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Secret Wisdom

December 15, 2016 / Allan Babcock

So, are we fools? Is the cross-message nonsense? Are its preachers idiots? No. No. And no. We who believe in Jesus Christ have received God’s wisdom.

Of course, our popular culture doesn’t prize wisdom. That’s obvious from bestseller lists, college classroom lectures, and the following from “Psychology Today” magazine . . .

“ Psychologists tend to agree that [wisdom] involves an integration of knowledge, experience, and deep understanding that incorporates tolerance for the uncertainties of life as well as its ups and downs . . .Today, we turn to the internet for everything, with Wikipedia being our web-based wisdom, and Google providing the search capabilities that often surpass our failing memories . . . This raises many important questions, one of which is to what degree can we rely on web-based wisdom, perhaps at the expense of our own ‘human’ knowledge and memory?” (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/metacognition-and-the-mind/201404/wisdom-ask-siri-or-ask-grandma).

Psychologists’ wisdom-definition is, well, foolish. As is the notion of seeking wisdom on the web. And the above-paragraph implies our only alternative to the web is wisdom found in “our own human knowledge and memory”.

Anyway, what’s the big deal? The name of the game now is information. That’s power. That’s success. Guess it depends on how you spell “success”. The world through its wisdom does not know God (1 Corinthians 1:21). Doesn’t sound like success to me.

Having rightly bashed human wisdom in 1:18-2:5, Paul now turns to commend God’s wisdom.

THE NATURE OF GOD’S WISDOM

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”– but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:6-10a).

Most will admit God is wise. He must be—he’s God! But most will understand God’s wisdom to be just superior human wisdom available to whomever searches for it.

Paul points out that God’s wisdom lies in a whole other category from “the wisdom of this age” or those whose influence shapes this age. Want proof? The “wise” movers and shakers of this age “crucified the Lord of glory”. Christ, who is wisdom incarnate, they executed like a common criminal—and would do the same today.

Furthermore, God’s wisdom leads to glory to which the human eye is blind, the human ear deaf, and to which the human mind cannot conceive. Enroll at Harvard, climb the highest mountain to the wisest sage, gather as much information as technologically possible and you’ll not discover God’s wisdom.

God’s wisdom is secret, hidden. And God reveals it only to those he gives the Spirit. You might disagree. Want God’s wisdom? Just read the Bible. It’s all there. True. But the human eye sees it there, hears it there and conceives it there only when the Spirit reveals it there. This is why some of our greatest intellectuals trash the Bible as foolishness.

KNOWING GOD’S SECRET WISDOM

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words (1 Corinthians 2:10b-13).

Unless I tell you, you don’t know what I’m thinking. In the same way, only God knows God’s thoughts. In fact, we don’t even understand what God has freely given us. Oh, we can read about the gift of his Son and hear it heralded again this Christmas. But Jesus’ birth is just a sweet, sentimental story and his crucifixion a political miscalculation on his part (or some vague means for our forgiveness, whatever that means) unless we receive “the Spirit who is from God.” Only he reveals to our sin-darkened mind the significance of Jesus’ birth and death. Only he enables us to appreciate the value of “what God has freely given us.”

Even “charismatic” orators can’t break through our mental sin-haze. Only words “taught by the Spirit” (the Scriptures themselves and the words of an ordinary preacher deliberately dependent on the Spirit) can “express (God’s) spiritual truths”.

And we receive the Spirit when we trust our lives to the crucified Christ and depend on the Spirit to transform us.

PEOPLE OF THE SPIRIT

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:14-16).

In some Christian circles, the Spirit is the forgotten member of the Trinity. But not to Paul. Elaborating on the contrast between the apostle’s message of wisdom and the wisdom of the age (1:6), Paul argues that the absence of the Spirit (“the man without the Spirit”) prohibits a person from accepting and understanding the things that come from the Spirit. Such a person cannot discern what God is doing in the world. Not because his IQ is embarrassingly low. Nor because he’s half-hearted about God. Because he is “without the Spirit.”

“The spiritual man” isn’t a superior category of Christian. “The spiritual man” is simply a Christian, a believer in the crucified Christ, a man with the Spirit, a sinner empowered by the Spirit to accept and understand what God is doing in the world.

To say it as Paul does, “the spiritual man” is enabled to “make judgments” about (ascertain) what God is doing to save his people. At the same time, he’s not subject to the judgments of persons without the Spirit (“the message of the cross is foolishness”) because those persons are “without the Spirit”.

Or as Paul asks rhetorically, “ . . . who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” The un-Spirit man cannot know the mind of the Lord. “But we have the mind of Christ”. In other words, we who have the Spirit can know the mind of the Lord (the mind of the crucified Christ).

Why, we might ask, does Paul emphasize the Spirit when it comes to the message of the crucified Christ? Because for him, salvation is not only (or even primarily) “legal.” In Romans 3:through 5 he declares that sinners are “justified by faith” (declared right with God). That’s “legal” standing before God and his Law. But for Paul, salvation is experiential as well. And this transformation is affected by the Spirit.

THE CROSS AND THE SPIRIT

No, we’re not fools. We have God’s wisdom because we have God’s Spirit. And we have God’s Spirit because he has been freely given us by grace through faith in Christ. That calls us to live cross-centered. Which is to say, humbly. Willing to sacrifice. Embracing suffering remembering Christ suffered for us. And boasting only in Christ.

Does that mean we go around bragging that Christ is our Savior and Lord? No, I think it means we praise and worship him. Remembering we’re wise with Another’s wisdom. Remembering we’re being transformed by the Spirit. Remembering on that Day we won’t pride ourselves on how smart we were to get there. But worship him who graciously saved us by the Spirit.

Feeling Forsaken

December 11, 2016 / Allan Babcock

I admit it. Not infrequently these days I feel as if our Father has forsaken me. I believe in my head, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). But that’s not what I feel.

No need to detail the symptoms of my Primary Lateral Sclerosis. Suffice to say it’s a progressive, incurable neurological disease. Symptoms are inability to walk, swollen and aching feet, terrible body weakness, and a foggy headache that makes clear thinking nearly impossible. There are more, but that’s enough. I’m mostly confined to a wheelchair and can’t do virtually anything physical. Prayers have been answered, “No” or, at least, “Not yet until the resurrection.”

Writing my blog has become a battle, every sentence, it seems, squeezed out of a groggy, hurting head. And this my only ministry since PLS forced me to retire from pastoring after 44 years.

I’m dragging my way through Timothy Keller’s excellent book, Walking with God through Pain and Suffering. I hope to eventually write a blog series about it. But I came upon a valuable insight he noted as I thought about the now-limited effect of my life for the Lord.

Keller refers to Joni Ereckson Tada, who became a quadriplegic as a result of a diving accident at 17 years of age. She was later devastated when a friend died after a bout with multiple sclerosis which had left her paralyzed from the neck down. How, Joni, wondered, could such a life meaningfully glorify God?

Another friend pointed her to Luke 15:10 where Jesus tells of angels in heaven rejoicing over a repentant sinner. Then to Ephesians 3:10—“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.”

Joni realized her friend’s life wasn’t a waste: someone—a great many someones—was watching. Keller concludes: “There is an unimaginable but real spiritual world out there. Everything you do is done in front of billions of beings.”

I can’t pastor any longer. Some days I can’t write my blog. But what I do and what I say is being seen and heard. Within my limitations, I can bring glory to God in the heavenly realms.

Still there are people who see and hear me: my wife, my children and my grandchildren. Do I glorify God in my suffering before them? To be honest, I’m aware of what I do and say before my children and grandchildren. I don’t want to wound their faith by my unfaithfulness. So I’m “up” for them. It’s not hypocrisy; it’s a genuine attempt to glorify God before them. I want to fortify their faith for their suffering. I want to be an example the Holy Spirit can use and they can emulate. For good or ill, my life still influences my most-loved family.

I must remember that when it comes to Lois. She gets me unvarnished. Have I wounded her faith with my complaints? I pray not. She encourages me, prays for me, waits on me, loves me unconditionally. But I want to glorify God before her. I pray he will strengthen me to strengthen her.

I don’t want to end this implying I’m doing fine. Often I’m not. Often I’m feeling forsaken. I ask “why, God?” knowing he’s already answered in Scripture. I just don’t like his chosen path for me. And some days I do feel forgotten by him (though I know that’s not true).

So my “revelations” written here (that I can glorify God before billions of beings in the heavenly realms and I can glorify God before my family and for their highest good) are weapons for my fight of faith. Not two pills that relieve my emotional pain. Weapons to fight against the lies of the evil one and of my sinful nature and its corrupted feelings.

I share this with you because you suffer too, or will. Maybe you’ve already learned what I’ve written here. But if not, I want to be honest about my struggles, so that you know Christians have them too. (No “triumphalism” here!) But also that you might learn from them and be equipped to fight the fight of faith when you feel forsaken, when you feel that your life has little significance for God’s glory. So, there’s my heart.

I finish with a promise to which my sometimes-feeling-forsaken soul clings . . .

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
(Isaiah 41:10).

Christmas: Let It Happen

December 10, 2016 / Allan Babcock

During World War 2, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are sent from London to an old professor’s large country house. A rainy day leads to an inside game of hide-and-seek. Lucy hides in a large wardrobe. Pushing through winter coats, she finds herself in winter outside the wardrobes’ missing back wall. A talking faun tells her wonderful tales about this strange land of Narnia. Finally, realizing she’s been gone a long while, she retraces her steps to the wardrobe and tells her older brothers and sister about her adventure. They don’t believe her (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis).

Luke’s Christmas Story reminds me of Lewis’ Narnia. Both open to me a world of wonder and call me to be a trusting child again (quite desirable for a disabled 73-year-old!). Here’s part two of Luke’s story. (You can find the first at https://theoldpreacher.com/christmas-old-empty/.)

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth. He had a message for a young woman promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. Her name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, “Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!” Mary was deeply troubled by the angel’s message, and she wondered what his words meant. The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!” Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God’s power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God. Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant, even though she is very old. For there is nothing that God cannot do.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary; “may it happen to me as you have said.” And the angel left her (Luke 1:26-38, GNT).

“God sent the angel . . . to a town in Galilee named Nazareth” should spike our curiosity. Galilee in Nazareth are real places. This isn’t a “once upon a time in a land far away” story. But “God sent the angel”—that’s, well, fairy-tale-like. Don’t doze because God sending angels happens in the Bible. Luke is telling us God sent an angel to a real town and at a particular time (“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy . . . “). A strange mix of the historical (see Luke 1:1-4) and the wonder-ful!

The angel had a message for a young woman named Mary. What surprises me is how she responds to the angel’s greeting. I think angels appeared as men, unless Scripture describes them otherwise. No wings. No holy glow. Maybe that led to Mary’s response. She’s not afraid of the angel, just “deeply troubled by the angel’s message”— “The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you.”

The angel tells her (a talking angel, like the talking faun) she’ll become pregnant and birth a son whom she’ll name “Jesus”. A common name. But his next words must get Mary tingling. Her son will be great, will be called “the Son of the Most High God” and God will make him king of Jacob’s descendants like his ancestor David and his kingdom will last forever.

It’s been said that every pregnant Jewish woman wondered if the child in her womb was a son, and if he might be the Messiah. Mary must have thought the same at the angel’s words. She must have known prophecies like these . . .

At the time of those rulers the God of heaven will establish a kingdom that will never end. It will never be conquered, but will completely destroy all those empires and then last forever. (Daniel 2:44)

During this vision in the night, I saw what looked like a human being. He was approaching me, surrounded by clouds, and he went to the one who had been living forever and was presented to him. He was given authority, honor, and royal power, so that the people of all nations, races, and languages would serve him. His authority would last forever, and his kingdom would never end (Daniel 7:13,14).

The angel practically quoted them of her son! So it’s understandable that she didn’t ask the angel for some identification. This was every Israelite woman’s dream! Ah, but, she’s got a problem. She’s a virgin!

Turns out the angel’s ready with the solution: The Holy Spirit will come upon her and conceive the holy child in her. Did Mary’s face show a twinge of doubt? In any case, the angel told her that her barren relative Elizabeth is now six month’s pregnant. See: God can do anything!

Mary’s final response stuns me still. “I am the Lord’s servant; may it happen to me as you have said.” She just accepts it. She submits to it. No more questions. No arguments. No thought of personal cost. (A promised-to-be-married pregnant woman!) Just, “I serve the Lord. Let’s go for it.”

Mary is one special young lady because the Lord has specially favored her. The Greek word, charioto–o, means “kindness with the implication of grace on the part of the one showing kindness.” That grace, I think, was not merely in the Lord’s choosing her, but in enabling her trusting response.

So the scene ends. If we’re child-like enough to believe it really happened, we might ask, “So what? So 2000 years ago in northern Israel an angel appeared and told a virgin she’ll give birth to Israel’s long-awaited Messiah. What’s that to me? Mary’s son, according to the angel, will be king of Jacob’s descendants. Far as I know, I’m not on Jacob’s family tree. And that he’ll be king forever, well, there’s a lot of such talk in the Old Testament and it could be a metaphor for a long time, or it could mean he’ll reign “forever” in his descendants; you know, a Jesus-dynasty.”

We could explore the rest of the New Testament to learn what this wonder-ful message from angel to young woman means to us. But let’s check out just one place. The angel said Mary’s Son would be king of Jacob’s descendants forever, right? Well, here’s what the apostle Paul wrote of him later . . .

“[Christ Jesus] being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:6-11, NIV).

There it is: “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord . . . “ Turns out he’s not just Israel’s Messiah; he’s the world’s Lord. Every knee will bow. Every tongue will acknowledge him as King.

See Mary bowing before the angel? Every one will take Mary’s place. Either compelled on Judgment Day. Or willingly now. How much better to become like a child today and step into the wonder-ful Christmas Story forever!

Preaching Fools

December 8, 2016 / Allan Babcock

The ancient Greeks spread their philosophies (“wisdom”) through itinerant orators. We do it through the media.

“Collateral Beauty” is a soon-to-be-released movie about a man (Will Smith), “retreating from life after a tragedy, [who] questions the universe by writing to Love, Time and Death. Receiving unexpected answers, he begins to see how these things interlock and how even loss can reveal moments of meaning and beauty.” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4682786/).

A philosophy of life. That’s what this movie offers. We might mindlessly absorb it (hopefully not!). Or we might, as the Corinthian Christians did, boast that Christianity is the superior philosophy. Paul argues that Christianity isn’t a superior philosophy. Rather Christianity stands in a wholly other category than human wisdom.

In 1:18-31 Paul explains that “the message of the cross” isn’t superior human wisdom; it’s foolishness to those who are perishing”. Further, those who believe that message aren’t “wise” but, according to human standards, fools.

In 2:1-5 Paul continues. Gospel preachers aren’t the wisest orators; measured by human standards, they’re “fools”. As an example, Paul points to himself.

And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God (1 Corinthians 2:1,2, NIV).

By “eloquence or human wisdom” Paul means he didn’t come to Corinth to distinguish himself. Eloquence (Greek huperoxay) refers to “excellent” or “superior” words. In this context, it implies superior words intended to impress. Paul, on the other hand, simply “proclaimed . . . the testimony about God.”

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling (1 Corinthians 2:2,3, NIV).

“For” introduces Paul’s reason for not coming “with eloquence or human wisdom”: he had determined to know only Jesus Christ and him crucified. As this letter will show, he did preach other truths about Christ. But Christ-crucified was his focus and his passion.

“I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.” While asthenia is often used of physical illness, it seems best to connect “weakness” to “great fear and trembling.” What could have so shaken Paul? He doesn’t explain. Perhaps the challenge of evangelizing such a big city corrupted by such dark immorality and idolatry. Whatever the cause, Paul knew the Corinthians (who were boasting about their “great preachers”) needed to hear this. His success in Corinth didn’t stem from his powerful oratory skills.

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power (1 Corinthians 2:4,5, NIV).

Paul reminds the Corinthians he didn’t preach his message with persuasive words of wisdom. What marked his preaching “was a demonstration of the Spirit’s power”. The Corinthians were converted. They experienced the Spirit, evidenced by spiritual gifts. That was “a demonstration of the Spirit’s power”.

Why did God choose to work through a weak and fearfully trembling preacher whose oratory lacked the wisdom and persuasion of “wise philosophers”? “ . . . so that you might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”

I’m reminded of Tim Keller. In 1989 Keller started Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. Today, Redeemer has more than five thousand regular attendees and has helped start almost two hundred churches around the world. Some time ago I watched one of their worship services online, expecting “something special”. Instead, I heard them sing hymns. I watched Keller preach conversationally. The service order was ordinary. And I realized what God was doing: “ . . . so that [the people’s] faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power”.

Dr. Gordon Fee comments on 1 Corinthians 2:4,5 . . .

“The message of the cross, which is folly to the ‘wise’, is the saving power of God to those who believe. The goal of all the divine activity, both in the cross and in choosing them, and now in Paul’s preaching that brought the cross and them together, has been to disarm the wise and powerful so that those who believe must trust God alone and completely” (The First Epistle to the Corinthians, p. 96).

“Collateral Beauty”. The movie, if the trailer is any indication, packs a punch. It draws us in. As crazy as Life, Time and Death personified may be, we identify with Smith as he searches for beauty and meaning, even in life’s tragedies. Subtly, a philosophy of life unfolds. It’s deceitful, however; because it argues that a tragedy-weakened man can fight back, can rise above his defeat, and can find meaning in life.

Christianity, on the other hand, declares humans weak. Meaning is found only in the message of Christ crucified. Believers in that message don’t become movie stars; they’re fools in the world’s eyes. Even their preachers are inferior without bragging rights.

But into the weakness of that message, faith comes. That faith is a demonstration, not of their power, but the Spirit’s. And with the Spirit comes conversion and the presence of the Spirit in the converted evidenced by gifts. And so they sing . . .

“’Tis mercy all, immense and free;
And, O my God, it found out me.”

And so they humbly confess . . .

“It is because of him that [we] are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God– that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:30,31).

We’re one of those “fools”, right?

Weapon-Words

December 5, 2016 / Allan Babcock

Someone, undergoing tests for possible cancer, recently asked me for Bible verses. I hunted up the ones through which the Lord spoke to me when I was facing anxiety-producing surgery. Here they are in the “no-particular-order” I first wrote them . . .

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7).

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you (Isaiah 26:3).

“Peace I [Jesus] leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

” . . . God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Hebrews13:5b,6).

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9,10).

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:11b-13).

Now, what to do with them? I found memorizing best. Memorizing helped me think deeply about the words, not simply skim them. (A special problem with familiar verses.) Memorizing forced me to think word-for-word. Work? Yes. But worth it!

Memorizing also let me take God’s words with me wherever they took me for surgery-prep (and where a Bible or even piece of paper was verboten). Mostly, they were waiting-for-the-next-step times. Especially before my first surgery. In “the holding area.” A dozen of us lay there. Strangers. Waiting to be knocked out and cut up. A great time for anxious thoughts. But with words like these–the very words of God–in my head, I could fight the good fight of the faith.

Lois and I have a niece who’s suffered through literally dozens of surgeries, all major. I remember assuring her once, “The Lord will be with you. Not only that, he’ll be waiting for you in the operating room.” She told me later how much peace it gave her knowing Jesus was waiting for her there.

That’s true for all of us who are his, whether it’s an operating room or whatever suffering we face next. The Lord is not only with us, but waiting for us as we step into the next “whatever”. With Scriptures like these we can add one more promise of the Lord-with-us: with his specific words in our minds and the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we bring him with us.

“God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you'” (Hebrews 13:5b).

Christmas: Old and Empty

December 4, 2016 / Allan Babcock

Today we celebrate the second Sunday in Advent. I missed the first. Maybe because we never put it on our church calendar when I was growing up. (Too Roman Catholic-like for the Assemblies of God.) Or maybe I missed the first Advent Sunday just because Christmas snuck up on this old guy without breaking a sweat!

All that to say, I’ve got some Christmas posts to write along with a lot else during December. Luke 1 and 2 fascinate me. They’re so “Narnia-like.” You know, C. S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia”. London children get magically transported to the land of Narnia where animals talk and “the deep magic” overcomes dark evil and Aslan the Lion appears just in time to rescue his people. It calls me to be a child again. Luke’s Christmas Story is like that.

Luke, however, wrote like a historian, not a fairy-tale-teller. His Christmas Story happened . . .

Dear Theophilus: Many people have done their best to write a report of the things that have taken place among us. They wrote what we have been told by those who saw these things from the beginning and who proclaimed the message. And so, Your Excellency, because I have carefully studied all these matters from their beginning, I thought it would be good to write an orderly account for you. I do this so that you will know the full truth about everything which you have been taught (Luke 1:1-4, GNT).

Underline these words: “the things that have taken place among us” . . . “what we have been told by those who saw these things” . . . “I have carefully studied all these matters from their beginning” . . . “I . . . write an orderly account . . . so that you will know the full truth . . . “ Brush this story off as childhood fantasy if you will, but you’ve got to admit Luke wrote it as reality.

So there was this Jewish priest . . .

During the time when Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife’s name was Elizabeth; she also belonged to a priestly family. They both lived good lives in God’s sight and obeyed fully all the Lord’s laws and commands. They had no children because Elizabeth could not have any, and she and Zechariah were both very old (Luke 1:5-7, GNT).

Zechariah, as far as we know, though he and his wife “lived good lives in God’s sight and obeyed fully all the Lord’s laws and commands”, was just another priest. Ordinary. Stand him with all other Jewish priests, and he’d be lost in the crowd.

Childlessness humiliated his wife, Elizabeth. (Children being a sign of the Lord’s approval.) Plus “both were very old.” No chance now of having a child. No chance of achieving importance. Just an ordinary old couple.

One day Zechariah was doing his work as a priest in the Temple, taking his turn in the daily service. According to the custom followed by the priests, he was chosen by lot to burn incense on the altar. So he went into the Temple of the Lord, while the crowd of people outside prayed during the hour when the incense was burned (Luke 1:8-10, GNT).

It was an honor to burn incense on the Temple altar. Also a stroke of God’s blessing, because there were more priests than opportunity. The priests were chosen by lot. Zechariah must have thanked God when the lot fell to him. But he also must have feared. To enter the Lord’s Temple was risky. To misstep could mean death in the Lord’s holy presence. So, probably with mixed emotions, when the day came he entered the Temple while a crowd gathered outside to pray for God to fulfill his messianic promises to Israel (and perhaps for Zechariah’s service to be acceptable).

An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar where the incense was burned. When Zechariah saw him, he was alarmed and felt afraid. But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son. You are to name him John. How glad and happy you will be, and how happy many others will be when he is born! John will be great in the Lord’s sight. He must not drink any wine or strong drink. From his very birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, and he will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go ahead of the Lord, strong and mighty like the prophet Elijah. He will bring fathers and children together again; he will turn disobedient people back to the way of thinking of the righteous; he will get the Lord’s people ready for him” (Luke 1:11-17, GNT).

Well, of course the old priest was “alarmed and felt afraid”. The Holy Place was semi-dark. Zechariah’s carefully following the ritual. And suddenly “an angel of the Lord” appears! He tries to calm the priest. Then, of all things, tells him “God has heard your prayer.” His wife will bear a son! And not just any boy. One who will be great in the Lord’s sight. One from birth filled with the Holy Spirit. One to return many Israelites to the Lord. One “strong and mighty like the prophet Elijah” who will go ahead of the Lord to “get the Lord’s people ready for him.”

Did you hear? It was almost laughable. (Remember how old Sarah had laughed when the Lord told her she’d bear old Abraham a son?) But Zechariahs’ and Elizabeth’s son would be more than a child of their old age. He would get the people ready to receive Messiah! “Messiah’s about to come, old priest! And your son will be his prophet!”

Now it’s one thing to read about Abraham and Sarah. Quite another when an angel comes to you.

Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know if this is so? I am an old man, and my wife is old also.” “I am Gabriel,” the angel answered. “I stand in the presence of God, who sent me to speak to you and tell you this good news. But you have not believed my message, which will come true at the right time. Because you have not believed, you will be unable to speak; you will remain silent until the day my promise to you comes true.” In the meantime the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he was spending such a long time in the Temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them, and so they knew that he had seen a vision in the Temple. Unable to say a word, he made signs to them with his hands. When his period of service in the Temple was over, Zechariah went back home (Luke 1:18-23, GNT).

Gabriel expected Zechariah to believe. When the priest asked for evidence, he got instead a broken tongue—silence until the boy’s birth. Why not blind his eyes or cripple his legs? Perhaps so unbelieving Zechariah wouldn’t convey unbelief when he blessed the crowd once he finished in the Temple. Or perhaps the Lord was making for a greater miracle when he freed the priest’s tongue. In the end, we don’t know. But that’s how it is with the wonder of God’s ways: sometimes we just don’t understand. And that’s part of the fear of being caught up in his wonders.

Some time later his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and did not leave the house for five months. “Now at last the Lord has helped me,” she said. “He has taken away my public disgrace!” (Luke 1:24,25, GNT).

Messiah stands on the threshold. But Luke tells us the story of Elizabeth’s joy. For a moment, his story is all about a priest’s old barren wife’s fat tummy. She knows it’s the Lord’s help (at last). She rejoices that her public disgrace is removed.

But, you see, this is how the Christmas Story works. It’s all about Messiah. But little ordinary people aren’t overlooked. In fact, for no reason other than mercy (God could have had John born ordinarily to young parents) the Lord catches up little ordinary people (like you and me) in Messiah’s story. And he blesses us. He gives us joy. Out of hopelessness, he brings brighter light than we can imagine.

Even if, at times, our faith needs a sign.

Foolish Wisdom

December 3, 2016 / Allan Babcock

My family lived in a lake community during my high school years. Not an impressive lake, but okay for summer swimming and winter ice skating. Friends and I occasionally played hockey, but first checked the ice for cracks. Cracks could signal thin ice. And we weren’t there to swim.

“Cracks” had appeared in the Corinthian church—“cracks” over which preacher was the “wisest”, “cracks” that ultimately corrupted the gospel. Paul set out to repair them.

APPEAL FOR AGREEMENT

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas ”; still another, “I follow Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:10-12, NIV)

We can’t be sure who Chloe was or how her household informed Paul in Ephesus about what was going on in Corinth. But we can be sure the Corinthians were divided and quarreling over preachers. Some favored Paul, others Apollos, others Cephas (Peter—though we have no record of him being in Corinth). and others Christ (the truly spiritual ones who needed no human preacher!).

Paul urges them to agree “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Not only does this give his appeal authority; it makes his appeal christological. He is “our Lord Jesus Christ.” He must be glorified, not his messengers.

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power (1 Corinthians 1:13-17, NIV).

Paul asks these three rhetorical questions to show the Corinthians the absurdity of their quarreling over preachers. Christ is one. Christ died for them. They were baptized in the name of Christ. And, as for Paul, Christ sent him to preach the gospel of Christ. The gospel is the message of Christ, not of his preachers.

When Paul writes Christ sent him “to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence . . . “ he hints at what lies behind the “preacher-preference” quarrels. “Culture” is “the sum of attitudes, customs, and beliefs that distinguishes one group of people from another.” The culture of Corinth was Greek. And Greeks lauded “wisdom” (sophia), especially on the lips of polished orators. Such men were superstars. Itinerant rhetoricians (traveling wise men?) drew enthusiastic ears. Unfortunately, a speaker’s “charisma” was often more applauded than his substance. This culture seeped into the church and influenced Christians’ view of preachers.

Not only did it divide the church; it corrupted the gospel. Paul warns: I was sent “ . . . to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” The message of Christ-crucified possesses inherent power. But the Corinthians are enamored with the preacher’s “wisdom and eloquence.” Therefore, they’re allowing the substance of the message (Christ crucified) to be overshadowed by the style of the messenger. Fascinated by the preacher’s power, they virtually ignored the power of Christ’s cross.

In the gospel, the Corinthians presumed to have found a new “wisdom”. But the “wisdom” of the Greek orators and that of Christ-crucified lies worlds apart. Paul begins to highlight the differences . . .

THE FOOLISHNESS OF THE CROSS

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength (1 Corinthians 1:18-25,NIV).

The message of the cross is “new wisdom”. To the perishing it’s foolishness. No one who prizes sophia could dream up a crucified Messiah! But to us being saved the message of the cross is God’s power. It’s through believing that message that we experience God’s powerful work saving us from sin and all its consequences including death.

With “it is written”, Paul sees God fulfilling in Christ what he intended all along—namely, to destroy human wisdom. The citation is from Isaiah 29:14—“Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.” It’s a warning to Old Testament Israel not to try to “outthink” God whose wisdom reduces man’s wisdom to foolishness (though apart from God’s grace, man presumes to be wise!).

God, by Christ’s crucifixion, has made the world’s wisdom foolish. For the world’s wisdom cannot save us from sin and its consequences. Humans, with all our “wisdom” cannot accomplish what God has done through the cross. Before God, all the world’s orators will stand speechless. God, through the weakness of Christ crucified, has powerfully saved his chosen.

The “wisdom” of the Greek orators and that of Christ-crucified lies worlds apart. Paul highlights a second difference . . .

THE FOOLISHNESS OF GOD’S CHOSEN

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31, NIV).

Look whom God has chosen to save! The Corinthian Christians are largely “nobodies.” By human standards not wise or influential or of noble birth. Many, as we learned earlier, are freedmen—former slaves but socially almost the same. By the standards of Greek culture they were foolish, far inferior to the “wisdom” of the upper social classes. They were weak (at least in influence), not strong. The “movers and shakers” considered them lowly and despised them. Yet God chose to save them!

Why? Here God’s wisdom shines through the “foolish” message of the cross. “ . . . so that no one may boast before him.” What do believers in the crucified bring to God to merit his approval? Nothing.

Yet ego lurks always. By exalting Paul or Apollos or Cephas as “the wisest” preacher (“O, I just love to hear the way the words flow from his lips!”), they were “boasting” that they “had” the wisest orator. Thus the power of the cross was overlooked. And thus they forgot that “it is because of [God] that [they] are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”

WISDOM, SCHISMS AND US

We don’t usually accord superstar status to preachers. More often to Christian bands or singers. Though rarely do we quarrel over “the best”. Nevertheless, we do love having Christian celebrities. Like the world. And we’ve heard rebukes about the church become more like the world. We have our Christian version of music stars, for example. And that’s okay—unless subtly we’re more into our Christian celebrities than we are into Christ.

I think we become more like the world with our fascination over church buildings. Who can build the biggest, with the flashiest technology and stunning “campus”?

Maybe I sound like an old curmudgeon. I’m not against good, Christ-exalting contemporary music. The folks who meet in a store-front aren’t holier than those who meet in a cathedral. But let’s remember: neither our music nor our buildings save and sanctify us.

And our Savior didn’t wear stylish suits and flashy jewelry. The world didn’t welcome him. It executed him. Our Lord and Savior was judged guilty of treason and died a criminal’s death. If he came today as he did 2000 years ago, we’d do the same.

This is the One we follow. This is how God saves us. Not through what seems intellectually wise, but foolish. And the intellectual “giants” look down on us as stupid for believing such nonsense. We shouldn’t nurse a “persecuted me” mentality. But, we must never forget, the word’s “wisdom” contradicts God’s. And we must never forget, that we are “in Christ Jesus”, not because of our “smarts”, but God’s grace.

Grace-Rich Thanks

November 30, 2016 / Allan Babcock

By its completion in 1980, the Crystal Cathedral cost $18 million. Ten thousand glass panels “opened to the sky and the world” as televangelist Robert Schuller wanted. Opulent Lavish.

Image result for crystal cathedral

The Corinthians couldn’t have imagined such a building, Yet, they “have been enriched in every way” (1 Corinthians 1:5). For this, Paul tells them how he thanks God.

I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:4, NIV).

In this thanksgiving paragraph, Paul accomplishes two goals. One, he tells the church how he gives thanks to God for them. He wants them to know, despite their problems, that he’s genuinely thankful for God’s grace among them. And, two, he redirects the Corinthians’ focus from their giftedness to the Giver, and from the present to the future.

He gives thanks to God, he explains, because God has lavished his grace on them in Christ Jesus. He has acted in great mercy to redeem these undeserving, guilty sinners.

By “grace” (Greek charis) Paul often means God’s free justification through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24)—what we often call “saving grace.” But here he means more–spiritual gifts (charisma) God has given. This is obvious from his following comments: “For in him you have been enriched in every way . . . Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift (charisma) . . . “ (1:5,7). The reason Paul thanks God for them, then, is the charis he has given them in Christ Jesus, specifically in the charisma.

For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge (1:5, NIV).

God’s grace in Christ, says Paul, has made the Corinthians rich “in all your speaking and in all your knowledge.” “Speaking” is the Greek logos ,“knowledge” the Greek gnosis. Why does Paul thank God for these graces in particular? Probably because these “graces” are the most evident among them. (Their abuse of these graces he will later reprove them for.)

What does Paul mean by “speaking and knowledge”? Later, in chapters 12-14 he uses both words of spiritual gifts (charisma). For example, in 12:8 he identifies “the message (logos) of knowledge” (gnosis). Other gifts (such as wisdom, prophecy, the ability to distinguish between spirits, tongues and the interpretation of tongues) also involve speaking knowledge one has been given. Such spiritual gifts are the specific “graces” God has given the Corinthians.

. . . because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you (1 Corinthians 1:6, NIV).

Paul is especially thankful because these charismata are evidence that “our testimony about Christ was confirmed”. They are signs of the Corinthians’ genuine faith in the gospel.

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed (1 Corinthians 1:7, NIV).

With “you do not lack any spiritual gift”, Paul negatively repeats what he affirmed positively in 1:5, “For in him you have been enriched in every way . . . “

Here, though, he adds “as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed”. Why add this? Two reasons. One, for Paul salvation began with Christ’s incarnation and will be consummated at his return. Salvation, then, is eschatological. Two, the Corinthians are behaving as if everything promised in Christ is theirs now. Theologians call that “overrealized eschatology”. This has led to “triumphalism” (the idea that they will be “winners” in every life-situation) and, unsurprisingly, to spiritual pride. So Paul refocuses them on the coming revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ when salvation will be consummated and every promise fulfilled.

He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8, NIV).

To continue refocusing them on the Lord, Paul assures them the Lord, not their “spirituality”, will cause them to be firm in the faith, so that on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ they will not fall under condemnation but be guiltless before God’s Law.

God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9, NIV).

With this statement, Paul summarizes everything expressed in this thanksgiving. The Corinthians will be found blameless on the day of Christ because God is faithful. God is faithful to save them by grace. God is faithful to give them grace-gifts for serving him and each other. God is faithful to keep them blameless in the judgment. For all this grace, God has faithfully put them “in Christ”.

Including into “fellowship with his Son”. They are not only positionally “in Christ”, they are relationally “with” Christ. Old believers spoke of this as “communion”—intimate sharing—with Jesus.

Give Thanks for “Grace-Rich”!

That’s my take-away from Paul’s thanksgiving prayer. His prayer should move me to pray . . .

O God, I thank You because of the grace You’ve given in Christ Jesus to my family, to so many I was privileged to pastor over four decades, and to my blog-readers (over 3,000 subscribers, most of whom I don’t even know!). I include myself with them when I thank You for enriching us in every way, so that we don’t lack any spiritual gift of Your grace as we wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. I also thank You that we have his revelation to look forward to. And I thank You that is not a day to dread—because You will keep us stumbling believers firm to the end, so that we’ll be without blame on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God, I am often ambivalent; but You are always faithful. You must be true to Yourself and Your promises. And I thank You, too, that by Your grace You have not only put us positionally in Christ, but You have called us relationally into fellowship with Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

In His name I pray. And in His name I give You thanks. Amen.

Hidden in the Hello

November 27, 2016 / Allan Babcock

Who writes letters anymore? Now we tweet or text. Paul wrote letters in the old Greco-Roman form: writer’s name, addressee’s identification, greeting. This we typically skim. But there’s a rich message hidden in the hello.

PAUL

“Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes . . . ” (1 Corinthians 1:1)

In two earlier letters to the Thessalonians, Paul identified himself simply by name. Here he identifies himself as Paul “called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus”. Why? Were so many named “Paul” he wanted his readers to know which one? The reason: even though Paul planted that church just a few years earlier, a faction now questioned his apostolic authority.

So he claims to have been “called”. He didn’t choose to switch from Jewish rabbi to itinerant Christian preacher. As Abraham and Moses and David had been called, Paul claims he had been.

“ . . . by the will of God”. The call came in history. In a particular time and place. The origin of the call came from outside history, outside time. From eternity it was God’s sovereign will to call Paul. This is his claim.

“ . . . to be an apostle of Christ Jesus”. “Apostle” has become a vague, almost “technical” title. But its simple meaning packs a wallop. The Greek apostolos refers to one sent on a mission with full authority of the sender. Here Paul claims to have been called by God’s will to be sent on a mission to speak for Messiah Jesus with the full authority of Messiah Jesus. He writes in 1:17, “For Christ did not send (apestellen) me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.”

This leads to the question, “Who has authority to speak to the church?” Others possessed Paul’s authority, men like Apollos and Peter. (Certain factions in the Corinthian church favored them.) But there were also false apostles deceiving the church (2 Corinthians 11:1-15).

The question lingers today. “Who has authority to speak to the church?” Or, to ask it from the other side, “To whose voice should the church listen?” The simple answer is, apostles. Trouble is the original apostles are no longer with us. But God has providentially preserved their words in the Scriptures. So, as Paul will argue in this letter, it’s apostles who have authority to speak to the church. It’s apostles to whom the church should listen. Today, that means men who speak (and properly interpret and apply) the apostles’ words.

Furthermore (as Paul will later imply), authority to speak and attentive listening aren’t determined by the number of followers or the “charisma” or fame of the speaker. It’s whether or not he speaks the apostles’ words. He may have relatively few followers, little “charisma” and no fame. No matter. The question is, Does he speak the apostles’ words? If so, we can be reasonably confident he has been called by the will of God to speak the message of Messiah Jesus.

Who’s “Sosthenes” and why does Paul mention him? He may have been the ruler of Corinth synagogue, beaten by Paul-hating Jews (Acts 18:16). If so, he’s become a believer and Paul’s co-worker. I don’t know why Paul mentioned him, so we’ll move on to . . .

THE CHURCH

“To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours . . . ” (1 Corinthians 1:2).

Many metaphors in Scripture define the church. Here Paul uses several phrases . . .

“ . . . the church of God . . . “ Who owns the church? To whom does the church belong? God. Not Paul, Peter, Apollos, not any faction within the church nor all the members together. The church is God’s.

“ . . . those sanctified in Christ Jesus . . . The Greek word is“hayagiosmenois”—“made holy, consecrated”. Jesus uses it of a gift offered on the temple altar (Matthew 19:23). And Paul uses it to describe the change Christ brought to them: “ . . . 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 in inherit the kingdom of God. 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” (1 Corinthians 6:10,11). In other words, in union with Christ Jesus they were set apart, consecrated to God for his use and his glory. The church, however, is not only “those sanctified in Christ Jesus” but also they are . . .

“ . . . called to be saints . . . “In Christ the church is sanctified; in practice the church is called to be hagiois. Because “saints” contains misleading connotations, “holy” is a clearer translation. God has called us to be and to live as his holy people. Given what these church members had been (see 1 Corinthians 6:10,11 above), this is no small change in identity and no minor adjustment in behavior!

“ . . .. together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours”. Many Corinthians had become overly fascinated with the work of the Holy Spirit, which led them down an independent path. Paul reminds them here that they are part of a larger picture, that specifically they are people of the new eschatological creation God is creating “in every place” who name Messiah Jesus as their Lord.

More than a theology lesson about a first-century church, this description paints our picture. We who are “in Christ Jesus” joined to his church belong to God, are consecrated to God in Christ Jesus, are called to be and live set apart to God, and are part of the eschatological community God is creating throughout the whole earth who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

GREETINGS

In Greco-Roman letters the traditional greeting was “Greetings”, as used by the apostle James: “James, a servant1 of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings” (James 1:1). But Paul Christianizes it with”charis” (grace) and adds the traditional Jewish “shalom” (peace).

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:3).

Instead of simply “Greetings”, the apostle greets the church with “Grace to you.” Here is Paul’s theology in a word. Nothing must be observed. Nothing must be achieved. “ . . . from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ grace to you, church.”

John Wesley wrote of that grace . . .

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me?

He left His Father’s throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace.
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free;
For, O my God, it found out me.

And “peace” sums up the church’s grace-benefits. Greek eiraynay means “well-being, wholeness, welfare.” First, this describes the church’s standing with “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Second, this describes the church’s condition because of grace from “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” And, third, because it’s Paul’s greeting to the church, he gives it as a blessing/promise for continued grace and peace from “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

* * *

A lot hidden in the hello, no? What shall we do with what we’ve found? Read and listen to the apostle’s words as words from God to us. See ourselves for who we are in Christ. Not just ordinary humans struggling to survive life, but God’s consecrated-to-him people called to be and behave holy with all his new, last-days people in Christ. And praise him that today and tomorrow his grace is ours, so we are put at peace.

Thank You, Turkey

November 24, 2016 / Allan Babcock

Once I preached a Thanksgiving sermon entitled, “Thank Who?” I thought it raised a serious question about people who didn’t believe in God.

Turned out I was wrong. Increasingly, atheists, secularists, humanists, agnostics, and other types of “nones” are giving thanks. American Humanist Association executive director Roy Speckhardt explains, “Thanksgiving is a uniquely secular holiday, as gratitude is a universal human emotion. This special day of the year is a chance for humanists and other nontheists to express gratitude . . . ”

Austin Cline, agnosticism and atheism expert (what’s an expert on what isn’t?) argues somewhat cynically . . .

“There’s a popular belief among some American Christians that the American Thanksgiving holiday is necessarily religious. Aside from the apparent desire to turn everything into an expression of their religion, the primary reason behind this seems to be that the whole point must be to give thanks to their god–not other gods, just theirs–thus making it a Christian holiday too. If this is true, then it makes no sense for non-Christians, or at least non-theists, to celebrate Thanksgiving.

“It is undeniable that non-Christians and non-theists all over America participate in Thanksgiving observances. This proves that the insistence on the religious or Christian nature of Thanksgiving is false. It simply can’t be true, but this doesn’t tell us why it isn’t true. For that, it must be shown that giving thanks to God is unnecessary or senseless, or that there are others to whom we can give thanks, or preferably all three.”

Speckhardt is right; gratitude is a universal human emotion. Why? Did we just happen to evolve that way? Or did our Creator use the same mold for us all?

Cline’s argument that non-Christians and non-theists “all over America participate in Thanksgiving observances” proves that “the insistence of the Christian or religious nature of Thanksgiving is false” is nonsense. Does the fact that theists observe Thanksgiving prove it’s a religious holiday?

My biggest disagreement with Cline, though, is his unconcern for truth. It’s the “Christians’ god” and the atheists’ god. Both are “true”. “You create your reality and I’ll create mine.” Bit delusional, no? For the theist, there is a God; for the atheist there isn’t. Alternate realities. Yet even the atheist feels compelled to offer thanks.

But, if not to God, to whom? Here are their suggestions . . .

People who help us live or live better.
Farmers who provide food we eat.
Soldiers and veterans who keep us safe.
Doctors and medicine to fight disease.
Engineers and modern technology that improve how we live.
Friends and family who help support us.
Truck drivers who deliver food.
Turkeys who gave their lives for us to enjoy a feast.

Secularists even have Thanksgiving prayers . . .

For the food . . . for the sun and earth, farmers and cooks . . . We give thanks . . . For family and friends . . . For ____________ (this is the interactive part; the leader of the prayer names person to right, who says, “and for ________ naming person to the right, and so on, till back to leader; or the leader could just name everyone . . . We give thanks . . . For the time to gather and the leisure to sit and the spirit to celebrate . . . We give thanks . . . We pause to remember those who cannot be with us today . . . And those who live more in famine than in feast . . . May our sense of good fortune overshadow our daily troubles . . . And yet cast light on the struggles of our neighbors . . . For life’s great bounty and the will to share it . . . We give thanks . . . And in gratitude we eat . . . Amen.

(Information above from the following web sites . . .

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/11/20/thanksgiving-is-a-uniquely-secular-holiday-atheists-have-a-message-about-how-non-prayers-can-replace-holiday-grace/

http://religionnews.com/2013/11/27/grateful-without-god-secular-thanksgiving/

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/11/26/grace-for-an-atheist-thanksgiving/

http://www.eloquentatheist.com/2007/11/secular-thanksgiving/

Commendable. Gratitude is far better than greed. But, if the Bible is true, the thankful secularist is playing with fire . . .

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things” (Romans 1:18-23, ESV).

Non-theists have no excuse. God says he’s clearly seen “in the things that have been made”. So non-theists “know” God, but “did not honor him as God or give thanks to him.” That refusal leads to mind and heart problems—futile thinking, darkened hearts, ignorance about their foolishness and idolatry. Such is God’s wrath on those who will not acknowledge him.

We may shake our heads in scorn. But we have to admit, “except for the grace of God”, there we go too. So here’s a Thanksgiving prayer in addition to “thank you for the food” . . .

“Father, thank you for calling me to yourself through your Son. I admit I honor you not because I’m wise or good. Apart from your grace my thinking is futile, my heart darkened, my “wisdom” foolishness and my worship idolatry. Only because of you I’m in Christ Jesus. He alone is my wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Thank you for opening my eyes to see you in creation, and to see you in Christ Jesus as my sacrifice on the cross. Thank you that I have far more for which to give you thanks than a turkey” (from 1 Corinthians 1:26-31).