Friday, July 19, 2013

The Gentile Problem

"But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.” (Acts 21:25)

When we think of Gentiles our first thoughts may not be of us. We may think of a group of people alluded to in the Bible. But that group is us! Gentile means all other people beside the Jews, the chosen people of God. And we have a problem!

Our problem is endemic to human nature. We like to eat a lot. We like to have sex anytime, anywhere. Why else is pornography so popular? And we are fond of worshiping anything we want. Compared to the Jews, we are a lawless bunch. Really!

The Jews were chosen by God to be His people. He gave them the Law. He gave them the Law on their way to freedom, to the Promised Land. These former slaves were the only ones to know The Law. And they were told not to act like the peoples they would be supplanting in Canaan. They didn't always do it but God did send prophets to warn them. And God promised a redeemer, someone to buy their debt from the Law.

This Redeemer is the very Son of God. He was like us but without sin, that is, He never broke the Law. He died for us so that those who would believe may have eternal life. And this includes the Gentiles, you and me! Is it no wonder then that St. Paul, called by Christ to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles, talks a lot about sex and food and idolatry. It's the stuff Gentiles love. And it's the stuff God hates for he did not make us be self-worshipers and that really is what idolatry is all about, putting ourselves before God. But the good news is that upon our realization we are not the people God intended for all peoples to be we are given a new heart to live according to His will. And we are given the Holy Spirit as our Helper. We can live as children of God and not as foreigners alien to the family of God. The Law has not been thrown away but rather written on hearts. No longer is it a yoke burdening us but a yoke carried by a friend. Is it any wonder Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."?  (Mt. 11:29) Externally the Law of God reveals God's will and what we do that is opposed to it is indeed sin, lawlessness. But internally, we are being sanctified, made holy by the blood of Jesus, so that as members of God's household, we grow into obedient children.  

Look at your life. Are you a common Gentile? Or all you a child of God?

Friday, July 12, 2013

The Logic of God

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,... (John 8:31)

The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor. 2:15-16)

Many of us can probably quote the beginning of John's Gospel. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made." John 1:1-3. Many of us have probably heard that the Greek for 'Word' is logos. Logos in the Greek can mean word or reason, intelligence or proposition. It is the very word which forms the basis of the word logic. And logic is that discipline that forms arguments through premises that lead to certain conclusions that can be provable. 

There are laws of logic. Like gravity one cannot see them but we know they are there for they hold true in every situation at anytime. We use logic in philosophy, theology, mathematics and the sciences. It is how we prove something to be true. And God is true. Like the sun and moon logic is also a creation of God.

There is a logic to creation. God spoke it into being. "Let there be light and there was light." (Gn. 1:3) But many people refuse to believe this choosing instead to believe random coincidences of molecules changing and becoming something we call earth and even more improbable human beings. And all of this just happened! Many people believe they can do anything they want as they are their own authority. Apply the laws of logic to any of these assumptions and you will see how illogical that person's worldview is. 

I was engaged in a conversation with an atheist about the meaning of Psalm 82. His argument was that Judaism was originally pantheistic. Since I know Hebrew I showed him how the meaning of 'el' is used by both God and local judges. This is not too different from 'lord' and 'Lord' used in England distinguishing between the nobility and God. His response was not a reasoned (logos) one. No, he resorted to calling me names. This happens when people hold onto false assumptions. The Bible says so. (Ps. 14:1) And this is why reading the Bible is so important. It is God's word that points to The Word of God. Reading the Bible makes sense of the world. It makes sense of man. As a pastor I have lost count the number of times parents become flummoxed when their small children tell a lie for the first time. Their response is usually, "We have never taught them to do that" or "Where did they learn that?" Actually, the bible is clear that lying is a part of our fallen nature. (Ps. 58:3) Hence, the need for Jesus and His word in our heart. Meditating on Scripture and applying the truths of the bible to our life helps us make sense of the world. We can see the world as God sees it. From His most awesome design to man's corruption and our need for redemption, the truth lies in God's book. It is no wonder St. Paul exhorts us to "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Rm. 12:2)