You Are What You Eat

Is God concerned with our diet? Well, ‘yes & no’ would most likely be the truth. My family doctor is probably more concerned over my cholesterol level than God is. On the other hand God is interested in what I think about Jesus and in my overall spiritual well being.

 

Paul—The Apostle Shaped in Cilicia

After being run out of Arabia, Damascus and Jerusalem, Paul returned home to Tarsus in Cilicia. He was a citizen of Tarsus (Acts 21:39; 22:3), and this probably meant Paul’s family was at least moderately wealthy, because the civic reforms introduced there cir. 15 CE took away the status of citizenship from all householders who had not accumulated considerable land and wealth.

 

Paul’s Conversion

Paul never really speaks of being ‘converted,’ that is, he never applies the word to himself. However, he often speaks or writes of his transforming experience in meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus. He wrote of it at least three times in his epistles. Luke records this event another three times in Acts. He first records it as an historical event chronologically following on the heels of a very great and cruel persecution throughout Judea (Acts 8:1; 9:1-19). His second and third mentions of it occur in two of Paul’s speeches. The first of these occurred on the steps of the Antonia where Jesus was judged by Pilate. There Paul spoke with an angry Jewish mob who wanted to slay him just as Paul had done to Christians when he was a young man (Acts 22:1-21); and the third was before King Agrippa and Bernice (Acts 26:1-20).

 

What is the Purpose of the Christian Life?

What if the main purpose of being a Christian was not to get out the Gospel?[1] If true, what would this imply? Well, as I see it, it would mean a lot of great big worldwide ministries would not be necessary. But, is it true? First, I should say we are commissioned to preach the Gospel. However, I also need to say this is not the main purpose of my being a Christian. Technically, a non-Christian could spread the Gospel. If it suddenly became a consuming interest of a great many people, the Gospel would be headline news both on TV and in every newspaper around the world. So, technically, just being a Christian is not necessary to spreading the Gospel.

 

Can We See God?

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My thoughts go back at this time to Eden, when man seemed perfectly comfortable living in two worlds—the creation over which God made him lord and the spiritual when he presumably walked with God “in the cool of the day”. Enoch is said to have walked (same Hebrew word) with God (Genesis 5:22), and the implication of the Voice of God searching for Adam “in the cool of the day” (cp. Genesis 3:8) suggest normal, perhaps daily, fellowship[1]

 

They Shall not Learn War Anymore

Where is the peace that has been promised? If Jesus is the Messiah, where is the world peace that should have come? The obvious answer to this question for a Christian is that Jesus certainly made peace between God and mankind, and the matter of world peace between nations will occur when Jesus returns. But, this is a copout to the Jew and to most, if not all, Gentile unbelievers. It seems like we are making excuses for Jesus’ failure to fulfill the office of Messiah when he was here. Why was he here, if not to bring peace between the nations and make Jerusalem the first city of the world? The Jews were supposed to be the conquerors of all their enemies and then peace would envelope the earth. If Jesus is Messiah, what happened?

 

Messiah Was Expected to Atone for Sin

From yesterday’s blog one could understand from the context of Isaiah 53 that it was expected that the Messiah would atone for sin. Yet, modern Judaism repudiates the idea of human sacrifice. Certainly there is some truth in this, but is the doctrine itself wrong or has history abused the idea of human sacrifice, by taking one’s own children or an innocent virgin from the community to sacrifice to a supposed god of whom favor was sought? This type of human sacrifice is, indeed, wrong, but is the teaching wrong? Didn’t the death of the High Priest atone for sin? Didn’t his death permit all who were exiled to the cities of refuge for such sins as manslaughter go free? Let’s take another look at Isaiah 53 to see what the prophet says:

 

The ‘Firstfruits’ of What?

I have read over 1Timoty 1:16 all my life, but I think now that I failed to grasp the truth behind Paul’s statement to Timothy. It seems to me that Paul is differentiating between himself and those who believed Jesus was the Messiah as a result of the Apostles’ Gospel. However, most of us understand that Paul was converted by Jesus Christ, through a very sudden and life changing vision of Jesus’ glory. It is in this context that I now read what Paul says to Timothy. Notice it is a few different translations:

1 Timothy 1:16 WNT  But mercy was shown me in order that in me as the foremost of sinners Christ Jesus might display the fulness of His long-suffering patience as an example to encourage those who would afterwards be resting their faith on Him with a view to the Life of the Ages.

1 Timothy 1:16 TCNT  Yet mercy was shown me for the express purpose that Christ Jesus might exhibit in my case, beyond all others, his exhaustless patience, as an example for those who were afterwards to believe on him and attain Immortal Life.

1 Timothy 1:16 WTNT  Notwithstanding unto me was mercy given, that Iesus Christ should first shew on me all long patience, unto the ensample of them which shall in time to come believe on him unto eternal life.

 

The Restoration of All Things!

I wonder how often we read over things in the Bible that are pregnant with meaning, but we read on unaware of the value contained therein. For example Christ was promised as our Savior in Genesis 3:15. How long were men able to read that Scripture and never understand its meaning? Do we even understand its full value today? God unveils more of its meaning in his promise to Abraham in Genesis 22:18 where he says all the human families of the earth would be blessed in the Seed of Abraham. Was Paul the first to understand that this pointed to the Messiah, Jesus (Galatians 3:16)? Paul wrote about this difficulty in understanding in his second letter to the Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 3:13-15 MKJV  (13)  And we are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of the thing being done away.  (14)  (But their thoughts were blinded; for until the present the same veil remains on the reading of the old covenant, not taken away.) But this veil has been done away in Christ.  (15)  But until this day, when Moses is read, the veil is on their heart.

 

Blood Sacrifice – The Exception

I began this series over a week ago, and today I will conclude it today with this post. I mentioned at the beginning that there was a single exception to the general rule that ‘without blood there was no atonement.’ This exception applies only to the one who is too poor to afford two turtledoves as his sin offering, but as we shall see, even it is no real exception at all! Some have supposed that because Leviticus 5:11-13 allows a sin offering without blood, it then makes Jesus unnecessary as the Blood Offering, of which all offerings under the Mosaic Covenant were a type. Let’s look at the Scripture.

 

Reconsidering Two Matters

In earlier blogs in this series I wrote about seeking to buy eternal life and the question of God wanting mercy in the place of blood sacrifice. Before concluding this series, I think I should discuss two Scriptures having to do with these two subjects. They have been used on the discussion boards in efforts to show God doesn’t desire a blood sacrifice as Hebrews 9:22 claims is the usual case. It seems that people with a low view of Jesus (i.e.people who believe he was merely a man) are compelled to prove that his sacrifice upon the cross couldn’t have obtained atonement for all of mankind. If it did, perhaps they would have to reconsider who he really is. The idea that Jesus is God, and that God became man to dwell with us in order to show us how to live, and then to die in order to save us from death, this idea frightens people. Why? Because, really believing it would mean one would have to change the manner in which he lives. So, they go about seeking to prove Jesus’ life from a Christian point of view was unnecessary.

 

David’s Example of Blood Atonement

Centuries ago, David lusted after Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of David’s most trusted military men. David took Bathsheba and committed adultery with her. When she became pregnant and efforts to hide his sin failed, David had Uriah killed. Later Nathan the prophet came by appointment from the LORD to expose the sin of the king. It is assumed by some that the LORD simply forgave David for the sins of killing Uriah, the Hittite, and committing adultery with Bathsheba. However, the context shows otherwise.

 

Can Atonement Come Without Blood Sacrifice?

I have met people in discussion groups on the internet who will argue that they forgive others without ever asking for a blood sacrifice. Why can’t God do the same? Is man able to do what God cannot do? Isn’t this a higher form of forgiveness? Doesn’t the system of animal sacrifice represent something ancient cultures used, because they didn’t know any better? In reality, doesn’t the Scripture even allude to this when God didn’t destroy Israel after they rebelled against him and made a golden calf? Doesn’t that it show a blood sacrifice is not necessary? This understanding of God’s mercy just does not make sense. So too, the implication that man’s forgiveness represents a higher form of mercy than that used for God in the Scriptures is out of line.

 

Can Money Buy Eternal Life?

The Scriptures speak of money having atonement value, and Israel had to pay this atonement whenever a census was taken. I have run into people on discussion boards that point to Exodus 30:16, saying that blood is not needed for atonement, because Scripture shows money has atonement value with God. What does this mean? Can one really buy one’s way into eternal life? Can God be bribed? The fact is that this Scripture does not represent a sacrifice or take the place of one. One could not substitute atonement money for a sin offering or any other offering. Atonement money had to do with whether or not one numbered himself as the LORD’s and who submitted himself to the Mosaic Covenant.

 

Does God Prefer Mercy… Over Blood Sacrifice?

In the context of presenting arguments that are used on the internet by folks who deny the need of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, I intend to present one today that argues the cross is not needed because God never wanted blood sacrifices. I remember one gentleman, but he wasn’t alone in his understanding, who kept insisting that God wouldn’t be happy with any number of burnt offerings and quoted Micah to make his point. I tried to tell him that the context of this Scripture would not permit him to make such a deduction and base it upon God’s word. As is usually the case, he wasn’t willing to admit he was in error. Notice what the Scripture says:

Micah 6:6-7 JPS  ‘Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old?  (7)  Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?’