Archives For Interpretation

Why Whether Jesus Was Ever Married Matters

June 9, 2014

Recently, some have claimed that they have found an ancient document that says that Jesus had a wife.[1] Does it make any difference whether Jesus was ever married?

Answering this question properly requires the careful consideration of at least five lines of reasoning based on Scripture. The following treatment of those lines of reasoning provides evidence that sufficiently shows what the right answer to this question is.

No Scriptural Mention of Jesus Being Married

Scripture abounds with statements that God’s providing a man with a godly wife is an exceedingly great divine blessing (Prov. 18:22; 19:14; 31:10-11; 30). Had God the Father provided Jesus with such a priceless blessing, He surely would have made it known to us in Scripture that He did so.

Scripture has no statements, however, that speak of Jesus ever marrying anyone. For those who believe fully in the authority of Scripture, this evidence alone should be enough to convince them that Jesus was never married.

Committing His Mother to John

Shortly before He died, Jesus committed His mother Mary to the care of the apostle John:

Joh 19:26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

 27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

If Jesus had a wife, why would He have committed His mother to the care of John when His wife would have been living? In fact, Mary Magdalene, whom some have suggested was Jesus’ wife, was present when Jesus did this (John 19:25).

As Ruth cared for Naomi of old, so any woman who would have been married to Jesus certainly would have played a leading role in caring for her mother-in-law after His death. We have no evidence in Scripture, however, that Mary Magdalene or any other woman who was supposedly married to Jesus played a major role in caring for Mary after Jesus had died.

We should conclude that Jesus did not have a wife.

Failure to Provide for His Own

Before His death, Jesus made provision for the care of His mother (John 19:26-27). Scripturally, however, had He been married, His first obligation would have been to provide for His wife (cf. 1 Tim. 5:8).

Scripture provides no indication that Jesus took any steps that would be consistent with caring for a wife who would soon have been a widow. We can be confident, therefore, that He was not married to anyone when He died.

Expecting Greater Commitment from Some of His Disciples Than He Himself Had

Jesus taught that some of His disciples would not marry for the sake of the kingdom (Matt. 19:11). Yet, if He were married, He himself would have not have set Himself apart for the sake of the kingdom to the extent that He taught that these disciples have done.

It is unthinkable that any other human will ever have committed himself to divine service more than Jesus did. For Jesus ever to have been married would be utterly inconsistent with biblical teaching about His unsurpassed setting Himself apart to God.

An Earthly Bride and a Spiritual Bride

Had Jesus been married to anyone prior to His death and resurrection, He would have had an earthly bride. Scripture, however, does not say anything about Him ever being married to an earthly bride.

Furthermore, Scripture speaks explicitly of the Lamb having a spiritual bride (Eph. 5:22-28; Rev. 19:7-9); if He were also to have been married to an earthly bride, He would then have had at least two brides—one earthly and one spiritual. Because no passage in Scripture even remotely suggests that Jesus will have two brides, we can be confident that He was not ever married to Mary Magdalene or any other woman while He lived on the earth.

Conclusion

Based on the five lines of reasoning from Scripture treated above, we have ample biblical basis to reject alleged evidence from some purportedly legitimate extrabiblical source that says that Jesus had a wife. Jesus was never married while He lived on the earth prior to His crucifixion.

 

[1] See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Jesus’_Wife for information about this claim.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Interpretation, Theology
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The Horrific Destructiveness of Unclean Spirits

June 5, 2014

Scripture records several accounts of the vicious activities of unclean spirits toward humans (Matt. 15:22; Mark 5:2-5; Luke 13:11, 16). The aftermath of Jesus’ dealings with a demon-possessed man in “the country of the Gadarenes” (Mark 5:1) reveals the horrific destructiveness of unclean spirits in a distinctive way that is easily overlooked.

The Deliverance of a Horribly Afflicted Man

Dwelling in tombs, a man possessed by an unclean spirit lived a terrible life of continual misery:

Mar 5:2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

 3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.

 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

Through an encounter with Jesus, this man was graciously delivered from his horrible plight (Mark 5:6-13; 15). After Jesus had forced the many demons who had possessed him to come out of him (Mark 5:9, 13), he was “sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind” (Mark. 5:15).

The Horrific Destruction of a Vast Number of Pigs

The many demons that had possessed this man requested permission of Jesus to enter into a large herd of swine that were feeding nearby (Mark. 5:11-12). Receiving that permission, they entered the swine “and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea . . . and were choked in the sea” (Mark 5:13).

These unclean spirits, therefore, caused the violent destruction of “about two thousand” pigs (Mark 5:13). Although these pigs had posed no threat whatever to these unclean spirits, the spirits still viciously attacked them and cruelly led them to a horrific death of being choked in the sea.

Three Accounts of Unwarranted Demonic Cruelty to Animals

Three Gospel writers record the account of these unclean spirits afflicting both this man and these seemingly innocent animals (Matt. 8:32; Mark 5:13; Luke 8:32). These multiple accounts of that event underscore that the malevolence of unclean spirits extends far beyond destructiveness toward humans—they also mercilessly attacked these animals.

Based on this biblical data, we should be mindful of the possibility that similar activity by unclean spirits may be responsible for the horrific destruction of many animals on other occasions in history.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Exposition, Theology
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Are These Prohibitions Still the Will of God for His People?

June 3, 2014

The Lord spoke to Moses and made known to him that he was to make a holy anointing oil (Exod. 30:22-33) and a “pure and holy” perfume (Exod. 30:34-38) for sacred use in the tabernacle. God sternly warned that His judgment would be upon any of His people who made either of these for any other use:

Exo 30:32 Upon man’s flesh shall it [the holy anointing oil] not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.

 33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people.

Exo 30:37 And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD.

 38 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.

Both of these prohibitions were given to God’s people, Israel.

Are these prohibitions still the will of God for His people today (Christians; cf. Acts 15:14) or are Christians free to make one or the other or both of these mixtures that God said were holy for His people Israel and use them however they wish?

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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Remembering the Ultimate Reason We Have to Have a Memorial Day

May 26, 2014

On Memorial Day, every American should remember with great gratitude all that our armed services personnel have done for us throughout our country’s history. For Christians, this day provides a good opportunity for us to remember also the ultimate reason that we have to have such a day.

Satan’s Assault on Adam and Eve

Human sin, loss, sorrow and all other negative realities that we face continually had their beginning in the Garden of Eden when Satan assaulted the first humans, Adam and Eve (Gen. 3). Because they did not resist his assault, they forfeited many of the glorious privileges that God had blessed them with when He created them and put them there.

Satan’s Role in Cain’s Slaying Abel

Immediately after the account of the Fall of man (Genesis 3), we read of the first conflict between humans and its aftermath (Gen. 4:1-15). Cain slew his brother Abel “because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous” (1 John 3:12b-c).

Cain thus became the first human to murder another human, but it is a serious error to think that he did so only because he himself was an evil person. Rather, we must not fail to note the role that Satan had in Cain’s doing so—“Cain . . . was of that wicked one, and slew his brother” (1 John 3:12a).

As Jesus taught, Satan was “a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44), and we must keep in mind that he had a part in the first conflict between humans that led to one party’s slaying another.

Satan’s Role in the Slaying of Job’s Servants

At the prompting of God, and only with His permission, Satan assaulted Job fiercely (Job 1:1-19). His assault included the coming of Sabeans and Chaldeans to slay Job’s servants “with the edge of the sword” and to steal his oxen, asses, and camels (Job. 1:15, 17).

Satan, therefore, was behind the murderous actions of these humans who assaulted Job. As he was active in the mortal conflict between Cain and Abel, so Satan was active also in the armed conflicts that Job and his household experienced.

Satan’s Role in the Slaying of Jesus

Satan entered Judas (Luke 22:3; John 13:27) and energized him (John 13:2; cf. Eph. 2:2-3) to betray Jesus to those Jewish authorities who played leading roles in His being assaulted by armed men (Luke 22:52) and ultimately slain (Acts 3:15; 4:26; 5:30; 10:39). Satan preeminently displayed his murderous nature in his role in the crucifixion of Christ (cf. Rev. 12:4).

Satan’s Continuing Role in the Slaying of Multitudes of Believers

The NT repeatedly warns of Satan’s leading role in the conflicts that believers have experienced since the crucifixion of Christ (Eph. 6:11, 12, 16; 1 Pet. 5:8-9; Rev. 2:10, 13), including some being martyred (cf. Rev. 2:13). Satan will yet assault the world on an unprecedented scale, resulting in vast numbers of believers being martyred (Rev. 12:12-17; 13:7, 15).

Conclusion

Beginning with the first human conflict between Cain and Abel, and right up to this present day, Satan has played a leading role in the conflicts that God’s people have experienced. He has been responsible for the unrighteous slaying of multitudes of believers at the hands of other humans.

On this Memorial Day and hereafter, we, therefore, as Christians would do well to remember the ultimate reason we have to have a day like this—the horrific murderous assaults of the wicked one on all mankind, especially God’s people. Remembering his unceasing wicked assaults on the world, we should continually pray what Jesus taught us to pray: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever, Amen” (Matt. 6:13).

Let us also obey God’s commands to us concerning our putting on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:10-20) and pray for the soon return of our Lord: “’Surely I come quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Exhortation, Interpretation, Theology
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How Did Moses Know about God’s Book?

May 23, 2014

Reading Exodus 32 again recently, a question came up in my mind that I do not remember ever thinking about before—how did Moses know about God’s book that he refers to in his famous prayer near the end of this chapter? By probing the passage about the answer to this question, we learn some valuable points to keep in mind so that we interpret and apply Scripture properly.

Moses’ Famous Intercessory Prayer

On the day after the infamous Golden Calf incident took place, Moses sought to make atonement for the great sin of the people (Exod. 32:30). He prayed a striking intercessory prayer:

Exo 32:31 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. 32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin–; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

Moses mentions God’s book that He had written and speaks of the reality that God blots people out of that book. God’s response to Moses confirms the reality of what Moses spoke of in his prayer:

Exo 32:33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

Both Moses’ statements (about the book) and God’s response show us that God as Judge blots out those who have sinned against Him from His book that He has written. How did Moses know this information?

What Was the Source of Moses’ Knowledge of God’s Book?

An examination of the book of Job, which is likely the oldest book of the Bible, and of Genesis 1:1-Exodus 32:31 reveals that we have no indication that God had given His people any prior revelation about His book that Moses mentions in his prayer. How then did Moses know about this book and what did he know about it?

Scripture does not provide us with any definitive information to answer these questions specifically. We can be certain, however, that supernatural revelation of some form to someone at some prior time to Moses’ prayer was the source of his knowledge of this information that would otherwise have been humanly impossible to know.

Why This Question Matters

Pondering how Moses knew this striking information is important for at least three reasons.

First, this passage highlights just how selective Scripture is about what God has chosen to reveal. Although we would like to know how Moses knew what he did, God has not chosen to give us that information.

Second, this passage should warn us that God has not given us the exhaustive revelation we need in order to know in every case fully what God’s people knew and when they knew it. People often make arguments based on supposed lack of knowledge that biblical characters had of certain truths at certain points in time—lack of Scriptural mention that they had such knowledge does not, however, constitute proof that they did not know about that information.

For example, Job may have known fully whatever Moses knew about that book, and yet God may have chosen not to tell us that Job knew that information. Alternatively, God may have first given this information to Adam, who then became the source of this information that was passed on from him to some of his descendants.

Third, especially concerning leading biblical figures such as Moses, who repeatedly had extended periods of remarkably close communion with God, we would do well to think that Moses knew far more than God inspired him to record for us in Scripture. Because he almost certainly had that kind of breadth of knowledge of God and of various things of God, how we interpret his actions in key accounts, such as the Golden Calf incident, must reflect our carefully taking into consideration this important facet of interpreting Scripture properly.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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Profiting from the New Testament Emphasis on the God of Peace

May 17, 2014

The New Testament writers profoundly emphasize peace from God in their opening remarks to various believers and churches (16 Epistles have such statements in their opening chapters; Paul—13x; Peter—2x; John 1x).[1] I have heard preaching and teaching on this striking emphasis that has profited me profited greatly.

I do not recall hearing much preaching or teaching at all about a closely related NT emphasis—apostolic statements about God as the God of peace. An examination of these statements shows that they provide rich revelation about God that He wants us to profit from as well.

Rich New Testament Teaching about the God of Peace

Seven statements about God as the God of peace occur in six NT epistles:

Rom 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Rom 16:20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

2Co 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

Phi 4:9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

2Th 3:16 Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

Heb 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

These statements reveal some key truths:

—The truth of God as the God of peace was a vital aspect of Paul’s conception of who our God is, including the fact that not only is God the God of peace, but also He is the Lord of peace who Himself gives us peace.

—Paul desired that God as the God of peace would be with believers and repeatedly made known that desire to them (Rom. 15:33; 2 Cor. 13:11; Phil. 4:9; cf. also 2 Thess. 3:16).

—Paul made known that prayer to the God of peace for His presence with believers was not enough to assure that He would be with them; believers would also have to live rightly in order to have His presence with them as He desires it to be (2 Cor. 13:11; Phil. 4:9).

—Paul’s conception of God as the God of peace went far beyond His being the One who keeps believers from having conflict in their lives, which is how many believers mainly understand the meaning of the term peace. Not only did he pray to the God of peace as the One who wholly sanctifies us (1 Thess. 5:23), but also he made known that He is the One who will completely destroy Satan under our feet one day (Rom. 15:33).

—The writer of Hebrews makes known that God as the God of peace was the One who raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Heb. 13:20)! He also taught that as the God of peace, God is the One who makes us perfect in everything to accomplish His will (Heb. 13:21)!

What We Should Do With This Rich Teaching

Based on the glorious NT revelation about God as the God of peace, we should do the following:

—We should meditate deeply on God as the God of peace and all that it means.

—We should live the kinds of lives that Paul teaches us we must so that we will have the God of peace be with us, as He desires to be (2 Cor. 13:11; Phil. 4:9).

—We should keep in mind that when we strive to live such lives, we are not being legalistic; rather, we are heeding apostolic revelation that the God of peace Himself has given us for our profiting to that end.

—We should talk about God as the God of peace with other believers and help them to understand the importance of that teaching.

—We should pray that the God of peace would be with us and with all other believers (Rom. 15:33).

—We should pray to the God of peace specifically as Paul (1 Thess. 5:23-24; 2 Thess. 3:16) and the writer of Hebrews (Heb. 13:20-21) did.

 

[1] Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4; Philemon 1:3; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2; 2 John 1:3; Paul also closes Ephesians with a similar statement (Eph. 6:23).

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Discipleship, Exhortation, Exposition, Prayer, Theology
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Learning from Divine Comparisons of Wickedness and Spirituality

May 12, 2014

Scripture has many statements of divine comparisons of both the wickedness and the spirituality of humans. It even has a statement about differing levels of wickedness among evil spirits.

An examination of these statements brings out some important truths.

Divine Comparisons of Wickedness 

God evaluates the wickedness of people in comparison with those who preceded them:

1Ki 16:25 But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him.

1Ki 21:25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

Jer 7:26 Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.

Jer 16:12 And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:

God evaluates the wickedness of His people in comparison with the wickedness of the heathen:

2Ch 33:9 So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.

God even evaluates the wickedness of evil spirits in comparison with one another: 

Mat 12:45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Divine Comparisons of Spirituality 

God comparatively evaluates the spirituality of all who are living: 

Job 1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

Job 2:3 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. 

God evaluates the spirituality of people in comparison with both those who preceded them and those who came after them: 

2Ki 18:5 He [Hezekiah] trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.

2Ki 23:25 And like unto him [Josiah] was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.

Discussion

As the omniscient Judge of all (Heb. 12:23), God perfectly evaluates individually the wickedness of humans and evil spirits. What’s more, He flawlessly makes comparative evaluations both among those who are living and between those who are living with those who preceded them.

He also similarly evaluates the spirituality of people. He knows those who have trusted Him more than others have (cf. 2 Ki. 18:5), and He knows those who have been wholly His to a remarkable extent (cf. 2 Ki. 23:25).

Given the enormous number of divine commands revealed in both Testaments, the vast number of differing sins that people have committed, and the necessity of assessing not just actions but also underlying motives, it is plain that no one other than God could possibly even begin to evaluate the wickedness or spirituality of anyone properly. When we also take into account that God makes comparative evaluations that reflect His comprehensive knowledge of the actions, words, thoughts, and motives of all moral beings that have ever lived, both human and superhuman, we should regard God rightly as the only truly awesome Person in the universe.

Conclusion

Scripture reveals that God as the Judge righteously evaluates all moral beings in His universe. Even this brief consideration of how remarkable God’s judicial ability is in that respect should cause us to fear God, humble ourselves before Him, repent of all evil in our lives, and live pure and holy lives before Him by His grace!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Discipleship, Exhortation, Interpretation, Theology
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Is Your All on the Altar?

May 3, 2014

Dedication of oneself to the Lord Jesus Christ for sacred service to Him is an essential decision that every believer must make. Many times believers make that decision following preaching on Romans 12:1, 2:

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Often, invitations that are given at the end of messages on these two verses call for a decision to “give your life to the Lord,” or “surrender all to the Lord,” etc. Many times, hymns such as “Is Your All on the Altar” are used in the invitation after these messages.

Careful examination of Romans 12:1 reveals that many such decisions made by believers have likely been made with an inaccurate understanding of that verse. This is true because many times the word “body” is hardly dealt with, and the message thus ends up calling for a total surrender of one’s life that does not bring out the real force of the verse:

One cannot consign dedication to God to the spirit and neglect the body. Genuine commitment to God embraces every area of life, and includes the body in all its particularity and concreteness. (ECNT, Romans, p. 644)

A proper call to give one’s life totally to the Lord based on the teaching of Romans 12:1 demands careful handling of the word “body” in that verse.

Some understand “body” in that verse to be primarily a figurative expression for the whole person; the actual physical body would still then be in view as part of the whole person. Others view the word “body” in that verse as primarily referring to the actual physical body.

Regardless of which interpretation is espoused, the physical body still is in view and must be yielded to God. Thus, the common failure to declare that the physical body is definitely in view in verse 1 is to mishandle the verse:

A great many of our bodily functions do not enlist volition on our part. . . . The lesson to be derived from the term ‘rational’ [‘reasonable’ KJV] is that we are not ‘Spiritual’ in the biblical sense except as the use of our bodies is characterized by conscious, intelligent, consecrated devotion to the service of God. (NICNT, Romans, p. 112)

That this is the case is clearly established by Romans 6:13: “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” Significantly, the command “yield” in this verse is the aorist active imperative of the same verb whose aorist active infinitive is rendered “present” in 12:1. Notice that Romans 6:13 states that not only must we yield/present ourselves, but we must also yield/present our members (the parts of our bodies) to God as instruments (weapons) of righteousness.

To make a decision to give one’s life to God is insufficient if the decision does not involve the understanding that doing so must include presenting the parts of one’s body to Him:

Turning from the body as a whole to its separate members, Paul admonishes his readers [in 6:13] not to hand these over to sin (the old master). . . . On the positive side, he is to offer himself (his personality and life-potential) to God with, as a corollary, the separate bodily capacities ‘as instruments of righteousness. (EBC, Romans, p. 72)

Very likely, apart from those in certain settings where these truths have been very carefully dealt with, not many believers have been having in their minds that God has commanded them to present the members of their bodies to Him. Thus, many who have made decisions to give themselves totally to the Lord may very well have done so without really understanding then, and even to this day, that truly giving oneself totally to the Lord requires the presentation of oneself and the presentation of the members of one’s body to God.

The implications of this inaccurate understanding/handling/presentation of the Word of God are immense. While believers have given much attention to issues of immorality, smoking, and drunkenness, other expressions of the failure to yield the parts of one’s body have received insufficient attention.

That this is so is attested to by findings from recent research in the U.S. that certain religious people do have problems in this area.1 These findings show that more attention in this area is needed by the probably many believers who very likely have not properly yielded to God their eyes, noses, hands, mouths, tongues (taste buds), and whatever other members of their bodies are involved in the bodily appetite for food and drink.

Such failure to yield the members of one’s body manifests itself in many different ways. A believer who will not eat certain healthy foods merely because he does not like the taste of them is a believer who needs to examine soberly whether he has yielded the members of his body in obedience to the command of God.

For example, many, even though they may know the great value to one’s health of eating more fruits and vegetables, especially vegetables like broccoli, brussel sprouts, etc., do not do so because they do not care for the taste of those foods. A lifestyle characterized by such disregard for the good health of the body that is the marvelous creation of God and the blood-bought possession of our Lord does not manifest the necessary full surrender that God demands of the members of one’s body for His service.

Also, any believer who, because he likes the taste of certain foods, will not control properly before the Lord his consumption of those foods, especially those that are not conducive to his good health, needs to similarly examine his surrender to God. Many believers consume too many unnecessary calories from biscuits, doughnuts, cookies, cakes, pizza, pop, high-fat meats, etc., because they like how these foods taste.

In the process, they often also consume too much in the way of proteins, simple carbohydrates, and unhealthy fats. Such unhealthy living belies one’s claim of total consecration to the Lord.

We must be ruthless with ourselves in this respect; in line with the figurative emphasis of biblical teaching such as Prov. 23:2, “Put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite,” halfhearted measures will not suffice. Poor stewardship of one’s body because of the failure to present one’s taste buds to the Lord is no minor matter; let us all soberly examine our own eating and drinking.

In addition, Scripture condemns slothful living—more than once, it does so in combination with the condemnation of ungodly eating. Let us take heed to ourselves that we not allow technological advances and societal changes to put us unwittingly in a position of leading a lifestyle of physical idleness.

Although many lead very busy lives, those lives often involve little in the way of any sustained physical exertion. Believers who are inactive because they find physical activity to be boring, inconvenient, unpleasant, etc., must examine themselves solemnly in that regard to see if their sedentary lifestyles are consistent with the lifestyle of a believer who has yielded his muscles, bones, cardiovascular system, etc., to the Lord for sacred service to Him.

The poor physical condition of many of the people of God in our generation is not commending their testimony of Christ to others; unbelievers denigrate the gospel because of our failures to keep under our bodies and bring them into subjection. The bottom line is that barring extreme extenuating circumstances that likely legitimately apply only to a small percentage of people, any believer who gives his body sufficient regular physical activity and is temperate in his eating will likely not have a major problem with his weight. By so doing, he will not be among those who from failure to do so are not glorifying the Name of the Lord in that aspect of their lives.

Let us take heed to ourselves that we make no provision for the flesh in any way. We must present to God all the members of our bodies for sacred service to Him; this especially must include our taste buds and all other parts of our bodies that may have been heretofore servants of sin through intemperance in the area of food and drink.

Let us enjoy the goodness of God in providing good foods to us, but let us always do so with the total consecration and self-control that He demands!

Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid? Your heart does the Spirit control? You can only be blest and have peace and sweet rest as you yield Him your body and soul!

Let us each present our entire being, including all the members of our physical bodies, to the Lord now!

Here is some information from a recent study examining religion and obesity that points to a problem:

The present research has established that religion is related both to the prevalence and incidence of obesity. In supplementary analyses, we were unable to find any evidence that obesity heightened religiosity. By contrast, we observed that religious media practice and some denominations, especially more fundamentalist groups, were at a higher risk of obesity. The results also show that those who turned to religion for consolation were at a lower risk of obesity. At a minimum, one can conclude that obesity is becoming more prevalent in the United States and that many religious affiliations are being swept along with this “megatrend.” Some religious activities and affiliations may reduce the risk of obesity, but Baptist and fundamentalist Protestant leaders may want to consider interventions for the “overgrazing of the flock.” There is clearly a role for religious media, whether electronic or print, in the spiritual development of the religiously inclined. Unfortunately, religious media practice is also associated with a higher risk of obesity for women who consume it.

—http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3358928/; accessed 5/3/14; 12:48 pm.

See also http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/06/03/obesity-epidemic-in-america-churches/

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Discipleship, Exhortation, Exposition, Health
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Do You Appreciate Peter Properly as the Blessed Disciple That He Was?

April 21, 2014

Overall, my perspective over the years has been that many believers consistently emphasize negative aspects of Peter’s life at the expense of a number of key good things that Scripture reveals about him. To help change this unwarranted emphasis, this post presents four points about Peter that show that he was a uniquely blessed disciple of Jesus Christ.

God the Father Uniquely Favored Peter

In Caesarea, Peter made his famous confession of Jesus as the Christ (Matt 16:13-20). Jesus responded by declaring that the Father had uniquely favored him to enable him to do so:

Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

In spite of all Peter’s failings, the Father chose to bless Peter in a special way with glorious revelation about His Son!

Jesus Uniquely Favored Peter

Not only did the Father specially favor Peter on that occasion, but Jesus did so as well. Jesus promised that He would build His church upon the rock of Peter’s confession of Him as the Christ (Matt. 16:18). In addition, He gave to Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 16:19)!

Certainly, Jesus knew Peter through and through, including how he would shortly thereafter be an offense to Jesus Himself (Matt. 16:22-23). In fact, even Jesus’ full knowledge of how Peter would yet fail Him grievously in the future (Matt. 26:34, 75; Luke 22:31) did not lead Him to withdraw the special calling that He had given to Peter.

The Holy Spirit Uniquely Highlights His Selection of Peter

While Peter was thinking about a miraculous vision that he had seen (Acts 10:17-19a), the Holy Spirit spoke directly to him:

Act 10:19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.

 20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I [Gk. egw, emphatic personal pronoun] have sent them.

Remarkably, the Spirit emphatically asserted (using an emphatic personal pronoun) that He had sent the men who came to summon Peter to come speak words to Cornelius and his household by which they all would be saved (Acts 11:14).

This is the only evangelistic account in Scripture that the Spirit directly declares that He purposed that a specific disciple would be the one who would preach the gospel on a specific occasion.

The Book of Acts Uniquely Emphasizes the Gospel Ministry of Peter

The book of Acts recounts how the Church was born (Acts 1-2) and how the disciples proceeded to evangelize the world thereafter (Acts 3-28). Of the lengthy accounts of apostolic gospel ministry that the Spirit provides us with in Acts, the records of Peter’s ministry in Jerusalem (Acts 2) and in Caesarea (Acts 10:1-48; 11:1-18; 15:7-9) are the two that are highlighted both by their being the two longest accounts and by their being the two most important accounts.

Furthermore, the inspired record of the Jerusalem Council proceedings uniquely emphasizes the gospel ministry of Peter in a way that sets his ministry in Caesarea apart from all other evangelistic accounts. To understand this unique emphasis, we must closely consider the following facets of what transpired in Jerusalem at that time.

First, Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders to resolve an all-important question—did the Gentiles have to be circumcised in order to be saved (Acts 15:1-2)? Although Paul and Barnabas did contribute heavily to the proceedings of the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:4, 12), Scripture provides only a one-verse summary of their ministry to Gentiles (Acts 15:12) in reporting what they contributed to the actual proceedings of the Council.

By striking contrast, the Jerusalem Council report highlights Peter’s ministry in Caesarea by providing five verses concerning his ministry and its implications (Acts 15:7-11). Remarkably, Peter’s ministry on that occasion is the only specific evangelistic encounter mentioned in the entire record of the Jerusalem Council proceedings.

This comparison shows that the inspired record of the Jerusalem Council features an explicit emphasis on Petrine gospel ministry while only providing a summary statement about Pauline ministry to Gentiles!

Second, James authoritatively settled the issues at hand by again referring to God’s use of Peter in Caesarea and how what took place on that occasion was in fulfillment of the words of the prophets (Acts 15:13-21). In this way, we see that the Jerusalem Council account clearly presents a unique emphasis on Petrine gospel ministry.

Conclusion

The four points discussed above show that Peter was a disciple who was uniquely favored by the Father, Son, and the Spirit! Moreover, the inspired records in the book of Acts (of apostolic evangelism and of apostolic determinations concerning how Gentiles are saved) show that Peter was a uniquely important God-chosen minister of the gospel.

Based on the biblical data, we should take care not to emphasize negative aspects of the Scriptural record about the apostle Peter at the expense of much glorious revelation concerning how he was a uniquely blessed disciple of Christ. Let us appreciate Peter properly as the blessed disciple that he was!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Evangelism, Exhortation, Gospel, Interpretation, Theology
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The Evangelistic Importance of a Striking Correlation between John 4:4-42 and 1 Corinthians 14:23-25

April 4, 2014

John 4:4-42 and 1 Corinthians 14:23-25 record evangelistic encounters in two widely differing settings: Jesus’ evangelizing a sinful woman in Samaria versus an unbelieving person who enters a local church and receives prophesying from a congregation of worshiping believers. Despite their differing settings, these passages reveal a striking correlation that illumines a key element of genuine salvation.

John 4:4-42

Jesus conversed about living water with a Samaritan woman who came to draw water from the well where He was sitting (John 4:5-14). The woman responded by saying to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw” (John 4:15).

Instead of immediately giving her that gift of God (John 4:10) when she seemed eager to receive it, Jesus supernaturally confronted her with her sinfulness by telling her how she was currently living in sin (John 4:16-18). Recognizing that He had exposed sinful details of her life that she would have thought that He would have had no way of knowing about her, the woman related that she perceived that He was a prophet (John 4:19).

Through His exposing her secret sinfulness and His further dealings with her (John 4:20-27), the woman became convinced that He was the Christ whom she knew would come and tell them “all things” (John 4:25). Leaving Him and going into the city, she testified to men repeatedly that she had encountered the Christ who told her all things that she had ever done (John 4:29, 39).

By correlating these three statements (John 4:25, 29, 39), we see clearly that her persistent testimony to that specific truth shows that His supernaturally convincing her of the sinfulness of secret aspects of her life was a crucial facet of her coming to genuine faith in Him. In particular, the final statement about her testifying to that truth shows that many others also came to believe because of her testimony to that truth (John 4:39).

1 Corinthians 14:23-25

In the only New Testament passage that explicitly recounts worship taking place in a local church (1 Cor. 14:23-25), Paul provides strikingly similar revelation to what was crucial in Jesus’ evangelism of the Samaritan woman:

1Co 14:23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?

 24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:

 25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

This passage shows that true worship of God by an unbelieving sinner who comes into a local church results from God’s making manifest “the secrets of his heart” (1 Cor. 14:25) and convincing him of his sinfulness (1 Cor. 14:24) through the collective ministry of all who minister to him in that service (see The Consummation of Public Worship for a fuller explanation of this passage).

Discussion

Both John 4:4-42 and 1 Corinthians 14:23-25 teach us about the importance of a sinner having his secret sins exposed supernaturally. To understand further the evangelistic importance of this striking correlation between these two passages, we need to correlate them with key Pauline teaching about his gospel ministry:

In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel (Rom. 2:16).

A careful handling of Romans 2:16 shows that Paul is teaching that a key truth that he testified as part of his gospel was that God “in the day” would judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ (see this post for a detailed explanation concerning this vital point).

We learn from this statement that Paul evangelized sinners by telling that them that God will one day judge their secret sins and that He will do so through Jesus Christ. Paul thus evangelized sinners with testimony that closely correlates with the Samaritan woman’s testimony to others that Jesus as the Christ had exposed her secret sinfulness and convinced her of that sinfulness by telling her all things that she had ever done.

Furthermore, because Paul tells us that part of his gospel testimony was to tell people about how God will one day judge their secrets through Jesus Christ, we are justified in inferring that this truth was one of the truths that was prophesied to the unbeliever who came into the local church service recorded in 1 Corinthians 14:23-25.

Conclusion 

John 4:4-42 and 1 Corinthians 14:23-25 correlate strongly with each other and with Romans 2:16 to reveal the vital evangelistic importance of testifying to sinners that God will one day judge their secrets through Jesus Christ. We who evangelize sinners in our day should testify to this key gospel truth and allow God to use it to expose to them their secrets and to convince them of their sinfulness.

Doing so, we will provide them with vital testimony that God will use to bring those who repent and believe to fall on their faces and worship Him!

 

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Evangelism, Gospel, Interpretation, Theology
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