I’ve written before on context and prooftext, and have quoted the adage, “A text out of context becomes a pretext for a prooftext.”

And as a reminder, a prooftext is when we misread or misinterpret a text so as to take away the wrong meaning.  

I come across these on occasion when transitioning from reading a particular text to then studying the same text.  Oftentimes the initial takeaway is influenced more by my (or someone else’s) previous understanding of a passage or a broader perspective, and less by the text itself, and while this can sometimes produce a useful insight, it always fails to capture the fullness of the text.

It may come as a consolation, however, to learn that we in the modern world are not the only prooftexters, neither is this a new or novel concept.

Jesus often had to point out and rebel against the prooftexting mindset of many of his contemporaries.  Even the Pharisees, with all the good they were inspiring, and the revival movements they were pioneering – encouraging the Israelites to return to faithful covenantal relationship with God, and the practical, regular, ongoing observance of the Law and the Prophets – even these were not immune to the proclivity to prooftext.

In Luke 16:16, Jesus makes a significant observation which is easy to miss.  “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.” (NASB)

Did you catch it?

The Law and the Prophets were the central message(s) to the Israelites – and was supposed to be the central message for the whole world, had Israel ever chosen to honor the Abrahamic covenant – and was the central message for centuries.  In more recent years, John the Baptist had gone about preaching the gospel/good-news message of the kingdom of God.  “Repent (turn from the destructive habits and patterns of sin), for the kingdom of God is near/at hand.”  

Jesus continued this message as well, and we could even go so far as to say that this was the central message of his ministry and missionary journeys.  The good news is that the kingdom of God is here and now, not somewhere else in some far off time.  This good news reality means we have access to the ability to live a life free from the power and bondage and destruction of sin – we don’t have to struggle through life and be slightly pacified by the idea of an afterlife where things are better.  And Jesus taught this message, sure enough, but He also lived in the reality of the message.  And perhaps even more astonishing is that Jesus proved that this gospel message was actually the real-life display of the Law and the Prophets in action.  This is the fulfillment of the Law – the flesh and blood reality and example of the Old Covenant.  This is the explanation of the Law and the Prophets.

But….

“Everyone is forcing his way into it.”  

Everyone is forcing his way, will, interpretation, perspective, opinion, theology, world view, etc. into it.

Prooftexting has been a problem and challenge for a very long time – perhaps for all of human history.

And this explains why so many of God’s people have so horribly misinterpreted His Word and will through the millennia – they and we have often failed to read and hear and comprehend the messages God has been speaking to us in favor of promoting our own agenda or world view.  This is how we can find Old Testament passages that SEEM to portray God’s nature as different than that of Jesus.  This is how liberty can SEEM to be portrayed as legalism.  And this is how a most clear and logical revelatory text (the Bible) can SEEM confusing or logically inconsistent at times.

Fortunately, Jesus follows up this observation with a wonderfully hope-filled promise: “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.” (Luke 16:17).

So this then can be our litmus test.  Are we finding the text of Scripture to be more and more insightful, clear and logically consistent the more we read and study it, or are we finding the opposite to be true?

The closer we get to God and the more we learn to read and study His Word, the closer  we get to the truth.  But the more we rely on prooftexts and the more we try to force our way into it, the further we get from the truth.

May you choose the difficult, wonder-filled path that leads to truth, and that leads to life abundant – life with Christ!  Amen.

A prooftext is when we misread or misinterpret a text so as to take away the wrong meaning.  

“Well then why on earth would anyone do that?” you might ask.  Simply put, we usually do this sub-consciously.

Our brains are hard-wired for efficiency, which is wonderful in many regards.  We develop neurological “short cuts” through repetition and learning (habits, disciplines, etc.) and these allow us to conserve energy for new scenarios requiring problem solving, creativity and critical thinking.

When we think about a bias or a world view, we’re generally referring to these “short cuts” which have become so central to our human experience as to effectively frame our “thought architecture.”  In simpler terms, these produce the “lens” through which we see the world.  (Feel free to refer to the earlier post regarding perspectives and perceptions).

These predispositions and presumptions allow for us to engage in deductive reasoning – moving from the general to the particular.  Deductive reasoning is fast, efficient and easy to the extent that our presumptions are accurate.  Naturally, deductive reasoning is also incredibly frustrating and painful to the extent that our presumptions are inaccurate.

We deduce through our “lens” – our world view, our biases, schemas and other neurological short cuts.

But the way we develop these in the first place is through Inductive reasoning – moving from the particular to the general.  We observe, experience, muse about and process information, and use our takeaways to formulate our lens.  (“This has been true each time I’ve experienced it, therefore it must always be true.” for example).

And while this is often good, normal and safe, there are times when our default method comes up short.  

Several years ago I had begun an in-depth study of the Gospels.  Within a few short months I had developed a growing unease as the Scriptures were failing to align with my deductive method.  I quickly reached a climax of ultimatum where I had to decide either to go on assuming I was right, trying to force the Scriptures to mean what I wanted them to mean, or I had to humble myself, take up the inductive method, and allow the Scriptures themselves to form my theology.

With much weeping and gnashing of teeth, I pried off the blanket of comfort and ease that comes from the deductive method, and learned to “walk again” in the inductive method.  In the subsequent years, I’ve been able to look back and recognize that my earlier, flawed deductive lens was greatly restricting my movement – like trying to run underwater while pulling a battleship behind me.  The freedom of allowing the Scriptures themselves to instruct and build my lens has produced an indescribable joy.

But it all began with tears, heartache, the fear of heresy and pain of death – dying to self, that is.

In theological terms, I gave up Systematic Theology in exchange for Biblical and Narrative Theology.

And the journey continues, of course – the occasional remnant of the old flawed lens will manifest in a prooftext from time to time.  And when it does, I deal with it, inviting the Scriptures once again to reshape my lens.

It’s sort of like physical conditioning, or any new positive discipline we try to implement: It’s always difficult, often painful, and seldom fun, but the resulting freedom, capacity and joy are worth it every time.

A lot of people like the idea of fresh beginnings that come with a new year.  Last year may have been this, that or the other, but THIS year all of that is going to change.

And of course a lot of other people think it’s silly to place significance on any particular day or year.  After all, each one is pretty much the same, right?  So why think the arbitrary action of flipping a page on a calendar should mean anything to us?

Surprise, surprise, things to us hold the meaning that we give to them.  This is why some people love holidays, but others can’t stand them.  This is why some people and cultures celebrate birthdays, but others don’t.

If there’s a reasonable grief with starry-eyed New Year thinking, perhaps it’s found in an unhealthy fascination with either the unknowable future or the unchangeable past.  What can often fall to the periphery is our attention to the present.

And when I refer to our attention on the present, I’m not making some bloated utopian or existential statement.  I am rather referring to our commitment, to our goals, to our disciplines, and to our intentional prioritization.  These are wonderful, and indeed essential elements in our present, but can get “dicey” when they only reside in the future or past.

We remember the past, of course, and will often study it in order to avoid making the same mistakes again.  And we look to the future to plan for the life we desire.  But the “rubber meets the road” in the present.  And a lack of commitment to the present helps to explain why so many New Years resolutions last less than a month.  It’s easy and safe to look back, and it can be fun to look forward, but the perspiration and hard work of the moment is something altogether different.

And this brings us to one of my favorite verses, which is found in Joshua 24:15.  “Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve.”  

I only just recently drew the connection from Joshua’s words to the Israelites and Jesus’ words to his would-be disciples in Luke 9:23.  “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

Fortunately Jesus expounds on this idea further in Luke 14:25-35, so we know that He was specifically addressing many of the most significant idols we attempt to worship in our lives.  Sometimes it is various relationships or a sense of duty/obligation/responsibility that claims our undivided worship.  Other times it is ourselves – our safety, preservation, reputation, ease, comfort, accomplishments, looks, etc.  And other times it is our possessions.

Now of course none of these things are bad, and we shouldn’t feel bad for caring about these things.  In fact we can celebrate and enjoy these things – God created good things for us to enjoy.  So it’s not about the things themselves, but about the worship, the idolatry of these things that’s the problem.

And that’s why I love Joshua 24:15 – “choose THIS day”, because each day is THIS day, and each day we get to choose who or what we will serve.  This is encouraging because THIS day is a new beginning and a new opportunity to prioritize what is greatest and best.  THIS day offers new opportunities to reject idols in favor of serving God.  THIS day is an opportunity to pick up my cross and follow Him.

So by all means, celebrate the New Year if you like, or don’t.  But whether it’s January 1st, May 23rd or any other day, “Choose for yourselves THIS day whom you will serve.”

“In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.  But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:8-11)

“‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.’” (Matthew 1:23)

I’ve always loved the Christmas season – the lights and decorations, the cooler weather, the extended times with family and friends (not to mention the time off of school or work).  And it’s been curious to see how my focus has shifted from year to year during this season.

Like many children growing up, Christmas meant presents, sweets and traditions.  We always made a point of spending some time focusing on Jesus’ birth and the joy that brings to the world.  In fact, we even baked a birthday cake for Jesus a couple of years!  

As I grew into adulthood and really began claiming my faith as my own, I found that a different word or emphasis would emerge each year around the holidays, offering a new perspective or depth of insight that I hadn’t previously experienced.  Glory, Joy, Savior, Light, Redemption and Peace are a few examples.

This year I’ve been spending a lot of time researching, studying and contemplating the Gospel, and so it’s only natural that this year’s word happens to be Immanuel – “God is with us.”  Is there a more fitting or accurate description of the Gospel?  

Years ago, I had heard the inspired observation that the Good News (Gospel) really is good news, and that one of the ways you can tell if your perspective is flawed is if your view of the Gospel sounds like bad news.  

What a strange thought.  But then I started reflecting on many of the distorted messages I’ve heard people proclaim through the years, and by golly, many of them really do sound like horrible news.  Bloody images of slaughter and unforgiveness and vengeful wrath – all to “save” us from an arbitrary penalty for our imperfect actions when we were doomed to failure from the start.  And even worse than that, only a small select group of lucky people were able to hear the “right” message about how to transfer their sentence to another – to an innocent – before their doomsday arrived.  And somehow all of this was supposed to inspire love and faith and trust in God, and somehow this was supposed to be “good news.”

But I don’t blame anyone for harboring this perspective.  It has been spread far and wide for the past couple of centuries, and we often don’t pause to reflect and examine what we’ve been handed down until we’ve been given a reason to do so.

In this “upside-down” world of man’s machinations, we see many constant threads in each man-made religion.  God or the gods are high and lofty and separated from humanity – they prefer to keep their distance.  Also, God or the gods seem to always be hungry for blood, violence and sacrifice.  God or the gods are heavily disinterested in the concerns and values of people, although they may occasionally choose to intervene if it suits their preference.  And of course God or the gods are greatly disappointed in the hedonism of humanity, so it’s back to the blood and gore sacrifices to stave off their punishing wrath.

This is precisely what we would expect from a fabricated religion of man forming God or the gods in his own image.

But what about reality?

What about the “right side up” kingdom of God?

A part of what makes the real Gospel so profoundly beautiful is how utterly contrary it is to the fabricated imitations.

While there is much that could be, and should be said regarding sin, salvation and righteousness (and perhaps we’ll address these in future posts), the Gospel is not about sin, salvation or even power, but rather communion – fellowship with God.  Immanuel, God is with us, and through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit God is in us.  The Good News is that God desires, seeks and pursues relationship with us.  He doesn’t hold us at a distance, but rather invites us close.  He unites rather than divides.

This doesn’t make sense to us, because it’s not how we’ve been trained to think.  And yet this is the prevailing sentiment throughout the Scriptures.  Amusing as it is to see, much of the Scriptures are a series of God’s revelations and man’s resistance to these revelations in favor of man-made religion.  

This Christmas, I pray that you would experience the good news of great joy that is found in communion with Immanuel.  May He stretch you and grow you beyond what you could ask or imagine, and bring you to horizons more beautiful and wondrous than you’ve ever experienced.

Merry Christmas!

I recently had a conversation that was all about prayer.  Most of us hold at least a general intellectual ascent to the idea of defining prayer as our conversations with God, and as most of us would agree, healthy conversations are often dialogues – they involve both speaking/communicating and listening/receiving.  The speaking/communicating part comes fairly naturally to most of us, although not for all.  But the real challenge for most of us is the second part – the listening/receiving element.

In Speech Act Theory, all communication is categorized into three elements:

1. Locutionary: This refers to the communication/message itself.  This includes written and spoken messages, but also artistic portrayals that engage our sight, hearing, taste or other senses.
2. Illocutionary: This refers to the originally intended message from the sender – the communicator.
3. Perlocutionary: This refers to the message that was received and interpreted by the recipient.

One of the reasons I like this simple model is that it draws attention to our obvious miscommunication proclivities.  Like it or not, the messages we convey are not always the same messages that are received.  And we can appreciate this to an extent – my worldview, my experiences, my thoughts and even my personality are uniquely different from yours, and so it follows reasonably that each word or expression or idea will mean  something a little different to each of us.  Even if every other factor is static/unchanging, the very fact that we are dynamic and ever-changing lends to a world of varied perceptions and interpretations.

But when we’re applying these concepts to prayer, the illocutionary and perlocutionary elements are the easy part.  Where it truly starts to get interesting is when we begin examining the locutionary element.

There’s an old, flawed expression: “The medium can change, but the message stays the same.”  Preston Sprinkle, in his book Flickering Pixels presents compelling evidence that the medium – the method of our communications – actually changes the message itself, as well as how it is received.  

To use a simple illustration, a person might ask “What is coffee?”  I might respond with a description of coffee, or even explain its history and various harvesting and brewing methods.  But I could instead answer by showing a handful of coffee beans, or even a cup of brewed coffee, and this visual would create a different perlocutionary reception.  Alternatively I could encourage the asker to listen to sound of coffee being poured into a cup, or the sound of coffee beans being ground up.  Perhaps they could smell the coffee, or even taste the coffee.  Every one of these would be valid answers to the question of “What is coffee?” but each medium changes the perlocutionary element – the message/answer that is received.

And so when we pray, and specifically in our times of listening to the Holy Spirit, it can be helpful to remember that God often communicates with us in unique and interesting ways.  When we are not careful, or attentive, or heaven-forbid we’re stubborn, we can miss out on something beautiful, wondrous, and significant.  

Think of how music can move us and connect with us in a way that’s different than words.  A minor key can evoke sorrow or mystery.  A major key can evoke happiness or resolution.  

The voice of God is the voice of Spirit – of heart and soul.  It is the resonance of truth, the wonder of beauty, and the warmth of love.  And so it is different, but no less real or significant than the words we speak with others.  

We can, of course, use words in our conversations with God, and He sometimes uses words with us (mostly through the Word), but much of the time it is more of a joining of our spirit with the Spirit of God, and with “utterances too deep for words.”

Perspective is the manner in which objects appear to the eye in respect to their relative positions and distance.  The same is true when we apply this metaphysically to our emotional, intellectual and spiritual view points.  The key word when it comes to perspective is the word “relative.”  

We often use metaphors of rose-colored glasses to describe the optimist or a half-empty glass to describe the pessimist.  What we are really doing, of course, is making an observation about their relative perspective.  

Worldview is another way of describing perspective as it seeks to identify the way in which we view the world.  In other words, how do we view, experience and relate to reality?  While reality is objective and constant, our perspectives are relative and variable – or as I like to quip in scientific terms, our perspectives are dynamic.

So when it comes to prayer and the ways we approach our conversations with God, it is helpful to consider, evaluate, and perhaps even adjust our perspective on a regular basis.  The goal in this exercise is to bring our thinking more into alignment with reality, or truth.  The benefit of practicing this exercise frequently is that it helps to “course-correct” our dynamic, constantly shifting perspective.

One of the simple methods I’ve found to be helpful through the years in this perspective-realignment is the A.C.T.S. prayer model.

This model suggests beginning our prayers in a place of Adoration – expressing God’s beauty, grandeur, power, tenderness, glory and wonder.  We begin by acknowledging God’s attributes and character as revealed in Scripture and specifically as revealed in Christ.  In some cases this time of adoration can involve a connecting of our spirit with the Spirit of God in expressions or utterances “too deep for words”, as “deep calls out to deep.”  For some, this includes praying in tongues, while for others this can include alternative expressions of adoration, such as art or music.

Second, this model encourages us toward Confession – confessing that God is God and we are not.  This can flow very naturally out of adoration, as many of the declarations we acknowledge may include God’s uncontested divinity.  Confession can also include self-examination.  “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts.” (Ps. 139:23)  We may be well aware of things we need to confess, but there may also be things we are unaware of – that we’ve not yet identified.  The Spirit of God can help us with this as well.

Next, this model encourages us toward Thanksgiving – expressing gratitude for all God has done, is doing, and will do in us, through us, around us, and even in spite of us.  We classically like to thank God for the “safe” things like family, friends and good health, and these are all good and valid.  James also encouraged the church to “Consider it pure joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (Ja. 1:2-4)

Lastly, this model invites us into to a time of Supplication – of making our requests known to God.  This includes our petitions, our hopes and requests for ourselves, and this also includes our intercessions, our hopes and requests for others.

My honest inclination is to skip everything else and jump straight to the supplications.  But any time I’ve put in the hard work of realigning my perspective through Adoration, Confession and Thanksgiving, I’ve found my prayers to be infinitely more rich and infinitely more effective.  Perhaps you’ll experience the same?

“And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span?  If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?” (Luke 12:25,26)

Despite what we have been told, Jesus actually spoke very little about money or matters of the law.  While these were often the “launching points” or metaphors of preference, the underlying theme in much of Jesus’ teaching was about eliminating idolatry.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Duet. 6:5)

“You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Ex. 20:3)

When we aren’t careful, we can mistakenly assume that idolatry is a thing of the past – relics from antiquity pertaining to simple-minded polytheistic pagans.  And so we wipe our hands and feel smug about our superior knowledge and cultural advancements over these barbaric cave men.

But when we read these words from the Torah – from Exodus and Deuteronomy, which Jesus himself quotes in Matt. 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27, etc. – we see clearly that idolatry has a far broader definition than that of mere figurines and statues.  Anything at all that we allow to take precedence in our heart, mind, [soul] or strength before God is an idol – a false god we are bowing down to.

These idols enslave us and paralyze us.  They steal away our joy and pleasure.  They rot our brains and rot our souls, corrupting our humanity and purpose.

“But God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish [in their idolatry] but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

The gift of salvation is about freeing us from the bondage, sin, death and corruption of idolatry, and instead empowering us to live fully awake, alive and alert with joy, purpose and wholeness.

So it’s not a question of wanting us to stop having “fun.”  But rather it’s a question of wanting us to stop destroying ourselves.  Idolatry is dangerous, insidious and destructive.  

And perhaps one of the worst things about idolatry is how diverse and subtle it is.  In fact, most of our modern idols are things that are neither good nor bad by themselves, but rather neutral.  And so it is instead the way that we prioritize and worship them that turns them into idols.

For example, stewardship is one of the first facets of good and meaningful work that God had given man in the creation account, and in its proper relationship it is a beautiful and significant thing.  However, we can choose to worship that stewardship above God in different ways – through an excessive love of influence or relationships, work or finances, causes or passions, hobbies or talents, and the list goes on.

One of the most overlooked and least addressed idols plaguing humanity is the idol of worry.

Worry stems from a lack of trust – trust in God, trust in people, etc.

Worry is a debilitating and fruitless form of fear, and fear is what determines our psychological limitations.

Isn’t it curious that the most common greeting from visiting angels (as well as Jesus after the Resurrection) was “Fear not,” or depending on your translation, “Don’t be afraid”?  And isn’t it also curious that this greeting was never used until after the Fall – until after humanity worshipped its first idol (themselves)?

Clearly there is a link between idolatry and fear.  When we refuse to find our rest and peace in the true God, we are met with cheap imitation after cheap imitation, and with each “bait-and-switch” disappointment, we find ourselves less and less willing to trust anyone.  And as this mistrust grows and festers we find ourselves feeling more and more anxious and more and more worried.

But the anxiety and the worry are only cheap, disappointing idols themselves.  They achieve no good.  They produce no benefit.  They are not worthy to be called “god” nor to receive your worship – your willful, intentional focus and devotion.

“And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span?  If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?” (Luke 12:25,26)

The Greek rendering of this passage actually paints a more comical depiction: “Which of you by worrying can add to his stature one cubit?”  The word for “stature” is “helikia,” which refers to maturity either in years or in size.  And of course a cubit was a unit of measure equal to roughly 18 inches.  

This is meant to be an outrageously silly concept: “who can add 18 inches to their age or height by worrying?”  This hyperbole is intended to get our attention.  

Oh that we may begin to trust our wonderful Lord, and Him alone.  

Oh that we may begin to forsake our idols and the destruction they produce.

Oh that we may find life, and life abundant in Christ.

Oh that we may give up the idol of worry.

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary…” (Luke 10:41,42a)

Economic recession, inflation, global pandemic, wars, rumors of wars, racism, political and social tensions, gun violence and natural disasters.  

News media makes a living by exposing us to the worst of the worst events in the world (the sensational), with little, if any exposure to the good, normal and best events in the world (the mundane and mildly sensational).  

This of course is because the sensational sells.  

Most people wouldn’t read an article about how a pastor remained faithful to his wife for 50 years, and continues to be a blessing to his local church and community.  And this may well account for 99% of local church pastors.  

But find that one in a million exception of scandal and disgrace, and whoa buddy, you’ve got some readers.

One of the things we know about the human brain and neuro-pathways is that the more we think and act in a particular way, the more natural and easy it becomes.  We even use the expression “second nature”.  This applies, of course, to our habits and disciplines, but it also applies to our influences and inputs.  In physics, the simple equation states that “input = output”.  In other words, what we input – or what we allow in to our mind, life, body, etc., will inevitably determine our output.

So when we are spending regular time in the Scriptures and prayer, in study and in uplifting community, this is what emerges when we are faced with pressure.

Likewise, when we are spending regular time eating junk food, watching trashy tv shows, and immersing ourselves in the hyper negative sensationalism of the news media, this is what emerges when we are faced with pressure.

If we don’t like the output, we must change the input.

There is plenty to be distracted by; plenty to be worried and bothered about, if that’s what we’re looking for.  What are you looking for?

“Martha was distracted… But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:40-42)

We tend to think in extremes, such as “all or nothing,” and I think that causes us to miss the point of this passage. 

Jesus wasn’t condemning hospitality, or any of the good things Martha was doing, but rather He was making a statement about prioritization.  Our one necessity – our greatest assignment is to sit at the feet of Jesus, enjoy His presence, and allow His Words to fill our soul.  Other things can come later, but this first thing must be first.

When our priorities are wrong, we easily slip into anxiety – we easily become worried and bothered about many things.

Perhaps we can take this simple lesson and follow Mary’s example to choose the most important thing first.  Perhaps we can give up our right to be worried and bothered.

We’ve been deceived, misled, duped into believing a lie from the enemy.

The social, philosophic and religious traditions continue to spread the hoax that sin is fun, enjoyable, pleasurable and really only bad if we get caught, or if we hurt someone in the process – although nobody seems willing to agree on what classifies as “hurt”.

The accuser (that is, the devil) has conned us into misunderstanding, and then falsely teaching that God the Father simply doesn’t like it when we have fun sinning.  It’s as if we’re a bunch of irresponsible children drinking from a chocolate fountain and then making a mess of the white furniture as we do.  We’re having the time of our life until the big bad mean God shows up and starts punishing everyone.

We’ve been conned into believing that God is actually the accuser, rather than satan, which is, of course, completely ludicrous.  

The Penal Substitution view of the Atonement has done great damage to the popular understanding of not only God’s character, but also of the nature of sin, salvation and the Great Commission.  This common view now demonizes God as the judge, jury and executioner for every “black mark” on our record, and effectively brings us back to the very human conception of “salvation by works,” where the goal seems to be simply doing more good than bad during our lifetime, and hoping it’s enough.  This is precisely what we would expect from a human religion or philosophy.  This is precisely what we should expect from the “father of lies,” whose goals are to deceive and to accuse.

But fortunately for us, God’s Word is full of light, truth and clarity.

In Matthew 1:21 we see that the Messiah would be called “Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Notice here that He doesn’t save people from the punishment of their sins, but from the sins themselves.

In John 3:17 we are reminded that God didn’t come into to the world to condemn the world, but rather to save the world.

And of course Jesus’ whole ministry told a consistent narrative that we are not condemned for our sins, but encouraged to repent – to leave sin in the rear view mirror and not turn back.

It turns out that God is concerned about sin, but perhaps not for the reasons we thought.

The biblical word for sin roughly translates to “missing the mark”.  The natural question that emerges is “what is the mark?”  And unfortunately this is another thing people have a hard time agreeing on.

One way to answer this question is to look back to the Creation account and attempt to understand the original purpose of creation in general, and the purpose of humans in particular.  Among other things, we read that humans were made in the image of God, given meaningful work in the garden, and then walked/lived in close relationship with God.  So however else we would define each of these, we could argue that the “mark” involves bearing God’s image well, stewarding creation and walking in unbroken relationship with God.

Another way to answer this question is to lean into the invitation to discipleship.  “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  In Jewish culture the disciples of a particular teacher/Rabbi would do everything within their power to mimic/mirror/reflect the actions, words and character of their Rabbi.  So we could view the “mark” as “Christ-likeness”.  

Still others may choose different priorities as the “mark,” such as the pursuit of happiness, pleasure, accomplishment, or the old classic “eat, drink and be merry.”  

What if we started to hold up the definition of sin next to each of these “marks”?  

When we are missing the mark, we are failing to reflect God’s image, we are failing to steward creation, we are failing to walk with God.  

When we are missing the mark, we are failing to model our lives after our Rabbi.

When we are missing the mark, we are failing to find happiness, failing to find pleasure, and failing to accomplish our goals.  

Sin is antithetical to happiness.  

Sin bears no similarity to pleasure.  

Sin is not cute, funny or fun.

Sin is vile, wretched dog vomit (2 Pet. 2:22).  By grace we can eject poison from our system through vomit.  So how disgusting and dumb would it be for us to start lapping up poisonous vomit?

Paul sheds some wonderful light on the subject: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23)

For years I had misread this text to say that the “punishment for sin is death.”  But that’s not what it says!  It’s the “wages”, not the punishment.

Picture a job interview.  When all goes well and the employer wishes to offer the job to a given candidate, they can then negotiate the terms of employment.  Both parties must be in agreement in order for the employee-employer relationship to begin.  A part of these negotiations inevitably revolves around wages/compensation.  What is fair?  What is expected?  When all parties agree, the work can begin, and over time the agreed-upon wages are given in accordance with the work.

The wages of sin is death.

We aren’t punished FOR our sins, but BY our sins.  But it’s even worse than that, because our fair wages are antithetical to the very core of our nature as beings created in the image of God – who of course is the creator and sustainer of life.  Sin isn’t just a problem because it hurts us.  Sin is a problem because it unravels God’s good creation.  Sin is a problem, because we were created to LIVE!

Many years ago I heard about a tactic that Arctic hunters would use to fend off dangerous wolves.  They would take a sharp knife and coat it in blood (from elk or some other game), and then wait for the blood to freeze.  After it had frozen, they would coat it in more blood, and repeat the process several times.  After several coats, they would go out into the tree line and secure the knife to the ground with the blood-coated blade sticking up.  Drawn by the scent of blood, a wolf would discover the blade and begin to lick it.  As the licking continued, the wolf’s tongue would get cut open, and before long, the blood it was tasting was its own.  Eventually the wolf would bleed to death from licking the bloody knife.

This is perhaps the best picture of sin that I’ve ever come across.

Sin is never good, never enjoyable, never cute and never fun.  But we can be deceived by the enemy into thinking that it is – just like the blood-coated knife.  

“But God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son so that whosoever believes would not die, but have eternal life.”

I love how Paul finished his statement in Romans 6:23 – “The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  

We work for sin.  We work for death.  We work hard for disappointment.

But Christ offers us every good and perfect gift for free.

“Go and leave your life of sin.”  “Repent, for the kingdom [of life] is here.”

There really is good news in the Gospel, but it’s hard to find it until we’ve unmasked the real face of sin.

Some bright morning when this life is over, I’ll fly away.  To that home on God’s celestial shore, I’ll fly away.

Despite the myriad of teaching and instruction on the nature of heaven both in Scripture and early church literature, there persists much confusion about it.  

Even among many professing christians today, the dreadfully prominent view of heaven seems to be a mashup of cartoons and secularism – of harp-playing, cloud-hopping, winged cherubs playing around like fairies, flitting between their massive mansions and the pearly gates.

We’ve fallen for the trap of thinking that heaven is “far away”, somewhere “out there”.

We’ve fallen for the trap of thinking that if we say (fill in the blank) or do (fill in the blank), that we get to “go to heaven” when we die.

We’ve fallen for the trap of thinking that heaven is perfect, and outside of time, and somehow infinitely different from our life on earth.  “Earth is here, but it’s messed up, and heaven is “there”, and it’s perfect – we’ll know everything when we die, and never again experience challenges, never have to learn, never have to improve, never have to exercise free-will again.”

But this is un-biblical utopian escapism.

Perhaps one of the greatest contributors to the Western Church’s decline over the past century stems from a rise in practical escapist theology within the Church.  We’ve given up much of the personal responsibility for learning and growing in our biblical knowledge, heaving the burden onto the shoulders of a secular culture, with occasional  input from our local pastor or priest.  And as a result we’ve diluted and distorted the Gospel message.

We have sacrificed what is difficult and necessary for what is simple and easy.

But it’s time to arise.

“Wake up o sleeper, rise from the grave.”

In the creation account, the word for “heavens” effectively translates to “sky” or “skies”.  We don’t get any impression of a distinct location where God’s presence is more manifest and His will more honored.  We rather get the impression that heaven and earth were conjoined aspects of a single reality – a reality wherein the physical and the spiritual were united and cohesive.

It’s not until after the Fall that we see a “rift”, “chasm” “divide” enter in and distort the true, original order of reality.  It’s not until after the Fall that we begin to see a separation between spirit and matter.

And as we read through the Scriptures from the Old Testament to the New Testament, we discover a story of God’s relentless pursuit of His creation, and the attempt to reunite and reconcile reality back to wholeness.

Isn’t it curious how the enemy always seeks to divide, to separate and to distinguish? 

In His earthly ministry, Jesus encouraged His disciples to engage in the ministry of reconciliation – of manifesting and promoting God’s will on earth as it is in heaven.

At this point, the people had developed a theology to the effect of heaven being a spiritual place where God’s presence is more fully expressed and where God’s will is honored more completely.  But Jesus makes it clear that the physical realm – “earth” – remains a top priority for God’s kingdom.  

And of course as we read through the rest of the New Testament and come to the great hope at the end of the age, what we see is a portrait of ultimate redemption – the re-fusing of heaven and earth as a single reality once again.  

That leaves us to piece the “puzzle” together regarding our current status.  If the original created order is effectively the same as the “final” created order at the end of the age (namely that of a single, unbroken reality), we can draw the conclusion that neither heaven nor earth in their current broken state are perfect.  This is why there is good work for us to do, that we are invited into – the ministry of reconciliation, to be ambassadors of Christ, to bind and loose on earth so that it may also be bound and loosed in heaven.  We get to be a part of the work of bringing heaven and earth back together.  This is what it means when Peter says that we can “speed the Lord’s coming” in 2 Pet. 3:12.  The current, broken/divided relationship between heaven and earth will pass away, and the original created reality will be reunited as a “new heaven” and “new earth”.

And if we want to see what this perfected reality will look like, we can take clues from pre-Fall Genesis.  There will be growth, free-will, meaningful work, and plenty of nature to explore and beauty to appreciate.  There will be intimacy with God, opportunities for creativity (think of Adam naming the animals), and beautiful relationships with the animals, plants and other people.

If I dare say so myself, that is a reality worth fighting and working for.  It’s a ministry worthy of our effort and energy.  It’s a portrait of heaven and earth that makes sense.  And it’s a future that we can truly look forward to.