Spirituality Column #463
September 29, 2015
Current in Carmel-Westfield-Noblesville-Fishers-Zionsville-Geist

By Bob Walters

"No greater love has anyone than this; that someone lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13 (ESV)

It’s a good bet that this is one of the most familiar verses in the Bible, even among people who don’t read the Bible, don’t especially believe what it says about Jesus, or maybe are unaware that this even is a Bible verse.

Dying for others as an act of sacrificial love is something that abides deeply in our American DNA.  No other country has military cemeteries in as many far-flung places as has the USA, which has advanced the cause of freedom with its own treasure and blood throughout her history.  Americans “get” this.

Among the Bible literate, John 15:1-17 is known as “The True Vine” or “The Vine and Branches” story.  The “someone” who “lays down his life for his friends” is Jesus, whose death and resurrection restores our relationship with God.  This passage has fascinating depth, symbolism, instruction and Old Testament pedigree.

Essentially, these words are Jesus’ final instructions to his disciples as they leave the last supper.  Heading to the garden of Gethsemane where He will “sweat blood” in distressful prayer, be arrested by Jewish guards, be abandoned by most of his disciples and then led away to trials, beatings, rejection, humiliation, crucifixion and death, Jesus talks of abiding in His love and loving one another.

In Isaiah 5:1-7, “The Song of the Vineyard,” the “vine” is the symbol of Israel; much like Americans would recognize the bald eagle as the symbol of our nation.  God is telling Israel, through Isaiah, that “the vine” he has loved and set apart, i.e., their nation, has failed him.  Jesus is now telling the disciples that He is the true vine, the true representation of God’s will and purpose.  And after all … Jesus is God.

This is the kind of teaching that regularly infuriated the Jewish leaders.  Jesus constantly represented to them that He was the Messiah savior, son of God, come to save all mankind.  The Jews did not want to lose what they assumed was exclusively theirs and were unwilling to share God’s favor with all humanity.

The instruction of “The Vine” of Jesus is simply this: “Love one another as I have loved you” (verse 12). And we can only properly love each other if we properly abide in the love of Jesus (verses 4-7, 9-10).  It is instruction for everyone.

The circle is complete when our love for each other abides in the love of Jesus, and then produces fruit for the glory of God.

That’s abiding in the true vine.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) thanks Dr. David Faust, pastor, mentor and friend, for the Vine background.

Spirituality Column #462
September 22, 2015
Current in Carmel-Westfield-Noblesville-Fishers-Zionsville-Geist

By Bob Walters

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

Righteousness is the coin of the realm of the Kingdom of God.

But oh, how humanity – foolishly – wants to charge off all moral accounts to “fairness.”

Therein lays the great divine divide between God’s will and purpose, and man’s fear and weakness.  “Fear of the Lord” is simply, unconditionally, understanding that God doesn’t operate in the sphere of “fair” as a negotiated, worldly, give and take.  To “fear God” means to know in one’s soul, and trust with one’s intellect, that the definition for all that God ordains comes down to the word “righteous,” not the word “fair.”

Much of what transpires in the midst of fallen mankind in a fallen world is a function of man’s fear, man’s greed and man’s arrogance.  Humans fear death, we seek physical and emotional comfort, and bear false assurance in the mistaken belief that we can invent and thrive in a moral code of “fairness” born in our own sinful image.

No, we need God in the equation, and we see the sum total of God’s righteousness in Jesus Christ.

“Fairness,” when dealing with God, is the wrong thing to ask, expect, or even to pray for.  God – ultimately, finally, always and gloriously – will do the righteous thing regardless of whether mankind agrees that it is the fair thing.  As Proverbs indicates, fools prefer their own version of “fair” to God’s unwavering truth and righteousness.

Wisdom and discipline, you see, are the province of God.

One can never understand the Old Testament’s chaos or the New Testament’s sacrifice if one believes God’s objective is to be fair, unless of course one accepts that whatever God does, by definition, is fair because one already accepts God’s righteousness.  Then, yes, God is fair.  But few people think like that.

"Amen, God is righteous,” many folks agree, yet expect God to be fair.  That’s another way of saying, “God needs to see things my way.”

Sorry.  God sees things His way.  The Apostle Paul’s wonderful line in Romans 8:28 about “all things working together for good” does not mean that every misbegotten human endeavor, interpersonal injustice or situational iniquity in life is going to turn out “OK.”  What that passage does mean is that we can trust the righteousness of God whether we in our human, worldly, fallen foolishness agree with it or not.

Levying anger at God and disavowing Jesus are common reactions to perceived divine unfairness, but never solutions.

Faith in God and more specifically trust in Jesus Christ, however, are.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) notes that the cross was not fair, but it was powerfully righteous.

Spirituality Column #461
September 15, 2015
Current in Carmel-Westfield-Noblesville-Fishers-Zionsville-Geist

Why Am I Doing This?  Part 2

Spirituality Column #460
September 9, 2015
Current in Carmel-Westfield-Noblesville-Fishers-Zionsville-Geist

By Bob Walters

Let’s talk about why we go to church.  Or why we don’t.

There’s plenty of church tradition and doctrine dealing with the Sabbath, attending services, worshipping God in fellowship with other believers, sharing God’s house with those still seeking God’s truth and love, presenting offerings, taking communion, dressing up, dressing down, resting on Sunday, and on and on.

I went to church as a kid because my parents and friends did.  I didn’t think about “why.”  I drifted away from church in my mid-teens and away from God in my early adult years, also without much thought of “why.”  I spent another couple decades thinking little about church, God, Jesus or religion at all.

I spent neither time nor intellectual energy on – let me coin a phrase here – my own “faith equation.”  The world was treating me well.  I had a series of terrific jobs, got married, had two healthy sons, enjoyed the esteem of my professional peers (I was in sports journalism then public relations), and while I wasn’t getting rich, I was enjoying life – an interesting and happy life – tremendously.

Going to church on Sundays was something other people did.  Sunday mornings I was either working and therefore traveling, or when I was home I slept in, had a big at-home breakfast with the family and watched the news shows.

My “not going to church” story is not especially unique.  I didn’t see a reason to go, wouldn’t have understood why I was there and doubted anyone could explain it to me.  Then one day, I had a reason to go.  My older son, in eighth grade, wanted to go to church.  So as a family, we went.  And suddenly, inexplicably, right there in the service, my “faith equation” needle pointed true north toward Jesus. I wanted to know more, and craved the help of anyone who could explain any part of it to me.

That’s another and much longer story, but since that Sunday 14 years ago (Labor Day weekend 2001) I go to church, want to go to church, enjoy going to church.  I read a lot, attend Bible studies, write this column, engage in ministries and nurture Christian relationships. I have learned much about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, church history, doctrines, other religions, etc.  And I have noticed one fascinating thing about going to church, especially, specifically, biblically, about the Sabbath:

It’s the only one of the Ten Commandments not mentioned among our Christian obligations in the New Testament, despite being one of the unique aspects of Christ.

More next week.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) notices that Jesus in His earthly life caused a lot of trouble on the Sabbath.  There’s a reason why.