Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 - Part Three

 

Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 – Part Three

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

 

“But perfect love drives out fear.” The use of the English word, perfect, connotes a love that is errorless, exactingly correct and without a scintilla of deficiency. Intriguingly, John’s community understood “perfect love” as a love that is “fully complete” and thus trustworthy, reliable and faithful in all seasons and situations. An agricultural people who lived fiercely dependent upon the land, they thought in terms of word pictures. They equate John’s teachings with their perennial and life-sustaining process of tilling and fertilizing land, planting, nurturing crops, weeding and irrigating, praying for rain if necessary, dealing with a drought, protecting the crop from wildlife, harvesting, reaping a crop and turning a profit. The value of any harvest exceeded its monetary yield. Investment of time, labor, energy, discipline and commitment could not be adequately factored into market negotiations and price determination. A realistic price would consider all seasons not just harvest. The evangelist speaks of love in this holistic and cyclic nature. A “fully complete” love turns with each annual cycle of life. It is a life-giving and life-sustaining force in each season. This type of love, intrinsically formidable and inherently faithful like the Heavenly Father, does not shift like sand or shadows. It does not equivocate, compromise, faint or yield to challenge or adversity. Please note that a “fully complete” love grows stronger and more formidable with each complete turn of the seasons. The intertwining roots of sequoia trees offer a splendid contemporary natural example. Running possibly twelve feet deep, these roots extend two to three hundred feet wide. Their interlocking nature allows each tree stability and access to shared resources. Moreover, they support each other when confronted by any natural threat. Year after year, these roots strengthen each other. A “fully complete” love serves a similar purpose as it eliminates fear.

 

Love parallels a bouncer in a night club. He throws out anyone who is unruly, disruptive or a potential threat to the safety and tranquility of other people. To drive out fear is to cast it out into utter oblivion and darkness where it will not be seen again. Perfect love also diffuses, deters and dissolves fear. It possesses a farmer’s versatility to prevent any seasonal crisis from threatening or diminishing crops and the harvest that they will produce. Love throws out fear in whatever form it emerges. The evangelist accordingly reassures disciples in the beloved community that the Lord’s perfect love eradicates fear of eternal damnation or any earthly punishment.

 

“Because fear has to do with punishment.” It is impossible to enjoy God’s loving ad comforting presence if disciples constantly fear His wrath and judgment. The risk of spending eternity in “the lake of fire” impedes any enjoyment of grace, peace and joy. Corporal punishment was a primary means of discipline during my childhood. The risk of “getting a beating” was a permanent fixture in daily life. An internal compass directed personal behavior to avoid any discipline or punishment. This looming threat made it difficult to enjoy family times inclusive of movies, games, cards or outdoor activities. Unquestionably, this dilemma limited relationships. It is not easy to transcend this lingering fear. I suspect there are disciples who recoil in response to “hellfire and brimstone” sermons. They further pharisaical attitudes toward God and religion. Well-intentioned but misguided disciples engage religion to avoid God’s wrath and punishment. Their adherence to religious ordinances and congregational dictates is an effort to quantifiably earn entry to heaven. This distorted outlook upon Christianity robs them of “unspeakable joy” and “glorious riches” of personally knowing the Lord’s unfailing love for them.

 

Many disciples fail to forgive themselves for sins of omission and commission because fear imprisons them with a lifelong guilt complex. They believe that they should suffer. They punish themselves with harsh words and perpetual condemnation. They deprive themselves of seeing beauty in the daily miracle of life. Their foreboding outlook deprives them of knowing Christ’s unquestioned and immediate forgiveness.  Recall the Lord’s graciousness, mercy and forgiveness toward the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). Jesus repels her accusers who stand holding stones. Moreover, they held unconfessed sins in their minds and hearts. As no one is left to condemn her, the Lord refuses to do so. Equally, Christ extends a pardon to disciples for their sins to enable transformation of their character. His redemptive love motivates His forgiveness. Additionally, in a seminal verse, Romans 8:1, Paul encourages the church that Christ’s unfailing love annihilates any condemnation that they may feel or anyone seeks to levy. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Most regrettably, countless disciples are unable to receive and live within that covenantal promise because they fear punishment.

 

Imagine being in the presence of unconditional love. Would you be able to trust it? I have a sneaky suspicion and a very funny feeling that many relationships suffer because one of the partners fails to trust the love and consideration of his or her significant other. Fear creates this inability to rely upon daily declarations and actions of love, grace and consideration. Some people retain a constant comparison chart to measure the extent of each other’s love. Presumably, your mate will prove his or her love with enough mathematically verifiable deeds of love. The need to quantify love naturally emerges from a pervasive fear that a relational disaster (financial struggles, conflicts in parenting, sexual incompatibility and challenges or infidelity) will unfold and irreparably damage or sever the relationship. As long as that palatable fear persists, it remains impossible to dwell peacefully and steadfastly in love with another person. Lingering fear corrodes words and deeds of love. In contrast, the evangelist hopes members of his community grow in their understanding and experience of Christ’s unfailing love for them.

 

He primarily writes this letter to share with them his enduring recollection of his experience of divine love as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” (1 John 1:1) The beloved disciple directly experienced the Heavenly Father’s unfailing, loyal and covenantal love as embodied in the Lord Jesus Christ. He testifies to what he heard, saw, touched and witnessed. He posits that anyone who encounters the Risen Lord can have a similar experience. An encounter with the Lord exceeds the traditionally religious, obligatory and dramatic conversion experience that defies natural law. Recall Moses’ discovery of a burning bush whose flames does not consume it. Encountering Christ is the beginning of an earthly and eternal pilgrimage that culminates in the New Jerusalem. Discipleship is a daily and lifetime commitment to learning the Lord’s teachings; and internalizing and practicing these principles in all personal and professional affairs. Disciples emulate the Lord’s love for humankind in marriage, family, community and society. Living in an interdependent relationship with the Lord and being a recipient of His love compels disciples to share His love.

 

Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 - Part Four

 

Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 – Part Four

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

 

However, “the one who fears is not made perfect in love.” Fugitives live in constant and formidable fear. They strive diligently to mesh with their surroundings and live proverbially below the radar. Still, the persistent threat of arrest, arraignment, extradition, indictment, trial, conviction and sentencing prevent them from experiencing any peace. The dawn of each day brings freshly grown fears that developed overnight. Any encounter with law enforcement reignites those fears. Fugitives must avoid government buildings or any places that require identification. The presence of a police patrol vehicle at a stop light could potentially cause a full-blown panic attack. Retrieval of postal mail and voicemail messages inevitably include some fear and trepidation. They use the internet sparingly and guardedly. Any flashing or bright lights during nighttime immediately disrupts sleep. Chances are every creak, sound or bit of noise exacerbates a fugitive’s uneasiness. In an episode of the crime reality show, “ I Almost Got Away with It, a former fugitive and newly incarcerated inmate shares his story of being on the lam for eighteen years. Fearing the possible prison sentence he would receive at a hearing, this man skipped a court appearance. For nearly two decades, the US Marshals hunted this man. After fleeing the jurisdiction, the fugitive settled into a normal life in Southern Florida. He faithfully went to work, paid his taxes and silently and anonymously contributed to his local community. However, he did not enjoy a moment’s peace as he feared every minute that the marshals would discover and arrest him. Each night, sleep and peaceful rest eluded him.

 

On an average Friday morning, he arrived at work and opened the office to enable the public to enter at 9:00AM. Within fifteen minutes of the workday, he sat at his desk to enjoy a cup of coffee and a bagel. The door opened and a marshal approached and addressed the man by his full legal name. Absolutely exhausted after nearly two decades of fearing arrest and punishment, the fugitive did not possess any further ability to resist or run. He responded to the marshal’s question in the affirmative. Further, he said to him, “I have been waiting for this day for eighteen years. In that time, I have not had one good night’s rest. Actually, I am relieved to have this nightmare end.” That night in the county jail where he stayed awaiting extradition, he slept like a baby. He recalled that it was the first night of sleep he had enjoyed since his decision to flee. Just  as this fugitive did not have one moment of peace and calm for eighteen years, disciples who fear God’s wrath and punishment, instead of maturing in their understanding and experience of the Lord’s love, cannot be made perfect in it.

 

Any disciples who live perpetually in fear of eternal punishment cannot be made perfect in the Lord’s love. Like the foregoing fugitive who did not enjoy a scintilla of peace, rest, relaxation, or joy in eighteen years, disciples who fear God’s wrath are not able to embrace His unconditional and unfailing love for them. It is sad to think that people spend a lifetime in church but never embrace a loving relationship with the Lord. Decades of attending Sunday School and weekly worship services did not yield any greater revelation of the Lord’s teachings and kingdom. Possibly, these limited disciples settled for a minimalist theology and experience of the Gospel’s potential to transform lives. Rote adherence robs them of greater comprehension and experience of Christ. As they read Christian education materials, listen to music and sermons over the years, the silent fears that flood their minds and hearts corrode the wealth of this knowledge. As they sit in pews week after week, they dwell in an existential fog that obscures the brilliance of Christ’s love for His disciples.

 

The evangelist whom biblical scholars refer to as “the beloved disciple” writes to share love is the essence of the Gospel. He hopes disciples will forsake formal, institutional, traditional, corporate and socially respectable religion and religiosity as a substitute for embracing a vibrant and loving relationship with the Lord. Simply stated, Christianity furthers a relationship with the Risen Lord Jesus Christ rather than rugged adherence to religious rites and regulations. Flowing organically and dynamically from an intimate fellowship with Christ is an internal compulsion of gratitude, to share the Lord’s love with fellow disciples and humankind. Having experienced divine love in its purest form as embodied in the Risen Lord Christ, disciples deeply desire to share this love with everyone else. However, fulfilling the Great Commandment and the Great Commission become virtually impossible if disciples remain imprisoned to fear and dread. The desire and willingness to freely share the Lord’s love is the clearest indication that a disciple is being perfected by His love. This lifelong mission includes sharing the Gospel and supporting fellow believers and congregants in discipleship development. It also involves social justice advocacy on behalf of marginalized and vulnerable people as well as delivering direct services to people in need as Matthew 25 details. Humankind suffers tremendously when disciples are incapable of being ambassadors for Christ because fear impedes them.

 

The evangelist appeals to all disciples with a fervent hope that they relinquish their fears and liberate themselves to internalize the Lord’s superabundant and perfect love. He regrets that they possibly confuse religion and a quest for self-righteousness with being in relationship with Christ. He reiterates the inverse relationship between fear and faith. Any disciples who surrender to fears the Lord’s condemnation will inevitably engage in lifelong  “works righteousness.” They hope to prove themselves worthy of admission to eternal bliss in the presence of perfect, infinite and timeless love. Their fears incarcerate them to persistent evaluation of whether they have done enough to surmount those trepidations. In a twisted manner of thinking, they genuinely hope an angel meticulously records every favorable thought and deed. Ultimately, a celestial printout will prove their worthiness. This lifetime of terror robs them of knowing, understanding and experiencing Christ’s love in this life and the one to come. Any disciples who languish in fear cannot be made “fully complete” in divine love. Regrettably, fear and religiosity override God’s appeal in Christ.

 

More specifically, the evangelist utilizes the Greek word, agape, to define and clarify his understanding of Christ’s affection for His disciples; past, present and future. The highest form of love in the universe, agape is selfless, sacrificial, redemptive and transformative. The components of the Lord’s love equate with His divine attributes. These characteristics become dimensions of a disciple’s life. Emulating the Lord’s selflessness, a disciple devotes himself to the Lord’s service thereby honoring Christ in ministry to other people. Giving is sacrificial. Disciples dedicate the use talent, treasure, time and temperament to expanding the Gospel and building Christ’s kingdom on Earth. Regardless of a disciple’s most painful, difficult and challenging experiences, the Lord can redeem those circumstances to empower a disciple to endure suffering, cultivate perseverance, strengthen character and acquire hope. Moreover, the Lord’s unfailing and loyal love transforms disciples from self-seeking choices and self-aggrandizing motives to a daily desire to acquire and emulate His heart, mind and character. As disciples incorporate the Lord’s love and attributes into their lives, they can experience a holistically fulfilling pilgrimage toward self-realization and personal destiny in accordance with the Lord’s will. Nevertheless, any disciples who live in fear cannot be made fully complete in His love.

 

 

Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 - Part One

 

Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18- Part One

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

 

This seminal verse reminds disciples that God’s unfailing love in Christ is the foundation of the Gospel. In the fourth Gospel, the evangelist makes the often-quoted declaration, “For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The first half of this verse alludes to God’s irreversible and irrevocable covenant with humankind that He makes with Abraham in Genesis. In Christ, God’s establishes a new covenant through the gift of the Lord’s sacrificial life. At the Last Supper, Jesus foreshadows His betrayal, crucifixion, death and resurrection as He institutes this ordinance of remembrance. Christ’s broken body and shed blood are supernatural gifts that establish the new covenant. Through faith in Christ, anyone graciously receives admission to the “New Israel,” the church or beloved community of the eternally redeemed through Christ. They are heirs of all promises that God makes through Christ. The ultimate promise is the gift of eternal life to anyone who believes in Christ and His atoning and salvific work. Implied in this promise is exoneration from perishing in eternity. Because of the Father’s covenant pledge premised upon His unfailing love for humankind through the gift of Christ, anyone who believes need not fear “going to hell” and being timelessly separated from God.

 

In the seventeenth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel, John further explains God’s purposes in the gift of Christ. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him.” The objective of the Gospel is sharing God’s unfailing, redemptive, gracious and transformative love with humankind. Condemning people to hell is not its cardinal purpose. Commenting to the beloved community, conceivably filled with second and third generation disciples, with wisdom borne of his old age and longevity, the beloved apostle reaffirms love as God’s character and essence. Simply stated, “God is love.” God demonstrates the pricelessness of His love in Christ. Accordingly, the enduring and eternal gift of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and propitiation satisfies the collectivity of human sin, offense and transgression against God’s holy character. Implementing a new covenant that appeases Himself, the Holy and Heavenly Father through love liberates all disciples from the eternal threat of hell and daily fear of punishment.

 

I grew up in the African American Southern Christian context and community. I attended New Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church located in Wisacky, South Carolina. The church was nestled between soybean, corn and cotton fields. This rural hamlet was a microcosm of the pervasive conservative, evangelical, regional and cultural expression of American Christianity that acquiesces biblical inerrancy and literalism and conservative sociopolitical and economic ideology. My childhood years witnessed the ascendancy of the “Gospel of Wealth and Health.” Still, a fundamentalist canopy hovered above regional religion, social interactions and relationships and public policy decision making. Removal of prayers in the public schools was met with utter disdain. Allusions to the Bible permeated public discourse. Political speeches faithfully invoked the name and will of God. Interestingly, a former Governor, Richard W. Riley, during an unrelenting drought punctuated with no rain and a daily heat index exceeding one hundred and five degrees Fahrenheit in the first two weeks of July 1986, asked the clergy of South Carolina to pray for rain. The citizens of the state favorably received that overtly religious appeal from their chief executive. Some of them, when interviewed, pledged to incorporate a petition for rain into their own prayers. Religion infused all dimensions of daily living whether socially or personally.

 

I recall reading numerous articles in The Sumter Daily Item about law enforcement seizures, arrests and prosecutions of makers of moonshine. This underground and alternative market liquor was also known as “Joy Juice,” “White Lightning,” “Corn Liquor” and “White Whiskey.” Made in the moonlight to avoid law enforcement raids, this type of alcohol competed significantly with “legal” and taxed alcoholic beverages sold in grocery, ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) and liquor stores. Retrospectively, I realize that the State of South Carolina prosecuted moonshine makers because their underground market yielded a considerable loss of tax revenue. One of her main tactics was to condemn moonshine makers for corroding the moral social fabric. Preachers and elected officials were vociferous in their contempt about the moral dangers of allowing moonshine to remain unchecked. Newspaper articles cited myriad potential dangers to people’s health and quality of life. Sermons characterized moonshine as “the devil’s brew.” Without question, distilling, packaging, selling, distributing, sharing, buying and consuming moonshine was sinful beyond being illegal. On a morally reductionistic level, some preachers opined, “You can’t get to heaven by drinking moonshine. People who do so will go to the other place.”  Leaders of state government, law enforcement officials, journalists and clergy cohered in their moral condemnation of consuming moonshine. Conveniently, they ignored obvious contradictions about tax collections and “blue laws” prohibiting the sale of alcohol from midnight on Saturdays until six o’clock in the morning on Mondays in all venues except ABC stores. Parenthetically, it would be interesting to see if the state collected data on traffic fatalities and accidents during that thirty-hour period over the weekend to ascertain whether the “blue laws” reduced those unfortunate events. Chances were people simply stocked up on Saturdays in anticipation of Sundays prohibitions. Nonetheless, religion and moralizing heavily influenced the denunciation of the underground sale and use of moonshine.

 

On an individual level, the threat of hell was used widely as a discipline strategy. Children who engaged in common, unruly and disruptive behavior, relative to their developmental stage, were told sternly and humorously, “Boy, you keep acting like that and you’re going to burn in that fire. People who act the way that you do end up in that fire. Do you want to be in that fire?” I vividly recall hearing those questions on multiple occasions during my childhood. They conditioned me and other children and youth to uncritically accept “hellfire and brimstone” sermons. That motif flowed through Southern preaching like the Amazon, Nile, Mississippi or Yukon rivers run through their terrain as a life-giving force. Probably, countless conversions to Christianity occurred pejoratively as “eternal life insurance.” Instead of coming to the Lord in response to His incredible love, grace, mercy and redemption, church goers and adherents to Christianity sought to avoid eternal damnation and punishment. In church services, annual revival meetings and radio, television and multimedia preaching, clergy emphasized the need “to get right with God,” renounce a sinful life and pledge to live a righteous life worthy of admission to heaven upon physical expiration.

Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 - Part Two

 

Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 – Part Two

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

 

As I reflect upon these childhood and formative experiences, I regret that I heard so little about the love of God in Christ Jesus.  I cannot recall hearing any preaching or teaching on this verse. How marvelous it is to know the Lord’s perfect love annihilates fear. “There is no fear in  love.” I suspect fears borne of myopic, misguided and distorted views of the Christian religion compounded longstanding unconscious fears. Insecurity and instability emerge within tenuous relationships and conditional circumstances. Primary relationships with parents, siblings, extended family and others within a person’s formative community are often catalysts for internal and lifelong fears. An existential cauldron of fear, pain, trauma and pervasive threat of eternal punishment erodes faith, hope and peace. That predicament creates a lifelong foreboding that erodes dreams, paralyzes ambitions, undermines progress, disintegrates relationships and restricts a person’s ability to enjoy daily life. Instead of embracing the miracle of each day, a disciple can experience life as a prison sentence to be endured with a minimal and fleeting hope that a heavenly reward lay just beyond the threshold of death. However, the evangelist reminds his audience that Christ’s love triumphs over fear.

 

The Old Testament contains numerous usages of fear relating to respecting God’s holy character and sovereign will. Proverbs 9:10 exhorts, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”  Israel was taught to live in the fear and admonition of Almighty God. Fear, in this sense, equates with reverence, obedience and admiration. The Law and Prophets admonished the people to follow God’s holy commands. The threat of punishment looms large in their wilderness wandering years and those of settling into the Promised Land. Disciples recall stories like Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:1-7 and 1 Chronicles 13:9-12) who experiences God’s wrath and judgment with immediate death. Chances are many people struggled with contrasting claims of God’s unfailing love and unquestioned provision with His anger and inclination to punish anyone who transgresses His holy nature. Understandably, it would be difficult for them to think of reciprocating God’s love. They probably would concentrate upon ensuring their strict adherence to the Law. Fear of a fate like Uzzah’s impedes reliance upon love and grace. A wholehearted desire for mercy predominates.

 

Contemporary Christians in South Carolina and elsewhere in the global village suffer a similar fate. Manipulated as a means of sociopolitical and economic control, corporate, institutional and orthodox religion emphasizes compliance to the Law, biblical and secular, as the surest means of demonstrating righteousness. Some disciples mistakenly pursue observance of rituals, loyalty to regulations in books of church discipline and order, celebration of rites and conformity with traditions and rules to quantify and prove their righteousness. Incredulously, some of them may silently hope that an angelic registrar is recording their church attendance, giving history, direct service to marginalized people, social justice activism and efforts to demonstrate that they are indeed Christian disciples. Theologians refer to this approach to discipleship as “works righteousness” wherein disciples mathematically prove that they deserve to enter the pearly gates in heaven. The elder brother in the “Parable of the Prodigal Son” is the ideal prototype of a disciple who believes he deserves to spend eternity in heaven. You will recall his words of righteous indignation when discovering his father’s celebration of his sinful brother’s return to their home. Moreover, Paul’s letter to Galatian disciples opposes the Judaizers and others who demand adherence to the Law and Jewish ordinances and customs as a prerequisite to Christian discipleship. The apostle condemns this alternative gospel message. Conversely, confession of faith in Christ, believer’s baptism and dedication to lifelong study and practice of the Lord’s teachings comprise the start of a new life in Christ.

 

The fourth evangelist in this verse offers an enduring solution to this theological and spiritual problem for the Christian community. He proclaims love as the essence of the Gospel and the new covenant that God makes with humankind through the gift of Christ. That love removes any fear of God and in living in a right relationship with Him. Rather than obeying His holy requitements to avoid His wrath and punishment, disciples keep God’s commands as an act of love and gratitude. The Lord tells His disciples to demonstrate their love for Him by obeying His commands. (John 14:15) He proposes a relationship based upon sacrificial, redemptive and transformative love that compels obedience, reciprocity, fidelity and dedication. The Law cannot coerce disciples to cultivate these attributes. The Law lends itself to self-aggrandizement and self-justification as disciples misguidedly manipulate the Law to achieve self-congratulatory ends. The evangelist depicts the Last Supper as an inauguration of a new covenant which establishes a “new Law of  Love.” The Gospel through grace converts the human heart; thereby enabling disciples to relate rightly to a  holy and immutable deity. Despite numbering more than six thousand verses, the Law could not accomplish a similar feat. Beyond gleaning obedience from disciples, Christ’s love liberates disciples to progress toward self-determination, self-realization and fulfillment of personal destiny as they accord with God’s will.

 

Simply stated, “there is no fear in love.” Consider being in a supposed love relationship with someone whom you fear is unreliable and untrustworthy. Your fears turn you into a detective. You check your significant other’s devices for errant email messages, unacceptable phone calls, injudicious text messages and inappropriate photos among other trespasses upon the boundaries of your relationship. Imagine being in a relationship that does not allow you any confidence regarding reciprocity, accountability and fidelity. You simply do not enjoy any peace of mind. In a marriage, a legally binding agreement presumably prevents violations of the contract that couples make with each other. Many couples prefer a religious ceremony rather than a civil one primarily sanctioned by local and state governments. The former ceremony mirrors God’s covenant with Abraham wherein husband and wife proactively bind themselves in a holy and divinely authorized covenant. They restrict themselves to each other in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better, for worse, to love, to cherish, etc. More significant than the demands of black letter law, a developing understanding of Christ’s selfless, sacrificial, redemptive and transformative love compels fidelity within Christian marriage. Love yields loyalty, affirmation, support and commitment. Additionally, love increasingly eradicates fear of infidelity or other transgressions. The evangelist encourages his audience to cultivate Christ’s love as the surest antidote to fear.

 

To be continued

Meditations Upon Mark 11:24 - Part One

 

Meditations Upon Mark 11:24

Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

 

This verse is one of the most abused passages in the Bible. Televangelists treat it as if it were their “Magna Carta” for supernatural healing and extraordinary spiritual events. Misguidedly seeking material acquisition and financial gain, many disciples allow them to scratch their itching ears with a vile reductionism of this verse and its context. They eagerly listen to the concept of “Ask it, name it and claim it.”

 

What did those words mean to the people who originally heard them? How did they respond? What did the evangelist intend using those words? Has anything been lost in the translation from Greek to English? Biblical authors wrote in word pictures. What mental image did the evangelist intend for his hearers and readers to formulate in response to his directive? What exactly does it mean to have faith in God?

 

Let’s deconstruct the verses. Does “Have” mean to possess? How does a disciple acquire faith? What is faith? Does referring to synonyms such as belief, trust and reliance suffice to define faith? Admittedly, “in God” presumes God’s existence and acceptance of this concept. How does a disciple ask anything of God? What does it mean to “believe?” How would a disciple prove his or her belief? How would you receive something intangible? The evangelist instructs his readers to affirm that they have already acquired the object of their heartfelt desire without being able to physically hold it. The passage alludes to a forthcoming  time when the objects of a disciple’s prayer will manifest before him or her. What difference will answers  to these questions make?

 

The author of Hebrews defines faith as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen. Faith demands an unwavering belief that your investment of time, talent, treasure and temperament toward a dream, goal or ambition will yield success. Faith enables you to see success before you practically achieve it. Your belief in your abilities, capabilities, capacities and endowments sustain you as you painstakingly pursue fulfillment of your goals and aspirations. With the inner eye, you can see success before it happens. The spiritual disciplines of prayer, meditation and affirmation are like oil in the lamp to guide your path during darkness, doubt and fear.

 

The evangelist specifies that disciples are to have faith in Almighty God. I posit that he does not disdain belief in one’s own self. Self-esteem is a nonnegotiable attribute for anyone who seeks to achieve anything meaningful. If you do not believe in yourself, then you cannot expect anyone else to do so. Nevertheless, the evangelist specifies that we put our faith in Almighty God. Therein, we assert an unequivocal belief and trust in God’s ability and grace to impart the objects of our petitions. We trust God to answer our prayers in accordance with His sovereign will and divine plan for our individual lives and humankind. A belief in Almighty God requires an assertion of His four immutable characteristics. He is infinite and limitless in knowledge, power, presence and kindness. He possesses the power and prerogative to grant our prayers. Also, He has the sovereignty to deny them for whatever reason He chooses.

 

As it relates to any measure of faith necessary to achieve a favorable outcome, the evangelist in Matthew’s gospel depicts the minimally requisite amount. He says that faith the size of a mustard seed is powerful enough to move a mountain. With a mustard seed’s size of faith, disciples can command mountains to cast themselves into the sea. Practically, this means that disciples can merely entertain an idea that their circumstances can be different. Are you willing to believe that God indeed can heal your major health challenges? We are twenty-first century, global and pluralistic disciples. Many of us uncritically accept the scientific method as the most reliable means of determining truth and reality. However, do we like our first century counterparts genuinely rely upon our Heavenly Father to intervene favorably in our affairs? Notwithstanding science, technology, social science, psychology and reason, is there any merit to petitioning God to intervene within our circumstances? Are we willing to entertain the idea? A mustard seed of faith equates with a humble willingness to believe God will suspend natural law and readjust your situation? Certainly, He will should He elect to utilize you and your predicament to glorify Himself. Like the experientially and existentially exhausted father in Mark 9:23, you may cry aloud, “Lord, I believe but help Thou my unbelief!” A mustard seed of faith is incomplete, but it is not insincere or inadequate.

Meditations Upon Mark 11:24 - Part Two

 

Meditations Upon Mark 11:24

Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

What are our motives in asking God for access to His infinite wisdom and power? Do we ask for supernatural favors to avoid hard work, saving, patience and disciplined stewardship of time, finances and talents? Do we ask God to nullify the laws of nature, extraordinarily heal us to enable us to regularly watch late morning television shows while having a second bowl of cereal or oatmeal? Do we ask God to bless us at someone else’s expense? Do we allow jealousy, resentment, favoritism, anger and other toxic emotions to seep into our hearts, minds and prayers? It is necessary to clarify our motives. Are there any lingering ulterior motivations? Are we being completely and perhaps brutally honest in our requests?

 

How do we receive intangible rewards? We possess them internally seeing them with the eyes of heart and soul. Paul prays for the Ephesians, in the first chapter and eighteenth verse, that Almighty God will open the eyes of their hearts and enlighten them as it relates to His will for them. Through dreams, meditations, affirmations and active imagination, God allows us to see beyond natural reality. As we diligently utilize those spiritual practices, we can see weddings, births, graduations, ribbon cutting ceremonies, award presentations and other major accomplishments and milestones years before they happen. Doggedly, we hold and nurture these visions while simultaneously taking concrete steps to actualize them. Shameless persistence is necessary to realize our heart’s desires.

 

I have a friend whose unwavering determination to become a wife and mother exemplifies the objectives of this passage. She attended college during a period of heightened feminism, social instability and unbridled emphasis upon career and monetary advancement. Women were encouraged to delay marriage and children until they had achieved a certain level of professional success. Career advancement was deemed more necessary and significant than family life and personal relationships. Accordingly, many women began to believe that they would not marry or have children. One of the sisters in her inner circle boldly declared to the others, “We simply need to accept the fact that we will never get married and have children and a family.” In response, my friend faithfully, courageously and unapologetically said, “I do not accept that reality for me. Being a wife and mother has always been important to me. I know that I will be good at both. I know that I will be both a wife and a mother.” My friend’s words were unwavering statements of faith in God’s will, grace and provision. Her words straightforwardly specified the desires of her heart. She did not equivocate on her requests. She trusted God to provide her heart’s deepest desires. She received and embraced marriage and motherhood as she fervently prepared for them. Not surprisingly, three decades later, she celebrated her thirtieth wedding anniversary which coincided with her daughter’s graduation from college.

 

This friend’s statements and actions perfectly demonstrate the meaning of the word, “believe,” in this verse. From the Greek language, the word in its verbal form translates as “to persuade or be persuaded.” As a noun, the word means “faith, trust or certainty.” To have faith means to act as someone who has been persuaded into certainty. What convinces disciples of the necessity of having faith, especially in difficult situations and amid challenging factors? God’s unfailing love and unquestionable over extended periods yields certainty of faith. God’s answers disciples’ prayers as they accord with His sovereign will and providential prerogatives and purposes. Prayer is a means for disciples to more greatly acquire the mind, heart and character of the Lord Jesus Christ. As William Barclay declares in his commentary on the Gospel of Mark in The Daily Study Bible Series, prayer offers an opportunity for transformation. It is not a spiritual locale to offer a grocery list of petitions to satisfy personal desires, alleviate fear, add to the bottom figure on the balance sheet, establish a designer brand for purchases or otherwise prosper bountifully and enjoy longstanding health. Nevertheless, the evangelist links perseverance in faith in God by combining a respect for His will and purposes with a genuine reliance upon His love, grace and faithfulness.

 

It is important to note that faith in God assumes both reasonable, relational and experiential knowledge of Him. “To persuade” encompasses logic and analytical reflection. Theology in its simplest form is rational thought about God’s existence, character, revelation and actions. The prevalent anti-intellectualism that afflicts American Christianity particularly amid televangelists, megachurch pastors and lay leaders and local congregations denigrates the faith and impedes evangelism. The twenty-first century global village and marketplace with its uncritical reliance upon science, technology, social science, psychology and deference to pluralism, secularism and moral relativism requires a contemporary intellectually respectable articulation of the Christian Gospel. The certainty of faith must be dependent upon more than “a warm, burning feeling in  [the] heart.” Dramatic and emotional conversion scenarios and sincere personal experiences do not suffice to persuade non-Christians of the existential worth of knowing Christ. Disciples do not honor the Lord or His salvific work with inadequate and insufficient appeals to convincer nonbelievers. The Bible exhorts disciples to embrace lifelong study of Christ’s teachings as an incalculable and nonnegotiable component of discipleship. An argument for the reasonableness of Christianity amid increasing religious pluralism and ecumenism. Utilizing analytical tools and critical methods of history, philosophy and science, Christians can maintain a socially relevant, intelligent, empirical and morally pragmatic faith.

Meditations Upon Faith - Romans 4:16-24 - Part Five

 

Meditations Upon Faith – Romans 4:16-24 – Part Five

 

 

Abraham’s belief earns him a divine commendation; the distinction, “credited to him as righteousness.”  This description indicates legal language. Centuries after Abraham lived, members of the Sanhedrin, the predominant council of religious leaders in Israel including Pharisees and Sadducees, appealed to the black letters of the Law to establish righteousness. To justify themselves before God and the people, they split hairs and divide atomic particles. Incredulously, they construct a hedge around the Law to ensure that they would not violate it. If the Law allowed forty lashes in delving out punishment, they ordered disciplinarians to stop at thirty-nine licks. Technically, they remained righteous as they did not violate the Law. This pretentious righteousness offends God’s holy and gracious character. The affirmative characterization of righteousness belongs to disciples whose relationship with God yields honor and glory through obedience to His holy character from which the Law emerges. Disciples respect God’s holiness by making daily choices that reflect their belief in Him. They rebuff  idols and false gods. They forsake self-centered lifestyles. They discard self-seeking motives. The highest honor and act of worship that disciples can demonstrate to God is to have unwavering faith in Him.

 

Paul discourses upon  Abraham’s incomparable example to encourage Christians in Rome. Like “the father of faith,” they face a daily existential crisis. Will they unconditionally trust the Lord Jesus Christ and devote their lives to Him? How will they remain faithful amid the legal threats of emperor worship which demanded allegiance to Rome from everyone? Will they resist myriad temptations of Roman society including paganism, brothels, bath houses, temple prostitutes, tax extortion, military subjugation, slavery and compulsory service and loyalty to the Roman government? Consider the frightening nature of being a committed Christian disciple within those daily life-threatening challenges. The Lord deems those disciples whose strength of belief and dedication empowers them to remain committed notwithstanding those adversities to be faithful. He accordingly credits them as being righteousness.

 

It is important to note that righteousness does not equate with self-aggrandizing adherence to religious creeds, rites, rituals and rules. As mentioned above, the Pharisees and Sadducees engaged that fallacy with their interpretation and alleged obedience to the Law. They devised schemes to quantify their righteousness. Rather than studying the Law to learn about Almighty God’s holy character, they utilize it to justify themselves before Him. Their obedience should honor and glorify Him. Instead, they employ their self-righteousness to extort their fellow Israelites. They seek good grades in their religiosity. Their pretentious observance of traditions, codes and creeds impedes their knowledge of God. They are lost in a self-serving theological maze which prevents them from rightly relating themselves to God. Adherence to God’s dictates emerges from a relationship with Him. Disciples align their lifestyles with the Lord’s Gospel and teachings as an act of lifelong worship and devotion to Him. Disciples freely commit to a lifetime of studying the Word of God to better understand God and ways in which to serve Him. Christian discipleship is most evident in lifestyle choices borne of unequivocal faith in Christ than in mere intellectual and theoretical assent to the Lord’s teachings.

 

The Fourth Evangelist recalls the Lord’s teachings on righteousness. “If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15) Love, commitment and devotion to the Lord compels obedience to Hs commands not a fallacious attempt to appear religious and upstanding in the eyes of fellow congregants and community residents. Worship and righteousness are most apparent in a Christian’s lifestyle. Moreover, Abraham’s example reflects the seminal role of faith in being in right relationship with Almighty God. His obedience and faith interchangeably compel each other. Christians in the Roman Empire dismissed the intimidation of emperor worship and prevalent licentiousness because they wholeheartedly believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. They, like Abraham who believes God’s covenantal promises, fervently trust Christ’s promises in establishing the new covenant. Their faith in Christ is credited to them as righteousness.

 

Parenthetically, righteousness is more than strict adherence to petty moral dictates like rules about clothing, drinking, smoking, gambling, sex, sexuality and observance of religious traditions. I do not underestimate the potential of any of these activities to cause considerable damage to disciples and their families. Anyone who is not persuaded of the existence of evil obviously has not experienced the human destruction of addiction. Illicit and illegal drugs fuel considerable crime in American society. Arguably, we cannot compute the costs of alcoholism in damage to property, legal proceedings, adverse effects upon families and communities and loss of life. Beyond the financial losses, there are intangible and incalculable costs. Myriad other addictions ruin families and result in early deaths. Nevertheless, were disciples to approach these activities with Pauline discretion, their self-discipline and moderation would prevent them from lapsing into addictive behaviors. It is farcical to believe demanding abstinence and restraint in all recreational activities are primary determinants of discipleship. Church goers who subscribe to this fallacious thinking fail to see the incongruence between their emphasis upon how someone dresses to attend Sunday morning worship services and their indifference to human pain and suffering in their local community.