Seasoned Veracity

An Apostle's Resume'

Resume' of the Apostle Paul

• Race:  HEBREW
• Nationality: ISRAELITE
• Family lineage: DESCENDANT OF ABRAHAM
• Current position: SERVANT OF CHRIST
• Imprisonment: FREQUENT
• Number of floggings with 39 lashes:  FIVE
• Number of times beaten with rods:  THREE
• Number of stonings:  ONE
• Number of shipwrecks:  THREE
• Time spent adrift in the open sea:  ONE DAY AND ONE NIGHT
• Lifestyle:  CEASELESSLY ITINERANT
• Dangers faced:  RIVERS, BANDITS, JEWS, GENTILES, URBAN, RURAL, MARINE, BOGUS BROTHERS 
• Deprivations endured: SLEEPLESSNESS, HUNGER, THIRST, COLD, NAKEDNESS
• Responsibilities shouldered: DAILY CARE FOR STRUGGLING CHURCH PLANTS
• References:  2 CORINTHIANS 11:22-28

Faith To Endure

Hebrews 10: 39  But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. 11:1  Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2  This is what the ancients were commended for.

To the author of Hebrews, faith is more than the instrument of justification (though it is certainly that as well). It is the very ground of the Christian’s endurance, his reason for pressing on in the face of the most dreadful hardships. The apostle does not expect his readers to simply “gird up their loins” and tough it out. They would endure because their faith gave them assurance—beyond any shadow of doubt—that the salvation they hoped for would eventually come. It gave them proof, however unseen, that God would fulfill His promises (11:1). This was the same faith which allowed the heroes of the Old Testament to stake their lives on God’s promises, even when the realization of those promises was nowhere in sight (Heb. 11). Bolstered by such faith, the Hebrew Christians, like the saints who went before them, could face their persecutors with firmness, reliability, and steadfastness. Theirs was not an empty hope. It was a hope rendered secure by faith.

See the full post at Kairos Journal.

Citizens of Heaven

When Paul says, "We are citizens of heaven," he doesn't at all mean that when we're done with this life we'll be going off to live in heaven. What he means is that the savior, the Lord, Jesus the King -- all of those were of course imperial titles -- will come from heaven to earth, to change the present situation and state of his people. The key word here is transform: "He will transform our present humble bodies to be like his glorious body." Jesus will not declare that present physicality is redundant and can be scrapped. In a great act of power -- the same power that accomplished Jesus's own resurrection, as Paul says in Ephesians 1:19-20 -- he will change the present body into the one that corresponds in kind to his own as part of his work of bringing all things into subjection to himself.

                                            -- N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope

God and the Universe

God intends to flood the universe with himself, as though the universe, the entire cosmos, was designed as a receptacle for his love.... The world is beautiful not just because it hauntingly reminds us of its creator but also because it is pointing forward: it is designed to be filled, flooded, drenched in God, as a chalice is beautiful not least because of what we know it is designed to contain or as a violin is beautiful not least because we know the music of which it is capable.

The world is created good but incomplete. One day, when all forces of rebellion have been defeated and the creation responds freely and gladly to the love of its creator, God will fill it with himself so that it will both remain an independent being, other than God, and also be flooded with God's own life. This is part of the paradox of love, in which love freely given creates a context for love to be freely returned, and so on in a cycle where complete freedom and complete union do not cancel each other out but rather celebrate each other and make one another whole.

                                    -- N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope

Foundations

Bibles are often made with fancy leather covers and gilt-edged pages. The extraordinary binding is meant to show that the Bible is not an ordinary book. But the Bible is not an object of art to be set on a coffee table for display. It is not the outer beauty of the packaging, but the inner riches of the content that sets the Bible apart from all other books.

The words "Holy Bible" on the cover are not a warning for us to keep our distance and refrain from handling such a sacred object. They are an invitation to open the book and read, allowing the holy words to do a sanctifying work in our minds and hearts.

The Bible is not just for those who are interested in adding a "religious" dimension to their lives. It is not a "spiritual" book that discusses abstract and other-worldly ideas, but an intensely practical book that addresses nuts-and-bolts matters of everyday living. In fact, the Bible doesn't have a whole lot to say about life in Heaven; its focus is on living well and living right in this world, for that is what will make us ready for the next (Proverbs 1:2-7) .

God's way is not simply one option among many possible ways of living the good life. There are really only two paths from which to choose. If we don't go God's way, we're on the road to nowhere. There is no alternate route to success. Those who internalize the wisdom of God contained in the Bible will not be lured into detours, but are assured of a safe arrival. Those who reject the Bible's wisdom are headed for a dead end (Psalm 1).

The command to love God with heart, soul and mind is immediately followed by directives instructing us to memorize, obey and teach God's Word (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) . The implication is that we are to demonstrate our love for God by applying His Word in our lives. Jesus stated it explicity: "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).

The Pharisees took to heart the instructions about binding the Scriptures to their hands and foreheads, and posting them upon their doorposts and gates. But when it came to applying the Word to their lives, they were nitpickers who majored in minors but neglected the important matters of justice and mercy in their treatment of others.

The point is not to put Bible verses on our bumper stickers and coffee mugs, but to plant them in our hearts and minds, and implement them in our lives. We are to give the Word a priority place in our daily routine, and then go on to find ways to put its principles into practice in all areas of life: on the job, in the home, at school, in government, etc.(James 1:22-25).

Bible study is necessary, but the goal is not to stuff our heads full of Bible knowledge. Rather, it is to allow the Word to have full effect in altering our ways of thinking and acting to conform with God's will. We are to shine the light of God's Word on our lives and let it illumine the things that need to be changed. It is not how much Bible we know, but how much Bible we do that matters. The blessings of the Bible are realized through faith and obedience (Matthew 7:24-27).

Meditation: How is the Word of God changing me?

Prayer: Lord, I know that your Word is truth and life. Help me to be a doer of the Word.

The Bible

The Bible is unlike any other book. Compiled from the writings of some forty different authors over a period of 1600 years, it addresses a variety of themes in an assortment of styles from a wide range of perspectives. Yet in all this it presents an uncanny unity of message that reveals the hand of a Power behind and beyond the men who wrote and assembled it.

 

Peter tells us that the Holy Spirit moved the writers to pen the words God wanted them to write (2 Peter 1:19-21). This does not mean that God dictated the words in a mechanical way; He was not using tape recorders, but human beings. The writers expressed themselves in their own words and writing styles. Yet God created and sovereignly directed the lives of all who spoke or transcribed His Word, preparing them to be His instruments and guiding the recording process. Finally, the Holy Spirit inspired them to write what God wanted written.

 

Since then, through the efforts of monks who painstakingly copied it a page at a time, translators who labored to make it understandable to the common people, and missionaries who risked their lives to take it where its message was unknown, God has worked through miracle and providence to preserve His Word and make it possible for us to read it today.

 

Because it is the Word of God, the Bible is the supreme authority for all Christians. The Bible's authority transcends that of every organization and individual. No church or denomination, no pastor or pope has the authority to deny or contradict what is written in the Bible. In any question of doctrine or practice, in any dispute over what to believe or how to behave, the Bible's answer is final. Every individual and every institution must submit to the decrees of Scripture.

 

As God's written communication humanity, the Bible is infallible in all that it affirms. Since God is its author, it is completely trustworthy. We can have complete confidence in the Bible, and are called to give complete obedience to it (2 Timothy 3:14-17).

 

No book has sold more copies or been translated into more languages than the Bible. Yet, at the same time no book has been persecuted and banned more often than the Bible. The zeal of both supporters and opponents attests to the immense power and influence exercised by this book.

 

Individual believers throughout the ages have found the Bible to be the power of God unto salvation, a source of holy wisdom and a sure foundation for victorious living. Nations have used the Bible as the basis for establishing just laws for society. And insofar as its philosophy and practice have conformed to the formative influence of the Bible, Western Civilization has attained unprecedented levels of freedom, prosperity and respect for human life.

 

The Bible is the Word of God, a uniquely authoritative book whose wisdom and power can transform lives. But it is not a magic charm that bestows good luck just by sitting on the shelf. A Bible that is not read is of no use. It is only those who believe and obey the Word who reap its benefits. All who do so learn by experience that the Bible is a personal Word from God to them (Hebrews 4:12).

 

Meditation: Why did God give us the Bible?

 

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for the precious gift of your Word. Help me to understand it, believe it, and apply it in my life.

 

Read Psalm 19.