Evidence of a Global Flood

In our church we have been doing our best to simply preach the text through Genesis and bring out the truths that the biblical author (Moses under the inspiration of God) intended. As we approach Genesis 7 this Sunday, we will do that yet again. Genesis 7 teaches us about trusting God's word, believing in his promise and warnings, living out our faith in a corrupt world, and being reverent before God's holiness. Genesis 7 also gives us the hope of the gospel in God preserving an heir of righteousness (Noah) to keep our sights on the hope of a true, eternal Savior.

While we are preaching these important truths from the text of Scripture, we also can't lose sight of the fact that our hope in the gospel stands in the reality of God's active providence in real history. The redeeming plan of God happens through the pages of history as it progresses to Christ. Therefore, there is a place (an important place) for seeing corroborating evidence for historical narratives that give us eternal truths. In other words, the lessons from the flood have come to us in a history that has left its mark physically. More importantly, we have a true history in the scriptures that even explains the physical world we live in.

What are the expected physical results of a global catastrophic flood? For the purposes of answering this for our blog this week, I'm going to borrow from PhD Geologist, Dr Andrew Snelling. (I'll leave a link to his full article at the bottom).

1.  Marine Fossils on High Mountains.

The text of Genesis 7 explicitly talks of the waters of the flood exceeding the top of mountains by 15 cubits (22 feet) and that every mountain under heaven was covered. It also talks about the fountains of the deep bursting open to bring water from the reservoirs below the land. The expectation is that sea life at the time would have been distributed across the entire globe covering mountains. We would expect to see marine fossils present even on the highest peaks of mountains once covered by water. We do - even at the peaks around Mt Everest.

2. Massive Fossil Graveyards Across the Globe.

Across the world there are fossil graveyards containing both marine and land animals buried together in huge numbers. Some graveyards, like the one found in the Redwall Limestone of the Grand Canyon cover areas stretching for 180 miles. Many such graveyards are found across the world.

3. Exquisitely Preserved Fossils.

Due to the rapid nature of the burial of life forms in the catastrophe of the flood, many creatures were fossilized quicky, preserving exquisite detail. There have been fossils found of creatures in the process of eating other creatures or even in the process of giving birth. Often intricate details of even delicate creatures such as jellyfish have been preserved.

4. Wide Spread of Sedimentary Layers

The flood with global proportions of the flood of Noah incur a massive scope of sedimentation. There are sedimentary layers that cover large portions of whole continents and in some cases even between continents. There is also evidence of layers within and between continents with the same order of distinct layers above and below.

5. Layers with no Indication of Erosion

If the sedimentary layers we see in most geological formations were deposited one on top of the other slowly over millions of years, we would expect to see much evidence of erosion by long term weathering. Instead, layering mostly shows evidence of flat boundaries with no erosion or some evidence of rapid erosion more consistent with a flood catastrophe.

6. Folds in Sedimentary Layers.

Everyone knows that rocks are not pliable. They only crack and break. There are many examples in sedimentary layers of folds containing many layers without any cracking. The only viable explanation for this is that these folds happened while the layers were still wet prior to hardening.

 This overview doesn't really do it justice. If you have the time, read Dr Snelling's article linked below where you will also see some great diagrams and photos for further help.

 The big message of Scripture is given to us in the reality of history. It's a history that happened in this world and has left physical evidence in testimony of the accuracy of the biblical record. It's a history that God's providential hand is constantly ordaining and guiding. The bible is not a mythological or philosophical idea dreamed up by men. It's the real world.

 The gospel of Jesus Christ is the true hope for humanity, and it is a hope proclaimed in God's word for humans living in God's world.

 LINK TO DR. SNELLING’S ARTICLE

Don't Myth the Flood

This week we come to more of the flood narrative, and I am resisting the temptation to spend a lot of time on showing how the historical narrative of the flood is a credible and reliable account. That, however, does not mean that it is not important to maintain that we have a credible and reliable biblical history. If the narratives of Scripture are not historically accurate, then there is no reality to the message they convey and their relationship to God's big redemptive thread. Biblical historical reliability is crucially important.

The flood narrative starts with the account of the dimensions of the ark and the animals that were taken on board. Genesis 6:14-16 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. 16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks.

By normal seafaring standards, the dimensions of the ark are like the type of ship built to cross oceans today. The dimensions of the ark hold up to scientific scrutiny. Also holding up to scientific scrutiny is the biblical description of the animals that entered (vs. 19-21) - two of every kind of air breathing land animal. In modern taxonomy, the kind or family classification is likely the level of classification being mentioned in the bible. It is classified by the ability to interbreed within a kind (eg. the dog kind, the cat kind). The rich variability in the genome within each kind on the ark is then made visible as animals breed and spread and isolate to bring out command characteristics in animal populations of species that we see today. At the kind/family classification level, the ark had more than enough room for the breeding pairs that entered.

For such a worldwide historical event to occur, we would also expect to find accounts/legends/mythologies of the flood in people groups around the world. If we all came from Noah, we would expect to hear a historical memory of it, and we do. Flood legends are found all around the world and in ancient history. They have varying degrees of comparability and distinction to the biblical account. One distinction is that the biblical account alone has all the hallmarks of scientific credibility.

Some people have suggested that the bible is a derivation of ancient near-eastern mythology. Because they believe that the ancient mythologies were written before the time of Moses writing Genesis, Moses must have borrowed from those writings. One of the answers to this (apart from Scripture being inspired by God), is the fact that the bible stands alone in scientific and archeological scrutiny. On top of that, the bible is unique in the way it stands out among the ancient mythologies. If all the flood legends come from a shared, common human experience in one point of time, we would expect that the earliest found records would have the most accurate account.

H. V. Hilprecht from the University of Pennsylvania in 1909 (Hilprecht was part of the University’s Babylonian expeditions and excavations) uncovered the earliest fragment of the flood epic from an ancient source. After carefully uncovering and translating each cuneiform character, Hilprecht made the following statement: “In its preserved portion, it showed a much greater resemblance to the Biblical Deluge Story than any other fragment yet published.” (1)

In other words, the earlier the flood legend found in world history, the closer it is to the type of accuracy shown in the biblical account. This is also seen in the table of flood legends compared to the biblical account below.

As we go through the big message of Genesis 6 (God's salvation through judgment), we can be assured that it is no mythology. It is a real history and centered in that history is the gospel of our hope.

(1) H. V. Hilprecht, The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania (1910), 35)

Controversial Passages in The Church

Dear Family,

This week we come to one of the most controversial passages in the bible - Genesis 6:1-4! Where will I go with it? What is the Nephilim? Who are the sons of God and the daughters of men? Well, I suppose you will just have to wait until Sunday. What I am more concerned about is how we all approach passages that are known to be filled with intrigue and potential controversy. How will we face this tough passage together?

As one of the elders and main teaching pastor of our church, I would at least like you to know a few things. I studied hard. I focused on good hermeneutical principles by being concerned about translation, language, and grammar. I was concerned about the context of the passage, the book and the entire bible. I was concerned for the significance of the original audience and also the New Testament usage of our text. I thought through the prominent historical positions of the church for the past 2000 years. One would think after doing all that work, we would certainly come out with an undeniable answer. Well, the truth is that I'm fairly confident and at least convicted, but not without an open hand of knowing that I could be wrong and that I have seen my own room for error.

What is more important to me is what I am asking this week of you, my dear church family. I hope we will all come to the Scriptures asking God to guide our hearts and minds. I hope we will not want to be convinced by a pastor but by God's inerrant and infallible word. I hope we will come with grace knowing that some aspects of Scripture are harder than others. I hope we will all realize that if there is any lack of clarity in the Scriptures, it is our problem, not God's. I hope we can come with a collective humble attitude to hearing the main point from the context of God's truth regardless of our own ideas about a difficult passage being matched. And I hope you know my door is always open for more conversation.

What I'm asking this week is for you to hear out an explanation of a difficult passage and then hone in on the big point of the whole text. If you can hear the most important aspect of Genesis 6, I promise you will love God more. 

2 Peter 1:19-21 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Look at the humility here from Peter. Peter was able to witness the transfiguration of Jesus. With his own eyes he saw the glory of Christ shining in all his brilliance standing next to Moses and Elijah. Even after acknowledging that he witnessed that most glorious event, Peter says that the Scriptures are more reliable than his own experience. This Apostle says that the Scriptures (not his own eyes and experience) bring greater clarity like a lamp shining in a dark place. That is how I want to approach preaching Genesis 6 this week, and that is what I am asking of my church family as you come to hear the preaching of God's word. Keep your eyes in the text, hear the explanation from your pastor, and ask the Lord to make his word shine for us all. Let us be prepared to give God's word priority over our own ideas and experiences and prejudices 

The great thing about the doctrine of perspicuity (the clarity of Scripture) is that it does not mean all of Scripture is equally clear. There are certainly some passages that are less clear than others. When that happens, we will concentrate on the more clear to attempt to understand the less clear. We will also celebrate the fact that the most clear truth through the entire message of the Bible is the gospel of Jesus Christ. On Sunday I promise to be clear about salvation!

Pray for me. Pray for you. See you Sunday.

The Priestly Garments of Christ

Whenever the priests of Israel would approach their duties for making sacrifice, they were careful to wear the right clothes. Exodus 28 describes the priestly garments to be warn as the priests took on a mediating role for Israel. The Israelite priests had their own need to make sacrifice for their own sins. They had to ensure that they were a picture of a pure Mediator who could take on this role between God and man in making sacrifice for sin. They had mediating roles for God's people and wore robes and breastplates with stones inset in them to signify the twelve tribes of Israel. They had a mediating role for God's people. Everything was to be beautiful and clean as they approached their work.

If you read through Exodus 28, you come to an unexpected importance for the clothes of the priesthood. Exodus 28:42-43 You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs; 43 and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they bear guilt and die. This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.

The law for the priesthood states that if they don't wear it, they will bear guilt and die. Why should it be so important that this undergarment be mentioned with such priority? The answer has us looking back to Genesis 2 and 3. In the last verse of Genesis 2, Adam and Eve in their pre-sin condition were naked and unashamed. It was not until sin came into the world (Genesis 3), that Adam and Eve realized their nakedness in the shameful reality of their sin. Nakedness is a depiction of the guilt and shame of sin. The priests were not to expose nakedness in their mediating role.

There is another place in the Scriptures where we are surprised to see detail and priority given to the consideration of undergarments. John 19:23-24 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be." This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, "They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." So the soldiers did these things.

Jesus came to the cross in the clothes he was wearing but they were taken and given to the soldiers. Specific mention is made of his tunic (his undergarment) which was woven in one piece from top to bottom. This is the same description given for the undergarments of the priesthood. The difference here is jaw-dropping. The priests must not expose their nakedness in their mediating role lest they bear their own guilt. Jesus, who was without guilt, was stripped of his undergarment and in the exposure of his body on the cross was openly bearing the guilt and shame of humanity placed on him.

This is yet another revelation of Jesus as our Great High Priest. He who had no sin of his own was stripped bare to expose the shame and guilt of humanity as he bore our sin on the cross. He is the one true Mediator between God and man.

Humanity has no way of covering our sin. Far from trying to expose nakedness, people attempt to clothe themselves in their own good works hoping that God will see them covered in goodness. The prophet Isaiah warned us of the futility of this exercise. Isaiah 64:6  We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. Our good works can only cover us in putrid sin.

While our shame and guilt are exposed and crucified with Jesus, through faith in him we are covered with the one thing we need most and can never obtain - righteousness. Jesus has taken our shame and clothed us with his righteousness.

 And because of Jesus... one day we will live eternally without shame. When we put on the High Priestly Garment, we are putting on the righteousness of Christ.

You Can't Control The Curse

Guest blog by Zach Hamilton

If you grew up in New England in the 20th century, you may have believed in a scary curse - but not connected to the Salem witch trials! The Curse of the Great Bambino hung over Boston Red Sox baseball for almost 100 years. When their best player Babe Ruth (nicknamed “The Great Bambino” for some reason) asked for more money in 1919, the cash-strapped team sold him to the rival New York Yankees. Babe Ruth went on to become one of the greatest Major League Baseball players of all time, helping the Yankees to win four World Series championships.

Without Babe Ruth, the Red Sox saw their fortunes fade. The decades rolled by, and every Boston team fell short of a championship. Passionate fans came to believe that trading the Great Bambino had cursed their team, especially after the Red Sox narrowly lost the 1986 World Series. They went to crazy lengths to try and reverse the curse, even holding an exorcism in Fenway Park! Finally, in 2004, the Red Sox beat the Yankees and went on to win that season’s World Series. I still remember video clips of priests and nuns celebrating in Boston.

Why go down New England memory lane? Because it demonstrates the desire humans have to control everything, even curses! Saying “God bless you” after a sneeze was originally about warding off evil spirits. We sometimes reduce negative events to a folktale curse, in order to then come up with a superstitious way to overturn that evil. It’s all fun and games...but what if a true curse actually clung to us? You and I would drive ourselves crazy trying to fix it, right?

Here’s the thing: if you’re the one cursed, are you really able to reverse that yourself? In Deuteronomy 21, Moses prescribed a specific punishment that represents shame:

And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God.  (vv. 22-23a)

The very point of hanging was to declare that this individual had transgressed the law. It served as a public deterrent to other potential criminals, but not to the one hanged! His fate was sealed.

In our next section of Genesis, we’re going to look at the comprehensive curse that the Lord Almighty pronounces on his fallen creatures. Their fate is sealed. Adam & Eve receive shameful, specific punishments for their rebellion. Our church may not be prone to minimizing the consequences of sin, but our society absolutely does! They don’t fear God or his commandments, so they have no fear of punishment, either. They think they can escape any divine curse because it’s just a fable.

With that background, is it any wonder that the world collectively yawns at the good news that Jesus came to take our curse on himself and offer restoration? A precious verse like Galatians 3:13 (“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…”) means nothing to a heart that scoffs at the very notion of guilt.
That's why we must be sure to hold out the ugly fact of our cursedness alongside the beautiful blessing of forgiveness. Trying to control our curse is doomed to fail. Running to the Savior in faith and repentance is the only cure!

God's Order, Satan's Disorder

In the first two chapters of Genesis, we have a record of a perfectly ordered world. God's perfect order is described from the very first verse. It is evident in the text of Scripture that we could describe God's created order as binary. There are dual opposite distinctives that work in functional complementarity in the ordered operation of creation. God created heavens and earth. God is the Creator and not part of the creation. God separates land from sea, darkness from light, night from day, waters above from waters below, lights for the day and lights for the night. He also creates man and woman, male and female. By the end of the creation week, we see the difference between work and rest. In Genesis two Adam is created physically from the dust with a soul from the breath of God (physical and spiritual). The image of God and the breath of soulish life, makes distinction between mankind and animals. We also see God making covenant with Adam that will result in obedience or disobedience and ultimately life or death. The forbidden fruit in the garden depicted the difference between good and evil. We could continue, but I hope you get the picture that God's binary order in creation is comprehensive in the entire creation.

Unfortunately, our society has reduced the term, "binary," to gender discussions alone. The Christian has a comprehensive answer to those proposing non-binary gender classifications. It is not that Genesis teaches a binary worldview of gender alone, but that the bible teaches a binary worldview of everything. This is God's created order.

When it comes to gender roles, Genesis 1 and 2 are indeed specific. In Genesis 2 we are given a concentrated look at the creation of humanity, and it starts with Adam and then moves to Eve. Adam is to be a leader and Eve a helper (another binary order). Adam is made first (noted by Paul in 1 Timothy 2:13). Adam is given responsibility for God's direction not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He is given authority to name the kinds of animals. He is told to work and keep (serve and protect) the garden. And when Eve is finally made from Adam (again noted by Paul 1 Corinthians 11:8), Adam names her woman because she came from man. Naming is clear evidence of leadership/authority under the direction of God.

Genesis 2 also explicitly builds anticipation of a coming helper who will be fit for Adam. Eve is the perfect partner in complimentary union. She's given to her husband to carry out God's purpose for humanity to spread his glory across the earth through fruitful multiplication and dominion. In their binary order, Adam and Eve are complimentary in physicality, complimentary in roles, and complimentary in masculinity and femininity. They were to be a one-flesh, complimentary union for God's glory.

Once we see the glory of God's binary, complimentary order for the entire creation, we can see the truly wicked nature of Satan's tactic to deceive them. Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" After thinking through the comprehensive binary order of creation, I wonder if you can pick the immediate undermining of God from Satan. Look at these words carefully - He said to the woman... Satan spoke to Eve rather than Adam as representatives of humanity in the garden.

I wonder if we see that the first deception was to undermine God's order by essentially putting Eve in a position for Adam to follow her lead. This is not to say that Adam had no responsibility to speak up and stop what was happening. It appears from the text that Adam was right there. It simply shows that sinful temptations begin when God's created order is defied.

When God first approaches Adam and Eve in their sin, notice God's application of his own created order. Eve was the first to be deceived and sin, but God first speaks to Adam, the leader. Genesis 3:9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"

In 1 Timothy 2, Paul is instructing Timothy about the order for the church. In our relational difficulties we ought to realize that the church lives in a Genesis 3 world. Sin has caused men to harshly dominate those we are to love, protect and lead, and women to seek dominance in places God had never ordained for them. Paul says that men need to come to the church gathering with prayerful, gentle, and humble hearts before the Lord. (1 Tim 2:8). There is no room for harsh dominance in the church. Women are to come in quietness, modesty, self-control, not putting themselves in first place or as a spectacle, but for submission to the teaching of God's word. (1 Tim 2:9-12).

Paul goes on to say that the authoritative teaching/leading role in the church is for qualified men, not women. The reason he gives is because Eve was deceived (not Adam) and sinned (1 Tim 2:12-14). He is not saying that Adam was not deceived at all, and that Adam did not sin. He is saying that Genesis 3 shows that God's order was violated when Satan pursued Eve rather than Adam. The reason we have male only eldership and the reason that families in the church follow God's order of leader (husband) and helper (wife), is because the church reflects that we have been redeemed to live out God's created order as originally intended. We have complimentary unions that work in partnership for God's greater glory.

The church is a picture of God's beautiful order and should be places where we are self-sacrificing for each other in leading and helping whether in the church family or our own physical families. Our concern is not just for order for the working of gender relationships, but God's entire created order displayed in all that we think, say and do. Because of the cross, we have been able to deny our sinful selves, and follow Jesus in redemptive, transformative glory. It's a glory that shines light to a clueless and dark world.

The church is God's picture of God's order that shines his glory to a world full of satanic disorder.

Encouragement for My Sisters in Christ

Ok... Men can read this too.

Dear Ladies of GTCC,

I know you've done it many times, but just have a read through Genesis 2 again this week. There are a couple of significant features in the way Moses wrote this chapter that should be immensely encouraging to ladies.

One is to simply note that from verse 18 to 25 our attention is focused on Eve. Sure, Adam is right there and the whole context of marriage is in play. But look intently at the space attributed to the anticipation of the first woman. She's no afterthought. We see it in the incompleteness of Adam without Eve. It was not good that he was alone.  

From the moment we realize Adam's solitude in the presence of every creature in the creation, we are guided to excitement and wonder in how God will complete the picture. It is completed in the most intimate of ways. By the hand of God, from the side of man, from the one lump of clay, God fashions a woman, and Adam responds in wonder and thankful rejoicing.

If you read through this wonderful section of Scripture, you should also know the uniqueness of the text. For the original Israelite readers in the wilderness, it would not be lost on them that the creation accounts of the ancient near eastern world around them were absent of any discussion about women being created. Women were not even a thought, but for God's people it was different. Sure, the God of the universe made man as a complete human being, but initially there was a vacancy in his life that was not good. Eve doesn't just complete the picture, the thrust of the text shows that she is a much-anticipated gift from God.

So often critics of the bible point their fingers at Scriptures and accuse Christians of holding to a book that is somehow oppressive toward women. This is far from the truth. It is certainly true that the bible does describe real historical situations where women are unjustly treated. Even some of the heroes of the bible were not immune to mistreating women. The entire kingdom of Israel was split under God's judgment because Solomon was willing to have hundreds of concubines and wives and was led into idolatry with them. This is one tragedy honestly reported among many. None of that means that God undervalues the importance of women. In fact, in our text in Genesis 2, oppressing women seems far from the truth.

Eve is longingly anticipated and joyfully celebrated. She has an elevated role above all creatures. She's in union with Adam and as image bearers with him in dominion over all of creation. She is in an intimate partnership helping Adam to uphold and bear his responsibilities. Eve is essential, beautiful, and needed. She completes the picture of husband and wife. But most gloriously, later on we find that her union with Adam is only a taste compared to how it is most gloriously pictured in Christ and the church. Christ's role as a groom is most wonderfully completed in him suffering and dying and saving the bride he loves - the church.

Ladies, I am so thankful you are a part of our church. If you are in Christ, along with every other Christian, you have the ultimate groom. We all do.

We are so thankful you are our sisters in Christ.

In Adam or Christ

Today is just a simple thought but one everyone needs to consider with profound honesty. There are only two possible identities for humans in the world. In our world of identity politics, it's hard to consider that there are simply two identities. The bible gives us a simplicity that moves directly to the heart of the human problem. Christians should never primarily be asking ourselves whether someone is republican, democrat, or anything else. We are always focused foremost on whether someone is in Adam or Christ. We all live and breathe according to one of these two identities.

In Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15, Paul gives explanation about what it is to be in Adam or Christ.

Romans 5:

       In Adam                                                          In Christ

       Enemies of God                                              Reconciled and saved

       All sinners                                                       The free gift of grace

       All subject to death                                         Justified before God

       Under God's judgment                                   Given life

       Condemned in sin                                           Made righteous

       Law breakers                                                   Grace abounding

       Ruled by sin and death                                   Eternal life

1 Corinthians 15:

       In Adam                                                          In Christ

       Of physical life                                                 Of spiritual life

       Of the dust                                                      Of heaven

       In the image of Adam                                     In the image of Christ

And at the return of Jesus...

       Perishable                                                       Imperishable

       Mortal body                                                    Immortal body

So, when we look around us and hear our world talk about a million different identities, let's all think about the only two that ever matter.

Are you in Adam or Christ?

The Biblical Elevation of Body and Soul

The description of the creation of humanity in Genesis 1 and 2 is foundational to the assessment of human problems and solutions. Compared to the naturalistic view from the culture around us, the biblical description and value of humanity is profoundly elevated. Humans are not merely products of physical development over vast ages of time. Genesis 1 describes us as image bearers of the eternal Creator. Genesis 2 describes that the Creator breathed the breath of life into us. We are not simply a body with a brain acting based on chemical reactions. We are interconnected body and soul endowed with capacity to reflect the glory of our Creator as creatures in his world.

We are created with a soul.

There are several words used in the Scriptures to reflect the reality of the soul.

Soul: When Rachel was dying in giving birth, we find that death separates our body and soul. Gen 35:18 And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.

Spirit: When Jesus was drawing his final breath, he similarly knew his soul was to leave his body. Luke 23:46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last.

Hidden Person: Wives are instructed not to define themselves by outward beauty but the inward beauty of their soul. 1 Peter 3:4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

Inner Person: We also learn that the body in this sin cursed world will wither and die but the soul longs for eternity. 2 Corinthians 4:16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

In a more comprehensive statement, the author of Hebrews tells us that the Scriptures impact our being to the very center of our soul. The divide and discern us to the core. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Here we see that the soul is described with both words, "soul and spirit," but we also see aspects of mind and heart and core of being. The bible is penetrating the human soul at the deepest level.

We are created with a body.

While the soul is the very being of humanity as life breathed by God, the body is in no way unimportant. The body makes us creaturely. The body is how we express the direction of the soul. While the body and soul will be separated by death, the Scriptures make it clear that we are longing for the new everlasting resurrection body to enjoy the new creation.

There is one passage in Scripture that elevates the importance of the body in explicit terms. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul says that we should look after our bodies, keep our bodies pure, not sin against our bodies and that our bodies will be raised new just like Jesus' body. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food"--and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two will become one flesh." 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Body and soul are interconnected.

The interconnection of body and soul for humanity means that we cannot fully operate as human beings without both. It means that our bodies mediate the direction of the soul. It means that our bodies also affect the state of the soul, and our soul can affect the state of the body.

Our souls dictate the actions of life mediated by the body:

Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Our bodies have creaturely needs that the soul directs.

Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

The disciples had real physical hunger and a real decision was made to pluck some grain on the sabbath for the sustenance of the body. This was a spirit guided decision for the needs of the body.

In 2 Corinthians 4:16 (as quoted above), Paul tells us that the hardship of this world on our body can affect us in aging and death, but our soul can be encouraged that there is greater benefit yet to come when all Christians will be forever renewed both physically and spiritually.

Humans always need both physical and spiritual care.

What we can know from this is that the most important aspect of our physical and spiritual human existence is based on union with Christ. Jesus who came into this world in a physical human body, died on a cross and gave up his spirit to also rise physically on the third day. Jesus overcame every physical and spiritual consequence of sin for all humanity so that we too will one day have a physical and spiritual resurrection in everlasting life.

We also know that in this world, our problems are never simply physical or simply spiritual. In our physical sickness we need spiritual care. In our spiritual woes we can expect it will have physical impact. Christians will always look at humanity as a whole being, both physical and spiritual. We will come together with the Scriptures to help each other as doctors of the soul and send people to medical doctors for the needs of the body.

Most of all, we will know that the elevated value of humanity found in the bible means our greatest concern is eternal.

1 Corinthians 15:51-58 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Is Sunday the New Sabbath?

No...and yes.

 Let's start at the beginning. Genesis 2:3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. There is something amazing about the seventh day of creation. Perhaps this is the foundation of why the number seven is so significant in the Scriptures. It is fitting that this number is seen as a number of fullness and completion because that is exactly what God is resting in at the end of the creation week. In various places throughout Scripture we find explicit reference to Genesis 2 as the foundational understanding for the whole concept of shabbat - REST.

The ten commandments given in the law to Israel would require everyone to rest on the seventh day every week (Exodus 20:8-11). The reason that this would happen every seventh day (every sabbath) was because God had created in six days and rested on the seventh. Every seventh day was a testimony to the fact that this people were a people called to rest in God as he dwelt with them.

As you read through the first five books of the bible, you will find Israel called to rest their land every seven years. After working the land for six years, it needs rest. This is a time to trust in the Lord's provision.  Leviticus 26:34 "Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate, while you are in your enemies' land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. The land that they were to possess was to be a picture of rest. Once the enemies of God's holiness were removed, the people of God in the land of God were to be a picture of resting in their God and King.

When Solomon was building the temple, it was called a place of rest for God's dwelling presence with his people. David was not able to build the temple because he was depicted as a man of war. When victories had been won and peace was obtained, God gave this responsibility to his son Solomon. 1 Chronicles 28:2 Then King David rose to his feet and said: "Hear me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and for the footstool of our God, and I made preparations for building." It took Solomon seven years to build the temple (1 Kings 6:38), and when Solomon was dedicating the temple he made seven petitions to God (1 Kings 8).

As you read through the history of Israel we gain insight into the significance of the temple. The temple was the dwelling place of God. God rested in the temple. The temple was where the worship of the people would be directed as a kingdom under God's ultimate Kingship (they were a theocracy). The temple is the central importance of the kingdom, and Solomon's kingdom would be established forever IF he continued in strength by keeping God's commands and rules (1 Chronicles 28:4-7). Because Solomon fails in this, we are always looking for one who will truly obey God and be the ultimate fulfillment of all that the temple represents. We continue to look for a kingdom of rest that truly rests in God as he dwells with his people.

While Israel were to continue to keep the sabbath every seventh day, they would be a continual testimony of the fact that God has created us to rest in him. They would also be a continual testimony of the fact that every week this looked forward to One who would ultimately bring forever rest. The penalty for not keeping the sabbath was death (Exodus 31:14). Everyone who lived as an unbeliever, unwilling to reflect God's promise of rest, would die.

If you have been paying attention you might see how all of this finds fulfillment in Jesus. Jesus came and in his finished work fulfilled all that the temple represented. He IS the dwelling presence of God. He IS the mediating sacrifice for all humanity as the Great High Priest. He did finish this work on the cross and then was raised and seated in rule and reign at the right hand of God (Ephesians 1:20-23). Jesus has finished the work of bringing the fulfillment of God's rest in dying and rising to reconcile creation. And when was Jesus raised to this new life securing a new creation for all in him? Not the seventh day of the week, but the first. The fulfillment has been accomplished and now the new has come.

There is no doubt that rest conveys the finished work of God who takes his place to dwell with humanity in rule and reign over his creation. This is exactly what the law pointed to in Christ and exactly what Christ has completed in fulfilling that law.

Is Sunday the new sabbath rest? Well, from a perspective of law and keeping days, no. It has been fulfilled. From the perspective of Jesus having finished his work to rule and reign in his kingdom - yes. We gather on the first day of the week, resurrection day, because it is a day of fulfillment, not because it is a day of replacement of legal requirements. We testify as we meet as the church that we have rest in Christ who IS our rest, and we point to the consummated rest that we are yet to enjoy. I am not a Sabbatarian in the the normal use of the sense of the word and I think it is an unhelpful term. I am, however, a big believer that every Lord's day, on a Sunday, the church displays our rest in the fulfillment of rest in Jesus Christ; our risen and resting King. We display that we rest in our Creator who created all things in six days and rested on the seventh in completion of his work- a work fully and finally completed in Christ.

Paul Against a Christendom

Sometimes the term "Christendom" is unhelpful because many people refer to it in varied ways. Predominantly, a "Christendom" has been understood in terms of a type of rule of the church within a national identity in the world. The Roman church from the time of Constantine was a building "Christendom." Often Christendom would involve a blend of church and state rather than a separation of church and state. Today, some people use the term "Christendom" simply to suggest the countries where the prominent religion is Christianity. Either way, the notion of a Christendom has extended beyond the bounds of those who are regenerate believers to a cultural rule or predominate influence of "Christian" values. The problem is, often Christendom blends Christianity with culture and breeds compromise. A Christians' desire for prominence in the world often leads to worldliness.

When it comes to the idea of dominion, rule, or kingship, it seems to me that the Apostle Paul never had a "Christendom" in mind. Paul was very careful to identify the church as those who rule in the way they represent the saving power of Christ in eternal salvation. Any kingship in the church was not to be blended with the world but to be seen in contrast to it.

Take for instance Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. The Corinthian church was obviously full of problems, but those problems seemed to stem from worldliness and pride. They had to be reminded in the very first chapter that the pride and arrogance of worldliness is not the way of Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. The power of God over this world is seen through what this world despises. The cross is God's dominion over the power of sin and death. Through suffering, Christ brings the restoration of creation and the salvation of his church.

Later in his letter, Paul revisits the pride of Corinth who so easily sit in judgment of his own ministry. 1 Corinthians 4:1-4 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Is Paul being effective? Is he ministering in a way that promotes Christianity in the world with real potency? These are the same questions asked about ministries today. So often criticism is leveled at ministers who will not take arguments to the streets (or social media) for the sake of standing up for Christian values. Why is the church not more politically motivated? Why is the church not more culturally charged? Why is the church not willing to fight in the public sphere on explicitly moral issues? Why is the church not in a better place of prominence? Paul's answer for the Corinthians is that his stewardship of ministry will be judged by God. His ministry is clearly the folly of the cross.

After rebuking the Corinthians for their worldly arrogance (vs. 6-7), Paul describes where their arrogance has taken them in a worldly sense. 1 Corinthians 4:8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! Paul is actually saying that the Corinthians have become worldly in seeking power, prestige or even prominence in the world. Their idea of being kings is that Christians should have prominent place in the world. Paul says, if they really were kings in the world, he might join them. The reality is that this is not the Christian calling.

Instead, Paul shows them the ministry and calling God has for his servants in the ministry of the gospel. It's far from the Corinthian idea of kingship. 1 Corinthians 4:9-14 For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. 11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, 12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. 14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

If the church has a place of prominence in the world, it's more likely something to be concerned about. Paul is quite sarcastic about their strength and honor and wisdom in the world's measures. It is the gospel that offends. We are not called for cultural dominance; we are called into what is seen as foolishness to the world. We are called to minister the gospel and be willing to suffer because of it. It is the cross that will always be despised by those who are perishing. Rather than seeking to be kings, the Corinthians should seek a ministry that might end up in the very opposite circumstance. The response to the world's criticisms is not to fight for better position or ascendancy, but to bless, endure, entreat. All of this for the sake of Christ and his gospel.

 In contrast to a Christendom, we are called to a humble ministry of the gospel. Yes, it may put us at odds with our culture, but not to fight for moral reform and political rule but because we simply live and preach Christ crucified.

 Paul doesn't want you to be worldly kings, he wants you to be faithful servants of the gospel for the King of kings.

Overcoming the Election Rhetoric

In the 2024 election year, surely you have heard the reverberations of caustic speech. There has been a heavy load of name calling and uncharitable dialogue from both sides of the fence. More unfortunately, it is not just coming from the candidates and party faithful, it's coming from our neighbors, friends, families, and the church is sadly not immune. I am thankful to serve as a pastor/elder in a church family that seems to go against the trend. Our church is certainly not perfect, but I cannot recall one instance of concern about how anyone in our church family is facing the tense environment of this election in an unhelpful way for others. Thank you, Grace and Truth Cincy! My ongoing concern is how we continue in this way. I believe our text for this week is a big start in the right direction. God created man in his image!

When James was writing to the church, he had reason to talk about how we must be careful to treat each other with an equal sense of value.  James 2:1-4 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Why can James be so confident in saying that we can value and love the poor man as equally as the rich? He goes on to remind us that the poor in this world in Christ are rich in faith and equal heirs in God's promise and inheritance. Jesus has caused us to see that we are all level at the foot of the cross.

James doesn't stop there. Partiality is not just a problem that concerns seating arrangements in the church (and certainly James also meant his example for broader application). We seem to have problems in valuing our neighbors even by the way we use our speech. Because we have hearts that are so focused on self, we seem to be immediately outraged at any perceived evil that comes against us. Our speech is our first weapon in war. At these moments of opposition and disagreement, our evil hearts are identified through our tongues.

James 3:7-12 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Let's think carefully about what James is saying. He is firstly saying that we should beware of our speech. It seems to be harder to protect holiness in our speech than it is to train your dog to get the morning paper. The problem is that a Christian can be sitting in church on Sunday and singing praises and then walk out of the service spewing out sinful anger at the first thing that steps on our toes. How easy is that to do in an election year the moment we see the first YouTube video from a candidate threatening the world you want to live in?

I'm willing to agree that there is a lot at stake for this country. I'm willing to agree that I have also seen a lot of ideas that I have to be vehemently opposed to. What Christians all need to be better at is shining the light of Christ by the way we talk about it. James reminds us that the people we curse are created in the likeness of God. No matter how wrong another human being is, nobody can ever take away the fact that God made them in his image. It's absolutely true that our sin has corrupted the image of God, but it hasn't changed the fact that every human being is of equal value before the Lord because all of humanity is created in His image. 

Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, Kamala Harris, and Tim Waltz are all created in the image of God whether they are conscious of that or not. They all have huge responsibility before God in that respect and will all answer to God one day. Like every other human, they all need Jesus who is the only ever uncorrupted image bearer.

Every Christian needs to take the lead in our speech. We agree that if God created all humanity in his image, it is not our prerogative to denigrate the value he has placed on a fellow human being. As hard as it is to tame our tongues, Christians should be known for how we talk - about everyone. If we disagree with another human, let's do it by honoring the value God has upon them by his very act of creating. Let's realize that they don't have a value problem, but we all have a sin problem.

So how do we overcome the ugly election rhetoric in 2024? Let your speech reflect that every single human being on the planet is created in the image of God. Remind yourself before you say a word - or type a word.

A Letter to Our Church on Life

Dear Family,

This week we come to the verses in Genesis 1 that describe God’s creation of living, breathing, life. We will look at the text and consider the importance of God’s blessing upon life and what it means for us to fill and multiply on the earth. It’s a precious subject and we will be considering the big foundational truths of the image of God and dominion and blessing over the next few weeks.

There is one consideration I am simply asking us to value this week - LIFE. Life is precious. Life is a blessing. And…life reflects the glory of God.

As we consider the value of physical life and particularly human life, I am going to ask us to consider that true life was lost in the Garden of Eden. I am going to uphold the dignity and value of life for the next three weeks. I am going to ask us to value marriage and family as God’s means of human fruitfulness in multiplication. I am going to ask us to acknowledge that physical life, every physical life, is precious. And …I am going to say, that in our Genesis 3 world, that simply is not enough.

As we look at life in Genesis 1, please don’t lose the important reality that we were never created in this world for a temporal existence. When sin entered the world, so did death, physical and spiritual. Hebrews 9:27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. Human beings need restoration of life, not just temporal physical life but eternal and abundant life. We need to live for that which is truly life.

As we consider the importance of life, please never lose the biggest truth in life we all must grasp. True life is only restored through repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ. In every discussion we have about life, I pray that we never let it pass without saying that Jesus is our life. In so many ways, Christians have generally been consistently vocal in our world about the sanctity of life. I’m thankful for that. Let’s keep upholding the precious nature of life. What I am asking, however, is that we never lose importance of helping the world to understand that there is also a sense in which we all must die to know true life. Those who become dead to the world will find Christ as their life. Those who only seek life in this world, will only know eternal death.

Colossians 3:3-4 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

The Glory of Stars

So much can be said by so little. In the inspiration of God, Moses wrote about the creation of the countless number of stars and galaxies and celestial bodies in the unmeasurably vast universe. "And the stars." Why such a little phrase about such an enormous universe? Perhaps it is to emphasize the bigness of God. The glory of the stars does not belong to the stars themselves but to the God who simply spoke to create them. The universe of celestial wonders is huge. God is bigger.

Moses also gave further explanation about all the lights that God created on day four. Genesis 1:17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth. If we believe what this verse is stating (and I do), it means that the stars are in their specific places because God placed them there. He set (placed) them in the heavens. If we carefully read the words of Genesis, we cannot go past the intentionality of every act of creation. There is simply no room for randomness. God creates, God sets in place, God gives purposes and God declares what is good. When we look in the sky on a dark clear night and see the wonder of the stars, we should be amazed at more than the innumerable lights. We must be amazed at God lest we worship what is lesser. Deuteronomy 4:19 And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.

The Psalmist took it a step further. Psalm 147:4-5 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. 5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. God not only created them, but he also numbered and named them. He knows every single one. The difference then is not as much measured by our smallness compared to the universe, but our smallness compared to God. Genesis 15:5 And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

Imagine being Abraham. He cannot possibly do what God can do. He cannot possibly name and number the stars. Imagine the wonder he then experiences when God tells him that his offspring will be an uncountable number like this. From one man chosen by God would come offspring measured by looking up to the heavens and considering the number of stars. How on earth (or in the heavens) could that be possible?

Paul gives us a key in Galatians when he describes Abraham's offspring. Galatians 3:7-9 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. We know Abraham's offspring are the children of Israel, but this tells us that what God was promising was a wider population than mere national identity. It was the true Israel. It was Abraham's children by faith that included believers from every nation. When you think about those sharing the faith of Abraham in the promise of the Messiah, the number you might think about starts to look like stars in the sky. An innumerable host of those saved by faith in the promise and fulfillment of Christ.

We are not only numbered like stars, but we share something common in purpose. They shine on the earth. Like the stars in number, we can be like the stars in shedding light, except our light is the direct witness of Christ in a world darkened by sin. Philippians 2:14-16 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

One last humbling factor is that the light we shine is not our own light. It comes from the great light that has been given to the whole world. This light is Christ. It is entirely fitting that Christ is finally called The Bright Morning Star. Revelation 22:16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."

The brightest star of all is Christ. The darker the world seems the brighter his light shines in his saints who live in contrast to an evil and wicked generation. Our light shines Christ who shines forever in glory and wonder through his work of redemption and reconciliation of all creation.

The glory of stars is not found in simply looking into the sky and seeing the wonder of lights and the vastness of the expanse of the universe. It is found in realizing that the God who created these stars shines brighter in the redemption of his saints. His light is the eternal wonder of his glory shared by all who believe.

The glory of stars is so much more glorious in Who they point to. They remind us of the glory of Jesus.

Handling Genres and Genesis

Our church has recently experienced significant contrast in biblical genres. What do I mean by that? Well, within just a few weeks we have finished a series in the letters of Paul to the Thessalonian church, we have been coming to our final weeks in the apocalyptic writing from John in the book of Revelation, and we have commenced the historical narrative in Genesis. Earlier this year our church also preached a series in the poetic songs - The Psalms. With every genre of literature in the bible comes an understanding that the reader will only understand what the author is conveying if we do so within the interpretative grid of the style of his writing. We don't read poetry like we read history. Everyone knows that.

Probably the greatest contrast our church has experienced is what it has meant to walk through the last book of the bible in Sunday School while we have started the first book of the bible in our church service. We should be careful to note that the Scriptures themselves help us to understand what we are reading and how we should read it. For example, In Revelation 1, John begins this book by giving us an interpretive grid.  Revelation 1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.

The original word translated as "made it known," is the Greek word sēmainō. This word means to signify or to sign (symbolize). It is the revelation that comes from Jesus and is about Jesus. It was delivered to John by an angel, and as we read through the book of Revelation, we find that it came through visions and dreams. The cataclysmic language in the book helps us to understand we are not reading a normal historical narrative with a normal chronological sense of history. It is not the genre of history but an apocalyptic letter. The first verse is instrumental in helping us know that the truth comes by way of signals or symbols via a heavenly being from Christ. The truth is seen in understanding what these signals reflect, and the vast usage of Old Testament texts help us to see why the signals are necessary. The temporal events and life of the people of Israel in the Old Testament texts are often alluded to in the symbolism of Revelation. In the apocalyptic style of Revelation, John often universalizes the Old Testament allusions as he helps us to understand God's mission in a sin cursed world as we await the return of Christ on the global stage.

In contrast to this, Genesis has all the hallmarks of a historical narrative but the uniqueness of being the very first book of the bible. History is not always what we want it to be. Some Christians who have bought into the worldly ideals of our day have not been comfortable with the historical perspective of the origins of the universe presented as history in Genesis 1. Sometimes the truth value of a historical narrative has been dismissed by attempts to label it as mythological or tendentious (intending to propose a particular point of view). In contrast to this, the text itself will not let you choose the genre you want it to be.

Genesis 1 has all the hallmarks of what is found in normal Hebrew historical narrative. One (the most prominent) feature is the use of the Hebrew vav (waw) which is translated into our English word, "and" (sometimes now, then, so...). It is a construction in Hebrew that shows a chronological sequence of historical events - one after the other. (And this, then this, and so, and then...)

Historical context in Hebrew narrative most often includes editorial comments and contextual comments to help us understand what it is about. The very first verse of the bible meets this beautifully. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Often in Hebrew narrative, emphasis also comes through repetition. There is no doubt that the author of Genesis wanted us to know that there is a sequence of days, and each day was good, and within each day God powerfully created everything by his sovereign will. There are many more clues within the text, but it is helpful to know that studies comparing the literary conventions of Genesis 1 with undisputed historical narratives such as 1 and 2 Kings have shown them to be similarity to a statistical figure of 99.5%.

If you wonder why we are being very "literal" when it comes to Genesis and "symbolic" when it comes to Revelation, our answer is simple. It's because God's truth is respected by understanding both the genre in which he speaks and the truth he is conveying from it. He is the author, not us. I can't change his meaning by making the historical, symbolic. I can't change his meaning by making the symbolic, historical. What is most important is that Jesus himself has told us that every book and every genre points to him as the full and final revelation of God to man.

When you approach the bible, approach it knowing that this is God's word. And when you see the different genres of the bible (poetry, history, wisdom, prophecy, apocalyptic, letters, and more), I also hope you see the glorious creativity of God who not only gives us his word but gives it to us in beauty.

The Scriptures reflect our most basic understanding of who God is. He is true, beautiful, and good. Genesis 1 reflects the truth, beauty, and goodness of God in historic narrative. Revelation reflects the truth, beauty and goodness of God in apocalyptic language. In this way, from the very first verse to the very last verse of the bible, the Scriptures show the truth, beauty and goodness of God. And... they show it in the central exaltation of Christ.

The Apostolic Witness of God

1 John 1:1-4 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-- 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

The Apostle John wrote about the Apostolic witness of Jesus. The Apostle's witnessed Jesus as he spoke to the crowds who gathered before him. They witnessed him heal. They were witnesses of the death and resurrection of their Master. What they witnessed in Jesus confirmed that they were witnessing something beyond his physical presence with them in their time. They were witnessing a timeless wisdom, power and purpose. What Jesus proved on earth was something greater than earthly comprehension. Jesus spoke and healed and conquered death with the power, wisdom and purpose beyond this world.

John testifies of Jesus in the only way that could possibly explain the reality of Jesus. He uses the term, "That Which." John does not say, "Jesus, who was from the beginning." He does not say, "He, who was from the beginning." It seems awkward and confusing for John to say, "That Which was from the beginning." It is an awkward statement that makes complete sense when we read the gospels and see the reality of who Jesus is. He is God. He is the one who is the I AM (John 8:56). He has the power to make the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear. He could heal with the power of one who created in the first place. He could command the wind and the waves. He had persuasion over the elements as if the one who created them. He had wisdom beyond human reason to stump his greatest opponents. He could forgive sins. He was born of a virgin and rose from the grave.

When John describes Jesus as "That Which," he is appealing to the reader to know that Jesus is beyond any normal human. He is greater and beyond comprehension. He is the eternal, self-existent God. He is "That Which was from the beginning."

What makes this even more amazing for John is the fact that John rubbed shoulders with this one who is "That Which." John saw him with his eyes and heard him with his ears and touched him with his hands. In fact, at one time John was reclining at a table simply leaning- physically - on Jesus (John 13:23).

When John wrote the first sentences of his first letter, he wanted the readers to know that he had not witnessed any man. He had witnessed God, the Creator, the self-existent One, in the flesh. His witness, and that of the other Apostles, was of the only One in human existence who has authority and power to save. When you believe in the Jesus that the Apostles witnessed, you are believing in "That Which was from the beginning."  

No Trouble Asking for Money!

As we come into our last Sunday in our series about the identification of the local church, we come to the subject of giving. The local church is identified - in part - in the way that we participate financially in the spread of the gospel. Some people (particularly pastors) have difficulty in approaching this subject because we live in a culture that seems to hold some aspects of life more privately than others. In our culture, our wallets have sometimes become the sacred ground whereby no other person should dare to tread. It seems that the Apostle Paul didn't have that problem. He seemed to have no hesitation when it came to asking for churches to financially give. Why? Paul's letter to Corinth sheds lights on two areas.

1 Corinthian 16:1-4 Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3 And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.

1. We should have no concern in asking the church to financially support ministry because it's a normality in our gathering.

We should note that Paul had established a habitual practice for the church. When Paul mentions the first day of the week, he is talking about the day that the church has traditionally chosen to gather. For two thousand years the church has gathered on resurrection day (first day of the week) to meet together, hear the preaching of God's word, fellowship, break bread, pray and serve each other in various ways. As part of this gathering, Paul seems to widely encourage churches to use the time to collect funds for ministry.

Paul also suggests something about the amount that should be given - "as he may prosper." Prospering individually varies and the Apostle is suggesting that each person will give generously according to capacity. Some are able to be more generous than others. Prosperity is a gift of God and should be displayed in a generous heart. Note that Paul does not say the reverse statement that if you give, you will financially prosper. The prosperous are expected to be generous according to means for giving, not getting.

We should see our gathering together as a normal opportunity to give generously to ministry according to what the Lord has given us. The church is a place for gospel generosity and our gathering is a normal collecting ground.

2. We should have no concern in asking the church to financial support ministry because we all want the gospel of the kingdom to spread.

The way Paul speaks is if he is partly a delivery man for the financial support of gospel ministry. The church in Corinth were going to store up a collection for the good of the church in Jerusalem. Sometimes we give because of the hardships others are going through, and this could well have been the motivation for collecting for the Jerusalem church. At other times we are giving for the sake of the expansion of ministry as the gospel spreads around our church and across the world. Either way, the assistance Paul is requesting is for the church, not just anyone. He is concerned with the gospel mission of the church as it seeks to fulfill the great commission of Christ. If Christians are at all concerned with the great commission and the health of the church across the world, we will be generous toward gospel ministry as our church collects, stores, uses and sends the money God has given us.

Bottom line, the church is identified by the way we believe in and live in and support the ongoing mission of the gospel. The church's giving should reflect our very identity and calling. Every week it should identify what and Who is most important to us. If we are all on the same page when it comes to the gospel, we should have no trouble asking each other for gospel purposed money.  

Serving as a Sign of Assurance

Think with me for a moment about all the ways you have been lovingly served by your brothers and sisters in Christ. I am sure that I can only think of some of the many ways I have been blessed by the service of other believers in my life. I have enjoyed encouragement, admonition, comfort and so much more. On some occasions I have received what I most needed through words. On other occasions I have been blessed by the physical and material support that matched my need at the time. To truly describe the way I have been served in my local church would require a long list I could add to every week.

There is a special love that can be identified in God's family and the author of Hebrews says that it's a love that flows from God's saving work in our lives. When we see people serving each other in the church, we see them reflecting their Savior and showing their love for Christ.

For many, Hebrews 6 is a difficult passage of Scripture to understand. The early verses of Hebrews 6 contain a very strong warning. The author makes the point that saving faith in Jesus is a persevering faith that grows into the likeness of our Savior. Those who walk away from this cannot be restored. They would inevitably show that they were not saved to begin with. The warning is for all Christians, and it is a sincere warning that is made to help keep us on track. We stay on track in the Christian life by heeding the warnings and holding the promises. After the strong warning in the beginning of Hebrews 6, we then read this...

Hebrews 6:9-11 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things--things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end 

On the other side of the warning about apostasy is the promise of assurance. As saints persevere in faith in Christ, one of the ways we can see our love for Christ working out in our lives is through the way we serve each other. Our love for Christ is epitomized in our love for his church. The author of Hebrews says..."the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints." He then connects this to assurance of hope until the end.

It's easy to under-rate the importance of serving each other in the church. Often when churches speak of serving, our minds can jump to the list of duties we all need to help with on Sunday mornings or the maintenance jobs around the building. As we gather as the church each week there is a reality to the duties we need to fulfill. If this is all serving is, it can too easily be reduced to a list of activities for Sunday. Serving each other happens both in the way we volunteer for the tangible needs of our gatherings and in the everyday way we come along side each other with the words and love of Christ. If you want to know what that is, just read all the one-another statements of the New Testament. They're not hard to find.

When we care about the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are giving of ourselves for the sake of those for whom Christ died. When we love the church, we are saying we love Jesus.

Serving is so much more than a Sunday morning duty. It is the everyday assurance that Christ has given you a heart for his people because that heart reflects our love for Jesus. When Christ loves the church, so do we. There is an assurance in that.

The author of Hebrews warns us about leaving the church, but he promises us assurance in loving each other as we show our love for Jesus. That's beautiful! That makes me want to serve my church family all the more.

The Great Commission Demands a Structured Church

When Jesus gave his disciples the great commission, he made a very clear statement about what they were to do. Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." This commission has defined the mission of the church for 2000 years. The church is made up of disciples of Christ, who make disciples of Christ, who baptize disciples of Christ, and bring every disciple of Christ under the discipleship of the teaching of Christ.

If we were to break down the responsibility of the great commission, we would find that the church needs to be very clear about who we are as Christ's disciples and what are the essential truths of the Christian faith that we must commit to for the growth and maturity of God's family.

As you read into the book of Acts and the New Testament letters, you very quickly find a church being organized to fulfill this commission. We find a council of leaders meeting to discuss the importance of how the gospel flourishes in a gentile world. We find churches being established with elders and then deacons for the spiritual oversight and administration of the church. We find the church coming together in consensus to send missionaries. We find letters instructing the church for living in holiness and protecting doctrine. Clear guidelines are given for communities living out their faith in Christ together. In every way, the church is organized and structured for the purpose of making Christ known and exalted in the world. It is structured for making disciples and growing disciples. The great commission demands a structured church.

When we think about the structure of the church, there are many ideas that come to mind. Elders and deacons are instituted for leadership and organization of ministry. Church gatherings normally have a structure (liturgy) for corporate worship in an orderly and edifying way. Membership has been the word historically used in the church for the process of recognizing disciples of Christ. In the local setting the church can maintain a defining category for identifying ourselves as believers in Christ. We can know who disciples are so we can work together to make and mature other disciples.

If the church is not structured, the church loses recognition of its identity. If we are not structured, we lose protection of our witness to the world. If we are not structured, we lose clarity on purity and any clear direction for maintaining it. If we are not structured, we muddy the waters of truth for maturing each other in Christ. If we are not structured, we deny the importance of unified commitment in the one saving truth in one saving Lord. If we lose this structure, we will soon lose the definition of a disciple and along with it, the mission of the gospel.

The great commission demands structure.

Evidence of Infant Baptism in the New Testament?

As our church thinks about baptism this week, I chose not to use the sermon to directly share my concerns (at least not in a comprehensive way) about infant (paedo) vs. believer's (credo) baptism. The sermon this week will show various reasons as to why only believer's baptism is consistent with the new covenant and teaching of Scripture. As an aside to that, it may be helpful to also show in this blog why I am not convinced I see any evidence of infant baptism in the New Testament.

Often, advocates for infant baptism will point to the statements in Scripture that say that whole "households" (Greek word oikos) were baptized. It may help to look at some of these statements carefully. 

Cornelius - Acts 10.

Acts 10:44-48 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 "Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

Peter came and preached to Cornelius and his household. In Acts 10:2, Luke tells us that Cornelius was a devout man who feared God with all his household. The household (probably included family members and even servants) feared God. While an infant might be a part of a household, it would be difficult to suggest that the infant feared God. In vs. 44-48 we are told that as a response to the gospel preaching of Peter, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. This indicates there were believers who received the Holy Spirit in the hearing and believing of the word. I do not believe Luke would have us believe that the word fell on those who would find it incomprehensible. The household who then heard the word were then commanded to be baptized.

Further in Acts 11:14, Peter recounting this event said that Cornelius sent for him (via the prompt of an angel) to come and declare to you a message by which you will all be saved, you and your household. The people who were baptized were people who heard a message of the gospel and were saved.

The Philippian Jailer: Acts 16.

Acts 16:30-33 Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.

The Philippian jailer and all his house first heard the word of the Lord and were saved. The important word to notice is that they were saved. While advocates for infant baptism believe that infants are "in the covenant and under promises of God," they will not declare them to be saved (at least not those who are responsible with the gospel). The household of the jailer were first saved and then baptized at once.

(you may notice I skipped Lydia from the beginning of Acts 16 - Keep reading).

Crispus: Acts 18

Acts 18:8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

This is again straight forward. Crispus and his entire household (every person in it), believed. This report caused also many of the Corinthians to hear Paul and they also believed. They were baptized. So far, we have only heard of believers being baptized.

Stephanas: 1 Corinthians 1 and 16

1Co 1:16-17 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

1Co 16:15 Now I urge you, brothers--you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints.

Paul first makes the point in chapter 1, that though he baptized Stephanas, his priority was not baptism but the preaching of the gospel. Paul makes a good point that he does not baptize for any other reason that someone has responded to the preaching of the gospel which is his priority ministry.

In Chapter 16, Paul talks about Stephanas' household as being the first converts in the region of Achaia. The baptized household of Stephanas were baptized because they were the first converts.

Lydia: Acts 16

Acts 16:14-15 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.

In every other instance apart from this one about Lydia, the "oikos" (household) texts show that believers were baptized after hearing and responding to the gospel preached. This text is less clear in the way that it clearly shows Lydia responding to the gospel and being baptized, but then makes a simple statement that her household as well. So far this is one example among five where there is not an explicit statement about the gospel being preached to the household for them to believe and be baptized. There is also no clarity for infant baptism. What do we do in this case?

Let me quote from the Westminster Confession of Faith 1.9. Speaking about the interpretation of Scripture, the confession states, " The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture, is the Scripture itself; and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it may be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly."

The Westminster Confession is normally held by those who would agree with an infant baptism. This confession says to consider that which is less clear by that which can be searched in other places that speak more clearly. If we apply this standard to Lydia, we have four clear texts out of five that help us to understand that nobody in Lydia's household would have been baptized without responding to the gospel in faith.

There is nowhere else in the New Testament Scriptures where we can find any evidence of a baby/infant being baptized. On the contrary, the texts above are terrific examples of believer's baptism with the text about Lydia being understood by the clear nature of the others. It seems to me that the example of baptism in the New Testament is clearly evidence of believer's baptism is the one baptism of the church.