The Cure (5)
Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. Isaiah 1:17 ESV
Learn – God expects you to learn to do good. Does that mean you need to take a course in biblical ethics? Does that mean you need a reference manual on moral choices? Does that mean you must pass the exam on standards of behavior? No, not one of these options qualify. They may be useful at some point, but if you are going to learn to do good, you need to know what the Hebrew verb lamad implies.
Lamad means “to learn, to teach, to be instructed in, to be skillful.” It is a most practical verb. Behind its standard translations is the idea of apprenticeship training. Greek ideas about learning are couched in the transfer of information. That’s why Greek can separate learning from teaching. From a Greek perspective, these are two distinct activities. A person with knowledge teaches a pupil without that knowledge and the pupil learns what he must know from the teacher. But in Hebrew, learning and teaching are the same action because all learning and all teaching come from the same source – the fear of the Lord – the yirat YHWH. This also means that lamad is instruction in righteousness and is only accomplished when it becomes manifest in the pupil. To know without doing is a Greek concept. In Hebrew, to know is to do and the one who does not do has never known.
Now it becomes obvious why Isaiah’s verse required learning to do good. I must follow the actions of a Master. I must make His ways my ways. It is not enough to listen to His words. It is not sufficient to repeat what He said. Until I act as He acts, I have not incorporated the teaching into my being. The Hebrew idea of instruction is copying the life of another. This repetition of life lies behind Paul’s exhortation to imitate and behind John’s great declaration of Christ-like manifestation (1 John 1). Information is useless until it affects change. There is no exam in righteousness except the one found in my behavior. I either live the way of the Lord or I am a liar (as John so clearly says).
Notice that YHWH commands us to learn to do good. That is the equivalent of learning to copy His ways since He alone determines what is good. We are required to be His talmidim, His apprentices. This means we copy Him. We hear what He says, we watch what He does, and we repeat it over and over until it becomes our nature as well. We cull those actions that find no place in the life of the Teacher. We focus on those actions that we see in His life. We train ourselves to see and behave as He sees and behaves. How often have we claimed to be His followers and yet, if we examine our lives, discover that they are not true copies of His acts? It’s time to learn the Hebraic way. It’s time to make ourselves apprentices of the Master and do only what He does, nothing more, nothing less.
Topical Index: learn, lamad, talmidim, apprentice, copy, Isaiah 1:17
Thanks, Skip.
You express this very well.
Jesus had no sin.
We do.
So, is following the example of a sinless Master
as simple as just “learning” to do it?
Or does the sin that we have enter into the picture,
having a direct impact on our learning and doing?
God mentions sin and its effect right off the get-go.
He speaks to Cain in Gen 4:7
“If you do right, will you not be accepted? But if you
do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door;
it desires to have you, but you must master it.”
Here’s the problem. No one can master sin in their own
strength. Sin is man’s chief foe from beginning to end.
“Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt;
there is no one who does good, not even one.” Ps 53:3
“for there is no one who does not sin . . .” 1 Kings 8:46
So . . . God gives us the gift of faith. “Do you believe in the
Son of Man?” Jn 9:35
Do we believe Jn 1:29?
“Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
Faith removes unbelief and empowers us to see the world and
ourselves as we truly are. And it empowers us to believe all that Jesus
did for us in His life, death and resurrection.
Chief among all belief is Who Jesus left us with and why. Read Jn 16:7-11
The Counselor (the Holy Spirit) is God’s remaining loving presence living
within us. With that present power of God within us, and with our continuing
allegience to obeying God’s Word, we will gracefully discover a righteousness
inside us that we did not have before we believed.
And does that make a difference?
All the difference in the world!!!
Hi Rich; you said “Here’s the problem. No one can master sin in their own
strength. Sin is man’s chief foe from beginning to end.”
Please forgive me if I have misunderstood your words. I think Skip’s point the last few days has been that God HAS made us able to choose to do right. It’s a not a matter of ever being able to completely overcome sin — indeed, sin is a fresh choice every time it crouches at our door. It may look a little different each time and we ought to recognize it faster when we’ve been through it, but I don’t believe we ever reach a point where we don’t have to choose good over evil, even with the presence of the Ruach HaKodesh.
I’m not claiming to be a Hebrew scholar but this is what I see. In Gen 4:7 YHVH tells Cain that he has the ability to “tim shol” over sin. That is from the root “mashal”: to rule over, to have dominion or power over. I think mastering is an inadequate translation which implies being perfectly skilled (as in once and for all) in a task. What I see here is the admonition that Cain CAN rule over sin but he had to make an ongoing choice to do that.
Yes, all have sinned and fallen short, but that doesn’t balance with saying that we are not ABLE to choose to do good. Do we choose wrongly at times? Of course. But praise God for His provision! He give us the ability to turn from that and choose what is right.
This is the very issue most of us have with “contemporary Christianity”. It jumps from “once saved always saved” to “I can’t help but sin”. Neither position is correct. Working out our salvation means that we choose to copy the Master’s (as in the one with all authority) behavior. It was the same requirement Moshe set before the people in Deut 30. Both Yeshua and Moshe said to “choose life”. (And I don’t think that was a reference to the sinner’s prayer.)
The Ruach was sent to HELP us walk in God’s mitzvot — not to do FOR us what God expects us to choose for ourselves. It’s a thin line between the Holy Spirit being the power who strengthens my resolve to do right and the Holy Spirit being the only reason I can choose right.
Dear Suzanne,
You are correct. The idea that we can’t help but sin and that sin is so overwhelming that it defeats us at every turn (or at least most of the time) seems to be to be anchored in Luther and Augustine and the Platonic concept of the corrupt physical world. In other words, it is a function of “sinful nature” theology, which, as you know, is completely rejected by Jewish thought.
As a matter of personal experience, I think every one of us actually knows that this concept cannot be true. All we have to do is reflect on the sins we have committed and ask, “At the moment I decided to be disobedient, was I INCAPABLE of turning the other way and choosing what was right?” In hindsight, I think we call realize that even though we CHOSE to sin, we were not COMPELLED to sin. Our experience is that if we had the opportunity again, we could choose to do what is right. That alone should undermine a theology that proclaims sin OVERPOWERS us.
Well put Suzanne. I agree that neither position is correct in contemporary Christianity.
In addition I would add that the true sense of discipleship embodies the call to “learn” as Skip puts it here – learning/living by doing, following, imitating and walking as He did.
God has a wonderful apprentice program for you.
What’s Your Story?
Practice Makes Perfect
Excellent! Life is for learning. Don’t be a “slow learner,”- (like me!) Both learning and teaching are “one.” (lamad) Teachers learn to teach by teaching. Preachers learn to preach by preaching. Painters learn to paint by painting. Plumbers learn all they know “from a book?” To make good cathead biscuits, (just like Grandma used to make) you’ve got to get your hands in the dough. We (all) learn by doing. Disciples of Christ, Apprentices of the Master, “Do it this way”- “follow Me”- Do as I do. ~ Whatever He says unto you- (repeat it unto others?)- No, not at all. Just “DO IT.”
Not (as many of us parental units would say)- “Do as I say,”- but “Do as I do.” Parents, get out there and “dance with them!” Our children (God’s little spies) are watching and patterning themselves after us, – we are their role models. Others are watching us as well. We are (all) “living epistles,”- so what’s your story?
One inspired author has written:
While passing through this world of sin,
and others your life shall view,
Be clean and pure without, within;
Let others see Jesus in you.
Let others see Jesus in you,
Let others see Jesus in you.
Keep telling His-story, be faithful and true;
Let others see Jesus in you.
Your life’s a book before their eyes,
They’re reading it through and through
Say, does it point them to the skies?
Do others see Jesus in you?
Let others see Jesus in you,
Let others see Jesus in you.
Keep telling His-story, be faithful and true;
Let others see Jesus in you.
Then live for Christ both day and night,
Be faithful, be brave and true,
and lead the lost to life and Christ,
Let others see Jesus in you.
Let others see Jesus in you,
Let others see Jesus in you.
Keep telling His-story, be faithful and true;
Let others see Jesus in you.
We need more practice than “preaching!” and here is a great place to start:
~ “Not I, but Christ..” ~
~ He must increase, but I must decrease ~
May Jesus Christ be praised!!
We (all) need to practice our praise!! (might this pattern of praise become a holy, habitual habit?) May it be so.. among all the people. Amen!
~ O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our Maker ~ (Psalm 95.6)
Note to self: (Do it!,- do it now!)
~ Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness ~tremble before Him, all the earth ~ the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom! ~
~ Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing ~ (Revelation 5.12)
Where to begin? ~ their first action was to give themselves to the LORD ~ (2 Corinthians 8.5)
Note to self: (Do it!,- do it now!)
~ Draw near unto God, and He will draw near unto you! ~ (James 4.8)
~ O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His Name together! ~
(Today) May Jesus Christ be praised!
O magnify the LORD with me
Ye people of His choice.
Let all to whom He lendeth breath
Now in His Name rejoice.
For love’s blest revelation,
For rest from condemnation,
For uttermost salvation,
To Him give thanks.
Let all the people praise Thee.
Let all the people praise Thee,
Let all the people praise Thy Name
Forever and forevermore.
O praise Him for His holiness,
His wisdom, and His grace;
Sing praises for His precious blood
Which ransomed all our race.
In tenderness He sought us;
From depths of sin He brought us;
The way of life then taught us.
To Him give thanks.
Let all the people praise Thee.
Let all the people praise Thee,
Let all the people praise Thy Name
Forever and forevermore.
Had I a thousand tongues to sing,
The half could ne’er be told
Of love so rich, so full and free,
Of blessings manifold;
Of grace that faileth never!,
Peace flowing as a river
From God, the glorious Giver.
To Him give thanks.
“May all the peoples praise Thee.” (Psalm 67:3)
BAM!
Wonderfully written – Thank you for these daily vitamins! Praying for your family as you celebrate the life of Rosanne’s Dad and mourn your loss. May HIS strength and comfort be your companions.
Hi Suzanne,
We’re on the same page. Perhaps I wasn’t as clear
as I could be.
My experience has shown me a clear inner difference
from before to after I surrendered my life to Him.
Jesus told us He would send the Holy Spirit as a “Helper”
to those who submitted their lives to following Him.
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you
from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from
the Father, He will testify of Me.” Jn15:26 NKJ
At first, I wasn’t completely aware that I was being “helped”
by God’s Spirit. I just knew that I was becoming completely
different in my outlook to Him, myself and the world.
I was surprised that my desire to sin became less. It was after
further time in His Word and study that I realized that my changed
disposition was not just my own doing, but was indeed the helping
influence of God’s Spirit now dwelling within me.
Without this, God knows where I’d be.
Hi Rich:
You know, I used to buy the idea that somehow I became empowered with the presence of the Ruach HaKodesh — but now I am not so sure. As a child my home influence, particularly from my father and paternal grandparents, had a strong Scriptural base from old time Methodism. During my early “saved” adult Christian years I was a spirit-filled tongue talking Pentacostal. So I’ve been inculcated with the Christian doctrine of the Holy Spirit for most of my life. And while I appreciate much of the foundational teaching, I am also reexamining much of it.
When I look back on my “pre-saved” self in those teen to young adult years and I have to admit I was simply in rebellion. I knew what was right — But I chose DELIBERATELY with forethought to do wrong. What changed? When I admitted that I had gone astray and decided to turn my will to follow after Yeshua, THEN I had a reason to choose life.
But, I never felt that making the right choices became easier because I was empowered by the Holy Spirit. MY outlook was different because I now WANTED to chose right. The key here again being MY will. My will to follow Yeshua was strengthened as I studied and grew in the Word. The Ruach was my personal cheering section but He would not have gone against my will if I chose to do wrong. And had I persisted on a path away from Yeshua, He would not have stopped me — yes, my conscience would have been seared and I would have had to harden my heart against what I knew to be true. But I no longer believe that Ruach’s role is more than a guide WHEN we are SEEKING the truth.
I’m very cautious now about how I rely on the Holy Spirit. Too many of my friends and family seem to think they can do no wrong if they are “led by the spirit” as if He’s some sort of talisman. Kind of like adding “in Jesus’ name” at the end of a prayer that must last at least 7 minutes to be spiritual. (So OK, some of my personal pet peeves in that last sentence. :))