Words of Truth

Proverbs 23

1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler, 

Consider carefully what is before you; 

2 And put a knife to your throat 

If you are a man given to appetite. 

3 Do not desire his delicacies, 

For they are deceptive food. 

Originally published on Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Unshakable Faith

The story is told of a group of Christian refugees praying in a church during a time of civil upheaval. Storming the church property, a group of soldiers discovered the people praying. Not wanting to alert the people to their presence right away, they quietly searched the church for anything of value. Unfortunately, they found nothing but a picture of Jesus on the wall. Angered, the commanding officer decided to take it out on the praying Christians. Ordering all those present to come forward, the commander insisted they approach the picture, spit on it, and renounce Jesus by stating, "You are worthless, and I don't need you!" If they failed to do this, the commander threatened to shoot them on the spot. The elders of the Church were the first to come forward. Boldly they stood up, approached the picture, spat on it, and repeated the heinous words. Others, one by one, followed the example of the elders. After a few moments, and several persons later, a young girl stood up. Walking to the picture with her scarf in her hand, the young girl wiped away the saliva, softly uttering the words, "Jesus, I need You for I am worthless." All were silent, wondering what would happen next. The girl, apparently unafraid, stepped before the Commander and said, "You can shoot me now." Falling to his knees, the now contrite commander began to cry inconsolably; his heart broken, he gave it to Jesus. This true story of courageous faith occurred in Rwanda during the bloody massacre of its people. We all need to ask ourselves this question, "in the moment of truth, will we have 'the faith of Jesus' " as this little girl did? 

Although frightening, we often wonder, "how can I develop this type of unshakable faith--and do I want to?" To these questions, let's add the question, "is wanting to enough?" Let's begin by looking in the book of Daniel, to see if there is an answer. Scripturally, the story in Daniel chapter 2 follows consecutively the one in chapter 3, as would be expected. Thus both stories seem to have occurred relatively close in time, yet they did not. Ten to twelve years intervened between the King's dream of the image and his golden construction of it. How easy it is to forget the impression made on the mind by the Holy Spirit, and the response of faith, when we do not abide in Him. The time in between chapter 2 and chapter 3 provides a test for King Nebuchadnezzar-- namely, will he after accepting the interpretation of the dream as from the Lord, wait on Him for its fulfillment. All of heaven and earth were 

waiting to see, "will the Babylonian King surrender his will -- along with its attendant pride and ambitious plans -- to the King of Kings, or after a time of delay, will he be found building a monument to his own dreams?" 

In Daniel chapter 2, King Nebuchadnezzar is confronted with the choice to exercise faith. Brought to the point of decision at the revelation of his dream, the king honors the Lord by saying in Daniel 2:47-"Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret." Hearing this, we would say that the King believed Daniel, and God. But His response, while a heart response, was not made by a broken, contrite heart. It was made by a heart still prideful and boastful, thus allowing Satan control of this stronghold in his life. The disciples also found themselves in this predicament when they could not cast out the demon-filled child (Matt. 17:14-21) and again when they were almost capsized in the squall on the lake (Matt. 14:22-33). Vacillating between the "pride of life, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes," they were unprepared to hold on to the Word of promise -- their living Savior. 

In Daniel chapter 3, the three Hebrew youth are also confronted with the choice to exercise faith. They too are brought to the point of decision when it is declared that if they do not bow down and worship the golden image they are to be burned alive. Imagine, the peer pressure to conform. It was worse than when they refused to eat the King's food from his table. After all, the King has his pride to lose if these Hebrew youth refuse to follow his orders this time, and that will make him extremely hostile and angry. All the dignitaries of every land of importance are there, ready to oblige the King's decree. There is no mention of Daniel's whereabouts, so we must assume he is absent, but everyone else is present. The statue itself is 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide--in plain view--in the plain of Dura. It was not to be missed. So, how do the Hebrew youth stand up to that pressure? How would you stand? In Daniel 3:12, we note that they did not yield--bow down. The pressure to yield to doubt and disbelief increased greatly, as they were called before the king. In verse 14-15, the King gives them another chance to obey his decree because he liked them. What is their response? Let's view Daniel 3: 15-18: 

"O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us our of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." 

Their response is one of belief and trust in the God who delivers. According to their statement, they believed that God would do right by them whatever the outcome was. Yet they had determined to stand steadfast without regard to whether they were delivered or not, for they were representing Him --and He changes not. Their will was to do the will of Him who sent them there, which was to demonstrate His character to Babylon, as well as the surrounding nations. Israel and Judah's kings had been proud and boastful. They lacked the humility that comes from a contrite and broken heart, and so they led the people and their nation into captivity. 

In captivity, how did the Hebrew youth get to this place of faith? The answer is in Daniel chapter one. Remember, they refused to eat the King's food-- because they knew that it was God who fed them (with manna in the wilderness then and in captivity now) to make them know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live (Deut. 8:3). Although captives, their hearts were contrite and broken over the wickedness that led to their national ruin and captivity. Yielding their will to God in the little things, they were counted faithful, and God blessed them further. By remembering God's goodness and mercy, they continued to be faithful. Through prayer and fasting, they were prompted to join with Daniel as he beseeched the Lord to reveal the dream and with its interpretation (in chapter two). Thus, Christ developed these youth from faith to faith, and from grace to grace. By the constant yielding of their will to Christ, they were dying daily, and thus were prepared to state that fact under great pressure. 

The three Jewish youth were like Job who said, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him:" (Job 13:15). There was in these three – and in Job – a total dependence on Christ. Such a life of yielding, Christ lived, remaining faithful to the end by depending on His Father completely. This constant dependence on God for everything enables us to conquer, as He conquered. It is through dependence on God that we receive the power of the Holy Spirit flowing through us, enabling us to be willing to hear and to do all of His good will. This is what gives us unshakable faith. 

The King of Babylon did not yield his heart. He yielded his emotions, and intellectually assented to the truth. Thus he had no root in himself, and as the great tree, could not stand. Had his feelings and thoughts been constantly bound up with the truth, had he like the King of Nineveh, who repented by faith through grace, his pride would not later have driven him mad. Lessons of those who with contrite and broken heart demonstrated the faith of Jesus are among the pages of inspiration and we would do well to hear them. Listen well, for our willingness to attentively hear and to do is at the foundation of heart obedience without which it will be impossible to endure. 

According to Sister White: 

"Important are the lessons to be learned from the experience of the Hebrew youth on the plain of Dura. In this our day, many of God's servants, though innocent of wrongdoing, will be given over to suffer humiliation and abuse at the hands of those who, inspired by Satan, are filled with envy and religious bigotry. Especially will the wrath of man be aroused against those who hallow the Sabbath of the fourth commandment; and at last a universal decree will denounce these as deserving of death. 

As in the days of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, so in the closing period of earth's history the Lord will work mightily in behalf of those who stand steadfastly for the right. He who walked with the Hebrew worthies in the fiery furnace will be with His followers wherever they are. His abiding presence will comfort and sustain." (Ellen White Notes, page 25.) 

As unpleasant as it may seem, let Christ break our hearts upon Himself, let Him wash us and make us contrite. It will be natural to yield to Him then, and we will have that unshakable faith we so desperately need. 

--

Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

The Froward and Adultery

Originally published on Friday, July 24, 2009

The Froward and Adultery

A lesson from a few years ago opened with the following story:

 "A pastor had been counseling a husband and wife. The problem? The husband had been having extramarital affairs. That's not an extramarital affair but, in fact, many of them. The husband tried to calm the situation by telling the wife that although he had been with other women, it didn't mean that he didn't love her. In fact, he said, he loved her more than any of the others.

As could be expected, his words—far from solving the problem—only made it worse. Why? Because if you love someone, you show it by your actions, by your deeds, not just by what you say."

The story is troubling for more than the obvious reason.  First, let's deal with the obvious: adultery is Sin.    It says in Exodus 22: 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

We also read in Proverbs 22:14:  "The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein" (KJV).  This text in Proverbs 22:14, , seems to say that any man who commits adultery is "abhorred of the Lord."  Obviously, it sounds very serious!  The Revised English Version says, "... is like a deep pit, he whom the Lord has cursed will fall into it." Sounds even more serious!  The Goodspeed Version says, "He with whom the Lord is angry will fall into it."

It does not say that if a man falls into adultery then the Lord will "abhor" him or be angry with him; no, the idea is, that the anger and abhorrence of the Lord comes before the man falls into the pit of adultery.  Sounds even more serious still!  This man apparently abhors God so much, God has no choice but abhor him.  Before falling in adultery, this man harbored sin in his heart.  

 Why would the Lord "abhor" or be "angry" with any man?   We find the answer in Proverbs 3: 32.  "The froward is abomination to the Lord" (Proverbs 3:32).  The key word here is "froward."  The word in Hebrew means to depart or turn aside.  It has a similar meaning of the word for apostasy: backsliding or departing.  It reminds me of the verse in Isaiah 53:*  "all we like sheep have gone astray."  Those who are recklessly going on in their own way, are the "froward" people whom the Lord cannot help but "abhor."

We dealt with the obvious. Then there is the not so obvious in the story.  Assumptions are made; for example, that the man is wrong, and she is right.  A Pastor was once preaching on the implications of all members of the Body of Christ being one (1 Corinthians 12: 20, 27).  He then used as an example married couples, since "The two become one."  The Pastor said that he had counseled many couples with problems.  In his experience, Most of the time, she blamed him and he blamed her.  However, it did not take long to figure out that they both were to blame.  After all, the two are one. 

In situations like this many assume that she is right. But, what if she has behaved in a way to provoke him to be unfaithful?  It would not lessen his guilt.  But, she would not be the victim she portrays herself to be.  (It does not mean that she should have not sought intervention).  We should also ask if she cheated in the past?  Even if she has not been with someone else, has she committed adultery in her heart as stated in Matthew 5, 

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Can she actually say that she has never lusted consciously or subconsciously after a man she is attracted to?  We do not know this.  To whom did she direct her affections?  Human love only seeks after its own.  The heart that harbors it will lie and cheat in order to please itself or escape terrible consequences.  Jeremiah 17: 9 says that, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

 In contrast, we have God's love.  Let's see what 1 Corinthians 13 says about it,

4 Agape suffereth long, and is kind; agape envieth not; agape vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

 8 Agape never faileth:  (Italics for emphasis supplied by author)

How different would the story be if the woman's concern was not for herself, but for her husband's eternal life?  In other words, that her main concern would be not that he is unfaithful to her, but that his unfaithfulness to her shows that he does not have fellowship with God, that he is not walking in the Light, and does not know God (1 John 1:6, 7; 1 John 2: 3). This man's behavior shows what he really thinks of Jesus and the Cross.  Knowing this about Him, would give her sorrow, because He is missing on so much and she wants him to know Jesus as she does.  How different would it be?

--

Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

Wise versus Fools

Wise versus Fools

In the first week of our Quarterly lesson we discovered that Wisdom cries out.  We read from 

Proverbs 1.

Prov 1:20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

Prov 1:21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,

Prov 1:22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

Prov 1:23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

Prov 1:24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

Notice that wisdom in this passage is personified.  Who could wisdom be? Can wisdom be a person?  Christ is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1: 30).  It is Christ who cries out, "come unto me all ye who are burdened and heavy laden, … I will give you rest" (Matthew 11: 28 - 30).  Who are the wise?  Let us read, Prov. 1: 5,

Proverbs 1: 5  A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

What is then wisdom in human terms?  A disposition or attitude of willingness to hear, understand and hearken to the Word of God.  Wisdom starts not when we acquire knowledge and experience, it starts when we choose hear and understand the source of wisdom.  Wisdom, then, is a practice, a behavior or habit.  Now, to hear the Word of God is also the road to faith.  So, true wisdom is only found in those who live by faith.  The just live by faith, therefore the just are wise. The wise see things how God sees them.  The unwise do not.  

Now notice the similarity between proverbs 1 : 5 and 4: 1, 

Proverbs 4:1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

Both call for hearing and understanding.  While Proverbs 4: 1 is a call to hear for instruction and know understanding, Proverbs 1: 5 says that it is those who are wise that do this.  And, in fact, the wise will continue to do that.  

What our lesson points out is that wisdom will find expression in our daily affairs.  The way we treat others and carry ourselves in our daily events will be a reflection of the kind of wisdom we practice and acquire.  A true wise person, a just man, will treat others with as Christ treated others.  "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."  The Bible is full of examples of wise and unwise being contrasted.  Many parables are about this.  The good Samaritan was wise. The priest and the levites were not wise.  The young publican crying for mercy in the temple was wise.  The Pharisee was not wise.  The son that repented and did his father's bidding was wise. The prodigal son in going back to his father was wise.  The elder brother was unwise,  although he stayed.  

What happens to the wise? Let us read from Matthew 25,

Matt 25:21 …enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Matt 25:34 Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

What happens to the unwise or foolish?  What happens to those who refuse to hear and hearken unto the Call of Wisdom?  Let us read Proverbs 10: 21,

Proverbs 10:21 …fools die for want of wisdom.

In rejecting Wisdom, fools reject Christ, Who is Life and the source of Life.  The sad part is that fools are not those who've never heard, fools are those who continually refuse to hear Jesus.  In Matthew 7 we find out that they are active church members.  They thought that they were in good standing.  But, Christ said, "I never knew you, depart from me you evil doers."  They thought in there foolishness that they were wise.  But, the wise man says,

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

In the end, the fools do not get what they see.  But, the wise get what they do not see, for faith is the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11: 1).  

--

Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

Commentary: The Flow of Water

Luke 6:45A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Proverbs 14: 11 The mouth of the righteous is a well of life,

When I read Proverbs 14: 11 I was reminded of the story of the woman at the well.  When her heart was full with Jesus, out of her sprung words of life.  

July 26, 2013

The Flow of Water

"To be filled you must be emptied" - this may sound like a contradiction but it is true. The opposite is also true. To be emptied you must be filled. Even when a bottle is emptied of liquid, it is still full of air. If I fill a jug with water, and close the lid tight, the water stays in and the air stays out. The moment the lid is opened, the water can flow out, but only as long as air can flow in. Air must displace the water in order for the water to move out through the opening.

Let us say that, for some reason, I want to fill the jug with air. The lid must be opened to let the water out, or the air cannot come in. This concept applies in other contexts as well. For example, to fill a truck with boxes and furniture, the truck must first be emptied of its previous load. Your stomach needs time to digest one meal before you fill it with another. The concept, then, is that you cannot fill something that is already full.  This is also true in the spiritual realm.

St. Augustine once said "We must be emptied of that which fills us, so that we may be filled with that of which we are empty." Many pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In order for God to answer this prayer, we must be emptied of self. But, we cannot do the job ourselves.

"No man can empty himself of self. We can only consent for Christ to accomplish the work. The language of the soul will be, Lord, take my heart; for I cannot give it. It is Thy property. Keep it pure, for I cannot keep it for Thee. Save me in spite of myself, my weak, unchristlike self. Mold me, fashion me, raise me into a pure and holy atmosphere, where the rich current of Thy love can flow through my soul. It is not only at the beginning of the Christian life that this renunciation of self is to be made. At every advance step heavenward it is to be renewed" (Ellen White, Christ's Object Lessons, page 159, 160).

This idea of being emptied to be filled can be illustrated by the story of the Samaritan woman. In John 4, Jesus meets her at the well, and asks her for a drink of water. Surprised by a Jew who would ask a favor of a Samaritan, and a woman at that, she questions Him. In response, Jesus introduces Himself and His mission by using water as a metaphor for what He has to offer. Failing to understand, she questions Him again. His response is in verses 13 and 14 --

"Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

These are words that Jesus echoes in John 7: 37 – 39,

John 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

John 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

This woman was all too aware of the moral indiscretions of her past life. She was full of guilt and sorrow; however, empty of love and joy - and she knew it. When she believed Christ's revelation of Himself, the Samaritan woman's heart was warmed and filled with the love she much longed for. What she thirsted for was not merely water, but a reservoir of spiritual water springing up into everlasting life. This flowing, filling water which represents the Holy Spirit displaces all the ugliness of self.  Holy Spirit inspired truth, believed and received into the heart, dislodges self from its throne.  Once filled with the Holy Spirit, love for others also filled her heart.  Self no longer lodged in the Samaritan woman's heart she left to tell those she had previously avoided what she found.

John 4:28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,

John 4:29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

There was no need to tell her to witness.  She needed no training.  She was revived and now she could speak.  Witness was a natural outgrowth of her reception of the Holy Spirit.  Her whole village was converted as a result.  They believed whom they formerly knew as the adulterous woman.  The walls of separation - that self had erected in their hearts - were brought down.

A wise author wrote that, "All self-exaltation and self-admiration are the result of ignorance of God and of Jesus Christ, whom He has sent. How quickly will self-esteem die, and pride be humbled in the dust, when we view the matchless charms of the character of Christ" (4BC 1178).

In genuine revival, our own hearts are wakened to God's goodness, compassion, forgiveness, and power. We are so charmed by His love and transformed by His grace that we cannot be silent. Genuine revival never leads to self-centeredness or, especially, to self-sufficiency or self-exaltation. Instead, it always leads to a selfless concern for others. When our hearts are renewed by God's grace, we long to bless and serve those who are in need.  The purpose of revival is hearts filled with such a love for Jesus that we long to share this love with every person possible in any way possible. 

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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

Divine Wisdom

Divine Wisdom

In Proverbs 8 wee see that Wisdom again is personified.  If we follow the context we realize that Wisdom here is Jesus.  Specifically, Jesus as Creator.  Proverbs 8 says that wisdom is ever present, crying out for listeners.  Tie this with Creation and if we believe that Creation speaks of its Creator, then it follows that Creation, which is ever present, cries out the Wisdom of God.  Those who listen learn and are blessed.  But, many choose to ignore, even reject, wisdom.  in their foolishness, they bring condemnation to themselves.  This week, let's review Creation and how it is linked to redemption.  After all, it could be argued that redemption is the process of making us wiser. 

Friday, January 04, 2013

Jesus, Creator of Heaven and Earth

Memory text:  Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

The Text for this week has implications worth examining.  It says that there was a beginning and that God was there already.  So, God is before everything.  And, everything that exists, except for Him,  He created it.  The phrase 'In the beginning" reminds me of John 1: 1 -3,

John 1:1-3

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God.

 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

This text is basically expanding Genesis 1.  We know that the term "the Word" refers to Jesus.  So, the verse specifically says that out of the three persons of the Godhead it was Christ who actually created.  This is not to say that the other two were not capable.  They just had other roles.  In verse 3 we see that everything was made through Him.  By this we mean that Christ created out of nothing.  Christ did not transform previously existing material.  Christ created matter; not energy.  Christ Himself is energy.  This concept is further is repeated in Heb 11:3 "…so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."   Colossians 1: 15 – 17 repeats what John 1 says,

Colossians 1: 15 – 17

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Christ holds all that He created together.  He sustains His creation.  The same power used to create is the same power used to sustain.  So, while nature reveals the glory of God, it is still by faith that Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God (Heb 11:3).  We believe it because God says so.  And, when we look at Nature we see it reveals what God has said.  Thus, it increases our faith.  The latter part of the clause says that creation was by the Word of God.  This is confirmed in Psalms  33; 6, 9:

Psalm 33:6, 9

6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.

Jeremiah 51:15  adds that God's word has power, " He has made the earth by His power;"

Now, Paul makes a connection between Christ as creator and Christ as redeemer.  Let's go back to Colossians 1.  It says Christ is "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins ... For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him (Colossians 1: 16, 16).  Paul seems to imply that the reason for Christ being able to redeem is because He is the Creator.  Is there relationship between the two?  Ellen White thinks so.  Remember the creator is also sustainer.  So she says,

The same power that upholds nature, is working also in man. The same great laws that guide alike the star and the atom control human life. The laws that govern the heart's action, regulating the flow of the current of life to the body, are the laws of the mighty Intelligence that has the jurisdiction of the soul. From Him all life proceeds. Only in harmony with Him can be found its true sphere of action. For all the objects of His creation the condition is the same--a life sustained by receiving the life of God, a life exercised in harmony with the Creator's will. To transgress His law, physical, mental, or moral, is to place one's self out of harmony with the universe, to introduce discord, anarchy, ruin. {Ed 99.2}

Christ is Redeemer by virtue of His power as Creator.  If He were not Creator, He could not be Redeemer.  Several verses refer to redemption as an act of Creation.  The Psalmist prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). The apostle says, that "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature" (2 Cor. 5:17) or a new creation. We read, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ... For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10).

In the Bible redemption is joined by an inseparable connection to Creation. It takes nothing less than creative energy to redeem us. The power by which Jesus saves us from sin is the power by which He created the worlds. In Rev 14:6, 7 the everlasting gospel and creation are connected. The same is true in Col 1:14‑16 where forgiveness, redemption and creation are linked. Likewise, verses 16 and 20 in Rom 1 teach that the power of God in the gospel is the power that creates. The gospel is Christ crucified, buried, and raised from the dead (1 Cor 15:1-4). The cross – Christ crucified – is the creative power of God applied to men for salvation (1 Cor 1:18, 23,24). The everlasting gospel, as the creative power of God, will be preached in all the world.  Any gospel that leaves out creation is "another gospel," which is no gospel at all. It is powerless. Any gospel that does not preach the creative power of God, as seen in the things that He has made to live, is no gospel at all. The gospel saves us, and comforts us, and sustains us by the power of creation.

Creation and redemption have the same purpose regarding man. In the beginning man was created in the image of God (Gen 1:26, 27). Then sin entered. Was God caught off guard, when this occurred?  Was the plan of redemption an afterthought? Never. Christ was "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" and before that "was foreordained" to die for us (Rev 13:8; 1 Pet 1:18-20). As soon as there was sin there was the cross of the crucified  Christ. Christ was made to be sin itself – the curse – in order to redeem us form it (2 Cor 5:21; Gal 3:13).

The plan of redemption is simply the carrying out of God's original plan of creation – that you and I should be made in the image of God (Rom 8:29). Redemption is brought about through God's creative power of the cross. Redemption is a new creation. Coming to Christ, uniting with Christ, being in Christ, by faith, makes you and me new creatures (2 Cor 5:17). How is this brought about?

Christ created the worlds through the power of His word (Psa 33:6, 9; Heb 11:3). He re-creates us anew by the power of that same word. This is the new birth (James 1:18; 1 Pet 1:23). His word is full of life and exceedingly powerful (Heb 4:12). David realized the close relationship between creation and redemption when he prayed "Create in me a clean heart, O God" (Psa 51:10). God promises is to give us a new heart in answer to this kind of prayer (Eze 36:25‑28). This is the creation of righteousness and true holiness within us (Eph 4:23,24).

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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

A Matter of Life and death

Our lesson included the following story:

Two brothers were left home alone, but given a strict warning by their mother not to eat the cake that she had just baked. To make sure that the boys would obey, she added the threat of punishment.

When she left, it took the boys only a few minutes to decide to eat the cake anyway. "This is not a matter of life and death," they reasoned. "Our mother would never kill us; so, let's eat!"

The mother would not kill them for eating the cake.  But, there disobedient attitude will lead to death. (Read Proverbs 28: 24 and 30: 17).  Our lesson states,

"For the teacher in Proverbs, though, the issue he speaks about is indeed a matter of life and death. His language is strong and sometimes graphic. Of course, Jesus used very strong language Himself when talking about matters of eternal life and death (see Matt. 5:21–30). And no wonder. In the end, our ultimate destiny, our eternal destiny (and what could be more important than that?), rests upon the choices that we make here now. So we should take the urgency of the strong language at face value."  

The point is that all things are a matter of life and death.  Just ask Eve whether eating a piece of fruit is not a matter of life and death.  The following commentary - published in May 8, 2009 -  addresses this point.  I hope it helps.

Sin

The week this commentary was written the local Chicago newspaper reported the finding of the body of a dead tenth grader. The youth had been beaten, killed, and burnt. This of course caused an outrage among the people in the city. "What have we come to," some asked. Others asked very concerned, "where are we going?" As the author of the lesson says our world is not where many thought it should be. He quotes,

"The solid optimism of former generations, that everything in the world will get better and better no longer rings true today. Even after the cold war the world is far from a safe place. The threat of terrorism has made us all feel extremely vulnerable. Science, which was supposed to be the harbinger of a better world, now threatens to wreak havoc on that world. The common sources of energy are being depleted. The icecaps are melting. Crime is a sad fact of life everywhere. Human beings show little, if any, signs of moral improvement over past generations. The gap between rich and poor constantly is widening. Our daily installment of news almost invariably tells us about atrocities and moral decay. No wonder someone once said that the Christian teaching of human sinfulness is one teaching that is easily verifiable. That is, that's one doctrine we don't need to take on faith."

We read in Genesis 3, how Sin came into this world.

Ge3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Ge3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

Ge3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Ge3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

Ge3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Ge3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Ge3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Why did the simple act of eating a piece of fruit bring such dire consequences to all humankind? How did such a small, trivial act constitute a great sin? After all, wasn't Eve, in eating the fruit, giving nourishment to her brain and nerve cells? Wasn't she making good blood? What made the vitamin C and the fiber in this fruit so lethal to body and soul? So we know the issue was not Adam and Eve literally eating the fruit, but following their will against God's. They chose in essence not to trust God, and trust the serpent and themselves. We could say that in rejecting God they rejected the indwelling Spirit of God, and now Sin would dwell in them and in their subsequent generations.

Who would have thought that the sinful condition of our world today came from a simple action of eating a forbidden fruit? God foresaw that the problem would grow from a "little act of disobedience" into massacres, wars, and the killing of 16 year old youngsters. It all comes from the same attitude Adam and Eve had in the garden. We could argue that it is those little unchecked indulgences that that start us on that road that lead to a life of self-righteous living. Christ had to deal with the temptation of appetite. We read in Matthew 4: 1 – 4,

Mat4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Mat4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

Mat4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Mat4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

By Christ conquering where eve and Adam failed in the beginning he set up a foundation to be faithful to God. We also read how Daniel and his friends refuse to eat of the Kings meal in Daniel 1:8,

Dan1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

We know now how Daniel's friends were able to stand up for God even when they were thrown in the furnace (Daniel 3). We know now that Daniel was able to stand up for God when he was thrown in the Lion's den (Daniel 6). Daniel and his friends – as well as Jesus - yielded to the Holy Spirit's leading. The Holy Spirit gave to them the victory. Conquering the little Sin of appetite was the start of a successful yielded life to God. I pray that we allow the Holy Spirit to do the same with us.

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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com

“The Call of Wisdom”

"The Call of Wisdom"

The title of our lesson is a reference to verses 20 through 24 of Proverbs 1.  Let us read it,

Prov 1:20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

Prov 1:21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,

Prov 1:22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

Prov 1:23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

Prov 1:24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

Notice that wisdom in this passage is personified.  Who could wisdom be?  Verse 23 gives us a clue: "I will pour out my spirit unto you…" This sounds like what the Lord tells Joel in chapter 2.  Let us read it,

Joel 2:28-29King James Version (KJV)

28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

Peter says that this verse was fulfilled at Pentecost.  We expect this prophecy to be fulfilled again in greater measure in the last days.  Those who receive the "latter rain" will be rebuked, they will heed the rebuke and love the rebuker - unlike the foolish, who refuse the rebuke and hate the rebuker (Proverbs 13: 1, 15: 12).  God will pour His Spirit upon them.  This is evidently, a reference to Laodicea, who are rebuked about their condition, and some respond, and let Christ in them (Revelation 3: 15 - 22).  Can wisdom be a person?  Christ is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1: 30).  It is Christ who cries out, "come unto me all ye who tore burdened and heavy laden, … I will give you rest" (Matthew 11: 28 - 30).  So, if Christ wants us close to Him, the fear of the Lord cannot be us being so afraid of Him that like Adam we run away from Him (Genesis 3: 9).  Or even like the people at Sinai, who refuse to come close to God.  The following quote is a note from the translators of the NET version of the Bible.  I think it is enlightening.  Let us read it,

1 tn Heb "fear of the Lord." The expression יְהוָה יִרְאַת (yir'at yÿhvah, "fear of Yahweh") is a genitive-female construct in which יְהוָה ("the Lord") functions as an objective genitive: He is the object of fear. The term יָרַא (yara') is the common word for fear in the OT and has a basic three-fold range of meanings: (1) "dread; terror" (Deut 1:29; Jonah 1:10), (2) "to stand in awe" (1 Kgs 3:28), (3) "to revere; to respect" (Lev 19:3). With the Lord as the object, it captures the polar opposites of shrinking back in fear and drawing close in awe and adoration. Both categories of meaning appear in Exod 20:20 (where the Lord descended upon Sinai amidst geophysical convulsions); Moses encouraged the Israelites to not be afraid of God arbitrarily striking them dead for no reason ("Do not fear!") but informed the people that the Lord revealed himself in such a terrifying manner to scare them from sinning ("God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him in you so that you do not sin"). The fear of the Lord is expressed in reverential submission to his will – the characteristic of true worship. The fear of the Lord is the foundation for wisdom (9:10) and the discipline leading to wisdom (15:33). It is expressed in hatred of evil (8:13) and avoidance of sin (16:6), and so results in prolonged life (10:27; 19:23).

There are two kinds of fear: one that makes you run to God, and the other that makes you run away from God.  He engages us and we respond with fear: run to Him or away from Him.  Christ wants us to run to Him.  One of my favorite authors had this to say about the fear of the Lord,

"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil." Prov. viii. 13. It is not to be afraid of Him and shun His presence, but to hate and shun that which is unlike Him. The love of God is that we keep His commandments. And as hating evil is identical with keeping His commandments, so the fear and the love of God are identical. God wants all men to love Him; and "there is no fear in love." E.J.W., The Present Truth [British] April 4, 1895.

If Christ stands at the door knocking, will you let Him in if you are afraid of Him?  If you believe that He is loving, merciful, compassionate, etc, will you not let Him in?  It reminds of me of the beautiful words of the hymn,

The Savior is waiting to enter your heart,

Why don't you let Him come in?

There's nothing in this world to keep you apart,

What is your answer to Him?

Time after time He has waited before, 

And now He is waiting again

To see if you're willing to open the door:

O how He wants to come in.

O will you not let Him come in?

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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com