A little embarrased!

I have such a small following on this blog I know there is no requirement for me to go back and fix things but I did see a glaring error on my post for John 3:16. I talked about the word play Jesus uses between the words wind and spirit. I pointed out that in Greek He uses the same word for to compare the actions of the two. The mistake I made was instead of referring to the Greek "pneuma," I kept using the Hebrew "ruach."

Just so people know I am not fluent in either language and have a peripheral understanding from using some Greek and Hebrew tools available online as well as referencing commentaries. I do not believe the switch would have ever gotten me in trouble or was in any way dishonest but I would like to be a person who is careful about the way he handles the word of God, especially in a sphere as public as the interwebs.

Have a great "pneuma," filled week!

John Chapter 6 part one: The Crowd

John Chapter 6 is a lot like John 3 where much could be said about it and barley scratch the surface of what is there. So I wanted to focus again on the crowds. Again they are with Jesus because of the signs he was doing. The language here does not signify genuine faith it actually mirrors the language of John 2, where the people have faith (epistos) and Jesus does not trust himself to that faith. Again it would be easy to cry out "cynic." Especially when you see how this first part of the chapter ends. The people are so grateful at Jesus multiplying the loaves, Jesus actually fears they might try to make him king and he has to retreat.

But look at the end of the chapter. It says that all but the twelve stop following him and go away. There where probably 15000 people there and only twelve remain after he says something difficult. 0.1 percent stay. This would kill most movements and devastate most leaders. Not Jesus, he knew not to trust the crowds. He knew the hearts of men. The crowd is a fickle mistress, let us follow our Lord's example and be weary of their praise.

Sola Fide!

John Chapter Five: Jesus, God, Honor, Life and Judgment.

Teaching through the Gospel of John can at times start to feel repetitive because John keep banging on the drum of Jesus equal status to God. For those of us who grew up around Christianity it seems like rehashing old issues while other issues await our attention, but for the audience of the time to ascribe Jesus an equal status to God was revolutionary. I also believe that as our culture becomes more post Christian it is again necessary to focus on Jesus' full God-hood.
There are certain things Jesus say that are culturally acceptable that he needs no higher authority to be right about. These are the "Jesus as a great philosopher" statements. Among those, "Give to everyone who asks." "Love your neighbor as yourself." The problem with these statements is they are vastly outnumbered by the statements of Christ that make him seem crazy unless he where to have some authority beyond being smart Rabbi influenced by eastern philosophy (by the way in my mind that is such rubbish and requires a blind spot to huge portions of the Gospel narratives to even pretend it could be true). Hippy eastern Jesus is also known to have said, that denying him before God will have eternal consequences. He claims that following him will put people at odds with their own families who will turn them over to authorities to be persecuted. Jesus says that following him means taking up a cross, the symbol of dissident torture, not sometimes, but daily. If Jesus is not up to his eyeballs with Godly insights then he out to switch to decaf, because he keeps ratcheting up the stakes, not softening them.
That brings us to chapter five of John's Gospel. Jesus once again asserts his authority as God's equal. Follow a few words through verses 19-29, "does," "life," judgement," and "honor." What the father does Jesus does. Certainly Jesus limits his actions to those that the father has given him to do but it does not limit his God hood, its God's own modeling of submission to us. The doctrine of the trinity gives us so many gifts. We see how God models so many essential parts of the human experience within his three-in-one nature so we can live them by example. Love, community, worship and yes submission. Jesus does submission the way only God could, perfectly.
In that submission Jesus is given a task. Judgment. Now in John 3 Jesus says he has come not to judge but to save, but this does not mean a contradiction. Jesus is saying that his primary role is salvation, not judgment. In salvation there will be judgment. Those who reject to wear Jesus' righteousness like a garment will be judged wanting. "Life," and "Judgement," are pitted against each other and like a resolving Chord Jesus finishes his discourse with this statement, "Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. (John 5:28-29, ESV)"

Sola Christus!

John 3:16 is no body's weapon!

There is no way around it, I am a Calvinist. I try to dress it up by throwing out words like "reformed theologian," but that is code for believing in predestination. This immediately inspires polemics, or arguments against from people who would disagree and want to protect mans freedom in salvation. Often they ask "what about John 3:16." Then I quote the verse out loud, and there is usually a long pause. We are both waiting for the other to engage and state why it may or may not fly in the face of Calvinism.

There are two verbs in the verse that need dealt with methinks. First God's love for "the world." D A Carson makes the astute observation that when John speakers of the world in his gospel it's under the pretext of worldliness, or the opposite of Godlieness. There may be an argument that God's love is for all people everywhere and fly in the face of the idea that God predestines some to not believe. I would only quickly answer this by saying that St. Paul argues against this in Romans 9. One can respond saying that it is a different author different book and different genre and I would have to concede that. Even after the concession Gods's love is still not proven inclusive or exclusive by either camp on the bases of John 3:16.

The second verb to contend with is "believe." Some how my free will friends look at this verse and assume it could only mean that the belief was chosen. That is not implied by the verse, and I don't think the previous or following verses imply it either. At this point I think it's a proof text.

The entire work of Johns Gospel is set up in the prologue. Thus prologue paints a picture of a self revealing God, a god who can not be known unless he so decides to be known. This sets up a God that demands in chapter three that salvation requires one to be born again, born of water and spirit and of that spirit Jesus says "The Wind (Gk:pneuma) blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone born of the Spirit (Gk:pneuma). He talks about the work of the Holy Spirit in being born again as a work of the Spirits choosing. This same God for whom nothing can be known unless he himself allows it to be known, then he drops the words "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that who ever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Although I would say that in conjunction with what has come so far in the book and the chapter and along side what comes later in the book this verse is in sync with reformed theology it is by no means proof. But it is certainly less a proof for mans choice in the act of having saving faith.

As far as a "so what?" From this verse, it is a good reminder for those in my tribe (Calvinists) that saving faith is a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit and it should be begged for the same way one would beg for a cure to cancer or a secession to hostilities in brutal war. The work of the "pneuma" cannot be manufactured, he is as much God as God. Beg God for revival, in your hearts into e hearts of your families and in the hearts of the nations.

Sola Deo Gloria!

John Chapter two's set up of three and the set up to four.

As I was as I was getting ready to spend some time in John again this morning I was thinking about what I found out yesterday in a couple of commentaries I read about the end of John 2. Both Don Carson and John Calvin look at Jesus' refusal to trust the crowd's faith as a sign that the faith was fake, it did not lead to salvation. I thought this was skeptical, I wondered how they could know that. There was alternatives in my mind. I was thinking that there individual faith was genuine but Jesus knew that on a corporate level the same would demand his death on the cross later and that is was he did not trust. I checked in with the study notes in the ESV Study Bible (I know these are all Reformed sources but that is my spiritual bent so no apologies.) It made the point that the word for the faith of the people Jesus Lack of faith in them was the same Greek root, (epistos). Basically the author is showing Jesus skepticism in the faith of the people through a word play.

Why would this matter? Because the next chapter, chapter three of the book of John is all about saving faith. “For God so loved the world that whoever [epistos] in him shall not parish but inherit eternal life.” (I typed from memory, so sorry if there was some version switching in there.) What chapter three emphasizes as faith that saves versus faith that is bogus is this one crazy idea. “You MUST be born again.” The acknowledgment that Jesus is Lord is recognized even by his spiritual enemies (book of James said so [don't tell my Lutheran friends I am referencing James]). What is different between those enemies and the converted believer is being born again.

The born again are made into something new. Believing in Jesus is not a convenience that makes their life better only to be discarded when he goes after their idols. Chapter two shows us what faith without being born again looks like chapter three defines saving faith, but Chapter four gives us a clear picture of what happens to people when the Holy Spirit in His sovereignty decides to pluck people out of their collision course with forever death, when he gives the new birth. “Come and see a man who has told me everything I have ever done.” That is all the sermon the woman at the well preaches. And the whole town comes out to see Jesus and is soundly converted.

What about you, are you born again? Does your faith in Jesus ask to follow him into the dangerous, the irrational? Has your walk with God proven to be inconvenient because it exposes your idols? Are you changed, knowing you can never go back? To know if you are here is the simple test, do you desire this? The sinners heart is in bondage to sin, Luther tells us. It can only desire its own death and destruction. The heart made free to follow Jesus, the heart of the born again person desires God. Its opposite desires to be God. Let us hear the plea of the great hymn writer when he says “Let not conscience make you linger, or of fitness fondly dream. The only fitness he requireth is that you feel your need of him.”

Sola Deo Gloria!

Jesus at the Temple Part 2

After Jesus overturns the tables in the Temple area, the disciples are reminded of Psalm 69:9; “Zeal for your house will consume me.” I went and looked up that Psalm and give it a quick once over. This zeal for the house of God makes the Psalmist a reproach in the eyes of people around him. Interesting that John in the power of the Holy Spirit would quote this verse. As Jesus becomes the replacement for the temple or at least refers to himself metaphorically as a temple the disciples remember a verse about zeal for a temple being a reproach. Later in this same Gospel account Jesus reminds his disciples that “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

We live in an age where it is believed that the only time religion should be good is when its byproduct is that people get along better. The problem is that Christianity is a counter-cultural religion. Jesus brings people face to face with their idols and our hearts react as only a heart in bondage could; rejection. When we encounter Jesus he does to our lives what he did to the money changers, he overturns and makes chaos from our treasures. For some the Holy Spirit uses this event to break the bondage of sin and call us home. For others it makes Jesus and his church a reproach.

Let us never fool ourselves into thinking that our commitment to Christ will be well received by the world. We share the plight of both the psalmist and the Lord. We will be a reproach. “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Have a blessed weekend!

Jesus Goes to the Temple

So today I spent time in John Chapter 2 with two reasons really. First, I was having my quiet time, and second I had not spent time with a text in a while for the purpose of exposition. I did not want to get out of practice so I though I would tug at the text a little and see what fell out. I use a web site called http://www.biblearc.com/ .  I would recommend it to any one who would like to do bible exposition for the purpose of devotion or teaching, for $10 a year I have been pretty impressed.

Today I was arcing and I noticed this, what is in the temple before Jesus and what is in the temple after Jesus. The temple was God's dwelling place just as the human heart is now God's dwelling place. I wonder if the inference here is that Jesus goes and clears the sin out of the human heart to make his dwelling just like he cleared the sin out of the temple. There is so much more that can be said here but for now I want to reflect on this point; the work of Jesus in order to prepare us for his taking up residence. In this story its the whip from chords and the violence of overturning the tables. In the end of the book its the whip of on his back and the violence of the cross. I am excited to compare this to what has been said by wiser men than I in commentary to see how close or far I have come to the historical interpretations of the church but for now this is what fell out when I tugged on the sweater.