Friends,

Here is Common Christianity column #824 (8-30-22), “Heart of the Matter.”  When we confine the heart of Jesus to “forgiving my sin,” we miss the heart of truly knowing God.  Be assured; Jesus provides both. See the column below, or at our blog CommonChristianity, or on social media.

Have a great week, and God bless … Bob

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Labels: Creator, forgiveness, John 13, knowing God, relationship, religion, sin, trinity

Spirituality Column #824

August 30, 2022

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Heart of the Matter

By Bob Walters

Is Christianity, at its Jesus heart, first and foremost about knowing God?

Or is it about God forgiving our sin and me being saved?

God’s gifts are many and magnificent, and perhaps it is impolite to rank God’s multiple purposes and lessons that Jesus presented to humanity.  We already know that God, in toto, is a whole and complete package / being / life / entity Who cannot be divided by my human caprices and preferences.  Just because I want God to be something I can define or stratify has no bearing on what God actually is.

But it’s fair to wonder: Who is God and What does He want … most?

God is the main event.  He is the first and only cause, and the uncreated Creator.  He is love in the eternal trinity relationship that includes Christ and Spirit. God is not the schoolhouse principal; He is not “daddy with a switch.”  He is Father-Son-Spirit-love.

He is God who put into our hearts and minds the questions, “Where did I come from?” and “Why am I here?”  Turns out “God” is the answer to both.  1) God created us in His image as a sentient, free expression of His love and His eternal life (see Genesis 1-2; or the entire Bible, really), and 2) our purpose is to know and share God’s glory.

I don’t think God’s main goal with Creating us was so He could forgive us later.

I think first and foremost God wanted us to know Who He is; He already knows us.  Then I think He wants us to love Him and love each other, the sum of Jesus’s two great commandments (John 13).  God is relationship, and relationship is what He invites us to join … with Him.  Sinners needed help with that, and that’s what Jesus did/does.

On its own, humanity seems to be a Creation unable to leave well enough alone. Exhibit A would be The Garden of Eden.  But that wasn’t a Godly flaw.  It was and is a feature of the free and creative creature God created.  As we ask questions and sort out answers, having a mechanism for mental sequence is helpful.  Hence, my inexact list.

Somewhere down near the bottom of what I’ve learned about Christ, I’d pencil in, “forgiveness of sin,” and below that, “start a new religion.”  Without forgiveness of our sin, our relationship with God cannot happen because of His perfect righteousness. None of us is perfect, but we tend to over-prioritize “fixing myself” and “what I get.”

Jesus came to give us life with God in the body of Christ, which we call the church.  And that Godly human life begins with humans knowing who God is.  Jesus came to show us God is real, and that God’s love, truth, goodness, and righteousness are divinely trustworthy.  God means business, and He means for us to know it.

With the help of Satan, humans figured out early on how to stray from God, to sin (see Genesis 3), and break the relationship God intended. Ever since, humans have shown neither reluctance nor inability to create religions, gods, philosophies, systems, myths, stories, and governments to explain or imagine control over their environment, or of forcing control over other humans.  Jesus did not come to control us with a religion or browbeat us about sin; He came to free us with surety of God’s love and eternal life.

The forgiveness thing had to happen … like putting tires on a car.  But the point of the car is the freedom and purpose of the journey and destination, not the tires.

Jesus proves to me that God is true and good.  Salvation is the wind in my hair.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) is forgiven (like you), but his joy is knowing Jesus.

 Friends,

Here is Common Christianity column #823 (8-23-22), “Brain Scan.”  We talk so much about behavior in Christianity; today let’s talk about God’s intellect and our thinking.  See the column below.  Have a great week!  Blessings, Bob

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Spirituality Column #823

August 23, 2022

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Brain Scan

By Bob Walters

“But we have the mind of Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 2:16

I was surprised to learn that the word “brain” does not appear in the Bible.  “Mind,” “soul”, and “spirit” show up a lot.  “Heart” is mentioned more than 800 times. 

But “brain”?  Evidently not a Bible thing.  Let’s talk about that.

This is one of those scriptural tidbits I stumbled upon while looking for something else.  I was searching commentary on Paul’s powerful “mind of Christ” verse.  My mission was to refute the behavioral overkill that is the focus of the modern church and explore the too-light treatment of the intellect of God as it manifests in humanity; i.e., the church of “feeling” vs. the church of “thinking.”  And … “brain” isn’t in the Bible?  Huh.

To me, brain power is the real power of God with which mankind is gifted through faith in Jesus Christ: an intellectual synergy with the Creator of the universe.  I truly do believe that faith in Jesus initiates as a matter of the heart (more in a minute), but the massive payoff for our creative intellectual existence – gifted by Christ – can be stated simply as this: knowledge that God truly exists, Jesus truly lives, the Spirit animates our multi-pronged connection with the divine, the Bible can be trusted, and we are loved.

For all the endless Christian therapeutic chatter about “doubt,” once the human heart lands on Jesus and opens the corresponding human brain to God’s intellect, human existence grows into the great heavenly realm of thinking with Christ.  

Mankind, as a matter of worldly pride and a false sense of self-sufficiency, too often – maybe overwhelmingly often – imagines a self-inflicted intellectual “depth,” assessing of knowledge: “I’ve got this; No God Needed.”    

It’s as if to say: “On my own … in my brain … I am sufficient.  I neither can nor desire to prove God exists, but am assured a god cannot broaden my mental acuity.  I’m already smart enough.  I can do clever things.  Give me a few minutes and I’ll invent a gadget, or work up a philosophy that explains to my satisfaction who God is supposed to be.  Give me a few more minutes and I’ll fashion a treatise on the truth of good, evil, right, wrong, and an overarching thesis on the way things ought to be.  God?  No need.”

That is too-common, worldly, human philosophy – spanning the ages, we might add – that ditches Godly relation and is ultimately – shall we say eternally – useless.

If there is one “worldly thing” (1 John 2:15-17) that God’s wisdom would indicate and recommend not attaching to our minds, it would be “wisdom” that does not include Jesus Christ. That empty wisdom goes nowhere beyond the finite dimensions of this material existence and its inescapable death.  And it steers nowhere near the heavenly realms: that ineffable but unmistakable experience of divine presence and truth in the here and now – for fleeting, precious, profound moments – when we touch God.

Our brains will not – cannot – be right with God until our hearts are right with Jesus. We have “the mind of Christ” when our hearts, in the conscience of Christ, are able to resist worldly, impermanent, and intemperate temptations, and to think anew.

“Repent,” at its Greek basic, means “to change ones thinking.” Paul’s mission at Corinth is to secure their hearts truly for Jesus so they may grasp the wisdom of God.

Heart change speaks to behavior and joy; Godly wisdom hastens the Kingdom.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) figures “Godly smart” is the best kind of smart.

 Friends,

Here is Common Christianity column #822 (8-16-22), “Night Sweats.” The moon has a purpose but no life … kind of like us without Jesus. See the column below or on social media. 

Have a great week!  Blessings, Bob

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Spirituality Column #822

August 16, 2022

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Night Sweats

By Bob Walters

“I am the light of the world …” – Jesus in John 8:12, speaking to the Pharisees who promptly called Him a liar in verse 13.

Central Indiana was fortunate this past week to offer the canvas of a wondrously clear August evening upon which to paint the year’s biggest and brightest full moon.

I like the moon, especially a full moon.  Along with what I’d bet constitutes the bulk of the thinking human race, the pall of God’s “second light” tantalizingly strokes some of my deepest notions of mystery, romance, life’s possibilities, peace, and rest.

It may just be a “big rock in the sky” to some.  For souls kindred to mine, it’s romance. For some, the moon holds an odd power over emotions, yearnings, and, shall we say, rash actions.  First responders and hospital staffs prefer to have the night off.

Despite how the poetic spectacle of a bright full moon may nudge our life’s passions, what we do know about the moon, scientifically, is that there’s nothing about the moon that could be called, in and of itself, “life.”  We make the moon whatever we imagine it to be symbolically, but basically it is a big dead light reflector and gravity field generator that helps make life on earth possible.  So yes, the moon can be seen, takes up space, and has a purpose, but alone the moon has no life.

With that, let’s make a few points about the light, power, and life of Jesus.

Here, we don’t need the moon.  We need the sun.

C.S. Lewis noted famously that though the human eye cannot actually see the sun because of its blinding light, the sun – like Jesus – is the light by which we see everything else, including the moon.  People dispute the reality of Jesus because like the sun, they say, “I can’t see Him,” yet no one denies the sun is there.

We may be enamored by the moon, but human life and purpose are more than reflection. Add a capital letter and switch out the vowel so “sun” becomes “Son” and we graduate beyond the luminary science of sunshine and reflection and into the truth of who and what lights the lives we live – Jesus – and how we are part of that light. 

The moon reflects but does not generate light.  Though one could argue that humans merely reflect the image of God in creation and so are no more alive than the moon, God’s image does far more than reflect off of or through humanity.

God’s image in us gives us the very light Jesus came to reveal and assure: to both receive God in faith and share God’s love with others.  That is the light that we ourselves generate in the power of Jesus.  Without it, we are dead … like the moon.

I never worry about whether I’m alone in the night of a purposeless existence because I was created in the image of someone else.  Jesus tells us that the true light of our existence is sharing the same purpose He has – to love God and love each other.

So, if one is rattled by a dim reflection in the spiritual dark, don’t sweat it.

Instead, light the true, bright, and powerful light of Jesus.  That is life.  No lie.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com), when gazing at a clear full moon, will tell anyone who happens to be nearby to look for “the bunny in the moon.”  Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. (Don and Trish … this one’s for you.><>)

Friends,

Here is Common Christianity column #821 (8-9-22), “Command Performance.” We Christians focus so much on being commanded by God to behave … but He is commanding us to love.  See the column below.

Have a great week!  Blessings, Bob

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Spirituality Column #821

August 9, 2022

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Command Performance

By Bob Walters

“This is my command: Love each other.” – Jesus to his disciples, John 15:17

Perhaps Satan’s greatest ally in staunching human acceptance, adoration, and obedience regarding God, Jesus, the church, and Christianity is how people understand the specific and very-often used Bible word: “command.”

Cite the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament (Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5-6) to lay out a behavioral template, and the Bible is a “Rule Book.” 

Rehearse Jesus’s words, “A new command I give to you, love God and love others” (John 13:34), and a romantic novel is birthed.

If one asserts the various “commands” of Christ and directives of Paul as a punishable threat against human sin, a horror story of trapped souls, fearful missteps, dreaded judgment, and joyless lives flourishes.

Whatever happened to, “So your joy may be complete”? (John 15:7)

The Bible reads far better when the commands of God and Christ – and the general teaching of the New Testament writers – are understood to tell us the way things will go best for us, rather than as threats from an angry, wrathful, cranky God with a prison list of forbidden activities.  God’s not out “to get us.”  At least, not like that.

The Ten Commandments present the template for successful society and thriving human aspiration and creativity. The first four commands tell us to know and honor God; the last six commands to respect and honor each other.  The beneficiary of these commands is not God; it is us.  Our relationship with God brings joy; our relationship with each other brings peace. Then, things can go well with us (Eph 6:3, Deut 12:28).

It’s an easy equation: God is love, and He’s here to help; Jesus proves it.  But God is also maddeningly and unchangeably righteous.  We have freedom, yes; and in Christ we have freedom from the Law of Israel. But we have profound responsibility to God’s favorite creation – humanity – to share His love and teach about Jesus Christ.

Everyone knows that Jesus’s “two new commandments” mirror the ten given to Israel: “Love God” comprises the first four; “Love each other” comprises the last six.  Two sounds simpler than ten, but the profound responsibility of our obedience can be a real head-spinner because of the profound mystery of divine love. God has the final say.

A concrete list of “Do’s and Don’ts” – such as the Law – muddies the possibility and joy of sacrificial love because we fear mistakes more than we cherish love.

Christianity can’t be like that; God’s commands expand our lives…if we let them.

The Sunday church experience cheers up dramatically when the words of Christ’s hope and joy are preached as real and attainable goals through love and generosity rather than as draconian condemnations against human missteps and sin.

Like the Good Book says, our good works will not get us into heaven (Eph 2:8) because divine love is not performance art; it’s divine art of the heart, soul, and intellect.

Satan is going to continue his only quest, which is to hinder God’s glory by convincing humans to judge our performance rather than pouring out God’s love.

God’s commands are grounded in His purpose to restore and assure our joy. That is God’s art of how things go best with us, and His command performance of love.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) appreciates good coaching.  Jesus is the best.

 Friends,

Here is Common Christianity column #820 (8-2-22), “God Doesn’t Care.” Ignorance and faithlessness abound in humanity, but it changes nothing about God.  See the column below.  Blessings, Bob

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Spirituality Column #820

August 2, 2022

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

God Doesn’t Care

By Bob Walters

“I find your lack of faith disturbing.” – Darth Vader, while summoning the Force to choke arrogant Death Star commander General Motti in “Star Wars IV, A New Hope” (the first one)

In our less gracious moments perhaps many of us Christians have bemusedly imagined the utility of such a “hands-off” power as Vader’s to silence God’s naysayers.

I once accompanied my dear friend and mentor, retired Cambridge Divinity lecturer, multi-lingual Bible translator, former Coptic priest, and renowned Patristics (study of ancient church fathers) scholar Dr. George Bebawi to a local high school Advanced Placement (AP) senior World Literature class.  The class was studying the Bible and various other religious texts – as literature – and George was invited to lead a Q&A session about questions the students had about the Bible: smart kids asking smart, sincere questions.

I don’t remember anyone asking a question, because one student – very bright, very erudite, very philosophical, very loud and who soon enrolled in an elite university – opened up attacking the very idea of God, how the Bible was a meaningless old book, and exposing every level of his own dearth of understanding and gaping hole in his intellect because nothing about God, Jesus, or scripture could possibly be true.

The student in question had no idea how ignorant he sounded despite his AP-caliber lexicon, and no appreciation for his rudeness in badgering and interrupting one of the world’s experts on the topic up for discussion: biblical translation and history.  The student’s self-entrenched view that there is no God superseded all civility and dialogue.

The Bible – the bedrock text of Western civilization (go ahead and argue if you wish; the student discussed above wasn’t shy about it) – is the Lord’s gift to us as the Spirit’s key.  I’d like to have had Vader’s trick to silence the student’s rude and insolent verbal patter.

Sadly, as culture turns both faith and humanity upside down, we hear that a lot.  “God doesn’t exist.”  “A Good God wouldn’t allow evil things.” “The Bible changes and isn’t reliable.” “I’m a good/spiritual person and don’t need God/religion/church to prove it.”

The origin of Humanity?  Ask Darwin.  The purpose of this life? There isn’t any.

And the modern secular gold standard of human idiocy, “I have my own truth.”

Scare polls reveal not just a society-wide drop in church attendance and faith, but a new poll in May tracks an alarming, nearly bottom-scraping drop in “Biblical worldview” among professing Christians and, gulp, clergy (see link: Lack of Biblical Worldview - ACU).

By “Biblical worldview” we mean just the basics: Jesus Christ born of a virgin, Son of God, Word of God, fully man fully God, lived on earth, died on the cross, rose from the dead for the gifted purpose of sinful mankind’s salvation to restore our original relationship with the loving, good, and true Creator God Almighty that we might know God in this life and in death be resurrected, like Jesus, to eternal life with God and the saints in heaven.

If I left out anything important, sorry; I know there is much more to Jesus, the Bible, Church history, and Christian life than a single sentence.  The point is that one’s faith, obedience, grace and commitment factor heavily, nay, totally, into our “worldview.”

These polls may scare us, but I can’t imagine they scare God.  God doesn’t care.

God will be the same no matter what His creation does. God gave us – His favorite Creation, mankind – the freedom and curious mind to discover Him and believe … or not.

If man’s lack of faith is disturbing, take a breath. God’s faithfulness is unshakeable.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) cites Isaiah 40:8, Hebrews 13:8, Revelation 4:8 – God doesn’t change; we do.