"You must not falsely testify against your neighbor." (Exodus 20:16)
Back in the day of the Bible, evidence in the courts was appreciated but not necessary. If two witnesses came forward with an accusation that was in agreement, it was considered to be enough evidence to merit a conviction and warrant punishment. The system assumed that people would not make false accusations.
Today our legal system demands more evidence. But the principle behind this command is still very real to us today. It's important for us to remember that as people of love we have a responsibility to value one another. Love is entrenched in truth. Lying is bad. Lying about someone else is worse. The Bible gives a lot of information about how to deal with enemies. Making up false things as an act of revenge is not on the list.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Posts for My Graduate #8
Like the prohibition against murder, the eighth commandment should be a no-brainer. "You must not steal" (Exodus 20:15). By this time in your life, you are fully aware of the laws against taking things that don't belong to you. Perhaps you even know of a person who has been arrested for shoplifting. Maybe you know what it feels like to have something taken from you that is yours.
What's the attitude behind stealing anyway? One attitude of those who steal insists on demanding their own way whether they've earned it or not. There's a sense of entitlement that claims "I deserve this" or "They have plenty already" or "They won't miss this one thing." It's plain and simple selfishness.
Another attitude behind stealing is self dependency. This attitude leads to stealing because they believe that there is no one who will provide for their needs. Therefore, they take care of their own needs using any means necessary.
Ultimately, obeying the command against stealing is about showing respect for others. One of the worst ways you can disrespect another person is to take something from them that is not rightfully yours to take. I think a person can even steal from another by simply not taking care of things they borrow. But a person can also show disrespect by taking the reputation or dignity of another person by using words that diminish and tear down. By spreading false things or passing the blame, a little bit of their reputation is stolen.
If you think about this command in a broader sense you'll realize that #8 is not just about taking stuff. It's about showing respect to others and yourself.
What's the attitude behind stealing anyway? One attitude of those who steal insists on demanding their own way whether they've earned it or not. There's a sense of entitlement that claims "I deserve this" or "They have plenty already" or "They won't miss this one thing." It's plain and simple selfishness.
Another attitude behind stealing is self dependency. This attitude leads to stealing because they believe that there is no one who will provide for their needs. Therefore, they take care of their own needs using any means necessary.
Ultimately, obeying the command against stealing is about showing respect for others. One of the worst ways you can disrespect another person is to take something from them that is not rightfully yours to take. I think a person can even steal from another by simply not taking care of things they borrow. But a person can also show disrespect by taking the reputation or dignity of another person by using words that diminish and tear down. By spreading false things or passing the blame, a little bit of their reputation is stolen.
If you think about this command in a broader sense you'll realize that #8 is not just about taking stuff. It's about showing respect to others and yourself.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Does God Change His Mind?
In yesterday's post regarding the changelessness of God, I did not include some of the thoughts I offered in the weekend messages concerning biblical texts which indicate that at certain points God changed his mind or "repented" of a decision. Here's the gist of what I said...
Wait a minute? I thought I remembered reading that God changed his mind over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? That God told Noah that he was sorry he made people? That God told Samuel that he was sorry he picked Saul king? Didn't God add years to Hezekiah's life after he turned his face to the wall in tears? That should be understood as God’s present attitude or intention with respect to the situation as it existed in time. Whatever changeless means, it doesn’t rule out a God who is responsive and who is willing to react to our problems and requests. God doesn’t change. But that doesn’t mean God doesn’t move, act, or respond to his creation.
Another conversation related to this specific point concerns the present popular notion of Open Theism. Open Theism, also known as Process Theology, basically believes that God is in process of growing and developing alongside his creation. In other words, if all of creation is growing and evolving, God must be changing as well. This is, in some respect, an attempt to reconcile the immutable God with how he relates to circumstances and people within the created order. Process Theologians assume that an unchanging God is an uninvolved God. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Wait a minute? I thought I remembered reading that God changed his mind over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? That God told Noah that he was sorry he made people? That God told Samuel that he was sorry he picked Saul king? Didn't God add years to Hezekiah's life after he turned his face to the wall in tears? That should be understood as God’s present attitude or intention with respect to the situation as it existed in time. Whatever changeless means, it doesn’t rule out a God who is responsive and who is willing to react to our problems and requests. God doesn’t change. But that doesn’t mean God doesn’t move, act, or respond to his creation.
Another conversation related to this specific point concerns the present popular notion of Open Theism. Open Theism, also known as Process Theology, basically believes that God is in process of growing and developing alongside his creation. In other words, if all of creation is growing and evolving, God must be changing as well. This is, in some respect, an attempt to reconcile the immutable God with how he relates to circumstances and people within the created order. Process Theologians assume that an unchanging God is an uninvolved God. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Posts for My Graduate #7
Command #7 says, "You must not commit adultery." Specifically it forbids breaking one's faithful commitment to their spouse in order to gratify a sexual desire. Generally speaking it offers a strong word of warning against all sexual sin.
When Jesus addressed the issue of adultery in Matthew 5:27-30, he cut to the core issue which is lust. In those verses, Jesus linked the lust of our hearts with the focus of our eyes. In other words, your eyes become windows to the heart. What and who you look at cultivates lust in the heart, which in turn can lead toward the physical act of adultery.
By way of principle, let me simply say that you cannot be easy on your passions. We are created to be persons with desire, but unchecked desire is dangerous. Those who are ruled by their passions and desires eventually end up breaking promises.
I often think about the Old Testament story of Joseph who was confronted by his master's wife. Joseph lived as a household slave in Potipher's home. Because he was handsome and well-built (Genesis 39:6), Potipher's wife pursued him (Genesis 39:7). Joseph gave Potipher's wife three reasons why he could not give in to the woman's solicitation: My master trusts me; you are his wife; and God sees me (Genesis 39:8-9).
Oswald Chambers once wrote that "an unguarded strength is a double weakness." Ruthlessly keep those passions and desires in check!
When Jesus addressed the issue of adultery in Matthew 5:27-30, he cut to the core issue which is lust. In those verses, Jesus linked the lust of our hearts with the focus of our eyes. In other words, your eyes become windows to the heart. What and who you look at cultivates lust in the heart, which in turn can lead toward the physical act of adultery.
By way of principle, let me simply say that you cannot be easy on your passions. We are created to be persons with desire, but unchecked desire is dangerous. Those who are ruled by their passions and desires eventually end up breaking promises.
I often think about the Old Testament story of Joseph who was confronted by his master's wife. Joseph lived as a household slave in Potipher's home. Because he was handsome and well-built (Genesis 39:6), Potipher's wife pursued him (Genesis 39:7). Joseph gave Potipher's wife three reasons why he could not give in to the woman's solicitation: My master trusts me; you are his wife; and God sees me (Genesis 39:8-9).
Oswald Chambers once wrote that "an unguarded strength is a double weakness." Ruthlessly keep those passions and desires in check!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Does God Change?
“Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment and discard them. But you are always the same; you will live forever.”
-- Psalm 102:25-27 (NLT)
The Bible is a unique experience. The God of the Bible is clearly seen in time and space in human history. God clearly belonged to that world. What about this world? What about God in the here and now? Those stories of the Bible seem remote and foreign to our present experience. However, the Bible affirms that we worship the same God. The exact same God. God does not change.
What does it mean to say that God doesn’t change?
1) God’s life does not change (Psalm 93:2; 1 Tim 6:16; Psalm 90:2)
God was not made for he has always been. He exists forever, and is always the same. His life does not ebb and flow. He does not gain or lose. He does not mature or develop. He does not grow. You can improve any person or product, but God does not need to improve.
2) God’s character does not change (Exodus 3:14)
When Moses asked God for some tangible form of authority before presenting himself to the Egyptian monarchy, God told him “I AM that I AM.” He wanted Egyptians and Hebrews alike to recognize that the God who had sent Moses was the same covenant God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. God’s moral character is changeless. He doesn’t mellow. He doesn’t become cynical.
His commands, his words, his covenants, his promises are all based on his changeless character.
3) God’s way of dealing with people does not change.
How God deals with people is consistent and just. God offers no preferential treatment. He does not play favorites.
4) God’s purposes of grace and redemption do not change (1 Samuel 15:29; Numbers 23:19)
His purposes of grace and salvation do not evolve or change. His love extended to us through grace has not changed nor will it change. God initiates his acts of grace, and we respond to that grace with faith.
5) God’s expectations of his people do not change (Micah 6:8)
What God wanted then is what God wants now. He’s not interested in our offerings or our dutiful service. He’s most interested in our love and worship.
God doesn’t change. His changelessness, or “faithful consistency,” is the basis of our trust and response. We can trust God because we can count on God.
So if God doesn’t change, why does he seem so different today? In the Bible we read of his tangible presence, his working of miracles, his displays of power, and his clear communication with his people. Why don’t we see God work in those ways in our contemporary setting? Could it be that we are overstuffed, overfed, over stimulated and over compensated that we don’t need that God anymore? Sometimes people don’t even look for God until a doctor, an attorney, or a banker look at them and say those fatal six words: “We’ve done all we can do.” God has become our last resort instead of our first response!
Where is the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob? Of Moses and Joshua?
Where is the God of Elijah and Elisha? Of David and Daniel?
Where is the God of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Of Peter and Paul?
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But somehow, like Santa Claus and the Easter bunny, we’ve just grown up. Paul warns Timothy about the dangers of having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. Every explanation we give for the difference is basically reduced to our own genius and self sufficiency. What would happen if you began to live as though the God of the Bible is the God of today? How would your prayers change? How would your life change?
-- Psalm 102:25-27 (NLT)
The Bible is a unique experience. The God of the Bible is clearly seen in time and space in human history. God clearly belonged to that world. What about this world? What about God in the here and now? Those stories of the Bible seem remote and foreign to our present experience. However, the Bible affirms that we worship the same God. The exact same God. God does not change.
What does it mean to say that God doesn’t change?
1) God’s life does not change (Psalm 93:2; 1 Tim 6:16; Psalm 90:2)
God was not made for he has always been. He exists forever, and is always the same. His life does not ebb and flow. He does not gain or lose. He does not mature or develop. He does not grow. You can improve any person or product, but God does not need to improve.
2) God’s character does not change (Exodus 3:14)
When Moses asked God for some tangible form of authority before presenting himself to the Egyptian monarchy, God told him “I AM that I AM.” He wanted Egyptians and Hebrews alike to recognize that the God who had sent Moses was the same covenant God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. God’s moral character is changeless. He doesn’t mellow. He doesn’t become cynical.
His commands, his words, his covenants, his promises are all based on his changeless character.
3) God’s way of dealing with people does not change.
How God deals with people is consistent and just. God offers no preferential treatment. He does not play favorites.
4) God’s purposes of grace and redemption do not change (1 Samuel 15:29; Numbers 23:19)
His purposes of grace and salvation do not evolve or change. His love extended to us through grace has not changed nor will it change. God initiates his acts of grace, and we respond to that grace with faith.
5) God’s expectations of his people do not change (Micah 6:8)
What God wanted then is what God wants now. He’s not interested in our offerings or our dutiful service. He’s most interested in our love and worship.
God doesn’t change. His changelessness, or “faithful consistency,” is the basis of our trust and response. We can trust God because we can count on God.
So if God doesn’t change, why does he seem so different today? In the Bible we read of his tangible presence, his working of miracles, his displays of power, and his clear communication with his people. Why don’t we see God work in those ways in our contemporary setting? Could it be that we are overstuffed, overfed, over stimulated and over compensated that we don’t need that God anymore? Sometimes people don’t even look for God until a doctor, an attorney, or a banker look at them and say those fatal six words: “We’ve done all we can do.” God has become our last resort instead of our first response!
Where is the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob? Of Moses and Joshua?
Where is the God of Elijah and Elisha? Of David and Daniel?
Where is the God of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Of Peter and Paul?
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But somehow, like Santa Claus and the Easter bunny, we’ve just grown up. Paul warns Timothy about the dangers of having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. Every explanation we give for the difference is basically reduced to our own genius and self sufficiency. What would happen if you began to live as though the God of the Bible is the God of today? How would your prayers change? How would your life change?
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Posts for My Graduate #6
Perhaps the most famous of the Ten Commandments is number 6, "You must not murder" (Exodus 20:13). It prohibits the intentional killing of another human being for personal reasons.
When Jesus dealt with this command in the Sermon on the Mount, he went deeper into the issue and spoke out against the internal emotions that lead to the external act of killing. He said, "If you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell" (Matthew 5:21-22).
So what's the takeaway? Jesus acknowledged that life is filled with difficult people. But anger, unforgiveness, vengence, and murder are not appropriate ways to deal with those challenging people. Difficult people evoke passionate emotions that can lead to words and actions used to intentionally hurt them. The only thing that can overcome the need we have to settle every score is to possess a love that values the difficult person and sees them as Jesus sees them.
Ephesisans 4:31-32 teaches, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you."
It would seem that the beginning point of learning to love difficult people is to remember God's love for us. After all, we're not always the most lovable either. God loves us in spite of ourselves. We are frequently difficult, yet God extends grace to us anyway. We can never escape difficult people. Love them like Jesus loves you.
When Jesus dealt with this command in the Sermon on the Mount, he went deeper into the issue and spoke out against the internal emotions that lead to the external act of killing. He said, "If you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell" (Matthew 5:21-22).
So what's the takeaway? Jesus acknowledged that life is filled with difficult people. But anger, unforgiveness, vengence, and murder are not appropriate ways to deal with those challenging people. Difficult people evoke passionate emotions that can lead to words and actions used to intentionally hurt them. The only thing that can overcome the need we have to settle every score is to possess a love that values the difficult person and sees them as Jesus sees them.
Ephesisans 4:31-32 teaches, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you."
It would seem that the beginning point of learning to love difficult people is to remember God's love for us. After all, we're not always the most lovable either. God loves us in spite of ourselves. We are frequently difficult, yet God extends grace to us anyway. We can never escape difficult people. Love them like Jesus loves you.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Posts for My Graduate #5
So far I have described some of the principles from the first four commandments which focus on our relationship with God. The next six commandments are directed toward our relationship with other people. The first one is addressed to your relationship to your parents.
Exodus 20:12 states, "Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you."
Honoring your parents is a lifelong commitment. Ephesians 6:4 reminds us that children in the household have the responsibility to obey their parents. But in a few days you'll be gone and out into the world. You're entering that transitional phase of independence from your parents. However, God never releases you from the responsibility to render honor. Why? God places us in families for a purpose. We are not self-sufficient or self-existent. When we honor our parents we are reminded of the important role that others play in our lives. Like the guy once said, if you ever see a turtle on a fencepost, you know it didn't get there by itself! Honoring your parents reminds you to be humble, because you didn't get where you are on your own.
Exodus 20:12 states, "Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you."
Honoring your parents is a lifelong commitment. Ephesians 6:4 reminds us that children in the household have the responsibility to obey their parents. But in a few days you'll be gone and out into the world. You're entering that transitional phase of independence from your parents. However, God never releases you from the responsibility to render honor. Why? God places us in families for a purpose. We are not self-sufficient or self-existent. When we honor our parents we are reminded of the important role that others play in our lives. Like the guy once said, if you ever see a turtle on a fencepost, you know it didn't get there by itself! Honoring your parents reminds you to be humble, because you didn't get where you are on your own.
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