Fightings and Fears

While I was at my son, Tim’s, last week I read a book from my grandson’s bookshelf. It was not at all the kind of thing I usually read. It was the story of an American pilot shot down behind enemy lines in the Yugoslav War.

This young man was absolutely alone in hostile territory for several days, trying to stay invisible until he could contact American forces with his faulty radio. There were a few close calls when search parties or civilians came close to him in his various hiding places, but mostly his problems were technological.

Even so, this was a situation, of course, of high stress. When he finally managed to establish contact with the air force, he was told he would be rescued several hours later. His response was along the lines of “No, I need to get out right now.” And rescue crews honored that. They came almost immediately, at great risk to themselves.

He returned to the States to a hero’s welcome. He has never apologized for being terrified, nor should he. In spite of his terror, he was absolutely faithful to his calling and did exactly what he should have done.

I was interested in the grace the world showed to this young man in his weakness. Isn’t it ironic that we Christians can be so hard on ourselves in our challenges? We so easily despise ourselves in our imperfection, and our default position can be to feel God also holds us in contempt.

I was once talking with a friend about a part of life – I don’t even remember what, now – perhaps relationships – and was mourning the fact that my performance was sometimes just that. Without the desired ‘sincerity’.

She said, “ Nevertheless, you are doing what is right  -  because you love God and want to please him. That is a high form of service, and very beautiful.”

Like that young pilot, really, on a ‘sacred’ level.

Weren’t those lovely, life-giving words?

Justification?

Many years ago, John and I had the interesting opportunity to hear a heretic formally and systematically espouse his heresy. We just happened upon the occasion and were quick to take advantage of it.

This man had an ‘updated’ view on justification. I am not sure whether the ‘new’ understanding of justification has coalesced into a single view, or whether there are variations on the theme. In any case, I can outline quickly what this man said.

He taught there is an ‘initial’ God-given justification, but then a ‘final’ justification dealing with our works. (Romans 2:13, supposedly) But never fear, biblical Christian. These works are founded in grace/gratitude and wrought utterly through grace/gratitude! In other words, they are grace/gratitude-works, not work-works. It’s just that, well, they are the foundation of this second justification, and you will not get into heaven without them.

Oh dear. What he seems to have given with one hand he has taken away with the other. This is no essentially new doctrine, but the tired old heresy of grace plus works – nothing to do with the Protestant understanding of justification at all.

Nothing but wordplay and obfuscation.

I remember asking a very astute pastor about the sometimes Roman Catholic view of the mass not being a repeated sacrifice, but rather one sacrifice which enters into an “eternal moment”.  I expected a lengthy response from him, but he just looked at me and said, “What kind of nonsense is that?”

Touche! (Sorry I don’t have an accent to put over the e) And to the point here, as well.

This heretic showed an utter obliviousness to the active obedience of Christ. Christ, two thousand years ago, was born a Jew so that he could obey the law fully on our behalf. He did that and sealed both active and passive obedience (his sacrificial death) with, “It is finished.” Literally, a done deal.

It is really not a difficult concept, is it?

So what is really the issue?

It is also an age-old one:

“Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in – who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Jesus Christ, so that they might bring us into slavery – to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.” (Galatians 2:4-5)

Amen!

Two Testimonies

A couple of short Friday thoughts:

Tim told me that some years ago John MacArthur interviewed a young woman who had been converted from Islam to Christianity at his church, while studying in the US. Eventually she had returned home and told her family about her new convictions.

Her father began to beat her, terribly, and MacArthur asked her what had been going through her mind at that time. She responded, “I was thinking, ‘He has a faith he is willing to kill for, and I have a faith I am willing to die for.’”

I believe her uncle rescued her and helped her get out of the country on the first flight possible….

And just a quick thought on something scientific – unusual for me, as I understand so little:

I have always contended that Darwinism could only have grown up in a society where cell theory was primitive. As I believe I have said before, even in the 1960’s, my high school biology text taught that a cell was a simple structure of wall, undifferentiated protoplasm, and an identifiable, but rather simple, nucleus.

Now, of course, we know that there is an astounding, virtually incomprehensible amount of specialization, of information, in even the ‘simplest’ cell. All built into the cell through a DNA code. Yes, a code….A language.

One website I go to occasionally was saying how ironic it is that certain scientists devote themselves to trying to find signs of intelligent non-terrestrial life in the universe – looking for even a word or sentence from space -and completely ignore the vast library of instructions embedded in every cell of their own bodies by, well, no one.

A language with no speaker. Instructions with no instructor.

Built by someone else? Owned?

Not me!

Shepherds of the Sheep

Several years ago I was talking with a woman who was troubled by the hypocrisy she felt she saw in her pastor’s life. He encouraged the members of his congregation to live in ways she thought he did not achieve himself.

I suppose this is not an unusual criticism, but it is one I have thought about many times since our conversation. And my response to her would be along the following lines:

I think pastors are some of the bravest human beings in the world – biblically-based, sincere pastors, that is. They do indeed go before their congregations week by week and plead with them, seek to persuade them, to make consistent choices in areas where they themselves are lacking. Listen to your wives and love them. Win the hearts of your children through regular time spent with them. Be gentle and kind to those within and without the body.

And they often miss the mark. Their families know it and their congregations do, too.

But they continue to go public with God’s ways, standards and norms. Even when they know that you know they are inconsistent.

That is very courageous, indeed. And humble, and humbling, I imagine.

But the part of this equation that moves me the most is that, as they share their hearts and aspirations in their preaching, you see that their inmost desire is to please the God they love with heart and soul. They just can’t do it with anything close to perfection. Anymore than the rest of us can.

It is so beautiful to see the desire for holiness. And so poignant to compare the desire with the reality.

That is real life in this age.

I thank God it will not always be this way. And I praise him that, in the meantime, he rejoices with all of his great fatherly heart over such holiness as we do achieve.

He is aware of our sin, yes, but that is not what is ‘most real’ to him about us. Our sin is on its way out, being put to death. But our Christlikeness is growing, and is forever. So that is what is ‘most real’ to him. And, in the meantime, our God is anything but a faultfinder with his children.

May we be as gracious with those men who stand before us in integrity, but human frailty, each Sunday.

Normal Life (Almost)

I got back from Ontario last night after hours of driving through torrential rains in the mountains.

Today I begin to reclaim my Chattanooga life, which will include two little granddaughters for the next couple of days.

I will get back to posting on Wednesday!

I have missed you, my blogger friends…

Arrival!

I am safe and sound at Tim’s after sixteen hours and:

1) A sudden death enroute (my battery)

2) A complete highway closure (Hwy 75 north of Cincinnati)

3) Getting through Detroit ( complete madness in the customs area)

4) Strong rain and lightning (western Ontario)

5) Pea-soup fog (Niagara Escarpment area and down into Tim’s area)

Was it worth it?

Of course!

In Flanders Fields

I have just typed out this most beautiful little poem (that I’m sure most of you know) and WordPress won’t allow me to break it into stanzas at all….

In Flanders Fields the poppies grow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard among the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To thee from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields.

Perfection. (Barbara’s comment – not John McCrae’s!)

And a note: I will be in Canada the next couple of weeks so may or may not post, according to time and circumstance.

Brianna

I do not normally listen to the radio but a couple of days ago, in the car, I happened to hear a bit of the latest “Focus on the Family” broadcast. A young girl was telling her story of being an almost-statistic in the sex trafficking industry.

Who was she? A runaway? An out of control quasi-delinquent?

No, Brianna was a responsible youngest of five children – eighteen years old – working in her small town’s local cafe. An athlete. A strong student. College bound.

So what happened?

Deliberate, focused evil working on weak and sinful human nature.

An older man began to frequent Brianna’s cafe. He chatted with her visit by visit and got to know a lot about her – the way you do if you have recurring contact with someone. And he was storing up this information (probably supplementing by online trawling?) until he had her well profiled.

Then he sent in two younger guys – college fellows, football players – who began, in turn, to visit her cafe. What do you know? They liked all that she liked. They had exactly the same outlook on life, the same interests. She had never met young people so similar to herself.

And they began to plant ideas in her mind.

She was too pretty to be in a two-bit town. She should come to Seattle (close by) and they would help her get settled in for college. Ask her parents? No. She was eighteen and it was ridiculous that she should seek their permission for life plans at this point. Aren’t parents domineering? Don’t they want illicit control of young adults? And so on.

She fell into their hands like a ripe plum.

Brianna was unsettled and upended by their prodding, insinuations, and flattery. She accepted their offer to visit them in Seattle. While she was there, one of the students decided he would take a quick trip home to visit his ‘family in Arizona’ the next day. Did Brianna want to come along? She did.

He had a buyer all ready for her.

But one of Brianna’s friends, and his father, figured out what was happening. They managed to get someone knowledgeable in human trafficking to speak with her that night. This woman battled over four hours to convince Brianna that her wonderful new friends were, indeed, slavers…while her parents sat and waited to see what would happen. Brianna was, after all, legally an adult. They could not have stopped her from going to Arizona.

Can you imagine?

And I believe the last part of this assault on Brianna- the phase involving the college guys – took place within the span of just a few days. From typical teen to an almost-slave over the course of a week or two.

From wicked men who play on the most vulnerable elements of our sinful selves, O Lord, deliver us!

The Fall

Here is something I think you will get a kick out of.

Many years ago, John and I spent a year at English L’Abri with our then family of two boys – Andrew and Baby challies.com. John’s sister was also with us during several months of that time.

English L’Abri, at least then, had a different ‘personality’ than Swiss L’Abri. There were many, many young people at Greatham Manor House who had been on drugs, or were counter-cultural and artsy in one way or another…Not as many strictly intellectual seekers as at Huemoz…

We became friendly with a young couple who were part of the extended L’Abri family, but lived separately in a little caravan in the woods. I don’t remember much about their circumstances, but I do remember he had changed his last name to ‘Leaf’, which shows you they were definitely of the hippie persuasion.

One day, they asked us over for dinner and we were free to go as we had built-in babysitting through Peggy. Hooray! What does a young mom appreciate more than having a meal cooked for her?

We talked long and deeply of many things throughout our time together. The penultimate event of the evening was having Bridget play her violin for us – she was a talented musician. And the final event? Well, that was:

Jim praising me lavishly as we stood by the door saying good-night. I was so wise and so insightful, so articulate and so on…

As I listened uncomfortably, but also with that nice little sensation of “Wow, I guess I am pretty wonderful”, the door that I was leaning against opened and I fell out of the caravan.

On my head.

“Pride comes before a fall”…Yes, indeed….I don’t think Jim ever saw me as a great sage again. How could he, with the vivid picture of me face-planted in his garden?

By the time you are in your sixties, you truly don’t struggle with pride the way you do when you are younger.

Life – and God – have seen to that.

A good thing, too.

Of One Mind (Unfortunately)

Tags

Sin

Do you believe in conspiracy theories? If so, the normal response is a “Why?”

My response to that, as a Christian, would be a “Why not?”

To conspire means to plot, or to agree together secretly, to do something wrong.

Does the Bible present a view of the human heart that is likely to engage in such activities?

When we are told the heart is “desperately wicked and deceitful above all things” would this suggest it would tend toward conspiracy?

What about after the flood when God summarized human nature as evil in intention from its youth? And the flood came on the earth in the first place because “every intention of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually.”

Wow!

So I think most of us would agree there is nothing in human nature averse to conspiracy, if it serves a person well.

But does the Bible actually indicate this is indeed so in practice? When we are given God’s own interpretation of events, does he point out conspiracy? Ever? Often? Never?

Right away, for most of us, two incidents will come to mind. The first is when King David insists that Joab instigate a whole military action to ensure the death – the murder – of one man, Uriah. His death was ‘hidden’ – to men at least – among the various soldiers deliberately sacrificed that day. (Yes, Uriah was just one of many victims) And this was done by the man after God’s own heart. What about men who repudiate godliness? What are they capable of?

And then there is the lovely Jezebel who obtained Naboth’s vineyard for her husband, King Ahab, by hiring a rent-a-crowd which accused Naboth of blasphemy, and stoned him. Conspiracy? And how!

What about our Lord? Did the authorities treat him ‘fair and square?’ Hardly.

The Pharisees “plotted how to entangle him in his talk.” (You ask him this and if he responds that way, then I will ask…and so on). It is not a good idea to take God on, though, is it? Christ’s responses utterly humiliated them.

But does that stop conspirators? No, they just go deeper underground. From failed, trick questions to plotting lies and murder:

“Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death…”

Later, “they persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.” (How? With paid agitators?)

And, when he had risen, they “gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, ‘Tell people his disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’” (A false cover story, bribery)

Conspiracy? From first to last!

If you follow the history of Acts, you see exactly the same thing in the life of Paul – people following him to frame him, instigate action against him, destroy him…

And so on, through both Old Testament and New.

I told a friend of mine that I had highlighted all conspiratorial passages I came upon in Scripture to prove the prevalence of this human sin, as God infallibly proves it.

His response?

The Conspiracy Bible.