Living a Life of Faith (no. 3)

When we consider the word “faith,” we must understand it is only used twice in all of the Hebrew Scriptures! That’s is correct – twice! The first is actually only found as the word “faith” in the KJV: Deuteronomy 32:20 – “And He said, ‘I will hide My face from them. I will see what their end will be, for they are a perverse generation, children n whom is no faith.’” The NASB, however, translates the Hebrew word here as “faithfulness” – ‘sons in whom is no faithfulness.’”

The second instance is found in Habakkuk 2:4 – “Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith.” The words "faith" in both of these verses are translated from a Hebrew word (and in the Habakkuk verse, its feminine form) from the root aman which has the connotations of to build up, to support as does a parent or a nurse, hence figuratively to be firm, faithful, to trust, to believe, permanent. (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, page 11 of the “Hebrew and Aramaic Dictionary”) This term (and its corresponding word from the Chaldean language and the derivative terms only twice translated as “faith”) are used in the text and translated as “faithful” 28 times.

Therefore, in Jesus’ mind and in the mind of the other Hebrew authors of our New Testament texts, the concept of faith is actually the concept of one being a faithful one who lives out his/her faith in and with their deeds, their actions, as the Apostle James was making very clear for us. Thus, consider the question Jesus asked in Luke 18:8b, “However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” A question is in order here. Would the meaning of Jesus’ intent be better understood if the word from the Greek, pistis, in this passage were translated “faithfulness” rather than “faith?” I believe it would.

There is a bias on the part of the translators of many of our New Testament passages, because of Paul’s great theological treatise in the Letter to the Romans wherein the apostle explored the nature of salvation by faith in the Messiah Jesus. However, if we examine the context of Luke 18:8, we see that this question was posed after Jesus’ illustration of perseverance in prayer via His parable of the persistent widow receiving justice from an unjust judge, because she faithfully showed up at his office every day, persisting in her petition for justice until she received that for which she tenaciously pressed him. Therefore, if we were to write our own “amplified” version of this ½ verse, it might read that Jesus asked His disciples, “However when the Son of Man comes, will He find His own faithfully persevering in prayer on the earth?”

Remember, that famous passage of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God’ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Might we conclude this thought with our own amplified version of verse 10? “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for the faithful, persistent execution of good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would faithfully walk in them.” Such would truly reflect those who are "Living a Life fo Faith!"

What do you think?

Living a Life of Faith (no. 2)

When we reflect on the title of this series, “Living a Life of Faith,” what do you think of when you read/hear the word “faith?” Recall that in our first installment of this series we were considering the words of the Apostle James in the 2nd chapter of his epistle dealing with his teaching on “faith and works (deeds, actions).”

As a transitional point, allow me to share with you that the Hebrew language is a very ‘economical’ one. That is to say, it has far fewer words than does the English language. I learned how very rich the English language is when I was teaching and preaching in Brazil and in Russia. When I would meet with my translators to help to prepare them for a lesson or a sermon that we were going to deliver, we often had to work quite hard for them to find the ‘right’ word to use as some points of the message, because English has a separate and distinct word for every nuance of any given word of emotion, intent, or theological point. Where the other language was lacking in these different shades of meaning, my translator and I would have to work to make the right choices as to when to pause at a given point of the lesson or sermon and take a moment to explain, in their language exactly what we wanted to convey to the class or the congregation.

We have the same situation when understanding the true intent of the biblical authors when a certain word is being translated into English. For example, one must determine from the context how אחט (transliterated chata) is to be understood as “sin” or “sin offering,” because this one Hebrew word is used for both English terms which, although related etymologically as words, have very different meanings, and the distinction is critically important for correctly understanding the theological concepts that have been derived from the use of these words. A classic example is the passage in 2 Corinthians 5:21 wherein Paul states, “He (God, the Father) made Him (Jesus), who knew no sin to be (not in the original) sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (Explanations added)

Jesus, in order to be the atoning sacrifice for the our redemption, the one who paid the penalty for our sins (which we know from Romans 6:23 is death), had to be our “Passover Lamb,” one that was spotless and without blemish, just as all Passover lambs through all of history were required to be. The writer of the epistle “Hebrews” declares confidently, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet (not in the original) without sin” (4:15, emphasis added).

Therefore, Paul (according to Philippians 3, remember, was “circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church, as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless” (vv. 5-6). He understood both the proper uses of the term “chata” and Jesus’ sinless state when He was falsely accused by the Jews (the Jewish religious leaders) of blasphemy for declaring Himself to (be equal with) God.

Therefore, when Paul wrote his second letter to his disciples in the Church at Corinth, and declared that Jesus, who never knew (was never intimately acquainted) sin, became sin for us, do you think that, in the context of Jesus being our perfect “. . . Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” (John 1:29 – the testimony of John the Baptist), that Paul was identifying Jesus as “sin” (that is sinful, or as I have heard horribly taught and preached, “Sin Incarnate!”), or that Paul was identifying Jesus as our “sin offering” offered by the Father Himself on our behalf? Personally, I come down, and profoundly so, on the side of the latter interpretation. Why this is so profoundly important, we will deal with in our next installation of this series, and then we will get back to our consideration of living a Life of Faith!
(. . . to be Continued . . . .)

LIVING A LIFE OF FAITH
*(Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture quotes are from the New American Standard Bible – NASB.)

The Book of James is a favorite of my wife, Mary Jane. She relates to this Apostle’s emphasis on things practical. At this point, please read the 2nd Chapter of James. The editors of the edition of the Bible that I am using break this chapter into two parts. The first, vv. 1-13, they have captioned with the heading “The Sin of Partiality,” and it speaks of how we should lovingly treat those who come into our church services equally and not showing favor to the wealthy while denigrating the poor among us. The second section, vv. 14-26 they have captioned with the heading “Faith and Works,” and in this section we read the well-known “faith without works is dead” (v. 20 – KJV, or ‘useless’ NASB).

Many folks are good at arguing theology but not very effective in their witness for Christ, often because they do not put the love of God into action as Jesus so clearly exhorted us to do! His words resonate with us, especially at this time of the year, because He demonstrated that which He taught during the Passover meal He shared with His disciples just prior to His arrest and subsequent crucifixion.

First, in Luke 10, James and John, the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus and asked Him to grant them a request. They wanted the honor to be positioned at His left and His right when Jesus came into His kingdom (in power). In other words, they asked to be Jesus’ chief lieutenants, the first and second in command after Jesus and thus placed in authority over their fellow disciples. In verse 41 we read, “Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John.”

Listen to Jesus’ response: Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever whishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not tome to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Luke 10:42-45)

In John 13, then, we see Jesus “walking the walk,” and not just “talking the talk.” (That is what we admire, isn’t it? ~ Those who ‘practice what they preach!) In John 13, in preparation to eat the Passover Meal, what we have come to call ‘the Last Supper,’ Jesus washed His disciples feet! (This filthy and unpleasant task was the assigned to the very least slave of the household, the one who was ‘at the bottom of the pecking order,’ so to speak.)

When He had finished, Jesus addressed His disciples and said, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord (which means ‘Master’), for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as a I did to you. Truly, Truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who went him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” (addition added for clarity) . . . . To Be Continued

THE POISON IN THE HEART

A long time ago in China , a girl named Li-Li got married & went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn't get along with her mother-in-law at all. Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law's habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li constantly. Days passed, and weeks passed. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish.

All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li's poor husband great distress.Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law's bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it! Li-Li went to see her father's good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all.Mr. Huang thought for awhile, and finally said, 'Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you.'Li-Li said, 'Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do.'

Mr. Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, 'You can't use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in herbody. Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of theseherbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspect you, when she dies, you must be very careful to act very friendly towards her. 'Don't argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen.' Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law.

Weeks went by, and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr. Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother.After six months had passed, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn't had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with.The mother-in-law's attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li's husband was very happy to see what was happening.

One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help again She said, 'Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep the poison from killing my mother-in-law. She's changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her.' Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. 'Li-Li, there's nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her.'HAVE YOU REALIZED that how you treat others is exactly how they will treat you? There is a wise Chinese saying: 'The person who loves others will also be loved in return.' God might be trying to work in another person's life through you. Send this to your friends and spread the POWER OF LOVE.

Continuing with our series: "True Biblical Prosperity as Revealed in the Beatitudes" ~

I know that it is true that we tend to turn to the LORD God with great intensity during our times of greatest need. We cry out to Him in pray. We seek others to pray with us, and we are open to the ministry that others can provide. We get into His Word, or we seek out those who can guide us into and through His Word to find that help we need in our present time(s) of trouble. Hear me now, please! It should not stop there. When we are not in a state of desperate need, we must learn that “True Biblical Prosperity” is to be found here in these short, pithy, powerful statements of our Lord and King. Look at the next couplet as we read verses 6 & 7:
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,
for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

We see here the dimensions of the cross! That vertical beam that connects us to our Father seated upon His heavenly throne is made sure when we choose to “go after” righteousness. You may remember that Jesus will exhort His disciples (that’s us, Beloved!) to seek first (before anything and everything else!) the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33a). If we do so, He promises us that all the other things of life that we need, those things that so often absorb and consume our attention and our affections, shall be added to us (33b)!

Note, however, that Jesus set the stage for us with the choice of His words. When we read the word “seek,” (6:33), we may not be impacted with the intensity of what the Master is wanting us to have in our searching Him out and making Him our first priority. Therefore, He paints the picture for us by using the words “hunger and thirst” in 5:6.

We must not wait until we are destitute. Rather, we are to choose to crave Him (His righteousness)! We must choose to be famished with hunger and “dying of thirst,” so to peak. The imagery we might want to use, by way of an analogy, to help us to get the import of the Mater’s message is this: In any sport or athletic competition or military conflict, the time to prepare is not the moment of the engagement ~ the sporting event, the match, or the battle. Muscles must be built up and conditioned, timing and reflexes must be honed to a razor-sharp lightning speed, knowledge and awareness of the opponents’ or the enemy’s tactics and strategies must be a part of our subconscious repertoire, and our confidence must be built to peak condition by constant real-life practice, sparring and war games with capable opponents. Only then will we be prepared to enter onto the field, into the arena or into the combat zone properly equipped for success. So, too, we must choose to hunger and thirst for righteousness in order that we may be equipped and prepared for the spiritual warfare that awaits us!

(to be continued . . . )

Below is the continuation from last week of "True Biblical Prosperity as Revealed in the Beatitudes:

. . . .

With this understanding in mind, let us begin to “open the treasure-chest” of the Beatitudes by seeing verses 3 and 4 as a “couplet,” a pair of parallel statements:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

This concept – those who are “poor” in spirit – is used four (4) times in the Hebrew Scriptures translated as the English word “contrite.” In three of these various forms of the word transliterated “da-kaw;” is used. Let us consider two of these from the Psalms of David:

Psalm 34:18 – (notice, once again, the couplet form)
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 51:17 –
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

Is it any wonder that our Lord Jesus couples this image of the “poor in spirit” with “those who mourn?” When you and I have experienced situations and circumstances of life – be they financial, medical, relational, loss of our dreams, betrayal, times of abject failure, et.al. – we truly have known what it means to be “brokenhearted,” “crushed” or “broken” in spirit.

At this time we also become quite contrite – “sorrowful for some wrong that one has done; deeply repentant.” (Miriam-Webster). These are the times, times of pain and desperation, of the keenly felt need for God’s help, His extended Hand, His Love and Forgiveness, times when we come in total and abject honesty as we “mourn” and weep unashamedly before Him in the midst of our pain. These are the times when we lay aside all of our excuses and rationalizations, and we “come clean” before Him with humble and beseeching hearts – hearts crying out His forgiveness, for His deliverance, His healing, His restoration!

Praise God, our Father in His faithful Love responds to our cries. He comes to us and meets us in our time of need! Jesus tells us that we will be blessed with the Kingdom of heaven, and we will be comforted when we come to Him in such honest, searching humility. 1 John 1:9 tells us that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” and1 Peter 5:6-7 gives us this promise: 6“Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time. 7casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

. . . . to be continued