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Repent and Serve–Jonah 3

Jul 25th, 2009
by Anthony Delgado.

is-jonah-historical-fact-or-fictional-narrativeAs we go through Jonah, chapter three, there are a handful of important factors which all lead up to one major theological point and one major implication. This chapter of Jonah continues in the theme of the sovereignty of God to do His perfect will, but it also shows us that salvation was no different in the days of Jonah than it is today. It is by grace, through faith that the Ninevites were saved.

Verse one of this chapter makes it very clear that there was a waiting period before God called upon Jonah again. Jonah did not go to Nineveh upon being vomited out by the fish. It may have been that he needed some time for physical restoration or simply that God allowed him that time to ensure he repented. At any rate, he was called a second time to go to Nineveh. It’s important to note that up to this point in the story, God has not told Jonah exactly what message to preach, just that he would “cry out against it” (1.2). God says, “…proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you” (v. 2). At this time, Jonah goes in ignorance and obedience to do the work of God.

There is a bi-fold application here. First, we do not have to have full understanding in order to serve God; we simply must be willing. God can use us more if we serve out of weakness than out of our strength. God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” In response Paul wrote, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12.9,10). God desires to use us in the areas that we are weak. Why? So that He alone gets the glory.

I use this example all the time as it is part of my personal testimony. God uses me as a teacher of His word. When I was growing up (and still to a great extent) I had very poor reading comprehension. I would read things over and over and have very little idea what I was reading. But, when I read God’s word, it comes alive to me and I understand, not just the raw narrative, but also the intricacies of it. I also am not a skilled teacher. My wife likes to point out that my brain works very different than most people. I guess I see the world a little different and as a result lack the ability to explain things to people. But again, when it comes to God’s word, He uses me to bring His word to His people. Do I of my own accord have anything to boast about? No way! In every way I serve Christ, I do so out of my weakness.

Now an area which is strength for me is music. In this area, God has used me for a long time, but in the last few years, God has made it abundantly clear that He will use me elsewhere. I have no choice but to glory in His sovereignty and submit to His good and perfect will regardless of my own personal desire.

This is not to say that we should immediately discard any talents that we might have; rather we should be aware of where God desires us to serve. Often that will be in our weakness, but it will always be for His glory. If we find ourselves receiving the glory, we must change our direction.

Second application is that obedience to God is proof of our repentance of sin. God never set out to form a legalistic society that would “not sin;” instead He wants people to do His work. “So…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10.31). I tell people all the time to quit worrying about what might be sin and focus instead on how what you are doing glorifies God. If all we do glorifies God then we are not in sin. Sin is not sin because it is ‘bad.’ Sin is sin because it is counterproductive to the good and perfect will of God our Father. So as we are obedient, as we do whatever we do and do it for His glory, then we are demonstrating repentance from sin.

In verse four, Jonah begins to go into the city. It is noted that it would take three days to get through the city, but that he only went one day into it proclaiming God’s message. He had one simple message, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (v.4). Again there are two major implications of this text. First, God’s work might look hard, but He will make it easy on us. Jesus said, “…my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt 11.30). Jonah preached God’s message for one day and we find as we read on that it spread through the whole city, even to the king. Second, God is Lord over the harvest. It is our responsibility to do God’s work, to preach His word, as He has commanded and whoever has ears to hear will hear and will come to God. When we do the simplest things for God or say the simplest things, as Jonah did, and God provides fruit, then the glory is all His.

In verse five through eight, we see Nineveh come to repentance. They repented in sackcloth and ashes, by fasting and by turning away from evil. Sackcloth was made from camel or goat fur and was often black. It often covered the whole body, including the head. Ashes were either put on the head or sat on. There is some definite symbolism here, but the point in Jonah is that the people were mourning their sin. This was a demonstration of their remorse. The fasting is interesting as well. The Israelites and other cultures as well, recognized the dead as being unclean. So, if someone died in your house it became unclean and you were not able to prepare food to eat. Also, if someone were to bring you food from outside, it would become unclean upon entering the house. There were so many legalistic cleanliness rights that it became a common practice to simply fast during times of mourning over death. The fasting of the people of Nineveh was also an act of mourning. The last thing mentioned as part of repentance is the turn from evil. They quit doing what did not honor God. When we are in sin, we must mourn that sin in order to get rid of it, to truly repent. If we are not convinced to the point of mourning that our sin is wrong, then we cannot be fully repentant of it. Even Judas, when he betrayed Jesus, and he realized his sin, he returned the coins to the Pharisees as an act of remorse (Matt 27.3). I’m not making an argument that Judas was saved; it is a picture of how God wants us to repent.

In verse nine, we find out that they repented because of the possibility that God might decide not to destroy them. This plays out really well in Psalm 2. Verse twelve of this Psalm says, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry…Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” Even the Assyrians (Ninevites) recognized that a return to God would bring blessing upon them and deliver them from wrath. The application: we never have committed too much sin, or any sin so heinous that God will reject us. If we repent in sackcloth and ashes, in mourning over our sin, and repent of sin, God will deliver us.

Image Credits: Brent Nelson, flickr.com

Discipline and Deliverance–Jonah 1.17-2.10

Jul 9th, 2009
by Anthony Delgado.

is-jonah-historical-fact-or-fictional-narrativeJonah, chapter 2, is about repentance. Jonah is being disciplined by being cast into the ocean according to the will of God (v. 1.15) and being swallowed by the great fish (v. 1.17). He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding (Prov 15.32). God is trying to give Jonah, through discipline, understanding of His plan. Through discipline we gain understanding of God’s plan for us and if we are wise, we will act in accordance with that knowledge. To ignore the knowledge which comes from discipline is stupid (Prov 12.1). This chapter of Jonah outlines the stages of repentance beginning with God’s acknowledgment of the one who is in sin, the role of grace and the solution to the discipline.

God reacts to Jonah’s sin in two ways, through discipline and by expelling him from His sight (v. 2.4). This does not mean that God was ignoring Jonah. On the contrary, God was watching Jonah very closely. The reference to expulsion has to do with Jonah’s ability to enter into the throne room of God. Jonah could not come to God in prayer until his heart was free from sin. “If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear” (Ps. 66.18).

God uses discipline to bring Jonah to repentance so that he can be restored. Jonah’s rejection of God’s plan was so great that he was brought to the point of death before he was willing to repent (v. 2.5). A speculation on logistics says that Jonah was cast into the ocean (v. 1.15), he was engulfed in the waves and the seaweed (v. 2.5), he sunk to the depths of the sea (v. 2.6) and at this point cried out to God from the depths of Sheol (the brink of death) and was swallowed by the great fish (v. 1.17). It is clear that artistic license was taken in chapter 2 by the author since verses 1.17 and 2.10 contradict the events as outlined in 2.1-9 as is often the case with Hebrew poetry. It is at this point, when Jonah was “fainting away” to death (v. 2.7) that his heart reflects a true desire of repentance. As a result, he was not only saved physically from the discipline, but he was also restored to fellowship so that his prayers could reach God (v. 2.7).

We see a glimpse of Jonah’s understanding of the doctrine of grace when in the midst of discipline, he says, “Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple” (v. 2.4). This is brought to fruition in verse 2.7, “And my prayer came to you.” NIV puts this perfectly, “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs” (v.2.8). Jonah was idolizing his own self interest and his pride for his nation (as we will find out in further studies). He recognizes this as worthless idolatry. Anything that is put above God is idolatry and anything that is not for God is worthless and is sin, deserving of death. Jonah deserved death at this point, but through grace he was able to be forgiven and restored to fellowship with God. Had he not repented, he would have forsaken faithfulness to God (NAS v. 2.7) and died when grace could have been his.

As part of his repentance, Jonah takes vows and sacrifices to the Lord (v. 2.9). When you are being disciplined it is not simply enough to ask forgiveness. Forgiveness has already taken place at the cross. Even for Jonah, forgiveness was taken care of through the foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice. In addition to asking forgiveness, we are to praise God for his forgiveness repent of our wickedness and take vows to do His work (remembering that all we do is either for or against the kingdom of God). The last step is to remember who is in control. Often we deny that our discipline comes from God. Similarly it is easy to forget who delivers us from discipline. Jonah does this when he says plainly, “Salvation is from the Lord” (v. 2.9). For Jonah, this deliverance comes after he has been in the belly of the fish for three days, readying his heart to do God’s work; God commands the fish to vomit Jonah out onto dry land.

In conclusion, this chapter in Jonah gives a very practical explanation of the principles of discipline and repentance. When we are disciplined, we must recognize that it is God’s hand upon us, acknowledge our sin before Him, repent of our sin, and take vows to return to the path and plan of God. It is in this way that we are restored to fellowship with God.

Image Credits: Brent Nelson, flickr.com

Forming Convictions

Jul 9th, 2009
by Anthony Delgado.

A person is made up of three primary elements: heart, mind and body. The body is the outward appearance. The body is everything that you do or do not do. The mind is everything that you think. It is man’s knowledge and ability to reason, logic. Your heart is your attitude and your feelings. Man has the ability to control his body in order to not appear in sin. The Pharisees, where they misunderstood sin, made great progress in this area, as do many professed Christians. We can appear on the outside to be free from sin. But, it is not enough to be free from sin in body, but we must also be free from sin in mind. Christ said that if we are angry with someone, we are guilty of murder (Matt 5.21,22). This is still not enough. Christ said that the root of our sin is in our hearts (Matt 15.17-19). Not only that, but if we recognize sin in our hearts, then God turns his ear from us (Ps. 66.18). He will not act on our prayers if we are harboring sin. How do you know if you are harboring sin? You know by your convictions.

Defining Conviction

The most common use of conviction is used in a legal sense. It is a declaration of guilt or innocence made by a court. It can also be described as a strong belief or something that you have become convinced of. To convict is to declare blame and to condemn. Based on these definitions, conviction can be summed up as, ‘An action which a person is convinced will result in condemnation.’ The Bible is consistent with this definition. Proverbs says, “The guilty are convicted” (Prov. 24.25) and the guilty are convicted by the Holy Spirit (John 16.8). Therefore, when we form a conviction, we should become convinced that the Holy Spirit will condemn us for an action. Moving forward, remember that the most important part of forming convictions is becoming thoroughly convinced that something will result in God’s condemnation. For most, ‘because the Bible says it’s sin’ will not be adequate to be thoroughly convinced.

Why form convictions?

The obvious response is to avoid God’s condemnation, but there is a bigger reason. It is a reflection of our heart. God is more concerned with our hearts than with our actions. Romans 14.22,23 gives an accurate answer to this question.

The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God.

Our free will cannot be a reason to sin. All are at liberty to sin, but as Christians, our faith in Jesus Christ should be demonstrated to God through our forming of convictions, our agreement on what is sin.

Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.

The idea is that we will find joy in Christ if we do not approve of things that are sin. Notice that it says ‘approve’. Convictions are not just a list of don’ts, they are also a list of dos. Do not be solely concerned about what not to do, otherwise you live fearful, timid lives. Instead fill your life with what you should do, what you approve of, which with proper convictions will result in joy.

But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin

This passage has to do with the context. Gentile Christians were eating meat which was sacrificed at the temples of Pagan gods. This is not a sin, but the Jewish Christians believed it was. What Paul is saying here is that if they eat the meat, they are sinning by eating the meat from the temple if they have not formed a conviction on the matter, even though eating the meat is not sin. The application is that we cannot simply assume something is sin simply because Mom said so or because our Sunday school teacher said so. We must form a conviction, in order to be absolutely convinced, so that we can exercise our liberty without condemnation.

In summation, we must form convictions in order to not sin. We cannot avoid sin accidentally. Why? God knows the heart. If our hearts do not reflect a desire to follow Him, then our actions are immaterial. For example, honesty can be a sin if it is done out of pride rather than faith. God desires that we have a heart to obey Him, that we form convictions about His will, then our minds and bodies follow suit.

Forming Convictions

As discussed earlier, it is not sufficient for most to read God’s word and call something sin, because scripture suggests it is. It’s like this:

A man opens the Bible to find God’s will. He opens his Bible and reads of Judas, “Then he went away and hanged himself” (Matt 27.5). The man then flips to another scripture and reads, “Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise’” (Luke 10.37).

There are many areas which people argue as to the meaning of a scripture and ultimately what conviction should be derived from it. There are also areas of scripture that seem to contradict values (Ex. Story of Rahab in Joshua 2). There are other factors which must be taken into account, namely, the Holy Spirit and general revelation. God has provided us with multiple sources which will guide us to form convictions and we should make use of them all.

Before forming a conviction, we have to be presented with a situation. This can be a ‘what do I do’ or a ‘what don’t I do’. For example, a conviction can be, ‘I am convicted that lying is evil’ or it can be ‘I am convicted that God wants me to become a missionary.’ In reality we should be forming both types of convictions, dos and don’ts. Scripture is a great place to start for either type of conviction since “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3.16,17). All of these elements are related to dos and don’t, but the purpose is to do God’s work and that is our ultimate goal.

Example: It is not enough to read the book of Acts and decide that it is God’s will for you to become a missionary simply because Paul was a missionary. If you read Acts and are challenged to become a missionary, it is likely the work of the Holy Spirit which is calling you to it. In order to form a conviction on your calling you have to spend time in prayer over the matter and ask God to confirm it for you. This brings up another dilemma though. How do you know when and how it has been confirmed?

Sometimes the confirmation is easy, because doors open and God makes it really obvious. Sometimes it’s not so easy. This is where general revelation comes into play. General revelation is our ability to discern good and evil, whether an action is in accordance with God’s will or against it. General revelation is the knowledge of good and evil that was obtained by Adam and Eve when they ate the fruit in the garden. So when we are making a decision, we can look at our evidence and use our God given discernment to begin to form a conviction. Back to the example: if you are trying to confirm whether or not to become a missionary, you have to look at God’s work in creation in order to determine if that work is confirmation or not. If God opens all the doors to go into missionary work, then your natural ability to discern should tell you that is His will for you. If there is no feasibility in it, then your discernment should tell you that it is not your will.

Three main elements are required in order to discern God’s will, but there is one other of vital importance. The “gospel [the message of salvation through Jesus Christ] did not come to you in word only, but also…with full conviction” (1 Thes 1.5). We should always form convictions based on the benefit of the gospel. By nature, a Christian should do this since this conviction was put in us at the time of salvation, but it is an important tool in discerning God’s will. Specifically, you can ask, “How will this benefit or discredit the Gospel?”

Sin is only sin because it’s against God’s will. Similarly everything which is against God’s will is sin. So we are not so much looking to figure out what is sin, but what is for or against God’s will. Let’s return to the story of Rahab. She had a choice to lie or to go against God’s plan to have the Israelites conquer the land of Jericho by giving up the Israelite spies. Since Rahab recognized God’s plan, she hid the spies and God’s plan was done. It is uncommon that we will be faced with such a paradox, but the principal remains the same. Seek God’s will to form convictions.

Result

Without convictions we condemn ourselves out of ignorance. If you do not form convictions by faith them you sin, even if that act is in accordance with your liberty. To obey God’s commands blindly and legalistically without forming convictions based on faith is to bring eternal condemnation upon you. But to discern convictions through scripture, by the Holy Spirit, for the purpose of expanding the Gospel is the hearts demonstration of true faith in Jesus Christ by which we are saved from condemnation.

Criticism for True Biblical Understanding

Jan 15th, 2009
by Anthony Delgado.
criticism-for-true-biblical-understanding

ba1969, sxc.hu

Theologians from centuries past to present have carefully formulated methods of criticism in order to better understand the meaning of the prophetic portion of the canon. To date there are five major methods of criticism used. Each varies in methodology and direction, but they are one in purpose; consistency of biblical theology. In order to be part of canon, Old Testament prophesy must be consistent with the teachings of both the wisdom literature and the law, but also the entire new testament, including Revelation. The five methods of criticism are literary criticism, form criticism, redaction criticism, rhetorical criticism and canonical criticism. When used in context of biblical interpretation, these forms of criticism are not necessarily consistent in meaning with their literary definitions although they are similar.

Literary criticism is one which is not completely the same when used to analyze Old Testament prophesy. Literary criticism aims to identify inconsistencies of texts, stylistic variance and incoherence of statements for the purpose of uncovering the true nature of the text. In a sense, removing the fluff added by the artistic prophet. Not to say that this is the man’s way of portraying God’s word, rather that God chose to bestow the gift of prophesy on one of necessary artistic talent. The problem with literary criticism when used alone is that there is a danger of removing meaning from the text during the process. As is true in Revelation nothing should be taken away from the word of God, so it should be true of all of canon (The MacArthur Study Bible, Rev. 22.19).
Form criticism is a way of identifying the setting and audience of an account, speech or prayer in order to identify the contextual meaning of the text. This method is accurate when the setting and audience of the prophecy is known. However in most cases, very little is known about the setting or audience so it is difficult to derive anything of the text using this manor without making assumptions, which is often done, albeit educated assumption. In any case, to place a piece of prophecy within a pre-ordained setting, derived of other books of the Old Testament, would be to assume that the circumstance of Israel’s refusal to repent was pre-ordained rather than foreknown. To assume that the text is merely a written representation of something that has been decided is to remove the possibility of repentance for an alternate account. It is more commonly believed by Christians, that where God knew that Israel would not repent, He did not choose it for them otherwise the repentance would not be for His glory, rather because of His glory.
Redaction criticism is the study of the stages of growth which a book has undergone in order to get to its contemporary form. The purpose of redaction criticism is to identify the original context and intent of the words. To attempt to understand the text based on assumed contextual knowledge and take it out of its current form is to deny the power of God to preserve His intent for the prophetic words. For this reason, it can be dangerous to imply this technique independently to study, because it is more likely that one would misinterpret, rather than uncover biblical truth.
Rhetorical criticism is another technique commonly used in literature. It is the study of the speech and how it was used to persuade the people of a certain point of view; by definition studying the rhetoric of the text. Rhetorical criticism aims to uncover understanding through literary devices used in light of the culture which the text was originally intended. For example, the poetic nature of much of the prophecy is not likely because they were artists, rather the Hebrews culture operated on a very strict practice of orally passing down traditions and laws, word for word. Hebrew poetry is one of the methods which can be used to accomplish that. Another example would be the acrostic poetry of Psalm 119. There is a slight danger in relying mainly on this type of criticism in that the specific historical situations are often vague or assumed. However, the cultural implication of the rhetorical nature of the speech is often clear due to the amount of knowledge we have about the Hebrew culture.
Canonical criticism is by far the most accurate way of studying prophesy or any other scripture for that matter. It focuses on defining how the text as a whole fits into the theological understanding of the rest of the canon, both Old Testament and New Testament in order to define a unity in theology between modern Christians, the prophets and the original law as given to Moses. A skeptic to the scripture may suggest that this is manipulation of the text for purpose of defining unity and that it is in fact inconsistency of scripture which disproves itself. On the contrary it is God’s way and was used by the early church in Berea (The MacArthur Study Bible, Acts 17.11).
In order to develop further the meaning and intent of a scripture, other forms of criticism can be used, but only once canonical consistency is established. To consider inconsistency is to challenge God’s power to unify meaning of His Word on earth. The five major forms of criticism can often work hand in hand to obtain a deeper meaning of the prophesy if used properly.

Works Cited

The MacArthur Study Bible: Updated New American Standard Translation. MacArthur: Thomas Nelson Inc., 2006.

Epistemological Justification for God

Sep 30th, 2008
by Anthony Delgado.

Epistemological Justification for God
Epistemology is the study of knowledge in relation to justifiable belief. It is a branch of Philosophy dealing primarily with the study of the nature of knowledge. Epistemological knowledge is justified belief rather than practical knowledge, such as knowing how to walk. In order for something to classify as epistemological knowledge, it must be true, otherwise it is not justified and therefore not epistemological knowledge. The existence of God justified through science or even through lack of scientific evidence has become trite. Rather than antagonizing old wounds, we will say that God is justified only through His Word which is the Bible and His Word is justified through man. So in order to argue the epistemological significance of God, we must prove his existence on an individual basis through the Word of God, rather than on the broader level—understanding for all.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16

John 3:16 calls man to believe in Him. The Ancient Greek word for believe is ‘pist-yoo’o’ (English representation of the Greek). This word does not simply mean “to believe”, but rather “to know to be true,” and there is a product of this knowledge for purposes of justification. This is a place where most misunderstand Christianity. If anyone comes to ‘believe’ in God for some sort of psychological comfort or other benefit, then they are not necessarily even Christians. What the individual needs to look for in order to call themselves a Christian is a product of their knowledge, a practical result of their belief, which proves the existence of God to them. For some this is a supernatural understanding of the nature of God or one or more of a number of spiritual gifts addressed by scriptures, and for others it is far different thing, but none the less practical to the individual. For some it means that they believe so intently that they serve God out of a product of their faith and that is sufficient as their justification. The word faith in Greek is ‘pistis’ (English representation of the Greek), which is the non-conjugated version of the word for “believe” from John 3:16. So by faith is man’s epistemological justification for God, which has no opposing argument on the basis of the individual.

They forgot God their Savior,Who had done great things in Egypt
Psalms 106:21 NAS

Relative proof of individual justification can be found in the Old Testament. For example, the Israelites were brought out of Egypt by miracles performed by God through Moses (Plagues, parting of the Red Sea, etc.). Generations later the Israelites, who no doubt know the story of the Exodus from Egypt, relinquish their faith, seeking idolatry (Psalm 106:21). They did not believe in God and certainly were not demonstrating faith because they no longer had the viable proof, the justification for their faith. They went on seeking God, but in the wrong places. Because there is no proof, even on an individual basis, one who does not demonstrate faith and does not have proof of God, does not consider Christianity to be epistemological knowledge.

Based on these two examples from the Word of God, man must have proof to have faith and to be a Christian. In addition, those who do not have proof cannot even conceptualize a reality in Christianity. This is the reason that there is so much debate over the existence of God and over the Bible. The hope for the non-Christian is to seek proof if you wish to understand God. If the heart is not truly seeking, then from a philosophical perspective, you cannot find God. As Christians, all we can do to help is to be a witness and provide a testimony of God so that others who are seeking will be able to find. In contrast, the closed heart is not going to be open to understanding.

How We Should Speak

Sep 19th, 2008
by Anthony Delgado.
juliaf, sxc.hu

juliaf, sxc.hu

Believe it or not, the way that you speak says more about you than everything else you do combined. James 3:5 says “the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts” (NIV). For this reason we should adhere to Paul’s advice; “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29 NIV). Our speech should build others up not tear them down. It should be a demonstration of everything we believe, everything that Christ taught. Here is a collection of scriptures intended to encourage us to speak in a way that would honor God.

as long as I have life within me,
the breath of God in my nostrils,
my lips will not speak wickedness,
and my tongue will utter no deceit.
Job 27:3, 4 NIV

My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long.
Psalms 35:28 NIV

He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart
and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman…
He who does these things
will never be shaken.
Psalm 15:2, 3, 5 NIV

Listen, for I have worthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right.
Proverbs 8:6 NIV

He who walks righteously
and speaks what is right,
who rejects gain from extortion
and keeps his hand from accepting bribes,
who stops his ears against plots of murder
and shuts his eyes against contemplating evil-
this is the man who will dwell on the heights,
whose refuge will be the mountain fortress.
His bread will be supplied,
and water will not fail him.
Isaiah 33:15, 16 NIV

So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
Luke 20:21 NIV

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 4:29 NIV

Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
James 3:1-12 NIV

For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.
1 Peter 3:10 NIV

How to be Free from Sin – Righteous

Sep 16th, 2008
by Anthony Delgado.

How to be Free from Sin – Righteous
Righteousness is observation of all the Lord’s commandments. Everything that is law for us to do is required to be done in order for us to be righteous. If there is any evil, any sin, in us we are not righteous. Certainly our unrighteousness has been covered over by the blood of Jesus Christ, but we should still desire to do what God has required of us in order to bring Him glory. There are three categories of sin which require very different methods in order to be repentant of them. They are intentional sin, unintentional sin and unknown sin.

“When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What do the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean which the LORD our God commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us from Egypt with a mighty hand. ‘Moreover, the LORD showed great and distressing signs and wonders before our eyes against Egypt, Pharaoh and all his household; He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our fathers.’ “So the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today. “It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the LORD our God, just as He commanded us.

Deuteronomy 6:20-25 NAS

In simplest form, this passage from Deuteronomy tells us that we are to remember that once we were slaves, but through many trials, God delivered us from sin into holiness. For the Israelites that was a literal deliverance from slavery, but for Christians today, it is a deliverance from the slavery of sin. We are no longer subject to the control of sin and are free now to observe all the commandments of the Lord, just as the Israelites were free to observe them once they reached the Holy Land. The passage is clear that in either case we will be righteous of we observe the commands of the Lord God.

Observing the commands of God is a daunting task. There are so many! How can we know them and how can we obey them? Broken down categorically it makes more sense.

  • Intentional Sin. “If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear” (Psalms 66:18 NAS). To regard is to observe closely or attentively. If you attend to evil in your heart, you are not yet free from the bondage of sin. You must choose Christ and give over all sin to him; you will be forgiven. This step is really the easiest for most. With Christ comes a desire to do right and so avoiding sinful actions of this nature are easily avoided.
  • Unknown Sin. This is a trap for many Christians. “If I don’t know it is sin, it isn’t sin.” Wrong! If there is unknown sin, then there is a lack in the knowledge and wisdom of God. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (1 Timothy 3:16 NAS). If there is unknown sin, it is because you have not been trained in righteousness. How do we become trained in righteousness? Scripture. As Christians we are accountable for all of our sin. If we are to rid ourselves of sin, we must know sin and must be trained to be rid of it. Through careful study of the Word of God we can become aware of sin, trained in righteousness, so we can be repentant of this sin.
  • Unintentional Sin. “Thus you shall do on the seventh day of the month [put blood from the sin offering on the doorposts] for everyone who goes astray or is naive; so you shall make atonement for the house” (Ezekiel 45:20 NAS). To an extent everyone is naïve to sin in some form or another. The naïve will go astray if they are led too close to sin. A good example is lust. A man may be fully aware that lust is a sin and make a conscious effort not to lust in his mind, but if he finds himself in situations which become a temptation to lust, he is likely to fail. So, the solution is to not be hasty in action, instead exhibit patience in all action, considering carefully the words of God so that we will not be led into temptation and be subject to our naïve nature which will cause sin.

    • This is not all to say that if one sins he is not a Christian. “There is none righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10 NAS). No one is going to be completely sinless, but we are free from the slavery of sin through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Still we are all called to be set apart from sin and if we truly believe the words of God, and regard Holiness in our hearts, then freedom from sin is a feasible goal, even if we are not likely to obtain it of our own power.

    God is Light from Creation to the End

    Aug 26th, 2008
    by Anthony Delgado.

    God is Light
    The light of God is mentioned in many places throughout the Bible. “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5 NIV). The following text examines a handful of the many occurrences of God’s light within scripture.

    On day one of creation, God said, “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3 NIV). Certainly we know that this is a literal light as it also says that, “God called the light day, and the darkness he called night” (Genesis 1:5 NIV). However, God did not create the sun, the moon or the stars until the fourth day. So where did the light come from? This seems simple to some, but is not easy for all to grasp.

    “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. ”
    (John 1:1-5 NIV)

    This passage from John is talking about Jesus Christ. All things were made through Christ. He, exclusively, was the light that shined for the first three days of earth’s existence. Not only that! His light is also the light of men, which is life. The first verses of the Bible tell us that life is through Christ. It was this way for Adam and Eve, and for the Israelites and for mankind today. If we want life, we obtain that one way and that is through Jesus Christ.

    Genesis 1:4 says that, “God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness” (NIV). Remember that the light is Jesus and it is good according to God the father. In contrast the darkness is everything else, everything which is not good. God made a specific point to separate the light from the darkness, the good from the evil. It was on this first day of creation that it was established that Christ was good and everything which is not of Christ is sin.

    Now it’s time to apply this.

    …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, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
    (1 John 7, 8 NIV)

    We are called to walk in the light, which is Jesus, according to creation. Isaiah said, “let us walk in the light of the LORD” (Isaiah 2:5). To walk is to live your life according to something. If we claim to be without sin, then we are living a lie and we walk in darkness; Christ is not in us. Hold to the teachings of Christ and you walk in the light. This is the path to life.

    On a side note, does this mean that if we sin, we do not walk in the light? Certainly not. We are affected by the darkness even from the perspective of light. That is why we receive purification from the blood sacrifice of Jesus. Walking in darkness requires a deliberate act of defiance against the nature of Christ or the nature of God according for those who have experienced Christ only through general revelation.

    “Many are asking, ‘Who can show us any good?’ Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD” (Psalms 4:6 NIV). In this Psalm David pleas with God to shine his light, or his goodness down on the Israelites. This is the same light that comes from Christ. In context, he is asking for virtue to be cast onto them so that they will remember God and come to repentance of their sins.

    “He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.”
    (Daniel 2:22 NIV)

    This is another reminder from Daniel. Do not claim to be holy. There is corruption in all of man. The man who claims to be humble is the least humble. God will judge the heart and reveal the darkness within. True light comes from heartfelt commitment to Jesus Christ and none other. The light must dwell in you. If it does not, then darkness does.

    What to do with the light?

    “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
    (Matthew 5:14-16 NIV)

    If we have the light within us, then all are to see it. Christ is saying, “Hey, if you have my light in you, then go shine my goodness out on others.” The goodness of Christ should pour from us like the beacon in the lighthouse so that others can see Christ in us. This is not merely evangelism, although it is that too. This is treating others as Christ would and as he has treated you, with grace, compassion and mercy. Why? So that they will praise God and so they will know Christ because of your demonstration of Christ in you.

    “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.”
    (Revelation 22:5 NIV)

    In the end, when we go to be in heaven with the Father, there will be no need for the sun and the stars. We will live eternally, our lives lit by the glory of the Lord. Remember though that the light was separated from the darkness. Those who did not accept Christ will live eternally in darkness and eternal torment. They will be thrown “into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:50 NIV).

    “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. ”
    (Luke 8:16 NIV)

    The Challenge.
    If you have the light in you, do not hold it in. Be a beacon of Christ’s light to the world so that they can experience the same eternity as you.

    The Mystery of Leviathan

    Aug 12th, 2008
    by Anthony Delgado.

    Leviathan is a peculiar word that appears six times in the Old Testament. It’s generally understood meaning is “dragon, serpent, huge sea animal,” according to the Concise Oxford Dictionary. The word is used both literally and figuratively in scripture. In this short examination of the word, we will briefly explore it’s etymology as well as the different ways it appears in scripture.

    Job 3:8 (New American Standard Bible)
    “Let those curse it who curse the day, Who are prepared to rouse Leviathan.

    Job 41 (New American Standard Bible)
    1 “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook? Or press down his tongue with a cord?
    2 “Can you put a rope in his nose Or pierce his jaw with a hook?
    3 “Will he make many supplications to you, Or will he speak to you soft words?
    4 “Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him for a servant forever?
    5 “Will you play with him as with a bird, Or will you bind him for your maidens?
    6 “Will the traders bargain over him? Will they divide him among the merchants?
    7 “Can you fill his skin with harpoons, Or his head with fishing spears?
    8 “Lay your hand on him; Remember the battle; you will not do it again!
    9 “Behold, your expectation is false; Will you be laid low even at the sight of him?
    10 “No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him; Who then is he that can stand before Me?
    11 “Who has given to Me that I should repay him? hatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.
    12 “I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, Or his mighty strength, or his orderly frame.
    13 “Who can strip off his outer armor? Who can come within his double mail?
    14 “Who can open the doors of his face? Around his teeth there is terror.
    15 “His strong scales are his pride, Shut up as with a tight seal.
    16 “One is so near to another That no air can come between them.
    17 “They are joined one to another; They clasp each other and cannot be separated.
    18 “His sneezes flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
    19 “Out of his mouth go burning torches; Sparks of fire leap forth.
    20 “Out of his nostrils smoke goes forth As from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
    21 “His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes forth from his mouth.
    22 “In his neck lodges strength, And dismay leaps before him.
    23 “The folds of his flesh are joined together, Firm on him and immovable.
    24 “His heart is as hard as a stone, Even as hard as a lower millstone.
    25 “When he raises himself up, the mighty fear; Because of the crashing they are bewildered.
    26 “The sword that reaches him cannot avail, Nor the spear, the dart or the javelin.
    27 “He regards iron as straw, Bronze as rotten wood.
    28 “The arrow cannot make him flee; Slingstones are turned into stubble for him.
    29 “Clubs are regarded as stubble; He laughs at the rattling of the javelin.
    30 “His underparts are like sharp potsherds; He spreads out like a threshing sledge on the mire.
    31 “He makes the depths boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a jar of ointment.
    32 “Behind him he makes a wake to shine; One would think the deep to be gray-haired.
    33 “Nothing on earth is like him, One made without fear.
    34 “He looks on everything that is high; He is king over all the sons of pride.”

    Psalm 74:14 (New American Standard Bible)
    You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.

    Psalm 104:25-26 (New American Standard Bible)
    There is the sea, great and broad, In which are swarms without number, Animals both small and great.
    There the ships move along, And Leviathan, which You have formed to sport in it.

    Isaiah 27:1 (New American Standard Bible)
    In that day the LORD will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, With His fierce and great and mighty sword, Even Leviathan the twisted serpent; And He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.

    Leviathan is a transliterated word, meaning that it is not an English word and has been borrowed, from the Hebrew word liwyatan. (Although, there is some discussion as to whether liwyatan is actually a Hebrew word.) According to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, it is assumed to derive from the Arabic root lwy, meaning ‘to twist.’ Here we get the image of a coiled serpent.

    We first encounter this word in Job 3:8 (See to the right for scripture). Job is cursing the day of his birth. Job is asking those who “curse the day,”who are prepared to rouse Leviathan” to curse the day he was born (NAS). Job is referring to magicians who practice dark arts and may have the ability to charm snakes or other creatures. Job, then, is likely saying that his birth day should be called a day that brings about evils (leviathan as figurative for evil or Satan).

    Later in Job 41, God is revealing his majesty and power to Job through a poetic description of his terrible creation, the leviathan. It is clear that God is describing a literal creature, though the description is quite poetic and makes use of several literal devices, including imagery, hyperbole, metaphor, and simile. Most scholars believe that God is describing the giant Nile crocodile. There is good evidence to support this in the verses, mainly verse 30, which gives the image of a crocodile leaving a trail in the mud as it emerges from the water. However, certain scholars believe this chapter to be proof that dinosaurs (or dragons) once lived at the same time as humans. They particularly point to verses 18-21 to do this. Yet, critics chalk these verses up to hyperbole.

    In the Psalms we encounter leviathan twice. The first time is Ps. 74:14. Here it is thought to symbolize Egypt. The imagery depicts the exodus where God crushed the Egyptians and Pharaoh in the Red Sea. The second time is in Ps. 104:25-26. Here, again, creation is being described in detail, so it can be presumed that leviathan is referring literally to a large aquatic creature. Many bible translations state this creature to be a whale of some sort. Yet,

    there are commentaries that suggest a serpent-like sea creature that may have since become extinct.

    Lastly, leviathan is found twice in Isaiah 27:1. Isaiah is also written in a poetic fashion, thus leviathan is used figuratively. From the previous chapter we read that God will come from his dwelling and punish the people for their sins. Leviathan in this case symbolizes the sinful men that will be destroyed by God. This is similar to the symbolic representation elsewhere as general evils.

    Though there is considerable mystery surrounding leviathan and it’s definitive meaning, it’s purpose is clear. We do not need to completely understand if leviathan is the Nile crocodile, a whale, or some extinct giant serpent in order to understand the scripture. Where leviathan is used figuratively, it can usually be summed up to symbolize some sort of evil. Though it is certainly nice to discover the particular evil, it is not necessary. Where

    leviathan is used literally, it is clear that it was a mighty, fearsome creature that non could wrestle with, and our God created it. Who, then, could possibly wrestle with God?

    Understanding of Salvation

    Aug 12th, 2008
    by Anthony Delgado.


    Understanding of Salvation
    (Word by word study of John 3:16.)

    For
    It is critical to understand the word ‘for’. It means ‘because of this’. So you have to understand the context. Christ is talking with Nicodemus, a Pharisee, about salvation. Christ says, “everyone who believes in him [Christ, the Son of Man (John 3:14, NIV)] may have eternal life” (John 3:15, NIV).

    For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

    (John 3:16, NIV)

    Because everyone who believes in Christ, will live for all eternity,…

    God so loved
    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). God, who existed before all things and who’s word existed before all things loved. How big is God’s love? But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever (Psalm 52:8, NIV). Unfailing: Always able to supply more; inexhaustible (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition). His love is unfailing, unable to be exhausted for those who flourish in his house. Make note that loved is past tense, for further use.

    …the creator of all things, who existed before all things, inexhaustibly loved…

    the world
    The world is the world. It is everyone, everyone who walks on the face of this earth, everyone who has walked on the face of this earth and everyone who will walk on the face of this earth. His love is so great that he can love all with an unfailing love if they choose to be a part of his house.

    …all mankind whom are His creation and children…

    that He gave
    He, God, gave to the world. Whatever the gift it is important that He gave. What would you give to the world? The better question is “What would you give to your children?” We are all truly children of God. Like we give all we can for our children’s lifelong provision, God gave all He could for his children’s lifelong provision.

    …that He provided the means for their eternal security,…

    His one and only Son,
    Jesus Christ is God’s only son, who is 100% man and 100% God and therefore free from sin. He was given on the cross to provide the perfect blood sacrifice which is required by God for atonement, or acceptable payment, of sin.

    …the only acceptable payment to atone for sin through the blood of Jesus,…

    that whoever believes in him
    Whoever means anyone in the world. Anyone who has lived, is living or will live. If any of these people believe in Jesus Christ, then they will receive the gift. The word believe is important. Believe (in context): to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in, of the thing believed, to credit, have confidence. So you not only have to think it is true that Christ died, but you also have to have confidence in him. It’s like the verb for faith which does not exist in the English language.

    …so that if anyone who has ever lived or will live believes in Jesus Christ and places their confidence in him…

    shall not perish
    To perish is to suffer eternal separation from the love of God. It is eternal torment. All mankind has an understanding of God either through direct contact with the gospel or through general revelation. If they did not pursue this calling to submit to Christ, then they go to hell “where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12, NIV).

    …will not suffer eternal torment due to separation from God’s love…

    but have eternal life.
    Eternal life is “the prize for which God has called me [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). “Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). The gift is eternal, forever, timeless.

    …but will instead spend eternity enjoying His love.

    Because everyone who believes in Christ, will live for all eternity, the creator of all things, who existed before all things, inexhaustibly loved all mankind whom are His creation and children that He provided the means for their eternal security, the only acceptable payment to atone for sin through the blood of Jesus, so that if anyone who has ever lived or will live believes in Jesus Christ and places their confidence in him will not suffer eternal torment due to separation from God’s love but will instead spend eternity enjoying His love.

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