Human beings seem to like taking sides. We usually want clear rules for what is right and what is wrong. We want to know who are the heroes and who are the villains. Even though we sometimes like our heroes flawed, we still want clarity that these are the good guys: these are the people to root for. 

I think this is especially true when it comes to religion. We want to know what we’re supposed to do and what we’re not supposed to do. That desire for clarity makes a lot of sense when we think about the many world religions that are based on fear or the appeasement of one or more gods. If my well-being or my after-life are based on following a set of rules, I want those rules to be crystal clear. I want them to be simple and without nuance.

The Christian life is not like that. Oh, there are some simple rules; the famous Ten Commandments are fairly straightforward, as is the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12). However, the realities of walking with Christ are not quite as simple as we sometimes want to make them.

Even very good pastors can be guilty of oversimplifying. Several months back, I heard a sermon on prioritizing God in your life. The pastor asked the following question: Does putting God first mean setting aside a portion of our time for God and prioritizing to make sure that time is always spent as it should be, or does it mean making God first in all of the different areas of our life: ensuring that we keep God in mind and put him first in our family, in our work, in our leisure time, etc? 

The pastor’s point was that God does need to be first in each area of our life in order to be first in our life. If we segment off the part of our life that we give to God from everything else, then God is not really the Lord of our life: he’s just the Lord of our quiet time.

The pastor was right to point out that God needs to be first in every area of our lives, but he was wrong to say that we need to do that instead of setting aside time for God. We also need to spend time focused only on God and our relationship with him to make it possible for us to put God first in the other parts of our lives. Even Jesus needed to spend time alone with the Father in prayer. “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed” (Mark 1:35 ESV).

It’s not either/or. It’s both/and.

This issue also applies to big theological discussions. The church has been fighting over faith and works for a long, long time. If we look at verses in isolation, it is easy to see why there might be some debate on these issues. After all, we have clear Biblical statements on both sides:

• For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)
• You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. (James 2:24 ESV)

These two verses appear to precisely contradict each other and have helped create great debate between the “saved by faith alone” camp and the “works are required” camp.

Then we look at the larger context for each.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV)

We are saved through faith. That salvation is not a result of works. Paul immediately follows that statement with the purpose of our existence: to do the good works that God has prepared for us to do.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. (James 2: 21-26 ESV)

James is saying that the works are a demonstration of the faith. The actions are the result of faith and proof that the faith exists. Earlier in the passage, James makes the point that demons believe in the reality of God: that belief is not a saving faith in God, but a source of great fear for them.

Then there are some comments by Jesus on the topic of works. One of the more difficult passages for the  “faith alone” camp has always been the story of the sheep and the goats.

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’” (Matthew 25:41-43 ESV)

Jesus says here that those without good works are headed to hell. In other places, he emphasizes the importance of believing in him, but he emphasizes hearing his words and doing them, as in the story of the wise and foolish builders (see Matthew 7:24-27). Note that this story immediately follows this statement:  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21 ESV).

This is how I understand it: faith is required, and there is nothing that we can do to make ourselves good enough for God–good enough to save ourselves. However, works are also necessary because faith that does not result in works isn’t the kind of faith required. 

We should seek the faith that results in works. We should set time aside for God and work to be aware of and prioritize him in all other aspects of our lives. We should seek to see the whole of the complex and wonderful life God has for us, not jump too quickly to simple answers.

It’s Father’s Day in the United States, a day to honor fathers, especially our own fathers. Some of us have many reasons to appreciate our fathers, and I’m grateful to be one of those people. My father loves me and my sister deeply. He has been a great role model in many ways: his relationship with my mother, his love for God, his concern for truth and effective teaching of truth, and his leadership. During my own years as an administrator, he was an invaluable sounding board.

Some have less reason for joy–those whose fathers have been abusive, absent, or simply emotionally detached. There are people who have never really experienced love from their father.

One of the important descriptions of God in the Bible is “Father.” In the Old Testament, he is referred to as the father of Israel. In the New Testament, he is many times called the Father of Jesus Christ and as simply “the Father” in a number of places, as “the Father of glory” (Ephesians 1:17), and as “the Father of lights” (James 1:17 ESV).

When we become believers, the Bible calls us God’s children and him our father:

• But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1: 12-13 ESV)
• But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. (Galatians 3:25-26 ESV)
• In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16 ESV)

Jesus refers to God as “your Father” repeatedly in the Sermon on the Mount and several times elsewhere. It is clear that God is a father to those who have accepted his son.

What does that mean? 

It means he has authority over us. It means he provides for us. It means he watches over and protects us. Beyond and underlying all of those things, it means he loves us.

God loves me as a father. Given my good experiences with my earthly father, I have some idea of what that means, but my father is not perfect. He has a temper, something I now understand since I also have a temper, but as a child I sometimes found his anger scary. He was also a very young pastor for part of that time, and he was sometimes guilty of believing that a pastor’s children should be perfect. The reality is that even the best of human fathers are still human and necessarily imperfect.

In trying to understand God’s fatherly love, I have to look beyond the example my father sets. Dad’s love provides a glimpse of God’s love, but Jesus makes it clear that God’s version of fatherhood far surpasses any human’s.

So what is God’s love really like? Here are a few thoughts, though by no means a complete list.

• God’s love is based on a complete understanding of who I am. He will never learn something about me that could change how he feels.
  
  O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
  You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
        you discern my thoughts from afar.
  You search out my path and my lying down
         and are acquainted with all my ways.
  Even before a word is on my tongue,
        behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
                                                Psalm 139:1-4 ESV
  

• God’s love is sacrificial. Jesus died for my benefit. God chose to send the son who is also God in order to enable me to become his child.
  
  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  1 John 4:9-10 ESV
  
  
• God’s love is compassionate and giving.
  
  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!   Matthew 7:11 ESV
  
  
• God’s love is permanent.
  
  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 ESV
  

As we honor our human fathers on this day set aside for them, let us also honor the heavenly Father who loves us beyond all that we can imagine.

Photo by Juliane Liebermann on Unsplash

I see them on church signs, occasionally on billboards, frequently on Facebook: those sometimes clever sayings meant to point out that Christians are right and the rest of the world is wrong. 

I have to admit that I have often enjoyed seeing these posts. I generally agree with them, and sometimes they are quite amusing.

In recent years, however, many of them have started to bother me, particularly as I see responses of hurt and anger from non-Christians. 

Now, I’m not talking about posting Bible verses or thoughts that are intended to uplift and encourage fellow believers. I’m talking about posts that seem to exist for the sole purpose of making a jab at the enemy, scoring points for God and righteousness.

The enemy. That’s the problem, isn’t it? The jab isn’t at Satan; it’s at other human beings.

“But of course they’re the enemy. They’re attacking us, attacking everything we believe in! Naturally, we want to score points against them.”

Ever hear of Paul? Up until the moment when God suddenly stopped him on the road, he was all about persecuting and even killing the followers of Jesus. Talk about an enemy! When instructed to go help Paul, Ananias argues with God, though he does obey (see Acts chapter 9 for the full story). Paul turns from his persecution of Christians to one of the best known New Testament followers of Christ and the author of much of the New Testament. 

We cannot know who among our apparent human enemies may someday repent. We cannot know who will eventually hear God’s call and join our family. 

We live in a deeply divided society. Christian beliefs and values are under attack from many sides. In the United States, the Bill of Rights still protects us from most forms of real persecution such as Christians in some other parts of the world experience, but we can still feel hurt by ridicule and hatred. It is only natural to want to strike back. 

Only natural. Only human. But God didn’t call us to be natural or human. 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:43-48 ESV

This is a tall order. We are not perfect, and we won’t be perfect on this side of heaven. However, we are inhabited by a perfect Holy Spirit who can love our enemies, who does love our enemies just as much as he loves us. With his help, we can choose to show love, to give our defense of our beliefs with the “gentleness and respect” that Peter calls for (1 Peter 3:15).

We should make the choice to share truth in love, gently and respectfully. Then we will see results far greater than any we will find by sharing truth in ways that are just intended to prove that we’re right, or even to wound non-believers. Being right doesn’t always equate with righteousness.

And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace .

James 3:18 ESV

Image by Ray Shrewsberry from Pixabay

As I look around the country and the world, the only word that comes to mind is groaning. We have all been groaning under the restrictions and the suffering brought on by this new coronavirus. We groan at the horror of the video where we saw a man murdered before our eyes, and that groan echoes back as we remember so many others who have suffered and died. We remember other videos that were not so prolonged and dramatic, but still showed the unthinkable. The African-Americans among us groan in pain at yet another death of their own, further proof that prejudice and oppression are still alive and far too prevalent. We groan also as the cries for justice are diluted by violence and greed. We groan. The world groans.

I struggle to find words.

It’s not that there aren’t verses and Biblical principles that apply. We know that the pain and suffering in our broken world are rooted in sin, so I could talk about that. The Bible certainly addresses the sin of partiality and makes it clear that all humans are valued by God and created in his likeness. We are to love all people, whether like us or not, so I could talk about that. I could talk about God’s concern for both justice and kindness.

These are important topics, but right now all that I have to say on them seems glib and too easy.

I find myself struggling even to know how to pray and falling back on trust; trust that God knows the needs already and will shape my intent to his will. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27 ESV). 

As I have written about before, I have some experience of being different, having lived in a land where I was the minority and worked in a field where women are still underrepresented. However, as a white woman, I will never truly grasp the struggles of my fellow Americans who are black. I can only cry for justice, seek to act with kindness, and ask God to root out the pride and partiality that still live in my heart.

This time of pain and struggle seems to call for psalms, many of which depict oppression, affliction, even despair.

Let us work to bring about the day when we no longer must say “how long?” when it comes to racial injustice. Let us look forward to that day when all nations, all ethnicities, all peoples are finally joined in peace and we see the Lord’s final salvation in a world with no more pain, no more tears, no more hatred, and no more prejudice.

He has told you, O man, what is good;

    and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

    and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8 ESV

Photo by David Ramos on Unsplash