EASY ANSWERS

Absalom said moreover, "Oh that I were judge in the land!  Then every man with a suit or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice."  2 Sam. 15:4, R.S.V.


Seasoned administrators have become painfully aware of a certain kind of employee that seems to be sprinkled through most organizations in just enough quantities to keep the administrators humble.  These certain employees are very popular with the rest of the staff because they always have a more favorable suggestion about how things should be done than the sometimes austere policies of the administration.  They are skilled at second-guessing every high-level decision, clearly presenting their own ideas are better, and easier to live with, than those that come from the top.

Absalom used the same method while sitting at the front gate of his father's palace.  He "stole the hearts of the men of Israel" (2 Sam. 15:6, R.S.V.).  Those who do not bear final accountability for the management of a business or a nation, who do not see all the factors that have to be taken into account when making a tough decision, can always suggest an easier, less painful way of solving a problem.  And people who are far from the desk where "the buck stops" quickly fall prey to these easy answers.

It is possible that administrators could have a special empathy with God as He faces some of the perplexities in solving the problems of the great controversy.  Imagine Satan standing, as it were, on the front steps of Planet Earth, offering a sympathetic ear to all who come with a cause.  "You're right!" he would say.  "If I had been in charge, I wouldn't have been so hard on Achan and his kids.  I could have found an easier way to clean things up a bit without sending the Flood.  I could have stopped Hitler before the Holocaust.  I wouldn't be quite so strict as those Ten Commandments.  I'd be a lot more generous with the entrance list for heaven."

He could steal the hearts of all who are looking for easy answers, for Satan is running a popularity contest, while God is seeking to teach the truth to stubborn rebels.  Satan can promise us anything, regardless of whether he can ever deliver, while God is cautious lest we become presumptuous of His goodness.  Satan offered easy answers and quick solutions to Adam and Eve, and he "stole their hearts" from God.  You'd think that we would have learned by now.

BEING PUT RIGHT WITH GOD

We, too, have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be put right with God through our faith in Christ, and not by doing what the Law requires.  For no one is put right with God by doing what the Law requires.  Gal. 2:16, T.E.V.


Ever since the Reformation, scholars have been debating the exact meaning of a New Testament word that is translated in its various forms both as "righteousness" and as "justification."  They all agree that it has something to do with the center of the plan of salvation, but they fall into two general camps as to how that is done.

Broadly speaking, the Lutherans have taken the position that justification is declared righteousness--that it is God's act of imputing, or crediting, the perfect righteousness of Christ to the record of the sinner, so that God views the repentant sinner as if he were righteous, even though he may still do sinful acts.  They speak of it as "an alien righteousness" from the sinner's point of view; it does not arise from within him, lest he have grounds either for boasting or for endless despairing.

By contrast, the Catholic tradition has seen the word as implying a caused righteousness--that God works in the sinner's life, causing his behavior to become good enough to warrant it being regarded as righteous by God.  (This righteousness, however, is not adequate in itself for one's salvation, and additional sources of merit must be added for that purpose.)  But the idea of completely substitutionary righteousness would be regarded as "legal fiction" by many Catholics.

Both traditions, however, do share some common ground.  Both of them apparently accept the assumption that God is the kind of person who needs to have merit presented to Him before He will decide to bless the sinner with eternal life.  The Lutherans suggest that this merit is found only in Christ; the Catholics say it comes from Christ's work in the believer.  But in either case God must be appeased or satisfied with a certain amount of merit.

But what if merit simply isn't the issue?  What if we see the sin problem not as a shortage of merit but as a shattered relationship?  To solve the problem, then, is to bring us back into a right relationship with God.  As we read in today's text, the Today's English Version has chosen to translate the word in question as "put right with God."  Beyond juggling of merits, it focuses on the real issue: our personal union with the Father!

THE HARD PICTURES

The Lord is a jealous God and avenging, the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.  Nahum 1:2, R.S.V.

When you get your snapshots back from the processors and begin thumbing through them, you probably look for one thing.  You want to make sure that all the portraits of your family and friends are reasonably flattering.  If you are like most people, you won't mount any color prints in the family album that show people with frowns, closed eyes, or unflattering profiles.  You don't want your grandchildren remembering you as a dour-faced specimen.

It can never be said that when God gave us His personal portrait album within the covers of the Bible He had edited out all the difficult and potentially unflattering pictures.  We have the unabridged edition, not just those portraits of a sweetly gentle "grandfather in the sky."  It is inevitable that in selecting 365 Biblical sketches of our Father we should come across some hard pictures, such as the overtly severe passage quoted above.

The question, though, is whether this portrait can be reconciled with all those passages that show God as seeking to win and heal His enemies.  Or can the readers go through the divine photo album, choosing to look only at the more flattering portraits?  (How many of you will want to memorize today's text to quote to your friends?)   What do we do with these hard pictures of a loving God?

Having been a schoolteacher, I can recall occasions when I needed to portray myself to undisciplined students as very severe.  In order to bring order out of chaos, they needed to know that I had painful recourse in mind should they not behave themselves.  But that is not how I wished to be remembered by my students.  And so once they were sitting still enough to listen, I was quick to show them that I prized friendly interaction, gentle words, and an atmosphere of freedom and love.  In their maturity, however, they would have taken advantage of that approach had it been the only one they had seen.

Throughout the Old Testament, God often was trying to bring some order into the lives of people who had respect for only those who would inflict pain on the disobedient.  In His love for them God risked portraying Himself in that light in order that the people might take Him seriously and come to appreciate His true qualities of gracious love.

THE SIN OF NONINVOLVEMENT

On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth, and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.  Obadiah 11, R.S.V.

I was shocked as I read the newspaper account of a woman who was stabbed to death while at least twenty onlookers refused to become involved.  The article speculated as to why anyone would just stand by and watch someone being murdered.  Having interviewed several of those present, the writer concluded that fear was not the main factor for their noninvolvement.  Most were simply indifferent.

Even more surprising is the fact that such noninvolvement is so common in today's society.  "It's none of my business!" has become a maxim for people wishing to escape any accountability for their fellowman.  They walk away free because it was not their hands that spilled blood.  Free, but not innocent.  This is the essence of Obadiah's prophecy.

Only twenty-one verses long, Obadiah foretells the downfall of the Edomites, the descendants of Esau.  A closer look at the passage reveals a picture of our consistent Father who tells the truth about the results of our actions.  In verse 15 He predicted, "As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head" (N.I.V.).

The sin of the Edomites was that they "stood aloof" while their kinsmen, Israel, fell into the hands of foreign enemies.  In God's opinion, it was the same as if they themselves had accomplished it.  "You were like one of them," He declared.  By their noninvolvement, they, in fact, were acting as allies to their heathen neighbors.  And, because of the nature of these neighbors, it was only a matter of time before they, too, would be attacked.  "All your allies will force you to the border; your friends will deceive and overpower you; those who eat your bread will set a trap for you, but you will not detect it" (verse 7, N.I.V.).

God was simply telling them the truth.  They were bringing all this upon themselves.  Because He would not intervene on their behalf, even as they had not intervened on behalf of the house of Jacob, He spoke in terms of accepting the accountability for all that would happen to them.  It must not be forgotten, however, that God would be acting the part of a gentleman.  He would not intervene because they wanted no part of Him.

THE SURPASSING WORTH

Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ.  Phil. 3:8, R.S.V.


Christian history is filled with moving chronicles of people who have given up almost everything in order to become Christians.  Members of royalty have given up their rights to the throne; the wealthy have given up their palaces; children have been disowned by their parents; and for more than nineteen hundred years, many have given up life itself.

When Paul speaks of having "suffered the loss of all things" in exchange for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, we readily start a mental listing of what he might have given up.  His privileges as a Pharisee?  Perhaps a family inheritance?  Some speculate he even forfeited his marriage, since his wife may not have followed him into Christianity.

We may be surprised to learn, however, that in the context of today's passage, this isn't the type of "giving up" that Paul is speaking about.  He was willing to cast aside as worthless garbage, not only money and prestige but all the hoped-for gain that his former style of religious experience had promised him.  As a sinner before God, he was laying aside as worthless every prop, every merit, every trusted spiritual advantage that all of his well-honed religious zeal had supposed to give him.  For years he had learned to trust these well-done works.  To step away from dependence upon them would be far more traumatic than a child's first bicycle ride without his training wheels.

But Paul had found something of surpassing worth: that the essential genius of Christianity does not center in man's performance, but in union with a Person.  And he discovered that the whole premise of religion being man's endeavors to impress or appease God, that God might change toward man, must be thrown on the dung-heap.  In knowing Jesus Christ, he learned that God Himself is already utterly devoted to man, that religion is Jesus' endeavor to get man to change toward God!  This relationship of loving trust with one's Creator--which Paul calls "faith"--is itself man's rightful condition.  This is "righteousness by faith," infinitely preferred to the supposed righteousness of man's works done to try to establish that relationship.

No wonder Paul could say, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice" (Phil. 4:4, R.S.V.).

MOVED BY THE SPECTACULAR

One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole world followed the beast with wonder.  Rev. 13:3, R.S.V.

If you have found yourself subjected to prime-time television lately, you may have noticed a curious trend.  It seems that virtually all of the thud and blunder thriller programs must have at least one high-speed car hurtling through the air, then crashing in explosive flames--all viewed in slow motion, of course.  The producers apparently believe that the viewers simply won't tune them in again if their pulse doesn't race at least once during the show.  Having been jaded through the years by lesser dramatic sequences, it takes much larger doses of the spectacular to move the modern viewer past a yawn.

A similar trend is happening in the world of religion.  In recent years there has been an increasing number of paractionitioners of stunning Christianity.  "Faith healings," flamboyant preachers, dramatic dreams, and various forms of the miraculous have drawn many adherents.  In too many cases that which "wows" the senses has had far more impact than that which wins the reason.  A God who does things decently and in order has been discredited by people who claim to be His followers.

John the revelator has foretold a time in the final throes of earth's history when Satan will stage a great false religious revival.  Virtually the whole earth will be moved to worship an entity called the beast (Rev. 13:1-8).  But the people are not moved by adoration of its fine qualities of character.  Many will simply say, "Who can fight against it?" (verse 4, R.S.V.).

Rather than for me to name any current religious organization as "the beast," let the reader simply take note: Any organization that is so slender on truth that it must make its case by the help of political power, by constant appeal to the miraculous, and by intimidation of nonadherents is alien to the methods of Jesus Christ.  But let the reader also take note that the decision will not be a simple one!  It will be particularly trying, even overwhelming, for those who have allowed their mental faculties to become oriented to the spectacular rather than to the unadorned word of God.

Respecting the thoughtful dignity of His intelligent friends, Jesus longs for people to worship Him "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24), not in adrenalin and in amazement.  After all, we don't worship a beast!

THE THRILL OF BELONGING

The Spirit you have received is not a spirit of slavery leading you back into a life of fear, but a Spirit that makes us sons, enabling us to cry "Abba! Father!"  Rom. 8:15, N.E.B.

Many of us recall from the earlier decades of this century the sweet stories that were popular both in the fiction and the nonfiction markets.  A familiar theme was the story of the charming little orphan girl, raised in a barren orphanage by a severe matron, who was discovered by a loving (and usually wealthy) family.  The family would, of course, surmount all obstacles, adopt her, and take her home to live happily ever after.

Perhaps many readers tearfully enjoy this genre of literature because it answers to a deep longing in our hearts to be "claimed" by a loving, satisfying person.  We fear nothing more than that we shall be passed by when the human race chooses its friends.  To be "orphaned" can mean so much more than to be without living biological parents.  Our neighborhoods are filled with emotional orphans--the neglected, the unclaimed, the inconsequential residue of a busy society.

Those with spiritual eyesight will quickly recognize that there is no more traumatic condition than to be without a spiritual Father.  The vast ugliness of the whole human condition reveals that being spiritual orphans is far more than just an emotional cloud.  It is an actual cause of real woe and destruction.

So Paul says that when the Spirit goes to work He gets right down inside the deepest part of our minds and prompts us to turn toward God and to speak to Him as we now see Him.  And we call Him "Daddy!"--probably the best modern idiom for that ancient Aramaic word abba.  It is a specially chosen word, conveying the confidence of a warm, secure sense of belonging.  It is the word Jesus used when talking to His Father during prayer.  (See Mark 14:36.)

When God solves the sin problem in our lives, He gets to the root of the matter.  He claims us; He adopts us; He sends His Spirit to tell us "that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:16, 17, R.S.V.).

And this, good friends, is not a piece of literary fiction!

LASTING JOY

The seed sown on rock stands for those who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but have no root; they are believers for a while, but in the time of testing they desert.  Luke 8:13, N.E.B.


Today's passage, in which Jesus is explaining a part of the parable of the sower, describes people somewhat like the little girl who was looking forward to going to a birthday party because she had a suspicion it was going to be a surprise party for herself.  She discovered when she got there that it was indeed a surprise party.  But it was for someone else.  Her joy quickly vanished, and sulkingly she left early.

Hearing the word of Christ certainly is a joyful experience!  And at first hearing it does appear to be good news--just about me!  I am loved.  I am forgiven, accepted by God as though I never had sinned.  I have a beautiful mansion waiting just for me in a place I certainly will enjoy.  I can have my prayers answered, my problems solved, my illnesses cured.  No wonder I could enthusiastically embrace such a message!

But something about this type of gospel (as Jesus said) is without root.  Though it brings immediate joy, it has no staying power because ultimately the "good news" is not about me.  It is about God.  The religious experience that is rooted in who He is, has the depth nourishment to keep on growing, the motivations to become more like Him.

Unlike the little girl at the birthday party, however, there is no reason to slink into the darkness, because the celebration of the good news about our God brings showers of good news upon ourselves.  When I find Him to be, by His very nature, the Forgiver, guess who gets to be forgiven!  When I settle in sure confidence that He is tender and wise, my own life is warmed and guided.  But my confidence is rooted in something much greater than my own experiences.

The parable of the sower emphasizes the privilege of the new Christian to move beyond the seedling stage into maturity.  The joy of the early believer is not in itself adequate basis for lasting loyalty.  Unless we move on to a truly God-centered experience, we are vulnerable to discouragement when the rush of early joy turns placid.  Nothing in this universe, however, is more lastingly joyous than to be rooted in Christ Jesus!

GOD'S MAN IN A SECULAR WORLD

I am told that the spirit of God Most Holy lives in you, and that you are known for your perception, intelligence, and marvelous wisdom.  Dan. 5:14, Jerusalem.

When we think of people who "work for the Lord," we often think first of clergymen or others on the payroll of a church or religious organization.  We seldom think of one who punches in on a factory time clock.  We may be even less likely to think of a high government official, especially in a monarchical government.

Fortunately, our creative God does not draw the same arbitrary lines between the sacred and the secular that we often draw.  He wants His principles and compassion to flow through every aspect of human endeavor, and He wants His people to be the channels.

We see in Daniel a prime example of God's desires to infiltrate the world outside of the church with His touch.  Though we often call him "the prophet Daniel," he was known in his own time primarily as a highly esteemed statesman.  And even though God worked a few miracle elements into his rapid rise to power, he held onto his high rank through three successive monarchs because of the quality of the person he had become through his relationship with God.

It is true that Daniel spent much time in prayer.  But it is also true that he took the power and perspective of prayer with him into his secular assignments.  He influenced the course of an empire because he saw such influence as a natural expression of his spiritual life.  Among what we would call secular dignitaries, he revealed God even when he was not talking about God or about overtly religious matters.

Many people who may never see themselves as setting a foot inside a church door are intellectually hungry for better answers, emotionally starving for authentic relationships, and genuinely committed to improving the lot of humanity.  If we Christians really believe that we have the best answers around, we should confidently carry those answers out of the church door and into the open marketplace, where they can be appreciated for their practical merit by honest people.  The same concepts of honesty, fairness, compassion, and respect for human dignity that make a church such a warmly healing environment would be eagerly appreciated by an office staff as well.

God wants Daniel-like friends who, like yeast in the dough, can influence the whole world!

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

"I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity."  Jonah 4:2, N.I.V.

Most children who attend Sunday school hear about Jonah.  Most of the time, it's the whale that gets top billing.  Adults wonder if such a thing could really happen.  Maybe that's where the expression "It sounds a little fishy!" originated.  At any rate it's a story about a man who thought God was too good to be true.

Very little is known about Jonah.  Perhaps the most qualifying statement about him is found near the end of the book that bears his name.  After all the hassle of sending Jonah to a Gentile city to foretell its impending destruction at the hand of God, God had not destroyed Nineveh.  Jonah is pouting.  "I knew it all along!" he told God.  "That's why I didn't want to go there in the first place!  I knew You were too loving to go through with destroying them.  I'm so embarrassed; I wish I were dead!" (See Jonah 4:1-3.)

Jonah knew God!  He knew that God was slow to anger and ready to forgive.  Then why had he worked up such a head of stem because God had indeed forgiven that repenting, heathen city?  We can readily see that his pride got in the way, but let's examine the situation more closely.  The truth may hit much closer to home than we first imagined.

Jonah was a member of a family whose name meant "true."  Jonah True was proud of his lineage, secure in his religion.  No doubt he was a model Israelite in his time.  A separatist at heart, he looked upon the surrounding Gentiles with disdain.  He would have preferred that God simply rid the world of these heathen, but he had evidently come to know that God did not feel the same way.

Sadly, Jonah had not allowed his knowledge of God's character to draw him into friendship with the Almighty.  He had not been changed by interaction with Divinity.  "Right," to his mind, was defined by statute and law, not by the deeper demands of unconditional love.  And so, for Jonah True, it was more important that what he said turn out to be right than it was for repenting sinners to find forgiveness.

I am glad that God is too good to be like Jonah True, aren't you?