Our Father’s Unconditional Love

Many have a perception of Christianity that the Bible gives us a set of rules that we must follow in order to gain favor with God. If we fail to follow those rules we lose favor with God. Some would have a similar view of Islam, weighing their good deeds against their bad deeds, in order for Allah to allow them into paradise. Christians who fall into this way of thinking about their own salvation are anxious about failing to confess, repent, and receive forgiveness after each sin. If Christ were to return, or they were to die, between their sin and confession, they wonder if they would they go to heaven or not? When I was younger, I thought this way. Today, I’d like to challenge that way of thinking.

Let’s start with a foundation of how the Bible shows how our Christian life is like a family. Ephesians 5:29-32 shows how a husband and wife is an illustration of Christ and the church.

Ephesians 5:29-32, ²⁹After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰for we are members of his body. ³¹"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."^{[c] 32}This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.

Romans 8 also affirms that we are children of God, and brothers in Christ.

Romans 8: 12-17, ¹²Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.¹³For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, ¹⁴because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." ¹⁶The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. ¹⁷Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Ephesians 1 reinforces that we are adopted as children of God.

Ephesians 1:4-6, ⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

This passage also challenges the idea of loosing one’s salvation by sinning. He chose us, it is not us who chose Him. He chose us to be holy and blameless in his sight, for His glory. Not for our glory, or our boasting that we made the choice.

The Lord’s prayer also affirms our family relationship as adopted sons and daughters of God, in Matthew 6:9, it starts, “Our Father in heaven”. Our father-child relationship is an illustration of our heavenly father’s relation to us.

Our Father gives us his unconditional love, he has given us his free gift of eternal life. He will not take it away when we sin, then give it back when we repent. What kind of earthly father would that be? (See Matthew 7:11)

Let us rest assured tonight that the gift that God has given us will not be taken away, no matter what mistake or backsliding we may do. God loves us and will restore us, but he will not take away his gift of eternal life.

Blessed are the meek

I ran into a new perspective that I hadn't heard before about the verse from Matthew 5:5, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." It got me to thinking a bit. Here are a few sentences from Inherit the Earth, by Gary North, it is found on page 27 in the chapter on Dominion by Subordination.

"God is the ruler over His creation. Men must answer to God and be responsible to Him. The basis of any man's rule over the creatures and the resources of the earth is his humility and his willing obedience to a sovereign and all-knowing God. This is what Jesus mean when he announced "Blessed are the meek..." He mean meek before God. He did not mean "wimps before men." He meant just the opposite. We need humility to take authority.

We generally think in terms of the meek being "wimps", or mild-mannered men and women. This idea from Gary North challenges this idea. In some ways this is more consistent with some other passages, for example the instance in Acts 4 where Peter and John had just been released by the Sanhedrin and chastised to not speak in this name again. First, John and Peter's answer did not show meekness before the Sanhedrin, they said in Acts 4:29, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God.". Later they gathered with the believers and prayed for boldness in Acts 4:29, "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness."

Fathers Teach Your Children

One of the themes throughout the Bible is the command to train your children. It is often given as a general command, or one directed at both parents. It is also specifically given to fathers to train their children in the instruction of the Lord (Eph 6:4). It also tells older women to train younger women (Titus 2:3-4).

Deuteronomy 6:1-9, ¹ These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, ² so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. ³ Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you. ⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ⁵ Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6 gives us a foundational command to teach God’s commands to your children. The chapter starts with the context, nearly repeating the 5^th commandment to give the purpose. The purpose is to ensure that your family, across multiple generations may fear the Lord…and that you may enjoy long life. It compels you to impress them on your children and to do it with such intensity that it is built into everything that you do. Proverbs 22:6 sums it up simply, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

Ephesians 6:1-4, “¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ²"Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise— "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." ⁴Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

Ephesians and other New Testament passages repeat this. We see this directly in Ephesians 6. Children honor and obey your father and mother. It goes on to say “Fathers…bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Two verses earlier it makes the distinction between father and mother showing that this verse is specific to fathers.

The responsibility to train children in God’s word belongs primarily to the fathers.

As I shared this with a friend, he commented that he believes that it doesn’t necessarily mean that the father must do it. It just means that the father must make sure it happens.

I disagree with this assessment for a couple reasons. First, and foremost, the scriptures do not teach this. Scripture does not say “make sure your children understand these commands”, it says “impress them on your children”.

1 Timothy 2:11-15 reinforces this view as it explains proper, orderly worship, saying, “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. ¹²I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man;” This does not indicate inferiority; but it does imply proper responsibility and authority. This picture also illustrates the relationship of husband and wife parallel with the relationship of Christ to his church from Ephesians 5.

Second, this thought process demonstrates a prevalent view in our culture to “farm out” our responsibilities to others. We pass off our responsibility to others and are not engaged in what we should be. We pass our responsibility to raise our children to the day care. We pass our responsibility to teach our children to Sunday School, Youth Group, and the public schools.

As a father, lead your family in the Word. Lead daily family worship, include reading of God’s Word, singing, and prayer. Intentionally train your family in Bible and doctrine. Read the Bible, (not just a devotional) understand it and teach what it means. I am not a fan of devotionals or life application Bibles. You should teach God’s Word, wrestle with it yourself.

There is no better way to pass on our faith from generation to generation than to follow God’s plan of passing it on through His Word from father to son.

The Bible is not a ___ textbook

As I was reading through a book recently, I ran across a familiar argument, but applied to a different topic or context. I searched online and found the same claim, “The Bible is not an economics textbook.” I’ve seen this claim before, but mostly applied to science and the creation-evolution controversy.

When applied to science, the arguments usually cover some basic thoughts such as,

• no, but wherever the Bible touches on science or history it is trustworthy
• no, I’m glad, because science textbooks get out of date and have to be changed

There is usually a good demonstration of how the Bible is accurate, how science has had to change and contradict previous claims of truth. There are good, solid organizations dedicated to upholding the Bible such as www.answersingenesis.org, www.creation.com, www.icr.org, and www.biblearchaeology.org.

When I saw the same question applied to a different area than science, it got me to thinking to a broader application. Let’s take a new look at it, how would you define a textbook? Here are a few found online:

1. a book used for instructional purposes, especially in schools and colleges
2. A book used in schools or colleges for the formal study of a subject
3. A manual of instruction or a standard book in any branch of study. They are produced according to the demand of educational institutions

If we look at those definitions, we could say that the Bible is a textbook, as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of /God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Let me offer up another definition, in terms of contrasting between the Bible and a textbook on science or economics. A textbook is a collection of human knowledge, used to organize and teach others about a subject.

The Bible claims to be much more than that, in 2 Peter 1:16-21 we read, “we have the word of the prophets made more certain” and “prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” In both scriptures we see that the Bible is not from man, but from God. We have the owner’s manual, from the Creator himself, not just something from men who did not create it but seek to explain it from a black-box perspective.

Do we think God can tell us reliably about himself and religion, and not tell us reliably about ourselves and His other creations, which He rules and sustains?

When others scoff, “The Bible is not an economics textbook” or any other area of study, we can answer them by saying, “thankfully not, it provides a more reliable source as a foundation for all of our knowledge.

-Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Scripture: Free will or God's will?

In the debate over man's free will and God's sovereignty, people often claim the verse that says "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling" as teaching that man has free will since we have to "work out our salvation". That seems to imply we have free will and we make the choice to "work" our salvation.

This understanding is taking things out of context. In fact, this is only part of a sentence, which doesn't end with that verse. This verse is found in Philippians 2:12. Let me first quote the whole sentence which continues in verse 13.

12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Note that the rest of the sentence seems to contradict how may apply the previous phrase. It represents a thought that plagues the debate, asserting that God's will and man's will are mutually exclusive (i.e. if God has a will, he imposes it on man, who becomes a mere robot or puppet), thus creating a false dilema. Jonah had a will and ran from God's plan for him, but God brought him back through a number of means into His will, and he went to preach to Ninevah.

So what does "work out your salvation" mean then? I would suggest that it means to reflect the grace you have received for your salvation through faith. God gave you salvation through faith as a free gift, not by works. Therefore, you should respond by continuing to grow in your sanctification through obedience to show your gratitude for God's incredible gift to you. As we work this out and grow, we reflect God's grace even more, and serve as witnesses to glorify God.