Has God REALLY said?

 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Genesis 3:1

This is the first lie. Eve sees that the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and evil good for food and pleasant to look at (v6). Self realization dawns on her - here is something good, and God has kept it from her. Satan is right, God is keeping her from knowing what is good and evil. She could do this. She could know what is right, and do it.  She can steer the ship. Upward and onward. Sensual. Tempting. Immediate gratification. 

But once Pandora's box is opened, all the evil's of the world came flying out. I don't believe there was bad intention on Eve's part here, but deception. The wisdom of the world LOOKS good, but underneath it all is the question that caused her to look in the first place: Has God REALLY said? The devil, of course is a thief, a murderer and a destroyer. Underneath all his work is a lie. "When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar, and the father of lies" John 8:44. He questions God's character, he questions His very Word. Saints, nothing has changed. Satan still presents us with natural perceptions that would suggest God has missed the boat, that He is ripping us off, withholding something from us. What are some of these lies?

He challenges male leadership. Is is right that man, as he was first created, should be the one to carry the mantle of leadership? That the woman must always take a "subservient" role just because she is a woman? It's just not fair, is it? Surely God did NOT say this. God has made no difference between man and woman in Christ. And women have indeed been used to lead, even in the Bible itself. God must be just, as we understand just, so the concept that He makes distinction in the roles of men and women in both the home and the church makes no sense to the natural person. 

He challenges Devine Election. Poor Ishmael. He was actually the first born, wasn't he? What did he ever do to deserve to be relegated off the pages of the Bible as a mistake? Same with Esau. While sharing the womb with his brother Jacob, Jacob snatches away his birthright. So both he and Ishmael grow up under a shadow of resentment. A just God doesn't play favorites, does He? 

He challenges sexual orientation. For as long as he can remember, the gay person has known no other reality than same sex attraction. As far as he knows, he was created that way. Therefore, somehow we must set aside the Bible's clear warning about deviant sexual behavior. God must NOT have said that, because that would mean God is not just. 

All three of these are lies. In believing them, all three have been the root of so much evil in the world. But let's not be smug, saints. I can safely guarantee the devil has used some form of this lie, "Has God really said?" to challenge every one of us. The sins of this world have made it a place full of evil and injustice. Perhaps you grew up in a home where there was no father, or he was emotionally absent? And your concept of God is warped by this false image.  Or maybe a beloved grandmother died before her time? You prayer made no difference. God killed her. Fill in the blank. No one had perfect parents. No one came through to adulthood unscarred by other people's sins. Somehow God is responsible. If He is so powerful, why is there such suffering and sorrow in the world? The indictment seems so sure. God either is not all powerful, and cannot do anything to help us, or He just does not care. Thus the challenge. How then will we answer?

If anyone in history could have truly accused God of wrong doing, Job comes to mind. Externally he was as perfect as a human being could be. But he fell into ruin anyway. No matter, Job tells his wife. God gives, God takes away. Blessed be the Name of the LORD. His friends come to comfort him, which they did for a while, but then Job opens his mouth and essentially accuses God of ripping him off. He'd have been better off never having been born. His friends suggest (the nerve of them) that somewhere, some place, Job had slipped. And all his suffering was his own fault. So even saint Job, when confronted with the loss of his reputation, began to ask, "Has God really said?" Of course, God answers from the whirlwind, and Job rightly realizes that ours is not to question the Creator, but to instead trust Him. 

We will ALL face the whirlwind. When we do, where will we turn? If we try to reason our way out of the storm using our natural senses, the enemy will tear us to shreds. His accusation is irrefutable. His trap is sure. Certainly God is unjust. He messed up. Ad nauseam. The alternative? Answer him the same way our Lord did: "It has been written". End of story. We can know for sure our God is NOT unjust. We know He is in fact good, that He loves us. While we were yet sinners . . . He came. For us. In love. His Word is sure. We must trust that though "all around our souls give way, He then is all our help and stay". In this world we WILL have tribulation, but Jesus has overcome the world. When, in the face of every evidence that God does not care, we reject that lie and praise Him anyway, the stronghold of his lies comes tumbling down. And we will be even closer to our true home, that celestial city where there will in fact be no more suffering or sorrow, and every tear will be wiped away. Even so, Lord Jesus, come. 

Temperance

Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me, and to him that ordereth his conversation aright, will I shew the salvation of God. Psalm 50:24

Just what is "conversation", and how would we order it aright? This was a use of the word from some of the older versions of the English Bible. This does not strictly mean the words a person uses, although it includes this. No, it is much broader. This "conversation" is the entirety of how you live your life. It is not what you think you are, or what you would hope you are, but what you actually are known for. Off with the mask. Outwardly you might give lip service to God, but here is what God says: 

"And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw nigh unto me, and with their mouth and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which hath been taught them" Isaiah 29:13. 

The prayers might be pious, but the reality is that this is just a show. Jesus was not impressed with the religious crowd of His day. They made great outward shows of their piety. They may well have done what the law requires, at least to the letter. But they have not changed. Unlike Christian in Pilgrim's progress, they have not been to the Cross. They have never gazed upon their helpless estate before God. They are willing to go to Church on Sundays, but are not willing to acknowledge Him the rest of the week. Self is still on the throne, albeit wearing religious clothes. 

Well, this sort of conversation is not what God has in mind. He desires intimacy with man, and the heart, not formal worship, is foremost in importance. What might this look like? What doesn't it look like? How can we know if we love the LORD with "all our heart, mind and soul" or if we are just going through the motions?

Saints, we know. Where do our eyes cast their sight upon? Where do our feet take us each day? Unlike Christian and Faithful, Are we easily distracted by Vanity Fair? What we truly believe is revealed by what we do, not what we say. Gandhi said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ". Ouch. Our conversation is the sum of the things we do, and the world will spot a phony like Gandhi did. A man's actions are the first test. Does he have compassion on the poor? Does he treat his wife with honor? Does he have time for his kids? 

Jesus tells the religious crowd, "These things you ought to have done", but they are not enough. You can do all the things the law would require, but still not be in the Kingdom of God. The piety the LORD requires is one of Love. The basic actions are a floor, not a ceiling. the mark of a true disciple will be the man who follows the Lamb wherever He goes, from devotion, to the end of his journey here on earth. Anything less than that falls far short. Let us then press on to a conversation the LORD honors. 

"We know that we are children of God, but the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." I John 5:21-22

 The Kingdom of God, Jesus told Pilate, is not of this world. Our life in the LORD is one of near constant struggle because we have an enemy, and he is assaulting our minds with lies. Though indeed Christ won the battle on the cross, and sealed it with resurrection, the world is yet under the influence of the devil. He knows that he has been evicted, but as long as men don't know this, and claim God's promises, Satan's marching orders are delayed. 

We are watching the fall of Western culture these days. Traditional values are openly mocked on college campuses. Main stream media outlets follow their lead. To our amazement, some want to redefine gender to suit their preferences. Nothing is absolutely true, except of course, that there is no absolute truth! We in the Church are watching all this, but from whence does it come, and is there hope?

Hebrews 2:8 tells us that though indeed everything has legally been put under Christ's feet, this is not yet visible to everyone. Satan no longer owns this world but he has not yet been cast down to Earth (Revelation 12:10). Thus, effectively, from the second Heaven, he controls what is going on in the world. He is however an usurper. He has no legal ground to stand on. The gates of Hell are vulnerable to the church's army. Sadly, few in the church know this, though. We believe his lies, and the accusations he makes against us stick. He is a thief, a liar and a murderer. 

But is there hope? There is always hope. Without hope, we would not be able to live even a minute. "Let there be hope on earth, and let it begin with me" to paraphrase the old song. Though the prince of this world is not yet cast down, we don't need to listen to him. Instead, we can "take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). We are given five defensive weapons, and one offensive weapon to fight that deceiving spirit. The helmet of salvation covers our minds, so we can cling to what is true, and spit out the rest. The shield of faith stands in front of us to quench the fiery lies he spits at us. The breastplate of righteousness covers our new heart, and grants us the confidence we need to petition Father. The shoes of the gospel of peace put a barrier between us and the world. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God that assures us that we can stand against the lies of the evil one. Finally, the belt of truth pulls it altogether.

Watermelon test

 “O Taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”

(Psalms 34:8, NASB20)

One of the joys of Summer is buying your first watermelon. Usually these arrive at Costco sometime in May, but often are not as sweet as those grown later in the year. So, if you buy one in May, you just don't know what to expect. Some say if the yellow spot, where the melon rested on its side, is large and well defined, you've got a good one. But here's the thing: Unless you slice it open and taste it, there's just no way to know. You pays your money, and you takes your chances!

the Bible speaks much about the Name of the LORD. In the ancient near East, a name was much more than a moniker by which a person was called. Your name in that culture is the essence of your character. Poor Nabal. His name means "vile person" and that surely is what he was. David had treated him well, but when he needed help, Nabal refused. So his name really was spot on. But not so the LORD. "The Name of the LORD is a strong tower, the righteous run into it, and are saved" (Proverbs 18:10). Strong in character. Reliable. Immoveable. Those who trust in His Name will never be put to shame, Isaiah 49:23. 

So the LORD challenges us. Try Him. Test Him. Taste Him. He is all that He claims to be. Well, that doesn't seem so hard, does it? When there is no turmoil blowing in, sure enough. But that is not life here on earth. We all know this. Most often we find ourselves going from the frying pan into the frier, from one trial to another. SOS. The LORD calls to us, "Come to me all ye that are weak and heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). The promise is sure. He will never leave us or forsake us. But like Peter, with wind and waves swirling, we must get out of the boat and COME! 

Faith without works is dead, writes the apostle James. It's just not true faith. If we believe, we will take steps that demonstrate we believe, or our faith is a mere theory, unreliable and moved by the slightest challenge. So just what might a life that truly believes look like? How can we tell? We might say we believe, but until we are tested, we just don't know. Maybe the melon is sweet, maybe not. Taking rest in Him is the surest thing we can do, but such trust cannot be passive. We don't yet live in the sweet bye and bye, but as believers in the LORD, that is our true position. 

Perhaps a man has heard a word from the LORD asking him to make a major move. He might say, "Yes LORD I will go", but like the first son in Jesus' parable, he never does go, and proves that he does not really believe. Our faith does not live in a vacuum. We also have an enemy who wants us to fall back, and be destroyed. Like Peter, he would sift us like wheat. When cne does a word study on Faith, I have found that over 80 percent of the time, it's in the context of being challenged. So how then to obtain true faith, one that will not falter when "sorrows like sea bellows roll"? This faith comes from hearing, from a heart that is actually listening to His Word. We ask not for bread alone, but for revelation. In beholding Him, we become like Him, 2 Corinthians 3:18. This is not passive. This is not theory. St John tells us that we already are God's kids, I John 3:2. But when we see Him, we shall be like Him, for we will see Him as He is. We dare not go to war without a weapon. The Word of the LORD will form us into mighty warriors, but this character is gained in the prayer closet, in that garden, early in the morning when "the dew is still on the roses". This is how the LORD transforms us from fickle to faithful. There is no other way, saints. Let us then go on to know the LORD. His going forth "Is as certain as the dawn". Only then will we be ready for the trial that is ahead. 

How to ID false teachers

 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 2 PETER 2:18-19

These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. JUDE 16.

And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage. GALATIANS 2:4

The errors that false teachers follow one of two paths. Peter and Jude are writing about the antinomians. These men are teaching that once you're a Christian, anything goes. We are completely free to do as we will. Want that sports car, brother? Zoom on over to the dealership, take out a loan you can't afford, and drive it away! Want that Gucci handbag, sister? Well, why not? You should look good, right? What is wrong with this picture? Hint: It's NOT the objects being considered, but the unsanctified desire with which they are being pursued. As Jude says, these teachers are walking after their own lusts. They do not love the LORD, they are using Him as their personal ATM. They pay no attention to St John's warning about not loving the world. Peter calls them "servants of corruption", for indeed they do preach a form of the Gospel that appeals to worldly, carnal people who give lip service to being believers, but who have never met the Lord Jesus Christ. These men don't know Jesus, and worse they are corrupting the Gospel so that their hearers will fall under the same illusion. A dark, dark judgment is sure to come upon them. 

The apostle Paul, on the other hand, was being attacked by the opposite error, legalism. Paul was a bulldog when he found out "ravenous" wolves were following along behind him. He knew why: the message of freedom was unfathomable to the religious crowd. Paul says "we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews (the religious) a stumbling block and unto the Greeks (non-religious) foolishness" I Corinthians 1:23. The message of total freedom in Christ came, as it were, out of nowhere. Paul did not find it in the Septuagint. He did not get it from Gamaliel. No man taught him. Instead, he writes to the Galatians, he got it directly from Jesus Christ Himself. 

But the religious crowd just could not handle it. The issue of circumcision was the spark that caused the great Jerusalem council found in Acts 15. I can understand them. All their life they had lived under a set of rules. The Jews were to be separate, not like the Gentiles in any way. They were not even to eat dinner with them. And now this Paul is claiming keeping the law actually detrimental to being saved. Galatians 5:2 - If ye be circumcised, Christ profits you nothing. 5:4, ye are fallen from grace, Christ is become of the effect unto you. So Paul's enemies, perhaps well intended, were following along behind him to correct his "error". 

Antinomian and legalistic false teachings are in many ways opposite. One encourages hedonistic pleasure, while the other rigid adherence to a moral code. But saints, here is what they have in common: their followers are carnal. They don't know Christ. If they did, their hearts would automatically be in lock step with Him. They would not pursue worldly pleasure because "friendship with the world is enmity with God", James 4:4. Nor would they insist on adding ANYTHING to the Gospel. No law, no rules, just Jesus, and Him crucified (I Corinthians 2:2). 

Saint Augustine once wrote, "Love God and do as you please". I think this pretty much sums it all up. If we love Him, we will obey Him. Hedonism will not appeal to us, and legalism will not restrain us. We are completely free, ironically, because we have become bondslaves of the Lord Jesus Christ. The world thinks this foolish. The carnal religious crowd finds it offensive. But here we must stand, saints. We can go nowhere else. 

Revelation

 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. I John 5:19-20

For some, Heaven is like a dream, Earth is real. Actually, only Heaven is real. Earth is like a dream. For the saints, our citizenship is not on this planet, but in the Heavenly City. 

For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Philippians 3:20-21

John invites to an understanding. What we experience here on Earth, al the vileness, the violence, sin, wars - fill in the blank. All of that is the result of the deception of the evil one. And it is indeed very dark. Our subjective experience lies to us. The devil tries to convince us that based on what we see on Earth, God is not good, He is not kind, He is not love. When we get into trouble, we might offer up prayers of desperation, but we inevitably give up. This is because this hideous lie is imprinted on our hearts. Thus strongholds entrap us. Unforgiveness. Bitterness. Idolatry. Vanity. All based on the lie that God is not good. How can we break free, saints?

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. 

Our victory begins first of all with a revelation of the nature of the battle. 

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Eph. 6:12.

This makes sense. You don't fight a chemical fire with water. No, firemen use firefighting foam. Water is useless. In the same way, you don't fight spiritual battles with carnal weapons. Someone may be going through a hard time. If we offer up human compassion and help, the battle might abate for a while, but the devil will be back later. If on the other hand we speak the truth, in love, we equip that person with the tools to set back the enemy's lies, rendering them useless. 

The armor of God is not some etherial myth. No. The weapons of our warfare may not be carnal, but they are very real. Once we have identified the lie that the enemy is using against us, we fight back. The helmet of salvation protects us against any thought that is not true, rejecting it immediately. The breastplate of righteousness protects our heart against accusations, knowing that in reality we are His, and answering the enemy by standing on that fact. The shield of faith extinguishes the weapons thrown at us because we know they are lies, and by faith we see beyond the immediate battle to the victory Christ already won. The sword of the spirit, God's Word, tears down the strongholds of evil. The shoes of the Gospel of peace ensure that our feet are standing on Truth. And finally the belt of truth holds all the armor together. 

My greatest desire is to so pray that there be, as it were, a hole in the darkness. I would that the Light of God would pierce the darkness and show people God's true nature. He is LOVE. He is GOOD. He is KIND. He is full of compassion. He is steadfast. He is true. Because here's the thing - if only they could see, they would run TO God, not AWAY from Him. 

My friends, we should all be filled with holy indignation. The devil's future is the lake of fire and brimstone, Revelation 20:10. But we don't need to wait to undo his lies. By the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we can set back the schemes of the evil one. We can see every chain broken, every stronghold smashed when we speak the Truth, in Love. Let's get started!

Life Chain Reaction

 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. II Peter 1:4-8

Partakers of the what, brother Peter? Can the very nature of God be found in His saints? Well, saints, this is what he is saying. How to understand this? To me, a list such as the above text seemed to be very flowery and other-worldly. I mean yes, brother, in Heaven after we shed away this body of sin, sure. But the Bible is not written to the dead, but is a guide for the living. 

The foundation is faith. This is "The evidence of the unseen, the assurance of what we hope for" per the writer of Hebrews. So this chain of character begins with something that is NOT seen, but is nevertheless the most real thing about the saints. With this foundation as a starting point, Peter invites us to "add to" our faith qualities that take it from the invisible to the visible. 

1. We add to faith virtue. Because we have faith, we can reject the lies that tell us we are less than what we are. Sure, our natural experience falls far short of the character of God - but what of it? The Word says if we are in Christ, we are new creations. The old has passed away. We can take this promise to the bank, and must reject the devil's lies. We may not yet see this in our experience, but the first step is to affirm what the Word says about us, and to stand on that. 

2. We add to virtue knowledge. We know our faith will be tested. When it happens, we are not lost in the dark, nor are we tempted to jump ship. We have taken our stand on the promises of God, and knowledge of what is going on when we are tested is like a helmet around our thoughts. This does not alleviate the suffering with which we are being tested, but it does give us an opportunity for praise. Yes, Paul, our outer selves are decaying, but our inner selves are being built up (2 Corinthians 4:16). This is how "Faith is the victory that overcomes the world" (I John 5:4). 

3. We add to knowledge temperance. This is not the calm before the storm, but the calm within the storm. Why? We KNOW that the storm is only temporary. Though all around us rages, we stay still. Jesus does give us peace, but NOT as the world gives. The world only understands being calm when there is no wind! But the calm Jesus gives is WITHIN the storm. "I am with you, I have overcome the world". No amount of temporal tempest need shake us off our base. Here we stand. Here we praise His Name. 

4. We add to temperance patience. There is no need to run from our trials. Indeed, as James writes, we even consider them all a JOY, knowing that the testing of our faith produces that patience. We have stood up in the midst of the trial, knowing that we are already winners in the Eternal City. The body they may kill, God's Truth abideth still, His Kingdom is forever. Amen. This is the source of our patience. 

5. We add to patience godliness. So here the faith is beginning to be visible to others. No person rejoices in the midst of a trial, unless he has an understanding of what is going on. The world will surely notice this. They have no playbook for someone who is actually happy about suffering. I suggest this really shouts at them, "here is one who really knows the God he claims to worship". When struck in one cheek, we turn the other one. When forced to go one mile, we go two. When we are hated, we love. Blows every fuse worldly people have. They can only give the glory to God. 

6. We add to godliness brotherly kindness. The Greek word here is "Philadelphia", loving our brother. Jesus told us this is how the world would know that we belong to Him. The Roman Tertullian was writing to his Roman superiors about the Christians. He writes, "See how they love one another". The world again has no answer for a body of believers who may be quite diverse, yet move in unity with love for one another. All glory to God!

7. We add to brotherly kindness charity. The Greek word her is agape. This is the highest form of love. Totally selfless. Expecting nothing in return. We love because we know God, and have become love. Love is the greatest. Faith is the foundation, and hope carries us through, but when we love we are most like our God, who IS love. 

This then is the progression Peter has in mind. Let us then not fall short of the mark, saints!