Hebrews 7:5 states, “And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers.”

It is described (to Hebrew believers, no less) as a foreign practice: they have a commandment — not us; they take it (present-tense) — as of the writing of this epistle, the tithe was still being collected by Levites.

I wanted to take a few minutes and share my thoughts on a passage from the Bible that’s been on my radar lately:

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. — Ephesians 4:29, ESV

Y’know, I think there’s a world of difference between what Paul was thinking when he said this, and what people today tend to think when they read it.

This verse marks the last of four times in this epistle where Paul uses the same word (Gr. oikodome, but your translation probably says something like “good for building up,” or “edifying”). Even so, when I’ve heard pastors preach on this topic they’ve typically focused in on an understanding of the word that’s informed solely by the verse itself, and divorced from other passages where Paul’s usage could shed light on what he means by it. This sort of thing always bugs me: if pastors are trying to build a true understanding of what Paul’s telling us to do here, then at the very least they ought to point us to those previous instances of the word. Right?

Because let me tell ya… it certainly helps it all make sense!

Here’s all four appearances of oikodome as they’re translated in the ESV. I’ve bolded (emboldened?) the word we’re talking about, and pointed out what I see as the key takeaway point from each (well, the key for understanding what Paul’s getting at with this “edification” stuff, at least):

1. Ephesians 2:19-22
   So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

   What’s the goal? In Jesus, we are being “edified” into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

2. Ephesians 4:11-14
   And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

   The purpose of “the 5-fold ministry” is to get the rest of us to a place where we’re equipped/trained/able to “edify” each other until we all reach the point of mature, Christ-like unity.

3. Ephesians 4:15-16
   Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

   Here Paul starts connecting our words with this concept of “edification.” He describes something like a circuit, where loving words of truth lead to our growing up into Christ, which feeds back into our expressed love leading to more growth, etc.

4. Ephesians 4:25-32
   Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

   Now that we have the previous passages as context, we can see that when Paul talks about “building up,” he’s referring to talk that leads to increased spiritual growth and purity. (In a nutshell, “edifying speech” could also be called “sanctifying speech.”)

What concerns me is that, in the sermons I’ve heard addressing the topic of “edifying speech,” most pastors seem to have taken a cue from pop psychology, and changed this word’s meaning away from “sanctifying” and toward something akin to “affirming.” No longer is “edifying speech” about growing the body into greater Christ-likeness, but now it’s a tool we use to make ourselves feel better about ourselves, and avoid any unpleasantness we’d rather not deal with.

When we do this, priorities shift. Jesus being glorified by our increasingly pure reflection of Him? That’s no longer as important as making sure we only ever say things that give out brothers and sisters (and pastors) warm fuzzies.

That’s just messed up.

Now of course, we’re supposed to speak in love! And we’re to stash the bitterness and malice. But according to 4:25, Paul doesn’t think truth should be sacrificed on the altar of flattery.

So this passage doesn’t seem to say anything definitive against “sharing a bad report” (as I’ve heard some pastors seem to have recently implied). If you’re sharing such things it out of bitterness or malice, then it would be wrong to do so… for other reasons.

But if you’re sharing that “bad report” so that Jesus’ Bride can see it, be alarmed, and focus on those blemishes being cleaned… then in fact Paul encourages the behavior!

So in summary: Paul’s goal is for us to leave each other a little more like Jesus. Sometimes, that means we need to “share a bad report,” to staunch the flow of disease and call attention to some behavior that’s damaging the Body.

Even—no, especially—when that behavior is coming from those who presume to lead and teach. The Body of Christ is not built up when wolves are praised as wonderful leaders.

“For God so loved the [universe], that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the [universe] to condemn the [universe], but in order that the [universe] might be saved through him.” — John 3:16-17 (ESV)

And no, I’m not talking about universalism–that’s a whole different beast. What I’m talking about is this idea that’s grabbed me—that maybe John 3:16 has less to do with God loving “each individual person” and more with loving his entire creation and seeking its redemption. Like Paul told the believers in Corinth:

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. — 1 Corinthians 8:19-24 (ESV)

The entire universe was “subjected to futility,” “its bondage to corruption”–that is, entropy–along with us, so that it will also be restored along with us! It is an unbiblical notion that God only sent Jesus to redeem people. When man sinned, the universe cracked under the weight of our guilt. Jesus has come, and is coming again to make all things new!

And he said to them, “Go into all the [universe] and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” — Mark 16:15 (ESV)

And what has NASA done with the Hubble telescope? And what of all the many television and radio signals shooting off into the ether? Whether they intended to or not is beside the point; the gospel is being proclaimed by the whole creation and to the whole creation.

“And then the end will come.” The end where he says,

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.“

Just think about that for a minute: a day is coming when living a life apart from God… and tears… and death… and mourning… and crying… and pain will all be “former things.”

That’s a Sabbath rest worth getting excited about!

How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, the pastor hath a doctrine, and the minister of music hath psalms. Let all things be done unto edifying. If anyone besides the pastor hath a doctrine, let him not speak; let him hold his peace. Let him sit in the pew, and face the back of the neck of the person which sitteth ahead of him. Let the people keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith church tradition. But if they will learn anything, let them ask their pastor after the service, for it is a shame for a layman to speak in the church. For the pastor, he hath a seminary degree, and the layman, he hath not so lofty a degree. If any man desire to remain a church member in good standing, let him acknowledge that what I write to you is the command of the denominational headquarters. But if any man ignore this, he shall be promptly escorted out the door by the ushers. Wherefore brothers, covet not to speak in the church. Let all things be done decently and in the order in which it hath been written in the church bulletin.

How to Have a New Testament Church Meeting

If not, the trouble could be some clingy sin that’s got you tangled up. But maybe not; maybe the problem is something that isn’t sin, but is still holding you back.

• What are you lugging around that’s slowing you down?
• What are you letting distract you from your life’s calling?
• Why won’t you let it go?

These are questions I’m asking myself. I can get so wrapped up in fun distractions that aren’t sin, or even in Godly endeavors that I haven’t been called to do, that I just don’t do what I’m here for. But you know what? There is a “great cloud of witnesses”—a stadium full of those who have gone before us—who surround us. They’ve accomplished what we’re being called to accomplish. It can be done.

So this weekend, let’s take a look at the race we’re running, and consider what may need to be laid aside so that we can run the race marked out for us. Not the race we’d prefer to run, because we’re to look to the Author and Perfecter of our faith—Jesus, who endured the pain and shame of his race, and did it for what he knew was coming when he crossed the finish line.

Let’s drop the distractions, and look at Christ instead. Let’s stop puttering around the track, and run with endurance.

• On the Highlighting of Many Books…
  If our possessions really belong to God, then why are we marking up “our” books? Do you mark up library books?
• The Cross Centered Life: Not Just for the Wealthy!
  Two in-print books are repackaged as if they were a single, new one… and who knows how many people were hoodwinked in the process?
• Cognitive Dissonance: Money and the Church
  The United States’ welfare system could be eliminated solely by Christians providing reasonable levels of financial assistance to those in need. But instead, let’s get some plasma TV screens for our church building’s lobby… we want to be relevant, don’tcha know!
• Silver and Gold ARE Money…
  The “dollar bill,” however, is not. It’s simply a promise to pay issued by an organization which is in the red by trillions. Think they’ll make good on that IOU anytime soon?
• 2007: Time To Circle The Wagons?
  Is that recession I smell? Possibly.
• What Does the Bible Say About the Tithe?
  Hint: It’s not what most pastors and radio teachers are telling you…

And now there’s this verse that says integrity and character are more important than a house, stock portfolio or retirement account. And that’s true. The lie would be if you said a poor man is better than a rich man, period. No, the point of this proverb is the same point Jesus made: namely, pursue holiness no matter the cost.

But are we really willing to do that?

The heart of man plans his way,
but the LORD establishes his steps.

— Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)

Well, I tried. Just couldn’t come up with anything to post today, folks. Let’s try again tomorrow.

This is not another song about the mountains, except about how hard they are to move. Have you ever stood before them like a mustard seed who’s waiting for some proof? I say faith is a burden: it’s a weight to bear; it’s brave and bittersweet, and hope is hard to hold to. Lord, I believe, only help my unbelief till there’s no more faith; no more hope. I’ll see your face and Lord, I’ll know—I’ll sing your praise and let them go—’cause only love remains.

— Andrew Peterson, No More Faith (Clear To Venus, 2001).

As wonderful as this life can be sometimes, nothing could possibly compare to the day that’s coming. More than anything, my heart cries out:

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, the sky, not the grave, is our goal. Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul! And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend…

And sometimes, I want that Day so badly that I can’t sing the last line: “Even so, it is well with my soul.” Because sometimes it’s not well with my soul “even so” (that is, even if the Lord doesn’t “haste the day”). I want sin to be gone; I want to stand face-to-face with my lord and my God in that city he’s been preparing. I’m weary of the pain and disappointment and disease and death that sin has subjected this world to. I want to see everything finally brought into utter subjection to Jesus, the Christ.

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.

— Isaiah 11:6-9 (ESV)

Yesterday we celebrated God’s triumph over Satan, Death and Hell. His victory was total, but it is not yet utter. And so we praise and work and wait and hope, until “…the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” — 1 Corinthians 15:24-26 (ESV). But until then…

Give us faith to be strong, give us strength to be faithful; this life is not long, but it’s hard. Give us grace to go on, make us willing and able; Lord, give us faith to be strong.

— Andrew Peterson, Faith To Be Strong (Carried Along, 2000).

Heaven is our home where we’ll reign forever
Shining like the sun with our King forever
Every sorrow gone we’ll rejoice forever
Heaven is our home
— Kathryn Scott, Heaven Is Our Home

It’s a catchy tune, but this just ain’t so. Heaven isn’t our home… at least, it’s not “our home where we’ll reign forever.”

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” — Revelation 21:1-4 (ESV)

If we die before Christ returns, we will spend a time in Heaven with him… but our eternal home is on Earth. God will bring the celestial “City of Peace” down to earth, and make his home here with us. Isn’t that amazing?! He will pitch his tent among us, and never again take it down! Never again will ichabod (“the Spirit has departed”) be uttered! God has decreed that he will humble himself to live among us on Earth for eternity.

I hope that mind-blowing thought lets a little bit of Sunday spill into your Monday.

For instance, one thing that constantly trips up modern-day Christians is that we fail to remember that the Law given to Moses did not merely outline a religious system… it was a constitution establishing a nation’s government. Thus, we need not only to discern which laws were sacrificial in nature (as Christians, we hold that Jesus Christ is our atonement and makes all other sacrifices—and thus all laws requiring sacrifices—moot), but also whether certain laws were governmental or sacramental in nature. While this may be a simple process with the laws of a “secular” nation, it can get difficult when you’re dealing with a theocracy.

My studies keep drawing me to the same conclusion: God’s eternal Law of Love compels us to serve the poor, but the tithe laws were a form of taxation, and served as the welfare system for Ancient Israel. Thus, these laws only apply to those under the Old Covenant living in geographical Israel.

Deuteronomy 15:7-11 (which I wrote about recently) provides the framework for all God-glorifying giving, and serves as the “spirit of the law” regarding money, possessions and neighbors:

If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye [be evil toward] your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and you be guilty of sin. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be [evil] when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

The tithes, while a sacrifice to the LORD, were arranged in such a way as to serve as the particular fulfillment of this command with regards to the Levites (as God forbade them from owning land, cf. Deut. 18:1-8), as well as other poor in the Israelites’ midst (Deut. 14:22-29). Additionally, not only here but also in Nehemiah’s time (after two months of working daily with wood, stone, etc. to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem), the reinstated tithe consisted solely of agricultural produce (Neh. 10:35-39).

Now when you begin to question the tithe, the knee-jerk response you often get is a quote from The Most Overused Tithe Verse In The Bible: “Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions.” Congratulations, you have now been labeled a God-robber! However, this is neither faithful exegesis nor Biblical correction. It’s simply propaganda and browbeating. To show you that this is the case, let me share the entire passage with you, and pay attention to what I emphasize:

Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 3:8-12, ESV)

Let me make it perfectly clear: the tithes were never about collecting money for the Temple. Tithing was the means by which a food bank was kept for the poor and needy in Israel.

There is only one passage in all of Scripture which speaks of money in relation to the tithe: Deuteronomy 14:22-29. However, the money is never actually given to the Levite. Rather, it is used only as a convenient form of transport for those who must travel a long distance. Once the tither arrives at Jerusalem, he is commanded to convert the money back into food, strong drink (beer), etc. and to consume these items with the Levite, sojourner, fatherless and widow (that is, those without such provision). And you know what? Jesus mentioned something much like this in Luke’s gospel:

[Jesus] said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:12-14, ESV)

Never, all in Scripture, is a tithe used to pay building and maintenance expenses for a meeting-house or clergy. The tithe is food, and it’s used to feed people—period. Freewill offerings (and/or perhaps a modern-day equivalent to Nehemiah’s “temple tax”) are the only Biblically-approved source of income from which such things as Equipment Upgrades, Insurance, Janitorial Services, Payroll Expenses, Repairs and Maintenance, Utilities, Mortgages, etc. are to be paid.

In contrast to the Old Covenant system, Paul set aside any pastoral “right” to live off the ministry and instead worked additional jobs to provide for his own expenses. He reasoned that he stood to gain no heavenly reward from “simply” preaching the Gospel (1 Cor. 9:15) and must go out of his way to make it a completely free gift if he were to receive anything from the Father because of his work. However, if Paul were simply a “New Covenant priest” he would have been leading the churches into sin by causing them to break God’s Law which required a community to feed its Levites (again, Deut. 18:1-8). Thus, we can infer that Paul did not believe these laws were binding for ministers of the Gospel.

That being the case, a Christian pastor ought not presume to live off of the tithes of his people. If a tithe is requested of the congregation, then Biblically it needs to be food, and it needs to be distributed to people who need food. (Which is to say, faithful application of the tithe laws requires the establishment of a congregational food bank.) Beyond that, there is no Biblical requirement to “lay [any] money at the [pastors'] feet.” (It is certainly encouraged as the decent thing to do for a chap who has given his whole lives to serving you and yours spiritually… but it’s not required.) In and 4, the money laid at the apostles’ feet was “distributed to each as any had need” (Acts 2:44-45; Acts 4:32-35). Likewise, the money collected on Paul’s behalf from the Church in Macedonia, Achaia, and Corinth was going directly to feed the Christians in Jerusalem who were suffering through a famine—not to line his personal “chariot fund.” And of course a meeting-house is nice, but depleting a collected tithe to fund it—or even to keep it lit and climate-controlled—is unbiblical.

So if I don’t think the tithe applies to us today, does that mean I can get away with not giving anything? God forbid! On the contrary, I believe Christians are to “sell [their] possessions, and give to the needy” (Luke 12:33), but are not bound by a 10-33% annual tithe to modern-day Levites per se. The sacrificial system is no longer binding, but I am still bound by the perfect Law of Love: specifically, to “love [my] neighbor as [myself],” (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 19:19, etc.) and thus to “remember the poor” (Gal. 2:10), “open wide [my] hand to [my] brother, to the needy and to the poor, in [my] land” (Deut. 15:11), “bear with the failings of the weak, and not… please [myself]“ (Rom. 15:1-3, cf. vv. 25-27), and to “contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Rom. 12:13) “that there may be fairness” (2 Corinthians 8:13-15). Sometimes fairness means giving 1%, sometimes 99%.

But the most ironic thing about my tithe law studies is that some of those who are being commanded to “tithe” (give 10% of your gross income) to “the church” (really meaning “the pastors”) are actually poor enough that the pastors are required by God’s Word to be tithing to them.

So in conclusion: Christians are commanded to give to the poor and needy in our midst, but we are not bound by tithe laws. However, even if one were convinced that Christians must tithe, a faithful reading of Scripture insists the tithe be used to feed the poor. It is wholly foreign to the Word of God to use a tithe on buildings, utilities, vacations, insurance or even clothing.

“This verse stands at the head of a long exposition by Paul on Spirit-directed family life (Ephesians 5:22-6:4).”

First off (and hopefully this is the most nit-picky I’ll get in this post), slaves were part of the family back then, too, so I’d say it’s safe to assume that Paul’s still expounding on Ephesians 5:21 until he reaches 6:9. So that was a typo, right?

“Traditionally, preachers told only wives that they had to submit to their husbands. If I understand the relationship between verse 21 and those following, then all Christians are to submit to one another—not just the wives, but also husbands, children, and parents.”

Just as a father does not submit to his child in the same manner in which the child is to submit to the father (and likewise with slaves and their masters), it seems a bit dishonest to imply that husbands are to submit to their wives as wives are called to submit to their husbands.

Which you didn’t, of course. You said, “How does a Christian husband submit to his wife and children? By refusing to sit and watch passively, and by taking responsibility for their welfare both physically and spiritually.”

However, I would like to suggest that this is in no way submitting to the wife and children in question. Here’s Crosswalk.com’s NT Lexicon entry for the word hupotasso (translated “submit”):

1. to arrange under, to subordinate
2. to subject, put in subjection
3. to subject one’s self, obey
4. to submit to one’s control
5. to yield to one’s admonition or advice
6. to obey, be subject

A Greek military term meaning “to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader.” In non-military use, it was “a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden.”

So this is quite literally a call for Christians to “fall in.” Basically what we’re being told is to get in line—to willingly position ourselves in a proper relationship to one another—out of reverence for Christ. The wife, child and slave are not the husband’s, father’s or master’s commanding officers, so he cannot “fall in under them” as the word implies when speaking of “mutual submission.” To hupotasso to someone under your command, according to the definitions above, is entirely nonsensical. OTOH, to hupotasso in relation to one another makes perfect sense. That is to say, Paul is calling all Christians to submit to God’s defined order of things. Thus, we are being called not to “submit to one another” per se, but to take our God-ordained places in relation to one another.

What is noteworthy here is not that Paul is commanding “mutual hupotasso,” which is a silly notion. No, what is noteworthy is what is not said to wives. Contrast the command in v.22 for wives to “fall in line” with the commands for children and slaves: referring to Crosswalk.com’s lexicon again, this is what hupakouo (translated “obey”) means:

1. to listen, to harken
   of one who on the knock at the door comes to listen who it is, (the duty of a porter)
2. to harken to a command
   to obey, be obedient to, submit to

Children (and slaves) are told to hang on their father’s (and master’s) every word, and to obey immediately and completely. Wives, however, are given a far less “strict” command. They are simply told to accept their “proper position” with regard to their husbands, allowing their husbands to oversee their Spiritual growth.

While fathers and slavemasters are first warned against harshness (perhaps because of the potential for abuse that arises when an Apostle tells someone to hupakouo without stipulation), Paul begins his instruction to husbands with a positive command: “love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, …that she might be holy and without blemish.” Husbands literally have a sacred duty to husband their wives; that is, they are to nurture their wives not only (or even primarily) physically, but far moreso Spiritually—that is, with an eye toward their sanctification and ultimate conformity to Christ.

Speaking of “mutual submission” misses the point. Paul isn’t saying, “can’t we all just get along?” He’s giving marching orders to an army that’s about to see battle. They don’t just need “the whole armor of God [to] be able to stand against the schemes of the devil,” (6:11) they also need to learn to fight him like a well-trained unit. That’s why he says “Finally…” in 6:10: he’s not ending the letter, he’s ending the application portion he began way back in 4:17: “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.”

The Christian life is a war, and we need a sober, Spirit-filled, full-on pursuit of Jesus Christ if we’re going toexperience victory. That means we need to drop our petty squabbles, trying to do our own thing, demanding our “rights” selfishly pulling rank on those under our leadership. Rather, we must together “run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.” — Proverbs 18:17 (ESV)

If you’re entirely convinced that the MSM properly covered the “10 Commandments standoff” in 2003, you ought to hear the other side of the story. Contrary to the straw-man the news outlets potrayed, former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore’s goal was the acknowledgment of a higher authority than the courts… and the courts didn’t like that.

What we had in ’03 was the result of our idolatry of man: howling and gnashing his teeth when he’s told that he is not God. All claims of “tolerance” aside, there is one thing fallen man simply cannot tolerate: submission to the authority of God. This was shown to be the case when the U.S. Supreme Court said that a state courthouse could not display the Ten Commandments in such a way as to imply that it had any greater authority than any other set of ancient laws or codes.

So Help Me God is an autobiography, and as such it provides an overview of Fmr. Justice Moore’s life, his priorities, his goals, and his God. Not only that, but (citing numerous historical documents) Moore builds a strong case for the Founding Fathers seeing “the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God” as the basis of all law. If such is the case, then the sort of tolerance which denies the superiority of God’s revealed law is, in its very nature, unlawful.

“And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, ‘We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.’ But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.’ When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.” — Acts 5:27-33 (ESV)

Moore was removed from office for refusing to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion. Perhaps it’s time to learn why he chose to do that. And may Jesus Christ be honored by this Hananiah’s refusing to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s image.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” — Philippians 4:8 (ESV)

I spend too much time complaining and whining, and talking about how I know so much better than certain others. I need to knock it off, because it’s arrogant, judgmental, and downright annoying when people do that. Sure, a man needs to point out when someone’s leading people astray — but people stop listening when that’s all you do, and then what’s the point? Besides, if others’ foul-ups are the only foul-ups you talk about, it’s a sign that you may think yourself above reproach… and that’s just dumb.

So I’m on a mission now! For the rest of this month (as a trial run of sorts), I’ll be talking about things in two specific ways: how I’m screwing up, and how others are doing well. (Emphasis will be on the latter, both because there’s more people to choose from and because I still don’t like talking about my own foibles.)

How about you? Is there anything (anything besides the typical SPAMvertisements, of course) that you would commend to me and the others here? Any book that’s wowed you? Any article or sermon that’s challenged you? Any person in your life who’s a model of selfless service? Go ahead and share!

1. If you’re not talking about Jesus, you’re wrong.
2. If you define a sin in such a way that it can’t possibly apply to you, you’re wrong.
3. If your doctrine leads you to cut yourself off from everyone but like 9 others, you’re wrong.
4. If your theology excuses you from doing something God commanded, you’re wrong.
5. If you believe in a way that allows you to inflict or ignore others’ suffering, you’re wrong.
6. If you’re talking about how thankful you are that you’re better than those jerks, you’re wrong.
7. If your case relies entirely on citation of authority, you’re wrong.
8. If you can’t defend your belief without lying about what it is, you’re wrong.
9. If you say you believe something and qualify the hell out of it, you’re wrong.
10. If your version of the Gospel isn’t actually good news, you’re wrong.

(HT: iMonk.)

And being found in human form, [Jesus] humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Codepoke started a carnival-like Bible study on this passage, and when I saw it in Sage, I completely missed the fact that it was on my current “favorite passage.” I’ve been chewing on these two verses (especially verse 13) for over a year now. So now that I finally realized it (thanks to a gentle reminder by Codepoke), I figured I’d double-back and share my thoughts.

Something in me wants to write a whole book on this passage (even though I have trouble writing a book review). Why? Because in this passage I see the key to avoiding both legalism and licentiousness.

The licentious cry out, “God has saved you! Any attempts you make at ‘good deeds’ are a mockery to Jesus’ sacrifice!” The legalists cry out, “God helps those who help themselves! Pull yourself up by your bootstraps and start acting righteous!” In contrast with both, the Apostle cries out, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

In other words, “God has given you both the desire and the ability to work out your salvation; therefore do it, because there’s no power in creation that can thwart God’s hand. However, do it with fear and trembling, because it is God who works in you. It is not you; you are not in control.” This speaks to both the laziness inherent in licentiousness (because he’s calling us to do something in response to what God is doing) and the pride inherent in legalism (because if I succeed in this endeavor, God has the rightful claim to all glory from “my” success.)

So to those who would tend to sit on their couch and wait for holiness to fall on their laps, Paul says, “get off your butt! God doesn’t work that way.” And to those who think they achieve righteousness through their own efforts, Paul warns, “be afraid and tremble; not only can you not do a single thing to honor God on your own; you wouldn’t even want to honor God if he didn’t make you want it.”

And the point of it all? (In other words, what is verse 12′s “therefore” there for?) God’s ultimate goal in this act of creation called “the Universe” is that God would receive glory through the universal worship of Jesus, the Lord, the King of all that exists, the exact likeness of God begotten directly by God. It’s all about him; therefore, we ought to live for him (working out our salvation) and not for ourselves.

Katie turned three on Sunday, and she’s memorized her first scripture now, and it’s (rather appropriately) the first verse in the Bible: Genesis 1:1. Here, see for yourself:

Next up: the book of Jonah!

“I spent some time last weekend working on changing the hyper-concordance to a MySql backend. The current implementation simply generates a large number of static HTML files: easy to implement, but a pain to move that much data around. Since there’s a file for each term, that’s about 3000 files, and 30+ Mb of data.

[...]

But my recent ruminations on Web 2.0 buzz got me thinking that it might be time to try building on the ESV Web Service API instead.

Sounds like it’d be great; I can’t wait to check this out!

“And you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the priests’ portion that is contributed from the ram of ordination, from what was Aaron’s and his sons.”

Now, at the risk of being too nit-picky about grammar rules, “from what was Aaron’s and his sons” must mean, “from Aaron’s property, and also from his sons [bodies].” The correct phrasing would be “from what was Aaron’s and his sons’.” Shoot, even “sons’s” is acceptable, depending on who your English teacher was. (Unless the Hebrew states that the wave offering could have been the breast of a Levitical priest, I think the ESV is in error here.)

Not that one missing apostrophe marks the end of the world or anything, but if I could catch this during a light perusal, how many other errors are going undetected? There have already been at least four revisions made to the ESV since it hit the shelves, but does anyone know how major they are? How would we ever know?

Here’s the kicker: I e-mailed Crossway about this almost three years ago. In the meantime, how many copies of the ESV have been sold with at least one known error?

Jots and tittles… jots and tittles…

Okay, so Brian Hardin’s a bit…overdramatic in his reading at first, but by January 4th he’s calmed down a bit. Hey, it’s better than a lot of the audio Bibles I’ve come across. And it’s free, too! (Haha!)

I would like to preface this by pointing out that I, at present, hold nothing in particular as bearing the weight of Scripture beyond the 66 Old and New Testament books.

That said, I have a question for continuationists: Who says the canon is closed until Christ’s return, and on what authority did they say it?

I’m all for wanting to create some distance between my group and “the heretics,” but I think we argue for the completion of the Canon for the same reason cessationists argue for the ceasing of prophecy, healings and tongues: we’re scared of being stereotyped with “the weirdos.”

If there is a convincing argument for the closing of the canon, I’ve never heard it.