Archives For Interpretation

Let Us Pray for the Salvation of the US Supreme Court Justices!

March 24, 2014

In 1973, the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) issued an unjust ruling that has helped to deprive millions of unborn Americans of their lives. Because of that ruling, the blood of more than 40,000,000 innocent unborn American citizens is in part on the hands of those judges who ruled in favor of legalizing abortion in the US.

Soon, the justices who are currently on SCOTUS will issue a landmark ruling that will likely have immense ramifications for Christians in the US. As we pray and wait for the outcome of this momentous case, let us who have received forgiveness of our sins keep in mind the example and teaching of Paul that applies to the spiritual needs of the current justices of SCOTUS.

A Pauline Burden for Their Salvation

When he stood on trial before an unjust king, Paul desired that not only that king but also all the other lost people who were present at that hearing would be saved: “And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds” (Acts 26:29). Through his example on this occasion, Paul teaches that we should have a burden for the salvation of those who exercise judicial authority over us, whether they do it justly or not.

A Pauline Emphasis on Praying for These Who Rule Over Us 

Writing to Timothy, who was in Ephesus, Paul exhorted him that they should make prayer for ruling authorities a top priority in the corporate prayer life of the Church (1 Tim. 2:1-2). Paul emphasizes in this teaching that such prayer is vital because God would “have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3-4).

Keeping in mind that the justices on SCOTUS are key authorities who rule over us, we must pray fervently in our churches for their salvation.

Discussion

Someday, each of the justices who voted in favor of legalizing abortion in 1973 will stand before the true Supreme Court of heaven and earth and give an account for their sins. In that day, these who were justices on SCOTUS will answer to the God-resurrected, God-glorified Jesus of Nazareth, the One appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42).

Any of them who did not repent of their sins and believe in His name while they were still alive here on the earth died in his sins (John 8:24). God did not want any of them to perish (1 Tim. 2:3-4; 2 Pet. 3:9) and offered each one of them forgiveness of their sins.

Moreover, regardless of how the current SCOTUS rules on the monumental case before them now, God wants them to repent of their sins and believe on His Son. If they will do so, He will forgive them of their sins and save them.

We must have a burden for their salvation and pray to that end. Doing so, we will be followers of Paul and Jesus (cf. Luke 23:34; John 5:34), as we must be (1 Cor. 11:1).

Conclusion

Based on Paul’s apostolic example (Acts 26:29) and instruction (1 Tim. 2:1-8), we understand that God would have us to desire the salvation of the justices on SCOTUS and to make praying for their salvation a priority in our churches. Let us pray fervently for the salvation of the US Supreme Court justices, especially because they are on the brink of making a decision that will likely have enormous ramifications for the cause of Christ!

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

In Exhortation, Interpretation, Prayer
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An Excellent Example of the How the NT Helps Us to Interpret the OT

March 23, 2014

Paying close attention to how the New Testament uses the Old Testament is vital for our knowing how to interpret the Old Testament. A specific dimension of how the New Testament uses Psalm 34:12-16 in 1 Peter 3:10-12 provides an excellent example that teaches us a valuable point about interpreting the Old Testament.

The Use of Psalm 34:12-16 in 1 Peter 3:10-12

Lining up Psalm 34:12-16 with the corresponding statements in 1 Peter 3:10-12 helps us to compare the two passages and identify important differences:

Psa 34:12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? 1Pe 3:10 For he that will love life, and see good days,
13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. 11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto   their cry. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers:
16 The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

This comparison reveals two noteworthy points.

First, Peter’s beginning verse 10 of 1 Peter 3 with the word for shows us that he is using Old Testament teaching in Psalm 34:12-16 to support his teaching us as Christians about how we are to live in our day. By comparing the preceding teaching in both Psalm 34 and 1 Peter 3 (Psalm 34:11 with 1 Peter 3:8-9), we learn that Peter is teaching us some specific aspects of how we are to fear the Lord (for further explanation of this point, see this post).

It also provides a good example of teaching that was specifically addressed to believers in the Old Testament that still applies to our lives as New Testament believers. This observation should confirm to us a key dimension of the continuing value of the Old Testament for us (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:6; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; for more on this point, see Are You Profiting from the Old Testament the Way God Wants You To?).

Second, in Peter 3:12, Peter inserts the word for between statements (1 Pet. 3:11 and the rest of 1 Pet. 3:12) that correspond to statements that were merely juxtaposed in Psalm 34:14-15. I have previously explained the significance of this important difference this way:

From the citation of Psalm 34:12-16 in 1 Peter 3:10-12, we learn that we who would lead a blessed life of fearing God must keep our tongues from evil and our lips from speaking deceit (1 Pet. 3:10). We must turn away from evil, do good, seek peace, and pursue it (1 Pet. 3:11).

Peter then explains these directives by inserting for at the beginning of 1 Peter 3:12, which is not in Psalm 34:15. By doing so, however, he does not change the original meaning; he brings out the logical connection that was there all along but was unstated. We are thus called to inherit a blessing (1 Pet. 3:9) through heeding certain directives about fearing God (1 Pet. 3:10-11) because His eyes “are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer” (1 Pet. 3:12a-b), but His face “is against those who do evil” (1 Pet. 3:12c).

Peter’s use of Psalm 34:12-16 in 1 Peter 3:10-12 thus supports our carefully examining other seemingly unrelated statements that are juxtaposed in the Old Testament to see if there is a clear but unstated logical connection that we are supposed to understand from the flow of thought in the passage.

This second point is especially noteworthy because the failure to consider such a possibility likely means that we are often missing intended meaning in the Old Testament that God desires would profit us as New Testament believers.

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

In Exposition, Interpretation, Theology
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Should We Preach Repentance, Faith, or Both?

March 10, 2014

Many Christians today think that those believers in Scripture who preached evangelistically or who evangelized sinners in other ways did so with messages or testimonies that varied substantially from occasion to occasion. In fact, it is not uncommon to hear believers today say that sometimes the disciples preached that people should repent and other times they preached that people should believe.

This view of biblical evangelism stems from an approach to the evangelistic accounts in Scripture that I believe does not account for all the biblical data. To see why this is the case, consider the following analysis of the gospel ministries of John the Baptist, Jesus, and Paul.

The Gospel Ministry of John the Baptist

The Gospels consistently present John the Baptist as preaching repentance to sinners (Matt. 3:2, 8; Luke 3:3, 8). Noting this data, many have concluded that John only preached that people should repent and that he did not tell people to believe.

In the book of Acts, however, Luke makes clear (through a widely overlooked statement by the apostle Paul) that this is an incorrect assessment of the evangelistic ministry of John:

Act 19:4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

This Pauline summary statement about the gospel ministry of John the Baptist shows us that it was a ministry of preaching to sinners that they should both repent and believe. It also teaches us that we should not take brief statements about evangelistic ministry (such as Matt. 3:2 and Luke 3:3) and draw definitive conclusions about what content that ministry did not include.1

The Gospel Ministry of Jesus

A key statement in the Gospel of Mark shows that the gospel ministry of Jesus included the same dual emphasis that was in the evangelism of John the Baptist:

Mar 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Notice that this statement is not just about Jesus’ preaching in one location on one specific evangelistic occasion—it is an inspired summary statement of certain key elements of His gospel preaching throughout His gospel ministry in Galilee. Both John the Baptist and Jesus, therefore, preached to sinners that they should both repent and believe.

The Gospel Ministry of Paul

A summary statement of Pauline evangelistic ministry over an extended period (“from the first day that I came into Asia” [Acts 20:18]; cf. “by the space of three years” [Acts 20:31]) reveals that his gospel ministry included similar testimony to both repentance and faith:

Act 20:20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,

 21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

For three years, Paul told both Jews and Greeks everywhere he went in Asia that they had to repent toward God and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Like John the Baptist and Jesus, Paul’s gospel ministry thus had the same dual emphasis of preaching to sinners that they should both repent and believe.

Discussion

From the Gospels and Acts, we have seen that John the Baptist, Jesus, and Paul all evangelized sinners by telling them both to repent and to believe. Because we have seen that summary statements about the gospel ministries of all three of these leading evangelists in Scripture explicitly mention this dual emphasis, we should adjust our views of biblical evangelism to reflect properly this key biblical data.

Moreover, the lack of explicit testimony to both elements in many evangelistic accounts in Scripture does not show that the disciples often preached only one of these elements but not the other. Rather, we should allow the above-discussed comparison of Acts 19:4 with the other evangelistic accounts of John’s ministry to teach us that the lack of an explicit record of testimony to a key evangelistic element in a particular evangelistic account does not provide valid evidence that such testimony was lacking on that occasion.

Conclusion

Whenever our circumstances allow us to do so, we should preach both repentance and faith to the people that we evangelize. Doing so, our gospel ministries will best reflect all the biblical data about the evangelistic ministries of John the Baptist, Jesus, and Paul!

1 A close comparison of two statements in Acts 9:20-22 with Acts 26:20 fully confirms this interpretation. Luke writes that Paul’s evangelistic ministry began in Damascus and provides two brief summary statements about that ministry:

Act 9:20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

Act 9:22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.

Neither of these reports about Pauline evangelism in Damascus mentions that he told people there to repent. In Acts 26, however, Luke records that Paul testified to King Agrippa about his entire evangelistic ministry by giving him this key summary statement:

Act 26:20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

Based on Paul’s own testimony, we can be certain that he preached repentance in Damascus—even though Acts 9 does not record that he did.

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

In Evangelism, Exposition, Gospel, Interpretation, Theology
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Live a Redeemed Life of Fearing Our Impartial Father to Whom We Pray!

March 3, 2014

I wrote this article for the men’s ministry at my church. It highlights a vital matter in the life of every man of God.

Writing to dispersed believers in many places in Asia Minor (1 Pet. 1:1), Peter began by emphasizing vital realities for them to consider as born-again children of God the Father (1 Pet. 1:3, 14, 23; 2:2). Among these, he highly stressed the glorious consummation of their salvation that they would experience at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:5, 7, 9, 10, 13).

In view of these things, he challenged them with multiple commands (1 Pet. 1:13, 15, 17, 22). His third command charged them to live in a way (1 Pet. 1:17-21) that needs more attention in our day.

As obedient children of God (1 Pet. 1:14) who pray (1 Pet. 1:17) to our Holy Father (1 Pet. 1:15-16), it is vital that we keep in mind that we “address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work” (1 Pet. 1:17). Being children of God does not exempt us from His holy scrutiny and assessment of all our ways!

We who pray to our Father do so to the One who knows all our secrets (Rom. 2:16; 1 Cor. 4:5) and shows no favoritism in His dealings with any of us (1 Pet. 1:17a). His dealing with us in this way necessitates that we live our entire Christian lives fearing Him and His perfectly fair assessment of us as His children (1 Pet. 1:17b).

We must live in such fear of our impartial Father because of the glorious redemption that He has granted us (1 Pet. 1:18-19). He has not redeemed us from our formerly futile living with the things that man values most, such as silver and gold (1 Pet. 1:18). Instead, we have been redeemed with what God values infinitely more than any material thing that fallen man values—the precious blood of Christ, the unblemished and spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (1 Pet. 1:19; John 1:29)!

We must live a redeemed life of fearing our impartial Father to whom we pray because the priceless blood with which He redeemed us was the blood of the Christ whom on the one hand He foreknew in eternity past (1 Pet. 1:20a). We must also live such lives because on the other hand that Christ “has appeared in these last times” for our sake (1 Pet. 1:20b).

Through the eternally foreknown Christ who has appeared to redeem us, we are believers in God (1 Pet. 1:21a). Through that Christ, we are believers in our Father who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory so that our faith and hope are in God (1 Pet. 1:21b).

We have learned from 1 Peter 1:17-21 that God demands that we live a redeemed life of fearing our impartial Father to whom we pray. To learn some specific truths about what such a life looks like, we need to consider some related teaching (1 Pet. 3:7-12).

Based on the example that Christ has left for us (1 Pet. 2:21-25), husbands must live properly with their wives: (1) living with her in an understanding way that takes into consideration that she is weaker because she is a woman; and (2) showing her honor because she is “a fellow heir of the grace of life”(1 Pet. 3:7a-d). Living in this way with them is necessary for husbands so that their “prayers will not be hindered (1 Pet. 3:7e).

Comparing the teaching of 1 Peter 3:7 with 1 Peter 1:17-21, we learn that one specific aspect of living a redeemed life of fearing our impartial Father to whom we pray involves husbands relating with their wives in a way that shows that they fear God. God knows everything about how each husband is treating his wife, and every husband must fear displeasing the Father to whom he prays by mistreating his wife!

In 1 Peter 3:8-12, Peter then provides related teaching about Christian conduct that not just husbands but also all other believers must heed. A close examination of this passage shows that it ties directly with what we learned from 1 Peter 1:17-21.

Summing up what he has been saying, Peter challenges all believers about being “harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit” (1 Pet. 3:8). Being such believers includes “not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead” because we have been called “for the very purpose that [we] might inherit a blessing” (1 Pet. 3:9).

He explains our calling to that purpose further by citing Psalm 34:12-16. Because the teaching of that passage is an inspired explanation to children of how they are to fear the Lord (Ps. 34:11), Peter’s use of it here to explain our calling shows that we have been called to be children who fear the Lord in certain specific ways (1 Pet. 3:10-11).

From the citation of Psalm 34:12-16 in 1 Peter 3:10-12, we learn that we who would lead a blessed life of fearing God must keep our tongues from evil and our lips from speaking deceit (1 Pet. 3:10). We must turn away from evil, do good, seek peace, and pursue it (1 Pet. 3:11).

Peter then explains these directives by inserting for at the beginning of 1 Peter 3:12, which is not in Psalm 34:15. By doing so, however, he does not change the original meaning; he brings out the logical connection that was there all along but was unstated. We are thus called to inherit a blessing (1 Pet. 3:9) through heeding certain directives about fearing God (1 Pet. 3:10-11) because His eyes “are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer” (1 Pet. 3:12a-b), but His face “is against those who do evil” (1 Pet. 3:12c).

Because Peter’s teaching here (1 Pet. 3:8-9) is about fearing God (1 Pet. 3:10-11) in view of His differing responses to the prayers of people according to His assessment of their lives (1 Pet. 3:12), we see that what he teaches us here parallels his earlier teaching about fearing our Father who impartially judges those who pray to Him (1 Pet. 1:17). The comparison of 1 Peter 3:8-12 with 1 Pet. 1:71-21, therefore, teaches us some specific aspects of fearing our impartial Father to whom we pray.

As men of the Word, let us live such (1 Pet. 3:7-12) redeemed lives of fearing our impartial Father to whom we pray (1 Pet. 1:17-21)!

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

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Has a Flawed Emphasis on Grace Fostered Abuse among Believers?

February 28, 2014

The recent controversy about the dealings of BJU with GRACE concerning the ongoing investigation of abuse has resulted in many voicing their viewpoints about problems with how cases involving abuse are handled in our day. For me, the intense recent attention to this problem has stirred my mind in a different direction to an issue that I believe is just as important to address.

The Contemporary Overemphasis on Certain Aspects of the Grace of God

For many years now, Christians in many circles have been highly focused on emphasizing the grace of God in salvation and justification. These believers frequently decry what they deem as “legalism” among other believers whom they consider to have deficient perspectives about the grace of God.

This intense emphasis on grace in reality has been an overemphasis on only certain aspects of the grace of God, namely, how God’s grace spares repentant sinners from the eternal judgment that they deserve for their sinfulness and provides complete acceptance with God for believers apart from their good works as a believer. Far too often, this emphasis has been accompanied by a serious lack of emphasis on other facets of what God’s grace to repentant sinners means for their subsequent lives as believers.

What Paul’s Emphasis on Grace Included in His Teaching to Believers

Certainly, Paul emphasized the grace of God in salvation to the lost people that he evangelized (Acts 20:24). He similarly stressed the importance of grace for believers by highlighting it in his teaching to them, both in person (Acts 13:43; 20:32) and in his Epistles (e.g., Eph. 2:8).

Notwithstanding this vital Pauline emphasis on these aspects of God’s grace to both sinners and believers, Paul’s ministry to believers about God’s grace in their lives also included an emphasis in his teaching to them that is sorely lacking in many churches today. In his teaching that emphasized the grace of God to new believers in Thessalonica (cf. 1 Thess. 1:1; 5:28; 2 Thess. 1:2, 12; 2:16; 3:18), Paul also stressed their susceptibility to divine judgment even as believers should they engage in immorality:

1Th 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

 2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

 3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

 5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

 6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

 7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

 8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

Paul here reminded the Thessalonians that he (and Silvanus and Timothy) had previously forewarned them and testified to them about Jesus as the Lord who is the avenger of all who are defrauded among believers by the immorality of their brethren (1 Thess. 4:6).1 Not only did he remind them that they had emphasized this truth to them previously, but also he warned them anew with that same truth by including this teaching in this epistle that he wrote to them.

Based on Paul’s emphasis to new believers that the Lord would avenge all believers who are defrauded by the immorality of other believers, we know with certainty that Paul’s stress on the grace of God in the lives of believers did not mean that he focused his teaching to them about grace only on its so-called “positive” aspects. Rather, Paul solemnly testified to believers of the fearful accountability that they would have to the Lord if they engaged in fornication.2

Jesus’ Emphasis to His Churches about His Judgment of Immorality among Believers

As Paul did with the Thessalonians, so the glorified Jesus warned believers in His churches about His fierce judgment of immorality among believers:

Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

 15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

 16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Rev 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

 21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

 22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

 23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

These passages make clear that the glorified Jesus wants His role as the avenger of all immorality among believers to be emphasized greatly in His churches.

A Desperate Need in Churches Today 

For some time now, the preaching and teaching in many churches has had an overemphasis on the grace of God that saves sinners and grants them full acceptance with God as believers. This overemphasis has been at the expense of the necessary repeated solemn warning of believers about Jesus’ judgment of all immorality among believers.

Such a flawed emphasis on certain aspects of the grace of God has undoubtedly fostered abuse among believers because many of those who have abused others have not received the proper warnings that they should have received. Regardless of whatever else that is good that will come about through the ultimate resolution of the BJU-GRACE matter, churches everywhere need to be warned repeatedly by their leaders that living in the enjoyment of the grace of God does not exempt any believer of fierce divine judging of him should he remain unrepentant of abusing others through immorality.

 

1 Hiebert explains,

This duty of chastity is vital because “the Lord will punish men for all such sins.” . . . He satisfies justice by inflicting the due punishment upon the wrongdoer. . . . Christ will be the sure and just judge “for all such sins,” all the different forms of carnal impurity.

—D. Edmond Hiebert, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 187

2 Some may object to the idea that God judges believers. David testifies to the intensity of God’s chastening on him (Ps. 32:3-4) for his great sinfulness, which included adultery and murder. Moreover, David experienced profound consequences for his sins (2 Sam. 12:10-12; 14), including the death of his newborn child (2 Sam. 12:18).

Paul also makes clear that God does chasten believers with judgment in this life if they refuse to repent of their sinful deeds as a believer:

1 Corinthians 11:30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

This clear Pauline teaching about the Lord’s chastening judgment on believers should serve as a profound warning to all believers against abusing other believers in any way, including sexually.

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

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Two Biblical Greetings That Are Worth Using

February 22, 2014

I wonder if the importance of greeting someone graciously has much to do with the value of acknowledging his fundamental worth as a human being. If this view is correct, to fail to greet someone may well be to dehumanize him in a grievous way.

Scripture emphasizes highly the necessity of our greeting one another. Ruth 2:4 presents an instance where people greeted one another with two greetings that we would do well to consider and use more.

Boaz’s Greeting to His Reapers

Although Boaz was “a mighty man of wealth” (Ruth 2:2), he did not consider himself to be above greeting those who labored for him in his fields: “And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The Lord be with you” (Ruth 2:4a). His greeting points to some truths worth noting.

First, Boaz displayed the fundamentally spiritual orientation of his thinking by focusing on the Lord even in greeting common laborers whom he encountered. Boaz thus made good use of his freedom and opportunity to speak of the Lord in the workplace!

Second, Boaz did not just speak impersonally about the Lord; he openly related the benevolence of his heart for his workers by declaring his desire that the Lord would be with them. Such a greeting from him as their employer no doubt would go a long way toward boosting their morale in the workplace and increasing good will between him and all these who labored together for him in a common cause.

The Reapers’ Greeting to Boaz

The reapers of Boaz responded to his greeting by answering him, “The Lord bless thee” (Ruth 2:4b). Their greeting to him shows some important truths as well.

First, like Boaz, they showed their spiritual mindset by making the Lord the focus of their greeting. Even though they were common laborers, they apparently knew of the Lord at least to the extent of freely invoking His name in their greeting.

Second, as Boaz did for them, so they communicated their desire for his welfare by expressing their wish that the Lord would bless him. Their response seems to have revealed their good relationship with him and their longing for him to prosper in the ways of the Lord.

The Value of Our Greeting One Another with These Two Greetings

Our genuine use of Boaz’s greeting, “The Lord be with you,” when we encounter other believers would help to sanctify all of our interactions with one another. We would thereby display our spiritual mindedness, focus on the Lord, and benevolent desire for our brethren.

Greeting one another with these words would also serve to remind us to be spiritually minded believers who make much of Jesus’ glorious promise to all His disciples: “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matt. 28:20). We would thus richly edify one another even in what we say in greeting one another!

As with our use of Boaz’s greeting, so there is great value to our using the greeting with which his reapers responded to him, “The Lord bless you.” By our using this greeting with believers who greet us, we further edify one another spiritually by communicating our focus on the Lord and our desire that He would prosper them in His ways.

Let us continually edify one another with these two biblical greetings that are worth using!

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

In Discipleship, Exhortation, Exposition
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Does God Care How Healthy Your Lifestyle Is?

February 20, 2014

Scripture teaches that the proper reception of the words of God is to those who so receive them “health to all their body”:

My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh (Prov. 4:20-22).

This amazing verse teaches infallibly that the health of a person’s entire physical body is affected by that person’s relationship to the Word of God. Thus, from the mind of the only wise God, we know that His Word is salutary for the physical health of the entire body! How brightly does the care of God for the comprehensive well-being of His own shine forth from this marvelous text!

When we consider that our present earthly bodies are corrupted by sin and will some day either be destroyed or be changed (at the Rapture), why does God even bother to speak in such terms about the health of this transient body? Such a statement probably seems at odds to the notions of those who espouse the view that health is just not that important of a spiritual or Scriptural issue.

Seemingly supporting that notion that only limited concern for the welfare of the physical body is appropriate is a Scriptural statement about the lowly belly (stomach, NASB):

“Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body” (1 Cor. 6:13).

In this verse, God explicitly says that He will some day destroy both the belly and the foods that go into it. Reasoning along the same lines, how many have concluded that the present earthly body in all its parts is not much more than something to be put up with until we get our glorified bodies?

Does God concur with such thinking? How would we know? Incredibly, under inspiration, Scripture records God’s concern for the stomach[1] of a minister: “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities” (1 Tim 5:23)!

Understanding the Power of First Timothy 5:23 Properly

Many do not appreciate the power of 1 Timothy 5:23, and a proper understanding requires a brief rehearsal of the nature of Scripture. Scripture teaches about itself that the will of man was not at all involved in its origination. Everything that is in the Bible is there by the will of God (2 Pet. 1:19-21). Scripture also teaches about itself that all Scripture was breathed out by God and is profitable for us to be righteous before God (2 Tim. 3:15-17).

Scripture teaches us what we need to know and do for the salvation of our souls. It also teaches us what we need to know, do, and be in every aspect of our lives so that we would fulfill all of our obligations to God and man.

Paul wrote to Timothy to teach him how he should conduct himself in the church:

“These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim 3:14, 15).

Thus, this pastoral Epistle specifically teaches how a minister should carry out his ministry.

For us to understand the importance of 1 Timothy 5:23 properly, we must keep in mind that not one verse of this book is human thinking about proper ministry. Every verse teaches us what God has to say about ministry in the church.

That being the case, Paul’s statement to Timothy in 5:23 is striking. Under inspiration of God, Paul authoritatively directs Timothy, the pastor of the church in Ephesus, concerning his health, including the welfare of his stomach![2]

Paul relates that Timothy had a stomach problem and was frequently ill. Significantly, Paul does not merely note Timothy’s health problems—he commands Timothy to change his lifestyle for the sake of these health problems.

Specifically, Paul directs him no longer to continue drinking only water, but also to drink a little wine. That the purpose of this authoritative direction is clearly for the betterment of his health is plain from the words “for thy stomach’s sake“ (cf. NASB, “for the sake of your stomach”).

Thus, in this one verse of Scripture, God has recorded for all time in His eternal Word His mind concerning the physical well-being of the pastor of a church. He has also given us clear teaching about pastoral ministry from the example of how Paul ministered to his son in the faith, Timothy. Moreover, God has also plainly revealed his mind concerning changing our lifestyles for the sake of our health.

The Great Contemporary Importance of First Timothy 5:23

Were this one verse[3] of Scripture (1 Tim. 5:23) to be taken seriously, the health of many multiplied thousands of believing people would surely be greatly improved. If it be objected that applying this teaching to our lives should not be taken seriously merely because of the reference to wine, let us consider how many even today use medications with significant alcohol content, such as Ny-Quil and cough syrups, for the sake of their health, and without any apparent qualms concerning the propriety of such medicinal use of alcohol.[4]

Amazingly, God has recorded in His word that is forever settled in heaven His care for the stomach of a minister, a stomach that God Himself destroyed at the death of Timothy. This verse is not at all surprising if we take care to keep in mind the mind of God revealed in Proverbs 4:20-22. The God who spoke in Proverbs 4 of that which was “health” to the entire body is the same One who gloriously demonstrated His interest in such comprehensive well-being of His people by recording in 1 Timothy 5 one minister authoritatively confronting another concerning his health.

The God who inspired both Proverbs 4:20-22 and 1 Timothy 5:23 is the same God who also stated to His own, as encouragement for them not to fear, that His care for them extends even to every hair on their heads: “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:30, 31). Such care for the health of those whom God is watching over shines forth especially from Acts 27:34: “Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you” (cf. 27:24- 25, which indicates clearly the hand of God in the situation).

Thus, Scripture indicates the astonishing care of God for the health of His own. Yes, He cares for the health of the believer’s whole body, even his stomach, even for every hair, which all are destined for destruction; shouldn’t we likewise care for the health of our entire body?

Plainly, we should be concerned for the comprehensive well-being of the people of God. Like Paul did with Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:23, ministers must minister to the people of God appropriate authoritative direction to change their lifestyles for the sake of their health.

Significantly, the terseness of the teaching in 1 Timothy 5:23 wonderfully suggests that why a person is in ill-health need not even be mentioned or perhaps even known for it to be appropriate for them to be exhorted concerning their health. Regardless of whether someone has health difficulties because of heredity, or as the result of accident or injury, or from unhealthy lifestyle, or from some other cause, 1 Timothy 5:23 still applies. If a believer’s health could be helped through some appropriate lifestyle intervention,[5] Scripture here strongly shows that they should do so for the sake of their health.

Interestingly, the specific teaching of 1 Timothy 5:23—that of no longer continuing in merely doing what one has been doing to date, but adding a practice to the life that would help one’s health—is exactly so often what is needed for the effective treatment of many health problems, especially lifestyle-related ones. Many who are suffering from ill health are doing so because of the omission of one or more of the well-established health-promoting lifestyle practices. Scripture indicates plainly in 1 Timothy 5:23 what is to be done in such cases—add to one’s life the health-promoting practices that up to this point have not been engaged in properly in the life!

Moreover, the teaching of 1 Timothy 5:23 especially indicates that those who have without full justification set aside authoritative direction from their Christian doctor or other qualified individuals concerning changing their lifestyles because of their health needs should amend their ways. Such behavior is plainly contrary to the mind of God, who would have them to change their lifestyles for the sake of their health.

Let us ask ourselves how many ministers and other Christian leaders are presently righteously caring for the health needs of the people of God by giving them authoritative direction concerning lifestyle changes for the sake of their health. How will they do so if they do not understand that Scripture teaches that they should do so? How can they do so effectively if they do not have a personal testimony of caring properly for their own comprehensive physical well-being?

Moreover, how will they do so apart from proper sufficient training concerning physical health of the body? What’s more, were they to do so, how many Christians would even be submissive to such direction when it is given?

Let us also consider how many parents are letting their children engage in unhealthy lifestyles, not wanting to take the trouble to confront them or thinking that God has not really spoken to such matters? In addition, let us consider how many spouses allow their spouse to go on living in self-destructive eating habits, wishing there were some way to get them to change before something terrible happens.

God Does Care How Healthy Your Lifestyle Is!

Let none who are facing any of the situations discussed above (or other similar situations) dismiss, make light of, or neglect the glorious teaching that God commands us to make lifestyle changes for the sake of our health (1 Tim. 5:23). Apart from a proper reception and observance of that teaching, what will we have left whereby to wisely minister to such needs of our loved ones: “The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?” (Jer. 8:9).

Only the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, is able to pierce to the innermost being of man and lay bare to him the true state of his heart before God (Heb. 4:12). In 1 Timothy 5:23, we have just such a wonderful “sword” that God will mightily use to quicken both us and our loved ones so that we all will change whatever lifestyle habits are hurting our health.

Only through a proper reception of the mind of God through the careful handling of numerous passages concerning health, etc. in Scripture could such proper ministry become a reality in the church, in our homes, in our schools, etc. By such hearing and obeying of what God says in those verses, including especially 1 Timothy 5:23, many more believers would experience the glorious promise set forth in Proverbs 4:10 (and elsewhere): “Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.”

May God help us to live properly in the light of His concern for our comprehensive well-being. O yes, He cares how healthy your lifestyle is—will you?

 

[1] “Stomach” in 1 Timothy 5:23 = “belly” in 1 Corinthians 6:13; for our purposes even though different Greek words are used, the reference is clearly essentially to the same thing.

[2] That this is only one verse in a book of six chapters concerning pastoral ministry should not lead us therefore to dismiss, make light of, or neglect the truth taught by God therein. Certainly, proper ministry is much bigger than merely the health concerns of the people of God. As this verse plainly shows, however, adequately ministering to the health concerns of the people of God is part of the ministry! Consider also how much time and money go into addressing the health issues of believers in a church, and therefore, how needful and valuable is authoritative direction from God concerning those issues.

[3] This verse is only one of several in Scripture that show God’s mind concerning comprehensive well-being of His people: Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 35:27; Proverbs 3:7, 4: 22, 14:30; Ecclesiastes 11:10; Isaiah 58:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 3 John 2.

[4] Proper treatment of all the Scriptural considerations concerning the propriety of contemporary use of alcohol by Christians is far beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say, the teaching in 1 Timothy 5:23 plainly indicates the medicinal use of a small quantity of wine in the specific setting that Timothy faced at that time. If the reason for this admonition stemmed from concerns for water quality, given the proper facilities available to us today for water purification, no such use of wine can be justified except in the most exceptional of circumstances. All things considered, this writer believes that Christians should abstain from all consumption of alcohol, except for legitimate medicinal use, including such preparations as noted above, which are to be used only in a limited fashion at those times when legitimate need exists. In any case, this verse gives no support whatever to social drinking as legitimate for believers. For differing viewpoints concerning the propriety of the use of wine in the observance of the Lord’s Supper by believers today, please consult appropriate works that deal with that and related issues.

[5] Potential concern for discerning properly what the appropriate lifestyle intervention(s) for any given health concern(s) is/are should not lead us to discount the teaching of 1 Timothy 5:23. For the vast majority of cases, proper attention now to any of the basic well-established tenets of healthy living, such as regular physical activity, healthy diet, sufficient rest, etc. that have not been adhered to in the past, will yield great benefits. For numerous people with health problems, one pertinent application of 1 Timothy 5:23 would be along the following lines: “No longer just serve in your church, at work, and at home, but also do a little regular physical activity.” The case for such advice being of benefit has been established through hundreds of studies for decades, including many recent ones that powerfully show the value of even a little regular physical activity. Consider especially that the case for regular physical activity is so strong that the Surgeon General has even issued an advisory report detailing the facts supporting such a practice. Keeping in mind that believers generally hold that smoking is ungodly behavior because of the damage to one’s health, it is striking that research has demonstrated more than once that a sedentary lifestyle is as damaging to one’s health as smoking, or even more!

See also Christian Health/Fitness Quotes I

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

In Exhortation, Exposition, Health
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Let Us Fear and Serve God!

February 16, 2014

Genesis 39 records the remarkable testimony that Joseph had after he had been forcibly brought down to Egypt. From considering several aspects of his testimony, let us aspire to fear and serve God as he did.

Joseph’s Striking Testimony to an Egyptian Officer

In Egypt, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, an Egyptian officer who was the captain of Pharaoh’s guard (Gen. 39:1). Although Joseph was alone in a strange land where he did not know anyone, the Lord was with him and prospered him greatly (Gen. 39:2).

Joseph’s testimony was so remarkable that his unsaved Egyptian master “saw that the Lord was with him” (Gen. 39:3a). His master even saw “that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand” (Gen. 39:3b)!

Moses does not explain what these statements specifically mean or how Potiphar saw these things. He does add that Joseph “found grace in his sight” and was exalted by him to be over all that he had (Gen. 39:4).

From the time that Potiphar exalted Joseph, the Lord blessed everything that Potiphar had in his house and his field (Gen. 39:5). Joseph’s exemplary service to Potiphar and the Lord’s incredible blessing on all that was his was thus a striking testimony to him of the goodness of God to him in spite of his being an unsaved Egyptian.

Joseph’s Sterling Testimony to Potiphar’s Wife

Potiphar’s wife took note of Joseph’s attractiveness and demanded that he commit adultery with her (Gen. 39:6-7). Joseph refused her immoral demand (Gen. 39:8) and testified to her of his fear of God by asking her, “How  . . . can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Gen. 39:9).

Joseph showed that he feared God supremely and wanted to live a sanctified life for Him before others. Although his doing so would cost him greatly (Gen. 39:10-20), Jospeh remained steadfast in refusing her immoral overtures (Gen. 39:10) because he was determined to have a sterling testimony of fearing and serving God regardless of his circumstances.

Joseph’s Sustained Testimony of Excellence to the Keeper of the Prison

Although he was unjustly imprisoned (Gen. 39:20) because Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of wrongdoing (Gen. 39:14-18), Joseph sustained his testimony of excellence before others because the Lord continued to be with him and bless him (Gen. 39:21). As Potiphar had done earlier, the keeper of the prison exalted Joseph “because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper (Gen 39:22-23).

Fearing and Serving God Regardless of Our Circumstances

Although Joseph unjustly suffered greatly, he did not allow his circumstances to turn him from fearing and serving God. He did not do so merely in his own strength or by his own determination and discipline—the Lord was with him (Gen. 39:2, 3, 21, 23), granted him favor with people (Gen. 39:21; cf. 39:4), and prospered all that he did (Gen. 39:3, 23)!

Jesus has promised to be with all His disciples always to the end of the world (Matt. 28:20). Because Jesus is with us, let us fear and serve God regardless of our circumstances, even as Joseph did!

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

In Exhortation, Exposition
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On The Importance of Greeting One Another

February 8, 2014

In my 24 years of being a Christian, I have experienced many times how discouraging and even painful at times it is when Christian brethren have not extended to me even a simple friendly greeting when our paths have happened to cross. I have often left such encounters wondering why so and so seems to greet many other people warmly but does not do so with me.

Recently, having had this happen to me again has brought back to my mind just how important it is that we as believers graciously greet another:

1Co 16:20 All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss.

2Co 13:12 Greet one another with an holy kiss.

Phi 4:21 Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you.

1Th 5:26 Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.

Heb 13:24 Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.

1Pe 5:14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

3Jo 1:14 But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.

This repeated, authoritative biblical instruction makes clear that we all have a vital responsibility to greet one another graciously, especially in the context of a local church.

When we are disinclined to extend such a greeting to someone that we have known for some time, we should examine our thinking and consider why we do not wish to do so. Especially in situations of interpersonal conflict between brethren in a church,  wariness of extending a greeting to another believer should signal to us further that our relationship with that fellow believer is not what God wants it to be and needs attention to restore proper fellowship among brethren.

I have failed many times myself to heed the vital scriptural instruction concerning greeting one another, and I am sure that the Lord wants to use my recent troubling experience to challenge me about my own need in this area. By His grace, I desire and purpose to strive to display this Christian grace more faithfully in the days to come.

May the Lord help us all to build up one another by greeting one another graciously, as we ought.

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

In Discipleship, Exhortation, Interpretation
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Is Amos 5:21-24 Important for Our Understanding of Music (Part I)?

February 6, 2014

From reading Amos 5:21-24, see if you can discover for yourself what key fact about music this passage reveals that needs much careful attention in our day:

 Amo 5:21 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.

 22 Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.

 23 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.

 24 But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

To help you discover that fact, here are some key questions to keep in mind:

1. Who is speaking in the passage?

2. What is the speaker revealing specifically about his activities concerning music?

3. Is the speaker communicating anything positive or negative about music?

4. What is the relevance of this revelation to our understanding of music?

If you discovered what this key fact is and what its contemporary relevance is, do you think that Amos 5:21-24 is a key passage for our understanding of music?

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

In Exposition, Interpretation, Music, Theology
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