150 Stories to Live, 150 Parts to Play

 

Today is April 30. This morning I’ve read and pondered Psalms 30 and 60. I did this on January 30 and, the Lord willing, I will do so on July 30 and October 30. If I live through 2027, the Lord willing, I will read Psalm 30 and 60 on those dates as well. Perhaps when I arrive in the glorious City I will ask, “May I please have a Bible and a calendar?” Well, maybe not, but you get my point.

 

My Bible reading rhythm has changed throughout the years, according to my season of life, according to my sense in the Holy Spirit. I realize that we are all different and that what appeals to me may not be comfortable to you – and yet I do think there are attitudes and practices that ought to be common to us all. I am not a believer in doing what I “feel” like doing. I am very much a believer in being led by the Holy Spirit, recognizing that being led by the Holy Spirit includes being taught disciplines and practices and ways of living in Christ Jesus, after all…we are supposed to be disciples, and I don’t think we can separate the words disciple and discipline.

 

Well, as I’ve pointed out, today is April 30. As some of you know, since March 10 Vickie and I have been in challenging waters, waters in which I almost lost my dear wife. While we are no longer in the heart of the storm, we continue to sail in uncharted waters and must pay attention to the skies and the currents – we must be attentive.

 

If you ask me what psalms I read on March 10 I can tell you. If you ask me what psalms I read on March 29 I can tell you that. I don’t need to look at a calendar, for I’ve been reading the same psalms on March 29 for a long, long time.

 

Every psalm is a friend to me, every psalm is a story, every psalm invites me to play a part in it. When I opened my Bible this morning and began Psalm 30, I could say, “Ah, it’s you old friend. Good morning.”

 

As we were exiting the hurricane a few days ago, I realized how the Psalms have been an anchor of my soul in our dear Lord Jesus, keeping me steadfastly “within the veil” (Heb. 6:19). Whether or not I read anything else on a particular day of our testing, I read the Psalms, and in the Psalms I found Jesus, I found comfort, I found hope, I found His Presence coming to me, always coming to me and to my dear wife.

 

There are normally a few balls in the air in my Bible reading, meaning that I am usually reading in a few places, but the Psalms are the constant, always the constant.

 

In Psalms we find the human condition, and we also find our dear Lord Jesus with us in the human condition. In Psalms our condition is transformed into His image, and His Presence envelopes us, enfolds us, sings to us, caresses us, weeps with us, and rejoices with us. We suffer in the Psalms, and we find healing in the Psalms, we experience the Cross and the Resurrection; we know temporary defeat and eternal victory.

 

When our souls are anchored in God’s Word, God’s Word is anchored in our souls.

 

 

 

 

Revelation - Letter to a Friend (7)

 

 

“John’s work is a prophetic apocalypse in that it communicates a disclosure of a transcendent perspective on this world. It is prophetic in the way it discloses a concrete historical situation…enabling them [the readers] to discern the divine purpose…”

 

“The effect of John’s visions, one might say, is to expand his readers’ world, both spatially (into heaven) and temporally (into the eschatological future), or, to put it another way, to open their world to divine transcendence. It is not that the here-and-now are left behind in an escape into heaven or the eschatological future, but that the here-and-now look quite different when they are opened to transcendence.” (The Theology of the Book of Revelation, Richard Bauckham, Cambridge University Press, pages 7 – 8, italics mine).

 

Paul writes, “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal…for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 4:18; 5:7).

 

Faith is the conviction, the evidence, “of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).

 

Noah was warned by God of “things not seen” (Heb. 11:7).

 

The Scriptures, in Christ, teach us to see the invisible.

 

Contrast this way of viewing life with popular “Christian” teaching on the world, the church, and prophecy, with the way the popular church teaches Revelation. Popular Christian teaching focuses on what we can see. It would have us give our hearts to politics, to worldviews, to nationalism, to military power, to economic prosperity. Popular “Christian” teaching would have us view the world in terms of conservatives, liberals, moderates, progressives. This teaching would have us view the world in terms of national borders in place of the Kingdom of God in Christ. It would have us view the church in terms of “bigger is better,” “comfort is better,” “prosperity is better.” 

Popular Chrisitan teaching in America would have us reject the people of nations who have come within our borders, rather than share the Gospel with them, rather than serve them, we will reject them and send them to uncertainty, poverty, homelessness, sickness, and death.

 

Even though Revelation clearly teaches that the Lamb and His followers conquer by dying, popular Christian teaching would have us conquer by missiles, bombs, bullets, civic violence, legal intimidation.

 

O my friends, Revelation promises us a new way, in Christ, of seeing the world as it really is, and frankly seeing the apostate church for what it really is, a Whore riding on the Beast (Revelation 17). It also confronts us with Revelation Chapter 18, who are we really? Can we bear to look in the mirror?

 

Can we hear the cry, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues!” (Rev. 18:4; see also 2 Cor. 6:14 – 7:1).  

 

 

 

Why Read the Psalms Daily? (5)

 

This is the final installment on reading Psalms daily. I hope there has been something here for you, and I truly hope that Psalms will become your companion in 2026.

Much love,

Bob

Start at the Beginning

               While there are other reasons to read Psalms daily, I want to bring this to a close. Perhaps I’ll circle back later and share some thoughts on how to read Psalms, and include another reason or two to read them, but I want to wrap this up so I can share it as we move toward the beginning of a new year.

               For now I’ll encourage you to read Psalms in expectation that you will see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and that God will speak to you. Look at Psalms as a place to meet God personally, to get to know Him more intimately, and a place where, in the Presence of Christ, you get to know yourself better. When you see things in yourself that you don’t care for, trust God to cleanse you and to form you into the image of Jesus Christ – trust your Father to bring you along in His love and grace…He always wants the best for you.

               The important thing is to begin and to be consistent. If you begin with Psalm 1 and read one psalm a day, you will have gone through Psalms about two times during the year. You may find that some psalms are a bit long for one reading, in that case break them up. However, when you do this make sure to go back and review the structure and theme(s) of the entire psalm, it will help you see things you may otherwise miss. The important focus is to meet God, to touch God and to be touched by God as He comes to you through His Word and His Holy Spirit.

               You will find that certain sections of Psalms have particular themes, that while all psalms stand alone, that they are also related to each other, that they connect – this is for you to discover and enjoy.

               The Book of Common Prayer takes us through the entire book of Psalms every month. I used to read five psalms a day on a schedule that began 1,31, 61, 91, 121. This kept me in five different sections of Psalms throughout the month; this is also the way I read the Bible, reading in different sections as the same time – it helps me maintain a sense of connectivity and an overview of Scripture. I have done this as long as I can remember.

               Presently I read two psalms a day for two months, and then one psalm a day in the third month of the quarter; this takes me through Psalms four times during the year. On January 1 I’ll start with Psalm 1 and Psalm 31, then on February 1 it will be Psalm 61 and Psalm 91, and then on March 1 it will be Psalm 121. On April 1 I’ll start the journey again.

               As you work with Psalms every day you will discover your own rhythms and patterns; I’ve changed mine more than once and may change them again, however, I do have base principles woven into my heart and mind and soul…always looking for Jesus, always wanting to touch Him and be touched by Him.

               Why should we read Psalms every day?

               So that we may know Jesus Christ…and make Him known; so that His Presence may be in our lives, and through us that His Presence will touch others.

               On January 1…Psalm 1 is waiting with your name on it.

Why Read the Psalms Daily? (4)

 

The Psalms Help Us See the Entire Bible

Reading Psalms daily gives us a framework in which to see the entire Bible. The Psalms guide us from Creation, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to the Exodus, to the Promised Land, to King David, to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Captivity, to the Restoration under Ezra and Nehemiah, to the incarnation of Christ, to the Body of Christ, the Church, and into eternity future.

The Psalms bathe our minds and hearts in the Big Picture, as well as in the texture of individual brush strokes. Psalms reveals the Father and Son from ages past into ages future, and in our own lives today. Reading the Psalms daily brings us into the fellowship of saints who have lived before us and who live now in the Presence – Psalms is an expression of Hebrews Chapter 11, when we enter into Psalms we experience the “communion of saints.”

In a world which bombards us with narrative after narrative, with multiple spins on the same story and set of facts, Psalms guards our hearts and minds, it raises us above the chaos of the world system, it provides us with pure air to breathe, it renews an eternal perspective in our souls.

 

            As We Live in Psalms, We Live in the New Testament

               During Holy Week, when Jesus spoke of His impending crucifixion and resurrection, He pointed to Psalm 118 (Matthew 21:42).

               That same week, in confounding the religious leaders, Jesus questioned them out of Psalm 110 (Matthew 22:43).

               During the Crucifixion, both Jesus and the religious leaders gave testimony to Psalm 22; Jesus does this knowingly, the religious leaders unknowingly (Matthew 27:43, 46).

               On the Day of Pentecost, Peter’s sermon is based on two key Old Testament texts, Joel Chapter 2 and Psalm 16.  Peter could assume that his audience knew these passages well, can today’s pastor assume the same?

               In Romans Chapter 3, in his great teaching on justification, Paul quotes six different passages in Psalms.  

               In Romans Chapter 4, Paul continues his teaching on justification with two key Old Testament texts, one from Genesis, speaking of Abraham, the other is Psalm 32, speaking of David. Paul could assume that his readers knew these passages, can today’s pastor assume the same?

               Consider the role of Psalms in the book of Hebrews, with its focus on our glorious High Priest and the New Covenant. In the very first chapter there are 5 quotations from Psalms. In Chapter 2, one of the great chapters on the Incarnation, two psalms (8 and 22) play pivotal roles.

               Psalm 95 is the cornerstone of Hebrews chapters 3 and 4.

               Psalm 110 is critical to Hebrews chapters 5 and 7.

               Psalm 45 is central to Hebrews Chapter 10.

               Psalm 118 is quoted in Hebrews Chapter 13.

               The author of Hebrews could assume that his readers knew Psalms, knew the context and content of the passages he referenced. Again I ask, can today’s pastor assume the same? If we don’t know Psalms how can we know the New Testament?

               When the New Testament writers and speakers, including our Lord Jesus Christ, quote Psalms (indeed when they quote what we term the Old Testament), they are doing more than quoting a verse – they are invoking the entire passage, the entire psalm.

               This is the same as when we hear someone say, “Four score and seven years ago,” or “When in the course of human events,” or “Ask not what your country can do for you,” or “Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy”; we hopefully know the substance of what follows and we know the context of what follows (well…at least we used to).

               This means that there is so much more to Jesus crying, “My God, My God!” on the Cross than those words being a fulfillment of Psalm 22. The entire psalm is being fulfilled in Jesus Christ and in us; it is a psalm of rejection, crucifixion, resurrection, and of the Body of Christ (which is why it is invoked in Hebrews 2:13). We have the same principle in Psalm 118, another psalm of trial, suffering, rejection, crucifixion, and resurrection – which is why Jesus invokes it in Matthew 21:42. If we only see the verse that Jesus quotes, and not the passage He invokes, we miss the import of His message.

               We limit ourselves and the Holy Spirit when we reduce verses to evidence of prophetic fulfillment, we belittle the evidence, we reduce it to a verse when it ought to be the entire glorious passage, a passage which reveals Christ and which invites us into koinonia with Him and with one another.

               Most of us enjoy some form of music, popular or classical. All we need to do is to hear a bar or two of music we like to be transported into the entire piece. We can all play the game, “Name that Tune,” to one degree or another. A few seconds of music can bring back a song we haven’t heard or thought of for decades…we hear a few beats and all of a sudden the music and lyrics are back in our heads and we are dancing or tapping our toes or being transported into classical heavens.

               O my friends, this is the way Psalms ought to be to us, it is the way the Bible ought to be to us. This is one reason why it is so important to read Psalms daily, to reclaim our birthright, to obtain our inheritance, to “see” Christ and the New Testament as never before.

 

Why Read the Psalms Daily? (3)

 

A Perspective on World Affairs

               It is hard not to be unduly influenced by the news, social media, and the relentless bombardment of propaganda and spin and lies. It is poisonous. When we do encounter the truth, it can be overwhelming. Who can absorb the suffering and chaos of our world?

               The Psalms keeps us grounded and focused on reality, it tunes our ears to hear the Holy Spirit, it keeps our vision clear, and it encourages us amid messages of false hopes, vitriol, and hatred.

               The first psalm reminds us that there are two ways to live, one grounded in Christ and His Word, the other living in the counsel of the wicked, the path of sinners, the seat of scoffers.

               The second psalm warns us that the nations and peoples of the world are in rebellion against God and Christ. “Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!” (Ps. 2:3). It also assures us that Christ will prevail, there is no contest, whatever appearances may indicate.

               Psalms One and Two are the foundation stones of the book of Psalms, just as Psalm 150 is its capstone. Everything that follows the first two psalms speaks to us of the way we are living and of which kingdom we belong to. Our calling is to live in the Way of Christ, to live in the Kingdom of Christ, to know Christ and to make Him known.

               All the kingdoms of the world are opposed to Christ, and in this sense they are aligned with one another. I recall a friend lecturing me on his political perspective. When he finished, or perhaps paused to catch his breath, I said, “Everything you just said could be true, which it isn’t, but it could be true, and it still isn’t Jesus Christ.”

               Our minds will deteriorate, our perspectives will become distorted, if we are not in communion with Christ and His Word as our Way of life.

               The penultimate psalm (149), presents the ironic picture of the very people shouting in Psalm 2:3, “Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!”, being “bound with fetters of iron, and having executed on them the judgment written” by those who have been faithful to Christ.

               Those in Christ will one day proclaim, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15). Between now and then, Psalms reminds us who we are and to whom we belong.

 

            A Perspective on Money and the World’s Values

               In the West we pretty much measure everything by money and possessions and the experiences which money can purchase. We sell ourselves and much of the professing church for money, we sell our national civic life for money; we rejoice in the monetary success of our children and grandchildren, rather than in their moral character and whether they know Jesus Christ and serve him.

               Psalms reminds us that the world’s value system is a lie and warns us against its poison. For many of us, two “go-to” psalms are 37 and 73.

               “Do not fret because of evildoers, be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness” (37:1-3).

               “Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him, do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evildoing” (37:8).

               “I have seen a wicked, violent man spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in his native soil. Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found” (37:35 - 36).

               Why are we so enthralled with money and possessions and wealth and power? Why do professing Christians align themselves with economic and political and social movements that crush the poor and disenfranchised? Why do we measure our own lives by the almighty dollar? Why do we get so angry? Where does all of this come from? Why do we gravitate toward pleasure and ease and self-gratification rather than run from it to the Cross of Jesus Christ?

               The author of Psalm 73 became discouraged when he saw the wicked prospering, when he considered how unjust life was, when it appeared as if there were no consequences for leading a life without regard to God and His Law.

               “These are the wicked; and always at ease, they have increased in wealth. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence” (73:12 – 13).

               Then our author came to his senses, then he “perceived their end” (73:17). Then he realized that he, himself, had been “senseless and ignorant, like a beast before God” (73:22).

               Then he was able to write:

               “I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (73:23 – 26).

               O dear friends, if Jesus Christ isn’t everything then He isn’t anything. In one sense there are only two types of “Christians” on the earth, there are those who confess, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth,” and those who don’t.

               Psalms reminds us that the world’s values are an illusion. The glitz and glitter and wealth and power and pleasure, our obsession with consumption, it is all a lie, it is a drug, and if we buy into it we will be, as the psalmist writes, like “beasts before God.”

               Psalms proclaims to us that we are not beasts, but the sons and daughters of our Father in heaven and that our future is secure in our Lord Jesus Christ – a destiny beyond words and comprehension.

 

Why Read the Psalms Daily? (2)

 

Forgiveness for Ourselves and Others

               When I was a boy, I learned to keep score at the ballgame. The numbers 1 – 9 represented baseball positions to me, as they do to multitudes of baseball fans. Number 6 is shortstop, number 8 centerfielder, number 2 catcher. A 6-4-3 DP means that the shortstop fielded the ball, threw it to the second baseman, who then threw it to the first baseman. Of course there was more happening during the play, but this represents the basics.

               In Psalms numbers come to represent themes, areas of emphasis, textures. Some groups of psalms tend to give us a perspective on God’s working in history. Another group is associated with praise and worship. While another group leads us on a journey from exile to restoration, from living as aliens to recovering our inheritance in Christ.

               Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51,102, 130, and 143 form a group termed “the penitential psalms,” they express sorrow for sin and a yearning and searching for forgiveness and reconciliation with God.

               Many of us have cried with David, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast [or upright] spirit within me” (Psa. 51:10). Many have cried to God, “Retore to me the joy of Your salvation” (51:12).

               Can we identity with the plea, “Return, O LORD, rescue my soul, save me because of Your lovingkindness” (6:4)?

               How about, “There is no health in my bones, because of my sin. For my iniquities are gone over my hear; as a heavy burden they weigh too much for me” (38:4)?

               Well, you get the idea. There are times when our thoughts and actions and words just make us sick; sick with guilt, with remorse, sick with disgust at ourselves, sick at the realization of what we've done toward God and others. Sin is not eating too much chocolate, it is transgressing the holiness of God, violating our relationship with God, polluting relationships with others. Sin is disobeying the Word of God.

               But there is hope and there is promise in these psalms.

               “If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared" (130:3 - 4).

               There is a desire to obey: “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For the sake of Your name, O LORD, revive me. In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble” (143:10 – 11).

               As you read and ponder these seven psalms, you’ll realize that they represent the complexity, contradictions, and aspirations of human beings. They do not portray a simplistic approach to God and sin and repentance and forgiveness and reconciliation. They do illustrate struggle; struggle within, struggle without, struggle through doubt and fear, struggle through sin, struggle to find restored relationship with God.

               If we learn to work through these seven penitential psalms, not only will we have seven havens to return to when we are once again in need of reconciliation, but we will have seven beacons of hope and truth to guide others to and through. We will have more than the cheap grace (to borrow a term from Bonhoeffer) so prevalent in American Christianity to offer others, we will have the raw reality of life with God…and without God…of life in His will and outside His will. It is far better to live in Him, than without Him.

 

            Spiritual Formation into the Image of Christ

Francis Schaffer said that one reason he read the Bible everyday was to cleanse his mind. The thought life of the world, its images and messages, its philosophies and values, have a polluting effect on our hearts and minds and souls; we need continuing renewal in Christ and His Word. Paul exhorts his readers, “Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1).

Peter writes, “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 1:15 – 16).

The book of Psalms confronts us with who we are, with the inner workings of ourselves. It does not ask us to engage in self-analysis but rather calls us to allow the light of Scripture to shine within us and to respond to the encouragement and conviction of the Holy Spirit.  

“Who can discern his errors?” (Ps. 19:12).

Knowing that the answer is, “No one,” we pray:

“Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not rule over me; then I will be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer” (Ps. 19:12 – 14).

The Psalms are clear, we can’t do this on our own. To be formed into the image of Christ is beyond our ability, but if we will submit to the working of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit we can say with confidence, “The LORD will accomplish [perfect, complete] that which concerns me” (Ps. 138:8).

This assurance leads us to trust our Father as He works deep within us to cleanse us and form us into His holy image, that of Jesus Christ.  

“Seach me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” (139:23–24).

The story goes that when Michaelangelo chose the block of marble from which he would create his magnificent David, he chose a block which had been rejected by others due to its obvious flaws. Beyond the flaws the sculptor saw David, and he saw that by chipping away at the flaws, at everything that was not the image of David, that David would come forth.

The context of Psalm 139:23-24, just quoted above, is God’s intimate knowledge of us; and knowing that God knows us deeply, that He knows our every thought, that He has always known us, that He sees our flaws, that even if we make our bed in Sheol that He is there; gives us the assurance to ask God to search us, to know us, to free us from hurtful ways, and to lead us in the Everlasting Way, which, of course, is Jesus Christ.

to be continued....

Why Read the Psalms Daily? (1)

 This is the time of year when I typically write something about reading the Bible in the coming year. This year I wrote a piece for a friend who is learning to read the Bible that focuses on Psalms. Below is the first part of my letter, with more to follow.

I hope there is something here for you.

Love,

Bob

Why Read the Psalms Daily?

 

Robert L. Withers

December 2025

 

Dear Apelles,

For years now I’ve been asking God’s People to read the psalms daily, knowing that if they do that their lives with change for the better as they draw closer to Christ. Explaining why we should read the psalms is like trying to explain why someone should visit the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone, everyone’s experience is different while being the same. The vastness and diversity of Yellowstone, of the Grand Canyon, and of Psalms envelop us – and while we may each be drawn to different facets, we all experience wonder and awe…unless of course we are simply tourists. Yes, many tourists visit the Bible and never “see” or experience the Bible, just as crowds of tourists visit our National Parks and never really “see” or experience them, they might as well have gone to an amusement park.

I am going to try to share just how incorporating the psalms into our lives can be transformative, and how our living in Psalms can be a blessing to those around us.

 

            Our Common Experience

               The Psalms represent the common experience of humanity. From euphoric praise to deep despair and resignation. From certain faith to doubt, from courage to fear, from friendship to betrayal; from feeling closer than ever to God to thinking you are rejected by Him. In Psalms we see deep repentance and contrition, and wonderful assurance of forgiveness and salvation. We read of bullies and crooks seeming to have the upper hand, of unjust rulers, and of God working His purposes in the face of overwhelming opposition. In Psalms, things are not always as they appear.

               In Psalms we learn that we are not accidents looking for a place to happen but that we have a Divine purpose. We learn that we are not alone, there are others on pilgrimage with us, and we are under the care of our Good Shepherd.

               It is unlikely that we, or anyone we know, will ever experience anything that is not represented in Psalms.

               The Psalms are raw and honest, and there are some not for the faint of heart, such as Psalm 88. A friend once called me about Psalm 88, telling me that there was no hope in this passage. I suggested that he keep moving through the psalms, and I pointed him particularly to Psalm 118, a psalm which embraces the Crucifixion and Resurrection. You see, Psalms is not just about the moments we experience, Psalms is about the life we live. We will all have terrible moments, we will all have doubts and fears, we may all know betrayal; Psalms teaches us how to live through these experiences, and it does so with raw and unvarnished language and imagery. Life is a contact sport, Psalms coaches us how to live through the contact, how to get up off the ground; and perhaps more importantly, it shows us how to help others.

               The person for whom Psalms has become the fabric of life, is a person who will always have a place to go for prayer, counsel, and comfort. This is also a person who has something to offer others, for we will never meet a person in need for whom there is not a psalm for the person’s circumstance and experience.

               Now you may think, “There are 150 psalms, how will I ever learn them all?”              

               Well, I am certain that you probably know at least 150 tunes and lyrics, if not all the lyrics to a song, some of the lyrics; if you know some of the lyrics you can always look up all of the lyrics.

               Since Psalms is written in verse, if we use a translation that honors and respects the original Hebrew poetic structure we may be surprised at how our memories absorb these expressions of faith and life. This is also why daily reading is critical, this allows Psalms to enter our hearts and minds and souls, to be engrafted within us, to become an element of our nature. Beyond Psalms becoming part of our nature, they also bring us into the Nature of Christ.

 

            Helping Others

               When I was a lad doctors still made house calls, carrying black medical bags with them. I vividly recall our doctor and his black bag in the living room of our suburban home outside Washington, D.C. As a young boy, there was something reassuring about our physician and his bag of healing in our home – there was a presence about them, they were joined together, I could not have imagined one without the other.

               Suppose our doctor had arrived without his black bag? Suppose he came into our home without his stethoscope, thermometer, tongue depressors, blood pressure monitor, and the many other medical helps common to his practice?  Suppose when asked, “Doctor, it’s great to see you, but where is your black bag?” he replied, “I don’t carry it anymore. I’ve decided I don’t need it”?

               The book of Psalms is our black bag. It consists of not only 150 portals to God, it represents not only 150 doors through which we can enter the Presence of God, but since its sum is greater than its parts, it represents endless possibilities of Divine communion and healing and friendship. It also contains pathways to deep relationships with our brothers and sisters. We might say that the inside of the black bag is greater than the outside of the bag.

               A difference between Psalms and the physician’s black bag is that while the doctor must master his medical devices, we cannot master Psalms, Psalms must master us. While the tools of medicine must be mastered by the doctor, disciples of Christ must be mastered by His Word. (I want to be quick to point out that good medicine is more than science, it is more than technology – I am only focusing on a narrow aspect of it right now.) While the black bag may serve the physician, we must serve Psalms.

               We listen to others, we observe others, we pray for others, we hear what the Holy Spirit says, and we discover where Psalms takes us in service to others. What doors to our Good Shepherd might we open for others through Psalms?

               Because Psalms covers the depth and breadth of human experience, even if we have not personally experienced something…such as betrayal or depression or a sense of hopelessness…in Psalms we have encountered people who have, and can therefore say, “I know someone who has had that experience, let me take you to him.”

               Consider Psalm 22 which begins, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Yet it concludes with praise (verse 25) and a statement that God will perform and complete His purpose (verse 31). Also consider that the psalm of the Good Shepherd follows Psalm 22, a psalm in which a Table is prepared for us in the presence of our enemies. Psalm 22 moves from gut wrenching agony to glorious praise and assurance.

               I have taken Psalm 23 from my black bag more than any other psalm. I have shared it in hospitals, in homes, while shopping, in small groups, in venue after venue. I have prayed Psalm 23 for myself in the storms of life, amid worries and anxieties and uncertainties.

Psalm 23 allows me to say to anyone I meet, with absolute confidence, “I won’t pretend to say that I understand what you are going through, or why you are experiencing what you are experiencing, but I can say with certainty that your heavenly Father, your Good Shepherd, wants to reveal Himself to you through this, He wants to walk with you through this, He desires for you to know and sense His love and care for you through this."

We can wear Psalm 23 the way a physician wears a stethoscope, always using it to listen to hearts and lungs, to spirits and souls…and responding with love, care, and mercy.

to be continued....

 

 

 

Everything from the Father

 

 

“Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You.”

 

In John 17:6 – 8 we see that the disciples realized that what Jesus was giving to them, the Father was giving to Jesus. The disciples received Jesus’ words, they understood that Jesus came from the Father, they believed that the Father sent the Son.

 

Notice the emphasis on their understanding and believing that Jesus came from the Father. As imperfect as their faith was, the disciples had a bedrock recognition of where Jesus came from, and from whom Jesus came from. Even Peter who would shortly deny Jesus, even Thomas who would refuse to believe the Resurrection, had this bedrock recognition which would ensure that the house would stand against the flood about to assail them (Matthew 7:24 – 27).

 

For some 3 ½ years the disciples had been “receiving” the words the Father had given to Jesus. Jesus Himself, His words and His deeds, along with the Holy Spirit, validated these words, the Word, Every day the words of Jesus were validated, every day the words of Jesus grew within the disciples (all but one), with their eyes, their ears, their souls, their hearts and their minds, they received the words of Jesus.

 

No doubt the disciples, even more so than the crowds, “Were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Mt. 7:29).  

 

As Peter expressed, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68 – 69).

 

We might recall the Parable of the Sower, which might better be termed the Parable of the Soil, for the soil determines the growth of the seed. Seed planted in shallow soil may initially appear good and healthy, but it will soon wither and die. Seed planted on rocky soil will soon be snatched away by birds. Seed planted among thorns sprout but are choked and unfruitful.

 

We see in the good soil of the eleven disciples that the growth process has its challenges; this includes moments of unbelief, even moments of apparently taking the side of the enemy (Mt. 16:23), and moments of desertion and outright denial. We note, for example in the life of Peter, that this process continues after the Resurrection (Acts 10, Galatians 2), as indeed we can expect in all of our lives.

 

Consider Paul’s words to the Thessalonians, “We also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe” (1 Thess. 2:13).

 

And then Peter, “For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).

 

Then James, “Receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).

 

Can we “see” that the Word is alive and working within those who receive it in good soil? Can we see that the Word is not data, it is not “information,” it is not human knowledge, it is not even moral and ethical wisdom (though it does have ethical and moral wisdom of the highest nature), the Word is mysteriously Divine (John 1:1-5, 14 – 16) and we can no more explain or define the Word than we can the Incarnation, Baptsim, the Eucharist, or the Body of Christ.

 

And here is the difference, the great divide, between the good soil and all other soils, the good soil, as the Thessalonians, receive the Word “not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”

 

The Word performs its work in those who believe, in those who allow its roots to grow deep (which often occurs in times of drought), in those who allow the Word to live within them and become their Way of Life (see Psalm 1).

 

The Word must be received not as the word of men, but as the very Word of God. Also, as Peter writes, “Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God” (1 Peter 4:11).

 

Sadly, we live in a time in which many false “Christian” teachers speak with authority, and in which many who actually teach the truth speak as the scribes, apologetically, passively, without authority.

 

Too many good men and women do their people a disservice when they fail to decisively proclaim the Word of God. False teachers have no problem speaking with authority, and people follow them, masses of professing Christians are following them as I write this. Yet, good women and good men do not speak or act as if the Word of God is indeed the Word of God…perhaps the reasons are many, perhaps they think things will get better, that people will come to their senses.

 

I doubt the masses of professing Christians will come to their senses. However, if they do, it will not be because of those preachers and teachers and professors who held back and did not proclaim the Word of God. If they don’t, then those who have failed to proclaim the Gospel will be accountable and will have missed the glorious opportunity to follow the Lamb wherever He goes, they will have missed the koinonia of the sufferings of Christ (2 Tim. 4:1 – 5; 2 Cor. 5:9 – 15). As has been pointed out many times over the generations, God has not called us to success, but to faithfulness.

 

But of course this is about all of us, not just about the disciples in the Upper Room, not just about preachers and pastors and teachers and professors, it is about all of us who claim Jesus Christ as Lord, who profess to belong to Him. Are we receiving the words of Jesus as they truly are, the Word of God? If so, are we speaking that Word to those around us, as it truly is, the Word of God?

 

We can hardly blame others if they do not believe us if we speak as the scribes, without authority. We can hardly blame others if we are apologetic about what Jesus says. We can hardly blame others if they see through our religion and see that we do not really believe what we say, if they see that we are not sold out for Jesus.

 

But others can certainly blame us for not sharing with them the life-giving news, the Gospel, of Jesus Christ. For as the Father sent Jesus, Jesus has sent us, He has sent you and me – and our choice is between obedience and disobedience, there is no middle ground, there has never been a middle ground and there will never be a middle ground (Mark 8:34 – 38; John 17:18; 20:21).

 

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we only have warrant to speak His Word, we are not to add to His Word nor detract from it. The Gospel is not Jesus plus this or that, no matter how important we may think “this or that” to be. When we add “this or that” we adulterate the Gospel and we soil our hearts. Jesus only spoke what He heard from the Father, and we are called to only speak that which Jesus Christ has spoken. We are citizens of heaven, dear friends, citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:30).

 

Do we know that everything that Jesus speaks is from the Father? Are we living like we believe this? Is there evidence to convict us of our belief? Does this evidence include our speaking the Word of God to others, with authority and not as the scribes?

Biblical Interpretaton and Communication

 Good morning, 

Some thoughts as I wrestle with some things...if we are off on our navigation when we leave the harbor, we will be far off from our destination. 

I am sure we mean well, but to replace Biblical epistemology and hermeneutics with a system that anyone can learn, including those without the Holy Spirit, to essentially throw out 1 Corinthians Chapter 2 and what Jesus says about the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room, is to invite confusion...and I see a lot of confusion...I see humanism today in places where I would not have thought possible. This is not to say that we don't do other spade work...as we are able, as we are gifted...but it does mean that we have no warrant to depart from the foundation of Scripture. 

John 5:39; 6:33.

We are not immune from the errors of the Pharisees. Yes? 

I think perhaps one day we will be in the place of Alec Guinness in Bridge Over the River Kwai, when after willingly serving as a slave to the Japanese (and inducing others to do so), he says something like, "My God, what have I done?" 

Much love,

Bob

Biblical Hermeneutics

Look for Christ Jesus in the passage. How do I see Him?

How do I see the Body of Christ in the passage?

How do I see the Whole Christ (Augustine)?

How do I see Christ in His Body?

How do I see Christ in me, and myself in Christ?

How am I called to obediently respond to this passage?

How are we, as the Body of Christ, called to obediently respond to this passage?

Christ Jesus is our hermeneutic, our epistemology, our message.

“For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).

“In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3).

“Its lamp is the Lamb” (Rev. 21:23).

Our Last Battle (11)

 Eleven – More Real Than Ever

“The wonder of walking beside creatures from another world made him feel a little dizzy: but it also made all the old stories seem far more real than they had ever seemed before…anything might happen now.” The Last Battle, C. S. Lewis, page 694, One Volume Edition.

A while back my friend, Michael Daily, introduced me to the writings of Geerhardus Vos (1862 – 1949), through a collection of six of his sermons preached at Princeton Seminary chapel, titled, Grace and Glory. While I appreciate all six sermons, Vos’s message on Hebrews 11:9 – 10, Heavenly Mindedness, captured my heart and mind, and resulted in me doing a blog series on it. This was one of the longest series I’ve written over the years, with the current Upper Room series, an early series on C. S. Lewis, and one on Bonhoeffer’s Life Together, probably being the only ones of greater length over the past 15 years. 

As we’ll hopefully see later in our reflections on The Last Battle, there are places in which the inside is greater than the outside. We see this in the manger, the Cross, the Upper Room, and I experienced this with Vos’s Heavenly Mindedness, as he experienced it with Hebrews 11:9 – 10. Vos took me on a transcendent journey with him, a journey of communion with the saints, a journey that captured the essence of not only Hebrews 11: 9- 10, but also of Hebrews 12: 22 – 24:

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angles, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” 

Heavenly Mindedness was an expression of Jesus’ words to the Sadducees, “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” To Vos, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were not only living, but we can also experience the communion of the saints with them, we can experience Hebrews 12:22 – 24, we can live within a heavenly mindedness in Jesus Christ and with one another. 

As I worked through Heavenly Mindedness I was continually amazed at the experiential transcendence of Vos’s message and I wondered what his original audience heard and saw as they listened to him. It also struck me that his preaching departed from what most of us find acceptable in today’s Evangelical circles, for it is most certainly not the product of the historical – grammatical method. This is not to say that Vos didn’t do his homework, far from it; it is not to say that along the way Vos did not do his grammatical or his historical work, but it is to say that the life and vision and trajectory of Vos’s preaching far exceeded any method which, at its core, is humanistic. 

I couldn’t help but wonder if Vos, had he been a seminary student, would have received a passing grade for his sermon. 

(My apologies if you are not quite following me, I will try to follow this up with some posts that try to flesh this out, but I do have a point, so please be patient. And besides, it doesn’t hurt to touch on things difficult to grasp.)

To Vos, Hebrews 11:9 – 10, was not a text, it was a life, and that life led him to the City of Hebrews 12:22 – 24, a City that was as real to him as the city or town where you live is real to you. Except, that City to Vos was more real, more permanent, and more assured that any of our earthly cities and towns and villages – for its Builder and Maker is God. 

So much of our theological education, and our Bible teaching material, Sunday school and small group material (whether printed or video), our commentaries, our preaching and teaching, is akin to people reading cookbook after cookbook, recipe after recipe, looking at photo after photo of dishes on a table – but without ever preparing and eating the food. 

What may be worse, is that we look at folks who prepare delicious meals that their grandparents taught them to make, using recipe cards with faded pencil on them, or instructions on old notebook paper which is disintegrating, and we think that they don’t know what they are doing – even though they are making tasty food and we are simply reciting recipes again and again without ever producing anything that gives life. We may even have fancy kitchen gadgets while others may have old cast iron skillets and muffin pans and hand-powered eggbeaters – and we think we are better equipped…even though we produce nothing to give life to others, nothing to truly feed the souls and spirits of others. 

There is joy in their cooking…there is taste…there is texture. People eat their food with conversation and smiles. 

These unrefined (to our thinking) folk can look at a recipe in a popular best seller and see the errors and instantly know what makes sense and what doesn’t. 

(And again with apologies, but I want to make this point; Vos’s preaching reminds me of the Fathers, it sees Scripture holistically in Christ, it is transcendent, lifting us above the earth and its humanistic gravity. You cannot teach someone to preach and teach like Vos and the Fathers, you can model it, but you simply cannot teach it, there is no method to it, it is born of the Spirit, and it requires a marriage of the Word and the man or woman – the two become one in Christ. It is organic.)

Now, what about Tirian? 

“The wonder of walking beside creatures from another world made him feel a little dizzy: but it also made all the old stories seem far more real than they had ever seemed before…anything might happen now.”

We are called to live in the reality of “anything might happen now.” Isn’t it time we live in the awe of the “old stories” being more real than ever? 

Our Last Battle includes the battle of living in presence of Jesus Christ and His saints today; not looking back at history as simply history, and not looking forward to a future that may or may not unfold in certain ways, but living in communion and friendship with Jesus Christ and His saints today – living in the reality of Hebrews 12:22 – 24, living in connection with “creatures from another world.” 

Yes, it can make us dizzy, and the numinous ought to do that. Yes, it ought to humble us. Yes, it means that the Word of God must master us, instead of us being so foolish as to think that we can master the Word. 

Yes, if we live as strangers in this world, we will be a bit strange. 

Ah, but what joy we will have with Jesus, with Abraham, David, Paul, Peter, Augustine, Fenelon, Vos…and with one another.

Our Last Battle (8)

 Caricatures Continue

Chapter Four opens with the King tied to a tree, away from the Shift the Ape and the stable and the gathering of Narnians. He has been beaten, he is hungry and thirsty. 

As night descends, Mice, a Rabbit, and Moles quietly come to the King with food, wine, water, and with care and concern. However, they cannot untie Tirian lest Aslan be angry with them, just as when Tirian was attacked by the Calormenes they dared not fight for their King, lest they go against Aslan. 

When Tirian asks them if they really think Aslan would command the killing and enslavement of Narnians, the Mice acknowledge the contradiction between Aslan’s actions and what they’d always heard about Him, but then remind Tirian that they’ve seen Aslan (Puzzle the donkey dressed in a dead lion’s skin). Their conclusion is that they must have done something really bad to deserve such punishment from Aslan.

There is a brief moment when Tirian has his own doubts about what is real and what isn’t concerning Aslan, but then he recalls the rubbish about Tash and Aslan being one and the same and that brings him back to his senses. 

The theme of caricature continues in this chapter, and with the Mice and Rabbit and Moles we see good – hearted Narnians torn between compassion for Tirian and fear of Aslan. They know something isn’t right, but they don’t know what to do because they are afraid. Yet, they have overcome their fear in some measure, if only for a moment, to give comfort to Tirian. 

As Tirian considers the danger these little ones have placed themselves in to bring him comfort, he bids them to leave him, for he would not for all of Narnia see them harmed. Here we see Tirian’s anger, a prominent feature in the story to this point, being displaced by love for others. 

Left to himself, the King begins to ponder the history of Narnia, the appearances of Aslan, and the accounts of mysterious children from another world who have appeared from time to time to save Narnia. He thinks, “It’s not like that with me…But it was all long ago…That sort of thing doesn’t happen now.” 

Here is another caricature in Our Last Battle, the caricature of the Bible, God’s Word. Has God’s Word changed? Does it no longer mean what it says? Can we trust the stories and commands and teachings of Scripture? Does Jesus still appear to His People? Does He still live with us? (This is a prominent theme in Prince Caspian and in The Silver Chair.)

Are we explaining away the Bible? Are we making excuses for not seeing and knowing Jesus as a Living Person? Are we teaching that the Holy Spirit is less than He is represented in Scripture? Are we sewing dead lions’ skins on donkeys to represent the Bible, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit? Have we exalted our rationalizations, our sociology, our humanistic hermeneutics and epistemology, above the Word of God and the Person of Jesus Christ? Just how many stables are we constructing? 

If we aren’t asking these questions, we won’t know. If we aren’t asking these questions as part of the fabric of life, we will not know. However, there is risk in asking these questions, for we may end up like Tirian, beaten and tied to a tree, abandoned. 

How often are we told, “That was then, in Bible times, this is now in our times. God has changed, the Bible does not mean today what it meant when it was written. We have progressed."

An element of Our Last Battle is whether we accept the Bible as God gave it to us, and whether we are living under its authority, or whether we are re-forming the Bible into our image. Do we have the courage to think about these things? 

Since the Bible testifies to Jesus Christ, since Jesus Christ is seen holistically throughout Scripture (a reality that we have been blinded to), these questions are critical. This is all about Jesus Christ. Our Last Battle is about Jesus, just as The Last Battle is all about Aslan. 

And this suggests another danger in asking these questions, and that danger is that even in asking such questions, we may miss Jesus. Simply to identify caricatures or chasms between what we think and practice and believe today and the Jesus Christ of holistic Scripture is not enough. Our attention must not be directed to the chasm, it is to be always directed to Jesus. As important as it may be to realize there are chasms, what is of vital importance is to see Jesus and be drawn to Him, to know Him as we’ve never known Him before.

As we draw nearer and nearer to Jesus, as our friendship with Him becomes ever more intimate and vibrant, we forget about the chasms and caricatures in the light of His glory and grace and sweet friendship. In one sense it doesn’t matter so much where we have been, but rather where we are going, “Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). 

In 1 Corinthians Chapter One, Paul in essence says, “We have a Message that doesn’t cater to Jews or Greeks, a Message that doesn’t conform to the expectations and paradigms of human culture. We have a Message that is a stumbling block to some and sheer foolishness to others.

Then in 2:2 he writes, “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” 

It seems to me that much of our thinking today, including in Evangelical circles, seeks to remove the stumbling blocks and foolishness of the Gospel, of the Christ of the Cross and the Cross of Christ. In doing so, perhaps we are making Aslan into Tash, and Tash into Aslan, perhaps we are creating our own Tashlan.

Well, we’ll return to Tirian tied to a tree and seemingly abandoned in our next reflection (the Lord willing), for the story is about to take a wonderful turn.

Abiding in Jesus, Living in Him (19)

 

“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes (καθαίρει) it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean (καθαροί) because of the word which I have spoken to you.” John 15:2 – 3.

 

In the 7^th reflection in this series, we noted that the Greek word for “prune” is closely related in Greek to the word for “clean.” The idea of pruning was connected with the idea of cleansing, we see this in the Greek text as John relates the words of Jesus, and this takes us back to John 13:10 – 11, in which Jesus says, “…and you are clean (καθαροί), but not all of you.” We also discussed how, in English, the idea of pruning can be related to the idea of cleansing and cleaning up.

 

How might we think about, “You are already clean [pruned] because of the word which I have spoken to you”? In 15:2 we are being pruned, then in 15:3 we are already pruned – what is happening?

 

Let’s go back to John 13:10, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean…” We can be completely clean, and yet we need to wash our feet. Jesus has cleansed us, and yet the Father continues to prune us.

 

Throughout the Scriptures we see that we experience finality and completeness and fulness on the one hand in Christ Jesus, while continuing to grow into and grow out from the fulness and completeness and finality that we have in Christ Jesus on the other hand. The failure to recognize this fundamental element of our relationship with Christ and with one another is debilitating – the work of our High Priest is perfect and complete (Hebrews 10:10, 14; 12:2). 

It is as if we were wearing eye patches, some of us over the left eye and some of us over the right eye, we see one aspect of the work of Christ or the other, we experience one facet of relationship with Him or the other. No wonder we keep bumping into each other! No wonder we keep running into the furniture of the Temple and thinking that it shouldn’t be there!

 

We rest in the fact that we are already clean because of the Word of Jesus, and at the same time we rest in our Father’s pruning and cleansing. Isn’t it nice to have all this attention from the Trinity? See how God loves us so very much!

 

Let’s ponder the association of the Word of God with cleansing and pruning.

 

In John 17:17 Jesus prays, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” To be sanctified is to be made holy and pure and also to be set apart, to be devoted, to be consecrated. Both of these core meanings are embedded in the idea of sanctification and they can’t be separated when it comes to the woman or man or young person in Jesus Christ – they are just as one as the two natures in the Incarnation.

 

While, the Lord willing, we will explore the working of the Word in John 17 more fully when we come to John 17, we read, “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave me out of the world…for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them…I have given them Your word.”

 

So when Jesus prays that we will be sanctified in the truth, in the Father’s Word (17:17), He is praying in the immediate context of Chapter 17, in the intermediate context of the Upper Room (chapters 13 – 17), and in the greater context of the Gospel of John, which begins, “In the beginning was the Word…” Of course, we can also say that John 17:17 is spoken in the context of the entire Bible, for we see the Word from Genesis to Revelation, we see God revealing Himself through His Word, always through His Word. (As others have pointed out, can it be an accident that the longest chapter of the Bible is the grand Psalm of the Word (Psalm 119) and that it is found virtually in the center of the Bible?)

 

How does Jesus Christ cleanse His Bride, the Church?

 

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:25 – 27).

 

How are we sanctified? How are we cleansed? How are our spots and wrinkles dispelled? How is holiness and blamelessness manifested in His Bride?

 

And consider that Jesus says, “If I then, the Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14). That is, as Jesus has cleansed us with His Word, we are to cleanse one another with His Word.

 

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thanksgiving in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16; see also Ephesians 5:18 – 21; 4:14 – 16).

 

God’s Word is living and active – it is alive! (Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23). This Word is to live within us, and we are to share it with others. We are to have a continuous feast with one another, sharing the produce of the land, planting and harvesting, harvesting and planting. The Word of God is to be more than second nature to us, it is to be our Nature, for as the Fathers taught us from Scripture, Jesus became as we were so that we might become as He is. This is what we see in the Upper Room, it is how we are to live life together.

 

Every Christian is to be the Incarnation of the Word. Every congregation is to be a local embodiment, the Incarnation, of the Word. Every locality ought to have a collective Incarnation of the Word manifested in the unity of congregations and individual Christians. This is the vision and prayer of Jesus Christ (John 17). This is the vision and calling of God throughout Scripture. This is our destiny.

 

This is the City whose Builder and Maker is God (Hebrews 11). This is our Father’s House (John 14:2).

 

Anything less…is less.

 

And anything greater? Well, there is nothing greater.

 

 

Abiding in Jesus, Living in Him (13)

 

  

“Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not rule over me; then I will be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Yahweh, my rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:12 – 14).

 

When the Word of God is the fabric of our life in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit through the Word will reveal sin within us as well as transform us into the image of Jesus. The Holy Spirit will also reveal things in our lives that are not sin, but that are weights and hinderances that we need to deal with. Let’s remember that pruning does not only deal with dead and diseased plant material, it also cuts away healthy plant material that does not conform to the desired image and growth of the plant, and which may indeed lead to disease in the future. The problem with many professing Christians is not sin, it is good – for the good is the enemy of the better and the better is the enemy of the best.

 

Also, let’s not forget that Creation can reveal sin within us – my dog’s innocence convicts me of my selfishness. The birds and their songs convict me of my lack of trust in my heavenly Father.

 

After the psalmist mediates on Creation and God’s Word he asks, “Who can discern his errors?” Now here is a baseline question that is critical to the Christian life – because our answer to this can determine the trajectory of our lives in Christ. And let me acknowledge that there are at least two lines of thought on the answer. The core issue is whether the tree can prune itself or whether it needs a Master Gardener to prune it and shape it.

 

I recently read a book by a brother in Christ whom I deeply respect, I love the body of his writing and think the Church needs what he has to say. Yet in this book, his most recent, I sense that he has moved away from his organic approach to growth in Christ and into a motif of disciplines that rely more on the efforts of man than the Spirit of God – I hope this is a temporary distraction. In the book our dear brother insists that self-examination is critical and essential to the Christian life. I strongly disagree with this statement, especially in its context of the self-disciplines contained in the book.

 

Disciplines of self-examination tend to make us self-focused rather than centered on Christ and others – do we forget that we are called to lose our lives for Jesus Christ and the Gospel? Self-examination assumes that we have the ability to identify sin and imperfections in our lives, that we can understand the inner workings of our ourselves – and this simply isn’t true. Self-examination also distracts us from the perfect work of Jesus Christ and of our completion in Him. We are called to focus on Jesus and not on ourselves, we are called to seek the good of others and not our own good.

 

Self-examination leads us into a never-ending Gnostic labyrinth from which there is no return.

 

We do not grow into the image of Jesus Christ as we focus on ourselves, we are transformed into His image as we behold Him and confess our completeness in Him – as a dear friend has said to me for decades, “We are becoming who we are in Christ.” (Col. 2:10; Heb. 10:10, 14; 1 Jn. 3:1 – 3; 2 Cor. 3:17 – 18).

 

We first “sit in the heavenlies in Christ” so that we may “walk out our lives” in Him – this is the structure of Ephesians (Eph. 1:3; 2:6; 4:1) – we do not walk that we may ascend into the heavenlies, for Christ has already placed us in the heavenlies in Himself and in His perfect work. We will never be any more complete than we already are – the manifestation of that completeness is working itself out in our daily lives in Christ – but we can do nothing in ourselves, we abide in Christ, we rest in Christ – ceasing from our own works (John 15:4 – 5; Heb. 4:10). It is God who is working in us, doing His will and pleasure (Phi. 2:12 – 13).

 

It is when we are engaged in the Word of God, and the Word of God is working deep within us, even piercing to the soul and spirit – that the “thoughts and intentions of our hearts” are revealed (Heb. 4:12) – and this leads us and keeps us in the “rest of God” that we see in Hebrews 4:10, as we trust in our Great High Priest of Hebrews 4:13 – 16.

 

As the Word of God (Ps. 19:7 – 11) works within the psalmist he realizes that without God’s Word that he would never see his errors, his sins, and the toxic hidden things within him. And friends, even if we think we know our sins, until those sins are placed under the light of the Holy Spirit we really don’t know what we think we know – for the illumination of sin is devastating – claiming and confessing cleansing and forgiveness is wonderful for sure, but talking about sin, as we so lightly do in many church circles, is no parlor game.

 

Since the psalmist knows that he can’t discern his errors, he prays for God’s protection and deliverance – and of course in Christ all is forgiven, all is forgiven (Romans 5:1 – 11; 2 Cor. 5:21).

 

Here is our assurance in Jesus, we experience continual cleansing in our koinonia in Him, “…the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:7). When individual sins occur, when they are shown to us by the Holy Spirit, then we confess them and “He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9 – 2:2).  

 

More than anything, the working of the Holy Spirit and the pruning of our kind heavenly Father is less about what we do and more about who we are…about our character, about the real me and the real you, for our Father’s desire is that we bear the image of His Firstborn Son (Rom. 8:29). This in turn leads us to another dimension of pruning, our Father’s loving discipline, which we will ponder in a forthcoming reflection.

 

Our heavenly Vinedresser prunes us through a sacramental relationship with Creation and with His Word – life in Christ is holistic, it is a relationship – and the Trinity speaks to us through, and in, all of life…and all of life is to be in Jesus Christ.

 

[A note on self-examination: In Galatians 6:1 - 4 Paul writes that each one should “look to yourself” and that each one must examine his own work. This passage is framed in the context of Galatians, with the question, “Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (3:3), and with a continual emphasis on life in the Spirit and our sonship in Christ. Therefore, it ought to be understood that we need the enabling grace of God and the Holy Spirit to truly see ourselves and to examine our works.

 

In 1 Corinthians 11:28, in speaking of the Lord’s Table, Paul writes that, “a man must examine himself.” Once again, when we consider the context of this statement, we find that we can only do this with the grace of God and in our Lord Jesus Christ, we must look to the Holy Spirit to enable our self-examination. Jesus Christ is our wisdom (1 Cor. 1:30) and the Spirit of God must reveal the wisdom of God and knowledge of God to us (1 Cor. 2:6 – 16).

 

The Scriptures do not teach a preoccupation with ourselves; they teach that we give our lives to Jesus (Mark 8:34 – 38) and that He is the center of our lives. They also teach that just as Jesus laid His life down for us, that we are to lay our lives down for our brethren (1 John 3:16). We have no time or warrant to keep looking to ourselves.]