A Biblical Standard of Music?

Recently, I was challenged at a conference to consider the styles of music that our children listen to as a signal of whether they respect us as parents. The speaker indicated that there are styles or genres of music that are by nature rebellious and parents need to be careful what genres of music they expose their children to as well as what genres their teenagers are listening to. This challenged me to consider what genres of music my wife and I play around the house and in the car. Would the speaker at the conference consider these genres to be "rebellious" music? What does the Bible say about genres of music? Should I shield my children from certain genres to protect them from a worldly influence through music?
As I began this study, understand that I entered with a willingness to change the music I listen to if the Holy Spirit indicated from God's Word that my music was "worldly and rebellious." Also understand that primarily the focus of my study was on the genre of music with a natural by-product being the instruments employed in those styles. The issue was not on the lyrical content of the songs, though as you will see in my conclusion, the lyrical content is vitally important in a Biblical standard of music. Finally, we must recognize that there are two spheres in the Christian's life involving music, the sacred and secular or the religious and common. That is to say that we have music that we use in Church and music that we listen to at home. Is there an overarching standard to apply in both spheres or is there one standard for religious usage and another for common usage?
To begin the study, I researched the music of the temple. King David was the initiator of temple music. He was the one who arranged the "choirs" and ranked the musicians. We can assume that music used in the temple would have to be special and unique in some way because it was played in the very presence of God! Unfortunately, I did not find a reference to the genre of music used in the temple.
Most likely the music played in the temple was very unlike the music that we are accustomed to in our modern Western culture. It was probably very Eastern in sound and would sound strange to our ears. More interestingly to our modern debate over musical styles in the church, we probably would have a very hard time "worshiping" to the style of music David used in the temple!
Since the style of music is not directly addressed, perhaps we can get a clue from the types of instruments used in the temple. Incredibly, the Old Testament has a lot to say about the instruments used in the temple. The three most commonly used were the lyre, the harp, and the cymbals. Both the lyre and harp are stringed instruments (interestingly the Hebrew for lyre is kinnowr, and the Greek for lyre is kithara which sounds to me like the Spanish word guitara!).
I also found it interesting that the Bible gives us the name of the inventor of the lyre, Jubal great-great-great-great-grandson of Cain. Genesis 4:21 says, "His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre (kinnowr: instrument of ten strings played with a plectrum) and pipe ('uwgab: double or manifold pipe; pan-pipe or reed-pipe)." I have heard some teach that we must differentiate between worldly instruments and "sacred" instruments based on the fact that Jubal was the descendent of Cain (presumably evil) and he was the father of those who played a certain kind of instrument. They add to this argument the fact that David "invented" the instruments used in the temple (2 Chronicles 7:6) and conclude that the temple instruments were different and special. I have several issues with this line of reasoning, not the least of which is that the Hebrew word for one of the instruments used in the temple is kinnowr, the very same instrument invented by Jubal.
The lyre was used by David as a young man in King Saul's court to play soothing music when Saul was oppressed by the spirit from the LORD (1 Samuel 16:23 where kinnowr is translated harp). The lyre was later used in the temple by the choirs. This does not sound like an evil instrument!
Though David "created" the instruments used in the temple, the fact is that they were the same kind of instruments invented by Jubal and used in common, non-religious settings in that culture. A modern comparison would be a guitar that is used for folk singing verses a guitar that was built to be used in a church service setting. The instruments are the same, though one is built and dedicated specifically for use in praising the LORD.
We see that the kinnowr was invented by "evil" Jubal. We see that it is used in common, non-religious applications (Genesis 31:27). We see that David used it to soothe King Saul's troubled spirit. We also see it being used to praise the LORD in the temple. One instrument being used in all of these ways seems to indicate that God does not consider instruments good or bad. The only conclusion I can derive is that there is no instrument considered so "evil", "immoral", or "vulgar" that it cannot be used in the praise of the LORD!
Now, given that the Bible does not reference the genre of music used in the temple, another interesting point that I found was that the Bible does refer to the volume of music used in praising the LORD. "Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the horn, with trumpets, with loud-sounding cymbals, with harps and lyres." (1 Chronicles 15:28; by the way in this same context David "danced" before the ark of the LORD presumably in joyful praise to the LORD. see also Exodus 15:20 for another instance of dancing used in praise) "The Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel, with a very loud voice." (2 Chronicles 20:19) "They sang, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, saying 'For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.' And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid." (Ezra 3:11) There are many other examples of the volume of the praise of the LORD (2 Chron. 5:12-13; Nehemiah 12:43; Psalm 33:3; 81:1; 92:3; 95:1, 2; 98:4, 6; 100:1, 2; 150:5). I cannot find any direct reference to the music used to praise the LORD being played quietly, though some translators insist that a few of the untranslatable words in Psalms referring to the music imply a quiet or plaintive mood (like Higgaion; many of the untranslatable words are assumed to refer to the instrument to be used, the melody to be played, or the voicing in which to sing the song.)
Some teachers try to conclude that the music used in the temple was unique to the temple. However, the Bible does not make that claim. We could just as easily argue from the silence of the Bible on the issue that the music used in the temple was the common, folk music of that day. In fact, it would make more sense from a musician's perspective if David wrote the Psalms to known tunes that the musicians could easily play while singing the new words of the Psalm. In modern times, we see that many hymn writers employed this tactic in writing songs for the Church, including Martin Luther.
Based solely upon the Scriptural references to music, it is impossible to build a "Biblical standard of music" that allows certain styles/genres and disallows others. At best we can boil it down to different tastes in music and happily agree to disagree. We are fortunate in America to have many local churches that employ various genres of music in their services, making it easy for each of us to find a congregation that agrees with our preferences. However, that music influences us emotionally cannot be denied (though one song may influence two people in two different ways). With this in mind, is there a Biblical principle that we can apply to music dealing with what we allow to enter our minds and influence us?
I believe the answer is yes. As an example, Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right (righteous), whatever is pure (including sexually chaste), whatever is lovely (pleasing), whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence (morally excellent) and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." I think it would do damage to the verse if we tried to force the genre of music to fit into these categories, but I still think we can apply this principle to music in that the lyrical content of the music we listen to does easily fall into these areas. The songs that Christians listen to must present that which is true, honorable, righteous, sexually pure, and pleasing (i.e. to God). I would hope that the artists and their songs have good reputations, are morally excellent and worthy of praise.
If the Bible gives no clear instruction concerning the genre of music employed in praising God, is it then righteous for everyone to listen to all genres? No, because to some certain genres would cause them to stumble based upon past experiences with that genre or negative emotions/ thoughts incited by the genre. For example, I heard the story of a young man raised in the Occult. This group used the music of Beethoven during their ceremonies. This young man was saved and added to the Church but when the congregation used Beethoven's music in praise, the young man had to leave the service because of the negative thoughts and emotions that music incited within him. Romans 14:14 says, "I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean."
Finally, we know that the Bible gives no clear teaching on the rightness or wrongness of using certain genres in the praise of the LORD. We see that all instruments that are used in common music can also be used praising the LORD. We know that we must take care with what we allow to enter our minds including the lyrical content of the music we listen to. And we know that it is sin for certain people to listen to certain styles of music based upon their own perception of the rightness or wrongness of the style. I want to end with this thought represented by Psalm 150: every instrument, every genre, every word, every song employed or listened to by the Christian should be used to express praise to the LORD. If we cannot express praise to the LORD with it, maybe we should not listen to it or play it.

Warning: Not Politically Correct!

I've been reading and thinking a lot on Genesis lately, specifically the first three chapters dealing with the creation of mankind. From this meditation, I'm beginning to develop strange ideas on anthropology (the study of man) and the theology of marriage. Following is a summary of the 'whats' and the 'whys' of my strange ideas. Feel free to comment and critique because I'm still working this one out in my head.
First of all, it is important that in Genesis 1 when God created Man, the narrative links male and female together. "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (1:26-27) Later, in Genesis 5, we read, "This is the book of the generations of Adam (man). In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man (adam) in the day when they were created." (5:1-2)
From these two passages I catch a hint of two things; that God created Man to be male and female united (don't get freaked out by this yet) and that the 'image of God' in man is complete only when Man is male and female united. It sounds odd, yet that is the best way I know to phrase it. Obviously, male and female together is pretty important to God.
The second thing that it is important to notice is that in Genesis 2 when the narrative takes a step back and focuses on the creation of Man, we see only the male being created. God had prepared the land for Man, complete with plants and animals. God prepared a garden in Eden for Man. Finally, God creates Man and places him into the garden. God instructs Man in the rules of the garden and gives him a job to do. Everything looks good, in fact, that is what God has been declaring throughout the creation "It is good."
But then we read, "Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.'" (2:18) For the first time God declares something in His otherwise flawless creation to be "not good." What was not good? Was the man not good? No, the man was perfect. As yet, no fault or flaw had entered Man; he was without sin. So what was not good? The man was alone.
Understand that a part of the "image of God" is answered in His Tri-Unity, or what we call the Trinity. That is to say, God exists in Himself in eternal community. Aloneness is something foreign to the "image of God," yet here was Man alone. In Man's aloneness we do not see the complete "image of God" manifested.
God's solution to this problem was to create a "helper suitable for him." Here is where I get a little stuck. What does God mean by "helper"? From our perspective, a helper is needed when I cannot do something by myself. A helper relates to imperfection or inadequacy in ability to complete work. This cannot be what God intended because Adam was perfect in his nature, without sin. He had a cushy job, tending a garden in a world without weeds or destructive insects. From a human perspective, he did not need help in completing his work.
So what does the title "helper" mean? Some smarter brains than mine cannot give clear answers to that question, but I can summarize what they have said. Basically, some have said that it means the helper provided Adam with the opportunity to experience community, something that he was unable to do alone. Is that a weak answer? Maybe, but it makes sense that the "helper" was to help Adam to do those things which he absolutely could not do or experience alone.
The next thing God does is bring every kind of creature to Adam and gives him the job of naming them all. It is interesting that God did not first create the woman to 'help' Adam in his task, but then again that was not the purpose for her creation. Adam probably began to realize, "None of these animals are like me. They don't match!" Maybe Adam was beginning to feel the "not good" that God had already noticed. None of these animals could relate to Man as an equal. None could reason like Man. None could live in community with Man. The best they could offer is a relationship of trained servitude to their master Adam. This was not what God desired for him.
The next thing we see is God anesthetizing Adam and removing his rib to create the woman. God brings the woman to Adam and Adam initiates a relationship with her, even giving her his name, "She shall be called Woman because she was taken out of Man." (2:23)
Here is the critical point: Woman was a helper who was suitable for man. Another way to say it is she corresponded to him; she completed him. Adam was created perfect but Man as male was incomplete without female. Just as God in His Tri-Unity lives in Himself in eternal community, so Man as male and female dwell in community. Hence, the "image of God" is completed in Man.
This has obvious implications for anthropology. In it we can see that male and female were created for unique purposes. Man was created and placed into the garden, presumably to tend it. Woman was created and brought to man, to complete him and to provide a community of equals. Much can be said on the distinctions between male and female in this regard. Suffice it to say, men are task oriented, women are relationship oriented. This was by design.
The implications for marriage might be less obvious. Often people decide to marry because they "fall in love". This is a problem because when you "fall in love" eventually you will get up, dust yourself off and realize that it was not really love but it was infatuation. I'll say it here, never, ever follow your heart (Jeremiah 17:9). "Falling in love" is the worst excuse for marriage anyone can come up with.
Instead we should look for a 'helper corresponding to him,' that person who in their character and personality complete what is lacking in us. Certainly it is a much less romantic basis for a marriage, but if we start there and build a relationship based upon mutual dedication (a reasonable interpretation of agape love) and respect, then we have the basis of a marriage that will last a lifetime. "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." (2:24)

Pray and Pray and Pray!

It seems that every year as we approach the National Day of Prayer, 2 Chronicles 7:14 is brought out, dusted off, and applied to the United States as a sort of talisman whereby we can ensure the continued prosperity of our country. Some claim that this verse teaches that if Christians pray, then God will make America prosperous and restore Christian morality to this once Christian country. This and other similar teachings of this verse are wrong and do not accurately deal with the verse in its context and in its specific application.
In understanding any verse in the Bible, the first thing to realize is that context is king. That means we have to know what is happening in the verses surrounding the verse in question in order to have a clear grasp on the meaning of the verse.
2 Chronicles 7 is a response to 2 Chronicles 6, in which Solomon is praying a dedication over the newly built temple. Hear some of Solomon's words:
"Listen to the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place; Hear from Your dwelling place, from heaven; hear and forgive." (6:21)
"If your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and they return to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication before You in this house... When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess You name, and turn from their sin when You afflict them... If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, if there is locust or grasshopper, if their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities, whatever plague or whatever sickness there is, whatever prayer of supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own pain, and spreading his hands toward this house, then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men, that they may fear You, to walk in Your ways as long as they live in the land which You have given to our fathers." (6:24, 26, 28-31)
In the context, Solomon is recognizing a promise which Moses gave to the people of Israel. Namely, God will bless you if you obey His commands and He will curse you if you disobey His commands (see Deuteronomy 27-31). In Moses' last instructions to the people, he warned them of the cycles of judgment that God would bring upon them if they did not walk in all His ways. Recognizing this and the people's propensity to rebelling against God's ways (see the Judges), Solomon requested that God act with mercy toward His people when, in the midst of the curse against their rebellion, they repented and called upon His name.
With this context as the backdrop of chapter 7, we then need to recognize that verse 14 is a central verse in a longer section recording God's answer to Solomon. God's response is:
"I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually." (7:12-16) God's response continues in the following verses in a more personal message to Solomon, but verses 12-16 are a direct response to Solomon's prayer and form the immediate context of verse 14.
What is the basic theological statement of 2 Chronicles 7:14?
First, we understand that God is holy and as such must judge sin. This is not an option for God; His nature demands the judgment of all sin. In the New Testament and for the Church we must recognize that this judgment was levied against the Person of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). However, we also must recognize that God does discipline His erring child (Hebrews 12:7-11).
Second, we must realize that the Holy God who must judge sin is also the Merciful God who is willing to forgive the sin of the penitent (1 John 1:9).
What kind of application can we then make for the Church in America?
If God was required by His very nature to judge the sin of Israel, His covenant people, by cursing their property, their livestock, and their persons, then God owes America nothing better considering He has no covenant with us as a nation. As a nation, we have turned our backs on the Judeo-Christian ethic upon which this nation was founded. We have invested ourselves in every form of evil from ages past and have spent ourselves inventing knew evil. We have called good evil and evil good. Every judgment of Romans 1 against the wickedness of humanity is point by point an indictment against our nation. Do we deserve anything less than the strictest, harshest judgment of the Holy God?
What must we do? What can we do if we desire to avoid the pending doom of our nation?
"If My people, which are called by My name (the New Testament Church), shall humble themselves (recognize and mourn for their sin and the sin of their country), and pray (beg for mercy from the Holy God and Righteous Judge), and seek My face (strive to enter the Presence of God and to know Him, the only true God in which is eternal life; John 17:3), and turn from their wicked ways (repent of the lifestyle of sin which we had been living, which brought the judgment, and willfully follow God's ways); then will I hear from heaven (God's eyes will be open and His ears attentive to our prayers, a powerful statement when we recognize the transcendence of God coupled with His desire to be intimate with us), and will forgive their sin (whatever the sin was which produced the judgment, God will remember it no more; Jeremiah 31:34, Hebrews 8:12), and will heal their land (God's judgments against Israel were specifically against the physical property of the people, i.e. famine, locust, and pestilence. This speaks of a reversal of the curse, an end of the judgment).
We must understand that 2 Chronicles 7:14 is not a promise from God that if Christians pray for a political renewal or economic resurgence, that God will bless America. Instead, it is a promise that if Christians recognize and repent of the sinful, idolatrous lifestyles that we live, then God will end or at lest waylay impending judgment.
The prophet Daniel understood this. In Daniel 6:10, "Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously."
In Daniel 9:3-5, "So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes (humility). I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, 'Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from You commandments and ordinances.'"

Integrated Holiness

Today I was thinking about Paul's words to the Corinthian church concerning their good deeds. I find it very interesting that a church could exist that was as young as the Corinthian church yet as completely carnal as they were! They were seeking to somehow integrate their religion with their pagan lifestyles and still be acceptable to God. In fact, an early heresy was arising which basically taught that it was perfectly acceptable to commit sinful acts because our bodies are evil and only our spirits can be righteous. The Corinthians were practicing this heresy with gusto!
Paul speaks directly to this issue in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. The men in the church were apparently participating in the use of the temple prostitutes in Corinth. Their reasoning from a spiritual perspective was that they were free in Christ, "All things are lawful for me!" (1 Corinthians 6:12) From a physical perspective, they reasoned that their bodies were made for sexual intercourse, "Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food!" (6:13)
In many ways, I can see this same thinking permeating Christianity in our time and culture. Christians use biblical sounding arguments to integrate their religion with their pagan lifestyles. They claim that they are free in Christ, they are not bound to the Law of Moses, so they can act in sinful ways contrary to the holy requirements of their God. They also point to their createdness as an excuse for sinful behavior. Because God created them to enjoy this, then it must be good. Unfortunately, they also point to God's love and forgiveness as an escape, "God will forgive me for doing this."
Paul's response to this nonsense was to inform the Christian that you do not belong to yourself. This life is not about you. Salvation is not fire insurance. "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." (6:19-20)
I am reminded of the temple in Jerusalem, created to be the center of the worship of the LORD God on earth. As the kings of Judah became more wicked, that purpose was changed. The temple became the center of worship of many gods, all the hosts of heaven (2 Chronicles 33:4-5, 7-8). In Ezekiel 8, the prophet describes a vision of the temple of God in Jerusalem in which the temple is filled with profanity, filth, and false worship. The evil is so great that the LORD finally declares his judgment on Jerusalem (8:17-18).
I wonder if the temple of our body looks like that to the Lord. As we justify our sinful behaviors, does God see profanity in His temple? As we choose to watch TV instead of meditate on God's Word, does God see an idol of jealousy? As we sing songs and offer prayers on Sunday morning but ignore God the rest of the week, does God see the false priests offering incense in false worship?
Paul's conclusion was that we are to glorify God in our bodies! That means in the way we live our lives, God is to be glorified or made known through our physical behavior! We cannot make a claim of godliness if we live a sinful life. We cannot be good representatives of the Holy God if we live contrary to that holiness. The Faith to which we are called must be expressed through holiness in our lifestyles!
And lest we are sidetracked by living only outward holiness, Jesus condemned the Pharisees for just that! "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." (Matthew 23:25-28)
The point is integrated holiness. It begins with a new nature brought about by our new life in Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:1-11). It reveals itself to the glory of God through the holy lifestyle to which we have been called (1 Peter 1:13-16).
May we reject the passivity of living down to our pagan culture and choose instead to live up to the calling with which we have been called!

The Journey of Faith

Since my last post, I have been thinking about the concept of the journey of faith. I had never really thought about the Christian life as a journey in faith before. In my understanding, faith was something you either had or did not have in the sense that you are either saved or not saved. What I am beginning to realize is that saving faith is just the beginning of a journey which continues until we go home.
Marriage is a great example of this journey. God often spoke to his people in terms of marriage. He was the Husband of Israel (Jer. 31:32), the Church is the Bride of Christ (Eph. 5:25-32; Rev. 19:7, 8). God uses these images to express His relationship with His people, so I would like to use this analogy also.
When you come to the point in a relationship with a person of the opposite gender at which you decide that it would be a good idea to marry them, typically you have a pretty good knowledge of that person. You understand certain things about their personality and character which are attractive and admirable. You marry them and think that you know them deeply, intimately. You think that you have "full knowledge."
Maybe the next day, or the next week or month or year, you wake up and think "Who is this person?" Why do you think that? Because you suddenly realize that you did not know this person quite as deeply as you thought! In the marriage relationship, full knowledge of our spouses is a journey. We grow to know them more. In some cases, this deepening knowledge causes the relationship to become more challenging. In others, this deepening knowledge leads to greater respect and admiration.
In marriage, this journey is complicated by the fact that each individual is (or should be) growing, changing, and becoming better as a person and as a Christian. Once we think we have full knowledge of our spouse, they learn something new and change they way they think, act, or speak. The result is that we must re-learn them. This constant flux in the marriage relationship keeps us on our toes. We can never stop learning our spouses, we may never come to full knowledge of them!
Applying this principle to God is infinitely greater! If one finite creature cannot fully understand another finite creature, how can a finite creature ever hope to fully know the infinite God? Yet this is the goal; this is the journey of faith.
Jesus said, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3) Paul wrote to the Colossians, "For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light." (Colossians 1:9-12) In the benediction of his second letter, Peter writes, "You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." (2 Peter 3:17-18)
From these verse we can easily see how important the knowledge of God is to the Christian. We can also recognize that there is a growth process in this knowledge. God wants us to know Him! This is why He sent Jesus, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." (John 14:9) This is also why the Scripture is full of declarations of God's character. Take for example Moses' experience on Mt. Sinai, "The LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the LORD. Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, 'The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.'" (Exodus 34:5-7)
Even so, if we were to suddenly and completely come to the full knowledge of a being so holy and infinite as God, we would be destroyed. Even the glimpse that Moses saw caused a change in his appearance; his face glowed (Exodus 34:29-35). Isaiah's glimpse caused him to fall on his face and cry out, "Woe is me, for I am ruined!" (Isaiah 6:5) For this reason, God reveals Himself to us slowly as we are able to handle it. Thus is the journey of faith; we grow in our knowledge of our God. We learn to trust Him more as He reveals His faithfulness to us. As He guides us into truth, we make appropriate changes to our lifestyles to reflect His nature. As He reveals our sinful patterns of life, we confess our sins so He may forgive us. Meanwhile, we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom be all glory both now and until the day of eternity. Amen!

How "Full of Faith" Are You?

This was a question that God asked me recently. I am not in the habit of hearing God's voice audibly calling from heaven like a scene from "The Exodus", but occasionally God uses my own internal dialogue to pull me up and get me to evaluate myself. I had just finished my morning "devotional" reading and was beginning to pray when this thought entered my head. "How faithful are you really? You have enough faith to believe that God will save you from hell and preserve you for heaven; but how far does your faith go after that?"
Recently, I've had conversations with my wife and others on the topic of children and the size of families. I've been impressed with and skeptical of certain couples who have decided to allow "God to plan" their families. I viewed this as somewhat foolish because it opens a couple to having (enter large number here) children. Can they afford to support that many children? Do they have time to properly discipline, train, and equip that many children to grow in wisdom, stature, and favor with both God and man? My conclusion was that it was important to be *wise (for the Truth see Ps. 111 especially v. 10; Prov. 9:10) in planning your family so that you do not stretch your finances to breaking nor stretch your time commitments beyond the ability to raise the children well. I felt vindicated in my conclusion by observing the way in which the majority of Christians plan their families.
But then God comes up with this question. "Do you really trust me?"
"Of course, I trust You. I've seen you take care of me in miraculous ways."
"Do you trust me with your family?"
"Um.... sure, I trust You as long as You don't rob them from me."
"To whom do they belong?"
"Oh... right."
"Will you trust me with your family?"
(long silence)
You can see where this is going. For about a half an hour this dialogue continued in my head. We finally came to the crux of the issue. The vindication for my *wisdom about controlling my family was slowly and methodically destroyed from the foundation. The comfortable castle that I had built in which trusting God was an interesting topic but not a necessary evil was razed to the ground
"I will trust You with my family."
"Will you trust me with the size of your family?"
(another long silence) "Yes."
"If I give you 6 children?"
"Yes." (that's all I wanted anyway.)
"What about if I give you 8 children?"
"Yes." (that's still manageable.)
"What about if I give you 12 children?"
(Gulp!) "Yes."
"What if I want you to have more children than the Duggars?"
"Oh please, God, not that!"
"Will you trust me?"
"Yes, but what about the finances and my time and energy? I don't make enough to provide for a family that size and still support missions and put away for retirement! I don't have enough energy or time to spend with each child to train them up appropriately and discipline them toward righteousness! How could I possibly effectively manage a household that large?"
"Will you trust me?"
Obviously, this version of my conversation is edited to fit the time allotted. I will skip to the conclusion that I came to and the challenge this put into my own life.
First, I concluded that I will trust God with the number of children I will eventually have. What this means practically is that my wife and I will do nothing to try to prevent pregnancy unless pregnancy is a direct risk to the life of my wife. We will take that to be a sign from God to stop having children.
Second, I concluded from Scripture that God will provide for all of my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Don't you hate it when an old familiar verse is thrown in you face to support an uncomfortable change in your lifestyle? So God will provide financially for the number of children with which He chooses to bless me. He will also provide me with the time and energy to effectively raise up these children to become men and women of faith.
"Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep. Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate." (Psalm 127)
I believe that the Bible is Truth, do you? I will try my best with God's help to live according to the Truth of the Bible, will you?
I am not suggesting that if you disagree with my conclusions, then you are somehow ungodly. I simply want to challenge your perceptions as God has challenged mine. As you study God's Word, what will you do with the truth that He reveals to you?

God's Perfect Requirement

I am constantly surprised by my generations understanding of holiness. I recently had a conversation with another Christian in which he basically said, "We should only behave in a holy manner if that is the way we feel like behaving." The philosophy behind that statement is that for a Christian to "act" holy when they do not feel like "acting" holy is hypocrisy and the world knows that the Church is full of hypocrites. So the argument goes, we need to start being "real" by acting out the way we feel instead of acting out holiness. I once heard a Christian man brag about the fact that no one at his work place could tell from his behavior that he was a Christian because he was so "real".
We must understand what hypocrisy really is. Is it behaving in a manner that you do not feel like behaving? Not to put to fine a point on it, but if this is true then many Christian men are hypocrites if they do not cheat on their wives. If it is true that looking lustfully at a woman is equal to adultery, then many men commit adultery anyway. Why not just do what is in your heart to do?
Jesus spoke of hypocrites in this way, "So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men... When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men... Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting." (Matt. 6:2, 5, 16) Speaking of judging others, Jesus also said, "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." (Matt. 7:5) Also in Matthew 23, Jesus speaks very harshly to the Pharisees, calling them hypocrites because they call themselves religious yet they are full of evil. They call themselves experts on the Law of God, yet they completely misunderstand God's heart in the Law. They call themselves morally pure, but Jesus pointed out that they were full of all kinds of wickedness and impurity.
The implication of these statements is that hypocrites are those who act good when in truth they are evil. Feeling has nothing to do with the hypocrisy of these men. They felt good about themselves. They felt religious and righteous based on their deeds. The Truth is what declared them to be hypocrites. They were not sincere in their pursuit of righteousness and godliness. They behaved the way they did because they wanted others to admire them, not because they were righteous. So hypocrisy does not mean that we behave in ways that we do not feel like behaving, it means behaving in ways that deny the truth of our hearts. If we are not holy, then to behave in holiness is hypocrisy!
Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we who by faith in Him are saved have been regenerated, born again, "the body of sin" was "done away with." We have been given a new nature, as Paul says, "put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth." (Eph. 4:24) Because we have a new nature, a nature created in righteousness and holiness of truth, it is not hypocrisy for us to behave in holiness. Actually, it is hypocrisy for us to behave in unholiness! Hypocrisy is acting like something you are not. It is not acting in a way that you do not feel. For a sinner to act like a saint is hypocrisy. For a saint to act like a sinner is hypocrisy. If you have trusted Jesus to save you, then you are a saint.
God has called us to holiness, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were your in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" (1 Peter 1:13-16)
God has empowered us to holiness, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these he has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust." (2 Peter 1:2-4)
God rewards us for holiness, "For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:20-23)
The question that I have is, "Why don't you want to behave in holiness?" It seems as though Christians would prefer to dwell in sin. They act like being "real" by behaving in sinful ways is somehow virtuous or blessed by God. God promises blessing for obedience not disobedience. When a Christian behaves in a sinful way he is disobeying God's will for his life even if that sinful action is in keeping with the Christian's "feelings." God does not condone that; He will not reward it. It is not a virtue; it is a vice.
Finally, it is important to understand that God disciplines disobedience in His children, "It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness." (Hebrews 12:7-11)
I will end with the call of Moses, the Prophets, Jesus, and the Apostles, "The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." (Mark 12:29, 30) "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on you hand and they shall be as frontals on you forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:6-9) "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it... I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." (Deut. 30:15-20)