Ethics

Ethics! When we hear the word ethics, many different ideas or pictures might come to our mind. When we read the word ethics, maybe the class we had in High School or college come to our mind. When we see an article on ethics, the words integrity or moral conduct might be there. When we hear someone say the word ethics, maybe topics like money, sex, law, or conduct are brought to the fought of our minds. Ethics is a very common word and idea, so multiple topics at once could arise when it is discussed.

Ethics is a broad subject. Consequently, I can’t write everything there is on ethics. Books have been written on ethics. Classes and whole college degrees focus on ethics. And there is not enough space in this small article to discuss everything there is in the field of ethics. My goal with the space remaining is to point to the reality that every human has an ethical code and as Christians, we must think through where our ethical code comes from.

Webster’s Dictionary defines ethics as; “moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conduct of an activity”. In a simplified way, ethics is a moral code for why we do what we do and why we believe what we believe. Why do we find murder wrong? Our ethics tells us, murder is wrong. Why does being generous with the poor and less fortunate, become something good done? Our ethical code tells us that helping others is a good act. The ethical code or moral law of our mind (individually) is what tells us as people what is both good and what is bad. Ethics dictates much of what is done in this world and what we do as individuals.

First, this means that every single person has an ethical law or moral code (inside them) that tells them what is right and what is wrong. We as human beings are not neutral or “amoral” beings. We as humans do not do something without a cause or without a guide. Whether it is something in our mind that gives us a clue. Or something deep within our heart (emotions/affection) that lead us. We as human beings are always going about our lives and choices because of something inside us. This means, in one sense, no human being has a “free” will to do anything they want to do. Humans are always being driven and making decisions by the code or mind inside them.

As a father, I protect my children, not because it just happened to be that way, but because I know protecting them is a good thing. As a neighbor, I do not throw dog poop at others, not because I do not have any, but because I know throwing dog poop is a wrong action. The conscience in my mind or the desire in my heart is what dives my actions. And it is my ethical code or moral law that dictates my conscience and desires.

We see major problems with this today, as the world fights over what the individual ethical code says is right and wrong. Many individuals find homosexuality as wrong because that is their ethical code. Many people find abortion to be a heinous crime because their moral code tells them it is evil. Certain individuals find euthanasia or mass human genocide as bad, because the ethical code inside their conscience is screaming at them. The world today fights over ethics, because each individual person is driven inside them by a different ethical code.

This leads to the second point of this article, where does the ethical code we have come from?  Yes, we as humans are individuals. But, in our make-up, we are human individuals who learn. A baby learns how to talk from watching its parents. A son learns how to mow the lawn from watching and instruction from his dad. A daughter learns how to put make-up on from watching and listening to her mother. As individual humans, we learn, grow and are informed through the world and people around us. The same is true for the ethical code inside us.

Culture teaches the individual ethics, both in what is acceptable and what actions are not acceptable. When a culture shifts through the movement of the majority, the cultural influence on the ethical code will shift. Culture teaches ethics through mass media, the publicly circle, or through Hollywood and other forms of entertainment. Many human individuals learn through the culture they live in, what is the ethical code of conduct and belief.

School and education teaches individuals what the ethical codes of life are. By educating students, both on the knowledge for life, and the actions involved with that knowledge, students can learn what is right in the world and what is wrong in the world. In school, words like tolerance, good, free, right, and choice are all taught. The education system is designed to teach the ethical and moral code of its students.

Family and the home can teach the individual ethical code. Parents teach their children what is right and wrong. Grandparents inform their family what is acceptable behavior and what actions are unacceptable. Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and siblings, all can inform the other individual family members what the moral code of life is.

And finally, God can teach and inform the individual what the ethical code of life is. God speaks to His Creation through His Word and communicates with the human individual what is right belief and action and what is wrong belief and sinful actions. God informs all He created what the ethics of His world must be.

This second point, combines with the first point, to pose the question I want to leave this article with. We all are ethical beings that do actions and hold beliefs based upon our ethical code. The question is, which arena has the largest influence on our ethical code; the culture, school, the family, or God? Check what we value, what actions we do frequently, the desires or appetites of our heart, and the purity of our minds. Checking these four areas will tell us, what arena has influenced our ethical law. My hope and prayer, as Christians, is that our ethical code and moral law is being influence solely by God, the one who Created us, saved us, and sustains us in a life of good and bad.

First place to do it. Theology pt.2

In my last post in this "doing theology" series, I explained 5 ways that we must not do theology. Today I want to think through the source of our "doing theology".

Before we do, keep in mind these four important points that are critical for understanding this series on "doing theology". First, theology is the knowledge of God, the Bible, Jesus, sin, salvation, the Holy Spirit, and all the other topics the Bible brings to light. Second, every single person is a theologian. Third, theology is the center and heart of a Christian, in that, what a person knows and thinks always drives what they do (more on this in a later post). Fourth, to do theology refers to both studying theology and living theology.

As Christians, where must our theology begin? This is the most important question for the Christian faith. As Christians, we are theologians. We know God exists. We know Jesus was a real human being. We know God gave us His Word. We know we are saved from something for something. We know there is a future. We know there is still a serious problem in the world. We know God is the Creator. We know humans are unique, in Creation. We know there is a spiritual world. We know God is the Holy Spirit. And we know God's people together are the church. We know many important truths, which means we are all theologians, whether we will admit it or not. (To reject being a theologian or to deny a need for theological understanding is to simply be a poor/wrong theologian; it doesn't change the fact we are theologians).

The questions with the truths/doctrines we know, are now numerous. Where do we get the knowledge of what we know? Is what we know actually true and right? Where can we turn to grow in our knowledge of what we know? Can we actually know more than we know now? Is knowing more and growing in knowledge, important? And the list of questions with what we actually know, as Christians (our theology), goes on.

To do theology, to get theology correct, and to live obedient lives to God (sound faithful lives), we all must begin as Christians realizing we are all theologians. No, we do not have to be paid or preach to be theologians. No, we do not have to be great writers or readers to be theologians. But every single person (who calls themselves a Christian) has thoughts and knowledge about the doctrines listed in the above paragraph. To know God (in anyway), to have a working knowledge of God and His actions, and to understand even the most basic element of God (i.e. He is good) is to be a theologian. As Christians we know we are saved. That makes us theologians, even in the most basic sense.

The point is, we have to get our theological question, our theological growth, and our theological knowledge from a source. The question for the rest of this post, is what is the source for our theology? Where is the first place we must turn, to be "doing theology" correctly.

The answer is the Bible. The Bible is the full revelation of all doctrine/theological fields. The Bible tells us all we need to know about; God, itself, Jesus, salvation, sin, the Holy Spirit, humanity, the beginning, the end, whats next, and every other field of knowledge that brings theological understanding. If the Bible is the full and total revelation from God, revealing all that He wants us to know and understand about all areas of theology, the Bible is the place that begins and is the source of true theological knowledge or "doing theology".

This means, to do theology correctly the Bible is central. Building sound and right theology comes from the Bible. Studying and understanding the Bible, is not only possible, it is every Christian's calling and privilege. If the Bible is God's full revelation of all theology, the Bible will be clear and plain in most aspects of theology, so God's children can grow.

Consequently, to do theology correctly, a person must realize it begins at doing Scripture. Reading and growing from the Bible, is growing theologically. Take our theological knowledge back to the Bible is doing Scripture and growing in God. Taking our theology and comparing it to what the Bible says, functions like a theological spiral in that our theology is continually examined and evaluated, yet also growing and transformed, which leads to more examination and evaluation, which in turn leads to more growth and theological understanding. Doing Scripture is the source of doing theology. So we must realize and know, "doing theology" begins at and in the Bible.

The Bible is the source for all right, true, and practical theology. The Bible does not just give information. God did not reveal truth, just to fill the mind. The Bible is clear, knowledge produces being and being is what drives doing. The Bible as the source of all true theology, gives theological points, so theology can be done correctly. The Bible is both the beginning of "doing theology" and the source of "doing theology" correctly.

Someone once wrote, "by divine grace, the serious inquirer of Scripture, earnest for the Spirit's leading, taking full advantage of all the ways God blesses His church-including  weekly hearing of the preached Word, Christian fellowship, and prayer-will come to understand God's Word, God's ways, and God's truth and will bear much fruit". This means, to do theology correctly, one must be a student of God's Word. To do theology in the first place, one must turn to God's Word. To be a theologian that brings glory and praise to God, one must be a lover of God's Word.

The real question is, does our theology come from God's Word or does it come from another place like the world, the culture, human experience, or Satan???

The Necessity of the Atonement

"None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." 

Romans 3:10-18, 23

In my post last week, I defined the atonement as, “God killed His perfect Son to save hate-filled rebels from the wrath they deserved from Him”. Over the next few posts on the atonement, I want to work through this definition, piece by piece, and understand the full depth of the atonement made by Jesus. 

Today we begin where we must begin. We begin with the very first question, was the atonement of Jesus necessary?

The simple answer to this question is yes. I would hope the obvious answer to this first question is yes. The atonement of Jesus was very necessary, if God was going to save His people. But the necessity of the atonement must be understood in its full truth. The necessity of the atonement of Jesus was for 3 very specific reasons. 

First, the atonement was necessary because of the nature of man. The verses listed at the beginning of the post show the core of humanity. Humans are sinful. Humans are totally sinful. All of humanity is totally depraved in their nature. No human seeks after God. No human does good before God. No human is righteous in nature. No human fears who God is. All humans sin because they are sinners in nature. As my definition of the atonement states, humanity is "hate-filled rebels" of God. Sin but more importantly, the sin/depraved nature of humans makes the atonement necessary. 

"Sin is essentially the resolve, the mad, utterly blameworthy, but nonetheless utterly firm resolve, to play god and fight the real God", as J.I Packer states. Sin is an unbelief about God. Sin is an action that goes against God. Sin is cosmic treason against God. Sin is a defiant act towards God. As Packer also states, "sin wishes that God didn't exist at all". Sin is the problem of humanity. Yet sin as an action comes from the very core of the human nature. Sin is done because sin is the nature. As someone once said, "we sin because we are sinners, not we are sinners because we sin". The very nature (fallen, dead, depraved) of humanity is the first reason that the atonement was necessary. 

Second, the atonement was necessary because God is holy. The reference point, the beginning point, and the starting point of defining and looking at sin, must always begin with a holy God. God defines sin as anything done against or contrary to His nature. God's nature is one of holiness. God is without sin. God never does a sin. God is clean, pure, free from sin. God as holy, means He is pure and far removed from sin. God as a holy, morally good being (all the time) means sin can't be in His presence and a sinful being must be far removed from His presence. 

God is also perfectly just. The Bible continually links God's holiness and His justice together. God as just means he must always punish the sin does against Him. God as just means he can't look over or brush sin under the rug. God as just means He will always act fairly and give everyone what they deserve. God as just means when His holiness is made dirty because of sin (of humanity), He must deal out punishment and payment for the sin done against Him. This means the second reason the atonement was necessary was because of God's perfect nature of holiness and justice. 

Both the first and second reasons for the atonement, lead to the third reason for the atonement. Third, the atonement was necessary was because God's perfect wrath against human nature had to be satisfied. The human sin nature demanded the just wrath of God. The holy nature of God demanded the dirt of human nature must be cleansed. The justice of God demanded the payment for sin done against God. The wrath of God had to be satisfied for God to save His people (more on the satisfaction of the atonement in a future post). Simply put, for God to remain perfect, He had to receive a payment for the sin of His people done against Him, to bring them salvation. 

God, to remain perfect God, must receive satisfaction for the sin done against His holiness. God receives this payment when a person satisfies His wrath for their sin. Therefore, the place called Hell exist. In hell, a sinner will satisfy the wrath of God for their sin, for all eternity. But God decreed and elected a people to save from this eternal wrath. So, a substitute must stand in the place of the elect to satisfy this wrath of God. Enter Jesus Christ, the only perfect substitute for the elect to meet the demand of God's wrath being satisfied. The atonement was necessary so that God could remain perfect in His holiness and justice, yet perfectly receive satisfied payment for the sin of the elect done against Him. Thus, the atonement was necessary for the salvation/reconciliation of a holy God to a "hate-filled rebel". 

There are multiple other connections and reasons for the necessity of the atonement of Jesus. But every other necessary reason for the atonement, goes back to one of these three larger reasons. Humans are sinners in nature. God is a holy just God in nature. A holy just God demands satisfaction for the sinful nature of humanity. So, the atonement was necessary for these reasons. 

But here is the point I want to leave us with today. God did not have to plan the atonement. God did not have to send Jesus. Jesus did not have to die. Jesus did not have to act as a substitute and satisfy His Father. As much as the atonement was necessary for these 3 reasons, a holy God could have chosen to not save a single person by the atonement. Yet, God loved the elect so much, He chose (before anything else in time) to make a way to save His loved children. Because God, in love, chose to save a people for Himself, he planned, from eternity past, to send Jesus to atone for the sin of the elect. Because God is love, He fulfilled the three necessities of the atonement through the death of His very own Son, by killing Him on the cross and meeting the demands of His character and having His wrath against sin, satisfied. This leads to my next post asking the question, "why was the atonement so costly"? 

How not to do it. Theology Pt.1

Today, I would like to begin a series of posts over the next few weeks, on the topic of theology. Here are a few important points as we begin this series. First, theology is the study (an increased knowledge of) God, the Bible, Jesus, sin, salvation, the Holy Spirit, and all the other topics the Bible brings to light. Second, every single person is a theologian (more on this in a later post). Third, theology is the center and heart of a Christian, in that, what a person knows and thinks always drives what they do (more on this in a later post also). Fourth, to do theology is the point of both studying theology and living theology. 

Keeping these 4 points in mind, today, I would like to spend a few moments thinking through a few important ways that a person will do theology wrong. I find there are 5 large ways a person will do theology wrong, in both how they study and in how they live out their theological beliefs. 

1)We do theology wrong when we think we do not do theology. 

Every single person is a theologian. Even the professing atheist is a theologian. Every person has thoughts on God. Everyone has a position on Jesus. All of humanity knows something is terribly wrong. Every person has a way of thinking about human salvation. To attempt to deny we are theological beings, is to deny the essence of humanity. This means, everyone has theological thoughts on life, faith, and being. 

Every single person is driven by what they think or believe. If I believe the Steelers are the best sports team, I watch them. If I think Chevy is the best car brand, I buy a Chevy. If I know I need sugar, I eat a candy bar. If I want the best deal because I think money is important, I look for a sale. Every single human is driven by what they think, know, and believe. 

Both points mean, every single human being does theology. To reject the fact we do theology, is to do theology incorrectly. We must realize we are all theologians and know we do theology. We must realize we do theology and seek to do it correctly. We must spend significant time studying theological truths and understanding how to apply them. To not do theology incorrectly, we must realize we all do theology. 

2)We do theology wrong when we do it solo scriptura.

Solo scriptura means, reading, studying, interpreting the Bible alone. The Bible was not written to individuals, but to God's people as a group. The Bible can't be obeyed in isolation. The Bible cannot be applied on an island. The Bible was written so God's people would know what faith and a life delighting in God looks like. All of this means, the Bible is not a book that should be studied or understood alone. 

To not do theology incorrectly, we must turn to others to help us understand. Yes, each believer has the Holy Spirit to help illuminate the Scriptures. Yes, every believer is part of the royal whole priesthood of the saints. Yes, many verses in the Bible are plain and simple for each person to know. But, if we can't live out the Bible alone, we also can't study and know the Bible alone. Theology is meant to be done as a group, with others, in the church. 

Which this leads to the next point....

3)We do theology wrong, when we only listen to a select few people. 

The problem many humans have is they only listen to a select few people on any given subject. For example, I only listen to certain commentators. I only read certain magazines. I only buy certain books. I only watch certain movies. I only listen to certain podcast. Life, time, money, resources, and abilities, are all limited, so in those limits, we as humans only focus on certain aspects. This limitation is ok in many ways. But when it comes to theology, limiting ourselves to certain voices can be a problem. 

To be a teachable person is critical for the Christian life. I am fully convinced, if we are not teachable, we are probably not a Christian (I know that sounds harsh). To be teachable, to be humble, and to be a learner, are all essentials for the Christian life. And to truly be teachable, the student does not pick the teacher, they are given to them by the sovereign hand of God. To be a student and learn, we must learn from many different voices. We must learn from people we agree with. We must learn from those who challenge us. We must learn from the unexpected. And we must even learn from people we don’t agree with. To be a true student of the Word, we must learn from a wide range of voices. 

To do theology correctly, we must not narrow or limit those we learn from. Yes, we can listen to those we agree with. Listening and learning from those we agree with is a good thing and grows our theology. But we must also listen to those we do not agree with. To truly know where we stand, we must also know the other side. To truly have strong convictions (leading to actions) we must understand the other positions. To defend our faith well, we must know how the other side defends. To do theology correctly, we must be open to and listen to all voices. 

4)We do not theology correctly when we do it only in the virtual world. 

God has given His people flesh and blood bodies, not just minds and souls. God has given His people flesh and blood churches. Yes, when God saves us, He puts us in the universal, invisible church. But God also saves us and puts us in a local visible church. The Bible is a real, physical book. Yes, the Bible has spiritual truths. But the Bible and its truths change how we physical carry out our lives. The Christian life is lived out in the visible real world. 

This means we must do theology in the physical visible world. Yes, learning, reading, listening, and studying theology, in the invisible plains of the internet and social media can be helpful. But studying the Scriptures, reading books, listening to live preachers, and interacting with physical humans, is critical to do theology the right way. We are part of a local visible church, so we must do theology with our visible church. We have physical Bibles, so we must spend time turning the pages and reading its words. To do theology in a way that truly transforms and sanctifies us, we must do theology in the physical world. 

5)We do not do theology correctly when we think we have it all figured out. 

This world is fallen. This world is broken. This world is full of sin. This world is going to decay and die and eventually be transformed by God at the end of time. As Christians, we will not be glorified until after we die. Sanctification is an ongoing process, where we are growing and being transformed more each day. We will never have all things figured out in this life. We will always have more room to grow. We will always have more sin to kill. We will always have more to learn. To do theology correctly, we must remain humble and continue to learn and grow in God. 

As humans, we fell from glory because of our pride. As sinners, we sin daily because of the pride of our hearts. As Christians, we repent daily from the pride we commit against God. Pride is a continual wrestling match in our lives. We cannot let pride ruin our doing theology. We must remain humble as we grow. We must remain teachable as we learn. We must realize the truth, we will always have more to learn. A true Biblical theologian is a person who is a growing, learning, humble theologian. To do theology correctly is to continue to grow through doing theology. 

These are the top 5 ways, we do not do theology correctly. If we can master these 5 problems of doing theology, we will be a true theologian and a theologian who glorifies God and is enjoying Him forever.  

The Chief End of God

Yesterday, I was posed a question in my reading, "What is the chief end of God"? 

This question was connected to the question, "what is the chief end of man"? The chief end of man, as the answer goes, "is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever". This question and answer comes from the first question and answer of the Westminster Confession of Faith. The question and answer are dealing with the point of man's existence. Man exists to glorify God and enjoy Him. God created man, so humanity would glorify Him and enjoy Him. Everything that we, as humans should do, is glory in God and enjoy Him. Yes, sin and the fall have really messed up the purpose of man. But none the less, man was created to glorify God and enjoy Him. 

So, if the point of man's existence is to glorify God and enjoy Him, what is the point of God? What is God's greatest and most important activity? Or to say it like the question does, "what is the chief end of God"? 

God's chief end is to glorify Himself and enjoy Himself above all else. That is the simple, yet profound answer for what is the chief end of God. 

This answer might seem selfish, sinful, and incorrect. We as humans, even as Christians, think God exists for us. We think God is solely focused on our lives. We think God cares the most about us. We think God loves us above all else. We, as humans, even as Christians, think that the chief end of God is us (either humans or His children). 

The problem is, if we were the chief end of God, we would then be God ourselves. If we were the chief end of God, He would be worshiping us, and we would have to worship ourselves. If we were the chief end of God, when we worship God, we would be worshiping an idol. 

For God to be God, His chief end must be Himself. For God to command us to worship Him, He must worship Himself above all else. For God to decree we give Him glory in everything, He must care about His own glory above all else. For God to tell us to love Him first, He must love Himself first. For God to be God, He must the greatest glory, the highest love, and the supreme being in desire, and that includes Himself on Himself. For God to be God, His chief end must be Himself. 

So, if the chief end of God, is to glory and enjoy Himself above all else. Our chief end as Christians must also be to glorify God and enjoy Him above all else. God sets the standard for our actions. God commands what he already does. God decrees what we must do, because He has already been doing it for eternity. The chief end of God is the same thing as the chief end of man. God's chief end and man's chief end, is to glorify and enjoy God forever. The real question is not what is our chief end, but are we fulfilling our chief end? 

The Atonement

Today, I would like to begin a series of post, over the next weeks, on the doctrine of the atonement. The atonement is a doctrine that we do not think much about. The atonement is a doctrine that we do not read much about. The atonement is sadly, a doctrine that when taught clearly from the Bible, comes under fire. The doctrine of the atonement, as clearly taught from Scripture, has been called; “cosmic child abuse”, a “heinous crime”, and “totally misunderstood”. Sadly, most Christian today either reject the doctrine of the atonement, do not understand it, or get squeamish and hide from it. Thinking through the doctrine of the atonement and its implications, is an important action to do.

First, the word “atone” or an atoning action is “to make amends”.  Webster’s dictionary defines the word atonement as, “the reconciliation of God and man through the death of Jesus Christ; reparation for an offense”. The word atonement is scattered all over the Bible, both in pictures/illustrations and in defining what it is. The verb to “atone” for someone is used throughout the Bible. The adjective, “atoned” is used multiple times in the Bible to describe a person. The noun “atonement” is used both in the Old Testament and pointed to in the New Testament, both by the Gospel writers and the Apostle Paul. The Bible is very clear on the definition of the once for all atonement in, “God killed His perfect Son to save hate-filled rebels from the wrath they deserved from Him”.

Think through that definition of the atonement again. God killed His perfect Son to save hate-filled rebels from the wrath they deserved from Him. This definition of the atonement gives all the pieces of the atonement I want to think through in the these posts. The atonement is necessary to save hate-filled rebels. The atonement was an act where Jesus propitiated the Father’s wrath. The atonement was an act where Jesus redeemed His enemies. The atonement was an act where God was able to justify sinners. The atonement was an act where Jesus reconciled hate-filled rebels back to the Father. The atonement was an act where Jesus substituted Himself in the place of sinners and for the punishment for sin. The atonement is the very heart of the Gospel.

Yet through all these amazing things declared in the doctrine of the atonement, we as Christians run from it as much as we can. There have been many false and heretical teachings of the atonement. Many people believe the atonement was a “ransom act where Jesus bought sinners from Satan”. There is a heretical view that the atonement of Christ was only a morally influencing act where Jesus did not have to die for sin but changed the heart of the Father when He gave His life. The most common heretical view of the atonement is the example teaching, where Jesus died to give His followers an example to follow. The final and newest theory of the atonement, that is clearly wrong, is the governmental theory, where God did not require an atonement for sin, but Jesus was killed anyway, and God used it to forgive sin. All these views and teachings on the atonement of Jesus are wrong and refuted by Scripture, yet Christian's run (rejected, hide) from the clear teaching that God satisfied His wrath for sin, on His Son.

The atonement is foundational to the Christian life. To believe in Jesus, one must believe in His mission to satisfy the wrath of the Father for sin. To believe in God, one must believe that God sent His Son as a payment for sin. To call ourselves Christian, we must believe the truth of the atonement that God did not spare His Son but gave Him up as our Substitute. To delight in God, we must understand the greatest gift He ever gave, the gift of the life of His son, on our behalf. To worship Jesus, we must understand the greatest reason we worship, the truth of the penal substitutionary atonement.

Think through it one more time, the atonement is; “God killed His perfect Son to save hate-filled rebels from the wrath they deserved from Him”. If the doctrine of the atonement does not lead us to study it more, love God greater, and worship Jesus better, we have truly not understood it, rejected it, or hid from it. To rightly know the doctrine of the atonement, it must lead us to love God greater, worship Jesus better, and learn more about the act where God saved His enemies through the giving of His perfect Son on the Cross. 

Shema

This past Sunday, my Sunday School class took a break from our study of the Bible and its literary style, to think deeper about an important Hebrew word. As a class, we learned together, what the Hebrew word, "shema" means and discussed why it is an important word to know.

"Shema" in the most basic sense means to hear or listen. "Shema" also can and must be translated and understood to mean obey. See, in the Hebrew language, there is no word that means to obey. In Hebrew when a person was told to do something, given a command by the Lord, or instructed in the ways of the Lord, they were told to "shema" or listen and obey. This usage of the word "shema" can be found in places like; Exodus 19:4, Deuteronomy 5:1, and Proverbs 22:17.

"Shema" is also used in the Bible to refer to God hearing the prayers, desires, cries, and needs of His people and acting on them. When Leah gave birth to her second son (Genesis 29:33), Simeon, she declared the Lord heard (shema) my prayers and answered her cry (Simeon is the noun form of "shema"). This use of "shema" can be found in other places like; Psalm 27:7 and Psalm 94:9.

A third use of the word "shema" is used by the prophets when they tell God, His people hear but do not obey. This use of "shema" means the people of God do not really hear, becasue if they heard what God was saying, they would be obeying what God is saying. This use of "shema" can be found in places like; Jeremiah 6:10 and Isaiah 6:8-10.

This third use of the word "shema" was the main focus of our discussion. We know God hears and acts on our behalf as His people. But the question we thought deeply about, on Sunday, was, do we actually hear the Lord?

In English, we have separate words for listen and obey. In English, especially as Americans, we think we can hear a person and then decide if we want to obey what they are telling us to do. We as American's have separated the act of listening and obeying. This has created generations of people who think they have a choice to submit to God's Word. This has created generations of Christians who never really listen to the preacher. This dichotomy of listening and obeying, has created a generation that is full of arrogance and pride, thinking they have the right to chose to obey what they are listening to.

But the Hebrew culture, the Bible's culture and the culture Jesus grew-up in, did not have a dichotomy between listening and obey. This culture understood the truth that to actually listen to God's Word is to submit and obey God's Word. If a person was not submitting to God's Word being taught and obeying all that God commanded, they never heard it to begin with. To listen is to obey. To hear is to submit. In the Bible, they are one and the same and will never be separated.

So understanding the Hebrew word, "shema" this past week in Sunday School, brought about a great discussion of submission, humility, and obedience when God's word is being declared. It asked us, as God's people, do we truly listen and hear the Word of God? If we truly hear, we will submit and obey. If we are not submitting and obeying the Word when it is being taught and declared, we have never really heard it to begin with. Our ears are closed, our eyes are shut, and we have a heart that is hard, if we are not "shema"ing the Word of God.

The Test of Loving God

Last week I read a great book; "All Thing for Good" by Thomas Watson. Watson was a Puritan Preacher in 17th century England. This book is his exposition on Romans 8:28. Romans 8:28 reads, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose". Watson, in his exposition, works through what loving God means, what it looks like, and how we can tell when others are actually loving God.

Chapter 5 of the book is entitled, "The Test of Love to God", Watson points to 14 tests that we can ask ourselves to know if we truly love God. Here are the 14 tests for our love for God...

1)The first fruit of love for God is the musing of the mind upon God. 
2)The next fruit of love is the desire for communion with God.
3)Another fruit of love is grief over sin. 
4)Another fruit of love is magnanimity (courage for God). 
5)The fifth fruit of love is sensitiveness. 
6)The sixth fruit of love is hatred toward sin.
7)Another fruit of love is crucifixion to self.
8)The next fruit of love is fear of God.
9)If we are lovers of God, we love what God loves. 
10)Another blessed sign of love is, to entertain good thoughts of God.
11)Another fruit of love is obedience to God. 
12)He who loves God will endeavor to make Him appear glorious in the eyes of others.
13)Another fruit of love is longing for Christ's appearing.
14)Love will make us stoop to the meanest offices. 

Here are a few observations I had reading this chapter and working through this list of 14 tests to see if we love God.

First, many of these tests revolve around the mind. Both Moses, in Deuteronomy, and Jesus, in Matthew, command us to love God with our mind. Do we think deeply about God? Do we ponder God? Do we learn more about God? Do we grow in knowledge of God? Do we spend time reading God in His Word, growing in God, and understanding more about God? If we say yes to these questions, we are loving God with our mind. To clearly love God, to claim to love God, we must love God with our mind. If we do not love God with our mind, we are only fooling and deceiving ourselves and truly do not love God at all.

Second, most of these tests of our love for God, are focused on character and the Christian spirit. What we do with our hands or feet is driving by what we think and feel. Our appetites and affections, drive our choices. What we do with our bodies, comes from the inside of our hearts and minds. If we truly love God on the inside, it will show on the outside. If we have a grief towards sin, we will run from temptation. If we love God with our minds, we will die to ourselves and desires. If we truly have good thoughts running through our minds about God, we will stoop to the lowest low and serve others. The true test of love for God begins and ends on the inside, with our character, attitudes, feelings, and desires.

Third, this list of loving God is very challenging. If the test of love only was entertaining good thoughts about God, I would feel confident I love God most of the time. But loving God also includes obeying Him, growing in the knowledge of Him, making Him glorious to others, and stooping to serve others. These parts of loving God are challenging to put into practice and grow in. Yes, I now know what loving God looks like. But I also realize now that I do not love God as much as I thought I did. This list makes me grieve in how little I love God. Yet this list is helpful in growing my love for God.

So which test of loving God do we fail? Which test of loving God gives us confidence in our love for Him? Which test of loving God do we need to grow in, work on, and be sanctified in? Which test of loving God do we need to pray to God to grow in us? We must rest assured that of we are a child of God, He will always grow our love for Him in us, if we just ask. Do we pray about our love for God?

The Fear of God and Worship

Why do we worship God? Yes, I am referring to worship in its general sense, where we worship God every minute of every day in our thoughts, attitudes, actions, and character. But that question is also referring to worship on a Sunday morning when we gather with our church families. Why do we worship God? 

Well, we probably (if we have theologically thought about it) worship God for numerous reasons. We worship God because He is holy. We worship God because He is Creator. We worship God because He is our Savior. We worship God because He is full of grace and mercy. We worship God because He is King. We worship God because He loves us. We worship God because He is beautiful and magnificent. We worship God because it is our duty. We worship God because we love Him. We worship God because we want to obey Him. We worship God because we delight and find pleasure in Him. We worship God because....and the list must go on. Simply put, we worship God because of who He is, what He has done, and who we are. 

But we can put every single reason we worship God into one large category; God is transcendent, and we are not. 

The picture of God's transcendence is clearest in Isaiah 6. Isaiah 6 is where Isaiah is standing before the throne of God, watching the angels worship His holiness and fully realizes humanity can't stand before God and survive. Isaiah sees the transcendence of God and falls to the ground in fear. This is a good fear. A reverence, honoring, respecting, worshipful fear. But Isaiah is full of fear because of who God is and who he is as a sinful human. This sacred scene with Isaiah forces us to ask ourselves, do we worship God out of His transcendence, infinite character and fear of Him?

God is no different today. God is still fully transcendent and infinite. We as humans are still sinfully finite. Not even the cross of Jesus Christ or our rebirth in the Spirit, takes away God's infinite transcendence or the realization of who we are as humans. In fact, the Cross of Jesus showcases the transcendence of God even more. Only God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, could plan, enact, and apply all that took place on the cross to those who believe. God's infinite character is on display the most in the moments of Jesus substitutionary death. 

These facts point us back to the opening question. Why do we worship God? Because of who God is, what He accomplished for/on us, and who we are, the root of every reason we worship God is a fear of God. To fear the Lord is to worship the Lord. To worship God is to fear God. They are two sides to the same coin. To do one, we must do the other. If we do not fear God, we truly are or never were worshiping God. Yet if we fear the Lord, worship is the most natural and dutiful response. 

Why do we worship God?