Tag: Jesus

God Cannot Be Mocked

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for LifeLeave a comment

By Jason Smith

I remember like it was yesterday the drive back from the coast with two of my long-time buddies, Andy and Daniel. We were seniors in high school, and we had just completed our annual trip to Lincoln City, Oregon. As we rounded the bend of the highway, the Toyota Camry I was driving suddenly lurched and sputtered. Very quickly, I realized the gas pedal was no longer responding and we rolled to an undignified stop on the highway’s shoulder.

Gulp! I told the guys I didn’t know what went wrong, but very quickly the truth began to dawn on me. The fact is, I had been putting off an oil change for several weeks now. And, as it turns out, car engines really do need oil to run well. In fact, as any mechanic will tell you, it’s a simple matter of physics: without lubrication, the metal parts of your engine are bound to overheat. And when they overheat, they begin to warp and wear down.

Because of my automotive negligence, not only did I have a hearty portion of embarrassment to swallow, but I also needed to come up with the cash for a new car.

Simply put, some things are bound to self-destruct if you don’t operate them according to their intended use. If you doubt this, just try using your smartphone as a wheel chock. This is not just true of the physical realm but the spiritual realm, too. God designed your soul for a relationship with Him. Just as cars cannot run without gasoline, human beings are dependent on the life that comes from God.

When we try to do life apart from God, we are bound to self-destruct. And yet, according to the Bible, many people don’t live as if this were true.

In Galatians 6:7-8, the Apostle Paul warns, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

Paul says, “Don’t be fooled about this,” because, honestly, a lot of us are. In fact, on our own, we all tend to fall for this lie. What lie? That God can be mocked without repercussions. Every single one of us has, at one time or another, believed that we can actually outsmart God. Don’t believe me?

Every time we knowingly disobey God, we are essentially saying to God, “I would make a better god than you.” The essence of sin is making a bid for the throne of the universe. To disregard God’s law is to choose self-sovereignty rather than live under His perfect rule.

Here’s the problem: Going down this road of self-rule never ends well. There is an unalterable law of reality that you will reap what you sow. And God created us to live under His rule, not our own. Paul says, “Don’t be deceived about this one, guys.” You can be wrong about the weather, who will win American Idol, or most of the questions on Jeopardy! But don’t be wrong about this.

One of the most popular falsehoods of our time is this idea that I can do whatever I want without ever being held accountable for my actions. But Scripture everywhere denies this.

“God will repay each person according to what they have done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” (Romans 2:6-8, NIV).

God is immeasurably merciful and patient, but this remains God’s universe. Not ours.

“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31, NIV).

Notice: God will judge the world, but He will do so with perfect “justice.” No one will be able to say on that day, “But I didn’t know” or “This isn’t fair.” We will all know God to be the perfectly just Judge that He is.

Let this truth be emblazoned across your heart: God cannot be mocked. If you think you can fool God, you’re only fooling yourself.

The mighty Goliath tried to test this truth when he taunted the armies of the living God (1 Samuel 17). How did that work out for him? He’s forever remembered for being slain by a young shepherd boy without any real military training. Herod encouraged people to worship him as a god. How did he fare? “Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died” (Acts 12:23). Yikes! I don’t care who you are, that’s got to be one of the worst ways to go! Throughout Scripture, this same truth is repeated: You and I will reap what we sow.

What does it mean to “sow to please your flesh” (v. 8)?

John Stott writes: “Every time we allow our mind to harbor a grudge, nurse a grievance, entertain an impure fantasy, or wallow in self-pity, we are sowing to the flesh. Every time we linger in bad company whose insidious influence we know we cannot resist, every time we lie in bed when we ought to be up and praying, every time we read pornographic literature, every time we take a risk which strains our self-control, we are sowing, sowing, sowing to the flesh. Some Christians sow to the flesh every day and wonder why they do not reap holiness. Holiness is a harvest; whether we reap it or not depends almost entirely on what and where we sow.”[1]

We may think all our sowing to the flesh won’t have consequences. We may rationalize and downplay the seriousness of the secret sins we harbor. Eventually, however, what we have sown will come to full bloom. If you take the elephant across the old wooden footbridge too many times, eventually it will collapse.

Thankfully, the Bible doesn’t just leave us with this hard truth. If it did, karma, not the gospel, would be the final rule of the universe. We would forever see God in heaven, frowning down on us with arms crossed, saying, “Well, you had it coming.”

But the gospel of Jesus Christ points us the way to find a new life and a new beginning. We don’t need to stay locked up by the shame of our past. The point of this warning about mocking God is to lead us to the foot of the cross at Calvary, where God’s love poured out for rebels like you and me. When Christ shed His blood on the cross, He was in fact reaping what we have sown. This was only possible because of grace. He died in our place and suffered the consequences we justly deserved.

Hear this promise: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8). To confess means to get honest before God, humbly prepared to live in a new direction.

Because of Christ’s cross, God does not rule as some kind of karmic dictator. Instead, He reigns in grace, inviting everyone who has arrogantly tried to take His throne to kneel humbly before His throne (Hebrews 4:16).

[1] John R. W. Stott, The Message of Galatians: Only One Way, The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1968), 170.

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The Mystery of Mars and Venus

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life1 Comment

By Jason Smith

“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)

Perhaps you’ve heard the oft-quoted line that “men are from Mars, and women are from Venus.” This statement highlights the noteworthy differences between men and women.

For many couples, these differences truly surface after the wedding bells ring. The story is told of a boy who asked his father, “Dad, what’s the difference between love and marriage?” The father replied, “Love is blind, but marriage is a real eye-opener!”

Many a young couple could relate to this sentiment. In the days anticipating their wedding, the bride and groom both imagined the blissful life they are about to begin together. Of course, no one told them that their idealistic pictures are likely very different from one another. Perhaps, no one told them how much of marriage involves sacrifice. Perhaps, no one told them how many surprises there would be.

She didn’t know how much he liked working long hours on his car. He didn’t know how much she liked discussing paint colors. One woman was overheard at a garden-club meeting saying, “I never knew what compost was until I met my husband.”

I wonder how her husband interpreted that remark.

Whitney and I are in our seventh year of marriage, and although we know each other so well, I expect we will continue learning new things about one another for the rest of our lives. I think most married couples would agree. Just when you think you’ve solved the puzzle that is your spouse, you discover there’s a lot more pieces you didn’t even know about.

And yet, despite the incredible differences between men and women, marriage really is a beautiful thing.

How do I know? Because it was God’s idea. If You’re the infinite, all-wise, sovereign Creator of the universe, one thing a puny-brained human can’t legitimately accuse You of is a bad idea. Now, one thing we could legitimately say to Him is “God, this is a mystery.” In fact, the apostle Paul used that precise word. Speaking of marriage, he said, “This mystery is profound” (Ephesians 5:32).

So, as we navigate the wonderfully mysterious world of marriage, what wisdom can we glean from Scripture? Here, it is worth looking at the very first marriage. After all, God used Adam and Eve’s nuptials as something of a blueprint for how marriage is supposed to work.

Right after creating the man out of the dust of the earth and breathing life into His nostrils, God made a vast and paradisiacal garden in which he could dwell. Then we read this:

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die’” (Genesis 2:15-17).

God tells him to take his fill of all he wants from the garden. He can sink his teeth into any of the delicious, tantalizing fruits he finds — except, of course, for that one that’ll kill him. Best to leave that one alone.

But aside from this curious prohibition, notice what the text says about man’s job. He has a calling to “work” and “take care of” the lush garden. In other words, God placed Adam there to cultivate the garden. A lot could be said about how this relates to humanity’s purpose in ruling over creation as God’s image-bearing vice-regents — spoken about in the chapter before this (see Genesis 1:26-28). But for now, it’s important to see that God planned for the man to work before sin ever entered the world.

Now, notice what God says next: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18). In a perfectly good world created by a perfectly good God, this “not good” is a bit jarring. The man has God. He has all the furry animals. He has a beautiful and sumptuous garden full of delicious fruits. Nevertheless, something is “not good.” Adam is one solitary dude. He needs a companion. He needs another human with whom he can relate and do life.

So what did God do? He created woman to be “a helper fit for him.” Don’t be put off by the language of “helper.” It’s actually a term of great honor. In fact, the Bible even calls God “helper” many times (see Psalm 54:4; 118:7). The big takeaway is this: Adam needs help. He cannot do the garden work God called him to all on his own.

Far too many men today are passive about the responsibilities God has given them. They don’t see themselves as having a purpose. They just kind of drift along without any real and clear direction. That’s a tragic thing. God calls us to take initiative in working hard for the good of others. He calls us to be diligent and passionate about improving the world around us.

At the same time, God did not intend for man to go it alone. Although the concept of rugged individualism appeals to many men, it really doesn’t fit with how God wired us. Genesis 2:18 forever stands as a witness to the fact that human beings were made for relationship with one another. And chief among those human relationships is marriage. In marriage, intimacy between two souls reaches its zenith.

But note something else. God said, “I will make a helper fit for him.” That is, God fashioned the woman with the man in mind. In the words of Goldilocks, the man and woman are “just right” for each other. God specially designed the man and the woman for each other. What makes marriage so powerful is that it taps into God’s genius for how two of his image bearers bond together for life.

In the words of Jesus, “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Matthew 19:6). To a world that has embraced no-fault divorce, the Son of God says, “Don’t try to split what God has spliced.” Marriage is not like an old watch that you can discard when it stops working for us. It is more like a precious jewel that you would never even dangle over the edge of a dock. Granted, everyone comes to this text with their unique set of challenges and circumstances. Nevertheless, it remains true that marriage is by nature a binding covenant before God. He never said marriage wouldn’t take some work. He never said it would always be a cakewalk. He did say it was designed for permanence.

Tim Keller wisely said, “Wedding vows are not a declaration of present love but a mutually binding promise of future love.”[1]

When it was clear that none of Adam’s furry friends quite fit the bill, God performed the first surgery to craft the first female.

“So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.” (Genesis 2:21-22)

Why did God form the woman from one of the man’s ribs? Consider this for a moment. God could have fashioned the woman any way He saw fit. He didn’t take a portion of the man’s brain (think of the endless jokes there would have been!). He didn’t take a portion of his feet (think of the trouble this could have led to). She came from his rib — from his side. Doesn’t God’s choice to use the man’s rib indicate that the woman was intended to be neither his superior nor his inferior, but instead, his equal? Men and women are distinct, but equal in their intrinsic dignity. Both are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).

But they are also made of the same “stuff,” the same flesh. God took from Adam’s body so that Eve’s DNA was inevitably connected to his. They are biologically related. As it turns out, men and women are not from Mars and Venus respectively. But more than merely creating a genetic link between the two, God did it this way so that they could see from the very beginning that He created them for a one-flesh union that they alone can share.

Upon first laying eyes on the feminine beauty before him, Adam impulsively broke into song.

“This is now bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
    for she was taken out of man.” (Genesis 2:23)

Okay, so maybe the lyrics aren’t your idea of romantic. Nevertheless, it set a pattern, and love songs like Pat Benatar’s “We Belong” and Bruno Mars’ “Marry You” have been a hit ever since.

Then God Himself summarizes, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame” (vv. 24-25). The “therefore” seems to be saying, “The man and woman can unite as one flesh, because woman is made from man’s flesh.” In other words, the man and woman really were made for each other. Nothing and no one should ever come between the husband and his wife, and the union they share.

This one-flesh union of marriage goes beyond sexual intimacy. It is a whole-life covenant that unites the man and woman as a permanent and unique couple who live together, eat together, sleep together, and go through all of life together. To men and women alike, marriage is a mystery. However, in Ephesians 5, Paul goes on to say it is a mystery pointing to the union of Christ and His church. If we needed one more reason to treat marriage as a weighty thing, here it is. It is a powerful, flesh-and-blood picture of the gospel. Thus, we ought to treasure marriage for the incredible gift that it is.

[1] Timothy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God (New York: Dutton, 2011). If there is one book on marriage that I can encourage you to read, this is it. Pick up a copy today: https://www.amazon.com/Meaning-Marriage-Facing-Complexities-Commitment/dp/1594631875/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Tim+Keller+meaning+of+marriage&qid=1580921249&sr=8-1

Photo Credit: Ridofranz/iStock

God’s Answer to Discouragement

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional2 Comments

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Have you ever found yourself venting to God? I know I have. For some, it’s like a knee-jerk reaction: “Why God?” For others, it can take the form of a long, tear-filled prayer. Although I typically think of myself as a positive person, I can feel discouraged for a number of reasons. I can vent to God when those I have been praying for haven’t been healed or when something I’ve eagerly anticipated doesn’t happen as expected.

Perhaps you know that sinking feeling I’m talking about. We’ve all had those days where everything seems to go sideways. I remember one day last year where a series of unfortunate events piled up on one day. It started with me opening up an unexpected bill in the morning. On the way to work, I spilled coffee on my shirt. Later, a client got angry with me for a mistake I made. While at work, my wife Whitney called to say that our son Weston’s fever was spiking. After grabbing medicine, I had to move my car, but then discovered a parking ticket on my windshield. On top of all that, when I got home I stubbed my toe so badly it turned a nasty shade of purple. Needless to say, I earned a few gray hairs that day.

To borrow the title of a famous children’s book, it was just a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.” But, of course, in retrospect, it wasn’t really that terrible. I’m sure there were a lot of good things that happened to me that day, too, but I let the not-so-good things overshadow them. It’s crazy how quickly a day of sunshine can flip into a day of downpours, isn’t it?

Just flipping on the news for five minutes can dishearten us. Pointless violence, disease, and hatred run rampant across our world every day. Evil often appears to be winning the day. However … that’s not the whole story. When the tide of discouragement rolls in, what we most need is a fresh word from the “God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

How Long, O Lord?

A man named Habakkuk knew what discouragement felt like. Habakkuk was a prophet of God roughly 2,600 years ago. He looked around at the horrendous evil and injustice in his culture with great dismay. “Why aren’t you doing anything, God?” Habakkuk wailed. “Why don’t you care about what’s happening down here?” Maybe you can relate to Habakkuk. He begins his book in the Bible by trotting out a list of complaints.

“How long, O Lord, must I call for help,
    but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
    but you do not save?
Why do you make me look at injustice?
    Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
    there is strife, and conflict abounds.
Therefore the law is paralyzed,
    and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
    so that justice is perverted.” (Habakkuk 1:2-4)

The same objections ring down through the centuries to today. “How long, O Lord?” Do those words ever find a place on your lips or in your mind? For many of us, those words can surface instinctively. It can happen when your friend with cancer doesn’t heal. It can happen when you get the rejection letter. It can happen when a man you looked up to has a moral failure.

Why does God seem so absent during these dark times? Many have called this dilemma “the problem of evil” or “the problem of pain.” The more we squarely face the reality of evil, the more we need a solid hope to hang on to before the wave of despair sweeps us away.

Here’s the incredible thing: God responded to Habakkuk’s complaint with a word of hope. God didn’t chastise Habakkuk for voicing his discouragement. Instead, God agreed with Habakkuk that the injustice was intolerable. In fact, God hates injustice! Here’s how God responded:

“Look at the nations and watch — and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told” (Habakkuk 1:5). The Lord goes on to say that He is about to use the Babylonians to bring swift judgment on the treacherous people of Judah.

This is essentially the same response He gives to us today. If you are disheartened by the violence taking place in the world today — take heart! Aslan is on the move. God hasn’t abandoned us. He is still among His people. “If you passionately long to see justice restored,” God says, “know that I care about it even more.”

Interestingly, Habakkuk is still upset. After all, God plans to use an even more wicked nation — Babylon — to accomplish His good judgment of Judah. “Aren’t You the eternally holy God?” Habakkuk asks. “So how can You have anything do with wicked Babylon” (see 1:12-2:1).

Justice Will Surely Come

Remarkably, this turns out to be even more reason for Habakkuk to take heart. Why? Because God’s use of evil Babylon to accomplish His judgment demonstrates God’s sovereign power over evil. This is good news, God says, because evil is not in fact the ultimate power in the universe, even though it may seem that way at times. Babylon is like a tool in His hand. Not only that, but Babylon will have to answer for her crimes, too.

We, like Habakkuk, may feel like God is moving too slowly. But God replies, “If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay” (2:3).

Then God reminds Habakkuk of something else. He doesn’t just deal with evil by using the sledgehammer of justice. He also uses the healing balm of grace. That’s good news for us who are discouraged not only by the evil “out there” in the world, but also by the evil residing in our own hearts.

In the wise words of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, “If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”[1]

The good news is that through the cross and resurrection of Jesus, God found a way to deal with that evil without destroying us. The judgment for our sin landed, not on us, but on our King. “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Through trusting in that sacrifice, we are “healed.” Our moral crimes and misdemeanors are expunged from our record and totally removed from us. God tells Habakkuk justice is surely coming, “but the righteous shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). Through faith in Jesus, God renders us righteous and clean — all by sheer grace.

Whether by justice or by grace, God will deal with every trace of evil that exists in the world today. Keeping this truth close to our hearts will give us hope-filled confidence to face another day.

[1] Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago (New York: Collins, 1974), 17.

Photo credit: Stocksy United

Choosing Self-Denial in a Self-Entitled World

On By Jason SmithIn DevotionalLeave a comment

By Jason Smith

“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside His outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.” (John 13:3-5)

Jesus said some outrageous things. Like the time He looked at His closest friends with a piercing gaze and said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).

Wait a minute. Deny myself? Such an invitation sounds bizarre, not just to our twenty-first century ears, but to first century ears, as well. We live in a culture of self-promotion. Ours is the era of entitlement. We look into the mirror and repeat the motto that we’ve inherited: “You deserve the best.” Advertisements urge us to have it your way and indulge thyself. Feeling thirsty? Well then, “this Bud’s for you.” Want to look young again? No problem, this beauty product will remind you that you are a goddess. Want to do something for yourself for a change? It’s about time. Express yourself!

“I Love Me Some Me”

Did you know that between October 2011 and November 2017, there were 259 selfie-related deaths reported? I’m not kidding. These people died while attempting to capture an impressive or hilarious snapshot of themselves. Many were hit by a train. Some fell off a bridge. Even more slipped off a sheer cliff. According to the 2018 report, men outnumbered women three to one in selfie-related deaths.[1] To counter this growing problem, many sightseeing locations around the world have put up signs prohibiting selfies due to the mortal danger associated with this risky behavior. Think of it: men and women (mostly young men) are literally risking their lives in order to capture a one-second pose so they can post it on social media or share it with friends!

Now, obviously, there is nothing inherently wrong with taking a picture of oneself. However, we should reflect on how often we have acted foolishly in order to be in the spotlight. We can laugh at former wide receiver Terrell Owens’ statement, “I love me some me,” but I say he was just being more honest than most. Although we don’t care to admit it, we’re all prone to narcissism.

Into this self-intoxicated world, our Lord speaks, turning our entire outlook on life upside down. “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (Matthew 16:25, NLT). To those of us who thought the movie of life is all about us, Jesus flips the script. It’s not about self-promotion, it’s about self-denial. It’s not about self-fulfillment, it’s about self-emptying. It’s not about making much of yourself, it’s about giving yourself to God. That, in fact, is precisely what Jesus did when He encoded Himself with human DNA to live, love, die, and rise in this beautiful yet broken world. He surrendered His rights and “emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7).

What would it look like if we were to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who chose self-denial over self-promotion or even self-preservation?

The Apostle Paul foresaw the coming days when “people will be lovers of self” (2 Timothy 3:2). Self-love is corrosive; it turns us in upon ourselves — something love was never intended to do. We need to let Jesus teach us that there is a beauty to self-denial. As we empty our hearts of self-love, we make room for receiving God’s love and, in turn, can extend that love to others.

The Servant King

Jesus is the King, but He’s a king who humbly washes the smelly feet of His followers (John 13:3-5).

When we humans rise to positions of power and influence, it tends to go to our heads. Satisfied with our new power status, we get a bloated sense of self-importance. Like Simba from The Lion King, we “can’t wait to be king” of our own little kingdoms so that, as the cub sings, we are “free to do it all my way.” But not Jesus. Note how counterintuitively this works out in His life. “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper… laid aside His outer garments… poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet” (John 13:3-5).

Whereas we often look around for servants from our position of power, Jesus took on the role of a servant from His position of power. It’s as if the elderly John is shaking his head in amazement as he recalls what took place in that upper room so many years before. He carefully observes that Jesus did the unpopular job of scrubbing calloused and dusty feet while fully aware that He was the King of the universe — “the Father had given all things into His hands” (v. 3).

Jesus the King chose the way of the humble servant. Not only did He do this to demonstrate His immeasurable love for His followers (John 13:1), but He also did this so we would have a tangible example of what true leadership looks like. “You call Me Teacher and Lord,” He told them, “and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:13-14). Rather than exploiting His power to make His life more comfortable, as we are all too prone to do, Jesus used His power to serve others.

Let me guarantee something for you. You will never find a passage in the New Testament where Jesus snaps His fingers and demands that Peter bring Him the hors d’oeuvres. You will look in vain for that passage where He orders John to wash His feet or commands Andrew to pour Him a glass of the wine He’s just made. Scripture says He did not use His divine status and privileges for His own advantage. Instead, He chose the role of a servant, humbly obeying His Father “to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).

We need to remember there is great joy in serving others. Jesus endured the agony of the cross “for the joy that was set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2). Moreover, Jesus wanted His joy to be fulfilled in us (John 17:13). Despite all the countless options available to Him, Jesus chose self-denial. We can still see the effect of that choice in the countless hospitals, orphanages, homeless shelters, schools, and clinics all over the world that His followers have built in His name.

So, what about you? What are you clutching tightly to that might serve a greater purpose if you gave it away? Who is the hurting person in your life? What if God has blessed you so that you can put a smile on their face? Where is a place you could go to embody the self-giving love of Jesus for others? You know that task that nobody in the house or at work wants to do — what if you chose to do it? Christ chose self-denial so that we could see the beauty of true love and follow His example. What do you choose?

[1] Agam Bansal; et al, “Selfies: A Boon or Bane?” Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care (July 2018). 7 (4): 828-831. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6131996/

Painting: “Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet” by Ford Maddox Brown

The Gospel We Give Our Kids

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments

By Jason Smith

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved…” (1 Corinthians 15:1-2a, NIV)

Recently, my wife Whitney and I welcomed our son Ryan into the world. A newborn baby is truly a wonder to behold. Their soft hands are already grasping for another hand. Their mouth already seeking nourishment. Their eyes slowly opening and struggling to focus for the first time on the big bright world around them.

With Ryan’s arrival, we have noticed our older two boys (Logan and Weston) acting up a bit more than usual. I don’t think there’s any surprise here. Children often need time adjusting to the arrival of a new sibling. It’s a new era for them. The truth has gradually dawned on them, on a completely new level, that they are not in fact the center of the universe. I find myself wanting to teach them over and over, “It’s not all about you.” Many a parent can relate to this.

Parents rightly see the need to discipline and correct their misbehaving children. But here’s the question I want us to consider: In the midst of discipline, are we teaching our children the gospel of Jesus Christ? Is our method of correction, discipline, and instruction working to support or deny the truth of the gospel? Does the message we are conveying sound more like self-salvation or divine rescue?

No one has to teach their child to be selfish. Parents know firsthand that we all come into this world with a self-centered bent. We want what we want, and we want it now. It’s a shocking truth to learn that the world and everyone we know is not in orbit around us. Even as adults, however, we tend to live as if the story of the universe is all about us. But the gospel of Jesus Christ tells us a better story. It tells us that we were made for a much higher purpose than to live for ourselves. According to Scripture, we exist for God. To worship Him, love Him, and honor Him. It is only in living according to our God-given purpose rather than our self-made plans that we find true and lasting joy. This is precisely the goal of the gospel, the Bible’s central message.

Over and over, Scripture reminds us that we are on this planet to worship and enjoy God. “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31, NLT). Anything less will leave us empty, beaten up, and dissatisfied. When we live for God rather than self, our actions correspond to our design.

You may remember watching the animated Disney classic Pinocchio as a child. It’s a fascinating story of a puppet that comes to life when his maker wishes upon a star that his little marionette whom he named Pinocchio might become a real boy. That night, a glowing blue fairy partially grants his wish by bringing Pinocchio to life. However, he remains a wooden puppet. Pinocchio awakes and — humorously — is shocked to be alive. The blue fairy tells Pinocchio that if he proves himself “brave, truthful, and unselfish,” Geppetto’s wish will come true. She also assigns the loyal little locust, Jiminy Cricket, to be Pinocchio’s constant companion and voice of conscience.

The tale follows Pinocchio and Jiminy on their many adventures as the puppet sets out to discover what life in the world is really like. While Pinocchio is loved by his “father,” Geppetto, he soon discovers there are many in this world who want to lead him astray. He also learns how easy it is to make wrong choices. I doubt there is another Disney movie that is so chock full of moral lessons and aphorisms, like when the blue fairy says, “You see, Pinocchio, a lie keeps growing and growing until it’s as plain as the nose on your face.”

In the film’s darkest moments, Pinocchio and a friend are lured to Pleasure Island, a place where selfish boys can live it up — smoking, drinking, gambling, and doing whatever else they want — all without the moral restraints of parental authority. Unfortunately for Pinocchio and his friend, the island is cursed so that all the naughty boys who travel there transform into donkeys and are eventually sold into slave labor. One boy-turned-donkey desperately cries out for his mother. In a menacing tone, the island’s owner says, “You boys have had your fun. Now pay for it!” Pinocchio barely escapes, but his friend does not.

In a final act of courage, Pinocchio tries to rescue Geppetto from the belly of a sperm whale that swallowed the puppet maker while he was searching for Pinocchio. While Geppetto and Jiminy Cricket survive the whole ordeal, Pinocchio is killed. At the end of the film, there is a touching moment when Geppetto weeps over his broken puppet lying on the bed. Suddenly, the fairy not only resurrects him but transforms him into a real boy. “Father, I’m a real boy!” Pinocchio shouts in amazement. Apparently, Pinocchio’s final act of bravery proved him worthy of life.

In many ways, Pinocchio is something of a parable for how the modern world understands Christianity. Many today, even in the church, see Christianity as a moral prescription for life. God’s law is a list of dos and don’ts that we are to follow. We can think that, like Pinocchio, we must prove ourselves worthy of life. This way of thinking makes sense to us, but it stems from a wrong view of God.

We can think of God as if He were like a giant fairy, watching over our every move, evaluating our lives to see whether or not we really deserve to be accepted as His child. If we know we’ve blown it — spending too much time at Pleasure Island — we can hear God demanding that we pay up for all that we’ve done. Many people today live with this view of God, persistently uncertain of whether they have done enough or are good enough to go to heaven. Even if we see God as kindhearted and encouraging like the fairy, urging us to listen to our conscience, we can think it’s ultimately about us being good enough to meet God’s expectations.

American sociologist Christian Smith called this version of Christianity “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.”[1] It essentially boils down to this: God is there for us when we are in a bind, but generally lets us go through life relying on our conscience (rather than His Word). The main thing God cares about is that we try to live a good life and be decent individuals, because heaven is the reward for good people when they die. Makes sense, right? The only problem is that this is nothing like the Christianity of the Bible.

What’s wrong with the above description? Well, for starters, there’s no mention of how Christ fits into that version of Christianity! In Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, Jesus is merely an add-on to Christianity, rather than the hub and center around which everything turns. At best, such a view sees Jesus as a good example or a wise teacher. Certainly, He was the supreme example and wisest teacher ever to live, but to reduce Him to these descriptions is to try to have Christ without the cross. It turns a blind eye to the bleeding and dying man staked to the cross. It ignores the miraculous triumph of the empty tomb. It downplays Jesus’ own radical claims: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

Here’s the challenge for Christian parents. It is far easier to skip the gospel and address the moral behavior of our children with rewards or threats. “If you obey, I’ll give you…” “You’d better not disobey me, or else…” Honestly, I catch myself relying on this tactic all the time. I’m certainly not saying that all our rules should be thrown out or that we should stop disciplining our kids. Both of these are essential and sadly not practiced by many parents today.

But when we discipline our kids, are we pointing them to the truth of the gospel? Are we merely addressing their outward behavior, or are we striving to address their heart? The heart is the epicenter for all our children’s thoughts and motives. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). Jesus said that all our evil thoughts and actions spring from our sin-riddled hearts (Matthew 15:19). If all we ever use is rewards or threats in our discipline, we are actually encouraging our kids to ask the self-centered question: “What’s in it for me?”

Whether we like it or not, we are teaching our kids a gospel not just with what we say but with how we act. The only question is whether the gospel we are giving is the true gospel of Jesus Christ or something else. When I discipline my son for stealing cookies or talking back to Whitney or myself (speaking hypothetically, of course), I want him to know that what he’s doing is a serious problem. And this problem has to do with the sin in his heart. He needs to know not only that his sin saddens me, but that it saddens God, too (Genesis 6:6). I also want him to understand that Jesus loved him so much that He did something about the sin in his heart. In fact, He suffered and died for it, so that God can forgive him and scrub his heart clean of all that sin (1 John 1:8-2:2). My son needs to know that no matter how good he strives to be, he can never work off his guilt. Only Jesus can do that. Beyond this, I want him to know that he’s not alone. “Daddy has sin in his heart, too, and needs Jesus just as much.”

I want my sons — even at a very young age — to recognize their great need to be reconciled to God. The Bible says, “It’s your sins that have cut you off from God” (Isaiah 59:2, NLT). “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’ For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT). We need to explain to our kids that what makes sin so serious is that we were made for a relationship with a holy God. At the same time, our kids can be confident of their standing with God through faith in Jesus (Romans 8:1; Philippians 1:6).

In every generation, there is a danger of losing or distorting the gospel. Most often this drift from the gospel is well intended. After all, it’s not wrong to want to see our kids live good and moral lives. Pinocchio is a story that resonates with some of our most basic moral intuitions. But what our kids need to see is that there is a much greater story, a powerful story of redemption, that is taught in Scripture and centered around Jesus Christ. Teaching our kids to be good boys and girls is too small a goal. We need to teach them to be Christ-centered, Christ-exalting, and Christ-loving kids. We want their obedience to be rooted in love, not self-centeredness.

Above all else, Jesus-following parents need to embrace the truth that they are in the disciple-making business.

Photos Courtesy of Pixabay and Disney.com

[1] Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005).

God Creates by His Word

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for LifeLeave a comment

By Jason Smith

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

“By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” (Hebrews 11:3)

On Christmas Eve, 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 had the unique privilege of becoming the first human beings to see the far side of the moon. Coming out of their fourth orbit, these astronauts — Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders — were mesmerized by the breathtaking view of earth, with all its beautiful and vibrant colors. It stood in stark contrast to the barren landscape of the moon in the foreground. In that captivating moment, the crew thought it was only fitting to read reverently from the majestic first verse in the Bible: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

Thus begins the grand story of Scripture. How different this account is from all the ancient pagan creation myths. For example, the Babylonian epic, Enuma Elish, speaks of the gods warring with one another and finally forming the worlds out of the carcasses of slain gods. In contrast, this God of Genesis, Yahweh, does not need already existing matter to create His universe. There is no battle raging in Genesis 1. God simply speaks, and a vast universe stretches into existence.

That phrase “the heavens and the earth” is called a merism, where two ends of a spectrum are used to encompass the whole. In Genesis 1:1, we are meant to take “the heavens and the earth” as the entire cosmos being created by the one God. Modern science has now caught up to Genesis in recognizing that there had to have been an absolute beginning to the universe, but for many centuries the consensus among secular scientists was that the universe was eternal. In contrast, Christians and Orthodox Jews have always believed that only God is eternal.

“Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” (Psalm 90:2)

God Speaks and Things Happen

“And God said, ‘Let there be light.’ And there was light” (Genesis 1:3). God merely speaks and things burst into existence. This same basic pattern is followed throughout the whole first chapter (see verses 6-7, 9, 11, 14-15, 20-21, 24, 26-27). And what’s the point? I think Psalm 33 best captures this.

In Psalm 33:6, we read: “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host.” Verse 9: “For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.”

The whole point is that creation was instantaneous, just like the miracles of Jesus. Jesus did not need to take that water from the wedding in Cana, run to grab grapes from a local vineyard, press them down, and wait for the whole process of fermentation to be completed before He finally made wine. No, the whole point of this first “sign” was that Jesus transformed the water into wine in a moment (see John 2:1-11).

In the same way, God did not need long ages of stellar evolution before creating the first star.[1] Genesis offers no rhetorical flourish when describing the creation of those massive gas giants with all their incredible combustion. Almost as an afterthought, we read, “He also made the stars” (Genesis 1:16, NIV).

This instantaneous creation by His word displays God’s infinite creative power. All He has to do is exhale, as it were, and galaxies spin into space, whole worlds take shape, and all the various living creatures fill the earth. Just imagine how much power this Creator must wield!

Photo courtesy of DesktopBackground

God of Infinite Power

Yahweh is not like the gods of the ancient cultures, who needed humans to be their slaves because they were too tired.

“Have you not known? Have you not heard?
Yahweh is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
His understanding is unsearchable.” (Isaiah 40:28)

Nor did He need to kill other gods in order to form the worlds. It is simply the awesome power of Almighty God on full display. This is the God we were made to know and with whom we have to do (Hebrews 4:13).

You and I were made to bow down and worship such a God. And after considering His infinite power, this only makes sense.

“Worthy are You, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for You created all things,
and by Your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)

Wired for Glory

But more than that, we were created to know Him. This is the greatest privilege imaginable: to know the Creator. That is why we ought to consider what the Bible says about Him. For knowing God is the key to finding true and abundant life. From the beginning, humankind was designed to be in relationship with this infinite Creator. We are wired for glory. That is why we hunger for glorious experiences, achievements, and relationships. But everything else will ultimately leave us empty and unsatisfied until we come to know the One who authored our life.

“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).

Eternal life is found in repenting of sin against this Creator and trusting in Jesus Christ alone as Savior from that sin. I invite you to open your Bible and discover this awesome God for yourself.

[1] As an aside, the current theory of stellar evolution that is widely accepted in the secular academy is that stars are born from the elements produced by already existing stars. The problem for the atheist is how those first stars came to be. While the current theory among secular scientists is that the first stars formed from a collapsing cloud of gas, this theory has numerous problems. See Rod Bernitt, “Stellar Evolution and the Problem of First Stars,” https://creation.com/stellar-evolution-and-the-problem-of-the-first-stars. Even the agnostic astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has admitted: “Not all gas clouds in the Milky Way can form stars at all times. More often than not, the cloud is confused about what to do next. Actually, astrophysicists are the confused ones here. We know the cloud wants to collapse under its own weight to make one or more stars. But rotation as well as turbulent motion within the cloud work against that fate. So, too, does the ordinary gas pressure you learned about in high-school chemistry class. Galactic magnetic fields also fight collapse: they penetrate the cloud and latch onto any free-roaming charged particles contained therein, restricting the ways in which the cloud will respond to its self-gravity. The scary part is that if none of us knew in advance that stars exist, front line research would offer plenty of convincing reasons for why stars could never form.” Neil deGrasse Tyson, Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2007), 187.

Jesus Is the Promised Seed

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for LifeLeave a comment

By Jason Smith

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”  (Genesis 3:15)

The Bible, from its very beginning, makes sense of the world. It explains why we are both beautiful and wonderful — because God created us in His image — and why we are also deeply flawed and tragic, and indeed why our whole world is in a constant cycle of triumph and failure — because of our sin. Yet, from the beginning of Scripture we are promised a Savior. In only the third chapter of the Bible, our first parents, Adam and Eve, rebel against their Maker by eating the forbidden fruit in act of open defiance. Their generous Creator, Yahweh, gives them the entire Garden of Eden, inviting them to indulge freely in all its variety of delicious fruits.

However, a serpentine traitor and enemy of Yahweh — a one-time captain of the Lord’s hosts — beguiles the human couple by casting God in a negative light as a miser who withholds His very best from them. Charmed by the hiss of the snake, they take of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil — the only tree off limits. In choosing the fruit, they really choose themselves over God and His good authority. Just as they were warned, the consequence of rejecting the Author of life was and always will be death (Genesis 2:16-17). Their revolt against God left a path of destruction in its wake, and we are still feeling the aftershock of humanity’s fall from glory today. Despite our numerous achievements, all of human history is pockmarked with war, famine, disease, suffering, and death — the residual effects of separation from our Creator.

The Snake Crusher

And yet, we cannot miss that in this very chapter — Genesis 3 — the Lord shines the ray of hope into the darkest moment in the storyline of Scripture. No sooner does God bring Adam and Eve under His just curse in Eden than He promises a future “Seed” that will undo the damage wrought by the serpent who tempted them into rebellion. In fact, although the promise is for humanity, He gives the statement in the form of a judgment directed to the serpent: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Genesis 3:15, NASB).[1] The Hebrew term for “seed” here is zera` (זֶרַע) and can be translated as “offspring” or “descendant.”

Writing roughly four thousand years later, the Apostle Paul recalls this precise passage when he tells the Roman Christians, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (Romans 16:20). Even in this statement there seems to be an assumption that in order for us to be reconciled with this “God of peace,” the serpent, Satan, must be crushed underfoot. Tracing this idea back to Genesis 3:15, we see early hints that this “snake crusher”[2] is also the Savior who will reconcile us back to God, the one we have been running and hiding from (see Genesis 3:8).

Tracing the Promise of a Seed

As we continue in the story of Genesis, we come to Abram, the man Yahweh calls out of pagan idolatry to worship Him as the one true God (Joshua 24:2ff.). In calling Abram, God also made some grandiose promises to him. “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you,” Yahweh told him. “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3). God elaborates on this astonishing promise: “To your offspring [zera` (זֶרַע)] I will give this land.”

In the next chapter, the Lord shows Abram the land of Canaan and reiterates the promise: “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever” (13:14b-15). Once again, the word zera` (זֶרַע), “seed,” is used (here translated “offspring”). Given the narrative structure of Genesis, we have an early hint here that the seed of the woman (3:15) is connected to this seed of Abram (13:15). As Abram grows older, he begins to doubt that any offspring will actually come from his loins (15:3). God responds to Abram’s doubt by upping the ante: “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them… So shall your offspring [zera` (זֶרַע)] be” (v. 5).

When Abram and his wife Sarai attempt their own scheme for getting Abram an offspring by having Abram sleep with their maidservant, Hagar, the result was disastrous. A boy Ishmael is born, but a vicious family feud ensues and God declares that Ishmael is not the “seed” that was promised. Instead, the seed line is to come from Sarai’s womb, despite the fact that she is nearing 90. As it turns out, through a miraculous conception, Sarai (now called Sarah) and Abram (whose new name, Abraham, means “father of many nations”) have a son named Isaac. God assures Abraham that “through Isaac shall your offspring [zera` (זֶרַע)] be named” (21:12).[3]

This promise of a seed to come is repeated throughout the remaining narrative of Genesis (24:7, 60; 26:3-4, 24; 28:4, 13-14; 32:12; 35:12; 48:4). Interestingly, King David is also promised a seed [zera` (זֶרַע), “offspring”] who will both come from his body and reign from his throne forever (2 Samuel 7:12-13). We know Solomon, David’s son and immediate heir, only partially fulfilled this promise (vv. 14-15) because Solomon no longer sits on the throne (v. 16) and his kingdom certainly did not last forever (vv. 12-13). Psalm 89 also makes clear that this ultimate Seed of David will reign in an eternal kingdom (see Psalm 89:4, 29, 36). So after Solomon, Scripture leaves the reader expectantly awaiting this true or ultimate Son of David yet to come. In other places this descendant of David is called “a Righteous Branch” (Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15) and “the Stump of Jesse”[4] (Isaiah 11:1). At times, this promised Seed is simply called “My servant David” (Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24; cf. Jeremiah 30:9) as if shorthand for “Son of David.”[5] It is clear by now that the Seed is referring not merely to a generational line of descendants, but more specifically to an individual descendant of both Abraham and David.

The Seed of the Woman

At this point, it is worth reviewing the original promise of Genesis 3:15. The attentive reader will remember that the promised Seed is said to come from the “the woman.” This is very odd considering that the “seed” normally comes from the man.[6] Thus, Genesis 3:15 presents something of a conundrum. Despite it being the first reference to a promised Seed, it does not fit with the normal Jewish understanding of zera` (זֶרַע).

We find a clue concerning how the promised Seed could come from a woman in Isaiah 7. There, Yahweh gives a prophetic sign through Isaiah to Ahaz, a king of Judah with a shaky faith in God. In fact, Isaiah says the prophecy is for the whole “house of David” (v. 13). The prophet then says, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (v. 14). Significantly, `Immanuw’el (עִמָּנוּאֵל)means “God with us.” A virginal conception was as common in Isaiah’s day as it is today. It would therefore constitute a legitimate divine sign that this little baby is “God with us.”

Now we come to the New Testament, which details the arrival of one called Jesus of Nazareth. In the opening narrative of his Gospel, Matthew describes both the conception and birth of Jesus, making the clear argument that Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.[7] “When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). An angel tells Joseph, Jesus’ adoptive father, to name the child “Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (v. 21). Matthew then comments, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us)” (vv. 22-23).

Additionally, Luke’s Gospel records what the angel Gabriel told Mary, who wondered how she could bear a son as a virgin: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy — the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). It is remarkable that Gabriel also connects Mary’s virgin-born son with the prophecy given to David: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (vv. 32-33).

The Promise Keeping God

All that we have seen from Scripture boils down to this startling conclusion: Jesus of Nazareth is the Promised Seed “of the woman” of Genesis 3:15. He is the virgin-born God-man of Isaiah. He is the Son of David, who will reign on His throne forever. He is the Seed of Abraham, who will bring blessings to the nations. The Apostle Paul makes this connection, too: “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring [Grk. sperma, σπέρμα]. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ” (Galatians 3:16, emphasis added).[8] Thus, the Promised Seed of Genesis 3, first spoken of in only the third chapter of the Bible and hinted at across the pages of the entire Bible, could only be speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, how did this Promised Seed crush the head of the serpent under His feet (Genesis 3:15)? Not only did Jesus overcome every temptation of the devil (Matthew 4:1-11), but we are also told that the “reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8b). If Satan’s power is bound up with leading us into sin and condemning us for that sin, then Christ bearing our sin and guilt away on the cross would spell his undoing. Indeed, this is the message of rescue we find in the New Testament: “And you, who were dead in your trespasses… God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him” (Colossians 2:13-15).

The “rulers and authorities” here refers to the spiritual forces of darkness. Jesus went to the cross so that “through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). As our guilt is removed in Christ, the ancient serpent loses all ground for accusing us, and we are rescued from our great enemy. God has been telling His people for ages of this One who would be bruised that we might be healed (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 53:5). What a marvel it is that our gracious God would pursue us in love even as we ran from Him and promise us One who would “save His people from their sin” immediately after we, in Adam, first turned our back on Him. Just as He always will, God kept His promise.

[1] I am unsure why the NASB does not capitalize the “him” in this sentence, following its convention of capitalizing divine pronouns.

[2] I first saw this term used of Satan in the children’s book The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden by Kevin DeYoung and Don Clark (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015).

[3] Hebrews 11:17-19 recalls Abraham’s great faith in this divine promise, emphasizing his recognition that Yahweh can do all things — including raising Isaac from the dead were he to sacrifice his beloved son to the Lord.

[4] Jesse was David’s father, so the prophecy carries the same meaning as promising one from the Davidic line.

[5] It is clear from Isaiah 9:6-7 that this promised Son of David who will reign on David’s throne will be both God and man.

[6] For example, in Genesis 38:8-9, we read that Onan was to have sex with his dead brother’s wife in order to raise offspring on his behalf. Onan, knowing that the “seed” [zera` (זֶרַע), “offspring”] would not be his, spilled his “seed” [zera` (זֶרַע)] on the ground (v. 9). Also see Leviticus 15:16-18, 32; 22:4, where the ESV translates zera` (זֶרַע) as “semen.”

[7] Matthew intentionally begins his Gospel with: “This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1).

[8] Similarly, Luke records Peter making this same connection in Acts 3:25-26 when he preaches to the Jerusalem crowds.

The Great Exchange

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for LifeLeave a comment

By Jason Smith

Photo credit: Yeele Photography

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)

“God’s power is at its greatest not in his destruction of the wicked but in his taking all the wickedness of the earth into himself and giving back love.”[1]

I recently heard in the news about the unfortunate strife that led to the collapse of a sports team with a lot of talent. Various sports commentators discussed who was to blame for the team’s gradual demise. One television personality even gave out certain percentages of blame to various persons involved in the whole debacle. Before long, various teammates and coaches began to voice who they thought should be blamed. Interestingly, not one person pointed his thumb at his chest and said, “Yeah, it’s all my fault.”

Masters at Blame Shifting

Have you ever noticed how powerful your need to justify your own actions is? Why is that so often we are quick to blame in others what we would gladly excuse in ourselves? When the other team cheats or the other person lies, they need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But when our team gets caught cheating or we get found out, we shrug and quip, “Well, everybody does it.” Why is it that whenever we are accused of something, our gut reaction is either to go into hiding or fight with all our might to clear ourselves of all blame? Deep in our bones, we know that we cannot shoulder our own guilt. Our troubled conscience testifies to this. We need a way out.

We attempt to write off our guilty feelings as nothing more than social conditioning, or perhaps our parents’ strict disciplinarian methods fobbed off onto our psyche. We tell ourselves that we are not really that bad. After all, it is those other people in our lives that are the real problem. We both subtly and not so subtly affix guilt to our parents, our spouse, our boss, or our children. We even manage to paint them in a negative light with an “understanding” tone. We are masters at blame shifting. Can anyone really argue that this is not true of the human heart? We are constantly scouring the universe for someone else to be the scapegoat, when in our heart of hearts we know we are blameworthy.

The unwillingness to own up to our guilt seems to be a perennial problem. Remember what Pontius Pilate did after sentencing Jesus to death? He washed his hands before the crowds, as if to clear himself of all guilt for the blood of this righteous man. Very similarly, Shakespeare has Lady Macbeth desperately trying to wash her hands clean after her part in the murder of Duncan. “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” she wails. “Here’s the smell of blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.”[2] We see this same dynamic when politicians or corporate executives plead ignorance when investigators catch them in a scandal.

So what does this self-justifying strategy say about us? It says something about our moral condition. The Bible explains our own condition to us. We are made in God’s image, and that is why we know right from wrong (Genesis 1:26-27). We know that guilt demands punishment. We know this. And yet, we also know that we have not even lived up to our own standards of right and wrong — let alone God’s standard of perfection. Scripture makes it clear that every human being finds him or herself in this quandary: we are both those who know what we ought and ought not to do and those who know we have failed to live up to these moral obligations. So, what are we to do about this predicament?

The Intolerable Burden

When we come face to face with the Law of God, we all know we fall short. “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God” (Romans 3:19). When a shameful thing we have done or said in the past rises to the surface in our mind, we sense the weight of our guilt all over again. We can identify with Thomas Cranmer, when he wrote in The Book of Common Prayer:

“Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, Judge of all men, we acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness, which we from time to time most grievously have committed, by thought, word and deed, against thy Divine Majesty, provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us. We do earnestly repent and are heartily sorry for these our misdoings. The remembrance of them is grievous unto us; the burden of them is intolerable.”

In John Bunyan’s allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress, the protagonist Christian bears an “intolerable” burden on his back. The great load represents the weight of his own sin, which grows more burdensome as he reads from a book. “He opened the book, and as he read, he wept and trembled.”[3] That is what Scripture does: it exposes our guilt so that we suddenly see the sinfulness of sin. But — and this is of infinite importance — it does not leave us to wallow in our guilt. It is right at this point that we begin to see our genuine need for the gospel of the crucified and risen Messiah. Our guilt demands punishment, and the more we know of God’s holiness, the more we are desperate to be free… and the more we long to be made new.

God’s Great Love

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).

In a world where we are persistently trying to shift the blame to someone else, God Himself shifted the blame from us to His own Son, Jesus Christ. Why? What could possibly lead a loving Father to do this? God “did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all” (Romans 8:32). To spare us from eternal judgment, He could “not spare His own Son.” The only way not to count our trespasses against us was to count our trespasses against Jesus. For God to overlook sin would mean that He would cease to be holy and just. God would cease to be God, and that could never happen. In order for God to uphold the moral order of the universe, He must deal justly with our great offense against Him. Someone had to go through the fire of judgment. God’s great love went out to meet the demands of His perfect justice.

Therefore, the Son of God bowed His head to the Father’s will and did just that. The very “punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6). Jesus received the cruelty of man and the wrath of God both without protest. Our Lord never once disobeyed His Father. He was utterly pure, spotless, and clean. “Yet it was the will of Yahweh to crush Him” (v. 10). He willingly laid down His life in obedience to His Father’s command.

The Free Gift

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV).

We long to be in the right before men and women. However, our most urgent need is to be in the right before our Maker. In biblical language, what we need most is righteousness. The marvelous truth of the gospel is that we have God’s own righteousness offered to us through the cross. As Martin Luther put it, a “great exchange” took place at the cross. Christ took our sin, so that we might receive His righteousness. He bears our guilt, and we are clothed in His perfection. Out of His abundant love and mercy, God urges you to lay down your defenses and receive the forgiveness He purchased with His Son’s death.

While we are anxiously striving to justify ourselves day after day, the gospel is about God justifying us for all time. The Apostle Paul explained it this way: “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Romans 3:21-22, NIV). Read that last sentence again. Divine righteousness comes to us as a free gift through simple faith. All we must do is turn from sin to God, entrusting ourselves to the tender and secure hands of Jesus.

We do not pay off the great debt we owe. Jesus takes that debt for us. Oh, sweet release! Complete divine forgiveness is offered to us as a free gift! What could possibly be better news than this? The cross answers the great question, “How can I, a sinner, be made right with a holy God?” The answer: through faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death on the cross for us.

Jesus really did die on Calvary for all our sins, but He did not stay dead. The tomb is still vacant. “Fear not,” He says, “I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (Revelation 1:17b-18). As we approach the celebration of our Lord’s death and resurrection from the grave, let us remember the chief need for every person on the planet is that we be reconciled to the God of love. “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

[1] J. N. Oswalt, “Isaiah,” in New Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), eds. T. Desmond Alexander and Brian S. Rosner, 222.

[2] William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 1.

[3] John Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress (Philadelphia, PA: Charles Foster, 1891, rev. ed. 2014), 1.

The Remarkable Compassion of God

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional1 Comment

By Jason Smith

The Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt van Rijn

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him… “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:20, 24).

Is it possible for any one of us to be too far gone from God’s perspective? Some may think so. They imagine God to be patient with people, but that eventually His patience runs out. In Christian circles, I often hear people describe certain individuals as “the hard cases” — those who seem so stubbornly resistant to God and His love that they are, we imagine, beyond hope.

I recently heard a man tell his story of Jesus rescuing him when he was at his absolute lowest point in life. He had been living on the streets, was addicted to heroin, and despised anything with a whiff of Christianity. Yet, to his astonishment, he crossed paths with a young woman who told him about the love God had for him in Jesus Christ. Many years later, in God’s marvelous timing, this man cried out to God for mercy, and God opened his heart to receive Christ. Although change in his life took time, he was immediately aware that he was a new man. Over the next few years, his life transformed dramatically. Thinking back to what God had done in his life, he said he now felt like “God’s trophy” of grace that God could show off to the world, as if to say, “Look what I can do in someone’s life.”

Relationship over Religion

When Jesus of Nazareth showed up on earth, He said some strange things. For example: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). To many, this sounded confusing. Wait, Jesus wants to hang out with those who rebel against God? I thought He only wanted to be with the morally upright?  They even nicknamed Jesus “friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 11:19). It was meant as an insult. Jesus pointed these Pharisees (admired for their obedience to the law) back to Hosea 6:6, where God says, “I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” In other words, God was saying, “I don’t merely want your ritualistic sacrifices thoughtlessly brought to me like Baal or one of the countless other pagan gods. I want you to know Me.”

Jesus told a story to some of the religious elite in His day that captured what the heart of God is really like. These religious do-gooders imagined that they were on God’s good side. “After all,” they seemed to say, “Surely God will take into account all our moral efforts.” What they missed, however — and what I fear many who grew up in the church miss — is that God is more interested in a relationship with His children than with religious compliance.

A Lost Son

“There was a man who had two sons,” Jesus began (Luke 15:11). The younger, impetuous son had the audacity to ask his father for his share of the inheritance that was coming to him. Even today, if someone asked a parent for his inheritance early, they would be frowned upon. In ancient times, however, this would have been the equivalent to saying, “Father, I wish you were dead.” The younger son wanted his father’s stuff, but cared little for the father himself. But it is even more surprising that the father actually complied with his son’s wishes. The community would expect the father to revoke any expected inheritance and shun his son as an insolent boy.

Jesus goes on to say this foolish son travels to a “far country,” presumably so he can get away from his father and out from under all the household rules and restrictions. Now, in this land of the Gentiles, this Jewish boy was free to gratify every desire that was forbidden in his father’s house. No doubt this young man attracted many. He wore the finest robes, ate the most scrumptious meals, and had everything money could buy. This young fool squandered all his father’s hard-earned wealth on prostitutes and whatever else he craved in the moment (v. 30).

But eventually, this fool began to reap what he had sown. Just as he spent his final coin, a terrible famine afflicted the land. Therefore, Jesus says, “he began to be in need” (v. 14). The harsh realities of the fleeting satisfaction of sin, the transitory nature of wealth, and the unpredictable vagaries of life in a fallen world all came crashing down on him in a moment. In desperation, “he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs” (v. 15).

Jews considered swine “unclean” (Leviticus 11:7). To be hired by a Gentile to feed such animals was just shameful. It gets worse though: “He was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything” (Luke 15:16). Here was a man at the lowest of lows. Only a short time ago, he was the envy of the neighborhood, as he spent his wealth on every thrill and entertainment imaginable. Now, he sat in his rags, wallowing in the mud like a beast, envious of filthy swine because they at least had their pig slop.

He Came to Himself

It was in that pigsty that a thought occurred to him. For a season, the young man had attempted to push away any thought of his father altogether. But now, the thought of the man he had once so brazenly scorned entered his mind. “How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread,” he mused, “but I perish here with hunger!” (v. 17).

Jesus says, “He came to himself,” finally recognizing what a fool he had been. All the so-called friends he had acquired recently came and went with his cash. None of them had even the slightest care for him now that he was nothing but a miserable worm in their eyes. The painful thought dawned on him: he had turned his back on the one man who genuinely loved him. But after such a gross display of rebellion, would his father ever take him back, this son who had so impudently slapped him across the face by wishing he was dead?

As he starts the long journey home, the young man prepares his “I’m sorry” speech, reciting in his mind: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants” (vv. 18-19). The confession is sincere, no doubt, but from his plea we can hear the sickly strain of legalism. He calls himself “unworthy,” and he was certainly right, so far as that goes. But he imagines his only hope is for his father to graciously hire him as a slave. Perhaps he imagines he can one day pay off his grievous debt as a last-ditch effort to gain his father’s approval. It is significant that the only reason he’s willing to return home, with head hanging in shame, is his realization that the one he once called “Abba” is unlike anyone else he knows. His father is a generous man, eager to bless others.

His Father Saw Him

“And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion,” (v. 20). Oh, what precious words are these! While this pitiful son was still in the distance, perhaps before he ever saw his father, his father saw him. The father, who had been faithfully gazing at the horizon, finally saw that for which he had long hoped. But what a miserable looking fellow: dressed in rags, weak and starving frame, and covered in filth and shame. He was perhaps the most wretched and unlovely creature his father had ever seen. And yet, his father “felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (v. 20).

The ancient Greeks loved to show off their calves, but for a Jewish nobleman to gather up his flowing robes and race down the road in a dead sprint would have been unheard of. In fact, it would have brought him dishonor in the eyes of others. Do you see what is happening here? Whereas before the shameful sight would have been this stumbling reject returning to his home, now the father has, in a sense, traded places with his son. Because of his great love for his son, he is now the one bearing the shame. The son would return home not alone, but under the protective arm of his father.

The onlookers must have stared in amazement. Had not this pathetic fool spat in his father’s face? And now his father receives this rebel without a cause with open arms? Before the broken man can get a word out, his father is holding him against his chest and planting a kiss on his head. In fact, in the original Greek, it says, the father “kept on kissing him.” Can you imagine a more lavish display of acceptance? When was the last time you were greeted this way at a family reunion?

With quivering lips, the son tries to get out his confession and make his plea, but before he can even ask to be made a slave, the father interrupts him. “Bring quickly the best robe,” he commands the nearest servant, “and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet” (v. 22). The robe, the ring, and the shoes all symbolize one thing: this young man is the master’s son, not slave.

Though tears no doubt fill the father’s eyes, he loudly proclaims a feast will be held in his son’s honor. This is no time to mourn. It is time to celebrate! “For this my son was dead, and is alive again! He was lost, and is found!” As the New Living Translation puts it: “So the party began” (v. 24).

Our Compassionate Father

What follows at the end of this grand story that Jesus tells is actually the most disturbing. The elder brother, who is working out in the fields (as always), learns of his brother’s return and, rather than rejoicing, he responds with smug self-righteousness. How dare this foolish sinner show his face around here again!

The father, in yet another display of compassion and grace, goes out to the field and pleads for his elder son to come home. But, with curled lip, the elder son replies, “Look, these many years I have served you [literally, “slaved for you”], and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!” (vv. 29-30). The elder son’s bitter tone betrays his failure to ever really love his father. He sees all his acts of obedience as joyless slavery. He wanted to celebrate with “friends,” but never to delight in the father himself.

The tragedy is that although this elder son stayed home, he was just as lost as the younger son once was. The father tells him, “All that is mine is yours.” In other words, if you had only asked to delight in what is mine, I would have gladly celebrated with you. The younger son, though a wretched sinner, had returned to the arms of his father, recognizing the generosity of this old man. “It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found” (15:32).

Jesus told this parable so that we would have a renewed understanding of God. Norval Geldenhuys has rightly said, “So inexplicably wonderful is the love of God that He not merely forgives the repentant sinner, but actually goes to meet him and embraces him in His love and grace.”[1] No matter how long a sinner has lived in staunch rebellion, God is always eager to welcome him or her home. He runs out to meet the one hanging their head in shame. How vital it is to remember that all we have is by sheer grace, and when yet one more prodigal son finds grace in the arms of our compassionate Father, it is only right that we should celebrate.

[1] Norval Geldenhuys, The Gospel of Luke, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951), 408.

The Holy Mystery of Christmas

On By Jason SmithIn Devotional1 Comment

By Jason Smith

Worship_Advent-Wreath4_2015

“He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:7-11, NIV)

I was reading from one of my heroes, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, recently. Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor who took a stand against Nazism’s cruelty during the Third Reich’s reign of terror. In one of his Christmas sermons, he reminded his listeners to contemplate the “holy mystery” of Christmas. Rather than trying to “figure out” how God could become a human or domesticating Christmas to a quaint little Nativity scene, complete with a smiling baby Jesus and cute little barn animals looking on, he said we ought to be filled with wonder during this season.

Bonhoeffer reminds us that Christmas is about God entering this world and being rejected even at the birth of Christ. Our Lord was placed in a manger — a feeding trough — not because it matched the décor of His nursery back home in Nazareth, but because no one was willing to give up their bed for Him or even His very pregnant mother.

In Matthew’s account, we read of the sinister King Herod who, upon learning of Jesus’s birth, immediately sought to destroy Him. An entire town suffered the loss of their male babies, simply because a jealous king thought he could undo the saving plan of God. Like Hitler in Bonhoeffer’s day, Herod was willing to slaughter the weak, underprivileged, and oppressed in order to assert his power over others. Sure, the biblical portrait of our Lord’s arrival puts less emphasis on having a “holly jolly Christmas,” but doesn’t Scripture give us a much more realistic portrait of our problem, and therefore what we truly need? In fact, the Bible offers a picture of hope that our world is desperate for today.

Holy Scripture tells us just what was happening that first Christmas so long ago: “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:9). That is one reason our family hangs Christmas lights and lights candles every year. Those tiny lights serve as a reminder that on that cold night long ago, the true Light was coming into this world, piercing the darkness. This thought is staggering. Into a world being ripped apart by hatred, selfishness, racism, oppression, and greed, Jesus came. “And that is the wonder of all wonders,” Bonhoeffer writes, “that God loves the lowly … God is not ashamed of the lowliness of human beings. God marches right in.”[1]

The Gospel of John continues, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him” (John 1:10-11). This is not so much an indictment on the Jewish people as it is on the entire human race. We all need to own up to our disregard of God in our lives. Even those who cherish Jesus as their precious Savior and Lord today didn’t always do so. And still today most of the world rejects Jesus for who He truly is: the Son of God and Savior of the lowly.

Despite the hostility this world had toward Him, Jesus still came. He knew the cost of sharing in our humanity and experiencing the consequences of our brokenness. He knew that loving us to the end would mean dying a sacrificial death in our place. And yet, Jesus still came. But why did He come? Why go through all the trouble of living in this distressed and hurting world?

This brings us to the great hope of the gospel. John says, “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). God came as a little baby, but He did not stay a baby. Jesus grew to full manhood, loving both God and neighbor each step of the way. All the way, in fact, to the cross.

The holy mystery of Christmas is that despite all the reasons He could have left us to ourselves, Jesus still came, in obedience to His heavenly Father’s will. And because He was the obedient Son, we who have “believed in His name” are granted the overwhelming privilege of becoming children of God Most High. This is where the true joy and peace of Christmas is found. Stop and wonder at the mystery of it all this Advent season.

[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God Is in the Manger, trans. Jana Riess (Louisville, KT: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 23.