Have This Attitude
"Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately.’" (John 13:31-32)
You may recognize this passage from John’s account of the Last Passover. The "he" that had gone out in this passage was Judas and the clock was now ticking.
Of all the things Christ might have said, I find this and the verses which follow compelling. He might well have said, "The hour has come for the Lamb of God to be sacrificed for the world" and that would have been true, but He elevates the significance of the event to a much higher plain: God’s glory.
Our tendency is to focus on what Christ’s death means for us. That is certainly an important viewpoint but God has a much higher purpose in mind and we miss the greater beauty if we only observe this hour from our fallen perspective.
Judas’ betrayal of Christ would set in motion a chain of events ordered before the foundation of the world. God is not surprised at these events; He is using them for His glory. That is the focus of Christ’s message here.
There are a number of observations which might be drawn from this context but I want to focus your attention on the overarching scenario. To do that, we need to revisit Philippians 2:5-8, "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." NASB
This is the other bookend on the life of the God-Man. As He takes on human form, He divests himself of His divine glory. He sets it aside and condescends to dwell in mortal flesh.
The Old Testament record makes it clear that mortals seldom fare well in the presence of God’s glory. Fallen Adam and Eve cowered in the bushes at merely the sound of His voice in the garden. The Israelites trembled at the foot of Mt. Sinai and asked that they might not hear God’s voice again. They were terrified by Moses’ appearance as he returned from the mountain the second time so he veiled his face after he finished speaking God’s commands to them. Isaiah considered himself a dead man when confronted with God’s glory. At Christ’s transfiguration, the voice of God brought fear upon them.
Again and again, we see that mortals have a problem relating to God in the fullness of His glory. So, Christ put that glory aside and appeared as a man.
"That’s neat," we are inclined to say. Indeed it is, but He didn’t stop there! If we were writing the story, we would have developed it along the lines of the Jews’ anticipations about Messiah. We would have crowned Him King and locked arms with the Zealots to oust the Roman tyranny from our borders.
But, Jesus wasn’t that kind of King. He came as a bond-servant and was obedient to the point of a shameful death.
What I am about to say could be easily misunderstood so please realize it is not my intention to diminish in any way the agony which Christ suffered on the cross as the sinless Son of God. Nevertheless, as horrible as that death was, many others suffered the same fate and most suffered for days, not just hours before dying. Remember, Christ laid down His life. In a very real sense He was not killed by crucifixion: many others were. Christ’s greatest suffering was not in the physical realm.
I am persuaded that even the agony of the cross did not compare to the wretched state He entered as He set aside his glory and put on human flesh. It is true that God had proclaimed His creation "very good" but even that pronouncement did not exalt the creation to the level of the Creator. Even when it was at its best, the creation was merely an expression of God’s glory. It does not share in that glory.
Take a moment and think on the filthiest, most disgusting condition you have witnessed in your life and imagine willfully and joyfully immersing yourself in it for the glory of the Father.
What images come to mind? My thoughts turn to stories where individuals hide themselves in dead bodies or cesspools to avoid being caught. From the perspective of God’s holiness, I’m sure that even those sickening images do not compare with the revulsion Christ must have experienced in taking human form.
Even in our sinful state, such thoughts are disgusting to us. We can’t begin to imagine the sacrifice that it was for Christ to condescend to dwell in human form.
After all, we spend hours primping and preening but all our efforts to make these carcasses we inhabit appealing (or at least tolerable) is extremely short-lived. There’s an old saying that goes something like, "You can put makeup on a pig, but its still a pig." Still, we feel compelled to try.
Our efforts in regard to the spiritual side of things is even less fruitful. Paul understood this well when he wrote in Romans 7, "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not." Only when we become aware of our own spiritual poverty can we begin to make progress on the path to glory.
Realizing that we have no glory of our own compels us to look to Him who dwells in glory.
That is what John 13 addresses. Christ has fulfilled His ministry and is about to take up the glory He set aside as He entered the fleshly realm. As Paul Harvey would say, "That’s the rest of the story." What application can we take from this little exercise?
Paul said it best in the Philippians passage above. We are to have Christ’s attitude in this matter of obedience. We do not live for ourselves but for God.
Christ in us is our only legitimate claim to glory. Nothing we do on our own will ever stand the test of God’s holiness. May we learn this lesson of scripture and refrain from trying to substitute anything of our own design!
Bible 101
Last month we looked at different figures of speech that play a role in our interpretation of scripture. Those figures tend to be based on a single word or short phrase. There are other literary mechanisms which substitute one thing for another but usually in a more extended fashion such as in parables, allegories, and types.
"An earthly story with a heavenly meaning" is the way I learned to define a parable early in my biblical training. That is perhaps an effective way of communicating the idea that a parable is a story that teaches a moral truth. There is only one main point, but there may be additional truths which support the central idea. No attempt should be made to attach spiritual significance to every detail of a parable.
A parable may be a true story, but most often they are not. Still, they always use plausible, real-life stories. Jesus said He used parables to teach believers while hiding the truth from those whose hearts were hardened against it.
Interpreting a parable is often a rather easy task since the text frequently provides the interpretation. When it does, don’t go looking for other meanings!!! A number of contemporary teachings are based on this misapplication of scripture. Now you know better.
If the meaning is not given, remember, "context is king." What is being discussed? What questions are being asked and answered? I’m always amazed when well-intentioned Christians suggest that Jesus disciples asked one question but He ignored that one and answered another. While Jesus was sometimes cryptic with unbelievers, He doesn’t play mind games with believers.
Stick with the clear meaning of what is stated. Any meaning applied to details outside the central message must be tied to that idea. Details which do not reinforce the central thought should be dismissed as irrelevant.
Following this simple process will go a long way toward helping you to be accurate in your interpretation and application of scriptures.
Pop quiz from last month: What is a metaphor? Right - an implied comparison between two different things. An allegory has been called an extended metaphor because it uses a story to do essentially the same thing.
The story may be factual or fictional but it has an underlying meaning that is different from the facts of the story itself. Unlike a parable, an allegory can teach multiple truths which may, or may not be, related. Your assignment is to locate as many allegories in scripture as you can. Have fun!
How do you interpret an allegory? Start by making a list of the facts that you find in the story. While you do, be on the lookout for any interpretation you are given.
As you look for meaning, don’t expect to find meaning from every detail. Stories have filler - don’t major in minors! Above all, be sure your interpretation doesn’t contradict the clear teaching of God’s word.
If your interpretation violates your understanding of what other scripture teaches, one or both of your interpretations is wrong. Continue to study and trust God to make the message clear to you.
Perhaps I haven’t stressed it enough, so let me do so now - the starting point for Bible study is a prayerful attitude. Not simply a rote recitation before you begin but a dialogue that goes on with the Father as you seek to understand His word. Study, like everything else, should be done in the awareness of His presence.
Types are ideas which are prophetic in nature: they prefigure the anti-type (the person or thing prophesied). A type is unique to its anti-type. It prefigures one thing and one thing only. There may be parallel details and comparisons which can be drawn, but type and anti-type are singularly linked.
A type may be specifically identified in scripture as it is in Romans 5:14 and Hebrews 11:19 or it may be implied by other words as it is in Hebrews 8:5 and other places. If the scripture does not indicate something is a type (directly or indirectly), then simply consider its similarities to something else, as parallels which do not suggest a relationship between the two.
Before leaving this topic, there is one more figure which needs our brief attention, symbols. Though similar to other figures in a lot of ways, symbols can represent different things in different passages. As always, the context will tell you what the symbol means. Don’t try to force a contemporary or unnatural meaning on the text.
I hope this on-going study is at least providing a refresher course for you. It certainly serves me in that capacity! We will conclude this series in December but until then our focus will turn to application - where the rubber meets the road as the old tire commercial said.
Patriotism or Nationalism?
In my reading of history, I frequently find myself wishing I could have been an eyewitness to certain pivotal times and events. That idea is beginning to subside as I realize the time in which we live. We are in the crucible and how we respond will determine how history remembers our time.
Previously, I expressed my concern about Americans, especially Christians, who are enamored with nationalism and think it is a substitute for patriotism. On that theme, I’d like to share a message from Chuck Baldwin because he says it so well.
Chuck is a Baptist minister in Pensacola, Florida. I had the privilege of meeting him in 1999 and we exchange e-mails from time to time. So we do have something of a history. I hope you’ll pay careful attention to what he has to say in this piece titled, "Since When Does Patriotism Mean Love of Big Government?"
"Patriotism seems to have taken on a strange new definition. Love for country has been replaced with love for big government. At one time, American patriotism meant love for liberty, love for family, love for faith, and love for the principles articulated in America's founding documents. No more. Today, only people who demand increased government protection, increased government handouts, and increased government bureaucracies are considered patriotic.
Today's Americans look to the federal government to solve virtually every problem, to protect them from virtually any adversary, and to even subsidize their own personal welfare. In exchange for this new insatiable appetite for serfdom, such people are more than willing to surrender their individual freedoms and personal responsibilities.
There doesn't seem to be a Republican alive who remembers Ronald Reagan's famous quote, "Government is not the solution to the problem; government is the problem!" Instead, today's Republicans appear just as anxious to invoke the heavy hand of government as Democrats - maybe more so.
Virtually no one in Washington is calling for less government today. The only undecided question being debated now is how much to increase the size and scope of the federal government. The founders' concept of limited government has been repudiated by the vast majority of this me-first generation.
Even so-called conservative leaders (including Christian conservatives) on radio and television will fight anyone who dares suggest that the federal government has become a behemoth with virtually no resemblance to the country that was created back in 1776.
No one in Washington wants to dismantle any federal program or department. Even the once-despised National Endowment for the Arts gets a huge spending boost from these "conservative" Republicans. Ditto for federal spending for education, energy, agriculture, commerce, etc., and ad infinitum. And if you think all that's bad, wait until this new Homeland Security Department grows up. There won't be a shred of freedom left! Taxpayers have allowed themselves to be forced into financing a federal leviathan that is in the process of swallowing every liberty and personal responsibility in sight; and few people seem to mind.
Beyond that, if anyone dares suggest that the federal government is too monstrous, too oppressive, and too invasive, they are called unpatriotic. Worse still is the fact that many such people are paid personal visits from a variety of government goon squads in order to intimidate or silence them. (Yes, this practice continues under the Bush administration.)
This is not the America that tens of thousands of brave men fought and died for. This is not the country I grew up in. America has become an alien nation. It is a country completely foreign to the one bequeathed to us by our Founding Fathers.
I am very confident that if George Washington, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, James Otis, Paul Revere, Sam Adams, and the rest of those great patriots of yesteryear were alive today, they would be treated by our own government the same way they were treated by old King George of England: as traitors and criminals.
Yet, the real traitors and criminals are the ones in Washington and other places who have worked (and are working) feverishly to dismantle and destroy the fundamental principles contained in our U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence.
If despising an overbearing, overreaching, Orwellian-style federal government complete with its "swarms of officers" intent on harassing and stealing my liberties makes me unpatriotic, then I will gladly wear the moniker." © Chuck Baldwin
And so will I. Will you?
(Reprinted with permission. Chuck Baldwin's commentaries may not be reprinted or republished without permission. Contact: chuck@chuckbaldwinlive.com ~ Chuck Baldwin Live Website: www.chuckbaldwinlive.com)
The Apprentice’s Journal
Fall is on the way! I’m sure we still have some steamy days ahead but a cool front has dropped temperatures into the bearable range and the first signs of the changing seasons have arrived. What a paradox God gave us that in the midst of constancy, we also have change.
Though there is a changing of seasons it is a pattern that repeats again and again giving us both stability and freshness. What a marvelous design!
Undaunted by the limited success of a spring garden, I’ve started a smaller one for the fall. The okra is still coming in and beans, peas, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, broccoli and carrots are on the way.
The toad invasion has abated for awhile...a long while I hope. Bud the bullfrog is king of the realm and grows larger all the time. I trust his amphibious friends are eating a lot of bugs.
There is still a lot to be done in the yard but that project is pretty much on hold at the moment. I’ve spent a good bit of time with the chiropractor the last month trying to get some relief from back problems. All the remodeling and yard work took its toll.
I have to admit, I don’t mind the break from the steady manual labor! There are many other ways I can use the time. Of course, several of those involve sitting at the computer and I can only do that for a little while at a time.
There are many prayer concerns right now from those who receive this newsletter. So many that I’m tempted to list them here so you can pray for one another in very specific terms. I don’t have your permission so I’ll refrain, but do know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. We truly cherish the relationships that God brings into our lives and we feel a special bond with you all.
As we reflect on our lives and past relationships, it is often a bittersweet memory. It is hard to imagine that we were once so close to others and now we haven’t seen them in years or even communicated. It is always a delight to renew those acquaintances.
Sometimes we are thrilled by the changes that God has wrought over time, and sometimes our hearts break to see the hurt that selfishness and pride have bred. But we always rejoice that God has shown His favor to us by giving us friends.
How pleasant it is to reflect on decades of relationships that are marked by wonderful times in each others homes! It is a true delight to recall all those special times in Bible study and prayer. It is so rich to remember the laughter and fellowship we have shared...not to mention all the wonderful food!
It is humbling to remember hurts we’ve caused each other but healing to recall reconciliation possible because of God’s grace. The experience has been so great I truly wonder how most of the world gets along without such relationships.
In good times and in bad, God is the constant in our relationships and His presence makes all the difference.
I guess I’m in a rare mood for me, but these matters of the heart do well up from time to time and fill me to overflowing. It is at such times I really get in touch with Paul’s word’s, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you."
We all need regular reminders that most of the "important" things which consume our days pale in significance when compared to what is truly important in life. Relationships are such fragile things and we tend to handle them so carelessly.
Often, we act as though they will grow with no effort or sacrifice on our part. It is so easy to take one another for granted. It is is even easier to take God’s grace for granted.
There’s another paradox for you. It is impossible for us to be in right relationship with God if our personal relationships are out of order. At the same time, it is impossible for our personal relationships to be in order if our relationship with the Father is neglected.
The Christian life is about fellowship with God and one another. All the other trappings we attach to it don’t really amount to much. It is who we are as God’s people that matters. The "what" tends to take care of itself.
Yes, we have things to do but doing is a product of being, not the other way around. The backward approach comes right
out of so called "new age" thinking that we can control the world by what we think and do. That in essence teaches that we are God. That error is even promoted by some who call themselves Christian. We are God’s children, not God!
Because we are His, we can expect to see His life grow in us and reach out to a hurting world. We should not think we can have everything our way just by conjuring up a vision of it.
We must concern ourselves with being God’s family. That is a heart matter: an attitude if you will. Christ is the example we have of that attitude and it isn’t about shaping the world to conform it to our wishes.
Rather, it is about setting aside our wishes that the glory of God can be made manifest in us and through us. That means at some point in our life God is going to get our attention and turn us around (repentance).. He will correct our course (no matter how good it may appear) and put us on the path to obedience, if we are truly His.
What a comfort it is to know that we are! ~ Jim
"These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13)