Salvation, Facebook-style

Thank God for Prime Rib

I got to reading Romans 14 last night. And this chapter might as well have been titled something like “Paul’s 2^nd letter to the Adventists”. For it focuses on what to eat and what not to eat; an issue that – although not at the centre of Adventist theology – has had a profound impact on our identity. Sadly, one might add, as Tvesok has done.

Consider these passages from The Message version:

“For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume all Christians should be vegetarians and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ’s table, wouldn’t it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn’t eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table.

If you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for the prime rib; if you’re a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli.

If you confuse others by making a big issue over what they eat or don’t eat, you’re no longer a companion with them in love, are you? These, remember, are persons for whom Christ died. Would you risk sending them to hell over an item in their diet? Don’t you dare let a piece of God-blessed food become an occasion of soul-poisoning!” (Romans 14:2-4,6,15-16, Msg)

Some would no doubt be quick to point out that Paul is not talking about clean and unclean meats here, that he would not even regard unclean meats as food, and thus they are not part of this picture. Perhaps. But that is not the point – no, Paul is not talking about clean/unclean, he isn’t even talking about food per se, he’s talking about accepting other points of view than your own and embracing fellow Christians in spite of differing opinions.

“So let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault. You’re certainly not going to permit an argument over what is served or not served at supper to wreck God’s work among you, are you?” (Romans 14:19, Msg)

There are many Christian churches, and none will agree on every single issue. There are many Christians, and none will agree on every single issue. The question is, do you focus on the issues where you disagree, or on those where you agree? I say, let God do the judging.

The People that Walked in Darkness

In many ways Denmark is a nice place to live. Winter is not one of them, however. For the last many weeks, it seems, the sun has set before 4 p.m., and risen whenever it feels like it – that amounts to perhpaps once or twice a week.

So Christmas is a welcome celebration. Certain obscure theological purists object: Jesus was born in spring, not in winter, so celebrating his birth at midwinter is a heathen tradition. So what? Christ coming into this world is more of a turning point than winter solstice will ever be. Combining the two was a stroke of genius by whoever did it. Elijah says it clearly in this well-known passage:

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; and the that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” (Elijah 9:1)

This passage is also a well-known Aria in Händel’s Messiah, which I heard tonight with my extended family. The choir Camerata in their annual performance in Copenhagen’s Holmens Kirke – probably the best in town, and this year was no exception.

Christmas is finally here. Jesus has been born, and light is returning to the world (including Denmark). It is time to celebrate both. Happy holidays!

The Camel and the Needle’s Eye, Revisited

A well-known passage in the gospel is that of the man who asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (The whole passage is recorded in Luke 18:18-27) Jesus’ first answer is “Why do you call me good? No one is good – except God alone.”

But we often focus on the next part: “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, etc …’” The guy claims he keeps the commandments, so Jesus challenges him: “Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” And the man becomes sad and leaves. So Jesus delivers the punch-line: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Except this is not the punch-line. Our remembering the picture may be because of its memorability. But stopping the story here gives us a flawed version of the gospel, as I see it. I speculate that if the man had, in fact, sold everything he owned and given it to the poor, Jesus would still have met him with the reply: it’s not enough.

The point of the story is not that we have to sell everything or else we won’t get into heaven. The point of the story comes in verses 26-27. The onlookers asked Jesus: “Who can then be saved?” and he replied: “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” That is the punch-line. Remember in verse 19, he said, “No one is good – except God alone.”

We are saved, not by our good deeds, but by the grace of God. No matter how hard we try – keeping the commandments, giving everything to the poor – we will always fall short in our own endeavor. Fortunately, we don’t have to earn credit with God. We must only trust Jesus and let him do what is impossible with men, but possible with God.

Setting the Agenda

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

How easy it is to forget this! As Christians, we are taught to put our faith in God, and always seek His blessings on our lives. But do we really appreciate the fullness of the command Jesus gives us here?

The key word is ‘first’. Saying “Lord, I plan to do this—please bless my plans” is not putting Him first. Saying “Lord, I want to seek your will, and I want your will to be like this” is not putting Him first. It’s hard to let go—because doing so would be a leap of faith. What guarantee do we get that trusting God is the best thing to do? The only guarantee is the words and actions of Jesus. And that ought to be enough. By looking at the cross, any doubt about His intentions should fade. There can be no greater love than that which we witness at Calvary.

This is the man I wish to follow. Do I always do it? No—for I am human, and I fail, and my faith is also only human. I long for living in a relationship with Jesus where I trust him completely and put Him first in my life.

Lord, help me to seek first your kingdom. Help me to have faith in you and trust your guidance. I want to live my life according to your will, not mine. I want to follow your agenda, not mine. Hold on to me, as I try to hold on to you. Let your promises come to life in me by your Spirit. Amen.

Back to Reality?

More than two weeks have now passed since the Adventist Church session in Denmark. The unprecedented hike in visitors to this blog is over. Has interest waned also in the future of the church? I certainly hope not.

But we have a tendency to focus on the grand event, the important thing, the parties, and forget the mundane. Take sports. I love watching the World and Euro Cups in football (soccer), but can’t really be bothered to follow regular matches. The super-bowl is fun, but I’d never watch NFL every week. (Others will, of course, disagree on this.) Same goes for politics. It may be interesting to follow in an election year, but how many of us actually care in between?

Sometimes religion suffers from the same tendency. We care about the future of the church because it’s right there, screaming us in the face. But then we go home and go back to work, and life goes on. It is good, then, to know that we have a Union board set aside for seeking God’s guidance for the church. And whatever your opinion on clergy, it is good to know that at least some people spend their time building God’s kingdom. But what about the rest of us?

And one thing is church politics, but what about spirituality? It can be tempting to build your life as a disciple on events, too. Longing for that spiritual retreat, the camp meeting, the summer camp, or whatever, that “fills us up” in order to go on. Or living from Sabbath to Sabbath, waiting to be “filled up” in church.

Don’t get me wrong, these things can be good, and even necessary. But I believe Jesus wants to be lord also of the mundane. Being a committed Christian is a full-time thing. Not sitting piously in the corner all day, for we need to work to keep the world spinning. But it would be a danger if we built our faith on the expectation of the next big thing. In stead, we ought to build on the rock that is the Word of God – everyday.

An Axis of Evil in the Church?

As previously mentioned, there are big discussions taking place in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Denmark, although many of the worries are probably not exclusive to this country, or to this denomination. A lot of church members are honestly worried, but by presenting a world view that mimics that of a certain U.S. president, I believe these ‘concerned brethren’ are doing more harm than good.

The problem arises when everything you dislike is lumped with each other, all belonging to the same conspiracy. Some people might make a list including ecumenism, praise music, church planting, new methods, spiritual gifts, lay ministry, speaking in tongues, feelings, the Holy Spirit, healing, Natural Church Growth, and many others. Some of these may be bad, others are certainly not. But to some people, the distinction is lost, and everything is brandished as an “Axis of Evil”.

This term, famously used by U.S. President George W. Bush in his 2002 State of the Union Address, did much the same in world politics. Potentially unfriendly states were linked together in a supposed conspiracy, proving to be mostly false. Furthermore, one might suspect that involuntary membership of the group actually creates ties which were previously non-existent. North Korea and Iran probably have a better relationship now than before joining the Axis of Evil.

An early notion in Adventism was the call to ‘come out of Babylon’, based on Revelation 18:4-5, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.” However, as George Knight points out in A Search for Identity, Adventists have interpreted Babylon to be many different things, among these all other churches, Catholicism, or even the principle of church structure.

Incidentally, earthly Babylon is pretty much modern-day Iraq, founding member of the Axis of Evil. I don’t believe that symbolic Babylon should be interpreted as the Axis of Evil is. It would be a mistake if we as Christians see the church as George W. Bush sees the world.

I find hope in the Third Angel’s Message, in Revelation 14:12, “This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.” This is our calling; staying true the Word and remaining faithful to Jesus Christ, acknowledging that salvation can come only through believing in Him.

As humans, and as Christians, we should not spend our time judging others. In stead, we should rejoice and be happy. “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” (Revelation 14:7) All glory belongs to the Lord. So does judgment.

Prayer Works

For any non-religious readers, this will probably sound like superstition. I’m writing this with a renewed confidence that God answers prayer. I cannot prove it, but that’s the whole point of having faith. It is hard even to describe what His answer entails. In this case, it’s all in my head – there has been a change in my thoughts which I can only ascribe to God’s intervention. 

The interesting thing is that it is because of others’ prayers, not mine. I can relate to a passage in Cardinal Newman’s poem “The Dream of Gerontius”, where the main character is dying, and implores his friends: “So pray for me, my friends, who have not strength to pray.” A thrilling part in the musical setting of Edward Elgar.

There is beauty in the truth of this option. Intercessory prayer – praying on behalf of others – is just as powerful as personal prayer. I know that friends and family are praying for me. And I know that it makes a difference. So from the bottom of my heart: thank you.

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Translation is important. Almost a year ago, I got my own copy of the version of the Bible known as The Message, and it is still a great pleasure to explore it and see new perspectives on the Word of God.

The thing that stands out the most is how positive it is. Yes, I believe that on some level, God’s love is present in every verse of the Bible. But this version still seems deliberately happy in a refreshing and inspiring way.

Who would have thought that a text from Lamentations—arguably the most depressing book in the Bible—should be the text that has spoken most clearly to me in a long time? It is a challenge to put all your trust in the Lord; to have patience in His timing and faith in His faithfulness.

 

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young
to stick it out through the hard times.

When life is heavy and hard to take,
go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:
Wait for hope to appear.
Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.
The “worst” is never the worst.

Why? Because the Master won’t ever
walk out and fail to return.

(Lamentations 3:25-31, Message)

 

Bouts of Narcissism

To the core, human beings are selfish. Yes, people can be well-behaved and treat each other nicely. People do put other people before themself in their lives, and some are better at this than others. But even those people whom you put in the highest regard will eventually let you down. No one is perfect.

This can frustrate and disappoint me immensely, but that very fact shows that I am no better than any of them. When I am bothered by people who do not live up to my expectations, I am putting myself first instead of being a friend for them.

Other people will from time to time disappoint. I will most certainly disappoint. There is only One who will not. What a friend we have in Jesus!