity of it all, He has us right where He wants us and He tightens the noose.  "For all of this," He asks, "Do you love Me?"  We nod dutifully.  "If you love me," He concludes, "keep my commandments."

There isn't a shadow of doubt: God really does love us.  But His love is intended to heal us, not to manipulate us.  His great caring for us is intended to make us inwardly adequate, not to make us feel trapped.  It enhances us; it does not obligate us.  When Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments," He was describing what we will do, rather than prescribing what we must do.  It was a statement of fact: This is what people do when they love their Saviour.

So highly does our Father prize our freedom of choice that He does not use even His great love for us to "twist our arms" into obedience.  Though we quickly see that He does not use physical force to cause us to obey, it is vital to notice that He also avoids using emotional force.  For only the love-healed heart truly can obey!

THE INSUFFICIENCY OF GOOD BEHAVIOR

And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me" (Mark 10:21, R.S.V.).

He's been raised in the church.  Before he scarcely knew how to talk, he's been taught memory verses from the Bible.  Eager to please, he was always a model student.  After college he neutered the business world, and because of his strict sense of honesty and good dealing, he soon accumulated wealth.  He served on the church board and, on occasion, led out at the Wednesday night prayer meeting.  In short, he had everything: wealth, a good reputation, and religion.

One day he saw Jesus of Nazareth with some children.  He was impressed by the way He handled them, how tenderly He received them.  A tremendous desire was awakened in his heart to become His disciple.  As Jesus started to leave, he ran after Him and fell at His feet.  "Good Teacher," he implored, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"  Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good?  No one is good but God alone" (Mark 10:17, 18, R.S.V.).

Jesus' reply was not meant to put off this young seeker.  From the next few words of exchange, we may understand that Jesus was working to redefine the man's internal values.  "Good" had always been associated with behavior; Jesus obviously had good behavior!  So had the young man; yet he felt he was missing something.  By singling out God only as "good," Jesus sought to differentiate between behavioral religion and an awakened understanding of God.  To follow Christ means more than the performance of good behavior; it is friendship of the highest quality.

What was Jesus' intent in telling the young man to sell all that he had and give to the poor?  Would not this encourage to "do" even more, a religion of works?  May I suggest that, quite to the contrary, getting rid of his riches would severely restrict his present ability to perform.  Evidently his status as a wealthy and respected man in the community afforded him endless opportunities to practice his religion of goodness.  It simply was too easy for him to "give" good behavior rather than to give of himself.  Consequently, his focus was on the gift of eternal life rather than on the Giver.

HIS FINAL WORD

God, who gave to our forefathers many different glimpses of the truth in the words of the prophets, has now, at the end of the present age, given us the truth in the Son.  Heb. 1:1, Phillips.


What do you do when you read a text like this one: "But Moses said, 'O Lord, please send someone else to do it.'  Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses" (Ex. 4:13, 14, N.I.V.).  Then turning to Matthew 5:22, you read, "But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment" (N.I.V.).

A candid person will have to admit that it raises several questions.  Why did God have to get burning angry against Moses when all he did was plead his feelings of inadequacy?  Why does Jesus later warn us against becoming angry with other people?  Are Jesus and God working from a different set of rules?  Does God "get by" with certain behaviors that are against the rules for us, but allowed for Him since He is in charge?  And since anger is so unproductive of good anyway, why does God have to express it against His friend Moses, especially when He has already sent Aaron along to speak in his place?  There must be a better solution than to see a gentle Jesus in the New Testament and a short-tempered despot in the Old.

It is a mark in God's favor that He always speaks to His people in words and through meanings and experiences that make sense to them.  You couldn't call it "communication" if He didn't.  Certain idioms of thought and of interpretation make good sense to one culture but seem strange and puzzling to another.  Each segment of the Bible was written in the context of a people and their familiar expressions.

Moses sensed that his courage was not yet up to doing all that God was eager for him to do.  He felt the chagrin of knowing that because of his weakness God had had to resort to a backup plan to get the message to Pharaoh.  It was not uncommon for the Hebrew mind to speak of God's feelings in very intense terms, thus speaking of His disappointment as burning anger.  But we look in vain for any evidence of angry feelings or action in the paragraphs that follow.

God spoke His final words about Himself, however, when He sent His Son to be the "flawless expression of the nature of God" (Heb. 1:3. Phillips).

GOD'S UNSPEAKABLE JOY

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy...Jude 24, N.I.V.

If you want to divide a group of believers, just ask the question "Can you stop sinning?"  Even the Yeses and the Nos will be divided because of all the various ideas at large on the subject.  To some it depends upon whether you are talking about "known sins."  To others the issue is the forensic quality of justification by faith.  To those who struggle daily against inward and outward evil, the question seems laced with awful hopelessness.  To Paul, it was a matter of rejoicing.

What does it mean to stop sinning? If our focus is upon behavior, we might argue endlessly.  If our emphasis is upon legal metaphor, we can sterilize the framework of vital spirituality until it is inoperative.  However, if we are looking at our relationship with God, Paul's attitude is most encouraging.


Since sin is the word used to describe the broken relationship between God and humanity, then let us rephrase the question accordingly: "Can your broken relationship with God be totally healed?"  The answer is thrilling--"Absolutely!"  And in case there is any doubt as to how this is to be accomplished, today's text declares that God is "able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy."  God is able to heal our broken relationship--and keep it healed!  Our friendship with Him puts us "above reproach" (N.E.B.) in His own eyes and in the eyes of the whole universe.  And all of this brings Him "unspeakable joy" (Phillips)!

Does this bring tangible results to our lives this side of the kingdom?  "Love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him" (1 John 4:17, N.I.V.).  To know Him is to love Him, and to love Him is to be made like Him.  As our confidence grows in who He is, and that He has called us His friends, we are progressively set free from self-seeking, that quality displayed in insecure and unloved individuals.

Friends, let us leave the past behind and "with hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead...go straight for the goal--my reward the honour of my high calling by God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:14, Phillips).

DIVINE SURGERY

For the word of God is alive and active.  It cuts more keenly than any two-edged sword, piercing as far as the place where life and spirit, joints and marrow, divide.  It sifts the purposes and thoughts of the heart.  Heb. 4:12, N.E.B.

I forgot all about the sandwich I had been eating as I listened with increasing interest to my friend's description of the surgery he had been performing.  Working in the area of his specialty, he had operated on a man with a cancerous growth in his face.  For hours, working through a microscope, he endeavored to remove every cancerous cell, yet not damage the nerves that control the man's eyes, mouth, and ears.  I nearly shared his own relief when he told me that the operation had been successful.

What admiration I have for the skill of a master surgeon!  I admire his courage to move so close to the very springs of life to search out and remove that which would destroy life.  And while no patient ever relishes that kind of surgery, he must admit that it is, after all, better than the alternative.  Often the surgeon must persuade the patient to submit to this life-rescuing procedure.

Our God brings to us the skill, the courage, and the compassion of a master surgeon.  He uses a scalpel that is sharp enough to divide that most intricately interwoven part of us: our motives.  With selfishness intermeshed with the motives of love, and protected with layers of defensiveness, denial, and self-deception, it demands the skill of the best Surgeon to unravel.

As we expose ourselves to the penetrating, searching mind of God as revealed in His Word, the surgery begins.  The stern rebuke, the harsh rejoinder we just unleashed on the children in the name of "firm discipline," becomes exposed as merely defense of parental prestige.  The questionable television program viewed because "I need to relax" surfaces as thinly veiled voyeurism.  The dust on the Bible's cover, gathering because "I am just so busy," is gently exposed as evidence of spiritual laziness.

How good it is to know that our Father is not standing over us at these sensitive, embarrassing moments of self-discovery, gleefully saying, "I caught you in another one!"  He who instructed Paul to tell us not to keep score of wrongs (1 Cor. 13:6) is quick to set the past behind and to walk with us into the light of greater honesty, stronger wholeness, and finer unity with His wise will.