CommonChristianity: June 2019

Monday, June 24, 2019

658 - You Better Believe It

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Spirituality Column #658
June 25, 2019

Common Christianity, Uncommon Commentary

You Better Believe It

By Bob Walters

“…that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Jesus, John 3:15

Perhaps you are among those of us who have to concentrate extra hard when trying to understand the words of Jesus in the third chapter of the Fourth Gospel.

John 3 – home to the famous John 3:16 verse “For God so loved the world …” etc. – opens with bold and inquisitive Pharisee Nicodemus visiting Jesus. Under the cover of darkness this esteemed Jewish leader has come to investigate this startling Rabbi whose wisdom has so obviously come from God and who performs miracles that are so obviously signs of the divine. Nicodemus wants to know more, but let’s not miss that the Bible offers no clue as to whether Nicodemus has come in humility and maybe burgeoning faith, or to gain advantage over his peers. Motive isn’t mentioned.

One thing worth noticing is that no ceremonial, laudatory, or even cordial greeting is offered by Jesus to his visitor: no signal of Nicodemus’s esteemed title or station, no “Thank you for coming,” no “Nice to see you,” no “What can I do for you?”

Jesus starts in commandingly with, “I tell you the truth…”

I love that. Jesus tells the truth and tells it straight away on his terms, not ours.

Jesus proceeds to expound on the truth of the Kingdom of Heaven, of being “born again,” of water and Spirit, of flesh, of the wind blowing, of truth, of His testimony, of believing, of earthly things, and of heavenly things. Jesus then talks of love, of light, of darkness, of condemnation and salvation. And then He talks some more about light and darkness, of evil deeds, and the light of truth. Nicodemus is mystified.

Here, it’s OK to shake one’s head. What the heck is Jesus talking about?

Nicodemus is still stuck back on “reborn” and “the mother’s womb.” He is – at this point – utterly opaque to the wonderful story and opportunity Jesus is laying out before Him and, later through the Spirit in this Bible we now know, before all mankind.

Jesus does not belabor Nicodemus’s sin, disobedience, and guilt; He points to Nicodemus’s and all the Pharisees’ lack of Godly understanding, their eternal peril of darkness, their misdirected faith in earthly things, and their lack of belief in Him.

Notice that nowhere in this passage does Jesus mention forgiveness. Instead His emphasis is on truth, faith, light, the Spirit, and repeatedly … about believing.

I am thankful my sins are forgiven but the lesson of John certainly isn’t narrowly about forgiveness of our earthly and worldly sins; it is about thoroughly believing the divine and eternal truth of the love of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Over the years I’ve developed an ear for hearing when Christians are focused on sin and forgiveness vs. when Christians are focused on belief, faith, truth, love, and the person of Jesus Christ; it is the difference of legalism vs. freedom; of fear vs. joy.

In this most powerful scripture passage we discover our key to the Kingdom of Heaven laid out plainly as a matter of God’s love, our belief in Jesus … and nothing else. Be thankful for that, and trust Jesus in all that He says.

Even when it makes you shake your head.

Maybe especially when it makes you shake your head.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) suggests that a nod is even better.

Labels: belief, born again, condemnation, forgiveness, John 3:15-16, Kingdom, life, light, Nicodemus, Truth, understanding, words of Jesus | 0 comments

Monday, June 17, 2019

657 - Simple Things

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Spirituality Column #657

June 18, 2019

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Simple Things

By Bob Walters

With our hectic schedule leading up to younger son John’s wedding this past Saturday in southern Indiana (John married Jeni in Holton, south of Greensburg …epic wedding), I told my wife Pam that the simplest thing I could think of regarding the writing of this week’s column was to have her write it for me.

All she was doing was baking 14 dozen cupcakes in seven different flavors with various home-made frostings for the reception, plus a slimmed-down “official” wedding cake (so they had something to “cut”). Oh, and arranging hospitality for our hotel “suite” (reality check … it was a Hampton Inn/Greensburg room with a couch and kitchenette).

Anyway … sometimes you use what’s available and what I was really suggesting was that we publish her communion meditation from the June 9 traditional service at our E91 church in Indianapolis. Pam said “fine” and went back to her cupcakes. Here is the meditation:

“When Jesus served the last supper to His disciples, His choice of elements was very simple. Unleavened bread and wine. But we humans have a knack for making the simple complicated. Take bread, for example. Have you seen the bread aisle at your local grocery story? The wine aisle? Yes. We certainly can complicate things.

“At every important event or holiday in our lives, much of the focus is on the food. Some of us cook and bake for days in preparation for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners because we want them to be special, an expression of love for those who will sit around the table. And certainly a meal fit for a King should be magnificent with many courses and exquisite dishes – complicated.

“But communion with King Jesus is a simple bread and cup. He doesn’t require of us elaborate preparation, just careful examination of our lives, and then most importantly, hearts full of love and gratitude as we remember Him and what He did on the cross for each one of us.

“As we partake of these elements today, keep it simple. Eat, drink, remember, and be grateful.” (Communion is served …)

“In that most simple and yet most meaningful last supper with His disciples, Jesus “took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this is remembrance of me.” (Bread is eaten.)

“After the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Drinking of the cup.)

“As the servers now come forward to receive our offerings, would you please pray with me?

“Dear Heavenly Father: We are indeed so thankful for who you are and for your love for us. Help us, Lord, to keep our relationship with you simple. Help us to not complicate it with our questions, doubts, and fears. May we each strive, as you have commanded, for a faith like that of a child.”

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) notes that both the wedding cupcakes and the communion meditation were spread with Pam’s special and unmistakable touch of love.

Labels: bread and wine, communion, cupcakes, John’s Wedding, meal for a King, Pam’s communion meditation, simple meal, simplicity, uncomplicated command | 0 comments

Monday, June 10, 2019

656 - Evil as a Modifier

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Spirituality Column #656

June 11, 2019

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Evil as a Modifier

By Bob Walters

“For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves; so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.” 1 Peter 2:16, New Living Translation

The 9 a.m. guy on Moody Radio a few weeks back made an interesting assertion about evil: that “evil” is not a “thing” itself; evil is a description for an action that goes against God’s will. Some may say that’s slicing the cheese mighty thin – evil is evil whether it’s a thing or a modifier – but the line caught my attention as a helpful prescriptive against this puzzling and frequently-posed apparent conundrum:

“If God is good, why did He create evil?”

The speaker’s point – and I thought it was a good one – was that God did not create evil; God merely allows it. It was certainly a notion worthy of further discussion.

But the brief piece of Pastor Mike Fabarez’s sermon I heard included this answer – paraphrased but accurately-framed – for the “good-evil” question he had posed: “God has to allow evil so He would have something to redeem us from; that we could not see His redemptive, saving self if we did not sin and then adore Him for saving us.”

That’s the point, in a Sunday school class, that I would have put my hand up.

God’s goodness and righteousness are unassailable, so God does not need tricks to establish His Kingdom or to save humanity. As my wife Pam smartly observed: “God didn’t create or allow something bad just so He could look good.” Amen.

What God does need – what God is – is love, not some Guy looking for a trophy or acclaim or a parade. God – in His goodness and love – created humanity in His own free image so we too may freely decide to love Him and participate in His infinite and eternal glory. Our tribute and obedience to God is in the love and faith we freely aim His way. Our human challenge lies in our fallenness in sin. The only option we have to find the way, and the truth, and the life of and to God is through faith in Jesus Christ (John 14:6) in our own Spirit-led freedom and love.

That’s why I dug up the 1 Peter 2:16 quote above about slavery, freedom, and evil. Americans – especially Americans – hate any form of the word “slavery” because in our national experience, and even to this day 150 years after it was outlawed, “slavery” connotes coercion and represents a most vile and evil loss of freedom.

Peter isn’t talking about that. Each of us properly and freely should be a slave to that which we love. First among our loves should be God, paired with a God-inspired and God-honoring love of humanity. Our national mistake of the moment is in the preponderance of folks who assert personal rights but have no inclination to accept God-willed responsibilities. Peter, absolutely, is talking about that.

What I never see in the New Covenant is God pushing fear, punishment, sin, or guilt as control mechanisms; those tactics lack love. What I do see is the love, mercy, grace, hope, peace, compassion, and sacrificial love of Jesus Christ, whose human freedom He used to honor God and sacrifice Himself as a slave for that which He loved.

We see evil in that which does not honor God, and good in that which does. Our best play, then, is to modify our personal freedom to match God’s love and goodness.

Evil will not follow us into heaven.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) has a short fuse as to freedom without responsibility.

Labels: 1 Peter 2:16, Americans, compassion, evil, freedom, God’s will, Mike Fabarez, Moody Radio, responsibility, rights, slaves, Why did God create evil? | 0 comments

Monday, June 3, 2019

655 - Team Effort

5:48 PM | Posted by Common Christianity | | Edit Post

Spirituality Column #655
June 4, 2019

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Team Effort

By Bob Walters

“All scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching.” – Paul, 2 Timothy 3:16

An interesting tête-à-tête between two friends appeared on my Facebook feed this week. I knew better than to respond to it there but I can’t resist discussing it here.

Gentle friend Betty posted, in one of those big, square black-box memes with reverse white type: “God is not going to rewrite the Bible for your generation. Stop trying to change scripture when it is written to change you.” I love that.

Bold friend Mike responded: “Check real close, it’s been rewritten a few times, and God didn’t write it the first time.” Those are sorta fightin’ words.

Since technically a tête-à-tête is a “private” chat and this was on Facebook, it was more of a quasi-public meow-match with no other participants. Now, I know and like both Betty and Mike, and I know both are professing Christians, and I thought it was interesting that after they had another brief exchange, nobody else commented further. Obviously, folks thought the issue was better left between the two of them.

That said, both of their posts are cornucopias of commentary bait. I can’t resist.

On my agreement with Betty, modern culture’s biggest mistake and black hole of knowledge is its tendency to make the Bible mean what today’s “me-first” culture wants it to mean rather than what God wants it to mean. We are stuck on “My rights,” “Who I am,” and “I gotta be me,” while the Bible explains human freedom in the light of our having been created in God’s image. We “change” because the Bible shows us a better way; it shows us the person of Jesus, purpose, sacrificial love, joy, and divine judgment. When we “die to self” or “die for our friends,” we love others as Jesus loves us; we examine the ethic of what’s best for all, not the fashion of what I can get away with.

It also occurs to me that the Bible is a “living” document in a very different way than say, the “U.S. Constitution” is allegedly, politically, and conveniently “living.” The Bible is living because every time I read it, I see something new. It speaks to my heart and enriches my life. It lives in me. When I hear “living” Constitution, I know somebody is trying to take away God-given fundamental rights culture no longer agrees with. That is the kind of “living” that will kill us all. The Bible teaches us to live in God’s Kingdom.

Mike’s boldness is not entirely wrong, because while all Bibles (with a few heretical exceptions) depict the same Jesus, the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Bibles do contain differences in books, verses, and organization. Greek is the “official language” of the New Testament, though it’s unlikely Jesus spoke anything but Hebrew and Aramaic. Scholars suggest the third century Syrian Bible is more accurate than the Greek. Bible translations and paraphrases continue today. But “rewritten”? No.

Modern gender-fluid culture urges only the Gospels be believed because “Jesus never said anything about gays.” News flash: Jesus didn’t write the Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John did, and Paul’s line about “God-breathed and useful …” includes the whole Bible. Forty or so different humans wrote the Bible, and what’s common throughout is the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of the Father-Son-Spirit Godhead.

The Bible was and is a divine team effort, God included. You can look it up.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) knows opinions differ. But hey, it’s a free country.

Labels: 2 Timothy 3:16, Bible, change, Facebook, freedom, living document, rights, U.S. Constitution | 0 comments

658 - You Better Believe It

657 - Simple Things

656 - Evil as a Modifier

655 - Team Effort

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