Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "wisdom"
Homework 101 - Part 1
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with [Ecclesiastes 1:13].
There are many fine things in life, but there is not a universal consent as to what is on the list! For instance, some folks love football and hate baseball. Others love baseball and hate football. Some love both, and then there are the gainsayers who have no use for either.
Joe likes pizza and Ron likes cabbage (go figure). Sally prefers dresses while Nell won’t be caught dead in one. Ken enjoys a good read in Shakespeare but Barbie can only stomach Dickens. Then there are the folks who love any and all fields of study, as contrasted with those who hate learning anything intelligent! They can’t even be persuaded to lift a finger to turn the page in a book.
The quoted text which began this study contains a sharp contrast. Funny thing is only one person is involved. The one and the same person both loved and hated learning! And he didn’t have a split personality either. Behold the contrast:
1. I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven
2. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with
Point #1 depicts a lover of learning. This dude (aka Solomon, the teacher in Jerusalem) established as his goal to know everything there is to know about everything under heaven. Now that is a tall order! Indeed, it was a bit much to take on, I do believe.
The teacher learned this truth for himself. In Point #2 he confessed as much. He found his tall order to be “a grievous task”, one with which he felt “afflicted”. His task at hand was not merely difficult, nor annoying, neither frustrating. It was “grievous”. That word hints of burdens and oppression, even great pain and suffering. Does the idiom “to bite off more than I can chew” come to mind?
As we ponder Solomon’s words, let’s be sure to keep the context of the Book of Ecclesiastes in mind. He repeatedly states that what he records in Ecclesiastes is from the standpoint of things “under the sun”. The phrase denotes what occurs on earth as understood from earth’s perspective. This is not the Lord’s invisible spiritual insight. It is man’s visible material sight.
If I may be permitted to paraphrase a bit, Solomon essentially said, “I really wanted to learn everything there is to know about everything, so I put my mind to accomplish this. But alas, it wore me out in no time. I mean, no matter how much I learned, there was always so much more to know. I was always running behind, trying to catch up. O! my aching head! Grievous ‘tis.” Such were the efforts and the results of the teacher’s attempts at learning.
Here’s the thing, dear friends. Learning is a wonderful thing for us. We cannot fill our time in a more profitable manner. However, it is what we learn that is important, not learning for the sake of learning. And yes, some folks do detest having to learn anything new, while others crave new knowledge. But in both cases it is an essential of life to learn throughout life. We must never graduate from learning.
Let’s get to the chase, shall we? Solomon taught in Ecclesiastes how everything under the sun can only lead to boredom, ennui, lassitude, apathy. In the context of Ecclesiastes he is unqualifiedly correct. If we live for the things of the world (i.e., for created things), regardless of what they are, we cannot find any real and lasting fulfillment. This is what the teacher meant in today’s Bible verse.
Sorry. We’re out of time again. We will continue this topic in our next study. See you then. Enjoy time with the Lord now, okay?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
There are many fine things in life, but there is not a universal consent as to what is on the list! For instance, some folks love football and hate baseball. Others love baseball and hate football. Some love both, and then there are the gainsayers who have no use for either.
Joe likes pizza and Ron likes cabbage (go figure). Sally prefers dresses while Nell won’t be caught dead in one. Ken enjoys a good read in Shakespeare but Barbie can only stomach Dickens. Then there are the folks who love any and all fields of study, as contrasted with those who hate learning anything intelligent! They can’t even be persuaded to lift a finger to turn the page in a book.
The quoted text which began this study contains a sharp contrast. Funny thing is only one person is involved. The one and the same person both loved and hated learning! And he didn’t have a split personality either. Behold the contrast:
1. I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven
2. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with
Point #1 depicts a lover of learning. This dude (aka Solomon, the teacher in Jerusalem) established as his goal to know everything there is to know about everything under heaven. Now that is a tall order! Indeed, it was a bit much to take on, I do believe.
The teacher learned this truth for himself. In Point #2 he confessed as much. He found his tall order to be “a grievous task”, one with which he felt “afflicted”. His task at hand was not merely difficult, nor annoying, neither frustrating. It was “grievous”. That word hints of burdens and oppression, even great pain and suffering. Does the idiom “to bite off more than I can chew” come to mind?
As we ponder Solomon’s words, let’s be sure to keep the context of the Book of Ecclesiastes in mind. He repeatedly states that what he records in Ecclesiastes is from the standpoint of things “under the sun”. The phrase denotes what occurs on earth as understood from earth’s perspective. This is not the Lord’s invisible spiritual insight. It is man’s visible material sight.
If I may be permitted to paraphrase a bit, Solomon essentially said, “I really wanted to learn everything there is to know about everything, so I put my mind to accomplish this. But alas, it wore me out in no time. I mean, no matter how much I learned, there was always so much more to know. I was always running behind, trying to catch up. O! my aching head! Grievous ‘tis.” Such were the efforts and the results of the teacher’s attempts at learning.
Here’s the thing, dear friends. Learning is a wonderful thing for us. We cannot fill our time in a more profitable manner. However, it is what we learn that is important, not learning for the sake of learning. And yes, some folks do detest having to learn anything new, while others crave new knowledge. But in both cases it is an essential of life to learn throughout life. We must never graduate from learning.
Let’s get to the chase, shall we? Solomon taught in Ecclesiastes how everything under the sun can only lead to boredom, ennui, lassitude, apathy. In the context of Ecclesiastes he is unqualifiedly correct. If we live for the things of the world (i.e., for created things), regardless of what they are, we cannot find any real and lasting fulfillment. This is what the teacher meant in today’s Bible verse.
Sorry. We’re out of time again. We will continue this topic in our next study. See you then. Enjoy time with the Lord now, okay?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Homework 101 - Part 2
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with [Ecclesiastes 1:13].
We concluded our last study by noting how Solomon found study and learning to be “grievous” and an “affliction”. Now let’s learn why.
We humans (i.e., creatures or created things) are created by God the Creator to have fellowship with Him. When He made us, He included this ability. No other created thing has it. Humans alone are created in the image of God.
Ergo, when we reject fellowship with the Lord and go off on our own to do our own thing, we cannot find fulfillment because we are not filling our lives full of the One for Whom we are made. We are like an automobile which has H2O in the gas tank. We just don’t run right!
If we want to drive down the road of life with any fulfillment, we need to drain the H2O and instead fill our tank with H2S (i.e., Holy Spirit fuel). We can’t buy H2S at just any corner gas station, you know. It can be purchased only through the Word of God. It is much more affordable than gasoline. “Come, buy…without money and without cost” (cf., Isaiah 55:1).
Oh, but we mustn’t leave out any of the essentials. To know the Lord and grow in the Spirit, we require the Word of God. This isn’t a superstition thing, dear friends. We don’t learn a few adjurations and prayers and invocations and then call it quits with learning. We need to feed on the Word of God day in and day out 24/7/365, and this lasts for an entire lifetime.
Consider that we don’t eat once and then stop, nor do we eat occasionally when it is convenient. We eat several times a day every day, and no one has to make us either! The same applies in the spiritual realm, dear friends. The Bible is the Christian’s spiritual food. How can we expect to stay alive, much less grow and mature spiritually, if we don’t eat our spiritual food?
Let’s not adopt the teacher’s words and profess Bible feeding to be “grievous” and an “affliction”! Rather, let us rejoice in the Lord and thank Him for preserving His Word for us. Let’s chow down on the good things He wants to share with us. Let’s appreciate Him and His Word. Now is an excellent opportunity for us to do so. I’ll race you to the prayer closet.
Oh, but I must add an addendum before taking my leave. For all you teachers and would-be teachers in the Church, this study holds immeasurably more relevance for you. When the Lord gives a Christian the gift of teaching, He accompanies this with a craving for study and learning His Word.
If anyone wants to wear a coat and tie, be held in honor as a wise and spiritual person, receive a sizable paycheck, and hang out in the church building so as to avoid the unpleasantness outside its walls—listen up: don’t apply for a preaching/teaching position. You don’t belong! The Lord didn’t call you to the pastorate. You don’t have the spiritual gifts which accompany such a ministry.
Every Christian should grow in grace so that he truly wants to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But a teacher of the Word of God must do much more than that. He must crave the Word. He mustn’t be satisfied with what he has and stop wanting more.
He mustn’t become distracted with activities and visitations to the extent he cannot be alone with the Lord Jesus daily, being fed by Him with the whole counsel of God. Only then will he be equipped to feed the flock of Christ with real spiritual meat. Only then will he be excited by the Word so that he can pass on his enthusiasm to the flock. Only then will the flock be piqued to follow his example.
Think on these things, O thou would-be Bible teachers. Don’t you dare usurp a teaching ministry. Beware lest you fall into the hands of the living God!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We concluded our last study by noting how Solomon found study and learning to be “grievous” and an “affliction”. Now let’s learn why.
We humans (i.e., creatures or created things) are created by God the Creator to have fellowship with Him. When He made us, He included this ability. No other created thing has it. Humans alone are created in the image of God.
Ergo, when we reject fellowship with the Lord and go off on our own to do our own thing, we cannot find fulfillment because we are not filling our lives full of the One for Whom we are made. We are like an automobile which has H2O in the gas tank. We just don’t run right!
If we want to drive down the road of life with any fulfillment, we need to drain the H2O and instead fill our tank with H2S (i.e., Holy Spirit fuel). We can’t buy H2S at just any corner gas station, you know. It can be purchased only through the Word of God. It is much more affordable than gasoline. “Come, buy…without money and without cost” (cf., Isaiah 55:1).
Oh, but we mustn’t leave out any of the essentials. To know the Lord and grow in the Spirit, we require the Word of God. This isn’t a superstition thing, dear friends. We don’t learn a few adjurations and prayers and invocations and then call it quits with learning. We need to feed on the Word of God day in and day out 24/7/365, and this lasts for an entire lifetime.
Consider that we don’t eat once and then stop, nor do we eat occasionally when it is convenient. We eat several times a day every day, and no one has to make us either! The same applies in the spiritual realm, dear friends. The Bible is the Christian’s spiritual food. How can we expect to stay alive, much less grow and mature spiritually, if we don’t eat our spiritual food?
Let’s not adopt the teacher’s words and profess Bible feeding to be “grievous” and an “affliction”! Rather, let us rejoice in the Lord and thank Him for preserving His Word for us. Let’s chow down on the good things He wants to share with us. Let’s appreciate Him and His Word. Now is an excellent opportunity for us to do so. I’ll race you to the prayer closet.
Oh, but I must add an addendum before taking my leave. For all you teachers and would-be teachers in the Church, this study holds immeasurably more relevance for you. When the Lord gives a Christian the gift of teaching, He accompanies this with a craving for study and learning His Word.
If anyone wants to wear a coat and tie, be held in honor as a wise and spiritual person, receive a sizable paycheck, and hang out in the church building so as to avoid the unpleasantness outside its walls—listen up: don’t apply for a preaching/teaching position. You don’t belong! The Lord didn’t call you to the pastorate. You don’t have the spiritual gifts which accompany such a ministry.
Every Christian should grow in grace so that he truly wants to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But a teacher of the Word of God must do much more than that. He must crave the Word. He mustn’t be satisfied with what he has and stop wanting more.
He mustn’t become distracted with activities and visitations to the extent he cannot be alone with the Lord Jesus daily, being fed by Him with the whole counsel of God. Only then will he be equipped to feed the flock of Christ with real spiritual meat. Only then will he be excited by the Word so that he can pass on his enthusiasm to the flock. Only then will the flock be piqued to follow his example.
Think on these things, O thou would-be Bible teachers. Don’t you dare usurp a teaching ministry. Beware lest you fall into the hands of the living God!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Foolish Sages and Wimpy Brutes – Part 1
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:22-24].
I recall this phrase that has made the rounds for generations now. It goes something like this:
There are all kinds of people in the world.
In some sense this may well be true. According to the three verses quoted above, God only recognizes three kinds of people. Let’s itemize them for ready reference:
1. Jews
2. Gentiles (Greeks)
3. the called of God
Each of these three types of people is identified by a distinguishing characteristic. We will also itemize the three characteristics, listing each one accoriding to the order of the three types of people above:
1. ask for signs
2. search for wisdom
3. preach Christ crucified
There is one more detail given in the quoted text we mustn’t leave out. The called of God preach Christ crucified. The additional detail we mentioned is this: the preaching of Christ crucified receives three different responses, depending on which of the three types of people we belong to. Let’s itemize these three responses. We will do so according to the order of the three types of people given above:
1. a stumbling block
2. foolishness
3. the power and wisdom of God
That about does it. I believe we’ve exhausted the details of the three verses quoted at the start of this study. Now let’s get to work assaying the details.
The Jews were one type or classification of people in the world. A Jew (aka a Hebrew or Semite) is any person whose lineage traces back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I list all three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for a reason. Abraham had many sons besides Isaac, but only Isaac carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God made that determination.
Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. God classified Esau as a profane and godless man who despised the Abrahamic Covenant. Esau loved the world and the things of the world. He had neither time nor love for the things of God. By God’s sovereign choice only Jacob carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God renamed Jacob to Israel.
Jacob/Israel had twelve sons. Each of these twelve sons grew into a tribe of Israel and became the Israelites. God sovereignly chose to continue the Abrahamic Covenant through the Israelites. God also sovereignly determined to bring the Messiah into the world through the lineage of the Israelites, specifically through the lineage of the tribe of Judah and the family of David.
The Lord gave the Israelites the Promised Land and the Law of Moses (aka Torah). The Law of Moses served as the legal code of the Israelites while they lived in the Promised Land. This distinguished the Israelites (aka Jews) from the Gentiles (i.e., everyone not a Jew).
The Israelites had a covenantal relationship with the Lord: all the other peoples of the world had no relationship with the Lord. This was God’s sovereign decision. The Israelites had the Lord as their King: all the other peoples of the world had an earthly king of their own making. The Israelites had the Law of Moses, God’s Word in the world back in the day: all the other peoples of the world had their own imaginations and inventions to govern them.
The last several paragraphs distinguished the Jews from the Gentiles (i.e., all the other peoples of the world aside from the Jews). So we’ve also defined the Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. I will explain it in the next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
I recall this phrase that has made the rounds for generations now. It goes something like this:
There are all kinds of people in the world.
In some sense this may well be true. According to the three verses quoted above, God only recognizes three kinds of people. Let’s itemize them for ready reference:
1. Jews
2. Gentiles (Greeks)
3. the called of God
Each of these three types of people is identified by a distinguishing characteristic. We will also itemize the three characteristics, listing each one accoriding to the order of the three types of people above:
1. ask for signs
2. search for wisdom
3. preach Christ crucified
There is one more detail given in the quoted text we mustn’t leave out. The called of God preach Christ crucified. The additional detail we mentioned is this: the preaching of Christ crucified receives three different responses, depending on which of the three types of people we belong to. Let’s itemize these three responses. We will do so according to the order of the three types of people given above:
1. a stumbling block
2. foolishness
3. the power and wisdom of God
That about does it. I believe we’ve exhausted the details of the three verses quoted at the start of this study. Now let’s get to work assaying the details.
The Jews were one type or classification of people in the world. A Jew (aka a Hebrew or Semite) is any person whose lineage traces back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I list all three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for a reason. Abraham had many sons besides Isaac, but only Isaac carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God made that determination.
Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. God classified Esau as a profane and godless man who despised the Abrahamic Covenant. Esau loved the world and the things of the world. He had neither time nor love for the things of God. By God’s sovereign choice only Jacob carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God renamed Jacob to Israel.
Jacob/Israel had twelve sons. Each of these twelve sons grew into a tribe of Israel and became the Israelites. God sovereignly chose to continue the Abrahamic Covenant through the Israelites. God also sovereignly determined to bring the Messiah into the world through the lineage of the Israelites, specifically through the lineage of the tribe of Judah and the family of David.
The Lord gave the Israelites the Promised Land and the Law of Moses (aka Torah). The Law of Moses served as the legal code of the Israelites while they lived in the Promised Land. This distinguished the Israelites (aka Jews) from the Gentiles (i.e., everyone not a Jew).
The Israelites had a covenantal relationship with the Lord: all the other peoples of the world had no relationship with the Lord. This was God’s sovereign decision. The Israelites had the Lord as their King: all the other peoples of the world had an earthly king of their own making. The Israelites had the Law of Moses, God’s Word in the world back in the day: all the other peoples of the world had their own imaginations and inventions to govern them.
The last several paragraphs distinguished the Jews from the Gentiles (i.e., all the other peoples of the world aside from the Jews). So we’ve also defined the Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. I will explain it in the next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Foolish Sages and Wimpy Brutes – Part 2
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:22-24].
We defined Jews and Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. Permit me to explain it.
In the quoted text both the Greeks and the Gentiles are referenced. Whereas the Greeks are part of the other peoples of the world apart from the Jews, this makes the Greeks to be a people group of the Gentiles. So why did God single out the Greeks in these verses?
The answer isn’t difficult to cull from the text. Consider the distinguishing characteristic of the Gentiles which Paul referenced in 1 Corinthians: they “search for wisdom”. Anyone who has an inkling of the ancient world, or even of philosophy in general, knows the Greeks invented philosophy.
The word “philosophy” comes from two Greek words, “philos” (love) and “sophos” (wisdom). The word “philosophy” means “the love of wisdom”. In the ancient world the Greeks symbolized the love of wisdom, and they still do today. They were noted for loving wisdom because they incessantly “searched for wisdom”.
This was why Paul singled out the Greeks as representative of the Gentiles. He contrasted the non-Christian peoples with the Christians. The non-Christians are comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. What was the difference between non-Christian Jews and non-Christian Gentiles? This difference was the distinguishing detail Paul noted in the quoted verses.
The Jews demanded to see signs, to see miracles, whenever someone claimed to be sent by God. The Greeks attempted to know the truth about God through the medium of man’s own understanding (aka wisdom). Though the Greeks were the most outstanding example of this, all the world’s peoples imagined God to be the way they thought He should be. Ergo, the Greeks the quintessential Gentiles.
After distinguishing the two classes of non-Christians in the world, Paul then gave the definition of a Christian to distinguish them from the non-Christians. A Christian “preaches Christ crucified”. Isn’t that interesting? Yes, it is. But what does it mean?
Jesus expressed it best—considering the context of the quote from 1 Corinthians—when He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” The Jews as a people still attempt to approach God through the Law of Moses. The Gentiles still attempt to approach God by following their own reasonings (aka wisdom or philosophy). Only the Christians approach God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus died on the cross (i.e., was crucified), in order to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind. Each person individually—whether Jew or Gentile it matters not—but each individual must come to Jesus by recognizing his sin. Sin separates man from God, so the sinner cannot approach God. To approach God sin must first be removed.
Jesus’ death on the cross gave man a way to have his sin removed. By going to Jesus and confessing my sins, I receive Jesus’ payment for the penalty of my sins. Once I do that I am justified by faith in Christ Jesus.
The word “justified” means the eternal Judge in heaven hammers the gavel on his Judge’s bench and roars His verdict, “Not guilty!” Thenceforth God no longer sees me the sinner. He now sees me “in Christ”. Christ is without sin, so I am too. By His crucifixion Christ made it possible for my sins to be removed. By His resurrection He made it possible for His life, the new resurrection life, to live in me.
This is what it means to be a Christian. In our next study we will descant on this issue more thoroughly.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We defined Jews and Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. Permit me to explain it.
In the quoted text both the Greeks and the Gentiles are referenced. Whereas the Greeks are part of the other peoples of the world apart from the Jews, this makes the Greeks to be a people group of the Gentiles. So why did God single out the Greeks in these verses?
The answer isn’t difficult to cull from the text. Consider the distinguishing characteristic of the Gentiles which Paul referenced in 1 Corinthians: they “search for wisdom”. Anyone who has an inkling of the ancient world, or even of philosophy in general, knows the Greeks invented philosophy.
The word “philosophy” comes from two Greek words, “philos” (love) and “sophos” (wisdom). The word “philosophy” means “the love of wisdom”. In the ancient world the Greeks symbolized the love of wisdom, and they still do today. They were noted for loving wisdom because they incessantly “searched for wisdom”.
This was why Paul singled out the Greeks as representative of the Gentiles. He contrasted the non-Christian peoples with the Christians. The non-Christians are comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. What was the difference between non-Christian Jews and non-Christian Gentiles? This difference was the distinguishing detail Paul noted in the quoted verses.
The Jews demanded to see signs, to see miracles, whenever someone claimed to be sent by God. The Greeks attempted to know the truth about God through the medium of man’s own understanding (aka wisdom). Though the Greeks were the most outstanding example of this, all the world’s peoples imagined God to be the way they thought He should be. Ergo, the Greeks the quintessential Gentiles.
After distinguishing the two classes of non-Christians in the world, Paul then gave the definition of a Christian to distinguish them from the non-Christians. A Christian “preaches Christ crucified”. Isn’t that interesting? Yes, it is. But what does it mean?
Jesus expressed it best—considering the context of the quote from 1 Corinthians—when He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” The Jews as a people still attempt to approach God through the Law of Moses. The Gentiles still attempt to approach God by following their own reasonings (aka wisdom or philosophy). Only the Christians approach God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus died on the cross (i.e., was crucified), in order to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind. Each person individually—whether Jew or Gentile it matters not—but each individual must come to Jesus by recognizing his sin. Sin separates man from God, so the sinner cannot approach God. To approach God sin must first be removed.
Jesus’ death on the cross gave man a way to have his sin removed. By going to Jesus and confessing my sins, I receive Jesus’ payment for the penalty of my sins. Once I do that I am justified by faith in Christ Jesus.
The word “justified” means the eternal Judge in heaven hammers the gavel on his Judge’s bench and roars His verdict, “Not guilty!” Thenceforth God no longer sees me the sinner. He now sees me “in Christ”. Christ is without sin, so I am too. By His crucifixion Christ made it possible for my sins to be removed. By His resurrection He made it possible for His life, the new resurrection life, to live in me.
This is what it means to be a Christian. In our next study we will descant on this issue more thoroughly.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Foolish Sages and Wimpy Brutes – Part 3
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:22-24].
Jesus’ death and resurrection provide us with the means to be a Christian. Too often a Christian is deemed to be anyone who says the name Jesus, or anyone who goes to church, or anyone whose parents go to church. As we just explained the Biblical definition of a Christian, the everyday identification of a Christian is faulty to the core.
Because of this some Christians sometimes distinguish themselves from religious folks by adopting the moniker “born again Christian”. I see two things wrong with this approach though. For one, the moniker is a tautology. Any real “Christian” is “born again”.
For another thing there is only one type of Christian. No one can truly be a Christian apart from being born again. Being born again is the way a Christian comes into existence. Accordingly those folks who skip the born again part and go straight to the head of the class by attending church and claiming to be Christians—the Bible defines them as non-Christians.
It matters not whether they have good intentions, or whether they are evil impostors who slither into the church to corrupt it, or anything in between. They are not really Christians because they are not born again.
They are born only once (cf., Revelation 20:11-15), and that in the way all men are born, viz., through the instrumentation of sinful parents. This makes them sinners also because God created each species to reproduce after itself. Sinners cannot give birth to saints. They can only give birth to other sinners.
In summation, Jews demand to see miracles as proof of God. Gentiles insist on reasoning out all the facts about God. Logic is king to them, not God. In contrast to those two, Christians preach Christ crucified.
The crucifixion of Christ displays both the wisdom of God and the power of God. The two phrases are crucial because one is God’s answer to the Jews, the other His answer to the Gentiles. The Jews elevate God’s visible works (i.e., miracles) to the throne of God. They identify God by His actions, while relegating His Person to the back burner.
God’s response to this is to show Himself visibly in the Person of Jesus Christ. The Jews pushed God’s works to the front. In response God pushed His Person to the front. Jesus is “the power of God”.
The Gentiles elevate man’s intelligence to the throne of God. They eat at the kogae tree and draw conclusions based on what seems right in their own eyes. Their conclusions are formed from their reasoning and their experiences.
God’s response to this is to explain deity and eternity through the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus went about preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching man the wisdom of God. The culmination of God’s wisdom came at the cross of Christ and the empty tomb. The Gentiles pushed man’s intelligence to the front. God countered by pushing His intelligence to the front. Jesus is “the wisdom of God”.
Let me be quite frank and pointed, dear friends. If you were born of Jewish parents, then you are a Jew. If you were born of non-Jewish parents, then you are a Gentile. But none of this is relevant to God because we aren’t responsible for who our parents are!
We are responsible, however, for how we respond to God. He holds out His hand and offers us a pardon, paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross. If we receive it, then we are born again. If we reject it, then we are only born once. We indeed are responsible for that decision!
So step up to the cross and receive your pardon. Don’t just be born. Be born again. Give glory to God and confess your sins to Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Jesus’ death and resurrection provide us with the means to be a Christian. Too often a Christian is deemed to be anyone who says the name Jesus, or anyone who goes to church, or anyone whose parents go to church. As we just explained the Biblical definition of a Christian, the everyday identification of a Christian is faulty to the core.
Because of this some Christians sometimes distinguish themselves from religious folks by adopting the moniker “born again Christian”. I see two things wrong with this approach though. For one, the moniker is a tautology. Any real “Christian” is “born again”.
For another thing there is only one type of Christian. No one can truly be a Christian apart from being born again. Being born again is the way a Christian comes into existence. Accordingly those folks who skip the born again part and go straight to the head of the class by attending church and claiming to be Christians—the Bible defines them as non-Christians.
It matters not whether they have good intentions, or whether they are evil impostors who slither into the church to corrupt it, or anything in between. They are not really Christians because they are not born again.
They are born only once (cf., Revelation 20:11-15), and that in the way all men are born, viz., through the instrumentation of sinful parents. This makes them sinners also because God created each species to reproduce after itself. Sinners cannot give birth to saints. They can only give birth to other sinners.
In summation, Jews demand to see miracles as proof of God. Gentiles insist on reasoning out all the facts about God. Logic is king to them, not God. In contrast to those two, Christians preach Christ crucified.
The crucifixion of Christ displays both the wisdom of God and the power of God. The two phrases are crucial because one is God’s answer to the Jews, the other His answer to the Gentiles. The Jews elevate God’s visible works (i.e., miracles) to the throne of God. They identify God by His actions, while relegating His Person to the back burner.
God’s response to this is to show Himself visibly in the Person of Jesus Christ. The Jews pushed God’s works to the front. In response God pushed His Person to the front. Jesus is “the power of God”.
The Gentiles elevate man’s intelligence to the throne of God. They eat at the kogae tree and draw conclusions based on what seems right in their own eyes. Their conclusions are formed from their reasoning and their experiences.
God’s response to this is to explain deity and eternity through the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus went about preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching man the wisdom of God. The culmination of God’s wisdom came at the cross of Christ and the empty tomb. The Gentiles pushed man’s intelligence to the front. God countered by pushing His intelligence to the front. Jesus is “the wisdom of God”.
Let me be quite frank and pointed, dear friends. If you were born of Jewish parents, then you are a Jew. If you were born of non-Jewish parents, then you are a Gentile. But none of this is relevant to God because we aren’t responsible for who our parents are!
We are responsible, however, for how we respond to God. He holds out His hand and offers us a pardon, paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross. If we receive it, then we are born again. If we reject it, then we are only born once. We indeed are responsible for that decision!
So step up to the cross and receive your pardon. Don’t just be born. Be born again. Give glory to God and confess your sins to Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Homework 101 - Part 1
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with [Ecclesiastes 1:13].
There are many fine things in life, but there is not a universal consent as to what is on the list! For instance, some folks love football and hate baseball. Others love baseball and hate football. Some love both, and then there are the gainsayers who have no use for either.
Joe likes pizza and Ron likes cabbage (go figure). Sally prefers dresses while Nell won’t be caught dead in one. Ken enjoys a good read in Shakespeare but Barbie can only stomach Dickens. Then there are the folks who love any and all fields of study, as contrasted with those who hate learning anything intelligent! They can’t even be persuaded to lift a finger to turn the page in a book.
The quoted text which began this study contains a sharp contrast. Funny thing is only one person is involved. The one and the same person both loved and hated learning! And he didn’t have a split personality either. Behold the contrast:
1. I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven
2. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with
Point #1 depicts a lover of learning. This dude (aka Solomon, the teacher in Jerusalem) established as his goal to know everything there is to know about everything under heaven. Now that is a tall order! Indeed, it was a bit much to take on, I do believe.
The teacher learned this truth for himself. In Point #2 he confessed as much. He found his tall order to be “a grievous task”, one with which he felt “afflicted”. His task at hand was not merely difficult, nor annoying, neither frustrating. It was “grievous”. That word hints of burdens and oppression, even great pain and suffering. Does the idiom “to bite off more than I can chew” come to mind?
As we ponder Solomon’s words, let’s be sure to keep the context of the Book of Ecclesiastes in mind. He repeatedly states that what he records in Ecclesiastes is from the standpoint of things “under the sun”. The phrase denotes what occurs on earth as understood from earth’s perspective. This is not the Lord’s invisible spiritual insight. It is man’s visible material sight.
If I may be permitted to paraphrase a bit, Solomon essentially said, “I really wanted to learn everything there is to know about everything, so I put my mind to accomplish this. But alas, it wore me out in no time. I mean, no matter how much I learned, there was always so much more to know. I was always running behind, trying to catch up. O! my aching head! Grievous ‘tis.” Such were the efforts and the results of the teacher’s attempts at learning.
Here’s the thing, dear friends. Learning is a wonderful thing for us. We cannot fill our time in a more profitable manner. However, it is what we learn that is important, not learning for the sake of learning. And yes, some folks do detest having to learn anything new, while others crave new knowledge. But in both cases it is an essential of life to learn throughout life. We must never graduate from learning.
Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Solomon taught in Ecclesiastes how everything under the sun can only lead to boredom, ennui, lassitude, apathy. In the context of Ecclesiastes he is unqualifiedly correct. If we live for the things of the world (i.e., for created things), regardless of what they are, we cannot find any real and lasting fulfillment. This is what the teacher meant in today’s Bible verse.
Sorry. We’re out of time again. We will continue this topic in our next study. See you then. Enjoy time with the Lord now, okay?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
There are many fine things in life, but there is not a universal consent as to what is on the list! For instance, some folks love football and hate baseball. Others love baseball and hate football. Some love both, and then there are the gainsayers who have no use for either.
Joe likes pizza and Ron likes cabbage (go figure). Sally prefers dresses while Nell won’t be caught dead in one. Ken enjoys a good read in Shakespeare but Barbie can only stomach Dickens. Then there are the folks who love any and all fields of study, as contrasted with those who hate learning anything intelligent! They can’t even be persuaded to lift a finger to turn the page in a book.
The quoted text which began this study contains a sharp contrast. Funny thing is only one person is involved. The one and the same person both loved and hated learning! And he didn’t have a split personality either. Behold the contrast:
1. I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven
2. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with
Point #1 depicts a lover of learning. This dude (aka Solomon, the teacher in Jerusalem) established as his goal to know everything there is to know about everything under heaven. Now that is a tall order! Indeed, it was a bit much to take on, I do believe.
The teacher learned this truth for himself. In Point #2 he confessed as much. He found his tall order to be “a grievous task”, one with which he felt “afflicted”. His task at hand was not merely difficult, nor annoying, neither frustrating. It was “grievous”. That word hints of burdens and oppression, even great pain and suffering. Does the idiom “to bite off more than I can chew” come to mind?
As we ponder Solomon’s words, let’s be sure to keep the context of the Book of Ecclesiastes in mind. He repeatedly states that what he records in Ecclesiastes is from the standpoint of things “under the sun”. The phrase denotes what occurs on earth as understood from earth’s perspective. This is not the Lord’s invisible spiritual insight. It is man’s visible material sight.
If I may be permitted to paraphrase a bit, Solomon essentially said, “I really wanted to learn everything there is to know about everything, so I put my mind to accomplish this. But alas, it wore me out in no time. I mean, no matter how much I learned, there was always so much more to know. I was always running behind, trying to catch up. O! my aching head! Grievous ‘tis.” Such were the efforts and the results of the teacher’s attempts at learning.
Here’s the thing, dear friends. Learning is a wonderful thing for us. We cannot fill our time in a more profitable manner. However, it is what we learn that is important, not learning for the sake of learning. And yes, some folks do detest having to learn anything new, while others crave new knowledge. But in both cases it is an essential of life to learn throughout life. We must never graduate from learning.
Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Solomon taught in Ecclesiastes how everything under the sun can only lead to boredom, ennui, lassitude, apathy. In the context of Ecclesiastes he is unqualifiedly correct. If we live for the things of the world (i.e., for created things), regardless of what they are, we cannot find any real and lasting fulfillment. This is what the teacher meant in today’s Bible verse.
Sorry. We’re out of time again. We will continue this topic in our next study. See you then. Enjoy time with the Lord now, okay?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Homework 101 - Part 2
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with [Ecclesiastes 1:13].
We concluded our last study by noting how Solomon found study and learning to be “grievous” and an “affliction”. Now let’s learn why.
We humans (i.e., creatures or created things) are created by God the Creator to have fellowship with Him. When He made us, He included this ability. No other created thing has it. Humans alone are created in the image of God.
Ergo, when we reject fellowship with the Lord and go off on our own to do our own thing, we cannot find fulfillment because we are not filling our lives full of the One for Whom we are made. We are like an automobile which has H2O in the gas tank. We just don’t run right!
If we want to drive down the road of life with any fulfillment, we need to drain the H2O and instead fill our tank with H2S (i.e., Holy Spirit fuel). We can’t buy H2S at just any corner gas station, you know. It can be purchased only through the Word of God. It is much more affordable than gasoline. “Come, buy…without money and without cost” (cf., Isaiah 55:1).
Oh, but we mustn’t leave out any of the essentials. To know the Lord and grow in the Spirit, we require the Word of God. This isn’t a superstition thing, dear friends. We don’t learn a few adjurations and prayers and invocations and then call it quits with learning. We need to feed on the Word of God day in and day out 24/7/365, and this lasts for an entire lifetime.
Consider that we don’t eat once and then stop, nor do we eat occasionally when it is convenient. We eat several times a day every day, and no one has to make us either! The same applies in the spiritual realm, dear friends. The Bible is the Christian’s spiritual food. How can we expect to stay alive, much less grow and mature spiritually, if we don’t eat our spiritual food?
Let’s not adopt the teacher’s words and profess Bible feeding to be “grievous” and an “affliction”! Rather, let us rejoice in the Lord and thank Him for preserving His Word for us. Let’s chow down on the good things He wants to share with us. Let’s appreciate Him and His Word. Now is an excellent opportunity for us to do so. I’ll race you to the prayer closet.
Oh, but I must add an addendum before taking my leave. For all you teachers and would-be teachers in the Church, this study holds immeasurably more relevance for you. When the Lord gives a Christian the gift of teaching, He accompanies this with a craving for study and learning His Word.
If anyone wants to wear a coat and tie, be held in honor as a wise and spiritual person, receive a sizable paycheck, and hang out in the church building so as to avoid the unpleasantness outside its walls—listen up: don’t apply for a preaching/teaching position. You don’t belong! The Lord didn’t call you to the pastorate. You don’t have the spiritual gifts which accompany such a ministry.
Every Christian should grow in grace so that he truly wants to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But a teacher of the Word of God must do much more than that. He must crave the Word. He mustn’t be satisfied with what he has and stop wanting more.
He mustn’t become distracted with activities and visitations to the extent he cannot be alone with the Lord Jesus daily, being fed by Him with the whole counsel of God. Only then will he be equipped to feed the flock of Christ with real spiritual meat. Only then will he be excited by the Word so that he can pass on his enthusiasm to the flock. Only then will the flock be piqued to follow his example.
Think on these things, O thou would-be Bible teachers. Don’t you dare usurp a teaching ministry. Beware lest you fall into the hands of the living God!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
We concluded our last study by noting how Solomon found study and learning to be “grievous” and an “affliction”. Now let’s learn why.
We humans (i.e., creatures or created things) are created by God the Creator to have fellowship with Him. When He made us, He included this ability. No other created thing has it. Humans alone are created in the image of God.
Ergo, when we reject fellowship with the Lord and go off on our own to do our own thing, we cannot find fulfillment because we are not filling our lives full of the One for Whom we are made. We are like an automobile which has H2O in the gas tank. We just don’t run right!
If we want to drive down the road of life with any fulfillment, we need to drain the H2O and instead fill our tank with H2S (i.e., Holy Spirit fuel). We can’t buy H2S at just any corner gas station, you know. It can be purchased only through the Word of God. It is much more affordable than gasoline. “Come, buy…without money and without cost” (cf., Isaiah 55:1).
Oh, but we mustn’t leave out any of the essentials. To know the Lord and grow in the Spirit, we require the Word of God. This isn’t a superstition thing, dear friends. We don’t learn a few adjurations and prayers and invocations and then call it quits with learning. We need to feed on the Word of God day in and day out 24/7/365, and this lasts for an entire lifetime.
Consider that we don’t eat once and then stop, nor do we eat occasionally when it is convenient. We eat several times a day every day, and no one has to make us either! The same applies in the spiritual realm, dear friends. The Bible is the Christian’s spiritual food. How can we expect to stay alive, much less grow and mature spiritually, if we don’t eat our spiritual food?
Let’s not adopt the teacher’s words and profess Bible feeding to be “grievous” and an “affliction”! Rather, let us rejoice in the Lord and thank Him for preserving His Word for us. Let’s chow down on the good things He wants to share with us. Let’s appreciate Him and His Word. Now is an excellent opportunity for us to do so. I’ll race you to the prayer closet.
Oh, but I must add an addendum before taking my leave. For all you teachers and would-be teachers in the Church, this study holds immeasurably more relevance for you. When the Lord gives a Christian the gift of teaching, He accompanies this with a craving for study and learning His Word.
If anyone wants to wear a coat and tie, be held in honor as a wise and spiritual person, receive a sizable paycheck, and hang out in the church building so as to avoid the unpleasantness outside its walls—listen up: don’t apply for a preaching/teaching position. You don’t belong! The Lord didn’t call you to the pastorate. You don’t have the spiritual gifts which accompany such a ministry.
Every Christian should grow in grace so that he truly wants to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But a teacher of the Word of God must do much more than that. He must crave the Word. He mustn’t be satisfied with what he has and stop wanting more.
He mustn’t become distracted with activities and visitations to the extent he cannot be alone with the Lord Jesus daily, being fed by Him with the whole counsel of God. Only then will he be equipped to feed the flock of Christ with real spiritual meat. Only then will he be excited by the Word so that he can pass on his enthusiasm to the flock. Only then will the flock be piqued to follow his example.
Think on these things, O thou would-be Bible teachers. Don’t you dare usurp a teaching ministry. Beware lest you fall into the hands of the living God!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Foolish Sages and Wimpy Brutes – Part 1
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:22-24].
I recall this phrase that has made the rounds for generations now. It goes something like this:
There are all kinds of people in the world.
In some sense this may well be true. According to the three verses quoted above, God only recognizes three kinds of people. Let’s itemize them for ready reference:
1. Jews
2. Gentiles (Greeks)
3. the called of God
Each of these three types of people is identified by a distinguishing characteristic. We will also itemize the three characteristics, listing each one accoriding to the order of the three types of people above:
1. ask for signs
2. search for wisdom
3. preach Christ crucified
There is one more detail given in the quoted text we mustn’t leave out. The called of God preach Christ crucified. The additional detail we mentioned is this: the preaching of Christ crucified receives three different responses, depending on which of the three types of people we belong to. Let’s itemize these three responses. We will do so according to the order of the three types of people given above:
1. a stumbling block
2. foolishness
3. the power and wisdom of God
That about does it. I believe we’ve exhausted the details of the three verses quoted at the start of this study. Now let’s get to work assaying the details.
The Jews were one type or classification of people in the world. A Jew (aka a Hebrew or Semite) is any person whose lineage traces back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I list all three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for a reason. Abraham had many sons besides Isaac, but only Isaac carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God made that determination.
Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. God classified Esau as a profane and godless man who despised the Abrahamic Covenant. Esau loved the world and the things of the world. He had neither time nor love for the things of God. By God’s sovereign choice only Jacob carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God renamed Jacob to Israel.
Jacob/Israel had twelve sons. Each of these twelve sons grew into a tribe of Israel and became the Israelites. God sovereignly chose to continue the Abrahamic Covenant through the Israelites. God also sovereignly determined to bring the Messiah into the world through the lineage of the Israelites, specifically through the lineage of the tribe of Judah and the family of David.
The Lord gave the Israelites the Promised Land and the Law of Moses (aka Torah). The Law of Moses served as the legal code of the Israelites while they lived in the Promised Land. This distinguished the Israelites (aka Jews) from the Gentiles (i.e., everyone not a Jew).
The Israelites had a covenantal relationship with the Lord: all the other peoples of the world had no relationship with the Lord. This was God’s sovereign decision. The Israelites had the Lord as their King: all the other peoples of the world had an earthly king of their own making. The Israelites had the Law of Moses, God’s Word in the world back in the day: all the other peoples of the world had their own imaginations and inventions to govern them.
The last several paragraphs distinguished the Jews from the Gentiles (i.e., all the other peoples of the world aside from the Jews). So we’ve also defined the Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. I will explain it in the next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
I recall this phrase that has made the rounds for generations now. It goes something like this:
There are all kinds of people in the world.
In some sense this may well be true. According to the three verses quoted above, God only recognizes three kinds of people. Let’s itemize them for ready reference:
1. Jews
2. Gentiles (Greeks)
3. the called of God
Each of these three types of people is identified by a distinguishing characteristic. We will also itemize the three characteristics, listing each one accoriding to the order of the three types of people above:
1. ask for signs
2. search for wisdom
3. preach Christ crucified
There is one more detail given in the quoted text we mustn’t leave out. The called of God preach Christ crucified. The additional detail we mentioned is this: the preaching of Christ crucified receives three different responses, depending on which of the three types of people we belong to. Let’s itemize these three responses. We will do so according to the order of the three types of people given above:
1. a stumbling block
2. foolishness
3. the power and wisdom of God
That about does it. I believe we’ve exhausted the details of the three verses quoted at the start of this study. Now let’s get to work assaying the details.
The Jews were one type or classification of people in the world. A Jew (aka a Hebrew or Semite) is any person whose lineage traces back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I list all three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for a reason. Abraham had many sons besides Isaac, but only Isaac carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God made that determination.
Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. God classified Esau as a profane and godless man who despised the Abrahamic Covenant. Esau loved the world and the things of the world. He had neither time nor love for the things of God. By God’s sovereign choice only Jacob carried on the Abrahamic Covenant. God renamed Jacob to Israel.
Jacob/Israel had twelve sons. Each of these twelve sons grew into a tribe of Israel and became the Israelites. God sovereignly chose to continue the Abrahamic Covenant through the Israelites. God also sovereignly determined to bring the Messiah into the world through the lineage of the Israelites, specifically through the lineage of the tribe of Judah and the family of David.
The Lord gave the Israelites the Promised Land and the Law of Moses (aka Torah). The Law of Moses served as the legal code of the Israelites while they lived in the Promised Land. This distinguished the Israelites (aka Jews) from the Gentiles (i.e., everyone not a Jew).
The Israelites had a covenantal relationship with the Lord: all the other peoples of the world had no relationship with the Lord. This was God’s sovereign decision. The Israelites had the Lord as their King: all the other peoples of the world had an earthly king of their own making. The Israelites had the Law of Moses, God’s Word in the world back in the day: all the other peoples of the world had their own imaginations and inventions to govern them.
The last several paragraphs distinguished the Jews from the Gentiles (i.e., all the other peoples of the world aside from the Jews). So we’ve also defined the Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. I will explain it in the next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Foolish Sages and Wimpy Brutes – Part 2
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:22-24].
We defined Jews and Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. Permit me to explain it.
In the quoted text both the Greeks and the Gentiles are referenced. Whereas the Greeks are part of the other peoples of the world apart from the Jews, this makes the Greeks to be a people group of the Gentiles. So why did God single out the Greeks in these verses?
The answer isn’t difficult to cull from the text. Consider the distinguishing characteristic of the Gentiles which Paul referenced in 1 Corinthians: they “search for wisdom”. Anyone who has an inkling of the ancient world, or even of philosophy in general, knows the Greeks invented philosophy.
The word “philosophy” comes from two Greek words, “philos” (love) and “sophos” (wisdom). The word “philosophy” means “the love of wisdom”. In the ancient world the Greeks symbolized the love of wisdom, and they still do today. They were noted for loving wisdom because they incessantly “searched for wisdom”.
This was why Paul singled out the Greeks as representative of the Gentiles. He contrasted the non-Christian peoples with the Christians. The non-Christians are comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. What was the difference between non-Christian Jews and non-Christian Gentiles? This difference was the distinguishing detail Paul noted in the quoted verses.
The Jews demanded to see signs, to see miracles, whenever someone claimed to be sent by God. The Greeks attempted to know the truth about God through the medium of man’s own understanding (aka wisdom). Though the Greeks were the most outstanding example of this, all the world’s peoples imagined God to be the way they thought He should be. Ergo, the Greeks the quintessential Gentiles.
After distinguishing the two classes of non-Christians in the world, Paul then gave the definition of a Christian to distinguish them from the non-Christians. A Christian “preaches Christ crucified”. Isn’t that interesting? Yes, it is. But what does it mean?
Jesus expressed it best—considering the context of the quote from 1 Corinthians—when He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” The Jews as a people still attempt to approach God through the Law of Moses. The Gentiles still attempt to approach God by following their own reasonings (aka wisdom or philosophy). Only the Christians approach God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus died on the cross (i.e., was crucified), in order to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind. Each person individually—whether Jew or Gentile it matters not—but each individual must come to Jesus by recognizing his sin. Sin separates man from God, so the sinner cannot approach God. To approach God sin must first be removed.
Jesus’ death on the cross gave man a way to have his sin removed. By going to Jesus and confessing my sins, I receive Jesus’ payment for the penalty of my sins. Once I do that I am justified by faith in Christ Jesus.
The word “justified” means the eternal Judge in heaven hammers the gavel on his Judge’s bench and roars His verdict, “Not guilty!” Thenceforth God no longer sees me the sinner. He now sees me “in Christ”. Christ is without sin, so I am too. By His crucifixion Christ made it possible for my sins to be removed. By His resurrection He made it possible for His life, the new resurrection life, to live in me.
This is what it means to be a Christian. In our next study we will descant on this issue more thoroughly.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We defined Jews and Gentiles and noted their peculiarities as God sees it. There is one final detail to hammer out with regard to the Gentiles. Permit me to explain it.
In the quoted text both the Greeks and the Gentiles are referenced. Whereas the Greeks are part of the other peoples of the world apart from the Jews, this makes the Greeks to be a people group of the Gentiles. So why did God single out the Greeks in these verses?
The answer isn’t difficult to cull from the text. Consider the distinguishing characteristic of the Gentiles which Paul referenced in 1 Corinthians: they “search for wisdom”. Anyone who has an inkling of the ancient world, or even of philosophy in general, knows the Greeks invented philosophy.
The word “philosophy” comes from two Greek words, “philos” (love) and “sophos” (wisdom). The word “philosophy” means “the love of wisdom”. In the ancient world the Greeks symbolized the love of wisdom, and they still do today. They were noted for loving wisdom because they incessantly “searched for wisdom”.
This was why Paul singled out the Greeks as representative of the Gentiles. He contrasted the non-Christian peoples with the Christians. The non-Christians are comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. What was the difference between non-Christian Jews and non-Christian Gentiles? This difference was the distinguishing detail Paul noted in the quoted verses.
The Jews demanded to see signs, to see miracles, whenever someone claimed to be sent by God. The Greeks attempted to know the truth about God through the medium of man’s own understanding (aka wisdom). Though the Greeks were the most outstanding example of this, all the world’s peoples imagined God to be the way they thought He should be. Ergo, the Greeks the quintessential Gentiles.
After distinguishing the two classes of non-Christians in the world, Paul then gave the definition of a Christian to distinguish them from the non-Christians. A Christian “preaches Christ crucified”. Isn’t that interesting? Yes, it is. But what does it mean?
Jesus expressed it best—considering the context of the quote from 1 Corinthians—when He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” The Jews as a people still attempt to approach God through the Law of Moses. The Gentiles still attempt to approach God by following their own reasonings (aka wisdom or philosophy). Only the Christians approach God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus died on the cross (i.e., was crucified), in order to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind. Each person individually—whether Jew or Gentile it matters not—but each individual must come to Jesus by recognizing his sin. Sin separates man from God, so the sinner cannot approach God. To approach God sin must first be removed.
Jesus’ death on the cross gave man a way to have his sin removed. By going to Jesus and confessing my sins, I receive Jesus’ payment for the penalty of my sins. Once I do that I am justified by faith in Christ Jesus.
The word “justified” means the eternal Judge in heaven hammers the gavel on his Judge’s bench and roars His verdict, “Not guilty!” Thenceforth God no longer sees me the sinner. He now sees me “in Christ”. Christ is without sin, so I am too. By His crucifixion Christ made it possible for my sins to be removed. By His resurrection He made it possible for His life, the new resurrection life, to live in me.
This is what it means to be a Christian. In our next study we will descant on this issue more thoroughly.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Foolish Sages and Wimpy Brutes – Part 3
For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:22-24].
Jesus’ death and resurrection provide us with the means to be a Christian. Too often a Christian is deemed to be anyone who says the name Jesus, or anyone who goes to church, or anyone whose parents go to church. As we just explained the Biblical definition of a Christian, the everyday identification of a Christian is faulty to the core.
Because of this some Christians sometimes distinguish themselves from religious folks by adopting the moniker “born again Christian”. I see two things wrong with this approach though. For one, the moniker is a tautology. Any real “Christian” is “born again”.
For another thing there is only one type of Christian. No one can truly be a Christian apart from being born again. Being born again is the way a Christian comes into existence. Accordingly those folks who skip the born again part and go straight to the head of the class by attending church and claiming to be Christians—the Bible defines them as non-Christians.
It matters not whether they have good intentions, or whether they are evil impostors who slither into the church to corrupt it, or anything in between. They are not really Christians because they are not born again.
They are born only once (cf., Revelation 20:11-15), and that in the way all men are born, viz., through the instrumentation of sinful parents. This makes them sinners also because God created each species to reproduce after itself. Sinners cannot give birth to saints. They can only give birth to other sinners.
In summation, Jews demand to see miracles as proof of God. Gentiles insist on reasoning out all the facts about God. Logic is king to them, not God. In contrast to those two, Christians preach Christ crucified.
The crucifixion of Christ displays both the wisdom of God and the power of God. The two phrases are crucial because one is God’s answer to the Jews, the other His answer to the Gentiles. The Jews elevate God’s visible works (i.e., miracles) to the throne of God. They identify God by His actions, while relegating His Person to the back burner.
God’s response to this is to show Himself visibly in the Person of Jesus Christ. The Jews pushed God’s works to the front. In response God pushed His Person to the front. Jesus is “the power of God”.
The Gentiles elevate man’s intelligence to the throne of God. They eat at the kogae tree and draw conclusions based on what seems right in their own eyes. Their conclusions are formed from their reasoning and their experiences.
God’s response to this is to explain deity and eternity through the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus went about preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching man the wisdom of God. The culmination of God’s wisdom came at the cross of Christ and the empty tomb. The Gentiles pushed man’s intelligence to the front. God countered by pushing His intelligence to the front. Jesus is “the wisdom of God”.
Let me be quite frank and pointed, dear friends. If you were born of Jewish parents, then you are a Jew. If you were born of non-Jewish parents, then you are a Gentile. But none of this is relevant to God because we aren’t responsible for who our parents are!
We are responsible, however, for how we respond to God. He holds out His hand and offers us a pardon, paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross. If we receive it, then we are born again. If we reject it, then we are only born once. We indeed are responsible for that decision!
So step up to the cross and receive your pardon. Don’t just be born. Be born again. Give glory to God and confess your sins to Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Jesus’ death and resurrection provide us with the means to be a Christian. Too often a Christian is deemed to be anyone who says the name Jesus, or anyone who goes to church, or anyone whose parents go to church. As we just explained the Biblical definition of a Christian, the everyday identification of a Christian is faulty to the core.
Because of this some Christians sometimes distinguish themselves from religious folks by adopting the moniker “born again Christian”. I see two things wrong with this approach though. For one, the moniker is a tautology. Any real “Christian” is “born again”.
For another thing there is only one type of Christian. No one can truly be a Christian apart from being born again. Being born again is the way a Christian comes into existence. Accordingly those folks who skip the born again part and go straight to the head of the class by attending church and claiming to be Christians—the Bible defines them as non-Christians.
It matters not whether they have good intentions, or whether they are evil impostors who slither into the church to corrupt it, or anything in between. They are not really Christians because they are not born again.
They are born only once (cf., Revelation 20:11-15), and that in the way all men are born, viz., through the instrumentation of sinful parents. This makes them sinners also because God created each species to reproduce after itself. Sinners cannot give birth to saints. They can only give birth to other sinners.
In summation, Jews demand to see miracles as proof of God. Gentiles insist on reasoning out all the facts about God. Logic is king to them, not God. In contrast to those two, Christians preach Christ crucified.
The crucifixion of Christ displays both the wisdom of God and the power of God. The two phrases are crucial because one is God’s answer to the Jews, the other His answer to the Gentiles. The Jews elevate God’s visible works (i.e., miracles) to the throne of God. They identify God by His actions, while relegating His Person to the back burner.
God’s response to this is to show Himself visibly in the Person of Jesus Christ. The Jews pushed God’s works to the front. In response God pushed His Person to the front. Jesus is “the power of God”.
The Gentiles elevate man’s intelligence to the throne of God. They eat at the kogae tree and draw conclusions based on what seems right in their own eyes. Their conclusions are formed from their reasoning and their experiences.
God’s response to this is to explain deity and eternity through the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus went about preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching man the wisdom of God. The culmination of God’s wisdom came at the cross of Christ and the empty tomb. The Gentiles pushed man’s intelligence to the front. God countered by pushing His intelligence to the front. Jesus is “the wisdom of God”.
Let me be quite frank and pointed, dear friends. If you were born of Jewish parents, then you are a Jew. If you were born of non-Jewish parents, then you are a Gentile. But none of this is relevant to God because we aren’t responsible for who our parents are!
We are responsible, however, for how we respond to God. He holds out His hand and offers us a pardon, paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross. If we receive it, then we are born again. If we reject it, then we are only born once. We indeed are responsible for that decision!
So step up to the cross and receive your pardon. Don’t just be born. Be born again. Give glory to God and confess your sins to Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
