Thinking Things Through
To Judge or Not To Judge
That heading probably has you immediately thinking about whether we as Christians should "judge" others. That is a worthwhile topic, but it is not what I have in view at the moment. I want to consider judgment from a different perspective.
The New King James Version of the Bible still translates John 3:17-18 much like the original KJV, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
That is a problematic translation which has resulted in some problematic theology for centuries. "Condemnation" is an acceptable translation if we understand what it means. The Greek word is krisis. Can you guess what English word we get from that?
The New American Standard Version (and others) properly translates the text, "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." [emphasis mine]
Of the many things Christ made perfectly clear, this issue of God’s judgment is among the most misunderstood. Since the fall of Adam, everyone lives with a death sentence. We stand judged already. The sentence has been pronounced and executed. Adam died and as members of Adam’s race we all die. Without Christ’s sacrifice, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. We are already judged.
There is a sense of finality of that judgment at physical death, but that comes because the opportunity for receiving the gift of faith has passed.
The Greek word for carrying out executing the sentence is katadikadzo and Luke 6:37 provides the distinction I am trying to make here: ""Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned . . . ." The word for "judge" here is the same as John 3:17 but it would be redundant if it was translated "condemn." The KJV translators recognize this and properly translate it "judge" in this passage!
Jesus said that He didn’t come to judge the world but his coming was a judgment: "For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind." (John 9:39)
Notice that He doesn’t say He came to judge but "for judgment." That is a real distinction. Remember the days when mother said, "Just wait until Daddy gets home"? Daddy wasn’t coming home to judge but his coming was a judgment! That’s a pitiful analogy I know, but I hope you get the distinction I’m trying to make here.
If Jesus didn’t come to judge, what did He come to do? "I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day." (John 12:46-48)
I don’t want to chase a rabbit trail here but I do need to mention John 5:22: "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son." What appears to be a contradiction here is really a need to understand the wider context of these passages. Christ in the flesh did not come to judge the world. Neither does the Father judge independently of the Son. They are one with the Spirit and judge as Lord. We won’t take time to develop that here, so study it for yourself.
You might start with John 8:16: "But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me." Now, you’re on your own!
The issue before us is that Jesus came bringing light so that those who believe are freed from the darkness. Those who believe are not to be judged! We also won’t chase the "last day" rabbit trail here, but understand that it had very specific meaning to those first century believers. They were awaiting the consummation of the ages and Jesus told them it would come in that generation.
Much of the New Testament has a very specific day of judgment in view: the judgment of Old Covenant Judaism and those who abused it. It was never intended to save anyone. It was an instrument God used to lead humankind to reconciliation in Christ. The Jewish leaders rejected their Messiah and enthroned the "heaven and earth" of Old Covenant. Judgment came in A.D. 70.
Nevertheless, we each have an earthly "last day." Those who believe are transformed from "glory to glory" on that day of metamorphosis. That’s a word we’ve talked about before in relation to the English word "transfiguration." [If you are interested in seeing how it played out in the first century, you might want to invest in a new book by Ron McRay. I’ve mentioned Ron before and he has recently published Behold I am Making All Things New. You can order it by sending him $8 at P. O. Box 1425, Hawkins, TX 75765. It is a thought provoking study that will challenge your thinking]
We are alive in Christ right now! We will never be judged! Because He took our judgment upon Himself, we are free from the curse of sin and death! That IS good news! Listen to Jesus in John 5:24, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." [emphasis mine]
Will we believe what Jesus says, or will we cling to our traditions?
Bible 101
How is your Bible study going? I do hope you have taken my challenge to focus on one short book and study it in detail this year. So far, we have read the text numerous times and our process will require us to read it many more times in the months ahead - that’s a good thing!
You began gathering facts last time. Now it is time to start organizing those facts. First, look at them again and the scripture where you found them and ask yourself, "Does THIS text really SAY that?" It is so easy to bring our understanding from elsewhere in scripture to bear on the passage before us.
For example, in 2 Timothy 1 Paul refers to Timothy as "his son." Our knowledge of the rest of scripture tempts us to write "Paul was Timothy’s spiritual father." That presumes upon the passage at this point in our investigation. The text doesn’t tell us this detail. We will get there, but not yet! Only list facts for now, interpretation comes later.
Now that you’ve cleaned up your list
(, let’s start organizing things a bit. Separate the facts into appropriate categories (people, places, etc.) and list everything the text tells you about them. If a fact pertains to more than one thing list it in as many categories as necessary. For example, you might have lists for characters Paul and Timothy. If a fact pertains to both, chart it under the list for each one. Things you learn about Paul may tell you something about Timothy as well. Include that fact on both lists. You will quickly see that in time you will build quite a database of information YOU have gleaned from the scripture.Can you get this information pre-packaged from other sources? Sure, but you won’t benefit from doing it yourself and you’ll miss the opportunity of letting the Spirit guide you to making those discoveries on your own. Be diligent and be blessed!
Next I recommend a step which some will find helpful and others will not. I am among those who no longer marks up his Bible. Thanks to the advent of computers and Bible software, I print out the portion I am studying when I want to mark a passage while mining it. If you don’t have a computer, chances are you know someone who does who would be willing to print out the appropriate passage for you. If not, you may want to invest in a Bible specifically for marking the text.
Select different colors to represent different things in your study (i.e. red for the cross, yellow for warnings, etc). Highlight the text using your selected scheme and you will have a visual clue to what the book or any part of it is about. Look at what you have created. Does one color dominate a chapter? Would it make sense to look at a color that shows up on one line and determine that chapter was about that topic?
The use of highlighting helps us to focus on the main theme of a chapter or book. All too often, we tend to read one line in the passage and make more of it than we should because we ignore the massive amount of another "color" around it. We need to remember that these are not disconnected thoughts. The minor themes are there to support the broader context.
Your final assignment this month is to chart your facts by chapter and write a summary statement for each chapter. You may find a verse in the chapter that summarizes it well or you may need to compose it yourself. As you do, be on the lookout for a summary statement for the book. We’ll get to that next time.
Building Your Christian Library
This month I want to recommend two things for your consideration. One is for long-term training and the other is for your immediate use.
First on the list is a good, beginning Greek grammar text. I’m not asking you to learn Greek, but to learn about it. Big difference! To understand you Bible you need to have a grasp of the tenses, voices, cases, etc. used in the Greek language. Again, you don’t have to know how to identify them in the original language but you need to know what they are if you are serious about your study.
Essentials of New Testament Greek by Ray Summers is a classic beginning text. Don’t worry about learning all the vocabulary and word forms, but do take the time to learn the alphabet (you already know some of them). Knowing the alphabet will allow you to use other tools without knowing Greek. It only has 24 letters - learn them! Next time, I’ll tell you about a great tool for using them.
Second, let’s talk about concordances. This is one of the first Bible study tools that Christians discover. There are all kinds of concordances and each has distinct advantages. Realize that English concordances are translation oriented. While you can find many passages using any concordance, if you are looking for a specific verse, it may only appear in a concordance keyed to the translation you are using.
Be sure to get a complete concordance. Nothing is more frustrating than to look for a word and find out it was not included in your concordance. One of the most popular concordances is Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. It lists the English word with all the verses where it is found and the Strong’s number of the word which is found in that verse.
Once you determine which word is used in the verse you are reading, you can look for other verses which use the same word number to see how it is used in other contexts.
Young’s Analytical Concordance does this step for you by grouping the verses according to the word found in the original. It does not use Strong’s numbering system.
The benefits of a concordance are pretty obvious. You know the scripture is located on the bottom right of the left page but can’t remember where it is. Look under any significant word and you’ll find enough of the verse to help you identify the source. That’s pretty basic.
Seeing how the word is used in other contexts helps you gain a fuller understanding of its significance. Just how often is a word used in the scripture? Should that tell us something? When we find something repeatedly addressed, could that be an indication it might be really important? Hint: when a word only appears once in the Bible, it’s a good idea to pay special attention to it as well!
Concordances are great tools but there is nothing like personal experience to grow our knowledge of God’s word. I may have shared the following story before but it fits here and I’m not going to research the archives to find out.
When I was growing up, one of the elders in our home congregation traveled to Poland to visit native missionaries we supported there. Upon his return, he gave a report and I was moved by a story he told. One evening, one of the preachers told him he had something to show him. With his face beaming, he presented the elder with a stack of papers.
They were in Polish so he had to explain. What he had done was to create his own concordance. Who knows the time he put into that effort? The elder didn’t have the heart to tell him he could have bought one for a small sum, but his labor was not in vain. One can only imagine the growth he derived from this exercise with God’s word. I rather imagine, he had mastered a great deal of the scripture as a result of the effort.
All the tools in the world are a poor substitute for hands- on learning. They can save us time and make things easier and I am among those who are grateful for them. At the same time, I never discount the value of learning for myself and acquiring the skill to handle God’s word accurately.
Build your library, but immerse your study in prayer and dependence upon God. Tools should not do your thinking for you!
Ministry Highlight
There are a huge number of Christian ministries worldwide. None of us will ever be exposed to them all and there are many that are worthy of support. Beginning with this issue, I’d like to share one with you occasionally for your prayerful consideration.
This month we focus on Voice of the Martyrs based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The group was founded by Richard Wurmbrand thirty-five years ago. His Tortured For Christ has sold untold copies. It should be another addition to your library.
I’ve mentioned this group before, but given the time in which we live, I want to emphasize this ministry as we start this new feature.
VOM ministers to the needs of persecuted Christians worldwide. From supplying survival essentials to buying children out of slavery, they have been making a difference for decades. They witness firsthand the horror which results when a country rejects Christ. The picture is not pretty but it is one you need to see.
For a free subscription to their monthly journal, contact VOM at 918-337-8015 or at www.vom.org on the Internet. If you would like to write their address is P. O. Box 443, Bartlesville, OK 74005.
I hope you have the courage to allow the needs of your brethren in Christ to come before you each month. You will be inspired by their stories of faith. I pray that their testimony will encourage you to stand firm in your faith as life in America becomes more and more restrictive.
I pray that God will open your heart and your checkbook to the needs of this ministry. They are financially responsible and will provide a financial statement upon request.
VOM also maintains a website for youth at www.linkingup.com which details youth related testimonies and youth ministry events that others have initiated to support VOM. You may find ideas your family or congregation would like to try. Check it out.
Humor in the Pew
Church bulletins have long been the source of Christian humor. Here are a few Ron McRay forwarded to me awhile back. If you’ve already seen them, have another chuckle.
Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa will be speaking tonight at Calvary Memorial Church in Racine. Come tonight and hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.
The cost for attending the Fasting and Prayer conference includes meals.
Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person(s) you want remembered.
Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands.
The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.
The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water." The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus"
Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons.
During the absence of our Pastor, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a good sermon when J.F. Stubbs supplied our pulpit.
Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.
Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24th. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
The senior choir invites any member of the congregation who enjoys sinning to join the choir.
For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 P.M.. Prayer and medication to follow.
The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.
Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.
Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours."
Don't let worry kill you off---let the Church help.
The Apprentice’s Journal
Those in northern climes will have to wait a few more weeks, but the first signs of spring have come to the south. It is always a time that reminds us of renewal and I love it. For the first time in twenty years, I will have a garden. I can hardly wait for the firstfruits!
Last year I had the blessing of being able to obtain a tiller that belonged to my father-in-law. Courtney Parks, my mentor in things green, graciously offered to drive me to Dallas in his truck to pick it up and we had a great day together. Thanks again Courtney!
It was so exciting to finally be back in the soil the following Saturday. As the smell of freshly broken earth filled the air and I walked barefooted through its soft warmth, I couldn’t help but think of the hours Sharon’s father had spent with his hands where mine were at that very moment. The location was different and our experiences were years apart, but there was a renewal of a bond with Bruce and the soil that words just cannot express. It was a groundbreaking moment in several ways.
Since the spot has not been used as a garden before, I began tilling it regularly throughout the fall and winter adding organic matter and preparing it for planting this spring. The time has come and though the work is back breaking for an overweight old man, I am enjoying the experience. It wasn’t this hard twenty years ago!
Watching seeds sprout and new plants develop instills a sense of wonder that so many miss in our age of pre-packaged meals. As a culture, we have so removed ourselves from the soil that we rarely realize the vital role it plays in our lives. It is good to revive that awareness from time to time.
It is easy to let our technology and knowledge distract us from the most basic issues of life. When we can meet those basic needs easily, we tend to take that provision for granted. That is both foolish and dangerous. From time to time we need to practice those ancient skills of survival. We may never need them but they give us a deeper appreciation for what God has done in His marvelous creation.
Just what will come of all of this effort is unknown. That only adds to the sense of wonder. Ultimately, the outcome is in God’s hands. We can do all the right things and still have poor results in gardening - that much I can remember!
In all this, there is a spiritual lesson to be learned. Our walk with God first requires His grace. It is He who arouses us from our useless state and equips us to be fruitful. Through the seasons of life He tills, plants, fertilizes, waters, trains and prunes us so that the fruit of righteousness grows in our lives.
The process isn’t always pleasant but the growth His care produces in us is worth the temporary discomfort. His faithful nurturing serves as an example for us. We need to faithfully tend those things He has given us to do: whether it is a physical garden or the garden of a tender heart He has entrusted to us.
Yes, this spring is full of promise. A new grandchild will be here by the time we meet again. The garden should be completely in and spring will have passed full bloom. How quickly time passes. It is easy even now to think our way through the remainder of this year. May God help us to capture the moment we have this day and consider the promise it holds for the future. We remember anew the words of Him who called us, "A sower went forth to sow . . . ."