Uncategorized – Page 9 – A Recovering Legalist

The Paradox in the Sin of Expediency

Have you ever noticed the paradox in the sin of expediency, which was turned into a blessing for all who would hear, see and believe? The sin of expediency is one of function, it serves the purpose of Man. So, not only will we throw ourselves under the bus for the church, but there are those in the church who expect such behavior of it\’s members.

\”God\’s sense of order is always earthed in relationships; therefore, it constantly adjusts to people as they grow, change and become more of who they are in Christ. Whereas, order in a functional paradigm never adjusts to people. It remains static and expects people to adapt to it. When the system is more important than the individual, then we become a Pharisee and are guilty of the sin of expedience; the individual should suffer for the whole … {In the church} a box has been created that captures people instead of captivating them. We create rules of behavior to keep people in the confines of what we determine is decent and in order. The problem is that our sense of order comes out of a functional paradigm that is cemented in the need for leaders to possess, acquire, and control. This is eros love – love with a hook, love that uses people but does not fulfill them. The box becomes the coffin of their dreams and aspirations.\” (Graham Cooke)

While I\’m aware that scripture never states that it was expedient for the Christ to die for the sins of the world, especially as taken within the context of some definitions of expedient, to suggest that the death of the Messiah was without merit and purpose is blasphemous. Thus to me, the sliver of the paradox in the crucifixion is that while on one hand it was the sin of expediency to the ruling class of the Jews, it was a necessary step towards the salvation of Man; the curse of Man turned into the blessing of God:

Now He said to them, \”These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.\” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, \”Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.\” (Luke 24:44-49)

Jesus answered and said to him, \”Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.\” (John 3:3)

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

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John 11:47-53

Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man {Jesus} is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them,

“You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.\”

Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.

Isaiah 61:1-4 – Freedom in Christ

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

On Changing Paths

I\’ve recently changed paths. Some of my friends are aware of this, others not so much. It\’s not really something you\’d be able to see from a distance or ascertain from observation. I\’ve had my ups and downs in the process, of which it\’s only been about a week now. And today, being Easter Sunday has been particularly difficult for some reason.

Perhaps it\’s because I don\’t like Easter any more than I like Christmas? Christmas is to me, quite bogus in a lot of ways. Jesus was no more born on December 25^th than there is a man in the moon. Reasonable consideration bears this out. Yes, I know – the day of His birth is a day worth celebrating, but why the 25^th of December? There are a lot of reasons, but lets\’ just boil it down to tradition, shall we, and with that be satisfied? And besides, the whole commercialization of the Reason for the Season just turns me off.

So, how does this loathing of Christmas relate to Easter? It is, after all, a much better season and is more accurately based in truth. Well, reason #1: the Bunny Hoppers. And I\’m not just talking about the Cadbury Bunny, either. I\’m also referring to all of the people who make Easter the second (or only) day they show up at church. Yeah, that\’s right: I don\’t like hypocrites any more than the lost man who stays away from church because of the hypocrites that show up every Sunday. Reason #2: the commercialization of the season, which gets back to the same thread I have regarding Christmas. Reason #3, the sermons. I must confess, they\’re usually well chosen and well presented for the Bunny Hoppers, but I also happen to dislike pageants in church too. Those things have their place, but I\’m pretty much over them. And besides, the Easter Sunday sermons are extremely important – for the Bunny Hoppers. But I\’ve heard them before, and since I believe the salvation work of God cannot be undone, I\’m a once saved, always saved kind of guy, ergo, salvation sermons don\’t provide much edification to me.

The Ministry

But I don\’t think Easter is my problem. It has to do with this whole changing path thing. It has a lot to do with leaving behind those things which keep us in bondage, those things which we so dearly love to treasure and pet. The hurtful process is learning that you\’ve got something in your life that you actually love more than God. And when that thing turns out to be The Ministry, well that when it all really starts to suck rotten eggs. You see, I like a good debate. I like being right, though contrary to the popular belief of some, I am right a lot of the time. It\’s a pity though, that some only saw an attack where I was only trying to present my side of the argument. But looking back, that pulling away appears to have been what I needed.

Hearing from God

Do you have an iPod? I do. I really like the thing too. It\’s an older model with only 32GB of space, that\’s enough to hold a huge amount of songs, the entire spoken KJV and more sermons than you can shake a stick at. I even have an adapter for the car, so I just keep the thing plugged in, unless I\’m syncing new music or sermons. The adapter for the iPod plugs into a special purpose auxiliary port on the stereo, and the adapter understands specially named play lists, which the stereo interprets as CD discs. As you might imagine, I have play lists for the Bible, Sermons and various types of music. Although the car stereo recognizes six discs, the interface module to the car only recognizes 5 play lists. That leaves one disc unassigned, or so we thought.

The God Track

My wife and I talk about God and scripture a lot. We talk a lot when driving too, when going here or there on various errands, travels and dates. Surprisingly, those errands and dinner dates are among the sweetest times we have in the Lord. But there is one interesting thing we have discovered about how God chooses to work in our lives, or should I say better, reinforce those things He is teaching us through His word.

We\’ll be driving along, discussing this or that thing about God or the Bible with the stereo and the iPod both turned off. And then with no inference from us, the car or the road (the roads are pretty good where we live) the stereo and the iPod will turn on, as if an Angel pushed the \’on\’ button and reset the iPod track. Every single time this has happened it has always started playing some seemingly random Christian worship song or a sermon or a section of Scripture. And without fail, the thing it started playing has always spoken directly to a need we were discussing. We\’ve seen it do this when we were dealing with betrayal, when we were battling cancer and when we felt lost in our walk. Never has it turned on (by itself) when what played next did not meet or reinforce some critical need in our lives. It\’s done it while we\’re together and while we\’re apart. Hopefully, you can understand why we have learned to refer to this happening as the God Track.

Getting to Know Him

So, we went to lunch on this particular Easter Sunday and headed off to the store to buy groceries. The day before we had been listening to Kari Jobes\’ \”Revelation Song,\” over and over again – we had it on repeat, as a matter of fact. I think we listened to it probably a dozen times that day. We got into the car and went to lunch and the stereo was off. It\’s a 5 minute trip to the diner, and it was another 15-20 minute trip to the store. On our way back home my wife was especially tuned into my in-the-dumps spirit, and she was trying to encourage me. She was re-enforcing our need to not focus on externals, such as The Ministry, or whatever else it is we like to put before God. She was speaking directly to my new path, I knew this, but I was still feeling somewhat depressed. It\’s a normal part of the process, I\’ve learned. There are some hurtful things that God will simply take away from you, but there are other things that He allows you the space to work through, a process to learn so that we can comfort others.

As we were pulling into the driveway, we had both reached the conclusion that seeking Him first is the only solution, the only viable lifestyle, the only way to be of any use to Him. And then God track started playing. And we listened to hear what it was. The first verse seemed innocuous, but then came the chorus:

The reason we\’re here and the reason we sing,

Is to thank you O God and give Praise to the King.

And then my wife reached up and turned off the \’repeat\’ button, as it had been set from the previous day.

And that\’s it. That\’s the path. The rest is just gravy, but don\’t seek the gravy. We would do good to remember and live His words:

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5-8)

The Armor of God

There seems to be no end of devotions, Bibles studies and sermons whose sole purpose is to teach or encourage you to pray on the armor of God. But why? When, exactly, does the Bible exhort us to pray through or pray on the armor of God?

Before we tackle that question, lets take a quick review of the book of Ephesians.

Ephesians begins with a background of who we were and now are in Christ:

In verses 1:1-14, we see the creation of the Body of Christ, how it was planned (1-6), purchased by the Son (7-12) and preserved in the Spirit (13-14). Paul then prays for the Church, that we might grow in His knowledge, understand our wonderful future in Him and the greatness of His power, and the position of Christ in relation to God the Father.

In verses 2:1-3, and 11-12, we are reminded of who we were before salvation (dead, under wrath, without God, etc) and reminded of what God did by saving us (4-6). Paul discusses how God performed salvation through grace and that we have been created in Christ to do good works.

Paul then goes on to explain the mystery of God (which we know to be Christ in us, 3:1-13). Paul then again prays that we will be strengthened in our inner being by the Spirit of God, that Christ will be at home in our hearts, and that we might be able to grasp the full dimensions of God\’s love.

Once we get into chapter 4, Paul begins to explain the Church (the body of Christ) is to be unified. Apparently they had the same problems of religiosity and bigotry that we have today through our walls of denominational boundaries. He says that there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one Faith, one baptism of the Holy Spirit and one God and Father. We are then encouraged to avoid an immoral life style and adopt a spiritual lifestyle instead (4:17-32). He continues by outlining how people should treat one another, as directed to children, husbands and wives (5:1-6:9)

In summary, the entirety of the book of Ephesians (up to this point) explains how one should live, how one should believe about who they are in Christ, and how one should relate one to another. It\’s about living out our life in Christ, as fully functioning members of the Church (the Body of Christ, not the local club on the corner – you know what I\’m talking about, the one with the pulpit, the cross and the steeple on top).

The question I have then, is why do we assume that the armor of God is something we should \”pray on\” rather than \”live out\” through our lifestyles and relationships with God and others?

So let\’s walk through the armor of God:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

This isn\’t about praying, this is about being: just as Jesus said, we \”shall be\” His witnesses (Acts 1:8), not \”you shall do witnessing.\” The former describes the state of being, whereas the later portrays how scripture is typically and incorrectly taught. The encouragement here is to \”be something\” not to \”do something.\” However, we cannot ignore what comes next, which is an act of doing. But, the attitude of being comes before the action of doing. In example, consider David fighting Goliath: He was not strong in the Lord because he was victorious, rather he was victorious because he was first strong in the Lord. The state of being comes before the action. And the action comes next:

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

This is one of the places where we incorrectly trade \”putting on\” for \”praying on\” the armor of God. This is correctly seen as something we do: we are not to \”be the armor\” but to \”put on the armor.\” The act of doing, at this juncture does not mention the word \”pray\” or the phrase \”pray on the the armor of God,\” rather it mentions our struggle, that which we fight against:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Paul now explains the reason for the first 6 ½ chapters of his letter to the Ephesians – we have a struggle, and it\’s not against each other, rather it\’s against Satan and his minions. So, while Paul was encouraging us what to believe about our position in Christ and how to treat others, he was really telling us how to defeat Satan\’s schemes. When we fully understand who we are in Christ, then life really comes about being, rather than doing. Anyone can \”do\” religion, but only a Christian can bear the fruit of the Spirit, not because of what they do, but because of who they are. This is the core difference of Christianity and any other religion: Christ changes us from the inside out, while man (religion) attempts to change us from the outside in.

Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

How do you take up something through prayer? You don\’t. In example, if one is to \”take up\” salvation, they must act in faith towards God with repentance of their sin. Contrary wise, the person who confesses all of their sin but one, is in rebellion due to that which they refuse to relinquish. Therefore, to \”take up\” the armor of God means that we choose to discard the negative things Paul has previously talked about and then put on all of the positive things. And how do we put on? By first being strong in the Lord. Admittedly, being strong in the Lord only comes through our seeking Him in a personal relationship – which of course involves prayer – but not the kind that says \”I\’m praying on the shield of faith … etc, etc.\” Rather the shield of faith is born out of our trust, belief and knowledge of God (of who He is) and our knowledge of who we are in Christ.

Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth,

This statement reflects a result of the previous actions. Since we have done all that comes before, we can therefore stand firm. Next consider the phrase \”having girded your loins with truth.\” What is truth? Jesus said that the He is truth, the Logos of God, the Word of God (John 14:6): Jesus said, \”sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.\” (John 17:17) We don\’t gird our loins, or gird our strength through God\’s truth or God\’s word by prayer, rather we gird and strengthen ourselves in truth by reading, memorizing and absorbing God\’s word. We receive the \”word implanted\” (James 1:21):

Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have told of all the ordinances of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word. (Psalms 119:11-16)

Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:21)

Do you notice how the passage in James fits so nicely with the previous themes of Ephesians? That\’s not just a happenstance.

and having put on the breastplate of righteousness

Having put on is past tense, it is a thing we have already done. Although we are imputed righteousness by God, there is the commandment that we are to be Holy, because He is Holy. When we are saved, we have the breastplate of righteousness – it is imputed to us. However, when we live by the Spirit, we put on His righteousness – this breastplate of righteousness – for He says, \”walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.\” (Galatians 5:16) Living by the spirit is not something you pray into your life, it is something you must choose to do. And in so doing, we put on the the breastplate of righteousness.

How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit! (Psalms 32:1-2)

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)

and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

What is the preparation of the Gospel of Peace? It is an understanding what the Gospel is and what it is for. Again, this is not something you receive through prayer. You don\’t ask God to fill your head with verses, the 10 Commandments, a 5 point sermon and the Romans Road. Rather, you study the Bible, you learn how to make friends and lovingly help them understand their guilt in lieu of the law and how the Good News helps them.

in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Faith is your choice to believe and trust: \”and without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.\” (Hebrews 11:6) While it is certainly permissible to ask God to help your unbelief, faith is still something you must chose to exercise.

And take the helmet of salvation,

Salvation is something you already have, and here it is referred to as a helmet. This means that we must understand that salvation spoken of in the earlier chapters of Ephesians is something that has the power to protect our minds, but only if you\’re willing to believe the Word of God, and believe that God is God. A lot of times this involves us discarding the \”God Box\” we have created in which we make God exist for ourselves.

and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

We can\’t pray the Word of God into our lives. We learn the word of God by reading it, studying it and meditating upon it.

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints … (Eph 6:10-18)

Finally, we\’re encouraged to \”pray at all times in the Spirit\”, as a normal course of our life in Christ.

When we view the armor of God in the context of the rest of Ephesians, we see that it is concise restatement of those things which we have been exhorted to believe and act upon.

So, don\’t pray the armor of God onto yourself, live the armor of God.

Keeping Oneself Unstained by the World

According to the Clark County Democrat (and others), a bar owner sued a Baptist church who petitioned and prayed against the opening of his newly remodeled bar. Apparently, a thunderstorm dropped a lightning bolt on the establishment about a week before it was to open, and it burned to the ground. Based upon the church\’s actions, the bar owner held the congregation responsible, either “directly or indirectly” and sued. The church responded by denying any and all culpability in the matter. In the case, the judge noticed – quite correctly, I might add – that the bar owner apparently believed in the power of prayer, whereas the church congregation obviously didn’t.

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (James 1:27)

What is a stain?

What does it mean to keep oneself unstained (unspotted, unblemished) by the world? To answer that question, we first need to review the nature of a stain.

Some of the synonyms for stain are as follows:

discoloration, dirt, filth, grime, soil, grease, grunge, mark, stigma, brand, blot, smear, smirch, spot, appearance, color, coloring material, dirtiness, error, fault, mistake, symbol, uncleanness, visual aspect

While we could go on about how stains are difficult to remove, the real lesson here is that they affect the thing on which they are found. A stain on your shirt affects how the shirt looks and is used. A black and white checkered pattern (or stain) on a flag affects how that flag is used: it is a signal to indicate that a race has finished, whereas a solid black flag indicates punishment or hazard, and the driver must return to the pits. In both of these cases, the stain on the flags defines their purpose.

What is being stained by the World?

As a Christian, stains function similarly but not identically to the examples I’ve provided. Simply put, a stain is anything that affects or directs you towards one or more ungodly behaviors.

A Christian, who is stained by the world, carries something of the world – something of the fleshly nature – that affects how the Christian behaves. For example, if such a person does not believe that all of their needs are met in the person of Jesus Christ, then they carry a fleshly behavior pattern, a stain. That stain affects their behavior – they may become co-dependent or become involved in ungodly pursuits such as lasciviousness. They may become hoarders of things or of money.

The Stains of the World

There are plenty of things that can stain the Christian. Just a quick look a the internet will uncover all sorts of things that we can use to make ourselves dirty. But be careful with that concept: it’s not just about living among the sin or being exposed to the sin that’s the problem (otherwise, Jesus would have been stained, correct?).

For example, an average Christian can visit a restaurant or bar and not leave drunk. It’s a simple choice. But don’t miss this: the stains I’m talking about exist in our motives that drive our decisions. If your motivation is to feel better, and you believe that getting drunk or smoking will make you feel better, then you’ll get drunk or smoke just to feel better. And therein lies the stain: not the activity participated in, but the motivation, the spirit that lead to the activity.

The truth is that only God can supply all our needs. And feeling better is a need no matter how you dissect it. When we go to things other than God to meet our needs, we act on our stains.

Keeping ourselves unstained by the world will not be achieved through works or observing how other people live. Jesus said of the Pharisees,

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. (Matthew 23:1-4)

What was He saying? Follow the Law of God, not the law of man, as observed through their actions and belief systems. In other words, the Pharisees were stained. And if you followed after their deeds, you would be stained of the world, just like they were.

The Stains of Tradition

There are other stains which we\’re not so keen to see, those being the stains of traditions. These stains are found within the confines of the church. Tradition, particularly in the Baptist church (of which I’m most familiar), states that we should not “drink, dance, smoke or chew, or go with those that do.” What’s the point of this mantra? To keep the impressionable away from danger, to keep the young ones unstained from the world. It’s not a bad tradition; it has valid outcome desires. It’s a “follow the rules, and you’ll be a good person” type of tradition.

The problem is that instead of making disciples of the young people, we instead give them rules to follow – as if forcing them to obey rules makes them righteous or turns them into good people. What about their innermost desires? Have those desires changed by them keeping these rules? If you listen to the doctrine of some people – read the right thing, believe the right thing, do the right thing, be acceptable to God – then in their world, the answer is yes. But as a student of four years at a fundamental Baptist University, I can, with assurance, tell you that those students who lived under and by the letter of the law (tradition) of their church and parents were the first ones to get into trouble. They were the first to break free from the bondage of hypocrisy in which they had been forced to live and instead pursued that which was in their heart. In those people, the letter of the law and the church’s traditions made no difference to their innermost man.God desires truth in the inward parts, not sacrifice or legalistic obedience to His law:

Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom. (Psalm 51:6)

For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’ (Jeremiah 7:22-23)

But the LORD said unto Samuel, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD see not as man see; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

When God says He desires truth in our inward parts, He is really saying that He wants His nature inside of us, as opposed to some other nature, that being the stain of the world. This other nature is what He was talking about in regards to Saul.

So, what’s the point?

The point is that just because we keep and obey the rules does not mean we’re not stained by the world. Had those college students not carried the desires of the world, then they would have behaved correctly, as ones who carried God’s truth in their inward parts. But instead, they rebelled against the norms they were coerced into following. While at home, they were the perfect little Christians who obeyed the rules and precepts laid before them. But when on their own, those precepts meant nothing and their true colors, their real stains were apparent.

Back to the Bar

So what happened between the church and bar? I don’t know the final outcome, but I can positively comment on what the church did. They followed the letter of the law – they tried to tear down the idols in their land. They prayed about it (good), and they petitioned against this man and his venture (not so good). And when confronted by their enemy on the veracity of their religion and their actions, they denied culpability (wrong).

This whole thing reminds me of the Old Testament: how many times did one King or another tear down Israel\’s idols? And it didn\’t work, did it? Why not? Because the heart of the people was not changed. You can take away a man\’s idol, but you can\’t take the idol out of the man\’s heart.

A very good friend of mine responded to this particular Bar vs. Baptist Church happenstance in this manner:

If Satan can’t get you to do a wrong thing, then he’ll get you to do the right thing in the wrong way.

This is simply another way of saying:

If God can’t get you to do the right thing in the right way, Satan will get you to do the right thing in the wrong way.

Seeing that we all know (according to those who have the corner on proper scriptural interpretation) that alcohol is of the devil and drinking is a sin, then I’ll bite on this bait. I’m going to assume that the “right thing” is that the congregation should have instead confessed their sins and the sins of their community; then prayed for their community so that everyone would have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and the need for this bar would have therefore been obviated.

But I don’t think that’s what he meant at all. What he meant was that yes, they did the right thing in trying to dispose of the bar, but they tried to get rid of it in the wrong manner and didn’t follow through on their not-so-convicting convictions when they had the chance: in court. What the average Christian believes, which is born out in this confrontation, is that bars turn people into people that God hates, so bars are bad and should be disposed of: Hence, the trick is to dispose of bad things properly.

But what about the people? And God now hates them when He didn’t before? That’s Westboro Baptist Church theology, folks, and it’s not of God.

Seriously, I don’t know what to think. So, the right thing is that this guy shouldn’t have a bar? Really? And how does that help the man? How does that help the community, other than cleaning up a few drunks that would otherwise offend the piety of a few sanctimonious tithers people? The truth of the matter is you can take the bar and the prostitutes away from the community, but you can’t take those things out of the heart of people. Which gets us right back to this-or-that King of Israel who tore down down the idols and groves of the land, only find that later on, some other King had to do exactly the same again.

Instead of looking at the symptoms of spiritual death in our society (stains) as an ill to be healed by Jesus, we look at them as oozing cancers, which must be eradicated through our church programs and vociferous speech. But what does the Bible say our response should be to the ills of society?

But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler–not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within {the church}? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves. (1 Corinthians 5:11-13)

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Mat 28:18-20)

He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mar 16:16-18)

He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. (Rev 22:11)

What people don’t understand about the church is this: it’s not about evangelism or cleaning up your neighborhood – it’s about discipleship – and that, mostly outside the church’s walls. And what church members don’t get about society is that there are those who, when presented with the Gospel, will turn away and say “no thank you.” So instead of leaving those people alone, letting them “be filthy still,” we try to clean them up. But there’s a problem with that: it only serves to provide a false sense of security to the filthy, and a false sense of piety to the self-righteous.

In other words, it provides a stain of false righteousness.

But why do we do this? Because we’re stained by the traditions of the institutional church. It’s the Crusades all over again, without the murderous bits. Does God want righteousness throughout all of our society? Of course He does. But we do not make society righteous by forcing obedience to the law. Instead, it is done one person at a time through a change of heart.

It’s not enough to clean someone up: you can bathe a pig, but that doesn’t make the pig into a horse. And it doesn’t turn the pigsty into a palace. It just makes the pig think he’s special when the truth is that the pig will be slaughtered along with the rest of his brethren.

On Being Offended

Has it ever occurred to you that Jesus sometimes offended those who needed a blessing? Offenses come, and sometimes they even come from God.

Consider the Canaanite woman whose daughter was severely demon possessed:

And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, \”Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.\” But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, \”Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.\” But He answered and said, \”I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.\” But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, \”Lord, help me!\” And He answered and said, \”It is not good to take the children\’s bread and throw it to the dogs.\” But she said, \”Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters\’ table.\” Then Jesus said to her, \”O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.\” And her daughter was healed at once. (Mat 15:22-28 NASB)

Offense #1: The first thing Jesus did was ignore her.

But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, \”Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.\”

Offense #2: The second thing He did was explain how she was unqualified because of her nationality:

But He answered and said, \”I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.\”

Offense #3: The third thing He did was personally insult her by calling her a dog.

\”It is not good to take the children\’s bread and throw it to the dogs.\”

Three times he tried to push her away and three times she came back. Why?

First, she came back because of faith: she knew something about Jesus. Hebrews 11 teaches us that \”without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.\” Which is exactly what we see here: an acknowledgement of who Jesus was (specifically as pertaining to His character and compassion), and the promise fulfilled: a reward for diligently seeking Him. Nevertheless, aside from what must be considered by some to be insurmountable odds, this woman demonstrated faith in Jesus.

Secondly, she came back because of focus. When an offense comes to the average Christian, the first thing they do is cry out to their buddies about how bad things are, or possibly they complain to God about how mean He’s being to them. However, the Canaanite woman didn\’t pay any attention to her neighbors, but put her focus on Jesus. And she did what ever was necessary to make sure that those standing in her way of gaining an audience with Him were pushed aside. When God is working in your life, there will be opposition, even from those whom you think should know better. When my wife had cancer, we were told by several seasoned Christians, persons who would be generally considered elders by today\’s standards, that our faith would have nothing to do with her healing. Rather, God was in control and it was our simply our job to sit back and yield to His will in the situation. What we see demonstrated from this woman is ignoring those who would quench her faith and maintaining her focus on Jesus.

Consider what else might have happened: if this woman had turned away after being spurned by the disciples, her daughter would not have been healed. If she had spent her time asking the question, “why did Jesus ignore me,” then her daughter would not have been healed. If she had turned away after having her nationality criticized, then her daughter would not have been healed. And if she had returned home after being called a dog, her daughter would not have been healed. But she knew who she was talking to. She knew this Man Jesus was special, that he could heal her daughter. So she followed her faith and focused on Jesus, not the circumstances, not those trying to push her away, and not the offenses that He cast in her direction.

And that’s why we fail and fall away: we focus on the circumstances, on anything but Jesus. When offenses come, we pay attention to the offenses instead of the Lord God who supplies all our need. And amazingly enough, God will bring an offense into your life. Not because He’s in the mood to test your metal or that He doesn’t already know what kind of metal you\’re made of, but because you need to see exactly what type of metal you’re made of.

And this woman had the right stuff, the right metal. When she followed her assurance of that which was hoped for and her conviction of that which was unseen (Hebrews 11:1), then she opened the door walked into the experience of having her daughter healed. For that is what true faith brings: experience.

So the next time an offense falls your way, determine what you’re going to pursue and how you’re going to pursue it. Will you respond to the offense, or will you seek after God?

The Attitude of Idolatry

The attitude of idolatry is a failure to trust God. It is one thing to “do” for God, but it is an entirely different thing to trust God for your needs. Anyone can read the the Bible, believe the right things and do things for God, but it doesn\’t automatically follow that they have trusted God for any particular thing (Matthew 7:21-23). This failure to trust is born out in our behavior. And this behavior is exemplified in the relationship of the Hebrews to Moses and God.

After the Hebrews had been freed from Egypt, they were lead to a mountain where God would speak with them and with Moses. Before Moses ascended the mount to speak with God, he had some parting words for the Hebrews: “Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, \’All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!\’\” (Exodus 24:3) After the Hebrews made this affirmation of consecration and service to God, Moses ascended the mount and stayed there for 40 days. During this time God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and many other instructions regarding offerings, sacrifices, atonement, the tabernacle and the duties and adornments of the priests and various other things. This experience of Moses covers Exodus chapters 24 through 31, until we see the golden calf in chapter 32.

Sometime during those 40 days Moses was on the mountain, the Hebrews began to loose faith (trust and belief) in Moses and his God. So the Hebrews said to Aaron, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.\” (Exodus 32) From these actions we can see that the faith which the Hebrews testified to have in God, “all of the words which the LORD has spoken we will do”, was actually wrapped up in their perceived performance of Moses (\”the man who brought us up out of Egypt\”) and his relationship to his God. In other words they said, “Moses is the one who got us here. And Moses has been gone for a long time and he’s probably dead. Nevertheless, we need a god. So, Aaron, make us a god because we don’t know what has happened to Moses and his God.”

This behavior is not unlike that which we see today – we just gussy it up so that it doesn\’t look the same. Today, Christians wrap and tie their faith to men, churches, denominations and Bible translations. If their denomination or church lets them down, they find another one. If their Pastor lets them down, they find another one. If some Bible translation appears to have an error or two, they cling to a different one.

Clearly, there are instances wherein one should divorce themselves from one thing or another. If you’re reading the Reader’s Digest Condensed version of the Bible, then I would suggest you get something else. If your pastor tells you He’s the Messiah, then you should move on to another church.

But those things are not the point of this conversation. The point is this: where do you find your security, your happiness, your peace and your comfort? Those are exactly the things the Hebrews believed they lost by coming out of Egypt. We see them complaining to Moses because they\’re being chased and cornered in by the Sea. We see them complaining because they didn\’t like the food. Over and over we see them complaining, rejecting to the point of looking elsewhere and failing to trust the LORD Jehovah.

As soon as the Hebrews had determined for themselves that Moses wasn\’t going to come through for them, they moved on to something of their own construction.

Which is precisely what we do today. We’ll find ourselves in a unhappy state, with one thing or another, and instead of turning to God or instead of waiting on God to deliver us, we’ll spend our effort in shopping and eating, or in sensual and erotic literature and activities, or something else that takes us away from the presence of God instead of into His presence.

Idolatry is a behavior, but it is fueled by a belief system which breeds an attitude. The belief system says “I can find {security, happiness, peace, comfort} in something other than God.” When that happens the attitude of self sufficiency takes over. That is the point at which we stop focusing on God and focus our attention on something else that meets our desires.

I’m certain that you\’ve found yourself in this circumstance when waiting on God to act and He took longer than you wished, or He didn\’t meet your desires in the manner you wished. It is at these points in life that we become discouraged and downcast. Just like the Hebrews did. They were already upset that they had left the good life in Egypt. The 40 day delay of Moses was more than they could take, so they turned their focus onto something they could control: themselves and a golden calf. We do the same thing. We take our focus off of that which we deem to be causing us discomfort (God’s perceived tardiness or failure to work things out like we want) and redirect to something more manageable.

Jesus taught that it’s the attitude behind adultery that’s the problem. We tend to think of idolatry as a well defined action, of bowing down to a false god, but it’s the attitude behind idolatry that’s the real problem. We don’t think of our jobs as a form of idolatry. Nor do we tend to think of our shopping habits as idolatry either. But when we find comfort and security in something else other than God, in those dark periods of life or otherwise, then we have erected an idol to replace God.

The person who does not trust God, says one or more of the following.

See if you can honestly fill in the blanks:

When I do not trust God for happiness, I find happiness in __________________

When I do not trust God for security, I find security in _____________________

When I do not trust God for peace, I find peace in ________________________

When I do not trust God for comfort, I find comfort in _____________________

What is Love?

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 3:4-8

\”Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father\’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another.\” John 15:9-17

The Sting of Death

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. (1 Corinthians 15:55-56)

In most churches you will hear this verse of scripture changed to the converse. That is to say they (and some study Bibles) will teach you that the \”sting of sin is death.\”

What? Seriously? The \”sting of sin is death?\” But doesn\’t it say the opposite? Of course it does. Then why are they teaching you a lie?

Is God not able to make His point? Is He not able to properly inspire His word for transcription? Does He really need us to take His word, turn it on it\’s end and teach it like we think He meant to say it instead of the way He did say it? If you are one of those people who actually believe that you or someone else is God\’s gift to mankind and as such, have a special anointing to preach and enumerate His word as he actually meant it (instead of how He actually inspired it), then maybe you should just stop reading here, because it\’s only going to get worse.

It\’s about Life, Not About Being Good
Ask just about any person on the street this question: \”what is the purpose of Christianity?\” They may tell you it\’s about teaching one how to do good, or be good, or how to do the right thing. They may tell you it\’s about not doing the bad or wrong thing. What they\’re saying is this: Christianity is about being good and not being bad. If they\’re really thinking (or parroting) well, they\’ll tell you that the purpose of Christianity is to provide one a system of beliefs which attempts to enable the believer to do good works instead of the bad works they\’re accustomed to performing. And when you die, if your good works out weighs your bad works, then you get to go to heaven.

Well, I\’ve got news for you. Contrary to popular belief, the purpose of Christianity is not to teach you how to be good. It\’s not about enumerating the bad things you shouldn\’t do, or the good things you should do. Someone once said \”there are more do\’s in the in the Bible than there are don\’ts. And if you spend all of your time doing the do\’s you won\’t have time to do the don\’ts.\” Well, it\’s not about that either. So, lets take the tag of \”Christianity\” out of the discussion and simplify it like this: what is God\’s fundamental purpose for you? Before we can answer that question, we must have some rudimentary understanding of who God is.

Who is God?
Jesus said, \”I and my Father are One\” (John 10:30), and \”I am the way, the truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me\” (John 14:16). Jesus had apparently had a lot to say about \’life\’ in His ministry, for someone came to Him with this question: \”Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?\” (Matthew 19:16). And who hasn\’t heard the saying, \”the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it\” (Matthew 7:14) or possibly, \”everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name\’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life\” (Matthew 19:29)

Fundamentally, God is Life. When God breathed Life in to the nostrils of man, He wasn\’t giving man blood and a heart beat, He was making man in His image, an image of spiritual Life, separate and distinct from all other living things. While all other creatures are \”alive\”, it is only man that was given the breath, the spirit of Life. Sorry – all dogs don\’t go to heaven, any more than the trees some people love to hug.

God is also described as being Light: \”God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all\”, and \”he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.\” (1 John 1:15, John 3:21) Light as we know it (as composed of photons) is an interesting way to describe God. Have you ever understood that you cannot have more darkness, but you can always have more light? Theoretically, it\’s always possible to add more photons, but you can\’t have any less than zero photons. Thus, darkness is not actually a thing, but a description of the absence of light. The same is true in death, it being defined as the absence of life. You can\’t have more death, but you can have more life. Even now your body is dying and being renewed: cells die and are replaced. What would happen if no cells died? You\’d have more life, you would have perpetual or eternal life.

Therefore since God is Light, it\’ is impossible for there to be any darkness in Him. The same is true with Life: since He is Life, it\’s impossible for there to be death in God. Hence, seeing that Jesus and the Father are one, \’He is the way, the truth and the Life.\”

The Law of Sowing and Reaping
The Law of Sowing and Reaping is stated thusly: \”Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.\” (Galatians 6:7) Therefore, God

will render to each person according according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. (Romans 2:6-8)

When Adam and Eve sinned, they died spiritually. When they sinned, they sinned for everyone because in them, everyone existed. They literally passed the consequence of their sin to every subsequent human. Thus, all have been and will be born born spiritually dead.

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned … nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam\’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. (Romans 5:12-14)

So, since man is now spiritually dead, can he therefore co-exist spiritually with God? If that\’s a difficult leap to make, then bring the comparison into the natural instead of the spiritual. Can death abide with life? Do companies hire living people or dead people? Do you want to marry a living person or a dead person? Do you want to date a living person or a dead person? Spiritual death is the problem that God solved for man through the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to give life:

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)

Did you notice the reference to life in that scripture? Since God is Life, and that is what He provided man in the beginning, but man later lost, then God provided a mechanism for you to receive His Life (again) through His Son, Jesus Christ. See? It\’s all about life.

The Sting of Death is Sin

The sting of death is sin, because the un-regenerated (spiritually dead) reaps the harvest of eternal death in physical death. Since spiritual death is the result of sin, it is therefore sin that provides the sting after or or death. Thus in eternal spiritual death, you reap the sting of the sowing in sin, the rewards of sin. Just as a man reaps at the harvest the rewards of sowing wheat in a field, man reaps the rewards of sowing the seeds of sin throughout his life.

Thus we see that physical death will reward you in one of two ways: for those who have found the Life and Light, they will reap the harvest of sowing life and light. For those who have rejected the Life and the Light, they will reap the harvest of sowing death and destruction. The scripture says,

these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power (2 Thessalonians 1:9)

Did you notice that part about \”eternal destruction?\”

Exactly how would you like to be destroyed or killed when you die? By a car, a train or by being riddled with bullets? Exactly how many times can a person be destroyed during an eternity? What exactly do you believe eternal destruction is, or have you never considered it? If you were to rot until you died, then how would you like to rot for eternity? When you sow death and destruction, you reap death and destruction. When you sow life and love through faith in Jesus Christ and repentance from sin, you reap life and love.

Thus, when the scriptures state that the \”sting of death is sin\”, they\’re saying this: that thing which stings you for eternity, that thing which discomforts you for eternity, that thing which destroys you for eternity, that thing is called sin. The scriptures are saying that death for the un-regenerate has a pain, and that pain is sin, because in that you have sown sin in your life, you will reap the rewards (or punishments) of sin in death – thus sin is the sting of death.

Contrary wise, for those who have sown Life and Light, scripture says \”\’O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?\’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.\” Thus, it is Jesus Christ that has removed the sting of death – He has obliterated the power of sin to sting you in death.

How to Sow Life and Light
In order to be given the Life of God, you must repent of your sins. Why? Because sin destroys. Life renews. Therefore, you must give up death and destruction and embrace Life. Turning away from sin is called repentance. Confessing your sin is agreeing with God that you have disobeyed His will, His desire for you. Through repentance and confession, you must place your faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Why? Because you can not give yourself life. You didn\’t make your parents give you life and you didn\’t determine to come into this world on your own. When God breathed spiritual life into man, it was an act of Grace – God made man something he could not be or become on his own. Neither can you make yourself spiritually alive:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:4-10)

Thus we turn to God in faith:

But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: \”do not say in your heart \’who will ascend into heaven?\’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or \’who will descend into the abyss?\’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).\” But what does it say? \”The word is near you, in your mouth and in you heart\” — that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, \”whoever believes in Him will not be disapointed.\” (Romans 10:6-11)

It’s not Just about Belief and Forgiveness

Once upon a time, I suggested that “teaching people to know the Word rather than to know the Lord is the single greatest failure of the modern church era.”

There were fewer responses to that post than one might imagine. A pastor friend of mine chimed in and took me to task, saying that “properly teaching the word is teaching the Lord.” The operative word in that phrase is “properly.” There is a difference in teaching law and doctrine and teaching relationship with God. One may properly teach the Bible regarding law and doctrine but not know how to demonstrate faith and relationship. The Pharisees and Scribes were masters in teaching law and doctrine, as are many of our pastors and teachers.

If one lacks faith and a relationship with Jesus, what business does one have teaching it, or even the doctrine and law? And therein is the problem: we have learned how to teach and exposit the law (good versus evil), but rarely have we succeeded in properly teaching the word of faith and relationship (life).

Just because someone has been to Seminary and sat under or read after the venerated saints and learned from the self-proclaimed best doesn’t mean that same person can teach faith and relationship. We actually believe (to our detriment, I might add) that all one must do is go to seminary and regurgitate what they’ve been taught and repeat the things they’ve managed to scribble in notes or memorized from Sermons On the Net.

Case in Point: Reconciliation vs. Forgiveness

You may believe that going to heaven hinges completely on God forgiving you of your sins. Or you may believe that you will be judged according to your works before God makes up his mind where He is going to send you. But the problem is this: your status before God does not rely upon what He is going to do in the future at your judgment, nor is it entirely about what you’ve done in the past, nor it is entirely about faith and Him forgiving you. There is a deeper root, and it’s called reconciliation.

You’ve been Forgiven: You need Reconciliation

One of the core issues concerning redemption and salvation is reconciliation. Our misunderstanding of this stems from the fact that we have taught and preached that humanity needs, yea, requires God to forgive them of their sins when we should teach and preach that humanity needs to be reconciled to God. To compound the problem, we have incorrectly taught that reconciliation and forgiveness always go hand-in-hand, and at worst, we have taught that they are the same.

Reconciliation is not Forgiveness

Nowhere is this fallacy more apparent than in the typical Sunday morning pulpit teaching regarding forgiveness and reconciliation between you and a friend. Conventional wisdom states that if your friend sins against you 490 times, and you forgive him 490 times, then you and your friend are also reconciled by the act of your forgiveness.

And that, my friends, is the lie.

When you study reconciliation and forgiveness, you will find that they’re not the same words, and they don’t have the same meaning. You will also find that forgiveness can happen privately, while reconciliation is a mutual agreement between two parties.

Forgive

The word forgive is aphiēmi (af-ee’-ay-mee). It means “to send forth, in various applications: – cry, forgive, forsake, lay aside, leave, let alone, let be, let go, let have, omit, put away, send away, remit, suffer, yield up.”

Reconcile

The word reconcile is katallosso; (kat-al-las’o). It means “to change mutually, that is, (figuratively) to compound a difference: – reconcile.” In this day and age, the word “compound” may seem out of place in this definition. Well, there is an additional meaning of this word, which is “to settle amicably: adjust by agreement” (Meriam-Webster)

While there are other words used for reconcile and forgive in the NT, it can be clearly seen from these definitions that reconciliation is not the same thing as forgiveness. Forgiveness is a singular, personal matter of laying aside, whereas reconciliation is a cooperative, plural matter of mutually changing.

If your Brother Sins …

Consider the Matthew discourse on forgiveness and reconciliation

If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.
Matthew 18:15-1 8

Expose the Fault; Brace against failure?

The first step of the process, as outlined by Jesus, is to “show him his fault in private.” And if he hears you, then you have won your friend. Also, consider what Jesus said in Luke:

Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.
Luke 17:3-4

Therefore the Matthew 18 instruction of “if he listens to you” means that your friend, having been rebuked and/or shown his fault, there must be a subsequent and appropriate response: a demonstration of repentance. In such a case of demonstrated repentance, you offer him forgiveness. Pay special attention to the fact that Jesus said: “if he repents.” It is only in the presence of repentance that forgiveness is offered.

The other warning relates to not forgiving: “Be on your guard…” Your job is to guard against unforgiveness.

What then, of Forgiveness?

Does God command and expect us to forgive? Absolutely.

But not the way we’ve been taught in our churches. There are two types of forgiveness.

The first type is personal forgiveness which is commanded and expected of the offended in every case of an offense. Secondly, there is reconciliation forgiveness which is offered to the offender in the presence of repentance. Personal forgiveness and reconciliation forgiveness are not the same. Personal forgiveness is meant to free you – the offended – of bitterness and resentment, and reconciliation forgiveness is meant to free the offender of his conscience regarding his offense against you.

In terms of a relationship with God, the scriptures teach that only through faith and repentance is reconciliation achieved. Why? Because without belief and trust, there is no acknowledgment of a Holy God nor a Holy standard. Without repentance, there is no turning away from that which caused offense. Therefore, faith and repentance are paramount, and reconciliation forgiveness does not happen outside of those two things. During his journeys, Paul taught both of these things, repentance towards God and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ. And in doing so, he referred to this ministry as a ministry of reconciliation, not as a ministry of belief and forgiveness. This is what some evangelists and evangelistic messages teach: just believe, and you’re forgiven.

Rebuking

What people don’t like about this process is the rebuke. But doesn’t God have plenty of rebuke for sin (just read the books of Moses and the prophets)? People prefer not to hear the rebuke. Instead, they would rather persuade you to “just wipe this and that under the rug and move on, as if it never happened; we’ll just forgive and forget the whole thing, okay?” It is the epitome of co-dependence, and Jesus is not co-dependent.

If God is not willing to be reconciled with you outside the confines of a rebuke and a reconciliation (whether it be of the Old Covenant of bulls and rams or of the New Covenant of Jesus Christ), why then do we act as if we can just wipe things under the rug and pretend they never happened, and call that forgiveness and/or reconciliation? Are we greater than God? Does God pretend sin never happened? Does He overlook rebellion? Does God save a person who refuses to repent of their sin?

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. Truly, the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Isaiah 1:16-20

Belief in God and faith in Jesus Christ must work in concert with repentance and confession of sin: they are necessities for salvation. Anything less or more is heresy – anything that adds works to faith, excuses faith, or removes or minimizes confession and repentance, or excuses God from the process, is a lie. Grace is that which makes you into something which you cannot become by yourself. And grace can not be used of God to activate the power of redemption unto salvation outside of the precondition of your faith, your confession of sin, and your repentance:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Ephesians 2:8-10

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. ()
Matthew 4:17

I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.
Luke 5:32

I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgave the iniquity of my sin. ()
Psalm 32:5

Summary

So, the point is this: you can believe that God exists. You can also believe that Jesus died for your sins. And you can believe that God has forgiven you. Or not, as the case may be. But the fact of the matter remains until you’re willing to repent of your sin and be reconciled to God, you will remain in your sin. And should you remain in your sin, you will die and be judged in your sin.