“What about homosexuality? What is your church’s stance on it? Is it a sin or not?”
This is the question that Becket Cook, a Hollywood set designer, asked a young man studying his Bible at a coffee shop in Los Angeles. It wasn’t the first question he asked, but the young man’s friendly and thoughtful demeanor when Becket first approached him opened the door for the bigger question brewing below the surface.[1]
How would you respond to Becket’s question? Do you have an answer ready if someone asked this simple yet pointed question? In one sense, this might be the question of our generation: Is homosexuality a sin? Wherever you come down on this issue, I would urge you to think through what the Bible and your church believe about this. When asked directly if homosexuality is a sin, I have heard numerous Christian celebrities and pastors hedge and stumble through an answer. They don’t seem to realize that because of their influence, their non-answer only adds fuel to the fires of confusion. If you haven’t carefully prepared for when this question comes—and be assured it will—it could prove incredibly detrimental in your own life and the lives of those with whom you interact. Out of love for family and friends, we cannot afford to get this one wrong.
Embracing the Truth No Matter What
If homosexuality is a good and God-honoring practice, then we ought to be joining in all the pride parades, waving pride flags, and celebrating it along with the crowds. However, if the truth is that, despite increasing cultural approval, God’s Word reproves homosexuality as a distortion of God’s good design, we should humbly accept this. Whatever is true, we should embrace out of love for God and others.
Thankfully, the young man in the coffee shop was ready. Becket writes, “His answer didn’t shock me. He didn’t beat around the bush, and very matter-of-factly stated that both he and his church agreed homosexuality is indeed a sin.”[2] What a refreshingly clear response! No complex answer filled with a thousand qualifications. After calmly explaining the Bible’s teaching on the matter, he proceeded to invite Becket, who was openly homosexual, to his church.
Initially, Becket hated the thought of going to a church where homosexuality was condemned. And yet, something was pushing him to go anyway. Maybe it was the way this young man gently but firmly held to his convictions. Maybe the Lord was drawing Becket despite his atheism.
A Change of Affection
Somewhat reluctantly, Becket went to the church service and heard the pastor proclaim the gospel of God’s infinite love for broken sinners for the first time. He learned that God had come in human flesh and was known as Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus went to the cross as a sacrifice for our sins and rose from the dead in triumphant glory. This gospel touched Becket at the deepest level. After going forward for prayer, something happened in Becket’s heart.
“All of a sudden, a giant wave of God’s presence came crashing over me… I was utterly overwhelmed, and I started bawling uncontrollably.”[3]
Becket surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. According to the Bible, when this happens, we are born again and become a child of God (John 1:12-13). We are made new inside.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)
At conversion, God sovereignly gives us a new heart with new affections and desires, and He puts His Spirit within us, claiming us as His own.
“And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26, ESV)
Along with a new and intense desire to honor God, Becket immediately came to understand God had a new direction for his life—one that included leaving his gay lifestyle in the dust.
“I had finally come to the realization that homosexual behavior was a distortion of God’s perfect design for human sexuality and flourishing… Surprisingly, I was perfectly fine with this realization. The complete reversal of my opinions and pursuits in this area worked like this: I had just met the King of the universe!… How could I hold on to anything that didn’t bring me closer to Him?”[4]
Only the living God could transform the way Becket looked at homosexuality and everything else. Today, as Becket says in his book A Change of Affection, he lives life free of guilt, free of what others think of him, and free of the fear of death. As he put it, he has met the King of the universe! What could possibly compare?
As Christians, we need to remember that every last one of us is sexually broken apart from Christ. Without His grace and wisdom, our desires are disordered and not in line with His perfect design. We all are desperate for His transforming work!
Embracing Christ and Forsaking Sin
In spite of powerful testimonies such as Becket’s, many in our world want to deny that this kind of change can happen in someone’s life. We have an enemy who is bent on deceiving people about the transforming power of Christ. He wants us to imagine that if one is “born this way,” they have no choice but to live according to their homosexual desires. But true life is found in saying no to anything that would conflict with God’s best.
While giving people designations according to sexual orientation, such as “gay” or “straight,” might be a modern concept, the Bible is concerned with the sexual practice itself. And the simple fact is that homosexual behavior is always viewed negatively in Scripture.
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality; nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, ESV)
But praise God that’s not the end of the matter! After this clear warning on what marks the lives of those outside the kingdom, we are given this word of hope:
“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (v. 11, emphasis added)
God cares about what we do with our bodies, and our bodies can only flourish according to His good design. To live contrary to His design, is to flout the authority of the Designer Himself.
Just like we cannot pour Gatorade into our vehicle’s fuel tank and not expect engine problems, we cannot ignore God’s stated design for human sexuality and not expect negative consequences.
Consider again how you would respond when asked what you believe about homosexuality. In that moment, will you be more concerned with the approval of others or the God who made us all? Just imagine if that young man in the coffee shop had told Becket he and his church had no problem with people living whatever way they wanted. What if the pastor had avoided preaching the gospel? How we speak about homosexuality really does matter, and God will hold us accountable. God used these men to draw Becket into the kingdom. He no longer identifies as a “gay man,” but as a child of God.
So let’s commit to speaking the truth of God’s Word with clear resolve, but also with a gentle and invitational love that says, “There’s room at the table for all who embrace Christ and forsake sin. I hope you’ll join us.”
Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!
[1] Becket Cook, A Change of Affection (Nashville: Nelson Books, 2019), 8.
A Muslim friend of mind recently recommended I read the 2019 book Apostate: From Christianity to Islam in times of secularization and terror, written by the recently converted Muslim, Joram van Klaveren. The well-written book describes van Klaveren’s journey from Dutch Reformed Protestantism to Islam, from Christian to Muslim.
While there is much to agree with, my conclusion after reading the book is that van Klaveren has abandoned a Christianity that he never fully embraced. I mean that respectfully. Throughout the book, van Klaveren admits that he’s always had intellectual struggles with concepts like the Trinity, the dual natures of Christ, and the idea that divine forgiveness requires a blood sacrifice.
I love Muslims, so I wanted to read this book to better understand some of their objections. At the heart of the disagreement between Christians and Muslims is Jesus Himself—His person and work. My great desire is to see my Muslim friends come to know Jesus personally as their Lord and Savior.
But when I share the gospel of a crucified and risen Jesus, a dilemma immediately presents itself. The Quran—the text all Muslims believe is the revealed word of Allah (God)—declares that Jesus (Isa) never even died on a cross (Surah 4:157). Muslims revere Jesus as a prophet, but not the eternal Son of God. The Quran clearly states, “The Messiah son of Mary was no other than a messenger before whom similar messengers passed away, and his mother was a saintly woman” (5:75).[1]
Jesus: Prophet of Allah or Son of God?
In Apostate, van Klaveren lays out some of the nagging issues he had with Christian theology for many years, which eventually led him to outright reject the faith and convert to Islam. His biggest struggle is with the deity of Christ. He quotes Colossians 1 as saying Christ is “the firstborn of every creature” (Colossians 1:15, KJV). And then asks, “If Christ is created, has there then existed a time before he was created? God, however, is eternal.”[2]
Here, van Klaveren seems to have a misunderstanding about the incarnation of Christ. Christians have never believed that Christ is created. The New Testament repeatedly teaches that Christ is the Creator of all things. In fact, van Klaveren fails to quote the very next verse, which says that Christ is the Creator of all things (v. 16). I’ll quote the passage in context in the English Standard Version (ESV):[3]
“He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17, ESV)
His confusion seems to be rooted in his understanding of the King James translation of verse 15, which says, “He is the firstborn of every creature.”
Van Klaveren seems to think that “firstborn” indicates “first created.” But the Greek word prototokos (firstborn) does not mean “first created” one. We have to ask what Paul the Jew meant when he first wrote this. When we turn to the Old Testament, we find that “firstborn” certainly can mean simply “first one in birthing order.” But there is also a well-developed understanding of the “firstborn” as the one with a special status before God. For example, Moses tells Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22).
We also see the term taking on messianic significance when God speaks of David, who was a prototype of the Messiah. God says of David: “And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth” (Psalm 89:27, ESV). All this rich background to the term firstborn seems utterly lost on van Klaveren. Ironically, the very term Paul uses to emphasize Christ’s exalted status as Lord, he takes to mean “less than God.”
I can understand why van Klaveren would have questions about why Paul would call Jesus “the firstborn of creation.” But even without the Old Testament background on the term, if he simply read the passage in context, he would see that Paul is repeatedly emphasizing Jesus’s deity throughout. Christ created all things (v. 16). All things were created for Christ (v. 16). Christ is before all things, and He holds all things together (v. 17). In everything, Christ is to be preeminent (v. 18). In Christ, all the fullness of God dwells bodily (v. 19; 2:9). There’s really no escaping what Paul intended to teach: Jesus is the Creator God in human flesh.
Did Jesus Deny that He is Divine?
Rather than questioning the Bible’s accuracy, van Klaveren is convinced that the biblical Jesus denied He is God. He approvingly quotes Abdal Hakim Murad:
“In the Bible, Jesus sometimes appears explicitly to deny that he is Divine. Texts include, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone’ (Mark 10:18), and ‘The son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing’ (John 5:19).”[4]
Again, context is crucial to our understanding of what Jesus intended to convey. As we will see below, there are countless times that Jesus did affirm His own eternally divine nature. First, let’s consider the Mark 10 passage.
In context, Jesus is responding to a young rich ruler, who has just said, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17, ESV). Jesus responds with a question of His own, which He often did as a way of leading people to the truth. “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone” (v. 18). Notice that Jesus does not explicitly deny that He is God. He asks a question that corresponds to the man’s starting assumptions.
Jesus is leading this self-righteous young man to reevaluate his concept of goodness. Believing Jesus to be a wise teacher, the man is happy to consider Jesus “good.” He probably was willing to call many rabbis “Good Teacher.” He also considers himself good, asserting he has not broken any of the commandments since childhood (v. 20). But Jesus can see through his self-confident exterior. In reality, this young man worships money, not God. That is why Jesus calls him to sell all his possessions and give to the poor before following Him. The man is hoping to add Jesus to his wealth rather than come to Jesus as Lord and Savior. He is not yet recognizing his desperate position as a sinner accountable to a perfectly good God.
The other passage mentioned, John 5:19, does not deny Christ’s deity either. In fact, in this very passage Jesus clearly expresses His deity. Interestingly, Murad does not quote the whole verse, which reads:
Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19, NIV)
When Jesus says, “the Son can do nothing by himself,” He is speaking about His obedience to the Father. According to the Bible, the plan of redemption originated in the Father, who sent the Son into the world to accomplish redemption. The Son, who is coequal and coeternal with God, is nevertheless functionally subordinate to the Father. That’s why Jesus frequently says He can do nothing apart from the Father’s will (e.g. John 6:38). This is a statement about their difference in roles, not difference in nature.
Murad cuts off Jesus’s statement that “whatever the Father does the Son also does” (v. 19). How could someone less than God be said to do whatever God does? In Apostate, van Klaveren argues that when Jesus is called “the son of God,” in the Jewish context that term didn’t suggest that He was literally divine, “but rather refers to an exalted status because of his exceptionality.”[5] But that’s only partially true. When Jesus spoke of God as “My Father” and Himself as “the Son,” He clearly taught His equality with God.
In the immediately preceding verses, we are told:
In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:17-18, ESV)
A little understanding of context goes a long way in clarifying many of Jesus’s statements. The Bible teaches that, as a man, the sinless Jesus was subject to many limitations such as being hungry, tired, thirsty, had to learn and grow, and was even subject to temptation. But that is with respect to Christ’s human nature. As God, Jesus could also make statements no mere man could make:
“For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” (John 5:21-23)
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40)
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)
In terms of roles, the Father has the highest authority. That’s why Jesus can say, “I do not speak on my own authority” (John 14:10) and “the Father is greater than I” (v. 28). But at other times, Jesus speaks to their shared divine nature, such as when Jesus says, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (v. 9) and “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me” (v. 11).
Furthermore, we cannot overlook all the times that Jesus received worship. In Scripture, godly men and angels always refuse to be worshiped (see Acts 10:26; 14:12-15; Revelation 19:10; 22:9), and wicked men like Herod seek to be worshiped as a god (Acts 12:21-23). So, how could Jesus be merely a man—especially a godly man—since He always welcomes worship?
And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:33, ESV; cf. Matthew 28:9)
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:28-29, ESV)
Is the Trinity a Late Invention?
Van Klaveren’s other main objection to Christianity seems to be that the doctrine of the Trinity is a confusing mystery and “intellectual impediment.” This is a common view among Muslims I have interacted with on college campuses. The Trinity is viewed as an obscure or nonsensical belief that was added into the Bible many years later.
Van Klaveren states that “the most evident Trinitarian reference” is 1 John 5:7-8, but this is a later addition to the original manuscripts. I found it interesting that van Klaveren, a self-proclaimed former Christian, would say this, because while it remains a common argument Muslim apologists make, it’s also a very outdated and unconvincing argument. Here’s what I mean. He is referring to the King James Version, which renders the verses:
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” (1 John 5:7-8, KJV)
Certainly, van Klaveren is right that the earliest manuscripts we have do not include “in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one,” but instead only include “the Spirit, the water and the blood” as the three giving testimony. But nearly all our modern translations reflect what we find in the earliest and most reliable manuscripts. Furthermore, I don’t know of any Christian scholar who would appeal to 1 John 5:7-8 to make a case for the Trinity.
For example, in his 200-page book defending the Trinity, Christian apologist James White never even mentions 1 John 5:7-8.[6] Why? Because the New Testament as a whole is thoroughly Trinitarian. In other words, so many statements made by Jesus and the New Testament authors cannot be rightly understood apart from the doctrine of the Trinity. While the word “Trinity” is never found in the New Testament, the concept clearly is. The following facts can be gathered from a careful reading of the New Testament:
There is only one God (John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Timothy 2:5).
God exists as three divine persons who share the same eternal divine nature (John 10:30; 14:9): the Father is God (1 Corinthians 8:6), the Son is God (John 1:1), and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4).
The Father is a distinct person from the Son (John 16:9), and both are distinct persons from the Holy Spirit (John 15:26).
When you put all three together, what do you get? There is one God who has eternally existed as three distinct, coequal, and coeternal persons. That is the definition of the Trinity. So, to say that the best reference to the Trinity is also a late addition to the Bible is misrepresenting the facts, and it fails to interact with the multitude of passages that so clearly teach God’s triune nature.
Truly Man, Truly God
The late Christian apologist, Nabeel Qureshi, has said that when he was a Muslim, he was taught that the Trinity was nothing but “veiled polytheism.”[7] But if you actually follow the history of how the Christian church came to understand God as Trinity, it’s clear that they were simply working out the implications of New Testament teaching. It should be added that from the earliest records outside the New Testament, the Christian church has always affirmed Jesus’s deity.
Writing around AD 107-110 (about 460 years before Muhammad was born), Ignatius wrote, “God appeared in human form to bring the newness of eternal life.”[8] This was long before the Arian controversy was settled at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. In AD 180, Irenaeus similarly affirmed that Jesus was “truly man” and “truly God.”[9]
While van Klaveren is right in one sense that the Trinity is a deep mystery we cannot fully grasp, that is not an argument against its veracity. After all, we are talking about the nature of the infinite Being. If God has revealed Himself as triune, who am I to say I won’t accept it simply because I cannot rationally comprehend it? We finite creatures are in no position to tell God what He can or cannot be like. Ultimately, only the Holy Spirit can reveal these truths to our hearts. As Paul wrote, “And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:13, ESV).
The overwhelming testimony of the New Testament is that Jesus is the divine Messiah and Lord of the world. John could not have been clearer when he wrote:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-3, 14, ESV)
Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!
[1] There are times when the Quran seems to misunderstand what Christians believe about the Trinity. In one passage, Allah asks, “O Jesus son of Mary! Did you say to people: ‘Take me and my mother for two gods besides Allah?’” (5:116). The Trinity that is refuted here includes Jesus, Mary, and Allah, and is a polytheistic group of three gods (“two gods besides Allah”). But this is not what Christians have historically taught about the Trinity.
[2] Joram van Klaveren, Apostate: From Christianity to Islam in times of secularization and terror (2019).
[3] I believe the ESV is a more accurate translation than the KJV for two important reasons: 1) It depends on the earliest and most reliable NT manuscripts, which were not available during the first publication of the KJV. 2) It uses language that strikes a balance of matching original word choice in Koine Greek with comprehensibility in modern English.
[4] Murad, 2013, quoted in van Klaveren, Apostate, 43.
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (Matthew 25:31, NIV)
I don’t know what comes to mind when you hear the word faithfulness, but for me the word conjures up the image of faithful men and women I have known personally who have proven themselves trustworthy and loyal for many years. With such people I can share my burdens without fear of betrayal or rejection.
I know I’m biased, but I think of people like my dad, who has remained true to his convictions throughout his many years as a pastor and has held the course morally. I think of my mom, too, who has been faithfully by his side through thick and thin times in ministry. I also think of people I know who right now are overseas and have literally given their lives to the mission of reaching people across the world with the saving message of the gospel.
I also think of people who have been doggedly committed to Jesus Christ throughout church history. Men like Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, and Charles Spurgeon. And women like Hannah More, Susanna Wesley, and Corrie Ten Boom. And many, many others who were mocked, maligned, and sometimes murdered for their unashamed commitment to Christ above all else.
I wonder who comes to mind for you when you think of those you consider to be outstanding examples of faithfulness. There’s something about these people that we just can’t help but admire.
A Rare Quality
Faithfulness is a word I don’t hear all that often outside of Christian circles. In fact, it’s listed as a fruit of the Spirit, meaning it’s something that God the Holy Spirit produces in us (Galatians 5:22). If I was to boil faithfulness down to one definition, I’d say this: Faithfulness describes you if you are consistently loyal to the persons, principles, and plans to which you have committed yourself.
While “faithfulness” might sound like a religious word, even secular people are drawn to this type of person. People may use words like “reliable” and “dependable,” but even better than that is one who is “faithful.” And you know something? While people can’t help admiring the genuinely faithful person, the reality is that such people are somewhat rare.
“Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?” (Proverbs 20:6, NIV)
Hypocrisy doesn’t look good on anyone. But for the Christian, our integrity matters even more so, because we aren’t merely representing ourselves. We are ambassadors of Christ, representing His Name wherever we go.
That reminds me of the young man who came to his boss and asked for the day off to attend his grandmother’s funeral. His boss said, “Of course, you can.” The next day, the young man walked into the office, and his boss said, “Say, do you believe in resurrection from the dead?” The young man said, “Yes, in fact, I do.” His boss replied, “Interesting. Because after you left work yesterday, your grandmother came to visit you!”
Not Flashy nor Fickle
Faithfulness can be a powerful testimony of the Lord’s work in our lives, but we should be clear about something. Faithfulness is not about making a huge impact in the world. It’s not about getting your name in the paper or winning some Pulitzer Prize. Our motivation for faithfulness is Christ, and the fuel of our faithfulness is the faithfulness of God. God is supremely faithful to us. This is essential to get right, because we live in a world that values convenience much more than faithfulness.
Many people are motivated by the approval of others. It can be tempting for us to think, What others don’t know about me can’t hurt me. But the truly faithful person aspires to follow Christ even when no one is looking. Or even when obeying Him might earn us the disapproval or mockery of others. When you begin to hunger for the world’s approval, remember this exhortation:
Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Hebrews 12:3-4, ESV)
Others may have abandoned you, but God has promised to never leave you nor forsake you. Others may have deceived you, but God has never lied to you and never will.
Despite our best efforts, we will never master faithfulness in this life. I know that might not sound super encouraging, but the point is that this is something we always need to grow in. So, if you’re looking for the perfect example of faithfulness, don’t look at Billy Graham—though he was a great example of faithfulness—but instead look to Jesus Christ, the only One who was perfectly faithful.
People have all kinds of motives for wanting to do what is right. Maybe it’s that they don’t want to get in trouble. Maybe they want to look good in front of others. But for Christians, we have a much higher motivation. We should want to do what is right out of faithfulness to Christ. He’s our motivation! We are not our own; He has bought us with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Wherever He Has You
So, even though we want to love a lost and hurting world, we really shouldn’t be seeking the world’s recognition. If your motivation is the approval of others, your faithfulness will only extend as far as people are willing to applaud you. Seeking the world’s acceptance has led many Christians down the dangerous road of compromise. Certainly, we should care about our testimony, but ultimately we live for an Audience of One. And we are called to be faithful to Him wherever He has us.
The story is told of a man taking a long walk down at the beach when he noticed a young man picking up a starfish and hurling it into the ocean waves. The older man was a little amused, so he asked, “Son, why are you doing that?” The youth told him that the stranded starfish would die if left on the beach in the morning sun. The man smiled and said, “But the beach goes on for miles, and there are millions of starfish. How can your efforts make any difference?” The young man looked at the starfish in his hands and then threw it into the safety of the waves. “It makes a difference to that one,” he said.
We are called to make a difference where we are. Wherever you live, work, and have your being, God has sovereignly orchestrated the circumstances so that you can be a light in a dark world. That’s why God uses the entire church in His kingdom work on earth. The failure or success of the kingdom does not ride on the shoulders of any one of us. Christ promised, “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18, ESV). But if we are faithful in the place that God has called us, it will make a difference that will find its echo in eternity.
Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.” (Proverbs 25:11, ESV)
Christians need one another. Whether we go through times of triumph or defeat, we need a brother or a sister to come alongside us and encourage us to walk the path of faithfulness.
Imagine a scenario where someone slighted you or put you down. This person made a point of saying how awful you are at your job or how lousy you are as a parent. They made cruel remarks not only about you but about your family. The targeted attack spewing from this person’s mouth seems intended to make you feel small and worthless. Perhaps it’s not so difficult to imagine this scenario. Maybe you’ve lived it!
In such a situation, how do you respond? Better said, how would God have us respond when we are shamefully mistreated and insulted?
The Future King
We find an example of this in 1 Samuel 25. This story occurs when David is not yet the king of Israel, but is instead a fugitive on the run. King Saul, jealous of David for being a better man than him in every way, has been hunting David down. Knowing many in his kingdom long for David to be on the throne – including his own son Jonathan – Saul is determined to kill David.
Twice during this season of exile, David has an opportunity to assassinate Saul. Even when his men encourage David to slay the king, David refuses, saying, “The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.” (1 Samuel 26:11; cf. 24:6). David’s Christlike character never shines brighter than in these moments when he chooses to trust God and spare the man who has made his life miserable.
But situated between these two incidents is another time when David’s faithfulness is put to the test. It involves a foolish and ill-tempered man named Nabal, and his wife Abigail, “an intelligent and beautiful woman” (1 Samuel 25:3, NIV). David has something like a business partnership with the wealthy Nabal. Nabal owns many flocks, and David and his 600 soldiers have protected Nabal’s flocks and servants for some time. These were dangerous times when large flocks and their shepherds were vulnerable to raiders and wild animals. The servants even say that David’s men “were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them” (v. 16).
It was generally understood that when soldiers provided protective services, it is only right that they be well fed by the owner of the herds. Nabal is about to throw a big feast, so David sends a warm and friendly message to him, asking whether he and his men can join. You could call it a polite request for a fair business transaction.
The Wealthy Fool
But Nabal’s response is crude and thoughtless. He basically says, “David who? Never heard of him. He sounds like one of those runaway slaves who tries to take advantage of respectable individuals like myself.”
This was a pretty low blow. David was well-known everywhere in Israel. He had gained renown for defeating the Philistine giant Goliath. Not only was Nabal not practicing fair exchange, but he was slapping David across the face, telling him to go beg somewhere else. Nabal was living up to his name, which meant “fool.”
Nabal’s reckless words were especially foolish in this ancient honor-shame society. Those who were shamed by others were expected to protect their own name by taking vengeance on the wrongdoer.
David’s response is quick and decisive. He tells 400 of his men: “Strap on your swords!” (v. 13). Nobody insults David and gets away with it. It’s payback time!
The Wise Woman
It’s at this time that Abigail, Nabal’s wife, learns what her idiotic husband has done and that David plans to destroy every man in his household. She wastes no time in putting together a peace offering and running out to meet the enraged David. Abigail humbly falls at David’s feet and pleads with him to reconsider.
Noting that what her husband did is both foolish and hateful, Abigail says, “Please forgive the trespass of your servant” (v. 28). Then, with astonishing wisdom, she reminds David of Yahweh’s tender care for him and that God will one day set him on Israel’s throne, establishing a lasting dynasty.[1] It’s crucial that Abigail does this. When we forget about God’s deep love for us, it can be far easier to be reactionary and impulsive. Abigail then says, “It’s not just for my husband that I’m pleading, David, but for you. I don’t want you to have his blood on your conscience.”
Abigail’s counsel is a word fitly spoken. She appeals to God’s justice and love. And because Abigail speaks with respect and kindness, David is cut to the heart. She is a “wise reprover,” and he has “a listening ear” (Proverbs 25:11).[2]
David recognizes that really it is God who sent her to speak these words to him. He will not take vengeance into his own hands. Because of Abigail’s wise words, David chose to trust the Lord to be his defender instead of responding in a fit of anger. Rather than piling sin upon sin, Abigail guided David to live out what we read in Romans 12:
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:19, 21, ESV)
David let God be his defender. In fact, we read that only ten days later God struck down Nabal, and David later married the widowed Abigail (1 Samuel 25:38). That doesn’t mean we pray for God to smite all those who mistreat us, but we do show trust in God by letting Him deal with our enemies.
The Essential Church
In our age of rage and social media, people are encouraged to slap back when they are slapped across the face. We think it is up to us to right every wrong and defend ourselves against every offense. In many ways, we are still a shame-honor culture. In a world that urges you to protect your own honor, God’s Word says:
“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” (Proverbs 19:11, ESV)
How often are you willing to listen to an Abigail when you are hurt or upset? The two biggest reasons Christians make foolish decisions is that they don’t listen to God’s Word and they don’t listen to the wise counsel of other believers. Certainly, we must seek the Lord’s leading through prayer, but we must take care not to use “I’ll pray about that” as a reason to exclude the guidance of others.
The church is an incredible gift we must never take for granted. When we make decisions in isolation or reject the advice of others, we are walking down the path of foolishness – sometimes even running down that path!
Christ called the church His body, because we are both united to Him and mutually interdependent on one another, just as the eye needs the ear and the hand needs the foot.[3] The Holy Spirit unites believers to one another so that they can share divine wisdom and encourage one another to follow Christ faithfully. We cannot forsake the fellowship of other believers.
When we respond in fleshly haste, we put ourselves in danger, sometimes both spiritually and physically. We need to seek the wisdom of others in the church, because a word fitly spoken might just spare us from the pangs of conscience later.
[1] The Lord Himself promises David that he will have a son reign on his throne forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16), a promise fulfilled by King Jesus in His present and future kingdom (Isaiah 11:1-10).
[2] It’s ironic that many skeptics claim the Bible is denigrating to women when you have many stories like this one, where the woman is clearly the voice of reason and godly wisdom. For other examples, see: Genesis 38:25-26; Judges 4:4-10; Ruth 2:20-22; 1 Samuel 1:12-17; Esther 7:1-7; Luke 24:9-12; John 12:3-8; Acts 18:26.
At the end of Jim Carrey’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch recognizes that despite taking all the presents of Whoville, he hadn’t truly stopped Christmas from coming. The film is a ridiculous comedy, but I’m always touched as it slowly dawns on old Grinchy: “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more.”
As I read the New Testament, I might add my own line: “Maybe Christmas isn’t just myth and lore. Maybe Jesus came for the spiritually poor.”
“God with Us”
To grasp the true meaning of Christmas, we cannot miss the uniqueness of that baby in the manger. All our wonderful Christmas traditions are for naught if we fail to see that Jesus Christ really is God come in the flesh.
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
Immanuel. What a necessary word for every age, including ours. Immanuel means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). We’ll never outgrow our need to hear this word and peer deeper into its meaning. It captures the heart of Christmas.
The gods of the pagans would sometimes meddle in the affairs of men, but they were always up and out there, aloof and distant from the cares of this world. The New Testament sharply differs from every other faith and tradition by boldly declaring that the transcendent God has become one of us in Jesus Christ. Every other human being who has walked the planet emerged from history, but Jesus is totally unique. Jesus entered into history.
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. (John 1:9, ESV)
Not only so, but the Incarnation was permanent. Jesus chose to forever become one of us—to literally be “God with us.” This theme of Immanuel bookends Matthew’s Gospel. After His final commission to His disciples, Jesus says, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This is how loving God is: He looked at the human race and saw what a mess we had made of things in our rebellion against Him. And what did He do? Did He decide to move on to something bigger and better—like humanity 2.0? No! In fact, before the foundation of the world Christ had already decided to go down into this sin-stained world and be subject to all the human frailties and struggles that we experience each day (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20). No longer did God merely send prophets to herald His message—He Himself has entered the very world He created.
How can we fathom the profound depths of Immanuel? In terms of magnitude, this could be compared to you stooping so low as to become a grasshopper (see Isaiah 40:22). We are talking about the God who created every last one of the trillions of stars and galaxies. Nothing happens outside His sovereign power! And yet, this same God willingly subjected Himself to all the limitations that we humans face. He got tired, hungry, and thirsty. Jesus wasn’t like Clark Kent, invincible superhero only pretending to be mortal man. Nor was He born with a halo around His head, like we might see on Christmas cards. No, He came out as a crying baby that needed to be fed and changed and nurtured just like every one of us.
Peering Deeper Still
If we really understood the heights of glory from which Jesus came, we would not be unmoved by Christmas. Jesus chose to identify with us, the very ones who have sinned against Him.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15, NLT)
“Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.” (Hebrews 2:18, NLT)
Do you see what this means? Jesus knows firsthand what it’s like to suffer as we do, physically, emotionally, and mentally. He knows what it means to be lonely, rejected, and even despised by others (Isaiah 53:3).
Agnostic Bart Ehrman writes, “I came to think that there is not a God who is actively involved with this world of pain and misery—if he is, why doesn’t he do something about it?”[1] But what if God did do something about it? What if God got so involved with this world of pain and misery that He Himself experienced suffering and death in order to one day bring about full redemption of His people and His world?
I’m with John Stott:
“I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross… In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I have entered many Buddhist temples in different Asian countries and stood respectfully before the statue of Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing round his mouth, a remote look on his face, detached from the agonies of the world. But each time after a while I have to turn away. And in imagination I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in Godforsaken darkness. That is the God for me! He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our suffering becomes more manageable in light of his.”[2]
In becoming a man, Jesus linked arms with us who have descended from Adam and said, “I’m with them. I know they’re sinners. I know they’ve rebelled against Me. I know they’ve spat in My face. But I choose to identify with them!” God chose to send Jesus not to destroy the human race, but to redeem all who would ever trust in His sacrifice on Calvary.
Some things lose their hold on me after I have given them enough thought. But the more I ponder the Incarnation, the more it blows my mind. But even then I realize that I’m so finite and God is so infinite that I simply cannot hold the wonder of it all in my mind. All I can do is stand back in awe and be thankful that God did not abandon us. He chose to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). He chose to become one of us. To be “God with us.”
High and Holy, with the Lowly
Consider what God said of Himself in Isaiah 57:15: “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’”
Do you see what God is saying here? In His nature, He is completely unlike us! He is majestic, glorious, and holy. We are finite, small, and sinful. There is a Grand Canyon of difference between God and us. And yet, God is saying that though He is holy and far above us, in His grace, He chooses to dwell with those who are humble, contrite, and lowly. This is the incredible grace of God that we find in the gospel. We don’t work our way up to God. What could be more impossible? Instead, He comes down to dwell with us and rescue us from our sin.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,” Jesus said, “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3, NIV).
A while back, I heard a pastor sharing about a time when he was talking with a Hindu leader, and they were trying to understand one another’s beliefs. Finally, the Christian pastor said, “Let me see if I understand what you believe. You believe something like this: God is on the top of a vast and tall mountain. And all the religions of the world are climbing this mountain, and their journey is different because they are climbing different faces of the mountain, but they all end up in the same place.”
The Hindu priest’s eyes widened and he said, “Finally, you understand what we believe.” Then the Christian pastor said, “Well, this is where our beliefs are fundamentally different. As a Christian, I believe that though men have tried to scale this mountain to God, none can ever do it. Because we are all carrying too great a weight—that’s our sin. But see, in the Gospel, we learn that this God atop this mountain has descended to us. He didn’t wait for us to try and struggle to come to Him. He knew we would never make it. Instead, He came down to us in order to take our great burden upon Himself on the cross at Calvary.”
This is the wonder of Immanuel. Jesus came not only to suffer with us, but to suffer for us, in our place. May we never stop peering at the meaning of Christmas.
He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21, HCSB)
Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!
[1] Bart Ehrman, God’s Problem (New York: HarperOne, 2009), 128.
[2] John R. W. Stott, The Cross of Christ (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1986), 335-36.
Parents love to see their children eagerly expecting the arrival of Christmas. They get Advent calendars with the countdown to Christmas and share in their growing excitement with each passing day. God did that with His children, too. He gave them prophecy after prophecy as if to build up that sense of expectation for when the Savior would arrive.
Has God Spoken?
While many doubt the Bible’s accuracy and authority today, one clear proof for its divine origin is the numerous fulfilled prophecies found within its pages, especially from the Old Testament. Only the all-knowing God could tell His people about future events, not merely in vague generalities, but with incredible precision.[1]
The Bible we have today was written down by men, but Christians have always believed that it’s not merely a human word. It is God speaking through faithful men. We weren’t meant to only see the red letters spoken by Jesus as God’s Word. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that “All Scripture”—all of the Bible—is “breathed out by God.” And God wants you to have the confidence that every time you take up and read His Word, you are hearing from the Creator Himself in plain language.
Because the Bible is God-breathed text, it is utterly unique. It is not just one more “conversation partner” among a host of helpful voices, as I heard one self-identifying progressive Christian claim recently.[2] Scripture is authoritative, because it comes from the transcendent authority of God. The Apostle Peter writes, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21, ESV).
And throughout the whole Old Testament, God spoke through His chosen servants to tell His people of a coming Savior.
The Promised Redeemer
One of the most amazing things we see in the Bible is that from the time that humankind first rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, God has been working out His plan of redemption.
Of course, the all-knowing God always planned on redeeming His fallen creation (Revelation 13:8). But how incredible to think that when Adam and Eve first reject His authority by eating the fruit, God doesn’t charge in with fury and smite them with a lightning bolt. Nor does He throw up His hands and say, “Well, I guess I’ll scrap this whole humanity project!” No, because He is a God of astonishing grace, He took that moment when they were so vulnerable—and so obviously guilty—to draw them close. He symbolically forgives them by covering their nakedness with animal skins and promises that a Redeemer would come to fix what they had broken (Genesis 3:21).
God promises One who will be an offspring of the woman, who will crush the devil underfoot (Genesis 3:15). In other words, He would come to undo the devastation caused by our first parents.
But He doesn’t stop there. Throughout the Old Testament, God continues to give promise after promise of a coming Redeemer. As the timeline progresses, more and more light is shed on Who this Savior would be and what He would be like. By the time you get to the New Testament, you’re eagerly expecting this Redeemer that God has promised for thousands of years.
God didn’t leave His people to wonder if there was any hope for them. He gave specific predictive prophecies so that they would know what to expect. And the fact that God carried out all these prophecies so precisely shows that He really is sovereign over this world.
A God in Control of History
In order for God to give prophecies that are fulfilled with such precision as we’ll see these were, He must be in absolute control of history.
Some pastors and theologians today are trying to argue that God doesn’t know the future in its entirety. They imagine God as a master chess player shrewdly strategizing and moving the pieces with incredible wisdom as He experiences changing circumstances, but that in the final analysis, He doesn’t know what decisions we will make. This is called open theism, because the future is allegedly “open” and unknown to God Himself.[3]
Well, there is a big problem with that idea. If God doesn’t know the future in its entirety, then how can we say He’s in full control? In fact, how can we say for sure that everything will end as He said it will end, if the future is a bit foggy even to God?
Theologians who teach this are trying to get God off the hook so that when bad things happen, they can say, “Oh, but see, God didn’t know it would happen like this.” But that sounds more like a bumbling friend than the El Shaddai—God Almighty—of Scripture. A God who is just trying His best but is often mistaken is hardly worthy of our trust and certainly unworthy of our worship.
But the Bible leaves us with no doubt about this: God is in absolute control of history.[4] Consider Isaiah 7:14.
The Virgin Conception
In context, God is giving the king of Judah a pledge of His trustworthiness. And this is given around 700 years before Christ’s birth. God essentially says through the prophet Isaiah, “Listen up! Here’s how you will know that I’m a God who keeps His Word.”
And Isaiah 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.” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV)
That’s a pretty clear sign. Where else in all of human history do we have someone who was born of a virgin? So we can know when this happens, God is doing something extraordinary. And this is important to keep in mind. I can hear the skeptic asking, “Well, how do we know Mary was even telling the truth about being a virgin?” But this is not a case of one random woman making wild claims. There are numerous pieces of corroborating evidence supporting Mary’s claim.
First of all, consider who Mary’s son, Jesus, turned out to be. What cannot be dismissed even by secular historians is that Jesus lived an extraordinary life. If a virgin did conceive a baby supernaturally, we would expect this baby to turn out to be something special. Like, for instance, having one-third of the world claim to follow Him 2,000 years later and splitting history in half (BC and AD). Consider also that Joseph got the memo, too. He wasn’t even going to marry her until the angel showed up and explained everything.[5] It wasn’t just Mary’s word. But there’s also this promise in Isaiah 7:14 that God will perform this incredible miracle one time—and only one time—when a virgin will conceive.
If you’re going to assume someone must be lying simply because something sounds incredible, no amount of evidence will convince you if a miracle really happened. According to Luke’s report, Mary was just as bewildered as any modern person would be by the news that she—a virgin—would conceive (see Luke 1:34). One thing you have to realize is that miracles in Scripture always have a theological context. They are not random; they serve a revelatory and redemptive purpose. They point to the God who redeems. As we will see, it’s not just Isaiah’s one prophecy. There is an extraordinary convergence of fulfilled prophecies that center on the one person, Jesus of Nazareth.
Is the Messiah Divine?
Many Jews today deny that the Messiah will be divine. They think God becoming a human baby is preposterous, because “God is not a man” (Numbers 23:19). But while God is totally distinct from man in His divine nature, prophecies like Isaiah 7:14 do lead to us to conclude that the coming Messiah must be in some sense both human and divine. Indeed, this virgin-born son will be called Immanuel, meaning “God with us.”
But then if you flip forward a page to Isaiah 9, we’re told this:
“But in the future he [God] will bring honor to the way of the sea, to the land east of the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.” (Isaiah 9:1b-2, CSB)
Galilee was a region in the north of Israel, where the town of Nazareth was. So the prophecy here is that God will send One who will be like a “great light” to Galilee. Well, that certainly would fit with a man who 700 years later would be called “Jesus of Nazareth (in Galilee)” who was also known as “the Light of the World.”
But then just a few verses later, Isaiah tells us more about this coming Messiah.
“For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, CSB)
The rabbinic scholars must have scratched their heads at this point. The Messiah will come as a little baby “born for us.” Fair enough. But He will also be named “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” How could this be? How can a fragile little baby also be called “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father (or Creator)”? So, just like with Isaiah 7:14, they were left with this mystery unsolved. It was baffling, because God had always said He was not like humans. Yet, these prophecies seemed to say that the coming Messiah would be both a flesh and blood boy and the eternal Creator.
In fact, as you look at this prophecy, is there really any other way to interpret this? The Messiah had to be both God and man.
From Bethlehem or Nazareth?
Isaiah goes on to confirm that this one would also reign on David’s throne, which fits with other prophecies to show that he’s talking about the coming Messiah.
But then we come to Micah 5. And this one also vexed the rabbis. The context here is God promising a coming Redeemer, and even the ancient rabbis took this as a messianic prophecy.
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2, ESV)
That final phrase “from ancient times” is the Hebrew phrase mi-vemey ‘olam, which is usually translated “from eternity.” And that would tell us that this coming Ruler actually has an eternal origin. But the big thing to note is that Micah says the Messiah would come from the little town of Bethlehem.
Earlier I noted that Nazareth was in Galilee. But Bethlehem was in Judea, not Galilee. So here’s the question: If Isaiah said that the Messiah would be from Galilee (where Nazareth is), how could He also be from Bethlehem (in Judea)?
For the Jews, this was a puzzle. Perhaps some even claimed it was unresolvable. But what if this coming Messiah would be born to a virgin from Galilee and even be raised in Nazareth of Galilee for most of His growing up years, so that He would be known as someone from Nazareth? But what if a census was decreed by the ruling Emperor, Caesar Augustus, so that His mother and her husband—who were both descendants of David—would have to return to their ancestral home of Bethlehem to be registered? And what if this census just happened to be exactly when Mary’s baby was born?
Wouldn’t we have to say that in one sense He was from Galilee, but in another sense He was from Bethlehem?
Ultimately, there are no accidents in history. The Sovereign God can give such precise prophecies with such incredible accuracy only because He really is in control of history.
The God of Christmas
Because the Christmas prophecies were fulfilled exactly, we can trust God’s Word entirely. All of these prophecies conclusively point to Jesus of Nazareth as the virgin-born divine Messiah sent to rescue us from our sins (Matthew 1:21). While God as God is certainly unlike us in important ways, He chose to become one of us when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14, ESV).
This is but a small fraction of the already fulfilled prophecies in the Bible. We could keep going if we had more space. But here’s the point we cannot miss: only a supernatural book can give us the future. The Jews who have rejected Jesus throughout history still have to acknowledge that these prophecies were in their Hebrew Bibles long before Jesus was born.
All of this is very good news for sinners like you and me. We have a God who has not left us alone. He promised in ages past to send a Savior. He fulfilled that promise on that first Christmas. And today this promise-keeping God shows mercy to all who call on the name of Jesus.
Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!
[1] Keep in mind, Orthodox Jews have had copies of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) since it was first penned long before the birth of Christ, so one cannot claim that Christians came along and modified the Hebrew Scriptures to fit the portrait of Jesus.
[3] See a powerful refutation of this theology in Bruce Ware’s book God’s Lesser Glory: The Diminished God of Open Theism.
[4] Scripture supporting this claim is found in Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6-8; Psalm 103:19; 115:3; 135:6; Proverbs 21:1; Isaiah 25:1; Daniel 2:21; 4:34-35; Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:11.
Politics can be a tough subject to broach. Many of us know what it’s like to sit down for a nice family Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner when out of the blue, good ol’ Uncle Albert decides to bring up politics. And what happens? Suddenly, it’s no longer a quaint family meal with pleasant small talk. Instead, a current of emotions sweeps through the room. Blood pressures rise. Voices get a little louder. Tensions grow. Grandma makes sure the carving knife is safely out of reach.
And why is that? What is it about politics that makes the blood boil?
Well, in part, it’s because politics – especially lately – has become an identity marker. It’s a discussion about who you are as a person: what you believe, what you cherish, and, of course, what you utterly, absolutely oppose.
Clearly, we’re living in a very politically divisive time, but Christians must have a distinct approach to the subject, shining the light of grace and truth.
So, in the midst of the election fever that is sweeping America right now, I believe it’s important to see four biblical truths for the Christian to consider during this election season.
1. God, Not Government, Is Our Ultimate Authority.
This is evident in God’s display of power over the Pharaoh of Egypt. Pharaoh thought of his authority as ultimate, and God disabused him of this fallacy. When Pharaoh refused to obey Yahweh’s command to release His people from their enslavement, God brought the hammer of judgment. He did this by striking Egypt with ten devastating plagues, which demonstrated Yahweh’s supremacy over Pharaoh and all the Egyptian gods.
At the same time, He tells Pharaoh that God is the One who put this tyrant in authority. God says, “But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth” (Exodus 9:16, ESV). Pharaoh was put in power by God, but for his hard heart and rebellion, he was also judged by God. What does this tell us?
All political leaders, kings, queens, and governing officials, are ultimately accountable to God. That’s why the prophet Nathan can confront his king about his adultery with Bathsheba. He points his finger right at David and says, “You are the man who has done this!” Similarly, John the Baptist had the courage to call out King Herod for his adulterous relationship with his brother’s wife. What gave these prophetic voices such incredible audacity? They knew that, ultimately, all earthly authorities must answer to the highest authority of Heaven.
It doesn’t matter whether you’ve had a highly celebrated political career or you’re a relatively unknown janitor at the courthouse. One day, you will have to answer to the Judge of all mankind, who searches your heart and mind. Nobody is “hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13). Only the blood shed by Jesus can cover the sin that would otherwise leave us condemned in God’s heavenly courtroom.
2. Government Is a Fundamentally Good Institution Established by God.
This, for some, is the hardest principle to reckon with. When we think of government, we often think of all the ways it’s used to oppress others or the way it’s so imbued with political rivalries and petty attacks. But government, as an institution, is a good thing. Think, for example, how terrible life would be if there were no governments and instead the world was run by pure anarchy. No authority to answer to, no police, no law, no courts in the land. Everyone does whatever they want to others.
The book of Judges, after recording all the chaos and mayhem that happens when Israel is without a leader, repeats this famous line: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25, ESV). No government means no laws. And no laws means lawless behavior would rule the day.
Government is a good thing. It’s been established by God for our good – even if it is a good thing that can often be abused. But according to the Bible, no one ends up in office without God’s say so.
Romans 13:1 says something pretty incredible: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” This doesn’t mean God endorses everything that authorities do. The point is that God is the One who ultimately put them in power.
So while those holding an authoritative office or position may misuse or abuse their authority, authority itself is a God-ordained good. Anarchy and rebellion are not inherently good. In fact, they make a mockery of the very authoritative structure that God has ordained for our benefit.
At the end of King David’s life, he shared this word from the Lord about the beauty of godly authority:
“The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth” (2 Samuel 23:3-4).
3. Don’t Put All Your Trust in Elected Leaders.
As Christians, we are called to respect the office of our governmental leaders, but not to give these leaders our ultimate allegiance.
In 1 Samuel 8, we see this foolish tendency to put our trust in human leaders rather than God. The nation of Israel looked around at all the nations that surrounded them and saw they all had kings. And, of course, like the kid who sees all the other kids with a toy, they want what these other nations have. So they go to the prophet Samuel, who has become the de facto leader of Israel and plead for a king.
Samuel tries to talk them out of it and says, “You know, a king will rule you with an iron fist. I’m not so sure you really want a king. He’ll take your sons and make them soldiers and your daughters and make them servants of the state. And He’ll tax you like you wouldn’t believe!” But they ignore his warnings.
God tells Samuel: “Okay, Samuel, give the people the king they are asking for. But understand something. They haven’t rejected you, Samuel; they’ve rejected Me from being King over them.”
It’s very easy to fall into this trap today. We can be so focused on our earthly welfare and earthly dreams that we can put more stock in a politician than in God Himself. But God says, “You can’t have it both ways. When you put all your trust in your leaders, you’re rejecting Me.”
Of course, this doesn’t mean we can’t support and advocate for certain candidates. But it reminds us to check our spirit and ask, Am I giving a mere man or woman the allegiance that only God deserves? Am I looking for security in this person or God?
Isaiah tells us that God alone should be exalted, and that the pride of man will eventually be brought low. He writes, “Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?” (Isaiah 2:22, NIV). God says, “Stop for just one minute with all the political frenzy going on and realize something. These guys running for office? They are mere men and women. The only reason any of them are alive is because I put breath in their lungs. So don’t give them your hearts. Find your security in Me.”
4. Make the Kingdom of God, not the Kingdoms of this World, Your Ultimate Priority.
In his book Political Gospel, Patrick Schreiner reminds us that since our gospel is a message about a King and a kingdom, there is inescapably a political dimension to the gospel: “The gospel message is a world-forming, public, and political reality. Jesus calls people to a new way of life, a new society, a new community.”[1]
Remember, ultimately we are not headed for an eternal democracy. It’s a great system right now. But in the end, we are headed for an absolute monarchy. Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world (having its origin in the world), but He never denied being a King or bringing a kingdom (see my post “What is the Kingdom of God?”). In that kingdom, all those who have placed their trust in King Jesus will thrive under His glorious reign. And we will be glad we are under His authority, because only then can everything be put right.
Psalm 2 is one of the most striking psalms in the Bible. Rather than simply offering praise to God, it’s as if the psalmist takes us up to Heaven and gives us God’s perspective on all the political affairs of this world, with kings setting themselves up on thrones and politicians listening to their own collective wisdom.
“The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.” (Psalm 2:4, NIV)
God scoffs at these rulers. We don’t normally think of God as scoffing at others, but God laughs at these pretentious rulers of the world. Why? Because they actually think that they can come up with a better ruler than God can.
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed. (Psalm 2:2, ESV)
If you watched Saturday morning cartoons in the ‘90s, you may remember watching the one about two goofy mice called Pinky and the Brain. In every episode, Pinky says, “What are we going to do tomorrow?” And Brain says, “The same thing we do every day… try to take over the world!”
In Psalm 2, from God’s perspective, all these rulers plotting together is as ridiculous as two little mice trying to take over the world. And so it says that God actually laughs at them for thinking themselves so great and wise. He scoffs at them for thinking they can actually run the world better than He can.
And He says, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill” (Psalm 2:6).
Essentially, God looks at the political schemes and says, “You really think you can run this world better than Me? Better than My Son? Take a look at all the wars and greed and corruption that have happened when you people try to run the world. It’s a mess.”
God wants us to remember that there is ultimately only one leader worthy of all our trust, our devotion, and our allegiance. That’s the Lord Jesus Christ. So we should be more invested in building His kingdom than any of our own.
Jesus went to the cross for those on the Left, the Right, and everywhere in between. The Lion of Judah stands over all elephants and donkeys, even while He offers Himself to those of every political stripe. Jesus is the One who reigns supreme even now on His throne in Heaven. And where every other leader has failed, Jesus will succeed. Where every other leader’s heart has been tainted by sin, Jesus will lead with perfect righteousness.
Isaiah 11 tells us what it will look like when Jesus reigns supreme on earth:
“He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.” (Isaiah 11:3b-5, NIV)
Isaiah then says there will be perfect order and peace even in the animal world (vv. 6-9). And then he says this about Jesus:
“In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.” (Isaiah 11:10, NIV)
This is what we have to look forward to as the people of God. We can know that no matter who wins this election, our God reigns.
Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!
With the sun beating down on his head, a bronze-skinned man steps out onto the river bank. His lower half is still drenched and dripping with the Jordan River. He’s wrapped in a tunic made of camel’s hair. Hair and beard look unkempt. He seems to lack all sense of social convention. He is a portrait of a desert wanderer. The surrounding crowd on the shoreline cannot help but stare and listen to his brazen call to repent of wickedness. Having just emerged from the water, some are still soaked from head to toe.
He picks up his staff in one hand and raises the other toward the crowd. A knobby finger points like a dagger at a group of men in long clean robes: the Pharisees and Sadducees.
“Brood of vipers!” The desert man’s voice echoes off the stony river bank. All eyes are now staring at the religious leaders, who grimace with distaste.
“Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come!” the man bellows. While some are shocked, others recognize his boldness to confront sin is a clear sign of his prophetic calling of God. If John is a prophet, then he’s merely God’s mouthpiece. What he has to say truly comes from the Almighty. And yet, here he was confronting the religious aristocracy, the paragons of purity.
In one sense, these Pharisees and Sadducees carried an air of power and respectability wherever they went. The people noted their stringent piety and rigorous law-keeping. Nevertheless, the people so admired John the Baptist that these holy men looked like tongue-tied schoolchildren in his presence. They come only to observe, not to be baptized in the filthy river.
“Show fruit consistent with repentance!” John continued, eyes blazing like fire.
John’s Ministry of Baptism
Apparently, John didn’t have a public relations consultant. Why did he call these highly esteemed religious leaders a “brood of vipers”? Because they ignored the warnings of the wrath to come and led others to destruction. And, as John says, they didn’t bear fruit, showing they had not truly given their lives to the Lord.
This was John the Baptist’s entire ministry. He called people to repent of sin, return to faith in the one true God, and be baptized in the Jordan River.
John said, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry” (Matthew 3:11).
This One “coming” was the Lord of the cosmos Himself. John the Baptist was always pointing others to look to Christ, not himself, for hope. He humbly confesses he’s not worthy to even carry the sandals of Jesus. But it’s not just humility; it’s a right view of how supremely worthy Jesus is.
Then he says of Jesus: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire…”
It’s important to realize that even though John says that he baptizes with water and Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire, this doesn’t mean that water baptism is no longer necessary today. At the end of Matthew, Jesus Himself gives the command: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19).
Though Christians don’t always agree on the purpose of baptism, Jesus seemed to present baptism as the inaugural event marking a new disciple of Christ.
Why Be Baptized?
It is important to understand that baptism does not save you. We are saved by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). Though Christians are called to good works, no good work—not even baptism—could save us from the tyranny of sin. Paul made the point that he was not sent with the primary objective of baptizing others, but of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:17).
The thief on the cross had no opportunity to be baptized before he died, yet the Lord assured him of his place in Paradise with Him that very day (Luke 23:43). It is only repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ that reconciles us to God. Having said that, followers of Christ are commanded by God to be baptized. The Bible never treats it as an optional “extra.” Local churches are called to baptize new believers after the pattern of the New Testament (Acts 2:38-41; 10:47; 16:14-15).
Baptism pictures our need for cleansing and restoration. But it also pictures our identification with Christ. Going down into the waters, we are identifying ourselves publicly with Christ’s death and our own death to sin. Coming out of the waters portrays both Christ’s resurrection and our resurrection with Him to new life (Romans 6:3-4). As we are baptized individually and as we see others baptized, we are reminded that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was for us personally.
And, as John says here, when we trust in Christ personally, we receive the Holy Spirit.[1]
The Winnowing Fork of Judgment
Why are repentance and baptism so important? John says of Jesus: “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12).
In ancient Israel, there was a practice called winnowing which allowed the farmer to separate the grain (or seeds) from the chaff, which were the husks that cover the seeds. When the farmer tossed the grain and the chaff into the air with the winnowing fork, the Middle Eastern wind would carry the lighter chaff to the side and the heavier grain would fall to the ground. He would gather the grain together to keep, and the chaff he would sweep together and toss into a fire.[2]
John is giving us a vivid picture of judgment. On the coming day of judgment, Jesus will gather the grain—those who are His own—to Himself. And the rest, He will cast into what He calls “the unquenchable fire.” This is a sobering and serious reminder that a judgment is coming, and if we don’t belong to Jesus, we are destined for eternal damnation (Matthew 10:28; Mark 9:43). John is making it clear that it is eternal by saying it is a fire that never goes out.
I want you to understand that the idea of eternal judgment was no more popular in Jesus’s day, 2,000 years ago, than it is today. While some may say that it is unloving to tell people about hell, John recognized that what would be truly unloving is not to warn people that a judgment is coming.[3]
God Himself pled with unrepentant Israel to return to Him and avoid judgment:
“As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11, ESV)
This life is infinitesimally short in light of eternity. God says in His Word that your life is nothing more than a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14). But eternity—that lasts forever! So where we spend eternity matters immensely.
This is why I, too, want to warn others. If Scripture is right that there is a coming judgment and that our own conscience testifies to this truth, then for me not to speak about hell would be unloving. I make a point to speak about it because I, too, am a sinner and have been rescued from judgment—Jesus has saved me. And so, I want to point to my Savior and say this offer of salvation is for all. No matter what you have done or where you have been in life, this free gift of salvation is offered to you!
Why Was Jesus Baptized?
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. (Matthew 3:13-15)
So, if water baptism represents cleansing from sin, why in the world is Jesus coming to the Jordan River be baptized here? After all, Jesus is the sinless Son of God in human flesh. Scripture always affirms that Jesus was and is “without sin” (Heb. 4:15). So why did He submit to baptism?
I think we see a clue as to why Jesus did this way back in the prophecy found in Isaiah 53:10. There we read that the sinless sufferer was “numbered with the transgressors.” Or, it could be translated as “[He] was counted among the rebels.”
Even though Jesus was perfect and sinless, He willingly chose, out of love, to identify with sinful mankind. Beginning with His coming at Christmas, to His baptism, and all the way to the cross, Jesus was humbly and lovingly saying, “I have come to identify with the very people who have rebelled against Me.” He came to die for the very rebels who were cursing Him, mocking Him, and crucifying Him. From the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). In the context, He was speaking of the Jews and Romans that had Him killed. But in reality, He says that of all of us. We all have committed treason against the God who made us. We all deserve death. But Jesus was perfect. He willingly died in our place so that we could be forgiven and spared from all judgment.
In humbly consenting to water baptism, Jesus marked out a pattern for all His disciples to follow. In this way, He is not asking of us anything that He Himself did not willingly do.
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17, ESV)
Scripture teaches that the one true God is three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And here we see all Three in view. Jesus submitting to baptism, the Spirit descending upon Him to empower Him for ministry, and the Father’s voice from heaven saying: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
If Jesus had never been baptized, this moment would have been missed. Now all who have repented and trusted in the Lord Jesus are reconciled to God, made new by the Holy Spirit, and are loved in the Beloved—even as Christ is loved by the Father (John 17:26). And if that’s you, friend, you are called to be baptized.
Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!
[1] “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13, ESV). Also see Romans 8:9-11.
[2] Thanks to David Platt for his explanation of this process in his commentary Exalting Jesus in Matthew.
[3] See Ezekiel 33, where the Lord says that the watchman who sees the sword of judgment coming but fails to warn others will have their blood on his hands.
Uh-oh. There’s that feeling again. It’s like a deep tremor welling up inside. A volcano with growing subterranean pressure. We all know what it’s like to experience the heat of anger. At times, it’s directed at a situation, but more often anger is directed at a person, usually someone you know well. At other times, you are on the receiving end—the volcano is erupting on you!
Anger can wreck friendships and send marriages spiraling into a tailspin. At its worst, it can lead to abuse and tragedy. If left unchecked, anger can be the most destructive human emotion. The Bible gives clear warnings about anger:
“Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.” (Psalm 37:8, NIV)
Nearly everywhere you look, you can find areas where anger is harming our society. Just consider the problem of road rage. According to a recent study, “More than 1,000 people in the U.S. die each year in road rage incidents.”[1] In their book Anger Kills, authors Redford and Virginia Williams found that those who are prone to angry outbursts are more likely to have coronary heart disease.[2] No wonder the Bible says, “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11, ESV).
So how do we rightly deal with this volatile emotion?
Admit You Are Angry
If we are going to make any progress in dealing with our anger, we have to be willing to first admit when we are angry. People like to say, “I gave her a piece of my mind” or “I guess I lost my cool there.” But what they really mean is “I was angry.” Maybe you’ve heard the remark: “I don’t get mad, but I do get even.”
Most often, we Christians struggle to admit we are angry because we have been taught that anger is a sin. And certainly, there are more than a few warnings about anger in the Bible. “An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression” (Proverbs 29:22, BSB). But I would argue that passages like this speak of misdirected and uncontrolled anger. The Bible says, “In your anger, do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26, NIV).
Anger is not a monochrome emotion that we can so easily file away in the “sin” category. As David Powlison said, anger “is a complex human response to a complex world.”[3] After all, God expresses anger at sin.[4] Throughout Scripture, we read of God’s wrath or righteous indignation in response to injustice, idolatry, and sinful distortions of His good design for humanity.
Jesus Christ, known for His meekness and gentleness, expressed anger many times in the Gospels too – usually in response to self-righteous hypocrisy.[5]
On one occasion, the religious elite demonstrated more concern for catching Jesus in their legalistic trap than for the plight of a man with a withered hand. Their cold-hearted callousness toward real suffering made Jesus hot with righteous anger. He “looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart” (Mark 3:5, ESV).
Anger is the natural human response to evil and injustice. It is the heart crying out, This is wrong. So we should not be reticent to admit when we feel angry. Owning our anger will allow us to rightly deal with it.
Restrain Your Immediate Response
While anger can be the natural human response to wrongdoing, that doesn’t mean it’s always expressed in a good way. In fact, because of our sin nature, our tendency is to express anger in an ungodly or self-centered way, rather than in a godly way like Jesus. The Book of James reminds us about the importance of hitting the brakes to “slow down” when we feel that first surge of anger.
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19-20, ESV)
Consider this scenario. A teenager “borrows” his dad’s Ford Mustang without asking in order to impress a girl and brings it back with an ugly scrape across the door. When his father discovers what happened, what’s his initial response? He’s angry. Very likely, this man will want to fly into a rage, lashing out at his son for his reckless and irresponsible behavior. What his son did was wrong. So to feel anger is only natural, but James would warn this man to hit the brakes. Because a knee-jerk response in anger is almost always destructive.
“People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.” (Proverbs 14:29, NLT)
You may be thinking, Sure, controlling my anger is a great idea. Easier said than done. It’s true that stopping yourself in the moment might not be easy. Ultimately, patience, gentleness, and self-control are produced by the Holy Spirit, not something we can achieve through mere human effort.
However, with God’s help we can learn to respond in the moment in a way that honors Him. Practically speaking, this might mean stepping away temporarily when you start to feel your blood boil. Marriage expert Gary Chapman recommends a husband and wife learn to “call timeout” when emotions begin to surge.[6] This means giving each other space for a brief time, so that both can come back to discuss the matter calmly without having said or done something they regret. Sometimes a walk around the block is enough time to cool the temperatures so that feelings aren’t hurt and a peaceful compromise is reached.
Identify the Cause of Your Anger
We’ve all heard stories of school shootings or homicides that didn’t seem to add up. People say things like “He seemed like such a nice guy” and “I never saw it coming.” No doubt this is in large part because people are good at wearing “nice” on the outside even while unaddressed anger is quietly brewing inside.
While such examples may sound extreme, they simply demonstrate what can happen when anger is not confronted. I’ve talked to several people who have admitted that mistreatment, neglect, or a lack of love in their home growing up planted deep seeds of anger. The long-term effect may even be ignored or downplayed for a time. But because the hurt is still there, they are sometimes shocked by their own angry and emotional outbursts.
For others, it is the deep wounds of a past relationship that planted those seeds of anger. They know it’s there, but they can’t help grieving over the pain of the past. And sometimes that grief mingles into bitterness and hatred.
Neil T. Anderson, who has helped countless people deal with deep-seated anger, said, “Whenever we are asked to help someone who has a root of bitterness, the source of the problem has always been unforgiveness.”[7]
It’s no surprise that right after Paul tells the Ephesians, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger,” he says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32, NIV).
The reality is that we all experience anger. I am certainly not exempt from this emotion. We may say, “I’m just strong-willed,” but that might mean we have a fear of being proven wrong. Or we may say, “I just care deeply about the truth,” but oftentimes there’s some insecurity just below the surface.
We are all broken people. But God is in the business of putting broken people back together. By His Spirit and His grace, we can find fresh joy in the Lord. We can experience the peace that He alone gives. But if we don’t deal with the roots of our anger, anger will continue to get the better of us.
Through the Spirit, Paul told the Ephesians, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27, ESV). In other words, anger is not always sinful. However, it does no good to dwell on your anger. Or, better said, to let anger dwell in you.
Surrender Your Anger to God
Once we have admitted we feel angry, the first and most important thing to do is surrender it to God. Put that rage, animosity, and ill-feelings toward someone else in God’s hands. It’s a burden He can handle, and He wants to take it off your shoulders.
Again, we often have good reasons for feeling angry. That’s not what is sinful. But harboring and nursing anger leads to a warfare mindset rather than a peace-making mindset. And what we really want is to see the wrongs made right. So who better to entrust your anger to than the God of righteousness and justice?
Remember, God cares more about the wrongs done against you than you do.
“The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.” (Psalm 145:17, NIV)
The Lord is more passionate about justice than you or me. So let’s put our case in His hands. He will do what is right, but with perfect authority and timing.
That’s what Jesus did. “When He was reviled, He did not revile in return” (1 Peter 2:23, ESV). When He was mocked, beaten, and mistreated in the most appalling and shameful ways imaginable, Jesus “continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23, ESV).
Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, but Jesus called him His “friend.”[8] His own disciples scattered when Jesus was arrested and killed. But after His resurrection, the Lord graciously approached those same guys who had abandoned Him. He even embraced the one who had previously denied ever knowing Him.
Jesus had every right to be furious for the way He, the spotless Lamb, was being treated, but He surrendered all His righteous anger to His Father in Heaven. And ultimately that’s what you and I are called to do in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!
[1] “Boiling Point” presented at the Mental Health Action Week, 2008, Mental Health Organization.
If someone was to ask you what the main theme of Jesus Christ’s teaching was during His earthly ministry, how would you respond? Would you talk about His call to love our neighbors – even our enemies (Matthew 5:44)? Would you share His repeated message about His sacrificial death as a substitute for us (Mark 10:45)? No doubt these two themes are primary in Jesus’s teaching, not secondary. But the most prominent theme that Jesus spoke on was the kingdom of God.
This surprises many who grew up hearing about Jesus dying on the cross for their sin and rising again but don’t recall learning much about the kingdom of God. But it is pretty hard to dispute such a claim when you consider what Jesus actually said in the Gospels.
In the Gospel of Mark, the message Jesus first preached was:
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:15, ESV)
Likewise, in Matthew and Luke, we see Jesus constantly talking about the kingdom of God. He shares parables about the kingdom (Matthew 13). He tells His followers to pray “Your kingdom come” (6:10). He alluded to Himself in kingly terms, saying things like “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.” (Luke 19:12). He often prompted His listeners to consider, “What is the kingdom of God like?” (13:18-21). He said things like, “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (11:20).
His famous Sermon on the Mount was all about what life in the kingdom of God looks like (Matthew 5-7). Jesus said, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (5:20).[1] Rather than being anxious about their daily needs, Jesus taught His followers to orient their lives around the coming kingdom: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (6:33). Matthew summed up Jesus’s earthly ministry like this: “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction” (9:35).
As you read through the Gospels, you can’t help noticing that Jesus loved to talk about the kingdom of God. The arrival of the kingdom was at the core of everything He did. It is no exaggeration to say that Jesus was either talking about the kingdom or showing the power of the kingdom.[2]
So what exactly is the kingdom of God? And why couldn’t Jesus quit talking about it?
God the King
In America, we often struggle with the concepts of king and kingdom. After all, we are a nation birthed through rejection of a king’s authority. The idea of a king reigning over us often sounds either quaint or tyrannical. We might resonate more with the peasant in the Monty Python film Holy Grail. When King Arthur tells him he should show deference to his king, the peasant responds, “Well, I didn’t vote for you.” To which the frustrated Arthur replies, “You don’t vote for kings!”
And yet, there’s just no getting around the fact that the kingdom theme is prominent in Scripture. I think Graeme Goldsworthy summed it up well when he said the kingdom is God’s people, in God’s place, under God’s rule.[3] When we talk about the kingdom of God, we are talking about God’s right and power to reign over His world.
The faithful Jew of the first century would recognize immediately what Jesus meant by “the kingdom of God is at hand.” The Hebrew Scriptures frequently refer to God as the King reigning over the earth (Exodus 15:18; Psalm 93:1; 103:19).
“Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory!” (Psalm 24:10)
As Creator, God is the rightful King over His creation. He alone is perfectly righteous and capable of executing justice on the earth.
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness.” (Psalm 45:6)
Despite the privilege of having God as their just and loving monarch, the people of Israel continually pursued false gods and failed to submit to the Lord. When the people demanded a human king like the surrounding nations, God tells the prophet Samuel, “They have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Samuel 8:7). While there are flickers of hope throughout, the Old Testament can be summarized as the story of Israel rejecting God as her true king. At its core, sin is rebellion against the kingly reign of God (Romans 1:18-21).
In the words of R. C. Sproul, “Every sin is an act of cosmic treason, a futile attempt to dethrone God in His sovereign authority.”[4]
Israel’s greatest human king, David, is said to be “a man after God’s own heart” who reigned in the power of the Lord (1 Samuel 13:14; 2 Samuel 5:10). God even promises David that one of his offspring shall build a temple and sit on the throne forever, saying, “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16).
David was understandably overwhelmed by this promise, often called “the Davidic Covenant.” While David’s son, Solomon does build the temple, he eventually dies. So the promise is not fully realized. From this point forward, the Jewish people look forward to the arrival of this messianic figure in the line of David. Through the prophets, God reassures the people that this son of David will come: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land” (Jeremiah 23:5). For justice to be executed and righteousness to fill the land, God would somehow have to deal with sin, putting down the rebellion that naturally springs from the human heart (17:9).
Over the centuries, we see a long line of kings descending from David who fail to be this “righteous Branch.” In fact, most of these men do not walk with the Lord. Eventually, God judges Judah (David’s tribe) by allowing the people to be conquered by Babylon and taken as subjects to live under the pagan king, Nebuchadnezzar. Things look pretty bleak now. Whereas before they were in the right land but didn’t have the right man, now they weren’t even in the right land!
And yet, God’s promise stood firm. The prophet Jeremiah assured them that his fellow Jews would only be in exile in Babylon for 70 years, at which point a godly remnant would return to land of Israel (Jeremiah 29:10). Hope remained!
A Kingdom that Fills the Earth
Not only that, but in Babylon, God showed His power to fulfill promises through Daniel, a young man who found himself standing before the mighty Nebuchadnezzar. The pagan king had threatened to kill all the “wise men” of Babylon unless someone could interpret a dream that deeply troubled him. So God used Daniel to deliver a prophetic message through the dream’s interpretation.
Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that in his dream he saw a terrifyingly massive statue. He then interprets the dream, explaining that the various portions of the statute (head, chest, middle and thighs, and legs and feet) symbolized Babylon and the three successive kingdoms (or empires) that will dominate the world scene in the future. These kingdom predictions align with what we know of the Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman Empires.
In the dream, however, Nebuchadnezzar saw
“…a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Daniel 2:34-35)
Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that during the fourth kingdom “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44).
In the following centuries, the Jews remembered this prophetic dream and eagerly anticipated the kingdom of God that would be established during that fourth kingdom (Roman Empire). They also anticipated the arrival of a “son of David” who would bring in this kingdom as the Messiah, who will deal justly with the poor, destroy the wicked, and bring in an era of righteousness and peace (Isaiah 11:1-5).
The Now and Not Yet of the Kingdom
The kingdom of God, then, is about God coming to reign as King over His people in His world. We cannot abstract the kingdom of God from the person of Jesus. To be in the kingdom and seek first the kingdom is to live for King Jesus. When Jesus announced that the kingdom was at hand, He was saying that the kingdom of God was arriving in and through Him. More specifically, it was in Jesus’s death and resurrection from the dead that the kingdom of God was inaugurated on earth, because in these events Jesus defeated sin (rebellion against the reign of God) and broke the power of death (the result of rebellion). The kingdom would not yet arrive in full until the end of the age when He returns, but His resurrection was the first installment of the powers of the age to come breaking into this age.
It is important for us to understand both the present and future reality of the kingdom of God – what theologians have termed the “already” and the “not yet” of the kingdom. In one sense, the kingdom is already present because all who repent of their sin and trust in Christ are born again and enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 18:4; 19:14).
Paul can say that already Christ has “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14, NASB). Because of Christ’s resurrection, the kingdom truly is present on earth today as men and women surrender to the reign of Jesus and experience new spiritual life and forgiveness of sins. Like the nation of Israel, believers are called a “kingdom of priests” (cf. Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9).
On the other hand, Jesus also spoke of the kingdom’s future arrival as something we should pray for (Matthew 6:10). The fullness of the kingdom has “not yet” arrived in its final form. He also used parables that express both the growth of the kingdom from small beginnings and its future consummation on earth at “the close of this age” when evildoers will be cast into the fiery furnace while the righteous “will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:24-43).
The Apostle Paul explains it this way:
“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-26)
On Earth as It Is in Heaven
The kingdom of God is an essential theme of the story of Scripture. You could even say that the story of the Bible is the story of God’s kingdom coming in and through the redemptive reign of Jesus Christ. From all we’ve seen, one thing should be made clear in our minds. Jesus spoke of the kingdom’s arrival – here on earth. He said it is close “at hand.” Daniel said the stone that shattered the great image “became a great mountain and filled the earth” (Daniel 2:35). In describing the Messiah’s kingdom, Isaiah spoke of creation being restored to its original design, with animals living in perfect harmony under the kingly reign of the Messiah.
“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)
It will be Eden restored: “for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (v. 9).
When Jesus said “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God,” Peter asked about the disciples’ payoff for leaving all for the sake of Jesus (Matthew 19:24-27). Jesus responded that “in the renewal of all things” (v. 28), they would be more than rewarded for their sacrifices. This same Peter would later write that “we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).
It is no wonder that, in the Beatitudes, Jesus spoke of His people inheriting both “the kingdom of heaven” and “the earth” (Matthew 5:3, 5). In God’s great plan of redemption, His kingdom will be on earth, when all of creation is restored and rightly ordered under the reign of our Lord.
In that day, God’s people will be comforted because God Himself will be with them and wipe every tear from their eye. And death will be no more. “For… the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21). Christ the King will reclaim His entire creation. As Abraham Kuyper put it, there is not one square inch of the universe, over which Christ does not exclaim, “Mine!”
Therefore, we shouldn’t think of God’s future kingdom as an otherworldly existence in a realm of pure spirit. Rather, followers of the risen King are now called to pray for the kingdom’s full arrival “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
“Joy to the world! The Lord is come. No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found.” – Charles Wesley
Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!
[1] Many scholars have noted that since “kingdom of heaven” is synonymous with “kingdom of God.” Matthew wrote his Gospel primarily to a Jewish audience, so his tendency to use “the kingdom of heaven” is explained by the reticence of Jews to use God’s name for fear of committing blasphemy.
[2][2] While John’s Gospel favors the phrase “eternal life,” he nevertheless includes Jesus saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
Lamp and Light 