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.

 

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

 

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

 

It is peculiar to observe disciples who are very proud of their conservative Christian ideology, politics and lifestyle while simultaneously tolerating social injustices of racism, classism, militarism, misogyny, imperialism and myriad other sociopolitical and geopolitical inequities. To be fair, disciples from a liberal ideological perspective have ravaged mainline denominations and local churches about the issue of sexuality to gain acceptance of their lifestyle choices while remaining equally indifferent about the foregoing societal dilemmas. Cynically, some of them can tolerate a parade of social ills as long they achieve psychosocial respectability and theological sanction of their preferences and lifestyle. They seem willing to destroy longstanding institutions to achieve this goal. Though espousing rhetoric opposing social injustice, they do not fight it with any vigor. In their private beliefs and choices, some of them are the biggest example of everything that they allegedly oppose. As I write, I immediately think of several people whom I knew in graduate school and with whom I worked. Their liberalism appeared as self-seeking and self-aggrandizing as the conservatism that they fiercely condemned in other people. The practice of spiritual disciplines, especially self-reflection and introspection, is necessary lest we proudly condemn in other people’s lives the very actions that we so easily forgive in our own. Nonetheless, irrespective of disciples’ position on the ideological spectrum, tolerating genocide and uncritically supporting a regime that furthers it can hardly be characterized as righteousness. The failure to comprehend these inconsistencies and grapple with the moral quandary that they create undermines any claims of righteousness and religiosity.

 

Ever the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul, in the twenty-third and twenty-fourth verses, emphasizes that God’s promises to Abraham extends to everyone who believes. The commendation of righteousness and its ensuing rewards belong to those of us who believe in a miracle far greater than the birth of Isaac. Following Abraham’s example in his belief that Almighty God would fulfill the promise of giving him a natural heir despite its scientific impossibility, we believe in God’s ability to conceive a son via the Holy Spirit and no male human participation. Furthermore, His “One and Only Begotten Son” is the “Anointed One” who preaches, teaches and heals during a three-year earthly ministry that culminates in His death on a cross. Amazingly, we believe that God raised His Son from the dead. Belief in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead is a far greater triumph over natural law and science. The Lord credits as righteous those disciples who believe in resurrection. Beyond accumulation of material possessions and financial gain, the daily blessings of redemption, transformation and revitalization unfold in the lives of disciples who believe in God’s ability and willingness to perform these miracles.

 

The final verse on this passage reminds us of the atoning work of Christ. In this very pastoral letter to the Christians in Rome, Paul clarifies two doctrinal matters. With the zealous complicity of religious leaders, the Lord Jesus Christ was delivered over to the Roman governmental authorities. His death serves as an atoning sacrifice on behalf of all Christians. His punishment and death engraft the totality of human sin. His perfect life recompenses human error and transgression against God’s holy character. Second, Christ’s resurrection cancels human sin and imparts justification through faith to everyone who believes in Christ. This theological term means to be righteous before. Literally, it means to stand without any scintilla of sin before God. Disciples achieve justification before God through their unwavering belief in the sinless life, sacrifice, death, resurrection and atonement of Christ.

This passage summarizes the justification of Abraham through faith in Almighty God. His example offers hope and encouragement to contemporary disciples. Notwithstanding rapid scientific and technological advances, uncritical acceptance of the scientific method as the primary means of determining truth and progress in psychology and mental health, Christians still have access to God’s grace and power through faith. Abraham, “the father of faith,” exemplifies righteousness borne from an unwavering faith in God. His example demonstrates the necessity of remaining faithful despite myriad adversities and daily complexities. He perfectly  and humanly reflects how to genuinely rely upon Almighty God.

 

Meditations Upon Faith - Romans 4:16-24

 

Meditations Upon Faith – Romans 4:16-24

 

Faith is an unwavering, unconditional and unequivocal belief in God’s ability to favorably orchestrate minute details in human affairs. It allows that God, the Creator of the universe and Maker of heaven and Earth, elects within His sovereign will to suspend the laws of nature and alter human affairs to achieve His will. Notwithstanding regimens and protocols of Eastern and Western medicine and science, Almighty God, exercising His sovereign prerogative, chooses to supernaturally heal someone of myriad diseases to accomplish His will. He may miraculously grant a pregnancy to a woman as a gift to humankind. That child may be a divine agent with a unique mission. Interestingly, that child could become God’s vessel to cure HIV/AIDS or some other debilitating disease. He may be an activist, reformer, researcher or visionary who possesses abilities to contribute significantly to the betterment of the global community.

 

Consider the faith of Abraham upon which Paul discourses in the fourth chapter of the book of Romans. Abraham believes God is able to accomplish the promise of a natural heir that He makes to Abraham and Sarah. To bless humankind through His chosen people, God blesses Sarah’s womb though Abrahma is one hundred years of age and Sarah is ten years younger. Biologically and physiologically, the birth of Isaac is an impossibility. Only a miracle could accomplish this feat. Immediately, images of Hollywood special effects and science fiction come to mind. Paranormal approaches may have some value. In Aristotle’s literary technique, “Deus et machina,” an author forcibly invokes divine intervention and sovereign powers when he exhausts his options. In the Ancient Near East, none of these options were available to Abraham and Sarah. Accordingly, Abraham unwaveringly puts his faith and trust in Almighty God.

 

The text records that Abraham does not waver in his faith but unquestionably believes God can do what He promises. Abraham does not question God’s authority or ability to fulfill His promise. In fact, Abraham remains “fully persuaded” that God’s capability, capacity and character will yield fulfillment of His promise. Abraham trust that God would faithfully adhere to the covenant which God initiates in the twelfth chapter of Genesis. God’s makes an oath based on His holy and unblemished character. Almighty God will not violate His word. God’s character and intrinsic attributes compel Him to faithfully and perfectly fulfill His word. Relying upon his relational and experiential knowledge of God, Abraham unsurprisingly depends upon God to keep His promise of the gift of a natural heir.

 

Consider pragmatic dimensions of faith. Abraham matures in faith as he practices spiritual disciplines. He learns to trust God as Abraham rightly relates to God. This relational knowledge empowers Abraham to genuinely rely upon God though scientific facts, reason and human experience combine to negate any possibility that God can perform this miracle. Wholeheartedly, Abraham desires an heir from his own loins and from his beloved wife, Sarah. In communing with God, Abraham learns God’s character. Prayer and meditation are essential spiritual tools; necessary to develop disciples’ faith and spirituality. Often, disciples rush into prayer with a grocery list of concerns, challenges and personal desires. They want God to remove all obstacles in their paths. In contrast, they might ask God how He may mysteriously and majestically utilize their problems to glorify Himself. What if they were to ask God for insight into how He orchestrates their spiritual development and personal growth amid daily challenges and trials. Envision approaching the throne of God and asking how to transform personal complaints into concrete building blocks of Christ like character. Moreover, try being still and listening to the voice of God. Silence is a powerful form of prayer. Interestingly, if disciples are silent, the Holy Spirit will guide them about what to pray.

 

In Romans 8, Paul instructs the church that the Spirit directs us because we do not know what to say. As disciples mature, they are less interested in personal dreams, ambitions and goals. They focus more upon acquiring the Lord’s heart, mind  and character and expanding Christ’s kingdom. They desire a legacy wherein they deposited His unfailing love within the hearts of other people. They genuinely seek His will and strive to accomplish His purposes. Disciples pray for wisdom and power to become vessels of His love, messengers of His grace, channels of His peace and instruments of His will. In meditation, God’s voice teaches us to patiently wait for the revelation of the Lord’s will. A Christian sister once lost her job amidst a company’s downsizing. Her employer told her on a Friday morning that her job had been eliminated. To the human resources department’s utter surprise, she calmly accepted their decision and accompanying severance package. Upon returning to her desk and sharing with her fellow employees that she lost her job, she faithfully remarked, “I wonder what God is up to?” Her serene acceptance emerged from many years of trusting and genuinely relying on Almighty God in every situation. Her stalwart faith stemmed from years of listening to Him.

 

The exact words that we use in prayer are extremely important. It is significant to ask what you want. I would like to share two instructive examples. First, I recall praying and affirming daily for a period of four late spring and summer months that I would “be in a classroom in the fall.” Wholeheartedly, I sought to return to teaching. I had been working in sales for approximately two years when I began to offer that prayer. Almighty God graciously answered my prayer. That fall, I returned to teaching Global History, Human Geography and Development and Senior Religion. Within six months, my employment at that school was terminated suddenly, unexpectedly and shockingly. I did not foresee being fired. I will not share the reasons that the principal gave or my responses. The administrators simply decided irreversibly to end my employment. Nothing that I said could have made any difference. They resolved it was the right course of action. Upon further reflection, I realized that my initial prayer and affirmation were incomplete and inadequate. I retrospectively wished that I had asked to be placed in the classroom that was right for me within God’s perfect design and grace. Yes, God granted my prayer. I confidently walked into a classroom that fall but I did not walk into a classroom suitable to my personality, standards, gifts and abilities. Issues of classroom management and student recalcitrance among other contributing factors made it untenable for me to remain. Had I been paired more closely with a learning community that shared my vision of education, I imagine a different outcome. In adding the words relating to God’s perfect grace, I acknowledge God’s divine plan and sovereignty which are overarching in the life of any disciple.