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Playing Opposites

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 | Author: Skip Moen

But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin. Romans 14:23

Sin – Kenneth Bailey makes an interesting observation about this verse. “We expect [Paul] to say ‘whatsoever is not of faith is unbelief.’ But for Paul the opposite of faith is sin because his understanding of faith includes obedience.”[1] Bailey doesn’t go quite far enough. For Paul, faith doesn’t include obedience. Faith is obedience. Since the Hebrew view of obedience is obedience of the heart, and the heart is the seat of emotions, volition and cognition, faith without obedience is a contradiction. Faith isn’t something I believe. It is something that encompasses my feelings, my thoughts and my actions.

What this means is that there is no such thing as faith as mental assent. Greek culture might call cognitive apprehension and propositional declaration of a doctrine or dogma faith, but that doesn’t make it so. Hebrew faith expresses me, all of me, on the Way toward alignment with God’s purposes and will. It isn’t a moment of conversion. It is a lifetime of transformation. It is START without STOP, a change in direction, a new way to go, perseverance toward hope.

Of course, the road is bumpy. The road has potholes and diversions and dangerous bridges. We get tired. We get confused. We make terrible judgments. But it’s a lifetime of travel in the same direction. To go another way is sin. So, the opposite of obedience is the wrong way. The opposite of faith is sin.

“In every culture the message of the gospel is in constant danger of being compromised by the value system that supports that culture and its goals.”[2] If we are going to be faithful, we must recognize, understand, evaluate and reject this compromise. It doesn’t matter how long the compromise has been part of our thinking. It doesn’t matter where it came from or the motivations behind it. To compromise obedience to the instructions of the Lord is to walk away from faith, no matter what name you put on it. Compromise is sin.

THINK! Think about the values of this culture. Identify a few of them and see if they are present in your “faith.” Maybe you’ll find intellectualism or the desire to be recognized. Maybe you’ll discover fear underneath your financial incentives. Maybe you’ll uncover denominational or doctrinal pride, or anxious addictions, or selective concern for others or a tolerant view of sexuality. Maybe you just want to be right. “Whatever is not from a lifelong commitment to the ways of God is sin.”

Topical Index: sin, obedience, Romans 14:23, culture, values

[1] Kenneth Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, p. 166.

[2] Bailey, p. 166.

Category: Today's Word | Tags: culture, obedience, Romans 14:23, sin, values | 9 Comments

OPEN EYES FAITH

Thursday, March 04th, 2010 | Author: Skip Moen

Sometimes I think we get the idea that God leaves us in the dark on purpose. We have the bump-into-things view of faith, like walking through a room with the lights off. This morning my wife and I read our devotional page from Oswald Chambers’ book. We talked about our current situation. Nothing seems to have changed to correct the financial crisis we face. The external evidence still points to a dwindling bank account and not enough income. She said to me, “I know that God has His reasons. But I would just like to know what they are”. As I thought about her request, I was reminded of people in history whom God directed.

Abraham is a good example. We have a heroic view of Abraham. We think of him as a pillar of faith. We know the story of his willingness to sacrifice Isaac. We remember his negotiation with God to rescue Lot. But we often forget that Abraham had years of struggle and doubt. We forget that he was very human – just like us. And God still chose him.

Abraham started out well. God called him away from his culture, family and friends. God said, “Follow me to a place I will show you” and Abraham responded. Now that takes faith! How many of us would pack up everything we had, sell the house, leave the job and just go somewhere based only on a voice from God. God didn’t even bother to tell Abraham where he was going. He just said, “Get on the road and I will let you know when you need to know”. Abraham made his first stop at a sacred grove on a mountain. There he made an altar and worshipped God. He demonstrated his faith even though he still had no idea what the plan was all about. Things seemed to be settling down.

God showed up and explained that some day Abraham’s descendents would inherit all the land that surrounded Abraham. God would see to it. Of course, there was only one small problem. Abraham didn’t have any descendents. But God told him not to worry. Things would work out exactly as God intended.

Then Abraham got his first real test. There was a famine in the land. Nothing to eat, provisions running low and plenty to worry about. Abraham decided to head for Egypt where food was available. But on the way he realized that Pharaoh would see how beautiful his wife was and would probably want her for himself. Abraham reasoned that if that happened, Pharaoh might just kill him to get Sarah. So, he came up with a plan. He would tell Pharaoh that Sarah was his sister. That way, nothing would happen to him. Of course, a lot would happen to Sarah, but Abraham didn’t seem too concerned about her. After all, he had to protect himself so that he could get what God promised. It wouldn’t do much good if he were killed. So, he lied. And things got very bad indeed when his lie was discovered.

Abraham failed the test. Do you think that God would have let Abraham be killed in Egypt if God had already promised that Abraham was going to be a great nation? You have to wonder why Abraham didn’t trust God to take care of the situation. Abraham lied to protect his own skin. But his lie denied God’s promised protection. The Father of Faith made a big mistake (and, as we see when we read the stories, he seems to have made the same mistake more than once).

Of course, after Pharaoh kicks Abraham out of Egypt, Abraham regrets his lack of faith. He comes back to worship God. He straightens out his trust problem. But he has set the tone for the family. Lot follows uncle Abraham’s lead and ends up in a real mess. And Sarah does the same thing. She shows the sin of impatience. God’s promise is only good when she can see how it is going to work out. And as the years go by, she figures that it’s time for her to take over. That decision results in an internal family nightmare, an illegitimate son, more broken relationships and thirteen years of silence from God. And, by the way, just in case we start thinking that it is all Sarah’s fault, we are reminded that Abraham is the one who agreed to have sex with Hagar in order to produce the required descendent. Did Abraham have a momentary mental lapse? Did he forget completely that God was able to handle every problem? Or was the offer to have sex with someone else, with his wife’s blessing, more than any man could refuse?

God returns to the lives of these fractured people and renews His covenant. Abraham finally seems to understand. But there are still trials and failures and regrets and restorations ahead. The Father of the Faith is quite human. The Bible could have painted him as a great saint. But it doesn’t. I am convinced that God wants us to see the ups and downs of his life, and the lives of many of the saints. Why? Because the story is about what God does, not about how wonderful and spiritual we are. God gets the credit. He takes the time to show us that we are all cut from the same cloth. And that should give us great comfort. Our faith is just like the faith of those Bible heroes – struggling, rough and in need of purification. But it is faith nevertheless, and God recognizes it for what it is. If God didn’t give up on Abraham, a man who caused one family problem after another with lies, loose morals and doubt, then God won’t give up on us either.

Let’s look at what Paul (another one of those Bible heroes with a very checkered past) has to say about faith:

“for the righteous man shall live by faith” Romans 1:17

“having been justified by faith, we have peace with God” Romans 5:1

“whatever is not of faith is sin” Romans 14:23

“and without faith it is impossible to please [God]” Hebrews 11:6

A few more references will help.

“but he must ask in faith without any doubting” James 1:6

“for we walk by faith, not by sight” 2 Cor. 5:7

“now faith is the assurance of things hope for, the conviction of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1

Let’s see if we can draw some conclusions from these verses. Faith begins with God’s grace toward us. God was faithful in His promise long before we came to realize that what He says about us is true. Just like Abraham, we responded to something that God had in mind before He asked us to get up and follow Him. In other words, God’s intentions for us came first. That is the essential meaning of “the righteous man is justified by faith”. In the case of Abraham, God looked on Abraham as faithful in spite of Abraham’s human failings. The Old Testament word is “accredited” or “counted”. God counted Abraham as faithful – He decided to see Abraham as faithful. God had something in mind for Abraham. God had no intention of letting Abraham’s human failures stand in the way of divine plans, so God just kept after Abraham, reminding him that the promise was based on God, not on Abraham’s efforts.

We need to see our faith in the same light. God has something in mind for each of us. He has this in mind long before we get started on our journey toward the place He is going to show us. Along the way, most of us get off track. There is a Greek word for this. It is planasthe. It means “to cause to wander, to lead astray, to seduce or mislead” but we translate it as “deceive”. Abraham got off track when he deceived himself into thinking he had to protect his own life in order for God’s promise to be fulfilled. We do the same thing. We don’t see how things are going to work out for us. We worry about the money, our health, the job or any number of “protection” items. And so we begin to take care of those things our own way. We deceive ourselves into thinking that God needs us to lend a hand to His promise. Just like Abraham, we eventually discover that we have made a mess. The first thing we need to know about faith is that it is God’s plan for us, not our plan worked out with an acknowledging nod toward God.

Faith does not begin with us. Faith begins with God. First, God acts on our behalf. His intentions always precede ours. In fact, about the only thing He asks is for us to follow. He didn’t say to Abraham, “Now, get out there and make things happen. Go up the road until you think you have arrived. Set up shop. Build a city. Make babies. Get wealthy and build a big church. Then, when you have done all that, I’ll come back and inspect your efforts”. No, God said, “Follow along and I will show you something. I’ll show you when I’m ready. You just tag along behind”. Funny thing. Jesus said almost the same words. “Follow me”.

Faith begins with God. Actually, it’s a good thing that it does. If faith began with us, we would certainly mess it up. And even better, when we do mess it up, God can still bring about His intentions for us. Abraham messed it up several times. God still produced the results He wanted. God had to deal with all the mess that Abraham made along the way. Extra children. Broken relationships. Bad company. An abused wife. But God was more than able to manage all that mess and still get Abraham where God wanted him to be. Just a bunch of extra baggage that Abraham packed into the trip.

If faith begins with God, why do we carry along so much extra stuff? Why are we always trying to “fix” things that God forgot about? “Wait a minute, God! Did you forget that I have to pay that bill? Did you forget about that assignment I need to do? Hey, what about my plans to take that job? Did you forget I need a new car? Don’t you remember that my husband doesn’t treat me right?”

When faith begins with God, we have absolute assurance that faith will arrive at its intended destination. We’re not in charge, thank God! So, relax! Follow along. Stop adding to the pile you’re carrying. God knows what you need. It’s His train. You’re just a passenger. The greatest struggle of faith is to remember who owns the train. Faith is remembering who’s who. The reason the Bible includes all those stories about the failures of faith’s heroes is to remind us that faith is about God, not about us. And God is able. He is able to take any mess, any circumstance and any problem – the stuff that just seems like there is no way in the world it will ever work – and bring about His intentions.

A ninety-year-old woman gets pregnant. An altar covered in water gets consumed with fire. A starving man in the desert gets fed by birds. A blind man knocks down a temple. And God dies. All of these things are impossible. But they happened because God had His own plans in mind. Isn’t he able to manage your journey?

Paul tells us that once we see our faith in terms of God’s promise toward us, we will have peace. “having been justified by faith, we have peace with God” Romans 5:1

The Greek word for “peace” is eirene. In the New Testament, the word is about relationships, not external conditions. The word is not primarily associated with resolution of political conflict, good health, personal well-being or even prosperity. It is associated with words like love, grace, glory, honor, righteousness and mercy. Its opposites are also words about relationships: anxiety, anguish, fear, confusion, division, distress. Peace is the settled confidence that my relationship with God has been repaired. Jesus tells us that he “gives” this peace and “leaves” this peace with us. It is not an announcement that we have accomplished something. It is a gift left behind for us to enjoy. Jesus is giving his followers a going-away present. That present is unbroken fellowship with God. It is a present that we can have right now and it will last forever. It places a safety net over our lives that nothing can take away.

So, the second thing about faith is also about God. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. God has purposes for you. He will see that they are carried out. And to do that, He is ready to give you peace. It is the confidence that God is on my side, that I can trust Him completely. He knows what He is doing. I don’t have to second-guess His arrangements.

That’s exactly what got Abraham in so much trouble. He knew God had plans. He knew God made promises. But he second-guessed how it was going to be done. So, he did what we all do – the commonsense thing. He went to Egypt. He lied to protect himself. He decided that sex with Hagar wasn’t such a bad idea. He told the kings another lie. Instead of waiting for God, he said to himself, “Hey, what gives here anyway? God made me a promise but things look pretty bad. I guess I’d better do something to make all this come true”. God repaired the damage, but the damage didn’t need to be done. Abraham was an impatient man.

Aren’t we the same? Are we ready to wait for God? Do you rely completely on the peace that we have? We know that God has restored the relationship. Why can’t we find comfort in that restoration? Is anything more important? Jesus tells us the same thing (isn’t is amazing that Jesus just reminds us of all those Old Testament lessons we forgot). He says, “Why do you worry about what will happen to you? Don’t you know that your heavenly Father knows all of your needs? Seek Him first – follow along – and let Him take care of the rest”. Jesus is a great tour guide. He keeps putting us back on the train when we decide that there is a shorter way to glory and we fall off the track.

Faith is God first – and God second. First, God comes after us. Second, God looks after us.

If we just kept those two things in mind, we would have the mind of faith. But Paul knows that we struggle. So he provides us with a warning.

“whatever is not of faith is sin”

What is not of faith? Not remembering rule 1 and rule 2. Rule 1: God is in charge. Rule 2: God is able. He draws us to Him. He restores our relationship with Him. He protects and cares for us. As long as we act in accordance with these simple facts of Life (for that’s what they are), we will exhibit faith. As soon as we forget one of these simple things, we step off the train. The biggest problem with stepping off the train is that it is still moving. We get hurt.

The New Testament word for sin is hamartia. It literally means “missing the mark”. In this case, it might as well mean “doing it our way”. It is the Frank Sinatra principle (“I did it my way”). And, by the way, just in case you didn’t know it, Frank Sinatra was not God (neither was Elvis). If I think that I can assist God by doing things my way, I am certainly going to miss the mark. Abraham found out the hard way. God didn’t visit him for thirteen years while Ishmael grew up. For thirteen years, Abraham looked every day on the consequences of doing it his way. For thirteen years, Sarah and Abraham had to deal every day with the results of doing it their way. Not a very happy marriage. And the other mother, Hagar, was right there in their faces every day. There was no option of divorcing and moving across the country. There were no restraining orders. There was no child visitation. Sometimes the consequences of our foolishness need to stay with us to remind us that faith is about God’s way, not ours.

“and without faith it is impossible to please [God]” Hebrews 11:6.

Why is it impossible to please God without faith? Well, think about it. Faith is recognizing those two simple rules. If I act without taking rule 1 and rule 2 into account, I will automatically be singing along with Frank. Notice that the verse in Hebrews doesn’t say, “Without faith it’s pretty hard to please God”. It doesn’t say, “Most of the time without faith it’s tough to please God”. It says that it is impossible. The Greek word is adunaton. It literally means “is not able” or “can’t be done”. Isn’t that amazing! With faith, God is able. Without faith, we are not able. In other words, if I remember that God is in charge, then I know that God is able. But if I forget that God is in charge, then it turns out that I am not able ultimately to please Him because I did not let Him do what He is able to do. How simple is that! God is able. Let Him do it. Sin is just deciding that God is not able and I need to do it. That insults God. No wonder He is displeased.

Sarah wants to enjoy the prestige of being associated with a great man – her husband. God has promised he will be the father of many, a high honor indeed. But Sarah doesn’t have a child. She knows that she doesn’t have a child because God has not yet allowed her to have a child. She recognizes God’s sovereignty when it comes to her body, but she is not willing to recognize God’s sovereignty over the rest of her world. So, she decides to sing along with Frank. She thinks, “God is not able to take care of this. I’ll have to do it myself”. She knows Abraham has eyed Hagar a few times. Every wife knows this sort of thing. So, she comes up with a plan that she knows Abraham won’t refuse. Pretty soon they are all humming along with Frank. When we think God is not able, we deny God’s faithfulness toward us. We call God a liar. It doesn’t work out very well.

“but he must ask in faith without any doubting” James 1:6

There are times when doubt is a good thing. If you are about to step off a moving train and you catch yourself doubting if you can make the step without injury, doubt is good. It probably saved your life. Oswald Chambers reminds us that whenever we encounter doubt in our walk behind God, we need to stop. God does not promote doubt. God is very clear about what He wants us to do, even if what He tells us is only a tiny step of the whole plan. In fact, I don’t know a single person who ever knew the whole plan from the beginning. I doubt (there’s that word again) that even Jesus knew it all for day one. The Bible tells us that he had to grow up learning obedience just like we have to. That’s very comforting. If Jesus had to learn to follow, why should I think that I can just run ahead?

Now James tells us that if we are going to do something with our faith, we need to not start an internal dispute with ourselves. That’s what this word means. The Greek is diakrino. It comes from the idea of separating or choosing between one thing and another.

There are two other words that are translated “doubt”. One is dialogismos. It means “to debate through words” or “argument”. It is used in the New Testament for the idea of evil thoughts or argument. It usually has the sense of trying to justify your actions – arguing with God about how “right” your sin really is.

The other is distazo. Here the idea is that you are stuck between two courses of action. There are two pictures that help us see the meaning: a man standing at a crossroads, not knowing which way to go and a balance scale, equally weighted on each side, tipping back and forth. It means, “to hesitate, to waver, to be uncertain”. It is not argumentative or evil. There is no sin here. It is just being stuck in the middle. God help me, I don’t know which way to go!

James uses diakrino because he does not want us to think about trying to justify ourselves before God nor does he want us to think about simple hesitation. He wants us to see that this kind of doubt is about debating what is the right selection.

We come to a crossroads as we tag along behind God. But God is out just out of sight. We can’t quite see which way He went. So, we have to choose. Right or left. We waver (distazo). We remember Oswald Chambers. Stop! We fix our mind on the mind of Christ and then we feel we should go right. We don’t argue with God about it (“You know, God, you really didn’t make it clear and besides, it looks so nice down the road on the left and I just couldn’t help it”). We take a step to the right. Suddenly we are besieged with doubt – the diakrino kind. Wait! What if this isn’t the right way? Maybe I didn’t hear it correctly? Maybe I should have prayed more? How do I know I am really doing what God wants? Maybe I need a sign? I should open the Bible and find a verse. But what if that doesn’t work either? Diakrino is the doubt that stops acting on faith because it doesn’t believe that God can repair mistakes. It believes God has only one way and if I miss it, I will never recover. The entire universe depends on me making the right choice. The pressure is too much. What will I do now?

James says, “Go forward. God is able to correct you if you are on the wrong path. He’ll get you back on track. But He can’t do anything until you start to move. Just standing there debating with yourself will accomplish nothing”.

Once again Oswald Chambers reminds us that when we move forward on faith, God will simply close the doors if we are off course. Then we can retreat and start again. Remember, it’s God journey. He’s in charge. So get up and get moving. Don’t be afraid to put your trust on Him. He is able.

Rule number 1: God’s in charge.

Rule number 2: God is able.

Rule number 3: Go forward.

Now comes the greatest blessing.

“for we walk by faith, not by sight” 2 Cor. 5:7

“now faith is the assurance of things hope for, the conviction of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1

If we know the rules, we don’t have to know where we are going. In fact, this is a journey of just following with our eyes wide open. It is not “blind” faith at all. We know God is in charge. We know God is able. All we have to do is go forward. Faith is exercised on a “need to know” basis. When you need to know, God will tell you. Faith is realizing that you don’t need to know. But everything is still OK, because He knows.

Our world is convinced that we have to know. We want to know the outcome before the event. What plans do you have for your life? What will you become? How will it all work out? What if it doesn’t come out the way that I want?

Maybe we should think of our need to know like a box. If we knew all the answers, we would be nicely packaged but we would lose the possibility for creative change. God doesn’t tell us everything because we are in a cooperative process of creative change with Him. Our lives are not boxed. Faith is simply knowing that the plans are being revised along the way. And that’s a good thing. When I mess up, the master Architect can redraw the plans and still get the results He wants. God’s disclaimers about life are true: past promises do guarantee future rewards. Past events do guarantee present and future relationships.

So, we’re left with hope and conviction. “now faith is the assurance of things hope for, the conviction of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1

Hope is telling yourself that what God says is true is really true. It’s reminding yourself about rule number 1 and rule number 2. God is in charge. God is able.

Conviction is acting on that hope. Rule number 3: Go forward.

Faith isn’t blind. It’s open eyes obedience.

Category: Articles | Tags: Abraham, faith, obedience, peace, waver | 7 Comments

The Perfect Getaway

Sunday, October 11th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

“And it shall come to pass that whoever shall call on the name YHWH shall be saved; . . “ Joel 2:32

Saved – Have you ever heard this verse in an evangelistic crusade? If you knew that the Hebrew verb didn’t mean “saved” from eternal damnation, would you be surprised? Would it drive you back to the context to examine what the prophet Joel really said?

The verb here is malat. You can find it in Job 41:19 and Genesis 19:17. Look at those two occurrences before you decide what the verb means. What did you discover? This word is about escape, not about forgiveness. It’s about getting away from disaster, not about avoiding hell. Of course, in Esther 4:13 and Psalm 89:48, it’s about escape from death, but the death in that context is immediate, physical demise. Perhaps this little insight helps us to see how much of our biblical interpretation is filtered by our evangelical eyesight. A Jew wouldn’t think that salvation was first about eternal life or punishment. For a Jew, salvation is first about escaping immediate danger right here. The question, “Are you saved?” is pretty much an invention of D. L. Moody and Billy Graham, not Sha’ul, Peter (Kefa) or Yeshua.

There’s something else about this verse that we need to reconsider. Who is rescued? Who escapes? Those who call on the name YHWH. Of course, calling on the name of YHWH doesn’t mean what evangelicals think it means either. You see, calling on the name of YHWH goes all the way back to Genesis 4:26, long before anyone had any idea about the sacrificial death of God’s Son. In fact, “calling on the name” is a technical phrase for ownership. In other words, when men began to call on the name of YHWH, they were espousing their fidelity to YHWH. They were declaring that they belonged to Him. He was their master or owner. That meaning didn’t change. When Joel speaks God’s words and uses the same phrase, he means (and so does God) that those who escape will be those who belong to YHWH. The Master takes care of His own.

Of course, there’s a very big difference between claiming to belong to the household of the Master and actually being one of His slaves. What’s the difference? A slave is obedient. A slave depends entirely on the Master. A slave does not have another agenda. Those who merely visit the house may look like they are residents, but when the orders and directions come from the Master, the difference becomes obvious. Some follow. Some do not. Only those who follow will escape.

Joel’s verse certainly could have wider implications. Kefa (Peter) seemed to think so. He initiated his great invitation to God-fearing, devout men with this very verse. He applied the verse to a different context, something rabbinic Judaism often did. But even Peter wouldn’t dare suggest that obedience was optional. Escape, deliverance, rescue or salvation – whatever term you wish to employ – always entails calling on the Name and that is an idiom for obedience.

I need to remember this. I need to have it grafted into my thought patterns and my actions. God delivers. God saves. God rescues. But that does not take away my need to obey. I have a part to play – not in God’s grace but in demonstrating my fidelity to His ownership. Faith without works doesn’t work. “Lord, help me. I want to be Yours. I desire to belong. I am grateful for escape which You provide. But never let me take it for granted. I love you. I serve you.”

Topical Index: save, malat, Joel 3:5, Genesis 4:26, obedience, calling on the Name

Category: Today's Word | Tags: calling on the Name, Genesis 4:26, Joel 3:5, malat, obedience, save | 22 Comments

The Education of the Righteous

Thursday, August 13th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

To know wisdom and instruction; to understand words of insight; to accept instruction in prudent behavior, to do what is right, and just, and fair Proverbs 1:2-3

To Know – What does it mean “to know wisdom?” Well, if you’re Greek, it means you apprehend information associated with a subject. In this case, the subject is wisdom so I might conclude that knowing wisdom is knowing what I need to make life work the way it should. In the Greek world, people would call me wise if I were able to make the correct decisions. Usually we associate wisdom with moral values. A wise man is one who discerns correctly the difference between what is right and what is wrong. So, from a Greek perspective, to know wisdom is to know the difference between good and evil. Is this beginning to sound familiar?

How does this explanation change if I step into the Hebrew world? After all, the proverbs of Solomon are not written from a Greek perspective. The emphasis shifts dramatically, from apprehending the information about good and evil to experiencing the practice of making godly choices. In the Hebrew worldview, I know when I do. Therefore, knowledge comes about as a result of action, not intellectual apprehension. To know wisdom is not to gather the facts about what is right and what it wrong. To know wisdom is to act justly. Until my thinking turns into acting, I don’t really know. Knowing is the process of personally internalizing what I become aware of so that my behavior is transformed accordingly. For the Hebrew, knowing is always personal. It is not fact-gathering. It is altering how I live.

This difference is essential to understanding the New Testament’s concept of “knowing the Christ.” If my life is not altered, if there are no signs of transformation according to the character of Yeshua, then from a Hebrew point of view, I never knew Him. My claim to apprehend the facts about Jesus means nothing. Unless my life changes, I don’t know who He is.

Now this shift has implications for understanding God’s Word too. It implies wisdom comes after relationship, not before it. It implies knowing God is the same as aligning my life with His direction. In other words, obedience precedes understanding. I obey in order to understand, not because I understand. As long as I withhold obedience, I will be left in the dark. I cannot gain wisdom until I first obey.

This is entirely backwards from our Greek-based epistemology (how we know). In the Greek world, we collect the information before we make a decision. But in the Hebrew world, we decide before we understand. Think about that for a minute. It seems crazy. How can I know what to decide unless I have first gathered the facts? Who would ever propound a theory about the functions of the universe without first observing facts about the universe? This sort of backwards science leads to theories like the flat earth and alchemy. Does the Bible really suggest science should be done without regard to the facts?

Of course not! But the epistemology of the Bible is not interested in the scientific method. It is interested in holiness. And when it comes to holiness, I cannot answer the question, “What must I do to be in right relationship with God?” by first examining the facts about me and the world. To answer this question, I must submit to His declaration before I can understand spiritual transformation. In other words, when it comes to holiness, the answer is revealed to me, not discovered by me. Therefore, I know only after I obey. I accept God’s evaluation and judgment rather than my own. I trust His Word rather than my determination. Then He reveals the rest to me.

If you ever wonder why there are so many people who say, “I tried reading the Bible but it didn’t make any sense to me,” now you know the answer. Obedience comes first. God comes to me, confronts me and asks for my obedience. Until I accept His request, nothing will make much sense. After I obey, I discover insights that were there all the time but hidden from my view.

Do you want to know wisdom? Start where God is asking you to submit to Him. There is no use trying to get around it. If you want to know the Truth, you must first do the truth shown to you.

Topical Index: know, wisdom, epistemology, obedience, da’at, Proverbs 1:2

Category: Today's Word | Tags: da’at, epistemology, know, obedience, Proverbs 1:2, wisdom | 5 Comments

A Special Kind Of Help

Saturday, May 30th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

And said YHWH Elohim, “It is not good for man to be alone; I will make for him a [‘ezer kenegdo].” Genesis 2:18

‘ezer kenegdo – The Bible was not written with chapter and verse numbers. Those were added thousands of years later. Unfortunately, their addition often breaks our thinking about the text so that we don’t see the continuation of one thought into another. Once these artificial stops are removed, the context of our interpretation often changes. Such is the case with the introduction of the ‘ezer kenegdo. Immediately preceding God’s statement about the need for the ‘ezer kenegdo is this command:

“Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17).

What follows this warning? What follows the only prohibition that God gives Adam? The necessity of an ‘ezer kenegdo. The argument proceeds from the prohibition concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to the requirement for an ‘ezer kenedgdo. Furthermore, the entire story of the Fall focuses on the role of the ‘ezer kenegdo and the tree. How can we ignore the obvious conclusion that the purpose of the ‘ezer kenegdo is somehow connected to the command for Adam to obey. Adam doesn’t need an assistant or a co-laborer. The assignment to care for the garden, be fruitful, multiply and take stewardship over the earth is given to both male and female. They equally receive God’s directive. It is not the case that Adam is given the assignment and then delegates some of that responsibility to his faithful companion, Havvah.

However, the command prohibiting eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is given to Adam alone. It is not Adam’s productive energy that needs assistance. It is his faithfulness to God’s moral obligation. He needs a protector. He needs someone whose job is to keep him on the straight and narrow. He needs one who comes alongside for the express purpose of supporting his obedience. Havvah has a role to play, but it is not the role of domestic servant, sexual outlet, production assistant or Vice President for Public Works. It is the role of priest! She is to be the one who makes sure that Adam stays faithful to God. She is the one who stands between God’s command and Adam’s obedience, watching over him so that he will not go astray. The help she brings is the help of rescue and salvation. In this role, she parallels God’s ultimate relationship with Israel. God is the protector, provider and deliverer of Israel in the fallen world, but those are only roles God takes upon Himself after the Fall. In order to understand the role of the ‘ezer kenegdo, we must look at God’s relationship with human beings before the Fall.

For this exploration, we have only the barest of clues, but these will do. The Hebrew words for “male” and “female” contain double stories. Yes, they describe our sexuality, but they also imply something more. The Hebrew word for “male” is zakar. zakar has a homophone, another word that is spelled exactly the same way in Hebrew (Z-K-R) but which has an apparently different root and a different meaning. In this case, zakar as a verb suggests some very interesting nuances. The principle meaning of zakar as a verb is “to remember.” zakar describes a presence of mind that is taken to heart. In other words, it is thinking that becomes doing. There is no better connection between these two elements than what is described in Psalm 103:18. “To those who keep His covenant and remember His precepts to do them.” The purpose of zakar is not simply to bring something to mind. It is to bring something to mind in order to act upon it. “Thus remembrance of God and the obedience it implies are experienced as a vitally necessary relationship, from which a man cannot and must not escape” (Eising). zakar is an action that is “necessary for human existence” and “a fundamental bond of mutual remembrance that unites God and man.”

Do you see why the homophone of zakar is so intriguing? Is it possible that being in God’s image as male (zakar) could be related to a man’s necessity to remember who God is and how God is related to men? Man is called to remember – in particular to remember God and his obligation to God, the Creator. In this sense, Adam bears the image of God as the one who is called to remember what God said, who God is and to act accordingly.

What about “female?” The Hebrew nekavah also has another story. In combination with zakar (male), the two words demonstrate that the image of God is carried in the complement of these two. Both are necessary for human beings to be human. But nekavah also has its own enhancement. In this case, the Arabic cognate not only means “to pierce, to make a hole,” but also “single out” and “appoint as a leader.” These meanings are also found in Scripture. For example, a slave for life (voluntarily) is marked by a hole bored in the ear. When he is given a name, his identity is transferred from the hole in the ear to the name he bears. Furthermore, we find the word used to describe an appointment to a high office. Finally, Isaiah 62:2 describes being given a new name (nakav) as something of importance and value. Could it be that the nekavah as ‘ezer kenedgo is appointed to an office of distinction, a role in which she carries a new identity and bears the mark of that identity with her sexuality. After all, she is the “mother of all living”. Everyone born of woman must find a new identity through the breach or tunnel of her body and in the process acquire a name.

What do we discover about the ‘ezer kenegdo? The text suggests that she is designed for the specific purpose of maintaining obedience between her man and God. She is his intercessor. She is to guard his relationship with the Creator, support him when he embraces God’s direction and oppose him when he does not. She is the helper-opposite in the only arena where he needs additional attention. Not work, not world-changing assignments, not dominion, not stewarding – but spiritual awareness and obedience. Without her, the man is at great risk and particularly vulnerable.

Is this the role you imagined for the ‘ezer kenegdo? This makes it rather impossible to think of women as second-class citizens in the Body, doesn’t it?

(I’m sorry that this one is so long. I just couldn’t say what had to be said with less.)

Topical Index: ‘ezer kenegdo, woman, priest, intercessor, obedience, Genesis 2:18, male, female

Category: Today's Word | Tags: female, Genesis 2:18, intercessor, male, obedience, priest, woman, ‘ezer kenedgo | 14 Comments

Apply Sunscreen

Saturday, April 18th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You. Psalm 16:1 (English text)

Take Refuge – Do you really want God to give you shelter? Guess what? Unless you are Jonah, you will have to do something in order for that to happen. David doesn’t cry out and then sit around waiting for God to show up. David takes refuge. The verb is chasah. If you look at Judges 9:15, you’ll get the idea. On a hot summer day in Israel, it’s very nice to seek the shade of a tree, but you’ll never feel cool if you stand in the sun asking God to move the tree.

David takes refuge. How does he do that? We skip right over this verb because we are so anxious to have God’s commitment for our rescue. But preservation contains obligation. God preserves because David takes action. What does David do? He does what any Hebrew would do. He aligns his life with God’s instruction book. Then God protects.

David may be king, but he is still a citizen of God’s commonwealth. The constitution of Israel is determined and revealed by God. No parliament voted in the laws. God gave them on Sinai. God obligates Himself to provide, protect and secure Israel. Israel obligates itself to keep (shamar) God’s instructions. This covenant has mutual obligations. Any citizen who seeks preservation and protection must demonstrate fidelity and loyalty to the Sovereign. Chasah is the same verb used to illustrate this obligation in pagan worship (see Deuteronomy 32:37). Why should the Lord offer preservation or protection to those who do not take refuge in Him? They don’t belong to His kingdom. He is not their Sovereign. Their cries fall on deaf ears because there is no mutual obligation. Crying out to God without submission to His constitution is useless and stupid. It assumes that God is not a king but rather a customer service agent.

We have often made the point that God’s redemptive action on our behalf is completely independent of our effort. God rescued Israel before He gave them the constitution of their government, in the same way that He rescues us before we align our behavior with His commandments. We are carried out of bondage in Egypt prior to becoming citizens of His nation. But once we agree to citizenship, our behavior choices must change. He is our sovereign Lord and we are expected to act according to His will. This is not legalism for legalism is always an attempt to earn the favor of the ruling authority. John tells us that we love Him because he first loved us. This is not legalism. It is the recognition that my well-being is most fulfilled in His direction. This is what it means to take refuge. I get as close as I can to Him because I need to be preserved. Amazingly, He is more than willing for me to get as close as I can. He wants to preserve me.

What a privilege it is for us to draw close to God! This is certainly not the case with the gods of myths. They are offended by the human condition, by weakness and by placating behavior. Imagine, if you can, that the God of all creation actually delights in you and desires your company. Astounding! No wonder David was overwhelmed at the thought that God treats us as His children in spite of our insignificance in such a very big universe.

Topical Index: refuge, chasah, covenant, obedience, well-being, Psalm 16:1

Category: Today's Word | Tags: chasah, covenant, obedience, Psalm 16:1, refuge, well-being | 4 Comments

Direction Signals

Saturday, April 11th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God Hebrew 11:10

Looking For – You could say that Abraham was a man without direction. He spent most of his life following a God toward a place he never arrived. He demonstrated his faith by obedience in spite of his lack of a map because he learned to operate according to today’s immediate instructions. But he never stopped looking. That’s the point of this passage. Abraham never arrived at the city built by God, but he was always on his way there.

The Greek word here is oregomai, a verb that means “to reach for,” or “to strive for.” It is used only four times in the New Testament, but it is not used in the way that Classical Greek thinking uses this word. For the Greeks, oregomai was the key attitude that propelled a man toward enlightenment through reason (striving for the Good, the True and the Beautiful) or took a man toward corruption through the passions (desires). For the Greeks, if a man devoted himself to the primacy of reason, he would progress up the scale of Logos toward divinity. This is the same philosophical approach that we find in New Age thinking. It’s very, very old. On the other hand, a man who let his passions control his striving would slip into debasing actions like lust, greed and avarice. For the Greeks, striving could go either way. The critical factor is the priority given to rational control. A lot of our thinking about moral training finds its home in this idea. Our culture advocates Greek-based decision-making when it promotes a “rational” ethics.

The author of Hebrews has a very different point of view. Striving is a function of faith, not rational primacy. We learn two very important lessons here. First, we learn that faith is not emotional excitement or passion. I don’t build up my faith by singing more stanzas of “How Great Is Our God.” I may be passionate about the music, the words or the atmosphere, but that is not faith. Faith is striving for something not yet a present reality. In other words, faith is work. It might be enjoyable (or not) but it is not emotional highs (or lows).

Secondly, we learn that faith is a life-direction in obedience. In other words, faith characterizes my entire orientation in life. It isn’t just a part of my human experience. It is the complete expression of my whole life. Faith is how I see things in the world, not just how I relate to my religion. I cannot have faith in church and act unfaithfully in the world. Faith is the summary of my whole life’s direction, even if I have not yet arrived at the city built by God. As Eugene Peterson said, it is “a long obedience in the same direction.”

Now we see why Abraham is the example. Faith characterized his entire life orientation. He was always on the way to the city of God, even when he stumbled. His faith did not depend on his feelings. It depended only on his obedience. He demonstrated his life orientation over and over and that is why he is our example. Even though he never arrived at God’s city, he knew where he was going and he acted accordingly.

Please don’t imagine that this implies any form of legalism (work to gain merit) or earned salvation. We are talking about demonstrating our faith, not about God’s demonstration of faithfulness toward us. Grace is the result of God’s faithfulness. Our faith is the response to His grace and the way that we show our faith is through striving for the city He builds. We work, act, think, walk, speak and live with His Kingdom in mind. That is faith for even though we have not yet seen it, we know it is real and we live “in” it without having its full reality visible.

So, that just leaves us with one question for today: Is your life direction in pursuit of the Kingdom?

Topical Index: faith, oregomai, striving, obedience, city of God, Hebrews 11:10

Category: Today's Word | Tags: city of God, faith, Hebrews 11:10, obedience, oregomai, striving | One Comment

Truth or Fiction

Saturday, March 07th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

All flesh is grass, and all its grace as the flower of the field. Isaiah 40:6

Grass – “The difference between truth and fiction is that fiction has to make sense.” So said the ex-Communist colonel in the recent film, The International. This is great script writing. We do expect our novels to make sense. There has to be resolution. Of course, life isn’t fiction.

In life, it’s all grass. The Hebrew idiom simply underscores our self-assured preoccupation with significance. It’s the rage these days. Once we have achieved success (let’s see, how do we measure that now?), then we are told to move on to significance. That usually means going out with a finale, not a whimpering gasp. But life isn’t fiction, and many, many times what we thought we were doing just turns out to be wrong. The biblical view is a bit more confrontational. You really won’t know the significance of your life until after you’re dead. Why? Because only God knows how it all fits together. From this side of the grave, it’s all grass. It comes and goes, and a thousand years from now, no one will even know you existed. So much for significance!

But wait! There’s more (as the advertisement says). We might not see anything but the flowering and fading grass, but God does. He sees just how each one of His children fit into His majestic plans. He sees the eternal significance of every choice we make. Just because our eyes are unable to look above the level of the dirt doesn’t mean that He can’t see the heavenly horizon. We do have significance. We just don’t usually have any idea what it really is. And that’s why, when it’s all said and done, we have to trust that He knows how it all goes together. We have to learn to simply be obedient and stop insisting that it all makes sense. After all, we are not characters in a novel.

Grass (khatsir) has two important characteristics in the biblical world. The first is food for animals. Why is this so important? Because it is God who provides the hay, the grass and the reeds that sustain animals – and ultimately sustain us. He is the creator of the seed. He brings the rain. He provides the soil. Grass is His goodness in green carpet display. Next time you mow the lawn, you can think about your close encounter with common grace.

The second important characteristic is the fragility of the grass. Here today – gone tomorrow. As a metaphor for life, it is a constant reminder of our existential contingency. Just look at the grass and let it speak. “You are not gods. You only walk on God’s carpet. Be careful how you tread.”

Life isn’t fiction. It’s OK that it doesn’t always make sense. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t know what to do next. Obedience comes before understanding, right?

Topical Index: grass, fiction, obedience, significance, Isaiah 40:6, khatsir

Category: Today's Word | Tags: fiction, grass, Isaiah 40:6, khatsir, obedience, significance | 2 Comments

Blue Heaven

Monday, February 02nd, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

“Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die” Albert King

Evangelical Christianity has convinced the world that the goal of salvation is a ticket to heaven. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Albert King, one of the great blues guitar players, performed a classic rendition of The Sky Is Crying. The verse from that song expresses human hope – and human pride. We all want a gate pass of heaven but none of us wants the pay the price. We all want to end up in paradise but none of us is willing to make the changes God asks. If we view salvation as the ticket to heaven, we run the risk of showing up at the gate and hearing Jesus say, “Depart from me. I never knew you.”

Don’t misunderstand me. Heaven is important. But it is not the reason for being born from above. Jesus, Paul, Peter, John and James all make it very clear. The purpose of salvation is obedience. We are rescued from our sinful state in order that we can obey God. We could never be the submissive servants of the Lord while we served the god of self. Sin prevented us from enjoying fellowship with the Father. Sin made it impossible for us to commit ourselves to His rule and reign. So God provided a way to remove the barrier that stood between His grace and our need. The purpose of Jesus’ death was to remove the obstacle that stood between us and obedience, not to throw open the pearly gates. Heaven’s door stands open as a consequence of the life change that occurs when we accept Jesus’ Lordship over our lives. But if Jesus is not Lord, the gates are still shut. What the cross did was cast aside our pride and rebellion so that we could die because if you really want to get to heaven, death is the only way.

If you read the Gospels carefully, you will find that Jesus consistently demands obedience. “Why do you call be Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say.” “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” “I new commandment I give you.” “No man begins a project without first counting the cost.” The theme is ubiquitous. Following Jesus means submission and obedience. Every New Testament writer reiterates this theme. Not a single man among them ever suggests that salvation is focused on heaven. Following Jesus is a baptism into His death in order that the new life of obedience can be formed in us. The author of Hebrews puts the exclamation point on this idea when he says that Jesus Himself had to learn obedience through suffering. How can we expect that our lives as followers of Christ will not take the same path?

Albert King’s song makes it abundantly clear why we would rather focus on heaven than obedience. We all want the pie in the sky, the treasure at the end of the rainbow, the final reward. But the price is too high for most of us to pay. We like life as it is. We don’t want to come to the end of ourselves, step into the grave with the Son of God and rise as children whose mother is obedience. We want an easier way.

The truth is that there is no easier way. The only way of saving grace is the way of death. It looks hideous. Our selfish pride wants nothing to do with dying. But God knows that unless we die to our old ways, we are not able serve Him. “You cannot serve two masters” is the basis of Christian belief. It has never been a case of slavery versus freedom. It has always been a simpler question: which master will you serve. God does not save us in order to release us from servitude. He saves us so that we may at last be slaves to Him, slavery that is not onerous or despotic, slavery that is designed for our well being and joy, but slavery nonetheless. You cannot come to Christ with the intention of getting your gate pass to heaven unless you are willing to die to yourself.

Heaven is the reward of obedience, not the gift of being born again. That is why eternal life begins the moment we accept Jesus as the true Lord of our lives. Heaven is merely the extension of life with Him. It is not the all-inclusive resort waiting on the other side of the grave. It is the present and future relationship of a faithful slave in the house of the Master.

Re-read the Gospels in terms of the call to obedience. Jesus’ death on the cross makes obedience possible. But even with the roadblock removed, it is not all up to us. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer provides the strength to obey. The Father is the active agent in working out our salvation. In the last sentence of the great theological letter to the Romans, Paul concludes with this thought: God is able to establish the believer in accordance with the truth of Jesus Christ for the purpose of obedience. The last thing that Paul wanted the Roman Christians to know was God’s purpose – obedience. Obedience is a result of God’s direct intervention in our lives. We are not left alone, standing in a new Garden of Eden faced with a new demand but without the means of keeping it. God Himself will establish us.

Life on earth is practice for heaven. Now is the time of salvation. This is the time when we work out the practice of obedience, the time when we learn through suffering what following the Master is all about. Now is the time when we tune our lives to His voice and His power through us. We are being prepared for the new heaven because we are not ready to take up permanent residence yet. Slavery is a learned behavior.

When we realize the salvation makes obedience possible, we unveil an amazing mystery. Obedience to God has nothing to do with compliance and obligation. God is not interested in how well we keep the rules. He is interested in why we obey. True obedience is generated from thanksgiving, not from legislation. Once we have been regenerated, we want to obey because He has rescued us from the path of self-destruction. Jesus is the life saver, not the life taskmaster. His gospel is the gospel of freedom because it has no obligations for appeasing God. The rescue resulting from re-birth is a gift. That means that there are no human provisions required. Keeping rules will never result in removing God’s wrath. God does not need to be appeased. Salvation is His gift to us, not because we did anything to earn it but simply because He gives it. God gives us the ability to obey Him because He knows that we could never obey through legislated compliance. But once we see that He has wiped away our debt, there is only one appropriate response – commitment to obedience from thankfulness.

Take a brave step forward in your faith. Obey from thanksgiving. Concentrate on the incredible gift that God has given you and let your life be motivated by that. Stop substituting compliance for thanksgiving. It is motivation that matters. Do you follow rules of Christian living out of a sense of obligation or legislation? Quit! Thanksgiving is so important as the real motivator behind true obedience that Paul names it as one of the two reasons that God judges those who reject Him: “they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks;” Here is the summary of proper motivation: respect and thanks. Whatever is not motivated by love is sin.

Do you want to go to heaven? Jesus already removed the barricade that blocked the way. He made your obedience possible. But He didn’t push aside the fence and then say, “OK, it’s up to you. Make it if you can.” When the fence fell, He held out His hand and said, “I will be with you until the end of the age.” “I am sending you the Comforter who will sustain you.” “God be with you.” Obedience is the highway to heaven. But it is a highway of helping hands all the way to the end.

Everybody wants to do the heaven, but only those who die are willing to obey.

Category: Articles | Tags: born again, heaven, obedience, thanksgiving | Leave a Comment

Heavy Attitudes

Monday, December 29th, 2008 | Author: Skip Moen

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3

Burdensome – It’s a real dilemma, isn’t it? John, under the inspiration of the Spirit, tells us that the summation of God’s love is found in keeping His commandments. He doesn’t say keeping the commandments of the Messiah (although he certainly could have since they are the same as the commandments in the Torah). That means John must be referring to the only commandments that he knew, namely, the commandments found in the only Bible he had, the Hebrew Scriptures. If these are inspired words, then there is little point in trying to argue that John didn’t mean what every Jew in his time would have understood by the term torah. But here’s the dilemma. John says that these commandments are not burdensome. I don’t know about you, but I find this very hard to swallow. It seems to me that a great deal of God’s instruction in the Torah is burdensome. I know that John speaks the truth, but I don’t find that it is a truth that resonates in my life. I guess I better dig a little deeper here to see where I have the problem.

John uses the Greek word barus. Used metaphorically, it means burdensome. But literally, it means heavy. It can be used both positively (Matthew 23:23 “important”) and negatively (Matthew 23:4 “heavy loads”). What’s more important is that John is echoing his Messiah. “Come to me all you who are heavy laden” (Matthew 11:28) “for my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30) where Jesus’ words are translated with a synonym of barus. If John and Jesus both say that keeping the commandments is not excruciatingly difficult (and God Himself says this in Exodus), then my struggle must be the result of something I am missing. How can Jesus, John and God all tell me that following Torah will not wear me down when all I can see ahead of me are rules and regulations that will interfere with my present life?

Oh, now I get it. My desire to hang on to my present lifestyle is the reason that these instructions seem so heavy. I don’t want to change the way that I do things, so, of course, it seems difficult. God doesn’t tell me that obedience is painless. He tells me that obedience changes my attitude and in the process of being obedient, He will alter the desires of my heart. God’s instructions are like a walk on the beach, but I can’t enjoy the walk on the beach until I get out of the house and step onto the sand. As long as I fight God about staying home, any effort to get me out to the beach will seem burdensome. But once I feel the sand between my toes, the water on my ankles and the gentle breezes on my face, my attitude about walking on the beach will change. So, here’s the challenge. Will I trust John and Jesus and God? Will I decide that they really are telling me the truth about the commandments? Will I commit to their exhortations and become obedient, trusting that by being obedient my antagonism will be transformed? Or will I refuse, thinking that I know better what is right for me? Let’s see. There’s a proverb about this dilemma. I think it goes something like this: “Lean not on your own understanding.” If you want God to direct your paths, then you will have to come to terms with John’s declaration. If the love of God is found in keeping His commandments, then it’s simply impossible to expect to find a life of peace and joy without keeping them. We can argue all we want about how strange and uncomfortable and unnecessary they seem to be, but that doesn’t change anything about John’s declaration. And it doesn’t help us get to the beach either.

Topical Index: Obedience

Category: Today's Word | Tags: John 5:3, obedience | Leave a Comment