What’s In A Name?

by Matthew Stidham, posted in Exodus, How to Read the Bible, Life, Scripture

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet.”

William Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet

Juliet tried hard to convince Romeo that names don’t matter. To put it another way, for Juliet, who we are is not dependent upon a name, nor are we defined by a name. While I admire Shakespeare on many levels, on this point he’s wrong.

I think the real question is “Do any names matter?” And the Biblical answer to that is a resounding “YES!” What we learn as we read the Bible is that who we are is precisely dependent upon a name—the only name that matters.

The Name

For an ancient Israelite, one name in particular mattered more than any other name.

Exodus is the retelling of God’s powerful rescue of Israel out of the bondage of slavery and oppression in Egypt. God uses a human, Moses, to be his representative before Pharaoh during this miraculous rescue. To Pharaoh, in essence, it is as if Moses is God, performing signs and wonders, and delivering the Divine message to Pharaoh, with Aaron as his helper (Exod 4:15-16).

This is an awesome task! To represent the God of the universe to someone who does not know God is a frightening endeavor, especially if you don’t really know the God you are representing!

Moses instantly feels inferior to the task, asking “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” (Exod 3:11) God never answers the question directly, but indicates that God’s presence will be sufficient. Simply put to Moses, “I will be with you.” (Exod 3:12)

The second, and possibly the most informative question that Moses asks is how to acknowledge God before the people. Here is God’s reply:

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’
“This is my name forever,
the name you shall call me
from generation to generation.”

Exodus 3:14-15 NIV

The Meaning

There is a long rabbit trail here concerning the name(s) God chooses in this revelation to Moses. Without going too far down that trail, we need some clarification here. The Hebrew phrase “Ehyeh asher ehyeh” is what the NIV translates as “I AM WHO I AM.” Without totally nerding out on Hebrew, we should know that depending on how one views this phrase, it can mean variously “I AM WHO I AM,” or “I AM WHAT I AM,” or “I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE,” or any combination of these options. God’s revelation of being in this name shows that God is not dependent on anything, and everything else in all creation has its dependence upon God. You and I are human, we are tired, we are in a particular location at a particular time, etc. Simply put, we are finite. God simply IS.

And that’s the second name. What most English language Bibles translate as “LORD” in all capital letters, is the actually the 3rd person version of Ehyeh. Instead of “I AM”, the Hebrew name Yahweh (LORD) is means “HE IS.” (For more information on why the English translation does this, Bible Project has this great video.)

This name, Yahweh (LORD/HE IS), is the name of Israel’s God (Exod 20:2), the only god Israel is to worship (Exod 20:3), and the one whom his people are to represent well through bearing this name (Exod 20:7).

Bearing the Name

That last part, bearing or misusing the name of Yahweh, might be one of the most misunderstood commands of the Bible, and one that I intend to unpack a bit in my sermons over the next few weeks. But here’s the short take on what this command means:

  • Humans have always been designed to bear the image of their Creator (Gen 1:27).
  • Instead of bearing the image/name of their Creator, sinful humans decided to make a name for themselves (Gen 3:5; 11:4).
  • The Creator then decides to create a new people to bear his image/name in the world, thus growing his reputation/name as well as theirs, in the process of bringing blessing to all humans (Gen 12:1-3).
  • This new family commits to bearing the Creator’s name, Yahweh, and being representatives of the name/reputation of the Creator in the earth (Exod 19:5-6).
  • This is not a light responsibility, and must be taken seriously. Bearing the name of Yahweh in a careless way brings guilt upon the people (Exod 20:7).
  • (This point needs more unpacking, but…) That name/reputation has been transferred to Jesus, the name we must now represent, respect, and honor (Phil 2:6-11).
  • This Jesus (which means “Yahweh Saves”) is the physical representation of Yahweh (John 8:58 – I AM), and the name of Jesus is the only name that brings us salvation (Acts 4:12).
  • When we place our allegiance in the name of Jesus, coming to God through Jesus, we become chosen people, that priesthood of representatives in the world (1 Peter 2:4-10).

What’s in a name? EVERYTHING! And the name we need for salvation, the name we must bear carefully, the name we must represent to others is the name of Jesus.

Click here to view Matt’s sermons on Bearing God’s Name.

Gossip – the sin we’re ok with?

by Matthew Stidham, posted in Church health, Life, Politics, Romans, Scripture

I made the mistake of watching the “news” recently. As a rule I refuse to do this, but I was lured into watching the “news.” What I saw was a bunch of unfounded, unverified hearsay passed along in order to convince the viewer that they should be outraged about these same unfounded, unverified rumors. The Biblical term for such talk is “gossip.”

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. 

 The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ro 1:28–32.

Did you notice “gossips” appear in that list? I think most followers of Christ are really comfortable with calling most of those sins exactly what they are: sin. Yet it seems very comfortable for most people to be ok with gossip. And when the gossip is packaged and sold to us as “news” or “the real truth,” it becomes more palatable.

Still, if the message is intriguing or scandalous enough, we just might listen. And then we are happy to pass it on. Don’t believe me? Just look on Facebook, or Twitter, or any other social media platform. Americans love to “share” those shocking “articles” about politics, or some celebrity. We convince ourselves that others need to know this “truth,” but did we stop to check the validity of the claims? Have we actually done the research, or simply passed along what we were told?

We can rationalize it away, or try to find some reason to justify doing these things, but the Bible is very clear. Gossip is sin.

The most common area I encounter gossip is around actions that one deems inappropriate. Those actions may or may not in actuality be inappropriate, but the assumption of inappropriate behavior usually sparks gossip. From there the assumption is told to another, and then to another in hopes of building a consensus that this assumed inappropriate behavior is wrong. It gets even easier to do this sort of thing when dealing with a celebrity or politician. But acting this way is absolutely not acting like Jesus. I really like Bruce Waltke’s take on this.

“Now we come [to] ‘Do not bear false witness,’ in which we spare—we bestow on the other—the right to a reputation. We guard the other person’s reputation. We guard it against false testimony. I suspect all of us have violated this; we’ve gossiped about somebody. I think sometimes we hold court in living rooms, drinking cups of coffee. We talk evil of another person, with no due process at all. They’re not there to defend themselves. There may not even be witnesses, but they should not gossip about another person unless the other person is there to defend himself or herself. We’ve got to protect the other person’s reputation. Christians should never gossip.”

 Bruce K. Waltke, OT300 Old Testament Theology, Logos Mobile Education (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018).

How about we consider what Jesus suggests?

15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.

 The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 18:15.

When it comes to friends, family, or other Christians, this should be fairly easy. You make it a point to go directly to the person.

Not to the minister. Not to the elders. Not to your friends.

You go directly to the person you have an issue with. You just might learn that an assumption on your part was incorrect, or it’s possible your concerns might be validated. If there actually is a legitimate problem, then the two of you can address it without everyone else getting involved. This is how Jesus tells us to handle this situation.

So the next time you’re a part of the conversation that steers toward talking about people who aren’t there, remember the wise words of a former First Lady.

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.

Eleanor Roosevelt

What do you mean it’s an elephant?

by Matthew Stidham, posted in How to Read the Bible, Women of Scripture

There’s an old story of three blind men who are led to different parts of an elephant. One feels the tail and thinks it’s a paint brush. One feels the leg and thinks it’s a tree. One feels the ear and thinks it is a large leaf. By the information that each person had they made their best judgement. But when they got together and compared information they realized that none of them had the full picture. Then they worked together to find the head which clearly revealed that there was an elephant in the room.

This Sunday, we will begin a journey through the First Testament in our Bibles, exploring 14 different passages. There are common themes in these texts, and all of them are themes included in John’s Gospel (which we will spend the winter and spring studying). To put it another way, we are surveying the First Testament with an eye toward passages that inform our reading of John’s Gospel. Some of these texts will be familiar, others not so much. Some are confusing, some may seem irrelevant to our lives today, and some have been the point of much controversy, both inside and outside the Church.

One of the things I’ve noticed about some of these First Testament stories is that we learn them as children, such as VBS or Sunday School, and then never really consider them in depth as adults. When we think of the story of Moses and the burning bush (which isn’t actually burning…), our mind goes to the flannel graph images and summaries of our childhood Bible class teachers.

I am so thankful for the teachers that taught me to love the Bible! They taught very difficult, adult Bible stories in a way that my childhood brain could comprehend and appreciate. But when they taught me to love the Bible, they taught me to always study the Bible as well. And what I’ve discovered, especially with this portion of the Bible, is that we rarely spend the time studying these texts that we should. And when we do actually study them, or hear them taught at an adult level, there’s a certain shock involved. We remember the faithfulness of people like Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Miriam. We forget that they were also drunkards, liars, murderers, and extremely jealous. The stories are far more complex than our childhood memories convey. And when we only focus on the children’s story version of the text, we can miss the point of the story altogether.

The issue is not with the texts themselves, but how we read the texts. All of us come to Scripture with existing biases. I read Scripture through the eyes of a white, middle class, married father of three, recently moved to southwest Missouri from West Texas. That is my perspective. Someone who is middle eastern, impoverished, single, living in Europe will see things differently than I do simply because of their background and surroundings. They view the world differently than I do, and that’s a good thing! Just read the story of the prodigal son(s) with someone from an impoverished country. Most of us read that story not realizing that a famine plays an important role in the story, and in the repentance of the son. People who have suffered from famine pick up on that right away.

Proverbs reminds us that there is wisdom in having “many advisors.” If I am looking at something alone, I only see things from my point of view. But if I talk about it with others with different views, I can begin to see more of the picture.

Some have suggested that addressing controversial texts does no good. “It means what it says and says what it means, and that settles it!” But it doesn’t settle things, does it? The greatest clarity of Scripture I have ever found has come when discussing the text with people who have differing views. Though I may not agree with everything they see, I always walk away with a greater understanding of their view, my view, and most importantly the Word of God. Just this week, a new detail stood out to me in Genesis because I was talking to someone about the text. I’ve been on a mission to re-read Genesis 50 times. I’ve spent considerable time with this book, and I noticed something I had never considered before simply because I was willing to sit down and discuss the text with someone. Basically, I missed the point of the text and only discovered this by talking about it.

I have no doubt that God will do powerful things for us over the next 14 weeks, and through us as we study his word together. I also believe that all of us will discover things that we haven’t seen in these texts before. My prayer is we listen to the voices of “many advisors,” reexamine our view in light of others, but most importantly, we consider what the Scripture actually says, and grow in the grace and wisdom of the Lord. And when we do this cooperatively in community, maybe then we will better identify the elephant in the room.

See you Sunday!

Why does God allow bad things to happen?

by Matthew Stidham, posted in Lamentations, Life, Prayer, Scripture

Why does God allow bad things to happen?

That’s a question that gets asked frequently and if I’m honest, I struggle with an appropriate answer to that question.

Why did my friend die tragically even though he followed Jesus?

Why is my friend barely hanging on to life even though he’s a pastor leading people to Jesus?

Why did that child die even though we know Jesus loves her?

I truly wish I had the ability to understand the universe as God does, to know how everything works out, ultimately for good.

But I don’t. I can’t always see it.

What I do know, through the storm, when sorrow like sea billows roll, is this:

I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.

Lamentations 3:19-26 NIV

We sing songs around that part of Lamentations…probably the best known section of the lament because of that. But the lamenter continues:

For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.
Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.

Lamentations 3:31-33 NIV

Did you notice that last part? He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone. God isn’t diabolical and just eager to bring destruction on people. He doesn’t willingly bring these troubles to anyone.

I still don’t understand why we suffer, but I know that it’s not something God’s wants. He doesn’t willingly want us to suffer these afflictions and grief. And I do believe that his unfailing love brings compassion. Yes there is grief, yes there is suffering, but not every day is that way. Not every light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train. Sometimes it’s his compassion made new every morning.

Trust in the Lord. Hope in the Lord. Rest in the Lord. His mercies are new every morning, and he does not willingly bring affliction and grief.

May the Lord grant us all peace today.

These Old Boots

by Matthew Stidham, posted in Scripture

These old boots are my favorite pair, though they are not my most comfortable boots. They are my favorite, even though I don’t wear them daily. They are my favorite, even when they make my feet hurt. Why, you might ask?

Though I can’t remember what year I bought them, I know I’ve had them at least 20 years. I graduated from high school wearing these boots. They are part of my memories and decision-making that influenced the course of my life. I wore them while driving my first and favorite car (1967 Ford Mustang). I wore them in college as I dated my fiance, performed recitals and concerts, traveled to Germany for mission work, and stood at the altar marrying my wife.

I’ve worn these boots as a band director, receiving awards, performing some of the best music with some of the most wonderful people. I’ve worn these boots playing in bands with friends of all kinds. They’ve been part of music festivals, church services, jam sessions, and our beloved Corona-concerts.

They have been part of every ministry I’ve ever worked in. They’ve been on my feet for every wedding I’ve ever officiated, and every funeral I’ve ever preached. These old boots have been torn up, patched up, and polished so many times I’ve lost count. Yet they still serve me well every time I put them on my feet.

I guess these are my favorite boots for what they help me remember. You see, these are my favorite boots, because God has led me through so much while I was wearing them. They aren’t special, they aren’t magical, they aren’t particularly valuable. But they remind me of my journey through life with God.

To remember is one of the major calls of Deuteronomy. Moses wants the people to remember what God has done for them. His hope is if the people remember their God’s provision and blessing, they will seek to bless Him with their faithfulness.

“…do not be afraid…remember well what the LORD your God did…”

Deuteronomy 7:18 NIV

“Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.”

Deuteronomy 8:2 NIV

“But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.”

Deuteronomy 8:18 NIV

“Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.”

Deuteronomy 24:18 NIV

Moses makes the point that we should not merely bounce through life day after day like a pinball, nor keep a checklist of rules. Instead, we remember. We should remember what God has done in the past, and expect his faithfulness and provision in the future. But we must remember to walk daily with him.

We must do this now more than ever. With the ever-increasing craziness of this world, it’s easy to get distracted and forget why we are here. We must remember. This is why every Sunday we stop to remember.

“This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Luke 22:19 NIV

Remembering once a week isn’t enough, though. If we spend an hour a week remembering Christ and his sacrifice, there are 167 other hours each week that we forget.

There are so many ways to remember what God through Jesus has done for us. These old boots are simply old boots. But they help me remember.

So what helps you remember?

Excuse me, are you a pastor?

by Matthew Stidham, posted in Christianity, Life, Scripture
This post originally appeared on my Facebook page and sort of went viral. I decided to post it here for my readers who don’t follow me on Facebook as well. Blessings.

“Excuse me, are you a pastor?”

That question has always bothered me, especially when it comes out of the blue. I never know the motives behind the people who ask it, and I still don’t know what prompted a random woman in the airport to ask me that question. But for some reason, in the middle of the night, in an airport, as I tried to eat my dinner, there it was.

I was feeling grouchy yesterday as a day full of excitement and weeks of planning continued to fall apart all around me. It started with a rental car getting canceled, with no options to rebook. What was supposed to be a fun drive (and anyone who knows me knows I love road trips) turned into a last minute flight paired with a friend’s kindness to pick me up and drive me to my destination.

Everything started well. I had a fine morning, visited with friends, played my favorite new guitar, and talked with my wife as she dropped me off at the airport. Terrific lunch, read a book as I waited for my flight. And then something delayed our ability to take off on time. Once we boarded we were informed that severe weather was causing us to be rerouted around the storm. Instead of an hour layover in Chicago, our new path around the storm put us on the ground 10 minutes after my connecting flight was in the sky.

No worries, the flight attendant informed us, as we had already been rebooked on a flight that would take off about an hour after we landed. Upon landing in Chicago, we learned that that flight was delayed, and we were rebooked on another flight at 5pm. Then another at 7. Then at 9. Then at 11. Then 1am. Then 3am. And finally, canceled.

Did I mention I was grouchy? As much as I wanted to ignore this stranger in the Chicago airport, something made me respond in the affirmative. Not knowing what this woman’s motives were, I was relieved somewhat when she replied, “Thank God!” and sat down at the table next to mine. Over the next 45 minutes, she unloaded a lot of baggage she had been carrying (no pun intended) and how she had been struggling with her faith since moving to Chicago. She really needed to talk to someone, and I guess I and the other random stranger sitting at our row of tables fit the bill.

I still have no idea why she asked me that question, but I was able to use my gifts to help this weary traveler make a plan to return to church this Sunday. I then proceeded to customer service and stood in the never ending line behind all the angry and sleepy people in the wee hours of the morning who would now spend their night trying to sleep in the airport.

And then it happened again. This time, a lady much younger than me, tears streaming down her face, asking what she should do. She had been estranged from her family for some time and had made arrangements to fly cross-country to visit them and make amends. And now the welcome home plans and meetings looked like they might not happen because a flight had been canceled. While waiting in line to receive complimentary blankets and tooth paste, we visited about life, canceled flights, relationships, and a few minutes later she thanked me for being “the only kind and decent human I have spoken to all week.”

Did I mention I was grouchy? Well, I had been, but not so much any more. The next was a young man trying to get home and was frustrated that he couldn’t reserve a rental car (tell me about it brother), a woman next to me on the flight to the next city who was troubled while reading about the Holocost, and then a kind stranger who invited me to cut in front of them in the breakfast line.

As I get ready to board my next flight that will arrive at my original destination 20 hours behind schedule, I wonder who God will put in my path this time.

I don’t share this story to pat myself on the back, nor to encourage air travel or rental car use (did I mention I was…nevermind). But I encourage you to be who God has called you to be in the places he has placed you. Our Christian life does not exist solely within the walls of the church building. And regardless of if we are at work, at home, in a Bible class, or trying to sleep on the world’s most uncomfortable airport seating (looking at you, O’Hare International), we’re still called to be representatives of Christ and His Kingdom wherever we go.

Now, I wonder who God will put in your path this time?

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

1 Peter 3:15-16 NIV

Unless You Repent…

by Matthew Stidham, posted in Gospel of Luke, Psalms, Scripture

“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Luke 13:2-5 NIV

DEVOTIONAL

Some followers of Jesus in Luke 13 seem to conclude that bad things happen only to bad people. Jesus is quick to remind them that judging others will not improve their situation. Casting blame and searching for reasons for every bad thing that happens simply doesn’t help. We stand before God, not compared to others, but based on our own heart.

Twice in these few verses, we are given the same statement: “But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” My experience has been Christians often encourage others (and theirselves) to feel sorry about what they’ve done…show remorse for past actions. But that’s not what Jesus is saying here; the statement is not simply about feeling guilty about what has already been done. Jesus wants us to deal with our past and make changes moving forward.

Christ is calling us to not compare our situations with others…that creates a false standard… nor do we ignore the sins of the past and move on. Instead, we must face our wrongs and make changes in the present, so that our future is in accordance with God’s will.

Don’t ignore the past, but don’t get trapped in it either. We must not turn a blind eye to the ugly side of our past and allow those wrongs to continue. Instead, we compare our lives to Christ, make amends to God and others we have harmed by our sin, and then change our actions and systems to promote righteousness and justice moving forward.

This is exactly what David models for us in Psalm 51. After David committed murder to cover up his sexual wickedness toward Bathsheba, Nathan the prophet points out David’s sin. David’s repentance is captured in the words of Psalm 51. Read it slowly and notice how David addresses the past sins, makes amends to God in the present by seeking forgiveness, and then looks ahead at future actions he will do to change the course of his life.

And now the hard part. Take an honest look at your life. Is there anything in your past you haven’t dealt with? Are there any sins that still linger in the present? Have you asked God for forgiveness and direction going forward? Have you changed your actions so this sin doesn’t continue to plague you in the future? Good intentions are well and good, “but unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

PRAYER

Lord, convict us. Show us our sins and guide us to deal with the past before looking to the future. Help us remove everything from our lives that is sinful, remove our judgmental spirit, and help us reflect Christ, and Christ alone. Forgive us, Lord, for passing judgment on others, assuming their guilt, and presuming our innocence. May our repentance, our faith, and our fellowship show the world your greatness and love. Through the name and power of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Amen.

Paul: The Offensive Apostle?

by Matthew Stidham, posted in Uncategorized

Paul was offensive. But probably not in the way you think.

We’re looking at the Ephesian letter each Sunday morning during our sermon time, and Wednesday nights we’re diving a little deeper into questions from those sermons, as well as trying to get our minds wrapped around Paul’s way of thinking. We spent our last two class sessions talking about “the powers” that Paul writes about in this letter (Eph. 1:19-21, 2:1-2, 3:10-11, 6:12, etc.)

Without reteaching those classes here, let me summarize by saying that Paul, his audience, and those who wrote the Bible as a whole recognized that there are many powers at play in this world that are either good, or evil. And when we get tangled up in serving those powers rather than serving Christ, it’s a huge problem. Though you and I probably aren’t tempted to wander into a pagan temple, we do dedicate a lot of time and resources to serving our own comfort, entertainment, hobbies, etc. Paul would refer to these things, as well as other spiritual and cosmic forces, as “the powers.” And sadly, sometimes we do serve the powers over and above serving Christ.

One of those powers is culture. For Paul’s original audience, your home would be structured in a certain way because the powers that be have mandated it. Let’s look at a couple of examples from names you will recognize that will teach us how a household should be structured in Paul’s time.

“Seeing then that the state is made up of households, before speaking of the state we must speak of the management of the household. The parts of household management correspond tot he persons who compose the household, and a complete household consists of slaves and freemen. Now we should begin by examining everything in its fewest possible elements; and teh first and fewest possible parts of a family are master and slave, husband and wife, father and children.”

Aristotle, Politics, 1:3

Aristotle makes it clear that the “state” must be run a certain way to survive and function properly, and the key relationships within the home are “master and slave, husband and wife, father and children.” Paul addresses these exact relationships in Ephesians 6, but I want us to understand what “the powers” of the day believe concerning the household. Let’s turn once again to Aristotle for clarity.

“Of houshold management we have seen that there are three parts: one is the rule of a master over slaves, which has been discussed already, another of a father, and the third of a husband. A husband and father, we saw, rules over wife and children, both free, but the rule differs; the rule over his children being royal, and the ruler over his wife is based on natural constitution. For although there may be exceptions to the order of nature, the male is by nature fitter for command than the female, just as the elder and full-grown is superior to the younger and more immature.”

Aristotle, Politics, 1:12

The Jewish historian Josephus takes a slightly different view than Aristotle.

“The woman…is in all things inferior to the man. Let her accordingly be obedient, not for her humiliation, but that she may be directed; for God has given authority to the man.”

Josephus, Against Apion, 2:24

Now that we know the views held by “the powers” of Paul’s day, let’s hear the Holy Spirit’s wisdom on how a household should be viewed, as relayed to us by the Apostle.

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

Paul, Ephesians 5:21 NIV

As I said before, Paul was offensive, but not in the way you think. The idea that everyone in the household would submit to the other because of Christ is scandalous! This flies in the face of the structure of the Empire. According to “the powers” of the day, everything is for the man’s benefit. Wives, children, and slaves all serve at the pleasure of the man of the house and only exist to bring him comfort. Nobody structures their relationships this way! But for Paul, it’s crucial to understanding and living out the Gospel in our lives.

Authoritarian hierarchy is the way of the powers. But that’s not God’s way. That’s not Paul’s understanding of the world. All household codes were written to the male explaining how they should rule/control those in their household. But Paul takes a different approach. Paul will speak directly to women, children, and slaves, instantly elevating their status! And notice how Paul speaks: first to the wife, then to the husband. First to the children, then to the father. First to the slave, and then to the master.

Do you see how upside down Paul’s approach to the household is when compared to the household dictated by “the powers?” Paul’s words are shocking and scandalous in an empire that is sustained by keeping power through the structure of the home. When the house operates like the Empire, you support and perpetuate the Empire.

But that’s not the way of Christ. That’s not the way of God’s Kingdom. That’s not the leading of the Holy Spirit. Paul tells his readers that every relationship with every man, woman, and child, regardless of class, or status, is filtered through the understanding that we all submit to one another because of Christ. This is the Christian household. This is life in the Spirit.

Join us Sunday at 8:30am or 10:00am at Countryside Christian Church as we worship together, eat the Lord’s Supper together, and unpack these relationships further. You can also join our 10:00 service online.

In the meantime, consider what it means to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

Tov Meod No More

by Matthew Stidham, posted in Genesis, Life, Scripture

Eden was a handcrafted dwelling place for both God and humans. In this perfect space, both the Creator and the created could exist together. Since God created everything tov meod (Hebrew for very good), this would include his creation of, and decision to place the tree of life and tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden. 

I have heard it taught humans should be ignorant of evil, that we should avoid knowledge of it. This seems contrary to God’s design, because he specifically put these trees in the Garden in proximity to humans. To take it a step further, Eve and Adam did have at least some knowledge of good and evil before eating from the tree. What I mean is they understood anything in the Garden was good to eat and enjoy, except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

So where did they get this basic knowledge of good and evil? From God! God never says they should have no knowlege of evil (afterall he told them what evil would be in this case). And there was nothing evil or sinful about the tree itself, after all, God deemed it tov meod. What God did, however, was govern the use and access to these trees. They are not evil, but interacting with them can only be done on God’s terms.

It seems to me that this illustration in the Garden teaches us that we should not seek to determine good and evil for ourselves. It seems God had a plan for the trees and the humans, but the desire of the humans to bypass God is the ultimate sin. Rather than submit to God’s wisdom and knowledge, functioning in their created role, they chose to usurp God by attempting to become like him. The saddest part is the humans were already like God, created in his image. Had they walked with God and obeyed him, perhaps those trees could have been used for their proper purpose. Unfortunately, we will never know this side of eternity.

It strikes me as spiritually significant that God has created tools that are useful for his purposes, and has placed these tools within our reach. But these tools can be catastrophic to us if we misuse them. Life is full of objects that can be simultaneously tov, but harmful.

Let’s use an oversimplified example. God created humans with speech abilities. God created this “tool” for humans because he wanted us to speak. But if misused, our speech can cause catastrophic damage to others and ourselves.

Scripture repeatedly calls us to gain wisdom! But wisdom by itself isn’t enough. Simply having wisdom can have catastrophic results (just look at the story of Solomon!) What is important is where we find our wisdom, and how we apply it. Sex is a beautiful gift from God, but when it occurs beyond God’s intended purpose, it no longer functions in a good way.

We must rely upon God’s wisdom and trust his leading in navigating life. If we rely on our own abilities, or lean on our own knowledge and reasoning, we too will fall victim to the sin of the Garden.

Identity Crisis

by Matthew Stidham, posted in Acts, Galatians, Scripture

Old habits die hard.

Benjamin Franklin – London Chronicle, Dec. 1758

Franklin was right, you know? For some reason, no matter the effort put forth, our habits tend to creep back into the reality of our lives. Though we try to put them to death, they often resurrect themselves in new and ugly ways.

This is not a new phenomenon. A quick look at Genesis shows that we still struggle with the same sinful habits as our predecessors. We still want to be God rather than submit to him. We lie, we cheat, we steal, we mistreat others, we constantly fall into idolatry…the list goes on and on. And if we’re not careful, our “old habits” can become our identity. That, however, is a topic for another time.

One of the “old habits” that seemed to plague the early church was their identity, specifically how they viewed themselves and one another. For a very long time, membership in the family of God looked a certain way. But after Jesus and the Holy Spirit do their work, we find our identity in a different way. Or at least that’s how it’s supposed to work. So how do we identify a member of the family of God? That will take a little unpacking.

This was easy for God’s people when their identity was marked by Torah observance, particularly the identity laws of the Torah. These were laws governing how you dressed, how you wear your hair, and the types of food you eat. Another one of these clearly identifying characteristics would be male circumcision. This act was started with Abraham, and passed down through Moses. Circumcision wasn’t expected of Gentiles, except when they wanted to join the Israelite community in the Passover celebration. To participate in Passover, one must identify themselves as part of the family of God through the circumcision of all males in the household.

This “old habit” of identifying others by way of these laws caused some problems for the earliest followers of Christ. Even after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, they continued to identify members of God’s family through these identity laws in addition to their shared faith in Jesus.

Fast forward to the coming of the Sprit at Pentecost. Though many were baptized, this group was made up of Jews from the family of Abraham that were in town for the Pentecost feast. Even though they were from very diverse areas, those hearing the Gospel and being baptized were Jews, or converts to Judaism. In short, these new followers of Jesus were identified by their faith, and they were all circumcised. It was still easy to identify these new believers.

The Holy Spirit makes it clear that he wants to include Gentiles in God’s family as well, so Peter baptizes an entire family Gentiles. We see the Holy Spirit moving to include Samaritans and an Ethiopian eunuch. It becomes very clear through the working of the Holy Spirit that everyone is welcome in the family of God!

The problem stems from how to identify these new believers in Jesus who were not already part of the family of God. What must they do to be included? Is faith in Jesus enough to get you into the family, or must they be circumcised and follow these identity laws of the Torah as well?

Acts 15 shows this identity struggle come to a head. Some Pharisees believed that in order for the Gentiles to be part of God’s family, they must also follow the identity laws of the Torah. In their mind, they weren’t part of the family of God through faith in Jesus alone. Paul and Peter, however, saw things differently. Just take a look at Peter’s speech before the gathering.

The apostles and elders met to consider this question. After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

Acts 15:6-11 NIV

For Peter, it is clear that keeping these identity laws and finding our identity in them is not what saves. Jew and Gentile alike are saved only by the grace of Jesus. This was their new identity!

Paul elaborates on this further when dealing with a similar issue in the Galatian churches. What identifies one as a member of God’s family?

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Galatians 3:26-27 NIV

For Paul and the rest of the New Testament authors, it is our faith in Jesus Christ, carried out through baptism, and marked with the transformation and empowerment of the Holy Spirit that identifies us as members of the family of God. Our identity as children of God is found through our faith and baptism in Christ, and the indwelling, empowerment, and transformation of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

We no longer wear our old identity when we become a new creation clothed in Christ and filled with his Spirit.

This is what our faith enacted through baptism does for us. This is what happens when the Holy Spirit enters into our lives. We gain a new identity in Christ as children of God. We become part of God’s family!

Don’t look for your identity anywhere other than your relationship with Christ. Don’t worry about how the world identifies you. Focus rather on how God identifies you. Are you one of his children? Have you clothed yourself with Christ through baptism? Are you living a Spirit-filled life? If not, then you really need to work on your identity.