Pennies

The other day I was behind a kid when he was paying for something in a store. I was sort of in a hurry and all of the sudden I saw my worst nightmare; pennies. This kid is holding up a line of ten people and has the audacity, the gumption, the nerve to pull out a bag of pennies. Right when I think this situation could get no worse, the words no one wanted to hear come from this kid’s mouth, “Can you tell me how much I have?” Are you kidding me, is this for real? I look around impatiently for another line but even with this snot-nosed bag of pennies I am still in the shortest line available. “This kid doesn’t even know how much he has. I could be in my car by now. My boss is going to kill me for being late, again!” The thoughts keep pouring through my mind as I contemplate taking some of the pennies and assisting the all too patient clerk with the counting process. There is a good chance this kid won’t have enough. What is he going to do then? Is he going to go put whatever he is trying to buy back on the shelf? Does he have any idea how embarrassed he will be? Something just dawned on me. Remember when Jesus told us we needed faith like a child? What if this is a picture of how God wants our faith to be?

Jesus stood on a hill teaching the crowds again. Only this time He went a little long and these guys hadn’t had a thing to eat (they obviously were not Baptists). So Jesus looks toward the town then looks at the large crowd. He looks back toward the town then looks at the setting sun. He thinks, “There is no way they are going to make it back before dark.” (When Jesus says there is no way, you can rest assured there is no way.) Then the disciples come to Him and tell Him that He needs to send the people home.

I know what you are thinking, “Thank goodness the disciples are there.” But hang on I haven’t finished the story yet. Jesus asks the disciples where they can get enough food for the crowd which was five-thousand men, that doesn’t include women and children. Well, the disciples do the apostles version of the holy huddle and come up with the usual solution, notta, nilch, nothing. Philip spoke up and told Jesus eight months worth of wages wouldn’t feed all these folks.

Thank goodness for people like Philip. I mean here is a situation where the disciples have the opportunity to show their faith in Jesus and Philip responds with, “Are you crazy?” I don’t know where the church would be today without people like Philip to pull courageous risk takers back into reality.

Anyway, luckily for us Andrew spoke up. The first four words out of his mouth are, “Here is a boy.” Can you see the look on Philip’s face? I’ve seen a look like that many times (and made it a time or two).  But Andrew isn’t finished he goes on to say, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish.” The other disciples are looking at him like they want to say, “What are you thinking, buddy, we have five-thousand plus people to feed and you bring a boy and a sack lunch!” He must have seen the looks on their faces because the next few words from Andrew say a lot, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Now Andrew is thinking like a typical disciple, doubt until you have some proof! Did you see what happened? Two words changed Andrew’s statement to a question? It is the same two words that get them (and me) all too many times, “but how”. Andrew was doing so well. He took the lunch from the kid. He brought it to Jesus knowing full well that it was not enough. He was on the absolute brink of risk when those two little faith killers popped out, “but how”.

So here are Jesus’ disciples in a moment so important that all four Gospel writers were inspired to record it, and the only person with a semblance of faith is a kid with a bag of pennies. “What?” “Where did that come from?” “You mean a bag lunch, right?” No, I mean a bag of pennies. “What in the world does a kid with some pennies standing in line at Wal-Mart have to do with Jesus’ feeding the five-thousand?” I’m glad you asked, I was about to bust if I didn’t get to tell you. Keep reading and I’ll explain.

Let’s back up a little. Jesus is asking for some food and the disciples are bumping their heads together trying to scrounge up an answer. Meanwhile, there is a small boy in the crowd who sees the commotion, looks down at a few small pieces of bread and some fish, and thinks, “I wonder if He can tell me how much I have?” So he takes it up the hill to give it to Jesus but before he gets to him Andrew steps in the way. The boy gives his lunch to Andrew and probably says something like, “I don’t know if it is enough but here is all I have.” if not in words then at least in actions.

That kid in front of me in line had the same attitude when he walked up to the clerk and dumped all the pennies he had on the counter then waits for the response. He is not thinking what will happen if the clerk says, “I’m sorry, you don’t have enough.” He isn’t thinking about the walk to put the item back either. He isn’t even the least bit embarrassed by the line or the huffs of impatience forming behind him (mainly coming from me). He has taken the risk, he has exposed his faith, and he has put everything he has on the counter.

That’s exactly what God wants from me. To simply give Him all I have, to put it all on the counter. It doesn’t matter whether it is enough or not. Those are the “but how” feelings that creep in and say, “It’s not enough.”, “You will look foolish.”, or “That is not realistic.” Right now you’re saying, “Having faith doesn’t mean I have to look foolish does it?” The truth is having faith will always require taking risks. Soren Keirkegaard said, “Without risk there is no faith.”

The best part of the story is this, the small sack lunch finally made it into the hands of Jesus and Jesus made it enough (in fact, more than enough). That is also the best part of our story. We are not placing our pennies on the counter of some unknown clerk. Look closely, can you recognize the man behind the counter? I know you must recognize His patience. We are putting our pennies in the hands of Jesus Christ. When we put our faith in the one who made us, whether we know it or not, and especially when the risk is great, He will make it enough. Look closely again, does the boy look like you, does he look like me? Is our faith bigger than our bag of pennies?

The Smell of Mud.

            I wonder when the moment first came. I can imagine that it must have been different for each of us. There was this magical moment in time when we seemed to get things right. It didn’t last long and I know that it was only through the help of God but it happened nonetheless. Just after the sweep of emotion of this homecoming, life sets in. Right when we get cleaned up then the hammer falls. All of the sudden without any warning everyone looks so, well, dirty. Why is that? Moments ago I was right where they are. Not all that much has changed. As a matter of fact less has changed than I would like to admit.

            Funny thing, Jesus didn’t make a habit of calling folks sinners. He forgave them, he welcomed them into his fold, he even partied with them on occasion, but he didn’t label them too much. I’m guessing he didn’t have to. You see there were lots of religious people around in Jesus’ day to do that for him. In fact it was a lot like today in that respect. Everyone seemed to have (and give) an opinion on how everyone else should act. If you didn’t act the way they thought you should then they considered you, well, dirty. To a Jew it was unclean actually, but the same thing is intended. You are less than they are because they are clean and you are not.

            We come across this idea a lot in the Gospels but the most significant in my opinion is the account given in Luke chapter 15. Jesus is hanging out with dirty people. The scriptures say tax collectors and sinners were listening to Jesus teach when some religious people began to accuse him of welcoming and eating with sinners. I love that word welcoming. It is the exact opposite of what these religious leaders were doing all through Scripture. It is also rather significant that Jesus is eating with these dirty people since having meals with the “unclean” was especially hennas. These religious guys use this as a “whammy”. They say, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Do you see how they added that on the end “and eats with them.” It gives so much insight into what these guys were really all about. All the while it seems as if Jesus is just waiting for these religious jerks to “get it” but they never do, so this time he gives them these three lost parables one after another. 

            He talks about a lost sheep, then a lost coin, and then he gives this idea of a lost son. This is the one that hits me in the gut. Here are these two sons and one of them, the younger one, comes and asks for his inheritance. I don’t have much experience with this inheritance thing but I’ll tell you where I can relate this idea is with the talents and abilities God has gifted me. I took all of these gifts, abilities, talents, and the very blessing of life and I wanted them for myself. I really was less concerned about how God wanted me to use them than I was how they could make me a little more money, a little more popular, or a little more successful. I wanted my inheritance from God and I wanted it now! It is funny how even two thousand years ago this son of a carpenter could tell a story like this and nail me right between the eyes.

            He keeps going in His story to tell of how this son takes his inheritance and heads out for a far off country. Looking back at my story, here I am with my gifts, talents, abilities (few as they may be) and I tell God, “I’m out of here I can make it on my own.” Now I didn’t move down the proverbial street. No way, I took off so I could get as far away from God as I could. I used to wonder why but now I know. I knew I was wrong! I could say I was lost as much as I wanted to but I know that I ran! The same is true of the son getting as far away from his dad as possible. When you are doing something wrong you never want to be seen.

            So here he is with his inheritance in a country far from home. He is living it up, partying hardy, it’s all good, until it turns bad. All of the sudden a famine hits and when the money is gone he is left alone, no money, no family, and no friends. Isn’t it funny how all of your friends seem to disappear when things turn bad? Everyone loves the happy-playful-party-all-night-long side of you so you surround yourself with happy-playful-party all-night-long kind of friends. The problem comes when you stop being happy, playful, or lose the heart (or money) for the party and they don’t. You become a drag. Nights spent partying are now spent at home and the very thing you wanted to get away from, being known, is the one thing you long for the most. You just need someone to know you for who you really are and care for you all the same. That doesn’t happen when you are living life in the fast lane. You can barely make out faces much less get anything remotely closer than skin deep.

            So the son turns to a citizen of that country and asks for a job feeding pigs. Now this is really important, a pig to a Jewish audience was a horribly dirty creature. Jews didn’t touch them, they didn’t feed them, and they sure didn’t eat them. This son is knee deep in a pig’s pen and he is so hungry he asks if he can share the pig’s food. See that, he wants to eat with them (sound familiar). They won’t even give him the food meant for the pigs. He is desperate; he has forgotten that he is somebody’s son. He is truly, truly lost. I remember the feeling like I was at rock bottom. Like no one could love me, like I was completely lost yet surrounded by people. That is the worst feeling you could ever have. I remember people asking me why I was so miserable and I couldn’t come up with an answer or maybe there were too many reasons to communicate.

            The next part of the story says, “He came to his senses”. Isn’t that amazing how he could come to his senses? That must mean he was out of it. He was no longer thinking straight and then something happened that reminded him of who he was. The story doesn’t tell us what it was but something must have happened to remind him of his father. So he comes up with this story to tell his father, he even rehearses it he says he will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.” After getting what he was going to say down pat he headed out for home. I remember driving in the car one day and praying out of desperation, “Whatever it takes, God, whatever it takes!” That is the cry of the broken; that is the prayer of the absolutely desperate. Whatever road I was driving on that day I can’t remember. I don’t even know what direction I was going. It doesn’t really matter to me. All I need to know is that at that moment I was on my way home.

            Here comes the best part of the story. When the son was still a long way off his father sees him and runs to him and hugs him and kisses him. The feeling of utter shame he must have been feeling when he got on that road headed towards his house. He might have been rehearsing his story over and over again because he says it word for word (almost) he says, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you, I am not worthy to be called your son.” See anything missing? He never gets to the part about being a servant before his father stops him. That is all the father could hear before he tells his servants to bring out the best robes and rings and sandals and to fix a great meal and they have a party.

            There’s another relative character in this story. It is the older brother. You would think the older brother would be happy his little brother had come home as well. Well, he isn’t. He is irate because all of this time he has been serving his father faithfully. His father has to call him down and explain the love a father has for a son to this spoiled and arrogant kid.

            I can identify with so many parts of this story. Obviously I could relate well to the younger brother at a particular time in my life. Now I think I identify with the older brother more than the younger. He was clean and his brother was so, well, dirty. It doesn’t take long to forget how muddy we once were. The more muddy people you see the less compassion you feel for them and the cleaner you see yourself.

           Shouldn’t we be there? Right there by the pig pen helping others “come to their senses”. Isn’t that what Jesus wants? Isn’t that the entire point of this story in the first place? Now I am left to wonder, how did I go from being so much like the younger brother to being so much like the older brother so quickly? How can I take God’s grace so freely and yet not freely give it? How is it that I have been rescued from the pig pen only to have forgotten the smell of mud?

Everything

             I have made a decision. I have decided to give my children everything. I see others doing it. Why can’t I? I have made up my mind; I will provide my children with everything I can no matter what I have to sacrifice personally. After all, I almost get as much enjoyment from it as they do. I think I will pull out all the stops. Why stop at what everyone else does for their children? I want my kids to have the best. That means I have to be incredibly creative and competitive to keep up with what the Jones’ are giving their children. I see brand new sports cars, credit cards, cell phones, whatever clothes they want to wear, and some with absolute freedom. What kind of man would I be if I let that scare me? I am as good of a parent as they are, right? You’re right I am! I am not going to let my kid be out done, am I? No way, this is war! No limits, no holds barred, no retreat, and no surrender. I didn’t have enough when I was growing up, so I figure I don’t want one of my kids to look back and say they did not have everything they wanted. Besides, what would that say about me? Yup, I’m determined and resolute. I will give my kids everything, for example…

            Confidence: I don’t mean that chinsy stuff that comes from clothes that are out of date within a couple of weeks or a car that every Tom, Dick, and Harry now owns. No sir, I will spare no expense, I mean the real stuff that comes from the inside. I mean self-esteem that is tangible. I want my kids to know they mean something. Not just to me but to the Father of all creation. I want them to find fulfillment in being what they were created to be. I want them to feel beautiful and strong, inside and out. Every other kid in their school will be running crazy to try and keep up with every fad that swings their way. If I am going to compete then I need to give them an idea of what really matters by showing them everyday what is most important for our family. The down side is that it is probably going to cost me about an hour of television a night in order to have real conversations with them. Oh well, I said I would sacrifice in order to keep up.

            Love: hey, not some run of the mill, I work five jobs to buy you that four hundred dollar sweater junk. I’m talking the big-leagues baby. If you want to hang with the heavy hitters then you got to bring the heat. I mean taking time off to spend days, not hours, days with my kids. I’m talking waking up with them in the morning, putting them to bed at night, rolling in the floor 24/7 kind of crazy love. Hey, don’t think it can stop there. I am no fool; I know the competition is stiff. That is why I want to teach them to love others too. I want them to see the kind of love that comes from putting your whole life into serving others. You know what I’m talking about, the kind of love that never stops getting out of hand. I want them to feel it so they can give it and give it so they can feel it.    

            Responsibility: pulling this one off may cost me more than I ever wanted to pay. I want them to have the best though so here I go with sheer extravagance. I will have to refrain from jumping down the throat of every teacher, coach, guidance counselor, and parent of a friend that happens to disagree with my child. I will have to ask that my kids own up to the mistakes that they make and ensure that they understand other peoples’ points of view. I don’t know what I will do with all of the afternoons otherwise spent bashing coaches that didn’t want to play my son or teachers that didn’t believe my daughter when she told them aliens abducted her homework. If I am going to pull this one off I am going to have to ask my kids to ask of themselves. I didn’t expect to pay so much to give everything to my children but looking at them I believe they are worth it.

            Patience: I watch all of the other parents zooming past me on the way to baseball, basketball, ballet, trombone lessons, swimming, football, gymnastics, a play date, and math tutoring. I know because I can’t see through the rear windshield for all the cute little window clings plastering it. Don’t think for one minute that I am not up to the challenge. I just don’t have a very big window. Nonetheless, I am still in the fight. It’s time to get nasty. They want to get faster and faster, to do more and more. I want my kids to have the ability to slow down. You wouldn’t think this would qualify as a virtue but nowadays it seems to be an endangered occasion. I want them to have time to think and feel and talk to me and their mom about those things. I may never have a great collection of window decals but I am hoping the memories of something a little more meaningful than the steering wheel, a happy meal, and a built in DVD player will have to do.

            Work ethic: here it is what my kids always wanted and never asked for. Isn’t that the best gift of all? The one you lay awake the night before because you just can’t wait to see their faces when they get it. Well this is the one. I think I’ll go for the deluxe model though. I think my little ones are well worth the upgrade. I want to go beyond sticking them out in the backyard with a lawnmower. I want them to have the kind that has the value of the home built right in. The one that has the desire to be a good father and mother placed over the desire to be a good employee. I want them to learn to work hard at family and at being a good spouse. I want them to know the value of building a great house never outweighs the value of building a great home. The cost for me is that even though they may have it, I may not get see their faces the moment they get it.

            I guess I’ve got my work cut out for me. The competition isn’t going to let up either. Every time they up the ante I’ve got to be ready to call the bluff. The fight is fierce and there are some real serious contenders out there. Still, I’m not going to back down. I can give as much as they can. I can sacrifice as much as I need to so my kids can have everything. The greatest sacrifice I could make is the sacrifice of buying my kids every X-box, Barbie Jeep, Game-boy, TV/VCR combo, mini-motorcycle, or every other “must have” of the season. No, the truth is that if I am going to give them everything that I can then I have to refrain from buying them everything that they want. They say, “The more that you get; the more that you want.” What if after I give them confidence, love, responsibility, patience, and a work ethic they never stop wanting more? Perhaps that should be my prayer all along.

Is Christianity Intolerant?

Lately I have heard many accusations of intolerance used toward Christianity, mainly by the media or pseudo-media types. The stand of Christians against certain social issues like gay marriage and abortion have brought many charges of intolerance against them. This seems rather odd considering the roots of Christianity.

Early on the church was the picture of social acceptance and tolerance. In a letter form a Roman governor, Pliny, to the Roman Emperor, Trajan, Pliny accused the Christians of being accepting of “many of every age, of every social class, and of both sexes”. It is the work of Christ on the cross that formed one new people from among the many different people groups. One that knew not “Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female.” (Galatians 3:28) How is it that a people created with tolerance at their core have come so far that we are accused of being the very thing that we were set apart from.

One contribution to these accusations certainly are the media and its outlets choice of issues to proclaim as right or wrong. The fact is that the media abuses people into thinking they are getting information that is well investigated and presented with journalistic integrity. Yet, more and more, the media becomes a money making entertainment outlet trying to keep up with its cable competitors and all the while pushing a poorly thought out product on the unthinking public. It doesn’t help that the vast majority of us are content with this shoddy method and getting our fill of information by way of internet cookies out of sheer laziness. The media and entertainment outlets find a story that sells and they will ride it as long as they can. Aggressively presenting Christianity in poor light is nothing new but the recent years are proving that these outlets are themselves barely tolerant of anything that looks like Christianity.

A second reason must fall squarely on the shoulders of Christian leaders themselves. For some reason, every time I turn on television (which isn’t often) there is someone claiming to speak for Christians and pressing their own agenda. Somehow, this all accepting faith became a right wing republican, white anglo-saxon, bad hair, and even worse people skills only club. I watch programs like the 700 club and TBN and I can not help but wonder how I got mixed up with the like of these people. They have found like 2 issues that people will send them money if they talk about religiously (no pun intended, well sort of intended) and they ride it to the bank. Sound familiar.

Christians, Atheists, and whomever else find ourselves in the same boat strangely. We are all at the mercy of these information outlets that seem less concerned with real information than they are being a host to commercial parasites coming up in another minute and a half. I get that commercials pay for the programs but when the so-called news is swayed by its advertisers then why do we still watch it. It is simply not good information (sort of like the History Channel is not real history). We can not be this foolish.

The truth is that I don’t know very many intolerant people. Christian or non-Christian. I don’t think that someone who stands up and says they do not believe that it is moral to be led by your sexual desires is intolerant anymore than it is to say that it is wrong to allow greed to govern your life is

As a whole, I do not think Christianity can be seen as intolerant. Especially in view of the teachings it presents as foundational to the faith. But it is easy to see why the actions of the few have led to this now common opinion (because it is the one given by the media) and have caused incredible intolerance to Christianity in turn.

Is Faith Black and White?

But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. -Romans 14:10

There is a severe problem in the church today and it concerns all Christians. There is an idea that we must meet the Gospel where it is. In youth ministries today the kids are shown a model of who they should be. They are given a model of how their lives should look. The Gospel to these kids is painted in black and white. 

The Gospel is not given with such dichotomy with the Pauline message. The Gospel, rather, meets you where you are. There is no set way to receive the Gospel, that would make it received on the basis of works. No, the Gospel comes to you, where you are, so there is no boasting. This is Paul’s theology!

People come into churches today and try to change the way they are living their lives. The church gives them a model, a pattern of what they should look like. When the person makes a mistake (which is bound to happen) they walk away from church and from Christ. This is so important with youth today. We are trying to pull them to a certain way of life. When they fail to meet the standards then the only option is something else other that the church. This is tragic!

Paul’s Gospel meets people where they are. In 1 Corinthians, Philemon, Timothy, Titus, Ephesians, and Colossians we see Paul painting the Gospel to the unique challenges faced in their lives. Can the same be done in the lives of young people and those that need a fresh way of seeing their faith today?

Does this mean that we overlook sin? May is never be! But is means that people will not all look the way we think they should. We need flexible ministries and ministers that will allow people to own their faith in a way that moves them to action. There is too much dichotomy of the way you must look if you are in church or out of church. Most people in churches are doing things we only think people outside of churches are doing anyway. What does that make the church? Failing people hide behind successful ministries and judge others. Stop trying to do ministry this way! It is causing a chasm that cannot be crossed. Kids are losing their faith because they think it cannot look any different than the way we say it will. We must do the hard work of meeting people where they are, even if it makes our worship services sloppy and hard to explain.

In short, too often do we ask people to put on church. We must allow the Gospel to compel them to put on Christ.

Too lofty a goal?

Paul did not think so! 

Wake Up!

Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

-Romans 13:11-12

Paul will turn his discussion of proper response to the argument that he has laid out in chapters 1-8 and supported in chapters 9-11. For the Roman audience, their government did not have the same service or forgiveness (chapter 12) toward people, so they would be in certain conflict with specific issues (especially in dealing with social justice). Paul makes it very clear that the church is to operate within the borders of that existing government, effecting change from within instead of from outside.

In a letter from Pliny (a Roman governor) to Trajan (a Roman Emperor) from around the 2nd century there is a plea for help with the pesky Christians. They will not worship the Roman gods and thereby contribute to the economy by buying sacrifices and souvenirs associated with temple worship. He goes on to say that they meet in the morning before light and worship together by singing a hymn and committing to one another to remain innocent from sin (a list much like the one found in verse 13:13). The governor was perplexed and needed help in ridding the empire of this nuisance. From within this oppressive government, Christianity became the favored religion within two-hundred years.

Christ has called his people to be the change within the government. Not by so much passing laws, as by being the example of what the ethic of those laws are intended to accomplish. People and governments do not change because of the laws that are passed, they change because they see an example of what they want to become and they work to become that. This should bring new meaning of what a Christian government should look like. A group of people that are what they want their government to be. But even if they are not, even if it is as bad as it could possibly be, hold fast!

We are nearer now than we were.

We need to wake up and walk in the darkness with a light of social justice.

We are not called to politics but to action (We should know by now that those are not the same). 

The End of Evil?

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. -Romans 12:2

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. -Romans 12:21  

Chapter 12 is the conclusion to the delivery and victory through Christ, for individuals and the whole of creation described in chapter 8. Because of the Jewish audience, a pause was required for Paul to explain how these “age to come” events were possible through the cross. Paul then turns to describe how the New heavens and New earth that will be a part of the “age to come” will change the responsibility and the identity of those that are a part of the kingdom here and now. 

I will pause here for a comment on the Gospel. One of the most tragic things that could be done to the Gospel involves the book of Romans. It specifically involves verses 10:8-10. In view of the progress of the argument of the book of Romans as a whole we have already seen that chapters 9-10 is an excursion to Paul’s primary objective. Also, chapter 10 is addressed to a Jewish audience (10:1-4). Yet the Gospel is regularly presented by churches and pastors using these verses as if Paul is saying all you need is to believe “Jesus lived, died, and lived again.” I guess this would be true if you are presenting the Gospel to a Jewish audience, but if you are not, then the better presentation of the Gospel is found in chapters 8&12. Paul, in these chapters presents a message of hope and of peace. Not just for us as individuals but as a creation. God will make his creation good once again and he will start with you, will you join him in his efforts?

This is the culmination of Paul’s larger argument. God is just! He will bring justice to the earth. God will make things that were at one time good, good once again. Not only will he do this in the future but he will begin here and now, giving a small glimpse of what that is to look like. I could enter an excursion of how the church has often and unfortunately missed this important point. We have spiritualized heaven to the point that many of our partitioners and pastors have created  a “new Gnosticism.” But I do not have the space for that.

So, how do we answer the question? What is the end of evil? The answer is forgiveness. I can hear the sighs of, “I thought there was an answer.” It doesn’t fit our view of justice. We want payback. We want punishment. Forgiveness is the answer, both now and for the age to come. This is where these verses are so key. In 12:2, Paul is bringing his earlier argument full circle. It is a changing of our minds from the way we would want evil to be dealt with. The cross demands that we change the way we deal with evil. This is an act of sacrifice (12:1), forgiveness always is. A sacrifice of both parties involved. If you want punishment and payback then you must accept it for yourself, as well. God has provided forgiveness for us and we can do the same for others. The second verse, 12:21, states that by forgiving others we can change their minds (the meaning of the cryptic, heap burning coals) and overcome evil. In light of recent world events, of which, some are still ongoing, it makes me wonder, are we responding properly to attacks against us? Could a more Christian response been more effective, even of confronting the wrongs? We must find and give forgiveness if we want to see an end to evil.

Payback does not overcome evil, it only continues the impact of that evil on others.

The call for punishment only reveals my own arrogance and pride (not to mention hypocrisy).

My charge, my call, is to forgive. Only then will peace come.

This is the closest thing to heaven on earth that we can see.

Not all Israel is Israel

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “Through Isaac your Descendants will be named.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. -Romans 9:6-8

Chapters 9-11 of Romans are possibly the most difficult to deal with in the letter. I will not pretend to dispel all of the issues in this simple blog (even if I could). But there are some observations in light of our previous discussions that lend themselves to comment.

Paul has just finished a discussion on the new heavens and the new earth. In Jewish terms, Paul is talking about the new age or the “age to come.” From the Jewish point of view this discussion is problematic because if Jesus the Messiah has come and Israel has not been included then what does this mean for the Old covenant? Paul must pause his discussion at the end of chapter 8 and pick it up again in chapter 12. He pauses to answer these (anticipated) concerns of the Jewish audience of the Gospel.

It is important to say here that in the eyes of the Jewish audience the Messiah would usher in the new age. This would mean a bringing of justice to the earth, a response to the nations, and a judgement on those found lacking. Basically, the stuff Paul talked about in chapter 8. The problem is that these promises were made to the Jews (Israel). So Paul lays out two points about the “age to come.”

The first is that the Jews saw the “age to come” as the coming of Messiah. Basically, time is split in half. There is the present age, then the Messiah comes, and then the new age begins. Paul presents another point on the time line, that of the cross. For Paul, this is the mystery of God. It was not revealed for the sake of the nations. The period between the cross and the new age is where we are now (and where Paul and his audience were then). This means the promise has been fulfilled partially but not completely. There will be a second coming of the Messiah.

The second point answers the concern of the Jewish audience’s inclusion in this age. They would have felt duped by the “change of plans.” This is where Paul addresses “Israel.” Paul’s point is that there was always a remnant (a few that were faithful, ie. Daniel, Joshua, Caleb, Josiah, Mordecai, Jeremiah, see esp. 1 Kings 19:9-18) within Israel. This did not have to do with blood relation but with faith in the covenant with God. Paul gives hope that the remnant has remained faithful by pointing to himself as an example, “I too am an Israelite.” (Rom. 11:1)

God’s word has not failed!

Israel was always a nation built on promise.

Israel was never a matter of geography, and God’s intentions were always to go “to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 45:22; 48:20; 52:10; Acts 1:8)

In short, the age to come has yet to come!

New Heavens and New Earth

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. – Romans 8:20-22

Paul is continuing and connecting his argument about the children of God being not just children but heirs because they are in Christ (chapter 6) therefore, a part of the solution. This solution is not just true for the children of God in and of themselves but the Spirit is given as a deposit (8:1-11) to what will be fully done for the whole of creation (8:18-25).

There is an idea that fills the church and even those that are looking at the church that salvation is an escape to heaven to live forever in the presence of God and that the only people that will enjoy this eternal bliss mansions of gold and pearls and floating along on clouds while they play their little harps and stroke their new tiny wings are Christians (those that have accepted Christ, more often than not in a short prayer that has little if any impact on the way they live). Their presentation of what they believe is the gospel (where would you go if you died today?) is that who wouldn’t want this kind of eternal bliss? This concept of salvation is foreign to a fair reading of the Scriptures and to the Apostle Paul himself.

God is a God that makes “good” things (Genesis 1 and 2). The fall (Genesis 3) included man, woman, and creation (the serpent). The curse was put upon Adam (The Hebrew word for man or mankind) and Adamah (The Hebrew word for earth). Because of this God began a plan to work through man to set right the curse on both man and on the creation (the rest of the Bible).

So what does that mean for us? Well that means that the gospel is much more than a little prayer then a lifetime of doing nothing. It means that those who are in Christ have a part in bringing justice to this earth. They have a responsibility to share the message of what God will do for the creation with others. This also means that those that accept this plan to make things right (the Church) will commit themselves to begin to be identified with Christ here and now (the Body of Christ). There will be a resurrection of the body (1 Thessalonians 4) and a recreation of the earth (Revelation 21-22). 

Heaven then is a place where we wait and long for the day when heaven comes to earth (Genesis 1-2 and Revelation 21-22), when things are made right, and when we wage a war on evil and cast it from the earth. In this way “all things work together for good to those that love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28, in its proper context).

People need to know the mission of God to make things right!

They need to be challenged to be a part of the making of things right!

This is the Gospel; we have been saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved one day! (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)

Privilege, Responsibility, and Identity

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. -Romans 8:16-17

Chapter 8 of Romans is my favorite chapter in all of Scripture. In the first half of the chapter Paul will talk about the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit, one of the ways God loves us (the other is Jesus Christ). In the second half of the chapter, Paul will show us why that matters (or, at least, why it should matter). This second half of chapter 8 will take up two posts, one on verses 12-17 and the other on verses 18-39 (especially 18-25).

The first discussion Paul will have on the Holy Spirit’s impact on us is the Spirit making us children of God. This is familiar to all of those that prayed a prayer to receive Christ. You have received the Spirit of Christ. In Paul’s view, this makes you an adopted son of the promise. If you are a son of the promise then you are an heir.

Not all sons are heirs to a king. If a king had 15 sons then only one would be the heir. That heir would not have done anything in particular to make himself an heir. He was just born first. Therefore, it is a privilege to be an heir. The same is true for me. I did nothing (and I mean nothing) to deserve to be called a son of God, much less to be called an heir. It is that I am in Christ (see post below) that makes me an heir. I am met with grace and that makes me feel a deep sense of privilege.

However, privilege only lasts so long. If an heir to the king only feels privilege then he becomes spoiled and lazy (sound like any church you know). If we remain here then we miss the responsibility that we have to the king’s people. Part of being an heir is privilege but that privilege should lead us to see and feel a deep sense of responsibility for the people of the one we are privileged to be adopted by. This responsibility would mean clothing, feeding, and caring for the people (sound familiar).

The more and more we meet the responsibility that follows a deep sense of privilege, the more and more we will look and act like a king. The more we see ourselves behaving like the king we are adopted by the more we care for the people he cares for. We soon begin to identify with the king we serve and the people begin to identify us with the king. Christ is already identified with the Father and we aim to identify with the one that makes us an heir, God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

One day he will return to claim his kingdom as the king of kings (get it?) and we will be completely privileged, completely responsible, and completely identified.

This is good stuff!