Category: Daily Faith

Brief thoughts, topic starters, questions, church bulletins, and meditations.

Psalm 26: Nothing to Hide before God

On By Jovan PayesIn Daily Faith, Hebrew Bible, Hebrew Poetry, Old Testament, Popular Essays, Psalms, Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Growth

Scholar Beth Tanner said it well,

when our integrity is on the line, it is comforting to stand before God, depend on God’s relationship with each of us before we go out and face the not-so-forgiving world.”

in The Book of Psalms (Eerdmans, 2014)

As God’s people, meditating over the rich world of Psalm 26 can help us meet the challenges of this unforgiving world.

Genre and Context

Genre. Psalm 26 is a poetic prayer framed in the language of a plea of vindication, asking God to evaluate David’s commitment to the path of integrity. There are other genre suggestions made to account for the palatable sense of a legal complaint, or a priestly approach to God (26:6–8), a lament (26:1), or of its liturgical sensibilities for God’s people to approach God (26:6–8).

A complaint appeal to God seems, however, to be the most fitting literary form for the psalm. David implies throughout that his spiritual and moral integrity is under scrutiny, and explicitly invites the Lord’s assessment, confident that he will be found “on level ground” (26:12).

Context. There are nine psalms with the superscription (i.e., the headings) which reads, “Of David” (Psalms 25–28, 35, 37, 103, 138, 144). Although these are very ancient, they have never been thought of as inspired. They often provide ancient information about either its background (Psalm 51), its liturgical usage (“to the choirmaster,” Psalm 31), or its collection or authorship (Asaph, Psalm 80). “Of David” is so abbreviated and limited, Psalm 26 could be from any period of David’s life. 

There are two additional ways to explore the context of individual psalms: their placement in the Psalter and internal references to other biblical themes. Psalm 26 is placed in Book 1 (Psalms 1–41) cataloging 37 Davidic psalms. The psalm also presumes an understanding of the priestly and sacrificial system (26:6–8), and the “path” of the righteous from Psalm 1.

Movements and Theology

Movements. The psalm clearly moves from the demand to be vindicated by God, with the declaration of having “walked in… integrity” (26:1) to the promise to “walk in … integrity” (26:12). The walk in integrity motif serves as an inclusio—two phrases serving as literary bookends. This is at the heart of the movement of the psalm. Once David’s past and present are vindicated by God’s refining fire of judgment, he promises to continue walking in integrity. 

Our English translations do not always agree on how to divide these literary units but the most helpful way to see the movement of thought within the psalm is a five-part outline: (1) 26:1–3, (2) 26:4–5, (3) 26:6–8, (4) 26:9–10, and (5) 26:11–12. At the center of this outline are verses 6–8, which emphasize priestly preparation to stand in the presence of God (“Psalms” in The Transforming Word [ACU Press, 2009]). Clearly, David’s confidence in his innocence is not to be confused with a sense of sinlessness, for this reason, he pleads for redemption and grace (26:11b).

Theology. There are a few significant theological themes to soak in:

(1) A theology of vindication: In the opening invocation of God, David uses the verbal shopheteni (“vindicate me”; 26:1), a judicial term for “passing judgment.” It is used in the positive sense of “demonstrate my innocence.” The same phrase appears two other times: “Vindicate me, O Lord, My God” (35:24), and, “Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against ungodly people…” (43:1). Vindication of the righteous sufferer is a common theme throughout scripture (cf. Job; 1 Pet 2:18–25; Phil 2:5–11). David, too, insisted that God prove, try, and test his heart and mind (26:2). 

(2) God’s Benevolent Faithfulness: Steadfast love (hesed) and faithfulness (‘emet) are found together fifty times in the Psalms. It affirms God’s character revealed at Mount Sinai: “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty…” (Exodus 34:6–7). As Jonah reluctantly learned, this God also exists for those outside of his covenant as well (Jonah 4:2). David knows his God prefers a redemptive relationship over penal punishment. 

(3) The priestly approach: In Exodus 30:17–21, the priests who serve in the tabernacle (i.e., the Lord’s house; Psalm 26:8) must wash their hands and their feet in a bronze basin before entering, “so that they may not die” (17:21). Temple rituals for coming into the presence of God are often spiritualized by those outside the Levitical guild. David affirms that he appropriately prepares himself to be in God’s house since only by the grace of God do we have access to redemption, praise, and worship in his presence (Psalm 26:6–8, 11).

(4) The two paths: The first psalm establishes the two paths: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked (Psalm 1:1, 4–6). The wicked and the righteous, and their deeds, are fully known by God; likewise, their fates are determined by their lifestyle. This theological framing is found in Psalm 26. David appeals to this language when he disavowed association with the wicked (26:5; 1:1), and in his request not to be lumped in among the sinners when God scoops them all together in judgment (26:9; 1:1, 5).

Application

It is hard to know the particular scenario in David’s life which gave rise to this psalm. The power of the inspired poetic form, however, is found in the accessibility of our contemporary settings despite the differences.

The integrity of God’s people will be challenged, but such an inspection should be welcomed if God’s people are seeking the way of the righteous in a humble, graceful, and redemptive way

Sources

Tanner, Beth LaNeel. “Psalm 26: Prepare to Appear” in DeClaissé-Walford, Nancy L., Rolf A. Jacobson, and Beth LaNeel Tanner. The Book of Psalms. NICOT Edited by E. J. Young, R. K. Harrison, and Robert L. Hubbard, Jr. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2014.

Marrs, Rick R. “Psalms” in The Transforming Word One-Volume Commentary on the Bible. Edited by Mark W. Hamilton. Abilene, TX: Abilene Christian University Press, 2009.

Parents, Children, and Training for Worship

On By Jovan PayesIn Articles, Daily Faith, Family Studies, Kingdom Ethics, worship

There is no greater opportunity than the present to reflect on the importance of the home as the training ground of our families for the worship of God.

God has created the home to be the primary vehicle by which young souls are raised “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph 6:1-4). In what would become a daily prayer (the Shema), Israel was expected to make the homestead a welcome environment for God-talk (theology), reflection, and spiritual meditation of God’s word:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (English Standard Version)

Christians, in keeping with Israel’s identity (Gal 6:16), are expected to continue this focus to make the home a spiritual incubator for faith to blossom within all its members. Faith will often not blossom where its seed is not planted and nor its soil cultivated.

Even though the worship assembly is a primary venue for the whole church to hear the public reading (1 Tim 4:13) and proclamation of God’s word (Acts 15:21), the faith that has meaning is the faith that is transmitted from one generation to the next. Paul reminded Timothy that his faith had its roots in the faith of his mother and grandmother who made him more familiar with the saving and transforming word of God (2 Tim 1:5, 3:14-17).

We are increasing becoming aware of the diverse settings the people of God are forced to encounter as they offer up worship to God and encounter the presence of God in the Word of God. It is important to remember that settings may change but the call to be a worshipping people has not.

Parents, guardians, and those who have children that you raise, remember that worship is not just for the adults, it must be a multi-generational experience. So raise children to participate in worship, be spiritual role models, and provide a pathway to help your children succeed in engaging worship.

Raising Children for Worship

One of the most precious sounds which may “compete” with the sermon is the sound of a babe giggling with their parents. The training of children going through those “noisy” stages as they develop is to be applauded. God loves babies, we -the church- must love babies too.

Remember the words of rebuke that Jesus used toward his disciples who were creating a barrier for the parents that brought their children to Jesus?

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

Mark 10:13-16 (English Standard Version)

The scene is striking. It certainly underscores the importance Jesus gave to our need to connect our children to him. Churches need to always keep children on their minds. We must never hinder their access to Jesus.

As any engaged parent would agree to, each child has their own unique needs during various stages of development. There may be a genuine need to create a special space that meets these needs. Many church facilities have rooms like a “cry room,” “nursery,” or a “training room.”

For children with special needs, it would be prudent to have a multi purpose room where both the family and their child(ren) may stay connected to the worship of God.

Churches offer a wide range of attempts at “managing” older children during worship, and some of these methods have reinforced the notion that worship is suppose to be “fun” and “entertaining.” Grooming our children with the expectation of “entertainment worship” only sets them up for a failure to engage in the sanctity of worship. It is vital to reinforce that worship is our expression of gratitude and joy toward God, it is not a human-centric experience.

There is no substitute for parents who are raising children for worship. Parents must take a “hands on” approach while the church must develop a culture that helps parents, guardians, and stewards of these children to succeed.

Living as Spiritual Role Models

Parenthood is a huge responsibility, and those who enter into it must realize the awesome task they have assumed upon themselves. In the Psalms, it says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Psalm 127:3). Children are a heritage of souls from the Lord (Psa 127:3).

The prophet Malachi says that one of the goals of the marriage mystery of the “one flesh” is to produce godly children. Read these words:

Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring.

Malachi 2:15 (English Standard Version)

Parents are called upon to teach their children the word of God. This is to be accomplished through exposure to the Bible at home, and by participating the teaching ministries of the congregation.

This means that parents must teach their children the word at home and lead by example by participating with their children in “church services.” Parents, guardians, and stewards must demonstrate that growing in faith is important to them as well. We have too many parents sending their children to “Sunday school,” to Christians schools, to Bible Camps, as if they have done the duty. But unless these children see an example of commitment to faith, these measures are often “baby sitting” by another name.

Children must see their parents living out the teaching of the gospel (Phil 1:27). Children are not unaware of their parents’s hypocrisy. And while there is no excuse for using the poor example of another to justify one’s own spiritual failures (Prov 25:19, Psa 118:8), parents truly leave an indelible mark upon their children’s faith. Be the example they need. Shepherd their souls to the Father.

Providing “In Worship” Training

Providing “in worship” training begins with one simple step: attendance. How do parents expect their children to grow into spiritually sensitive individuals if they are not participating in worship with their children?

Sometimes parents do not have a plan to provide structure for their children during in worship. Remember, for children to succeed they must have right the atmosphere and right the activities.

It is very surprising what little children can do. When age and skill allow, have your children bring notebooks and train them to write down every book of the Bible they hear in the sermon, or every time they hear the word “God,” “Bible,” “Jesus,” “love,” “gospel,” etc. Training the children to take notes can be quite simple and effective for training.

Tote bags of spiritually related materials can be a fantastic resource for training. Bring Bible related children’s books (prayers, Bible stories, etc.), or Bible related coloring books. I know of a congregation which provides tote bags with coloring books and Bible story books with crayons. Another has a children’s bulletin filled with “church related” games and activities, and coloring pages. These can be quite effective in grooming little ones into the atmosphere of worship.

Older children often have other problems to manage. Developing children begin to really test their boundaries, and let’s be honest it can be exhausting to rehash the same battles. This is often where parental battles are won or lost. Parents are called to lead their children. It is “children obey your parents” (Eph 6:1; Col 3:20) not “parents give in to your children.”

Some behaviors can be limited. Attention can be improved by not allowing the youth to stay up so late that they cannot stay awake during services. To reduce the temptation of gaming on their phones, swap out their phone (with their “Bible app”) with a physical copy of the Bible.

Provide your growing youth with interactive activities. For example, have them get a special study notebook that they like. Challenge them to try to outline the sermons and Bible classes they heard. Ask them to write down their own spiritual questions, and leave space to find biblical answers. This forces them to mentally engage the material. This will help develop them to be hears of the word so that they may become doers.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

James 1:22-25 (English Standard Version)

Conclusion

Parents, where you lead them, they will follow. Don’t give up. You will reap a good harvest soon enough (Gal 6:9). Take a “hands on” approach to the spiritual development of your children; do not expect the church, the “youth group,” or the “youth worker” to do it for you. We must train our children in the way of faith, in hopes that they will continue on with their own faith:

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6 (English Standard Version)

Obtainable Spiritual Goals (2): Study of the Scriptures

On By Jovan PayesIn Bible Study, Daily Faith, Devotional, Discipleship, Perspective, Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Growth2 Comments

There is no debate over the need to be people of the Scriptures. There is ample biblical data to demonstrate this clear teaching. We are providing practical suggestions for the inclusion of devotional time with the Word of God. This is then an attempt at providing some missing links in the chain between fact and practice. Let us incorporate time with Scripture into our daily routine.

The Bible

Centuries ago, a prophet by the name of Hosea[1] lamented over the Hebrew people and their ignorance of God’s word. He said that their calamity was a direct result of their lack of God-revealed-knowledge (Hos 4:1-7:16). To refrain from a study of the Bible is tantamount to a rejection of God, and also may incur rejection of providential protection (cf. Hos. 4:6).

Hosea speaks on behalf of the Creator in the following way:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. (Hos 4:6)

As Jesus would later quote, the Lord desired Israel’s steadfast love, reflected in their possession and application of the knowledge of God (Hos 6:6; cf. Matt 9:13, 12:7). Instead, the Lord received religious deviance (i.e. idolatry, covenantal infractions, etc.) grounded in ignorance and the rejection of God’s word.

As a result, God’s warnings of wrath went unheeded, and the Northern Kingdom (Israel and Ephraim) was conquered in 722 B.C. by Assyria, and the Southern Kingdom (Judah) was overcome and their citizenry harvested three times.[2]

  • 606 B.C.: Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jehoiakim and took the upper class of Judah and the spoils of war (2 Chron 36:6-7).
  • 597 B.C.: Nebuchadnezzar came again and completed the plunder begun a decade prior to this invasion (2 Kings 24:14-16).
  • 586 B.C.: Babylonians burned Jerusalem and leveled the walls, and finalized any deportation desires it had.

Both Israel and Judah suffered at their own hands because they did not commit themselves to the teaching of God. Hosea spoke of this calamity in his prophetic utterances found in Hosea 5:5-7:

The pride of Israel testifies to his face; Israel and Ephraim shall stumble in his guilt; Judah also shall stumble with them. With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the Lord, but they will not find him; he has withdrawn from them. They have dealt faithlessly with the Lord; for they have borne alien children. Now the new moon shall devour them with their fields.

The lesson here is obvious: there is no substitute for actually opening a biblical book in order to read and to study it, in order to apply the message God embedded within its pages.

Let us, therefore, make time to add Bible reading to our daily schedule. And here are some practical places to introduce Bible reading:

  • Wake up a little earlier (Or, go to bed a little later) to make time for a 5-10 minute reading or study. You would be amazed how much can be accomplished by a consistent dose – however small.
  • If you are a commuter (bus, train, taxi, carpool, etc.) and can read while in motion, try squeezing a paragraph in. Make a photocopy of a page or two out of the Bible, and slip it in your paperwork. Then when you are done reading it, you can give it away or discard it somehow (trash, recycle at office, etc.).
  • Flash cards can be great tools at learning wonderful statements in the Bible. A list could be generated of significant passages, then every night before bed one or two verses can be copied down onto a card or two. The next day, the cards are available to commit to your memory. The book of Proverbs lends itself quite well to this type of learning project.
  • Above all else, make Bible reading time a family project of Divine learning. God required this of physical Israel:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deut 6:4-9)

To be sure, there are other ways to incorporate Bible reading into a person’s schedule and routine, but these are provided to get your “thinking caps” charged up.

Audio

When the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy regarding this young evangelist’s ministry, Paul was specific that Timothy should do several things. He told Timothy,  “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching […] Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim 4:13, 16).

In as much as we are accustomed to reading the Bible to ourselves, there is much emphasis in Scripture about public settings where the Bible is read aloud. Moses read the Law to all of Israel (Exod 24:3). Ezra read the Law to all of Israel (Neh 8:1-8). Josiah’s reformation was predicated upon the public reading of the Law (2 Kings 22-23). And the Jerusalem church acknowledged that “Moses” (= the Law) was proclaimed since time immemorial (Acts 15:21).

Sometimes a difference is made between “listening” and “hearing,” and one might even suggest that a person can “listen” but never quite listen to the message of a conversation. Likewise, a person can “hear” someone speaking to them and be found in the same predicament – they did not really hear the content of the message.

Jesus faced a similar problem. In the Gospel accounts, Jesus would often say, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt 11:14; cf. Mark 4:9 and Luke 8:8, Mark 4:23, Luke 14:35).[3] Such admonitions stem from an old plea from God through the prophet Moses in Deuteronomy 29:4:

And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. (Deut 29:2-4)

Moses’ words echo throughout the entire biblical tradition, for both testaments embrace the notion of using our ears and eyes to hear and see with spiritual clarity.[4] We must give attention to the “living and abiding voice” of the Scriptures.[5]

How can we incorporate the listening of Scripture into our routine? Fortunately, technology is our ally; really, it is more – it is our servant ready to perform for our Spiritual needs. There are Bibles on tape, cd, mp3, DVD, online, podcasts, and whatever else the future provides as the new “techy” way to provide audio content.

Some audio Bibles are available free online, some are relatively inexpensive to acquire, and others are accentuated with marketing strategies using popular actors, singers, or other types of celebrity voices in dramatized versions of the audio Bible.

There are so many types of Bible in multiple versions that finding the one that we like the most should be our biggest problem, not listening of the Bible. The problem is not access, it is a habit – it is the failure to make it a routine to listen to the Bible.

So here are some practical suggestions.

  • Purchase an audio Bible. That is pretty basic. Go to an online store or a local bookstore – Christian or otherwise – and bring home an audio Bible that you can use in the car, on your iPod or mp3 player, one that you can play on your desktop or laptop. The point is: to take the first step into a larger world.
  • Find a time slot you are going to set aside to listen to the Bible. Select maybe a half an hour every other night dedicated to listening to a book or several books of the Bible (especially those small ones!). We find time to watch our favorite TV show so we can know how the story unfolds (“how will Monk get out of this one?”), we ought to find the same fervor to hear the Bible (“what can we learn from God’s care of Esther and Mordecai?”).
  • The iPod should be God’s pod.[6]Surely, we can make room for God in our iPod or mp3 player – be it an “8 gigger” or “120 gigger.” GB should not only stand for gigabite, but also for God’s bite. It may sound korny, but we know this is an important perspective to embrace. Any portable media player can be a source of spiritual enrichment. For example, at the doctor’s office while you are “waiting for those results”, at the Department of Motor Vehicles when you need the patience of Job, or just when you are experiencing a time of deep emotional turmoil. Why turn to The Killers, or Kanye West, when we can turn to the “I Am”.
  • Make your car an “Ethiopian Eunuch mobile.” In Acts 8:26-40, we find the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. It is a story of providence and salvation, but what appeals to our study from this narrative is that the eunuch was leaving Jerusalem to commute over 1,000 miles to Gaza in his chariot. The text reads that he “was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah” (Acts 8:28). We can turn off our typical (habitual?) morning wake-up show for some Scripture time.

Again, these suggestions are just to get your creative juices flowing. Find the time, however brief, to include God and His word in your everyday lifestyle – it will literally change your world.

Sources

  1. Hosea’s ministry is probably fixed between 760-710 B.C., as can be derived from Hosea 1.1 and the list of Hebrew Kings serving as historical benchmarks (Kings of Judah: Uzziah (Azariah), Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah; and Jeroboam II in Israel); Andrew E. Hill, Baker’s Handbook of Bible Lists (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1981), 78-80; Norman L. Geisler, A Popular Survey of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1977), 240.
  2. Henry H. Halley, Halley’s Bible Handbook, 24th ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1965), 210.
  3. The last sure place in the New Testament where such an appeal is made to ears that hear is in Romans 11:8 in a quotation of Isaiah 29:10 and coupled with the oldest biblical reference in Deuteronomy 29:4.
  4. It is worth noting that such references are mostly found in the prophetic admonitions where spiritual sensitivity is valued at a high premium; such as Isaiah (30:21), Jeremiah (25:4), Ezekiel (3:10, 12:2, 40:4, 44:5), and Zechariah (7:11).
  5. This reference comes from available fragments of the writings of an early non-inspired Christian named Papias (middle second century AD, cf. Fragments of Papias 3:4; online as ch. 1). He longed to hear from eyewitness auditors of the apostolic circle, those whose memory still rang with apostolic sermons and teaching. He preferred these encounters over the study of books. The longing Papias demonstrates should resonate with our spiritual fervor to hear the Scriptures aloud.
  6. Bible.org offers a free Bible podcast of their New English Translation of the Holy Bible on iTunes. I have enjoyed the translation in hard copy form and am really enjoying it in audio format on iTunes. If possible, download iTunes and check it out (click).

Obtainable Spiritual Goals – Routine

On By Jovan PayesIn Daily FaithLeave a comment

Routine – The Magic Word

It is said that famed American motivational speaker Earl Nightingale observed that humans are – for lack of a better phrase – “creatures of habit.” Another well-known motivational speaker named Hilary Hinton “Zig” Ziglar is reported to have shared similar views.

Ziglar is quoted as saying the following two statements: “When you choose a habit, you also choose the end of that habit,” and, “We build our character from the bricks of habit we pile up day by day.” These aphorisms speak for themselves.

Every person has a pattern of behavior that for the most part they rarely depart. Joe Smyth wakes up, showers, dresses, eats breakfast, takes the 8:15 AM to work, and then at 4:45 PM Joe finishes his daily paperwork, takes the 5:20 PM home, and eats dinner, watches a little ESPN, checks his email, and then goes to sleep. Then, the next day it starts all over again.

But wait, Joe Smyth is a Christian. Somewhere in his routine prayer, Bible study, the worship of God, his spiritual and moral maturation, and the sharing or defending of his faith must come into view – but where? That’s where the word habit comes into play – these actions must be made part of the routine, and over time, part of the habit.

Little wonder that Paul said to the church in Rome:

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:5-8)[1]

Notice the phrase “set the mind” and the other similar phraseology in this section of Romans, and observe that Paul is speaking of two routines – habits. One brings “life and peace” while the other brings “death” and hostility with God. Obviously, the zealous and devout Christian would choose the routine that brings life and peace.

How does a Christian begin to consider obtaining – or realizing – this goal? Paul is quite clear – it is the mind. In 8:5 Paul says a person must “give careful consideration” with the intention of espousing one side of a cause.[2]

The controversy is quite explicit in this passage, and Paul leaves the matter in the Christian’s hands. In fact, there are only two options with no middle ground. Logicians call this the two horns of a dilemma, where the selection of one option is equal to the rejection of the other option.

In essence, he says, “make up your mind decisively and espouse the principles which will guide your life to the end that you desire. If you want life and peace then follow the principles set forth by the Spirit, should you not take this decision then you have rejected the life and peace which are promised those who ‘set their minds on the things of the Spirit.'”

This passage articulates one major theme; namely, that in order to obtain spiritual goals a mind daily focused on the Spirit is essential. What we have here is a quest to obtain a spiritual habit, a spiritual routine, a spiritual lifestyle.[3] And this begins first in the mind, and then into action.

If your life was narrated like the opening few scenes of Stranger Than Fiction, where the number of steps it took to walk from one block to the next, where the time it took to wait for the bus was “clocked” to the minute and seconds, and even how many documents at work you sort through – would there be any time in your routine that included spiritual things on a daily basis?

If not, start the quest now by making room for spiritual things in your mind and routine.

Sources

  1. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Holy Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001).
  2. (BDAG) Bauer, Walter, Frederick W. Danker, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Christian Literature, 3d ed. (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1066.
  3. In Romans 8:5, the verb phrase “set their minds” comes from a present active indicative Greek verb (phroneo); meaning, that the action here is continuous – even habitual. There is no end to the action in sight, thus the Christ is to always keep in view the direction which thought (of a practical kind) takes” (Harry Angus A. Kennedy, Expositor’s Greek Testament, ed. W. Roberston Nicoll [New York, NY: Doran, 1901], 3:420; cf. James H. Moulton and George Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament [1930; repr., Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1997], 676).

The Ends of the EtherWorld

On By Jovan PayesIn Daily FaithLeave a comment

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. (Acts 1.7-9)[1]

When the Lord spoke these words, He was doing several things. First, He was emphasizing God’s control over future events. God would use His proper judgment to carry out His plan on this globe. Second, He was describing the ministry of the Apostles as being empowered by the Holy Spirit. Third, He emphasised the type of ministry they would be accomplishing as Jesus-witnesses. And Fourthly, He detailed in advance the geographical process of their expanding movement.

This latter aspect of Acts 1.7-9 is something that I ponder over quite a bit. The city of birth for the Christian movement is Jerusalem, for as Acts 2 demonstrates it is from there the movement expanded. The Book of Acts outlines a generic expansion process: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth (1.8). It seems quite correct to agree with E. Earle Ellis’ analysis of “the end of the earth” as being an expression meaning the furthermost geographical points known on the Ancient Greco-Roman map.[2]

Now with the online community, I wonder how well the expansion of the spread of Christ, and the demonstration of ministry of his disciples is going. To be sure there are blogs, like this one, dedicated to sharing and defending Christian principles. There are those Christian megasites, mainline somewhat commercial website endeavors. However, there is also countless millions of individuals who share their faith online via chat rooms, emails – yes even the dreaded spam-mails, and through socializing websites like MySpace.com and Facebook.com.

I encourage all those Christians who are entangled within the world wide web to do like the early Christians did. Acts 8.4 says: “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.” Get out there in the ether-world and preach the unadulterated word!

Works Cited

  1. Scripture references are from the English Standard Version of the Holy Bible (Wheaton: Crossway, 2001).
  2. Ellis, E. Earle. “’The End of the Earth’ (Acts 1:8).” Bulletin for Biblical Research 1 (1991): 123-132 (Link);