"Here's How Not To Live" and How Helpful That Is

Sometimes I wonder why I still attend the Men's Breakfast.

The only real benefit I find for myself is learning a little more about right-wing Christianity (as if I don't know enough already) each meeting.

This morning we discussed "Carnate Christians." The whole discussion was essentially the phrase "salvation by grace alone" repeated over and over. "If a person believes in God, they go to heaven." Apparently we didn't feel like talking about how to live, just how not to live.

Or maybe we just wanted to feel more comfortable in knowing that no matter how lazy our faith is, no matter how cheap our grace gets, we still go to heaven. Wow. Can't you tell I feel better?

Here's my response.

It's Decided

I am going to blog again. I really need to. It's summer and there's no reason not to. Somebody keep me accountable.

Diasgreement?

This morning I found myself in a discussion at the bi-weekly Men's Breakfast meeting with probably about fifteen or so men - all at least twenty years older than me. We were covering the topic of sin. We like to be clear and concise about we're discussing.

We started getting onto the idea of exactly what constitutes sin, and then were creating hypothetical examples of when an action is considered a sin. Not me - I should specify. The other guys. There were several, but one example was if the guys around me are using bad language, is it a sin if I don't say anything to them?

I was really uneasy about the whole direction the conversation was going. I felt like we were missing the point. We had read a couple of Bible verses previously. For example:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Gal. 5:16)

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5)

... How can we who died to sin still live in it? (Rom 6:2)

I finally spoke up and said that I think we need to be careful that we don't become legalistic. I mean, knowing what constitutes sin is good and all, but we're missing the point. We're not called to live "not cursing" or "not lusting." We're called to something much bigger than that. (You'll especially notice this if you read the rest of Galatians 5.)

We're called to a life in Christ. Or, a life "in the light" if you will. My point was that if we live the way we're supposed to, these legalistic mentalities are a waste of time.

My dad (pastor of the church) looked down and said slowly, "I think I would mostly disagree with you."

He talked about how we are all under the law and have to avoid antinomianism.

I sat there trying to figure out what exactly we were "disagreeing" on. I agreed with what my dad said, and he didn't say anything that contradicted me. What gives?

If he had said, "Wait. Let's clarify what you mean..." Fine. No problem. Instead, he destroyed my credibility by saying he disagreed with me, and at this point everything I have said has been lost. No one will remember it. Every word has been invalidated.

I think all in all it comes down to rhetoric. I think my dad heard me say something along the lines of not being "under the law" (Gal 5:18) which made him squirm. I was quoting the Bible, but the words didn't sit well with him. So he said the same thing as me - but in different words. Which is fine, even good because now more people at the table might understand what I was trying to say. Unfortunately though, there was the "disagreement" that enabled my dad to be right and me to be wrong.

For the record, I'm fine, and I'm not mad at my dad. We talked it over after, and there will be no hard feelings. I guess I only want to stress the importance of rhetoric. When in a discussion with someone, explore your options before saying that you disagree. Maybe you do agree and you're just in the mood for a debate.

As Christians, we need to focus more on what we agree on rather than what we disagree on anyway.

James - Day 5

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

So we pick right up from where we left off. There's an interesting paradox here (obviously). And we all know how much Bible writers like a good paradox to mix things up...

The "lowly" man is the one rejoicing. Why? Why would he rejoice when he encounters trials of many kinds? Oh, yes. Wait a minute... We've seen this before.

James is coming back to the first thought: trials ultimately lead to being perfect and complete - a reason for joy, yes?

The rich man cannot attain this sense of perfection and completeness that we as humans are designed for.

It is an important journey that we have made so far to understand this. Normally, I think we as Christians have this belief when we read verse 2 and 3 that is simple - like "God will work out all the bad things, so be happy that He does that." Now we understand the verse means so much more than that. Without these trials we cannot become all that we are supposed to be. Rejoice when you face trials! You're on the right track!

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those that love him.

The "crown of life." Interesting. It's as if trials are a test to see whether or not we will gain this special sort of life. Perhaps one of completeness...

Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one, But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

James seems to be combating some sort of worldview or widely held belief that God tempts us. Ironically, I think most Christians today more or less do believe that.

The other thing I notice here is that James uses this metaphor to express what sin ultimately brings about: death. This is a polar opposite of what he has been talking about up until this point. That's probably important.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

The way James refers to God is different here. There is a creational (not a real word) tint to his language now. It's almost as if he's saying, "All these wonderful things come from the God who created everything to begin with - even light!"

Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

This creation idea continues. James is suggesting that the God from the previous verse (that really big, unchanging God) not only makes good things, but He has in fact designed humans with a purpose out of His will. He wants us for something. That's huge!

I mean really when you think about it. We've clearly already started to grasp how big this Creator God is, and yet He desires us to do something. What exactly? To be a "kind of firstfruits of his creatures."

So where do we go with this? I think the question starts with, "What does it mean to be a firstfruit of creation?" Well, I know that this question forces us to look at Eden. A place of perfection. A place of completeness. There was no emptiness. Only wholesome community and fellowship.

I feel this is a good place to sort of end this section. We get the idea. We know the thesis of James' letter. We're on the right track. And although we're going to start a slightly altered discussion with James now, these ideas will come back. We must remember the purpose of the writing. We must remember that James desires us to be "perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Comfort In Fairness

It's comforting to know that Jon Stewart can tease Obama too.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Changefest '09 - Obama's Inaugural Speech

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

James - Day 4

And so we leave v. 4 of James with rather happy thoughts... Perhaps, "Hooray! We will be lacking in nothing! How wonderful!"

V. 5 then tells us: "BUT, if you are lacking in something..." Figures.

James then takes a step aside to focus in on something. Not to say that he's really getting off topic or anything, but he wants to specifically hit on something before he keeps moving forward with his previous thought. He touches on wisdom.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God...

I did some research: the Greek word for this wisdom is sophia, which specifically refers to "knowledge of how to regulate one's relationship with God, related to goodness." (That's how my Bible puts it anyway.) So we're not just talking about helping people or algebra wisdom, we're talking about the interactions we have with God wisdom.

It then makes sense that we would ask God for this wisdom (I mean, who else would have the answer?).

... who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

If we ask God for this wisdom, we will be given it. Now a quick word: the word "ask" is actually more like "beg," so we really have to want this wisdom. It's not just something we throw into the end of our prayers - "Oh, and some wisdom too, God. Amen."

I've been reading on this topic recently in Dallas Willard's The Divine Conspiracy. In the chapter "The Community of Prayerful Love" he has a section on "the request." Essentially, he makes a point that if we're authentically asking God to give us something that both He wants and that we want, why in the world would He not give it to us? Makes sense. So if we ask for this wisdom, God is probably going to give it to us.

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

Here, the word doubting refers to division. Specifically, in the mind. In other words, someone who doubts would be someone who is not really sure about what they are asking for. They don't really want it wholeheartedly (or, rather, wholemindedly).

And then the simile. The simile makes sense if we remember what we realized last time. One of the things that defines wisdom is the fact that its nature doesn't change. If something is true, it doesn't become untrue later. So if someone doubts and their mind is thrown around like a wave in the sea, well then they really have some work to do before they start getting close to this wisdom thing. If they can't even be sure about asking for wisdom, then they will never really get wisdom. It's a sort of catch 22.

This naturally leads to...

For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

So it's not that we should believe that we will get wisdom from God if we ask for it, but we shouldn't expect to get it - that's what I would have thought before. Instead, if we sincerely ask for this wisdom and really want it, God will give it to us. But if we're not sure about asking, we certainly won't get it, because that just goes to show that we don't want it.

If this is at all interesting, I highly advise the book by Willard. You can also read Matthew 7: 7-11.

We're starting to see James come out of his shell. And he'll unravel more of this later. But this passage was kind of a tangent in a way. In v. 9, he continues from what he was saying in v. 4.

James - Day 3

And the journey continues...

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.

We read the first verse in James and learn that the author (James) is fully devoted to God. And in the next verse, he'll say "brothers," which means he is writing to an audience that has a similar background as he does (Jewish Christians).

This is where we start.

Count it all joy, my brothers...

The first thing to notice is "all joy." My ESV and NASB translations both say it this way. James is talking about something that when we look back on things and really put them in perspective, when we "count" them so to speak, we realize that that something gave birth to nothing but joy.

... when you meet trials of various kinds...

Oh. Something = Bad times. Keep reading.

... for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (ESV)

For starters, I prefer the word endurance to steadfastness. It's more understandable to us today. And one of the first observations I made when I read through this passage the first time was that this endurance sort of takes care of itself. All we have to do is step aside and let it run its course.

Now James sort of gives away what the human goal is right here in the beginning: to be perfect and complete. (Naturally, if we are complete, we're not lacking anything either.) So that's what we're aiming for. With that in mind, let's go back to the beginning of that verse.

When James talks about the testing of our faith, he's referring to something mental. From what I can tell, the Greek word used there suggests persuasion and knowledge. So what he's saying is that when our minds and thoughts are challenged, we start to develop this sort of endurance.

So here's where I would make a point:

One could say that developing this mental endurance (or steadfastness) allows us to firmly and entirely hold on to truth without swaying. In other words, allowing us to gain perfect wisdom (not lacking anything) and never losing it.

This is how we start off the letter. With mentioning what the goal is, and a way in which it is attained.

But we have more questions: Is that the only way we can be perfect? Why should we be perfect? What happens to us then? What if we don't have these trials that you speak of?

Luckily, the letter keeps going. And maybe we will see some of these questions answered...