Finding the Truth

Oh boy, here’s a big topic, right? Here we have two major chunks of the foundation of Christianity that have sprung forth countless debates, theories, and religious branches. Can any two words be more different?

Grace – a free gift; unmerited favor

Law – the rules by which one must act

For one of these words, I think of overindulgent Christmas presents piled high under a tree. For the other, I think of a cold, austere, county courthouse. One is open and cheerful, one is confining and foreboding.

So when we think of these terms in a religious context, do we bring in those same images? Do we view grace and law as being two completely unrelated things? Do they strike us as a blatant contradiction to one another? Maybe. But should that be the case? Do these two things go at odds with one another, or can they coexist? Can we view them in a religious context and find that they compliment one another, instead of contradict? Can we have both at the same time – more importantly, can we be bound by both at the same time? I think so.

The Different Testaments
First of all, there’s obviously a difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The OT contains the laws, prophecies, and history of the Israelites – God’s chosen people. The NT tells of Christ’s coming, which was foretold in the OT, gives his teachings and the teachings of his disciples.

The books of Galatians, Colossians, and Hebrews all explain why the Old Law, or Law of Moses was given, and they also explain that God’s chosen people today – the Christians – are not bound by that law anymore. Instead, Christians live under grace, or a law of grace – not the physical requirements of the Old Law.

So how does that work?
Good question. That’s really the crux of the whole discussion. How exactly are we under grace today? On the surface, that might sound easy to answer. If the Bible had just left it there, telling us that we are under grace now, instead of law, then things would be pretty simple. Ok, we can pretty much do what we want, because salvation is a free gift. Easy enough.

But the Bible didn’t just leave it there. There’s more to this idea of grace. When the Bible tells us we are no longer under law, does it mean law in general? Does it mean we aren’t bound to follow anything? I think when the Bible makes those statements, it is usually talking about the Law of Moses.

Let’s look at a passage in Colossians. This is a passage that is definitely referring to the Old Law and the fact that Christians are not bound by it.

14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. – Col 2:14-17

From the context, we can see that this passage is talking about the removal, or completion of the Law of Moses. It tells us that “the handwriting of requirements” had been done away, “having been nailed to the cross.” Hebrews (8:4-6) and other passages tell us that that was what Jesus’s sacrifice did – it fulfilled the purpose of the Old Law. Further, the part of Col 2 that says “which were a shadow of things to come” follows perfectly with Hebrews, which tells us that the Law of Moses was meant to bring us to Christ; Gal 3:24 says the same thing.

Think about it. Israelites had been God’s chosen people forever. Now, they’re being told that that system has run its course, and now everyone can be in that group of “God’s chosen people.” It was no longer limited to a physical group of people, but a spiritual group. This point had to be driven home time and time again. For centuries, the Jews had been practicing God’s law, and now they were told not to worry about it anymore. Imagine the sense of disorientation that would cause! So understandably, it was a difficult concept for them to grasp, and it was easy to fall into those old habits of law keeping. Hence, all the passages that tell them, “you are not under law, but under grace.” In other words, drop the Old Law! It’s not necessary anymore.

Ok, so maybe those passages that talk about the law being done away with are talking about the Old Law. But still, how do we know that we really have to follow any law today? I mean, the Bible does say we’re under grace…

Under Grace
Yep. The Bible does tell us we’re under grace. But to best understand how that grace works and is applied, we should look at a few more passages.

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

God’s grace springs from his love, wouldn’t you agree? He offers us this free gift, this unmerited favor, because of his immense love for us. And in return, he wants us to love him. Matthew 22:37 makes that very clear. But according to the passage above, the “love of God” means doing what he commands. Well, that sounds an awful lot like law! Is there some mistake? No, there’s not. Let’s look at a few more passages, and I think it will become clear.

Hebrews 10:26-31 is a passage that very clearly tells us that if someone becomes saved, but they turn their back on Jesus, then they lose that salvation. Romans 11:19-24 gives an illustration of the same point. Here, the Jews have been compared to branches on a cultivated olive tree, and Gentiles have been compared to branches of a wild olive tree. Paul makes the point that since so many of the Jews rejected Christ, they were cut off, and the Gentiles were offered the chance of salvation, or “grafted in.” He gives them the warning that if they fall away from serving Christ, they can be cut off too, but then gives them hope in explaining that branches that have been cut off can be grafted back in, if they repent.

So what do those passages teach us? That there are still things required of us to remain pleasing to God. Paul said it this way:

24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. – 1 Cor 9:24-27

Did you see verse 27? I made it bold, so I’m sure you did. Paul said he had to keep himself in line, lest he become disqualified. If Paul’s salvation depended on his continuing to serve God, don’t you think the same thing applies to us?

But hey, I know that sounds confusing. I mean, we are told that we’re under grace, right? So how does that work if we still have to keep “laws?”

I think God’s grace works in two main ways. First of all, his grace is evident in that he offers us salvation at all. None of us deserve the eternal reward of living in Heaven, yet he offers us that because of his love for us. That offer is grace.

But his grace is also shown in his care for his people. Are we going to sin? Of course, we are! Just because we’ve been saved doesn’t mean we stop sinning. Our entire lives are filled with conflict as we continue to wage war against the lusts of the flesh. Sometimes, we’re going to succumb to those temptations.

Even though we will continue to sin throughout our lives, the Bible has told us to be confident of our salvation. How can we be confident if we’re constantly terrified of doing, or saying, or thinking something that could put us in danger of Hell? God’s grace covers us. He doesn’t expect perfection from us – that’s the whole reason Christ came to be our sacrifice. He was perfect for us!

But that’s not a free ticket to sin, either. There’s a big difference between falling down and getting back up, and falling down and staying there. When we sin, we must repent and ask God to forgive us; there’s an excellent example of how that works in Acts 8:9-25. We should feel remorseful and want to correct our shortcomings because we love God, if for no other reason. And he’s promised that he will forgive us of those things, if we repent.

But when we sin against God and have no desire to repent of it or ask to be forgiven, then we “no longer have a sacrifice for sins” as Hebrews 10 says. God has sent Christ to be our “sacrifice for sins,” and when we turn our backs on God and his sacrifice, then there’s nothing else left for us. God won’t save us, because we have gone outside the realm of his plan for salvation. When we choose sin over God and Christ, then we reap what we sow.

In Conclusion…
Even though we are under grace today, that doesn’t mean we don’t have any laws to follow. God has told us that we are to love him and serve him, if for no other reason than the fact that he loved us and gave his son as a sacrifice for our sins. When we turn away from that offering of grace, however, there’s nothing left for us.

We don’t get a free ride in this life to live however we want. There is no “once saved, always saved.” There will be a day of reckoning when we’ll answer for everything we’ve done here. But if we serve God, then his grace will cover the most heinous sins you can think of. If we’re still breathing, we’ve still got a chance to make things right.

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil. – Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

In my 11th grade English class, I had a teacher named Mr Dasher. He was an educated country boy from Georgia who was very disenchanted with the US Army, and had a killer music collection. Aside from introducing me to Young Goodman Brown, Giles Corey, and the French Lieutenant’s Woman, he also turned me on to Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, and Freddie King.

We had lots of Bible beaters at the high school I attended, and one day, I overheard Mr Dasher talking to one of them. “Now, do you believe in the God of the Old Testament, or the one in the New Testament?” he asked in his lazy drawl. I don’t at all remember the girl’s response; I think I was too busy pondering his question. Of course, I knew exactly what he meant, but I think that was the first time I had ever really heard it phrased that way.

He (as well as many others) viewed God in the Old Testament as harsh, unbending, veangeful, possibly even cruel. Whereas, God in the New Testament was loving, forgiving, and merciful. I know Mr Dasher didn’t believe these were two separate gods; he was merely mocking this girl’s faith. But this is still an interesting observation, and one that I think bears looking into.

Authority
Any time you study an issue, you’ve got to have a reliable source. You’ve got to be able to go back to something (or several things) upon which you can base observations, compare your findings, gain unbiased information. God has given us such a source in his Bible. I’m not going to spend time giving proofs to the authenticity of God’s word; that would take us so far off topic we’d completely lose sight of our intended goal.

Instead, I’m going to let you know that I believe the Bible to be the inerrant, infallible, and inspired word of God. I believe that the scriptures are “God-breathed” – that “holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (1 Pet 1:21). And I further believe that the Bible is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16).

That said, we’re going to look at what the Bible says about God’s character. Does he change? Why did he do certain things in the Old Testament that seemed so harsh? And do the different testaments provide two different views of God, or is there a larger picture?

Change
Again, it’s usually in a mocking tone that people refer to the “different” gods of the Old and New Testaments. But behind the jab lies the deeper question of whether or not God acts differently between the two testaments.

For I am the LORD, I do not change; – Mal 3:6

God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent. – Num 23:19

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. – James 1:17

God does not change. And if we go with the premise we mentioned earlier, that the Bible is true, then we have to accept this statement. So when we read the Bible and we think we see differences in God’s nature, there must have been some unifying purpose behind his actions. So what might that purpose be?

Why so harsh?
Before we can understand the purpose behind some of God’s actions, we need to identify the things that tend to stand out to people. Things like slavery, the Jews’ annihilation of foreign nations, and the seeming unfairness, at times, of God’s actions have caused some to question God’s purposes. After all, God is no respecter of persons, right (Acts 10:34)?

Slavery
In Leviticus 25, God hands down his laws about slavery to the Jews. Basically, Israelites were not to be taken as slaves; at most, they could act as indentured servants for a while. However, they were allowed to take slaves of other nations. Doesn’t that sound harsh? By our standards today, isn’t that kind of inhumane?

But you know, what’s interesting is that the New Testament doesn’t condemn slavery either. Ephesians 6:5-9 talks about it. These two verses sum up the point pretty clearly:

5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also[b] is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

Servants are to continue to serve their masters. Why? So they can be a godly example. And masters are to treat their servants well. But the actual practice of slavery is not condemned here. I think the reason for that is the same as when Jesus told Peter to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. The gospel was not meant to be political. Christians could live and serve God even in a society that practiced slavery. They would have more impact by obeying than by causing revolution. God didn’t place us on this world to live a comfortable, happy life. If we can, then that’s fantastic. But it’s not something we’re promised. Consider the following verses:

14 There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. – Ecclesiastes 8:14

15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more – Psalm 103:15-16

For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. – James 4:14

We aren’t on this earth for very long at all. Compared to eternity, our lives here happen in an instant. Furthermore, the rain falls on the just and the unjust (Matt 5:45). Good and bad happen to us all, and that’s what it really means for God to be no respecter of persons.

See, God has perspective. He views things from a standpoint of eternity, but we often only view things from a standpoint of now. When you view things God’s way, you can see how what happens to us in this life doesn’t compare with the life to come. As Paul said:

17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, – 2 Cor 4:17

So with slavery, we see that God’s stance didn’t change. Either way, servants were to obey their masters, and masters were to treat their servants well. As always, their physical states were not as important to God as their spiritual states.

Annihilation of Israel’s Enemies
Here’s another one that often bothers us. Several times throughout Israel’s history, they were instructed to utterly destroy the inhabitants of a certain land. In Joshua 6, all the inhabitants of Jericho were destroyed – men, women, children, and animals. The only people left alive were of Rahab the harlot’s household, because she had harbored the Israelite spies.

Why? Why did God have them completely destroy all those nations? The answer is given here:

31 “And I will set your bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the River.[b] For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.” – Exodus 23:31-33

God had them destroy those people in order to avoid temptation. Does that still seem harsh? Remember, God deals in eternity. All of us will die… does it really matter how it happens? It wasn’t as though all those people were condemned to Hell. Even though none of them were God’s chosen people – the Israelites – we know that some of them were still saved. Paul, in his address to the Athenians, explains why:

30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent – Acts 17:30

God judged these people on some sort of moral law, so when the Israelites were commanded to destroy them, it was to prove a point. It was to show the Israelites that God as no place for sin. We’re taught the same lesson in the New Testament as well.

22 Abstain from every form of evil – 1 Thes 5:22

11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. – 1 Tim 6:11

34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. – 1 Cor 15:34

God commanded the Israelites to wipe out the nations around them so they wouldn’t be led astray. The Israelites didn’t completely do everything God had required of them, and they were subsequently led into the very idolatry that God had warned them about. Gal 3:24 tells us that we use the Old Law as a tutor – we learn from it. And from these examples, we can see that God despises sin, and that if we don’t remove sources of temptation from our lives, we will almost certainly be led astray. God’s methods may have been different between the two laws, but the purpose was the same.

Fairness
Finally, there are a few stories in the Old Testament that seem to go against our ideas of fairness. For instance, in 1 Chronicles 13, we have the story of David transporting the ark of the covenant. Now, God had decreed that the ark should be transported on the shoulders of the Levites. However, David decided that it would be more convenient to ship it on an ox cart. As the cart was traveling along, one of the oxen stumbled, so Uzza, who was driving the cart, stuck his hand up to steady the ark. When he touched it, God struck him dead.

Isn’t that harsh? Uzza only wanted to ensure the ark didn’t fall from the cart. And it wasn’t his idea to transport it that way, it was David’s. Yet God punished him. Why?

Again, God used that instance to teach. His commands couldn’t be taken as mere suggestions; his word had to be respected. It was unfortunate that Uzza had gotten in the way, but God had warned them about what he wanted. Was what happened unfair? Not at all! In fact, I’d say it was extremely fair. God didn’t bend the rules for Uzza; he simply followed through with what he had commanded. He was, by no means, being a respecter of persons. And for us, we learn that God means what he says.

What’s the Bigger Picture?
So after looking at all that, does God contradict himself? Does he show different qualities between the two different testaments? No. As we stated earlier, God is the same. The entire Bible shows the progression of the relationship between God and man. In the beginning, man has a direct relationship with God in the Garden of Eden. Sin destroys that, and the rest of the Bible tells the story of our redemption.

The Old Testament is given to establish a specific people that would be set apart from everyone else – an entire nation to serve God. He gives them a law to teach them how to serve him. Prophecies were established to “set the stage” for Christ’s coming, and the New Law came to complete the process, giving man an avenue to be “reunited” with God in Heaven.

When we see God’s strictness, in either testament, it’s to show us that God means what he says. He is strict. But he’s also merciful. The New Testament tells us that:

28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Matt 11:28-30

And so does the Old Testament:

12 “ Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “ Turn to Me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
13 So rend your heart, and not your garments;
Return to the LORD your God,
For He is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm. – Joel 2:12-13

You know, sometimes it’s easy for us to get down or feel like we’re all alone, struggling through the difficulties of our lives. It’s easy to see all the bad that we come into contact with everyday, easy to become discouraged from all the times we’ve failed. We fall into despair.

In 2 Kings 6, there’s an account of someone who felt just that way. And I want to thank my friend Harris for mentioning this to me a couple of weeks ago, and to Randy for reading from this passage tonight. It was a great thought and one that should be shared. In 2 Kings 6, Syria was involved in a war against Israel (doesn’t sound too far-fetched for today either, does it?), but they were having limited success because Elisha, God’s prophet, had been supplying information about Syria to the Israelite king. When Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria discovered this, he was furious. He discovered that Elisha was staying in the city of Dothan, so he sent a great army there, and they surrounded the city by night.

The next morning, Elisha’s servant arose early and went out, only to find the army encamped around their city! The servant ran to Elisha distraught. But Elisha answered him, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed that the servant’s eyes be opened. The mountains all around them were full of chariots and horses of fire.

The Lord takes care of his own. We’re promised this, but it’s so easy to forget it! And Satan wants us to forget it. When things are at their worst, what would we see if God would open our eyes in that way? I think we would see something very like what Elisha’s servant saw. How comforting! We’re never really alone. As 1 Cor 10:13 tells us, God ensures that we never face more than we are able to bear. He’s placed a protective shield around us – an army of flaming chariots, and we can take comfort in the fact that when we’re burdened by tragedy or filled with sorrow, God knows and cares.

In today’s religious world, “worship” has become anything that someone does in the name of God or Jesus (or any other deity, such as Britney Spears). It runs the gamut of everything from preaching, prayer, and singing, to basketball, pie-eating contests, and paintball. I’ve got a close friend who’s a big hunter, and someone recently told him that his hunting was a form of worship too. But we need to understand that just because we may have a skill in something, that doesn’t make it “worship.”

Here’s a link to several different definitions of “worship.” My favorite one is one from The American Heritage Dictionary, which says:

1) The reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol, or a sacred object.
2) The ceremonies, prayers, or other religious forms by which this love is expressed.

Ok, so worship involves expressing our adoration and awe before God, but how exactly do we do that? More importantly, who should decide the things that constitute worship? The worshipper, or the worshipped?

Who Makes the Call?
There are three Old Testament examples that answer this question for us very clearly. Actually, let’s throw a fourth in there just for fun – the blog space is unlimited, after all.

In Genesis 4, we have the story of Cain and Abel. Cain excelled at farming, while his brother, Abel, was a shepherd. At some point, both brothers brought an offering before the Lord. Cain brought some of his crops, and Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock. God respected Abel’s offering, but not Cain’s. Why was that? Well, we don’t know specifics. Perhaps God had told them that he wanted animal sacrifice, but Cain ignored him. Perhaps God hadn’t specified, but something in Cain’s attitude made his offering unacceptable. We just don’t know; although, Hebrews 11 does tell us that Abel’s offering came by faith. Whatever the reason, Cain’s sacrifice was not what God wanted. Cain’s method of worship was unacceptable.

Another example is found in Leviticus 10. Nadab and Abihu were Aaron’s sons, and they were priests. We’re told in this passage that while performing sacrifices, they offered “profane fire” before the Lord, and he consumed them with it. We don’t know exactly what “profane fire” is, except that it was something God hadn’t commanded them. Now, in their minds, I’m sure they were still “worshipping” God; after all, they were offering sacrifices to him. So this wasn’t an outright rebellion against God; it was simply doing something differently than what he had authorized.

Moses also did something other than what God had authorized in Numbers 20. The Israelites were thirsty, and God commanded Moses to speak to a rock, after which, God would cause water to come out of it. Instead, Moses struck the rock (something God had told him to do on a different occasion) and said, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” Water came from the rock. But because Moses hadn’t done what God told him, he was not allowed to enter into the Promised Land.

Finally, though there are plenty of other examples, we’ll leave off with this one. In 1 Sam 13, Saul, who was the first king of Israel, had been waging a war against the Philistines, and the Philistines seemed to have the upper hand. Saul was waiting in Gilgal for Samuel to come, who was a prophet and priest, and would have been able to offer a sacrifice to God on their behalf. After seven days had passed, during which time Samuel was supposed to have come, Saul decided to offer the sacrifice himself. However, Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin, and only Levites were allowed to offer sacrifices. The rest of the story picks up 1 Sam 13:10:

10 Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.
11 And Samuel said, “What have you done?”
Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, 12 then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”
13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”

Here, we see that Saul’s reason for offering the sacrifice was very good, but that didn’t excuse the fact that it was still wrong. Because of that, the kingdom was taken from his family, and David reigned instead.

By its very definition, worship is something that is done for the object of worship; therefore, it should be something that the object actually wants! And as luck would have it, God has given us the Bible to tell us what we should do in worship to him.

The Elements
No, I’m not talking about the ones on the Periodic Table. I actually memorized those in 10th grade – no one was surprised by that fantastic feat more than I. No, I’m talking about the elements of worship. I don’t want to go into a whole lot of detail with it, as most of them are pretty self-explanatory.

The worship service should consist of things like teaching (Col 3:16, Heb 5:12-14, Eph 4:11-13), singing (Col 3:16, Eph 5:19, 1 Cor 14:15), preaching (Matt 10:7, 27, Acts 14:21), prayer (1 Thes 5:17, Acts 2:42), the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7, I Cor 11:23-34), contribution (1 Cor 16:1-2), etc. Basically, what most people would think of in a “traditional service.”

Many times today, “traditional” services are looked down upon as being stodgy, uptight, and boring. Some of them are. There’s nothing wrong with doing things in a different format from what most of us consider “traditional” as long as it still includes the elements listed above, and as long as it stays in harmony with 1 Cor 14:40, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” But laser light shows, rock concerts, and theatrical productions lend more toward entertainment than exhorting one another or helping each other grow stronger in God’s word.

But We’ve Got to Make It Fun!
No we don’t. Of course, we don’t need to make it boring either, but God was never interested in the entertainment value of his message. Nobody puts a radio or a Parchesi board on a life-preserver because it’s designed to save your life, not show you a good time. God’s word is the same thing. It’s our life-preserver, and if we try to draw people in to learn more about it by having Bingo night and fried chicken dinners, we cheapen it. And we typically only get people who are interested in Bingo and fried chicken.

Instead, we should all be working in our personal lives to be shining examples of Christianity so people can tell that there’s something different about us. And our worship services should be full of things that will actually capture the attention of those who are interested in spiritual things – things that will help them grow in knowledge and wisdom. Gimmicks that are designed to draw more people in the doors, do only that. They bring more people in, but they don’t make more Christians.

In Other Words…
Touchy-feeliness is way too prevalent today. It sounds good and feels good to have this grandfatherly picture of a God who’s always happy his grandkids have graced him with a visit and is just “tickled pink” with everything those precious little kids decide to do. You know, the whole “kumbayah” idea. But that’s not the picture the Bible paints. Does God love us? Of course he does! He sent his own son to die for us! But because of that, the stakes are raised. He’s not going to send his son to be mocked, tortured, and killed by mankind, and then just accept any scraps we’re willing to throw his way. God is love. God is mercy. But he’s also veangeful and just. He demands the utmost respect, which includes respecting what he wants in worship.

It’s very important for us to understand that we don’t get to dictate to God how we want to worship Him. He tells us. And if we’re doing something that doesn’t fit that pattern, then we’re wrong. It’s just that simple. There are lots of things that are ok to do (swimming, cooking, playing cards, washing cars, playing video games). But not all of them belong in the worship service, and they certainly don’t all fall under the realm of “worshipping God.”

Read his word and follow the instructions. Everything else will follow.

What if this were it? What if time was up and your life was over? Would you be happy with the way things turned out? More importantly, would God be happy? What did you live for?

You know, one day, time really will be up. In Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, it was so aptly put this way: “You may be a king or a little street sweeper, but sooner or later, you’ll dance with the Reaper.” The book of James tells us that our life is like a vapor – here for a moment, then vanishes away. It’s up to us how we spend that time.

I spend a good 50 hours at work every week. I have two young daughters that require a lot of attention, I like to play video games and watch TV, I try to exercise semi-regularly, I’ve got a lot of friends I enjoy spending time with as well as a large family spread over three states, and I attend church services at least 3 times a week. Most of you probably fall into the same category – almost every second of our lives is filled with something. Yesterday, I heard that some buses are starting to carry wireless high-speed in an effort to draw more commuters. Tons of people have blackberries or video iPods so we can be entertained every second. Hey, I’m no different, if I’m waiting in line or sitting in traffic, I’ve always got a book with me.

Amid all this hustle and bustle, it’s easy for us to lose track of the things that are really important. One of my favorite passages is Ecclesiastes 12:13-14:

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.

We don’t need to forget that the whole reason we’re here is to serve God. What defines you or me as individuals? Do people think of you as a good musician, a funny guy, someone who’s good with numbers? Or do people first think about your character, your integrity, your walk as a Christian? Matthew 5:14 tells us that we should be the “light of the world.” We should be shining examples to those around us!

Remember what Paul said:

20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. – Galatians 2:20

He was no longer really concerned about himself; he was living for Christ, and Christ was living in him! Every aspect of Paul’s life centered around being a Christian. That was what defined him as a person – so every other endeavor that he involved himself in fit around that aspect. He gave us the same admonition:

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. – Romans 12:1-2

We should be “living sacrifices,” and as the passage points out, that’s our “reasonable service.” Jesus gave his life for us, though we were completely undeserving, and he basically asks us to do the same for him. Put to death our old lives, and live for him instead. Quit trying to be like everyone else around us (conform), but become what Christ wants us to be (transform)! You know, that’s exactly what baptism does for us.

3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. – Romans 6:3-4

This thought is continued on through verse 14 of that chapter, but it’s evident from what we see here that the waters of baptism symbolize the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. We put to death our old life of sin by turning away from it in repentance. Then, we’re buried in the waters of baptism, just as Christ was placed in the tomb. And just as he rose from the dead, we rise from baptism a new creature, cleansed from all impurity. Only then can we “walk in newness of life” by serving God and following Christ.

Another excellent passage is Romans 8:38-39:

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What a comforting passage! Nothing can separate us from God’s love – nothing has that power! And nothing can separate us from the salvation that he offers. Except of course, for ourselves. Nothing, not even Satan, can pull us away from God – unless we allow it. If we get too tangled up in the affairs of this life, we’ll drown. God’s thrown us the life-preserver, but we have to grab it! And once we’ve taken hold of it, we can’t let go!

Read your Bible. Teach those around you. Be the example that God wants you to be. He’s promised to protect us and guide us through, but we can’t lose sight of the goal. Push forward!

12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. – Phil 3:12-14

26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. – 1 Cor 9:26-27