Abraham's Walk

Does God Tempt? The Epistle of James a.k.a. Jacob

2008-03-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

The Epistle of James deals with the problem of problems. Why do some bad things happen? Below is a rough translation that I did of the 1st chapter of James to investigate whether God tempts or not. Read through it and see. I will make comments through out.

1 Jacob a slave of God and of Lord Savior Anointed, to the ones of the twelve tribes in the dispersion
Greetings.

2 Towards a complete delight, you must consider for yourselves my Brothers, inasmuch as you might have been surrounded with trials of a varied kind. 3 You understand that the method of testing your faith is
achieving to itself endurance. 4 Yet, the endurance, a blameless work
must hold, so that you might be blameless and perfectly sound with nothing being uncompleted.

5 But if anyone of you is left behind of wisdom, he must ask from the One
giving, from God, for all things sincerely, and not from casting in
one’s teeth and it will be given for yourself. 6 But he must ask in
assurance/faithfulness, not one who is doubting/separated from others,
for the one doubting/separated from others was like a surging/washing
of sea being agitated and being tossed, 7 (for he, the man himself,
must not suppose that he himself will receive anything from the Lord?)
8 A double-minded unstable man, a one, with all of his ways.

9 But he must speak up, the lowly brother, in his dignity,10 but the
wealthy one with his loss of rank, for this way a grass' flower will
perish. 11 For the sun has risen with the heat and it has parched the
grass and its flower has fallen out and the gracefulness of its
appearance has been destroyed and the wealthy with their careers will
be extinguished.

12 A happy man that is enduring a testing,
because a tested one he having become, he will receive the crown of the
life which has been promised to them for loving him. 13 No one while
being tried must say, (in that from of God he is being tested)
“therefore the temptation proof God is evil, He is tempting, Himself by
no one!”

14 But everyone being tested by the one's own
longing, being dragged out, even being baited. 15 Next the longing
having been conceived gives birth to sin, but the sin having brought
forth young, bearing death. 16 You must not be caused to go astray, my
beloved brothers. 17 All good giving and all blameless gifts are from
above descending from the Father of fires from whom there is not a
fickleness neither from turning a shadow.

18 Having been willing He gave birth to you by a word of truth into the one to be
their entrance fee, anyone from the One of himself, of a created one.
19 You must be known brothers, my beloved, but he must be a whole man a
quick one to have heard, a slow one to have spoken, a slow one to
anger. 20 For anger of a man, a righteousness of God is not itself
working.

21 For this reason having put them away, all sordidness and superabundance of
malignity, for a humble one, you yourselves have received the implanted
word, itself being strong enough to have saved your soul. 22 But you
must yourselves become a performer of a word and not alone hearers
deluding yourselves. 23 Because if any one is a hearer of the word and
not one who performs, this one is like a man observing the aspect of
his nature in a mirror, 24 for he has observed well himself and having
understood and departs and immediately has neglected himself, what sort
is he being? 25 But the one having peered into a blameless law the one
of liberty and he having remained not a hearer from negligence, on the
other hand a performer of work this one a blessed one by his
performance himself is.

26 If anyone thinks a religious one to be, not bridling his language but on
the other hand cheating a heart of himself of this vain one the
religious one. 27 A religion, a clean one and undefiled one from the
God and Father, this one being itself to visit/relieve orphaned ones
and widowed ones in persecution themselves, itself a spotless one to
guard from the world.

Jacob--This gives us a clue on how to choose whether God tempts or not. Jacob is Hebrew. He is very well versed in God's activities in the Torah-Old Testament.

Exodus 15:25 Then he cried out to the
LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters,
and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and
regulation, and there He tested them. (NASB)

This is only one example of God testing, trying, tempting someone. The question is-would James/Jacob have directly contradicted this portion of Holy Scripture?

No!
The translation of James 1:13 hinges on one tiny word--hoti--that, so that, for, because. Moule wrote "...the interpretation of a passage turns upon deciding with
which word the hoti is to be logically connected."

I choose to translate 1:13
" No one while being tried must say, (in that from of God he is being
tested) “therefore the temptation proof God is evil, He is tempting,
Himself by no one!”
It was a temptation to say that it was evil of God to tempt people when He in turn said that "You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah."

Why was it fair for God to tempt and He not to be tempted?

The quick response to that is God is always faithful but man fails
often. God's testing of man is to prove what is in doubt. The next
question that arises is, "did God make me sin when He tempted me? The
answer is no! See James 1:14.

Truth

2005-10-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

Pilate asked Jesus--"What is truth?"

Do you know what truth is?
Is your truth only a subjective truth?
Do you have an objective truth?
Do you know the difference between objective and subjective?

The Apostle Peter was faced by just such a dilemma. He needed an objective measure of a truth.

No Gentile had been allowed into the fledgling church. He had had the audacity to go preach to a house full of Gentiles. And then he returns to the leaders of that Jewish church and tells them he had baptized those Gentiles in water.

The questions was, how did he know the truth of their repentance? The Italian and his family had not proven themselves as Jewish procelytes. How could he have included them in the church? They were "unclean" Gentiles, excluded from the community of faith!

Peter did not say, "I knew it in my heart. I sensed their sincerity. They were really happy!" He may have had these subjective proofs to share with the other Apostles. However, he did not use those as vindication of baptizing them in water.

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

An objective proof of their salvation.

Do you ever wish for an objective truth of your salvation? Seek the Baptism of Jesus with the initial physical evidence of SPEAKING IN TONGUES.

Receive the Holy Spirit

2005-10-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

John 20:22 He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

What did Jesus mean when he said this to his disciples?
Did He mean that was the moment that they were saved?
Or, was there another implication?
Click here and see for yourself...

Intelligence

2005-09-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to find out that we must exclude God from a discussion of science.

I found many years ago that facts are like a lot of puzzle pieces. But, they are special kinds of pieces that can be arranged in many different way. The way they end up being connected depends, to a great extent, on the presupposition at the beginning.

If you begin with a presupposition that there is no God, then you can arrange the "facts" to conclude that we arrived by means of evolution.

If you begin with the presupposition that there is a God, then the "facts" add up to Intelligent Design=God.

How do we know where to start?

...If the person is wrong, nothing will work even if one has all the right methods. If the person is right, the right methods can be put to good use. Some people pay much attention to good methods. Even though we also pay proper attention to good methods, we should never make methods our first priority. The methods do not come first; the person does. First, we have to be right in our person, and then we can speak about the best methods...

Your Vocation

2005-09-14T07:51:00.001-07:00

I'm always intrigued by what seem to be logical inconsitancies and how we try to justify them. One example:

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;

and

"Because you listened to your wife and ate
from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground ...through painful toil you will eat of it ... (i)t will produce thorns and thistles for you...(b)y the sweat of your browyou will eat your food ..."

But suppose we replace the words "to put", "to work it" and "take care of it" with the perfectly acceptable translations of "cause to rest", "to serve (God)/worship" and "keep a vow/obey."

This would allow us to read Genesis 2:15-16 as
The LORD God took the man and caused him to rest in the Garden of Eden to worship and obey. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden...

This puts a different twist to the God's curse as it exists on this earth and the rest his children will enter. It likwise removes the difficulty of trying to explain how work is a blessing and a curse at the same time.

My vocation is to worship and obey.

Classic Christian Literature

2005-09-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

One author that I especially appriciate is Alfred Edersheim.

Three of his works that deal with the Jewish culture and its influence on the New Testaments are:

Sketches of Jewish Social Life
Temple--Its Ministry and Services
Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

When Jesus said to Nicodemus,

3:10"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things?

he fully expected the rabbi to know about spiritual things. Notice that He didn't say, "of course you couldn't know these things."

This helps us to "get into the mind" of that epoch and better understand the "Word of Life."

Review of Introduction to Gospel of John 9/11/05

2005-09-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

Review some of the lesson on the Introduction to the Gospel of John 9/11/05. See some of the links to modern gnostics!

Teaching and Transformation--A Difference?

2005-09-09T07:08:00.000-07:00

Rick Warren said,

"...that there's a difference between teaching and transformation. I'm in the life change business. I'm in the transformation business. You know what motivates me? – not size; in fact, I don't even like big
churches. I mean, my favorite size was 300 people. What motivates me is that I am addicted to changing lives. I love seeing lives changed and that is the untold story. Everybody tries to attribute the growth of churches to everything else but what makes them grow – and it's changed lives...."

David Brooks says,

"I do think there is a shopping-for-faith aspect – maybe there always has been in American culture. Henry Steele Commager had a line: "In the 19th century, religion prospered while theology slowly went bankrupt." And he meant that Americans are not doctrinal in their faith. We had presidential candidates like George Bush who switched denominations in the middle of his life, but he couldn't quite tell why. You had Howard Dean who switched denominations over a bike path. And then you had Wesley Clark who switched four or five times. And that's not atypical for Americans. And so we're just not a doctrinal people, but I think,nonetheless – not only in mega-churches but maybe throughout American culture – you have, I think, a lightening of religion, certainly a walking-away from the old Jonathan Edwards trembling before an angry God. It's certainly more happy, more upbeat, more optimistic. And to me, one of the most interesting things about this book is the way it's both part of the culture but in some ways very counter-cultural. It's very against the culture of narcissism, the culture of "me," but on the other hand, it's not Jonathan Edwards either. And so it's the negotiating – being part of the world and being opposed to it, marketing and at the same time sort of counter-marketing – that's the great tension and the temptation, it seems to me, looking from the outside. or a lot of the evangelical community it's the temptation to just be so easy, so undemanding and sometimes so vacuous. That is also part of the consequences."

Bro Joe's reflection--I am reminded of the John 15:19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you..."

A Matter of Faith

2005-09-08T05:59:00.001-07:00

Bro Joe
Suppose a stranger came to me and offered to hold my wallet for safekeeping. If I let him, that would be blind unfounded faith. However, if my father came to me and made an identical proposal, and I accepted, that would be faithbased on a long loving relationship.

If you trusted the stranger, I would say you were gullible at the very least, foolish would be another word that comes to mind. Conversely, to refuse the offer of a loving father would itself be a fool's choice.

John the Apostle knew what faith entailed. He did not put his trust in a stranger, but in one who he knew face to face. Someone whom he had observed daily for a period of at least three years. So when he wrote the Gospel that bears his name, he did it with a goal
in mind.

So, when you choose to examine the evidence presented by John you are not
making a blind leap. John asks you to carefully consider his evidence
and base your faith on the facts. Never leap into the dark--jump into
the light.

Why Do They Seek Martyrdom?

2005-09-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

Why do they seek martyrdom?

Perhaps you have wondered why the terrorists would so willingly go to martyrdom. If so, it is because they are in total despair when faced with their fate after death.

They have no hope, or very little at best, in avoiding hell and attaining paradise. So they are looking for a way out. We may scoff at their desire for “72 virgins”, but their terror at the destiny of the sinner if easier to understand. How can we counter? By praying that God will reveal the hope of Jesus Christ. How wonderful is it to know that your sins are forgiven and that you can know that you are free from the “wrath” of God. If you are interested in helping or finding out more see: Center for Ministry to Muslims link below. I have studied and worked with this group.

I cannot vouch for the truthfulness of all on the following web address, but this part at least matches up with what I have found from studies and talking with Muslims.
The following is from: http://www.cattail.nu/wraithproject/0201deathandshabah.html

Al-Barzakh:

Whereas the matter of what happens after death and in the grave might be a fairly open-ended concept for non-Muslims, the Muslim knows with some certainty what's to happen. They call this Al-Barzakh: the time after death, and before the resurrection.

The Al-Barzakh for the faithful Muslim and the kafir (non-believer) are near-mirror images of one another. The Angel of Death sits at the head of the dying person, and brings news of Allah's forgiveness for the believer, and wrath for the kafir.

Once death occurs, the soul is removed from the body. For the believer, this is easy, and brings with it the scent of fine musk. The unbeliever, however, is torn painfully from the body, and is accompanied by the stench of rotting meat. The believer has the gates of Heaven opened for him, has the book of his life placed in the high places, and is then returned to his body. The unbeliever does not have the gates of Heaven opened to him, and once the book of his life is placed in the low places, he is tossed roughly back into the grave.

Afterwards, the mental faculties of the deceased are returned. He can feel the presence of the righteous people around his grave for as long as it takes them to sacrifice a camel and distribute its meat. He can also feel the pressing-in of the grave as it is filled in around him, and the footsteps of the mourners as they leave the side of his grave.

Then two sternfaced, black and blue colored angels - Munkar and Nakir - come to the grave to question the deceased. The believer is unafraid and answers truthfully, while the kafir is frightened and professes ignorance.

The believer is rewarded for his faith. A handsome man smelling of perfume comes to tell him of his good deeds, and he is shown both the hellfire from which Allah has delivered him, and his place in Paradise. He will wish to go there at once, but the man with his good deeds will ask him to wait. His grave is widened about him as far as the eye can see, and filled with greenery and bright light. And he spends his time until Judgment Day sleeping, seeing his place in Paradise and basking in Allah's blessings.

The kafir, however, is truly condemned. An ugly, scruffy man comes along to tell him of his bad deeds. Not only can he see the place in Hell that awaits him, but a small crack is opened so that he can see the Paradise denied to him. The grave is constricted about him so that his ribs crack.

And then, after being smashed to dust with an iron chain, he spends his time until Judgment Day being tortured in accordance with his sins. Those who neglected prayer have their heads endlessly smashed in with a rock, adulterers are eternally roasted as though in an oven, and so on. His injuries heal up so he can be tortured again and again, and no matter how loud he screams the living cannot hear him. (Animals, on the other hand, can)

According to the haddiths, the Prophet (PBUH) said that certain things would give protection from the punishment of the grave. Anyone who died as a martyr for Islam, or protected its borders in life, would be granted that privilege. It would also be given to anyone who recited the Surah Tabarakah, died from a stomach disease or died on a Friday - which is the holy day of Islam.

Unanimous

2005-08-04T14:37:00.000-07:00

Unanimous

It seems amazing that there is so little unanimity within the body of Christ. In our churches, even of the same denomination, there can be a startling array of points of view. On some subjects this may be acceptable, however, on others, it leads to confusion and despair among those who are looking for the help. If this was your physical body, the one reading this, and you had different uncoordinated signals going out to arms and legs, etc., you would be classed as handicapped. I’m afraid that the Body of Christ might be put in that category!
Diversity—a neutral term—difference of culture, language, skin color, and even opinion. In some instances positive, in others negative. In the first century church of Ephesus there was a negative example of diversity.

In Ephesians chapter 4, the apostle Paul is counseling against a diversity of gospels—different “good news”; there is only one body—not a body for Jews, and one for followers of Zeus and one for Christ and etc. Neither is there a Spirit for the follower of Brahma and a Spirit for ones belonging to Moloch and another for those of Christ. There is only one way we may expect to find salvation, and one God who calls to this salvation (verse 4). There is only one Lord, not many. There is only one faith, not several. There is only one baptism, not one for each level you move up in the faith (verse 5). Finally, there is only one God the Father of all believers, over everything material or spiritual, moving through all those who are His, and lastly dwelling in all who are His (verse 6).

But, there is diversity of the gifts that He gives (verse 7). In the giving, Paul illustrates with the King who stands to go to war (verse 9) descending from his dais. This King is the one who came down to earth (not to hell). He was, and he went back to heaven to finish the plan of redemption (verse 10). While on earth he took many captives (verse 8). These captives He then gave as gifts to men. These captives are the sent ones (apostles, verse 11). Of the sent ones, there are those who speak for Him (prophets, verse 11), those who speak the good news (evangelists, verse 11), those who shepherd others (pastors, verse 11), and those who instruct (teachers, verse 11).

This diversity is for the complete furnishing of the holy ones (saints). What is the equipping? “Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto (ἀποστέλλω—apostello) them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they [their] hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost” (Acts 8:14-17). Paul knew of the importance of this baptism from Jesus, “And Ananias … entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, [even] Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me (ἀποστέλλω—apostello), that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 9:17).

The result of this is “that we attain a unity of the truth of God’s Son” (Eph 4:13). And once being unanimous about who Christ is, we will no long be tossed about and deceived by those with other “revelations” of who and what Christ is (verse 14).

So, speak the truth, with love, and because of love, to those who are in the darkness of their own specious revelations. This will cause us to grow greater, into Him, our head or source of authority (verse 15).

The conclusion is that if we all have the same Spirit, He will tell us the same thing. That is why the first work of the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers is to lead the church to the baptism of Jesus and commanded by Jesus himself-- "And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high" Luke 24:49.

Death of a Palestinian

2005-07-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

I was asked this question by a friend of mine--“young Palestinians(10-18) who are bumping themselves with explosives thinking that they are doing it in the name of "halah"(I am assuming this is what they have been told). Are they accountable for their acts in Heaven or the Lord may forgive them?
Here is my answer what do you think? Join in with an e-mail.
Romans 10:1-3 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

This is the Apostle Paul’s comment concerning his ethnic group, the Jews.
➢As he says in other places, they had the Word of God, but they were wrong in how they tried to apply it.
➢They thought they knew what God wanted, but they were wrong.
➢ They thought they knew how to please God, but they were wrong.
➢They thought they were right, but they were wrong.
They were still sinners and had fallen short of God’s plan for their lives—Romans 3:23.

Even though the Jews of Paul’s day were led astray by their religious leaders they were guilty. True—the leaders would be judged—and more severely than an average person. A judgment falls on all sinners—Jew, Gentile, Muslim, Pagan, etc.—the wages of sin is death (eternal separation from God).

Apply that to the question you posed “young Palestinians(10-18 yo) who are bumping themselves with explosives thinking that they are doing it in the name of "halah"(I am assuming this is what they have been told). Are they accountable for their acts in Heaven or the Lord may forgive them? “

Substitute “young Palestinian” into the Romans 10:1-3
Romans 10:1-3 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for young Palestinians is, that young Palestinians might be saved.
For I bear them record that young Palestinian have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
For young Palestinians being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

I think that Paul himself has answered your question.

Fighting for the 10 Commandments

2005-07-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

The Ten commandments are a death sentence. Those who keep them will live--those who do not, will die. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory (expectation) of God...the wages of sin is death." (Romans 3:23, 6:23)

Instead of fighting for the posting of the death sentence we should be crying out the Good News--"The Gift Of GOD is ETERNAL LIFE!" The way to receive this sentence is to "believe in his Name, He gave them the power to become the SONS of GOD." John 1:12

So let the Death Sentence be replaced by GOOD NEWS!

Making God's Word Void

2005-07-24T13:08:00.000-07:00

κυρώσατε--kurosate--to render void, deprive of force and authority

It is interesting how many very religious people, doing, speaking and believing God are in fact nullifying what God has spoken.
Jesus spoke to this issue and was very clear on His view of taking things out of context. It was very clear that those to whom Jesus was speaking were quoting Scripture to condone the avoidance of their responsibility.
Matthew 15 records the incidence of this encounter:

1. Then some Pharisees and scribes *came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
2. "Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
3. And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
4. "For God said, `HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,' and, `HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.'
5. "But you say, `Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,"
6. he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And by this you κυρώσατε invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
7. "You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:
8. `THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
9. `BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' " (NASB)

By speaking God's Word in their own fashion, they rendered it void. Likewise it is possible to render void or obscure what God has spoken. We are commanded to be good students of His word and interpret and apply it correctly.

It is possible to find a "promise" in the Bible and misapply it. Just because God spoke it to someone does not imply that it applies to you.

How then do we make proper application?
1. check the meaning of the words
2. check the meaning of the context of the sentence
3. check the meaning of the context of the paragraph
4. check the meaning of the context of the chap

Second interview with Paul

2005-03-17T13:09:00.000-08:00

2nd Interview with Paul the Apostle on his letter to the church in Rome.

JWE: I’d like to revisit some of the verses we skipped over in our last interview. In your letter to the Romans you spend a lot of time addressing the Jewish segment of the church, why?

Paul: There are a couple of reasons that take the forefront; firstly, many Jews have an introductory knowledge of the Torah (Scriptures), at the very least. The Torah contains the law and the prophets who spoke of Jesus. The vast majority of Gentiles would have been totally ignorant of the Torah. Romans 1:2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures…

JWE: I’ve heard that many Jews were jealous of the Torah and tried to restrict the Gentiles’ access to it.

Paul: Yes, there was a sense of “specialness” that we felt because God chose us to be His people and to have His Law. Romans 3:1 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.

JWE: Why did God choose the Jew to be His people?

Paul: God chose them because of Abraham. His faith in God brought a special favor. God’s promises to Abraham, the ancestor of the Jews, were extended to Israel. God pledged that Abraham would be a blessing to the world through his offspring. Genesis 18:18 “…Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."

JWE: Was part of that blessing Christ?

Paul: Yes, and that brings me to the second point of why I spent so much time writing about Jewish believers and the Law. Perhaps some of them would have heard Jesus preach. Some probably would have known the 12 Apostles. Some were influential leaders in the Roman church.

JWE: I get the sense that you are writing against being a Jew. Do you believe they must become Gentiles to be followers of Christ (Messianic Jews)?

Paul: No, I am constantly fighting against the thinking that one must become a Jew first, before becoming a Christian. Likewise, I fight the teaching that one must become a Gentile to be a Christian. That was a huge problem in the 1st century and remains so in the 21st century. Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

JWE: The Law is another very prominent in your letters. But it seems you use the term in different way.

Paul: True. That is because the Law is composed of three inter-related parts: Ten Commandments, ceremonial and civil. The Ten Commandments are the moral laws that God gave Moses on Mount Sinai. God also gave the ceremonial law to Moses as well, regulating the sacrificial system. The civil law also given by God, detailing laws that dealt with injuries or who can marry whom and etc. Sometimes they are all included in my use of the word Law.

JWE: I see that you use the word 50 times in the letter to the Romans.

Paul: To the Jew the Law was very important. It set them apart from the rest of the world. They also thought that was their salvation.

JWE: Well, wasn’t it their way of salvation? I’ve heard many say that “all roads lead to Rome.” Aren’t there different ways to get to heaven?

Paul: The law reveals sin. It shows the shortcoming of each one who knows the law and tries to keep it. It can’t be done. Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

JWE: You wrote: RO 2:12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. Doesn’t this prove that it is possible to get to heaven by keeping the law?
Paul: Yes, if anyone could keep the law! But look all you want, and you will find only one man in all of human history that has lived without sin.

JWE: Christ?

Paul: Yes, aside from Christ, I repeat, ” … all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

JWE: I’ve got a question about what you meant there. What does glory mean?

Paul: The Greek word I used there doxa δοξα has the primary meaning of expectation. That doesn’t mean that glory is wrong, but it loses something. Then the word sinned harmatano ημαρτανο, as well can mean generally, fail of one's purpose, go wrong.

JWE: “…all have gone wrong and fallen short of the expectations of God?”

Paul: Yes!

JWE: Gentiles and Jews are failures.

Paul: Whatever we do to match up to God’s expectations is not enough. We still fall short of His expectations.

JWE: Dosen’t this throw into doubt the sincerity of God? How can He expect something from us that we can’t do. Didn’t He make us like we are. Aren’t we born sinners?

Paul: This is a complicated series of question? No, the truthfulness of God is not in doubt. No, we can’t blame our sinfulness on God. He is just, we have failed in our obligation. God has never failed, in fact He kept his commitment to reconcile man to Himself.

JWE: How did He do that?

Paul: Look at what I wrote in Romans chapter 3. There I show that salvation is based on one thing for all people, for all time, That is faith.

JWE: What do you mean by faith?

Paul: Faith is the conviction that what God said would come true. In chapter 3 verse 21, I said that God’s righteousness, as told by the prophets, was proved by His faith in Jesus Christ. God operates on faith as well!

JWE: So, God’s faith in Jesus to complete the “assignment” was borne out but his finishing the job of reconciliation?

Paul: On the cross he said, “It is finished.”

JWE: We will continue our discussion later.

Paul: Great!

Interview with Paul

2005-03-13T15:27:00.000-08:00

I’ve often interviewed Paul the Apostle in my mind while reading his writings: What did you mean by this or that? Why did you say it this way? To whom were you talking? So, I’ve gone one step farther and have tried to put those questions on paper and what I think His response might be as I see it in Scripture. I am Brother Joe, henceforth known as BroJoe in the interview.

BroJoe: Paul, I notice that you have said two different things about God, or at least it looks like it to many, in chapter 1 verses 17 and 18 of your letter to the church at Rome. It says that God's righteousness is revealed and His wrath is revealed. How can He be righteous and angry?

Paul: It might look like two contradictory sentiments, but in fact they aren't. He is righteous and He reveals that righteousness, yet, He is angry and He reveals that as well. These are not two mutually exclusive emotions.

BroJoe: Why did you put it that way? Is it possible for a righteous God to be wrathful?

Paul: Absolutely. God’s righteousness is actually revealed by His wrath against sin. He, as the basis for truth or “rightness,” must deal with sin. God shows His righteousness by dealing sternly with sin ("death" to the offender), and at the same time forgiving an offender by paying for that sin (death to a sacrifice).

BroJoe: God’s righteousness is revealed as love towards those who have faith in Him but it is directed as anger at those who reject Him, or as the Apostle John wrote:
JN 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Paul: Yes, His righteousness is revealed as love towards those who have “faith” but His wrath against those who are “faithless” or those who don’t believe Him. Let’s jump ahead to the conclusion of my proofs for the righteousness of His wrath, to my conclusion in 3:22b-24:
There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

BroJoe: That is helpful for me to know. I’ve noticed that you put your proof before the statement of your proposition: …all have sinned…(all) are justified freely by grace…. By putting things is that order it is harder for us 21st century Westerners to follow along. We normally would have put things in a different order, like this: the wrath of god is being revealed from heaven…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (and) a righteousness from God is revealed (for all) are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

BroJoe: I have another question right here about this redemption for all. Are you saying that everyone, from all time has been saved?

Paul: No, I deal with that a bit further on in chapter 6 verse 23:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There are conditions to receiving salvation—FAITH.

BroJoe: We will deal with faith in greater detail latter.

Paul: Perhaps from you Western mindset you “re-statement” of my arguments would flow better for you. But you must remember I was writing to the 1st century church at Rome, which had many Jewish believers in Christ. They had been taught from the same sort of rabbinic schools as I.

BroJoe: In verse 19 you say: …what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. You say even the godless, wicked; suppressers of the truth have been made to know about God. How is I Plain? Many would disagree with that premise.

Paul: First of all, God is righteous. This means that He would not leave people clueless. God has made it plain to them. His eternal power and divine nature are clear. This is seen in the physical creation. I refer back to verse 18 to remind you that men have and will hold back the truth by violating law and justice. In verse 20 I maintain that the God of creation can be seen in the very building blocks κτισεως of nature. So they are without excuse.

BroJoe: Then, you are saying that in the final court of appeal they won’t be able to say, “We didn’t know.”

Paul: Exactly, god has made sure that they know He exists. With this elemental “knowing,” they could have gone on to seek God who promised to be found. The prophet Jeremiah said, Jeremiah 29:12-14 “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "

BroJoe: I saw this in Proverbs 1:28: PR 1:28 "Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me.

Paul: True, but God is speaking to those who have refused His call to them. PR 1:29 Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD. They earned what they got. That does not mean that if they sincerely repent that God would not save them.

JWE: Lets go back to your letter. You said that God has been clearly seen since the creation of the world. Do you mean that after Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden their offspring knew of God?

Paul: Yes. It is written in Hebrew 11:2 that the ancients were commended for their faith in God. They knew god had created the world. Where did they learn that? From Adam, Eve and God. Even Abel believed what God said about sacrifice. He did as told and was blessed. Cain did not believe, and was rejected. Who told him but God? Enoch believed God and pleased Him, so God took him straight to heaven without going through death. The story goes on—however, if you don’t believe God, you can’t please Him.

BroJoe: What you are saying is—those people who lived after the “apple” incident continued to have communication with God, or rather God had communication with them?

Paul: Yes, but sadly greater and greater numbers of them refused to glorify and thank God for who He was what He had don for them. RO 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

BroJoe: That is an interesting phrase, “foolish heart.”

Paul: I’m referring to scriptures like PS 14:1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good…

BroJoe: You use a lot of Old Testament scriptures.

Paul: As I said in verse 2: God spoke through his prophets in the sacred scriptures. I use God’s words as texts from which to base my understanding of God’s will.

BroJoe: What did you mean, “they claimed to be wise, they became fools?”

Paul: Their “studies” into “secrets” of spirits led them into their so-called wisdom (1:23) where they found out, that images (idols) of things that God created, were really gods.

BroJoe: What was God’s reaction to that?

Paul: They went from bad to worse and God did not wipe them out. He did not stop them from going where they wanted. Their path took them into sexual perversion. The farther they went the faster they traveled down that road to death. Sexual perversion is an hallmark for the fool, the God rejecter.

BroJoe: Those seem to be some pretty bad things; many people don’t participate in them. So, are those who don’t do those things off the hook?

Paul: Absolutely not! There are other things that a rejecter of God has in his heart: greed, envy, strife, deceit, gossips, arrogant, boasters and so on.

BroJoe: Some of those things don’t seem as bad as the first group of sinners.

Paul: Let me ask a question, “Did God tell people to do those things or not?”

BroJoe: No, but did He explicitly say not to do these things. Can He righteously judge them if they are ignorant of what not to do?

Paul: You may be surprised that I will tell you that man has innate laws. Laws that spring from within himself (2:1). A man will pass judgment on another. If you don’t believe me, sit in a group for a while and listen to what they have to say about someone else. “That is wrong or evil,” they say. Then they do the same thing. They have just judged themselves. So when God judges them, He only has to use their own judgments as the standard to prove their guilt.

BroJoe: God uses their own laws against them to prove their guilt?

Paul: Yes. If they claim ignorance of God’s law, He will hold them up to their own measure. (Their own laws are merely subsets of God’s law.) By them, God proves them sinful.

BroJoe: Up to this point you are saying, “all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.”

Paul: Ignorance of God law will not allow men to escape God’s righteous judgment (2:3). On top of that they are contemptuous of God’s kindness. He did not immediately kill them; he is tolerant and patient with them, trying to lead them to repentance (2:4).

BroJoe: Does God continue to let people live, even though sinning, hoping they will repent, even if they are doing horrible things, like killing children?

Paul: Yes. Obviously there are consequences if they don’t repent. Even if they live in luxury to a ripe old age, they will pay in the next life. There is an accounting that will take place on the Day of Judgment, the day of God’s Wrath.

BroJoe: In Romans 2:6 it appears if someone is able to keep their own laws, they will make it into heaven.

Paul: Not at all, if someone is persistent in doing (moral) good, is opposed to (moral) evil, seek glory as opposed to falling short of God’s glory; if they see to honor God, and seek immortality (eternal life), as opposed to things of this life, they will find God, and he will give them eternal life (2:7)
.
BroJoe: In Romans 2:9 you finally mention the Jew.

Paul: Yes, in this chapter I show that their remarkable sin is boasting. They think that having the law enables them to gain righteousness. The law, however, is not a means or path to salvation, but a death warrant. It proves the sinfulness of those who use it as their standard.

BroJoe: The end result is that the Jews are as sinful as anyone else?

Paul: Certainly! For all have sinned. Any attempt to make oneself good in the eyes of God is an abject failure. We are sinners, every last stinking one of us!

BroJoe: In another interview we will look further into this problem of boasting and also discuss how to get out of the mess of sin.

Where did it all begin?

2005-02-12T11:11:00.000-08:00

Is the Big Bang necessarily excluded by the account in Genesis?

I don't think so. In fact I find it much more coherent to see an event that in some measure approximates a "big bang." It is not being unscientific to posulate the origin of the universe with a "big proclamation", "BE."

Neither is it unspiritual to see the natural universe as reflecting what is seen in scripture.

Making the Choice: Guidelines

2005-02-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

Drink that cafe latte or not--marry this mostly wonderful person or not?

Whom you marry is a much more difficult choice than whether you will keep your New Year's diet resolution. As hard as ou try to avoid it, you will make a choice.

Everyone uses a check list to make decisions: the source may be upbringing, friends, schooling, or perhaps religious teaching.

What is the principle you follow to make decisions? If it is a good guide, you make a good choice. If it is a bad one, you make a bad choice, and the consequences can be disastrous.

Some decisions have a cumulative effect. For example, if you drink cafe latte and then eat that brownie, you may gain a pound of losing it. Two or three similar choices and a whole new wardrobe will be in order. Conversely, your choices may add up to something good: choosing to date only someone who has a habit of being kind and loving to others means they will probably be kind and loving to you!

A mirror is a good guide to your eating habits, whether to cafe or not to cafe? Every life decision needs a reliable guide. I use the Bible. It is a mirror that accurately shows me where I need attention. It is also a light to show the way in dark places. David, the little shepherd boy who later became a king, said, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." I follow the Scripture as God's guide for making good choices and, as a result, for success in life. There, we find God revealed as our creator and our world, and He knows how it runs best. To paraphrase what God said to Moses, "If you do what I say, You can't miss!" This is excellent advice.

I have never been harmed following God's advice. I have lived and worked in several countries on two continents and eaten food and drunk coffee that was less than sanitary. I never became sick when I chose to eat with those to whom God sent me. When I accidentally put my hand in the hiding place oa a spitting cobra, I was not bitten. The snake died! When bandits tried to break into my home, they were scared away.

You cannot go wrong when you choose to follow the Creator's advice found in the Bible. I made the best choice when I listened to God and married someone whith the same desire to follow His plans for a good life.

Choose a good mirror for your life, and it will be good for you. Choose a good light and you will not become lost. Choose God's word, the Bible The Apostle James says something like this: the man who looks intently into God's prerfect law, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has sen, but doing it --he will be blessed in what he does.

Making the Choice: A Savior

2005-02-11T10:18:00.000-08:00

Colored Easter eggs, chocolate Easter Bunnies, white Easter lilies; it all started with slaves in Africa praying for freedom. God heard, and sent to them Moses. He led them to liberty.

Moses said to Pharaoh, "Set my people free" or else God would send plagues on Egypt. Pharaoh had big plans for his "work force' and laughed Moses out of his palace.

God sent plagues. Nine different annoying, bothersome, painful plagues to convince Pharaoh that he should listen to Him. Foolishly, Pharaoh chose instead to suffer: frogs in his cereal, flies in his ears and gnats in his eyes.

Then the tenth and final plague came. God will not be ignored. Every firstborn child would be touched by an angel of death. Pharaoh chose to wait and see if God wold do as predicted.

Everyone, rich and poor, Egyptian and Israli, was offered the means to avoid the deadly touch. Each family was to kill a "Passover Lamb" and mark the doors of their homes with its blood. The death angel did not cross the blood but passed over the Israelites' home.

The Egyptian homes would have been passed over as well, if they had chosen to kill a lamb. They made the devastating c hoice to reject the Passover Lamb. The Israelis were able to go rejoicing into freedom because of their savior, the one who commanded the slaying of the little lamb. Egypt wnt into mourning for her slain children. They had refused the little lamb that would have saved them. God loved the Egyptians; He offered them salvation. Ignoring God is painful.

Centuries later, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

God Himself gave a Passover Lamb for all the world. It is written in the book of Hebrews, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Jesus was killed on Passover Eve--Passover became Easter when Jesus became the Passover lamb.

As a young child I realized I could not save myself from Judgment. I knew I needed a savior to make god happy with me. It is a terrible thing to know that God is angry with your sin. The author of Hebrews writes: It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

I wanted freedom from the slavery of fear. I needed a Passover Lamb; the one God provided. I asked God to forgive me and take away my sins because of the blood of His Lamb. I knew then, and I know today, forgiveness. Just as surely as the Israelis knew they wee free as they walked out of Egypt, I knew God was satisfied.

You may choose to think only about colored eggs or cholcolate bunnies. Or, you can choose to have the blood of the Lamb put on the door of our life. You can chose to be free from judgment, or like Pharaoh, choose to reject what God said and wait to see if He really means it. God loves you. He gave His Passover lamb, Jesus, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. d!:

Thinking

2005-02-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

Thinking is good, if you do good thinking!

I've been thinking about some things. Things that one sees as they walk along in life. Sometimes things come our way that bring us up short. I want to include some observations about life.

Some of those observation will be from my own experiences. Things that I have seen, thoughts that I have had, hopefully to help myself and perhaps others.

I have been following Abraham's trail for many years. "Looking for a city that was built by God."