by Stephen Rodgers
This is the hub post for Elder Peter Lim’s seven-part series on understanding so-called “gray issues” (or “wisdom issues”) in the life of a Christian. From this page, you can easily find and refer to all posts in this series.
All posts in the Gray Issues series:
by Elder Peter Lim
As I conclude this series of articles on “gray issues,” I hope that the main thrust has been made clear: that this is an issue of God’s glory instead of man’s liberties. Life is certainly not about you, nor about me. For Christians, it’s all about glorifying Christ with every detail of every decision, especially in the heart. Yes, there are certain things that are clearly spelled out in Scripture as being sin, with chapter and verse. However, most issues of life are not so clearly spelled out. This lack of clarity is by God’s design so that we would struggle with them and choose to make decisions for His glory and not our own. We need to walk daily, filled with His Spirit, and be dependent on Him to guide us so that we don’t get proud, thinking that we are smart enough to make good decisions without Him. What does it tell you when the one who penned the words of Proverbs, the wisest man on earth (Solomon), fell to worldly pressures and ended up with over 500 wives and concubines?
Questionable activities should be voluntarily avoided because… they’re questionable. The primary qualification for being a Godly man as an Elder (1 Tim. 3) is to be above reproach. That literally means not to have a handle that someone can grab on to. It would be as if someone were to bring up an accusation against you, it would be hard to believe because of your Godly pattern in your life choices. If you are not sure about a particular activity, it would be wise to get counsel from people whom you respect and trust to give you biblical advice instead of just telling you only what you want to hear. (Prov. 1:5) Remember that sin occurs before the clear sin line is crossed because sin occurs in the heart.
It is my sincere hope that this series has been helpful to you to understand God’s heart behind these issues. If we are busy spending all our time trying to think of ways to magnify His name instead of toeing the line of what we’re allowed to do or not, we would be too busy doing good to have any time left to do bad. Ironically, as we busy ourselves with God’s priorities (reaching the lost, learning from His Word, ministering to one another, discipling younger men and women, etc.) we will desire to do the questionable activities even less because we will be growing closer to Christ. Life is really meant for us to enjoy and serve God. Of course there will be difficult days but God is Sovereign and in control of them all. He is the ultimate Judge. For Christians, that’s good news. For others, that should be terrifying. I leave you with a passage of Scripture that should be eye-opening:
Ecclesiastes 11:8-9
8Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.
9Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.
by Charles Haddon Spurgeon
From Matthew 11:25
This is a singular way in which to commence a verse-‘At that time Jesus answered.’ If you will look at the context you will not perceive that any person had asked Him a question, or that He was in conversation with any human being. Yet it is written, ‘Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father.’ When a man answers, he answers a person who has been speaking to him. Who, then, had spoken to Christ? His Father. Yet there is no record of it; and this should teach us that Jesus had constant fellowship with His Father, and that God spake into His heart so often, so continually, that it was not a circumstance singular enough to be recorded. It was the habit and life of Jesus to talk with God.
Even as Jesus was, is this world, so are we; let us therefore learn the lesson which this simple statement concerning Him teaches us. May we likewise have silent fellowship with the Father, so that often we may answer Him, and though the world wotteth not to whom we speak, may we be responding to that secret voice unheard of any other ear, which our own ear, opened by the Spirit of God, recognizes with joy. God has spoken to us, let us speak to God-either to set our seal that God is true and faithful to His promise, or to confess the sin of which the Spirit of God has convinced us, or to acknowledge the mercy which God’s providence has given, or to express assent to the great truths which God the Holy Ghost has opened to our understanding.
What a privilege is intimate communion with the Father of our spirits! It is a secret hidden from the world, a joy with which even the nearest friend intermeddleth not. If we would hear the whispers of God’s love, our ear must be purged and fitted to listen to His voice. This very evening may our hearts be in such a state, that when God speaks to us, we, like Jesus, may be prepared at once to answer Him.
2.5p
by Pastor Patrick Cho
Grace Life has been meeting for two weeks now and has just begun a study through Word Filled Families, by John Barnett. Even for the first few weeks, it has been a very helpful book walking through various Scriptures on how to cultivate better marriages and stronger parenting. The importance of having God’s Word central in families can’t be overstated. And yet, for believers we know that this doesn’t happen automatically. It has to be worked at in order for God’s Word to remain the focus in a family.
This principle really goes as far back as when God first revealed His Word to His people. For instance, before the second generation of Israelites is able to enter the Promised Land, Moses helps them to understand what would be the key to their success. In Deuteronomy 6:4-9, he exhorts them to remember their one true God and to keep His Word. The Word was to be on their hearts from early morning until late at night. It needed to proceed from their lips, and in whatever they did or conceived, everything should have been filtered through God’s truth. Even when Moses died, it is not surprising that God told Joshua essentially the same thing before Joshua led the people into the Promised Land (Josh. 1:6-8). If Joshua and the people were going to see any success, the Scriptures needed to be central to their lives.
This is not just an Old Testament idea, though. The Apostle Peter exhorted his readers to long for the pure spiritual milk of the Word in order to grow spiritually (1 Pet. 2:2). If any spiritual growth is going to take place in a believer’s heart, it will come by means of the Bible. This is also why Paul tells the Colossians that they must allow the Word of Christ to dwell in them richly (Col. 3:16). God’s truth is to saturate the lives of His people. It is thus not just a goal for the believing family to be Word filled, but it really is the goal of each believer to be Word filled. And as each believer allows the Word to dwell in them richly, so families will consequently benefit greatly.
This isn’t like the old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Simply knowing the Bible and reading it each day is not going to make a person Word filled. It isn’t just a matter of going through the motions. As one of my beloved seminary professors used to say, “The goal is not just to the Word, but the God of the Word.” We need to pursue Christ, not just knowledge about Christ. This really begins, then, with a complete and correct understanding of the gospel. Unless God has transformed you and renewed your mind to think His thoughts after Him, and unless He has removed your spiritual blindness to allow you to understand His truth, pursuing a Word filled life would be futile. No person can accomplish this on his own, but is completely dependent on God in it (cf. John 15:5; 1 Cor. 2:14).
So, it should be an exciting year as we tackle some of the most important biblical principles pertaining to biblical marriage, parenting, manhood, and womanhood. Our hope is that as a result of this study, the church would be further strengthened and that the families of the church would know the Lord more deeply and sweetly.
by Stephen Rodgers
EXODUS IN 10 WORDS OR LESS
“God delivers His people, the Israelites, from slavery in Egypt.”
TITLE
The English title “Exodus” comes from the Greek word (exodos) meaning “going out,” whereas the Hebrew title is derived from the books’s very first word (Šemot), translated “names.” (Ex 1:1) The Greek title gives us a glimpse of the major event/theme of the book, whereas the Hebrew title implies that this book was to be accepted as the obvious sequel to Genesis.
As previously mentioned, it is sometimes referred to as the “Second Book of Moses.”
AUTHOR & AUDIENCE
Both Jewish and Christian traditions attribute the five books of the Pentateuch primarily to Moses. Unlike Genesis which attests to Mosaic authorship indirectly, Exodus lays direct claims (Ex 17:14; 24:4; 34:4,27-29).
Furthermore, both the OT (Num 33:2; Jos 8:31; 1Ki 2:3; 2Ki 14:6; Ezr 6:18; Neh 13:1; Dan 9:11,13; Mal 4:4) and the NT (Matt 8:4;Mk 12:26; Lk 16:29; 24:27, 44; Jn 5:46; 7:22; Ac 15:1; Ro 10:19; 1Co 9:9; 2Co 3:15) credit Moses as the author of the Pentateuch.
For more information, see the “Author and Composition” section of the Pentateuch article.
The original audience were the post-Exodus Israelites and their succeeding generations, who likely read Exodus in order to understand the great saga surrounding their national origin (Ex 12:25-27).
DATE
Depending on whether one subscribes to an early (ca. 1,446 BC) or late (ca. 1,260 BC) date of the Exodus would determine the time during which Exodus was written (after the Exodus but prior to Moses’ death). (It should be noted that while good arguments have been put forth in favor of both dates, the majority of scholars surveyed for this series tended to favor an early date).
BACKGROUND & SETTING
Assuming an early date for the Exodus, Moses would have likely grown up in the courts of Pharaohs Thutmose I and II and Queen Hatshepsut during his first 40 years (Acts 7:22-23). He would have been in exile during the reign of Thutmose III (Acts 7:30) and returned to Egypt early in the reign of Amenhotep II. Given such experiences, Moses was uniquely suited to represent his people before the Egyptian monarchy as well as guide them through the wilderness of the Sinai peninsula.
HISTORICAL & THEOLOGICAL THEMES
In broad terms, Exodus deals with four particular themes: 1) Moses, 2) Redemption, 3) Covenant, and 4) Tabernacle. More specifically, one could say that the book deals with the story of how God raised up his servant Moses (1) to liberate his people from Egyptian bondage (2) and bring them into a covenant with Him (3) and to erect within Israel God’s royal tent (4). Hopefully that reminds you of another story/theme of how God raised up His greatest Servant and Mediator to liberate His people from bondage to sin and bring them into a covenant with Him and to ultimately re-establish His presence among them.
In this and many other ways (preserved at birth, a sojourn in Egypt resulting in a “coming out,” etc.), Christ is seen as the true and greater Moses, and the Exodus is seen as the precursor for an even greater redemption story. In some ways, the passing through the Red Sea and the provision in the wilderness foreshadow both baptism and communion as well. For more on types, you might want to revisit the OT article.
LITERARY FEATURES
Exodus should be understood overall as falling within the genre of historical narrative. However, it specifically employs the genre of adventure story. It features a cruel villain (Pharaoh), an unlikely hero (Moses), overwhelming disasters (the plagues), a spectacular deliverance (the Red Sea), a mountaintop experience (where Moses received the 10 Commandments), and a grand finale (God Himself descending to fill the tabernacle). Along the way there are twists and turns, setbacks and delays, magic and sorcery, feasts and festivals, music and dancing, and many close encounters with God.
INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES
As mentioned briefly above, the date of the Exodus has been the topic of some debate, although most scholars tend to favor the earlier date rather than the later one. What has also been the topic of significant debate is the route of the Exodus. Three possibilities tend to come up more often then the rest: a northern route called the “way of the land of the Philistines” (Ex 13:17, which the Bible specifically denies), a middle route across Sinai to Beersheba, and a southern route along the west coast of Sinai. Most conservative scholars tend to favor the southern route.
Furthermore, the typological significance of the tabernacle has been the subject of much discussion and debate. While some authors and scholars have gone to great lengths to link furniture and building materials to Christ. It is likely that while the tabernacle has some typological significance, much of the detail regarding structure and ornamentation was intended to describe function and beauty rather than hidden meaning and symbolism.
OBJECTIONS
Exodus has attracted two broad categories of objections: objections to possibility and objections to content.
NOTABLE QUOTABLES
DID YOU KNOW?
Forgive me as I spend a little time rehashing something that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.
It has been suggested (and personally I believe) that the 10 plagues of Egypt were specifically designed by God to illustrate His supremacy over representative members of the Egyptian pantheon of gods. Recall with me for a moment that the Bible makes it clear that whenever you encounter a material idol, said idol is backed by either nothing or something. Sometimes a log is just a log, and an Old Testament prophet made it clear that when confronted with such vacuous worship, holy ridicule is a wholly appropriate response (Isa 44:16-17). But while all non-existent gods are false, not all false gods are non-existent. Sometimes a log is not just a log, and a New Testament prophet made it clear that while they may have supernatural realities behind them (1 Cor 10:20), said supernatural realities do not occupy the top of the supernatural food chain (1 Cor 8:4-6).
Remember that the spiritual realities behind the wise men, sorcerers, and magicians of Egypt were not non-existent. After all, did not their staffs become serpents (Ex 7:11-12)? Did they not also turn water to blood (Ex 7:22)? Obviously something was enabling their abilities, and while the Bible doesn’t reveal what went on behind the scenes, I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that something made a point of being somewhere else when the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob came to town.
I know this is long, but consider the 10 plagues and what they represented:
Furthermore, God Himself was the one who declared that the plagues were open season on the Egyptian gods (Ex 12:12). On other occasions, His prophets reiterated the point (Ex 15:11; 18:11; Numbers 33:4; Jos 24:14; 2 Sam 7:23; Psa 135:8-9).
Egypt was a land of many gods, and the Pharaoh was seen as a god himself. Given those delusions, one can almost understand the ignorance and arrogance behind his question of “Who is the LORD?” (Ex 5:2) Given what happened next, God took his question quite seriously, and in the process showed that He’s not particular fond of the various pretenders to His throne.
by Pastor Patrick Cho
One of the criticisms against churches that preach repentance and the lordship of Christ is that by saying a person’s life must show forth evidence of their salvation causes some to question the genuineness of their salvation. The critics claim that it is unloving to challenge people about their salvation or to cause them to second guess the sincerity of their confession. But this is exactly what the Apostle Paul did when he considered the possibility that some in Corinth would not repent or bear good spiritual fruit even after his warnings and rebukes (2 Cor. 13:5). When a person has reason to question the genuineness of their faith because of worldly living or unrepentant sin, it is appropriate and loving to point that out. How horribly unloving it would be to allow someone to think they are a Christian when in reality they are not!
Certainly, it is inappropriate and unkind to cause someone to question their salvation for no reason. It is not the goal of the church simply to get people to doubt their faith. We want people to be confident about their salvation, but we want their confidence to be placed in the truth. Too many people are banking on some emotional appeal they made as a child, or the fact that they cried when they first heard the gospel, or that they walked an aisle or raised a hand during an altar call. Some people will say that they were really sincere when they asked Jesus to come into their hearts. But the Bible doesn’t tell us that any of these things should be considered evidence of true saving faith. Sincerity is not the greatest proof. Certainly, the rich young ruler was sincere in wanting to gain eternal life, but he still walked away from Christ in the end (Mark 10:17-22).
This is one of the dangers of the easy-believism gospel. It gets people to a point where they understand some facts about the gospel, and hurries them into making a decision for Christ. Based on that decision, they are told that they are children of God and eternally secure in Christ. But no evidence of conversion has been seen in their lives. They may from that point completely walk away from the Lord! They have been given the guarantee of their salvation before it was truly appropriate and could continue on living life thinking they are saved when they are not.
The Bible tells us there will be many who believe they are truly saved and are mistaken about it (cf. Matt. 7:21-23), but these individuals would be known for the fruit that their lives produce (Matt. 7:15-20). Assurance of salvation was such an important issue that the entire book of 1 John was dedicated to it (cf. 1 John 5:13). The fact is that our assurance needs to be based on the truth of God’s Word, and not on our emotions. It isn’t that we are confident about our salvation because we really know we’re saved. It’s that we are confident about our salvation because God is faithful to His promises.
How do you know if you are a Christian? It must begin with “God saved me.” God promised salvation through Jesus’ redeeming work on the cross. The confidence you have in your salvation will come as a result of seeing how your life has been changed by God and you see the fruits of saving faith in your life (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17). You have died to self and now live for Christ.
It is also important to remember that you do not sustain your salvation through your deeds. At no point does God hand over the reins and ask you to take over. Salvation is entirely God’s Work – to begin, sustain, and complete. Your works merely demonstrate the genuineness of your salvation and confirm that God has saved you. You must also remember that this work of change will not be completed in this life. As long as you live this life in the flesh, you will be in a constant battle against sin. It is essential that you patiently allow God to work in you to help you live for Him.
by Charles Haddon Spurgeon
From 1 John 4:14
It is a sweet thought that Jesus Christ did not come forth without his Father’s permission, authority, consent, and assistance. He was sent of the Father, that he might be the Saviour of men. We are too apt to forget that, while there are distinctions as to the persons in the Trinity, there are no distinctions of honour. We too frequently ascribe the honour of our salvation, or at least the depths of its benevolence, more to Jesus Christ than we do the Father. This is a very great mistake. What if Jesus came? Did not his Father send him? If he spake wondrously, did not his Father pour grace into his lips, that he might be an able minister of the new covenant? He who knoweth the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost as he should know them, never setteth one before another in his love; he sees them at Bethlehem, at Gethsemane, and on Calvary, all equally engaged in the work of salvation.
O Christian, hast thou put thy confidence in the Man Christ Jesus? Hast thou placed thy reliance solely on him? And art thou united with him? Then believe that thou art united unto the God of heaven. Since to the Man Christ Jesus thou art brother, and holdest closest fellowship, thou art linked thereby with God the Eternal, and “the Ancient of days” is thy Father and thy friend. Didst thou ever consider the depth of love in the heart of Jehovah, when God the Father equipped his Son for the great enterprise of mercy? If not, be this thy day’s meditation. The Father sent him! Contemplate that subject. Think how Jesus works what the Father wills. In the wounds of the dying Saviour see the love of the great I AM. Let every thought of Jesus be also connected with the Eternal, ever-blessed God, for “It pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief.”
2.5a
To be skeptical of the resultant text of the New Testament books is to allow all of classical antiquity to slip into obscurity, for no documents of the ancient period are as well attested bibliographically as the New Testament. (John Warwick Montgomery, History and Christianity)
by Stephen Rodgers
Happy Friday everyone! To celebrate the end of the work week, we’ve got a new batch of links for you…
Well, hopefully that’s enough to keep you busy and out of trouble this weekend. See you Sunday!
Pro Rege
by Pastor Patrick Cho
One of the great privileges at church is being able to minister to working adults, helping disciple them to magnify Christ in their workplace, personal lives, and relationships. However, sometimes working with single adults can be quite challenging. One of the difficulties about Single Life is that there is a wide range of context in the lives of the singles. This certainly can be a significant time when they are deciding on what career to pursue as they job hunt with their various applications and interviews. Many singles are working out the biblical principles about life that they learned during college.
There are other singles who have been in the workforce for a while. Their concerns are not about choosing their professions as much as being faithful in the work that God has already led them to do. They are dealing with the complexities of representing Christ in the workplace while distinguishing between what is appropriate and what is necessary. Sometimes decisions are presented in the workplace that might tempt them to compromise biblical principles. For others, it is simply about practicing those principles consistently in the workplace and exhibiting good Christian character and Christ-likeness.
When it comes to the pursuit of marriage, some singles are perfectly content with remaining single for now. They are happy to focus on their jobs or simply growing in their faith. Others desire to be married but either have not had the opportunity to pursue it or have been turned down in that pursuit. Understandably, this can be frustrating and challenging to a person’s faith. Still others are in dating relationships or are engaged and are fighting to not only maintain purity, but to keep Christ central in their relationships. They don’t want their relationship to be a hindrance to their walk with God, but want it to help stimulate greater godliness.
Adding to the challenges of leading singles is the truth that male and female singles each typically struggle with their unique temptations and encumbrances. Those who shepherd singles need to understand these generalities while still ministering to each person as an individual and helping them to become complete in Christ.
As numerous as these challenges are, this is what makes singles ministry so vital in the life of the church. It isn’t simply about coming together to listen to a sermon. It is about having a group of individuals who relate to your life experiences and who can help each other grow and hold each other accountable. Even though the challenges are diverse, the solution is the same. Our goal will be to look to Scripture to see what God’s Word tells us about how to handle the challenges that we face. This is going to be an exciting year for Single Life, one where we will hopefully see much spiritual growth in the lives of our members.
by Stephen Rodgers
GENESIS IN 10 WORDS OR LESS
“God creates the world and chooses a special people.”
TITLE
The English title “Genesis” comes from the Greek word (geneseos) meaning “origins,” whereas the Hebrew title is derived from the Bible’s very first word (bereshith), translated “in the beginning.” Either way, Genesis can rightly be thought of as the “book of beginnings.”
As previously mentioned, it is sometimes referred to as the “First Book of Moses.”
AUTHOR & AUDIENCE
The author of Genesis is not explicitly stated, but both Jewish and Christian traditions attribute the five books of the Pentateuch primarily to Moses, while acknowledging that minor revisions were posthumously added.
Furthermore, both the OT (Ex 17:14; Num 33:2; Jos 8:31; 1Ki 2:3; 2Ki 14:6; Ezr 6:18; Neh 13:1; Dan 9:11,13; Mal 4:4) and the NT (Matt 8:4; Mk 12:26; Lk 16:29; 24:27, 44; Jn 5:46; 7:22; Ac 15:1; Ro 10:19; 1Co 9:9; 2Co 3:15) credit Moses as the author.
For more information, see the “Author and Composition” section of the Pentateuch article.
The original audience were the post-Exodus Israelites. Considering that many of their traditions were likely lost or corrupted during their enslavement in Egypt, Genesis functions as a text that “sets the record straight.”
DATE
Depending on whether one subscribes to an early (ca. 1,446 BC) or late (ca. 1,260 BC) date of the Exodus would determine the time during which Genesis was written (after the Exodus but prior to Moses’ death). (It should be noted that while good arguments have been put forth in favor of both dates, the majority of scholars surveyed for this series tended to favor an early date). In regards to the events of Genesis, Genesis 12 (Abraham) to Exodus 2 (the birth of Moses) covers 640-660 years. In regards to the events of Genesis 1-11, there is not universal agreement among Christian scholars regarding the length of time it depicts, however it is generally understood to span a minimum of 2,000 years.
BACKGROUND & SETTING
Genesis begins in eternity past (Gen 1:1), continuing with the events of Creation.
Genesis has three distinct, sequential, geographical settings, which (assuming an early date of the Exodus) can be dated accordingly:
HISTORICAL & THEOLOGICAL THEMES
Somewhat ironically, while the literary feature of the “hero story” is prominently displayed in Genesis (see below), the central character is clearly and unapologetically God. The author makes no attempt to prove the existence of God, but simply assumes Him from the outset and proceeds to contrast Him with the alleged gods of the ANE.
LITERARY FEATURES
Genesis should be understood overall as falling within the genre of historical narrative. However, it specifically employs a series of hero stories–episodic tales focused on a central character with whom the reader is to sympathize–with interspersed genealogies. It should be noted that while the hero story employs a central character, their actions are not consistently heroic; they are simply the human center of attention in the story. In this way they are contrasted with God Himself, who is the only character to behave consistently throughout the narrative.
INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES
Generally speaking, the interpretive challenges of Genesis fall into three categories:
OBJECTIONS
Objections to the composition of the Pentateuch (and their subsequent dismissal) were noted in the “Author and Composition” section of the Pentateuch article. Additionally, it should be noted that historical (Abraham’s marriage to his half-sister, tolerant attitudes towards Gentiles, unrestricted travels of the patriarchs, etc.), linguistic (the prevalent use of the El compounds for the name of G0d, common names from both the Ebla and Mari texts such as “Ebrium/Eber,” “Abraham,” “Jacob,” and “Amorite”), and literary (Genesis 1-11 somewhat parallels the Mesopotamian Enuma Elish, the Babylonian epic Atrahasis, and the eleventh tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic) strongly argue in favor of second millennium BC composition rather than first millennium BC composition.
Objections to the content of Genesis 1-11 generally center on the fact that it bears some similarities to other ANE creation and flood myths. While pointing out such factual similarities is perfectly legitimate, it should be noted that they fail to address explanations that the myths have a common source, issues of precedence (which stories predate others), and dissimilarities (the centrality of the Biblical flood vs. the incidental nature of the flood story in Gilgamesh, the uniqueness of Biblical monotheism in an ANE context, etc.).
In any event, the historical framework (Gen 2:4; 5:1) and presence of genealogies (Gen 4-5; 10-11) indicate that the author presented a historical account, and not merely a literary myth.
NOTABLE QUOTABLES
DID YOU KNOW?