Book Comment: The 50 Most Important Teachings of the Bible

 

In his book, The 50 Most Important Teachings of the Bible, Jim George presents a Conservative Protestant Evangelical interpretation of fifty of the important doctrines of Christianity. When I first read it, I wrote on the title page: “The whole book quivers with the evangelistic impulse.”

As with most books such as this, what you get from the book depends on what you bring with you. You may not agree with everything George says. His stated purpose: “My goal for this book about what the Bible teaches is to help give you a better understanding of the key teachings that are critical for your growth as a Christian.”

Some of the topics discussed in this book:

God is both three, and one.

Satan is not as powerful as you think, but you ignore him at your own risk.

Look at Jesus to see what God is like.

How much water is enough?

Angels are not just something you put on the top of your Christmas tree.

You cannot surprise God

Information you will need to search for this book: George, Jim, The 50 Most Important Teachings of the Bible. What They Mean for You (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2015)

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A general caution: books may give you wonderful new insights and explanations of subjects, but you should never base your Christian beliefs on any one book or the teachings of one person, no matter who they are. All teachings must be consistent with scripture. Read as the Bereans did, with discernment. “… for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 NASB

Any doctrines must be consistent with the historical full body of Christian thought. Doctrines or teachings inconsistent with scripture in any way must be rejected. You would not eat cheese which had a fuzzy fungus growing on it.

Book Comment: You Mean That Isn’t in the Bible?

 

In his book, You Mean That Isn’t in the Bible?, David A. Rich points out ten things you probably think are in the Bible but are not. Rich says, ”… my intention is not necessarily to cause you to agree with everything I write about, but rather to cause you to study for yourself.”

As with most books such as this, the author is not trying to tell you what to think. He specifically says in the quotation above that he does not expect you to agree with everything he says, He is trying to challenge you to read your Bible and to listen to what it says. Do not believe anything just because someone else told to believe it; let the Holy Spirit guide you to the truth.

The ten beliefs Rich mentions include:

There are many roads to Heaven.

When we die, we become angels.

God helps those who help themselves.

God wants you to be rich.

Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.

We are God’s co-pilots.

Pray hard and God will answer.

God and Satan are battling it out.

God is not a micromanager.

Everyone has their own free will.

 

Information you will need to search for this book: Rich, David A., You Mean That Isn’t in the Bible? 10 Popular Beliefs That Simply Aren’t True (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2008)

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A general caution: books may give you wonderful new insights and explanations of subjects, but you should never base your Christian beliefs on any one book or the teachings of one person, no matter who they are. All teachings must be consistent with scripture. Read as the Bereans did, with discernment. “… for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 NASB

Any doctrines must be consistent with the historical full body of Christian thought. Doctrines or teachings inconsistent with scripture in any way must be rejected. You would not eat cheese which had a fuzzy fungus growing on it.

Lead Me Not Into Temptation

I saw this printed on a hand towel. I do not know the source of this riff on The Twenty-Third Psalm.

"Lead me not into temptation ... oh, who am I kidding ... follow me, I know a shortcut."

We all know many shortcuts. Every human is tempted numerous times each day.  Even Jesus was tempted. The Bible records one major temptation episode that Satan launched against Jesus but surely there were many more.  Two are very obvious.

Jesus surely was tempted to heal his good friend Lazarus before the man died but he intentionally delayed his arrival. Lazarus' sister was angry and disappointed with their friend, but Jesus had a reason for his delay. Read the story at John 11: 1-44. "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

Jesus clearly dreaded what was to come for him on the cross and he was probably tempted to do exactly the thing which he said he could do (Matthew 26:53). He did not do it because it would have meant that Satan had won. "But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?"

Jesus is the only person who has ever live a life totally free of sin. Here is the hard part. He was tempted just like we are. Hebrews 4:15

Book Comment: The Secret Life of Angels

In The Secret Life of Angels: Who They Are and How They Help Us (2014), biblical teacher Ron Rhodes examines many of the prevalent modern pagan (yes, I said pagan) ideas about the existence, nature, and activities of angels. In the modern secular culture, there are far more people interested in angels than one might think. The main unifying theme in all of these secular culture views is that they diminish or totally eliminate Jesus from the discussion.

Some people, including some who call themselves Christians, would deny the existence of angels or would explain that what seems to be angelic activity is merely a manifestation of God. Rhodes points out that both the Bible and Jesus Himself are explicit in their statements that angels are real persons.

Teacher Rhodes discusses many of the erroneous prevalent beliefs about angels and shows how and why these teachings are at odds with the Bible's teachings.  He also points out that many modern angel beliefs include occultic activity and open one up to other types of contact. Some of the unbiblical views include:

1. Angels are the spirits of humans who have died and gone to Heaven.
2. Angels always present a positive uplifting message and their purpose is to bring meaning into our lives by helping us to feel loved.
3. Angels are never the instruments of God's wrath. They have nothing to do with the Old Testament image of a vengeful and wrathful God. (This plays into the unscriptural idea that the Gods of the Old Testament and of the New Testament are radically different persons.)
4. Angels are proper objects of worship.
5. Angels teach us that our true nature is divine.
6. Angel activity is increasing in modern times. This is an indication that the world is nearing an evolutionary change, a tipping point.
7. Angels protect all people regardless of their religious beliefs.
8. Angels can be summoned by humans.
9. If we tell an angel what we want, the angel will work to satisfy that desire.

Teacher Rhodes then spends several chapters of the book in discussing the Biblical teachings concerning who God's angels actually are and their true nature and origin. He also discusses our proper relationship with the angels. He backs up each statement with numerous biblical quotations.

The Secret Life of Angels would be incomplete if it ignored one final element of angelology; the most controversial element. Teacher Rhodes points out that, just as the Bible and Jesus explicitly affirm the existence of God's angels, they also are explicit in affirming the existence of the fallen angels, the demons. Rather than being the imaginary stuff of superstition and ignorance, the demons are real persons just as real as the angels. The Bible gives us quite explicit instructions about how to deal with these persons.

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A general caution: books may give you wonderful new insights and explanations of subjects, but you should never base your Christian beliefs on any one book or the teachings of one person, no matter who they are. All teachings must be consistent with scripture. Read as the Bereans did, with discernment. “… for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 NASB

Any doctrines must be consistent with the historical full body of Christian thought. Doctrines or teachings inconsistent with scripture in any way must be rejected. You would not eat cheese which had a fuzzy fungus growing on it.

  

Female Images of God: A Housekeeeper

God is depicted as a housekeeper who cleans and sweeps through her entire house to find one lost coin.  The lost coin becomes her focus until it is found.

“Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?  “When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’  “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15: 8-10 (KJV)

Jesus zealously holds onto those given to Him.  These verses are part of the foundation of the doctrine of the Eternal Security of the Believer.  Some describe this as “once saved, always saved.”  The doctrine states that Jesus will not allow anyone who truly belongs to Him to be separated from Him by anyone or anything.

“… Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.” John 18:9 (KJV)

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.” John 10:27-30 (KJV)

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 (KJV)

Modern Names of Biblical Places: Smyrna

The ancient city of Smyrna survives today as Izmir, Turkey.

“And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;” Revelation 2:8

Tell Someone About This Blog

This blog is receiving between 2,000 and 5,000 discrete visits per month.  Why not 5,000 to 10,000?  Tell your friends, relatives, and fellow church members about the blog.  Mention the blog in one of your tweets, on your personal blog, or on your Facebook page.

This is primarily a ministry to Christians but it also is read by persons who are not Christian.  There have been visits originating from occultic and pornographic sites.  Some readers have been followers of non-Christian religions such as Judaism and Islam.

This blog will never intentionally insult anyone but it also will never back away from telling the Truth.  The Good News is for everyone and if only one person comes to Christ because of this blog, the angels will rejoice. (Luke 15:1-10)

What I Believe

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6543677145883318479#editor/target=post;postID=3277589869921366139

Since Wednesday, I have been responding to “What They Think of Us: God Blames Us for His Mistakes.”  I disagree completely with Gene Roddenberry’s criticism.  Here is what I believe to be a scriptural rebuttal.

1.     God did not make a mistake.  He intentionally made us as we are. (Genesis 1:1-31)

2.     He made us in His image. (1:27)

3.     He made us as we are because we must be free to choose.  God does not purpose to have the mindless obedience of robots or machines.

4.     God knew that the vast majority would reject Him.  He has declared that the few are worth the costs: a. the billions lost (Romans 1:20), and b. the life of Christ. (Luke 15:10)

5.     Those who chose God are invested with the Mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16)

6.     He is perfecting us into creatures, not Divine, but like Himself.  Our ultimate destiny is one of sinless perfection, able to judge angels (1 Corinthians 6:3), and able to exist in the presence of the perfectly Holy God.  We are being perfected (sanctified) into holiness. (Hebrews 7:25)

Film Comment: Heavenly Daze

This 1948 Three Stooges film, Heavenly Daze, exhibits many of the confused popular ideas about Heaven, angels, and God.  Heaven is in the clouds.  Angels are humans who have died.  People can be sent back to Earth to set things right.  God frowns on any interest in the opposite sex.

Shemp the Stooge  has died and is having trouble convincing his Uncle Mortimer to let him into Heaven.  Mortimer decides to give him one more chance.  He can get into Heaven if he can reform the incorrigible Moe and Larry.

Watch the film and see how many confused stereotypes you can spot.

Angels are not humans who have died.  They are supernatural created beings, who, while powerful, are not omnipotent and who clearly are of lesser rank than members of the ἐκκλησία (ekklesia). The word angel (ἄγγελος) translates in English as “messenger.”

“Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?” 1 Corinthians 6:3

I Am His Favorite

I saw a woman wearing a Tee-shirt emblazoned with the logo, “Jesus Loves You … But I’m His Favorite!”  I had to think about that one and then I realized that it was true.  She is His favorite.  You are His favorite.  I am His favorite.

Would Jesus have endured the Cross to save only the woman? Yes.

Would Jesus have endured the Cross to save only you? Yes.

Would Jesus have endured the Cross to save only me? Yes.

Saint Augustine of Hippo said, "God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us to love."

“Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Luke 15:10

The Extent of God's Love

“If I could only love the most righteous person in the world as much as the Creator loves the most wicked person in the world.”  Rabbi Zusha of Hanipol

Meshulam Zusha (1718-1800) was born in Galicia and would, in modern terms, have been of the Polish nationality.  He was known for his extreme piety and his highly emotional prayer life.   He is considered to have been one of the great Hassidic rabbis along with his equally revered brother, Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk.

Many people understand that Jesus died for the sins of the world.  What they often fail to realize is that Jesus died for them individually.  The Bible says that the angels rejoice when one sinner believes.   The price paid for that one sinner was the most valuable thing in the universe. 

Film Comment: The Adjustment Bureau

The Adjustment Bureau (2011) is a film based on “Adjustment Team,” a science fiction short story by the writer, Philip K. Dick.  The plot goes like this, David Norris (actor Matt Damon), a failed United States Congressional candidate, has a random romantic encounter with a woman (actress Emily Blunt) he does not know and, as a result, is inspired to give a concession speech which launches him as a strong favorite for the upcoming United States Senate competition.   This sets in motion events which are not prevented because a man in the park is a few seconds late and fails in his assignment to spill coffee on David,

Soon David realizes he is being followed by men in suits and hats, who become increasingly open in  pursuing of him.  Soon, David awakens, tied up in chair,  surrounded by men in suits and hats.  The leader of the mysterious men explains to David that he must not see the woman again or it will jeopardize “the plan” which has been written by “the Chairman.” If David persists after this warning, he will be “reset; ” he will be adjusted to return him to “the plan.”  Of course, David refuses to adjust his actions, and the chase begins.

“The Chairman” is clearly God and the “agents” are clearly angels.   The film raises questions about free will, predestination, the function of angels, God’s omnipotence and omniscience, whether God is an “absentee landlord” or involved in the world second by second, whether or not God is concerned with each individual person, whether or not God has dealt with the world differently during different historical periods, whether or not we are able to influence or change God’s plan for the universe, the possibility of consequences for refusal to follow God's plan, whether of not we can take God "by surprise," what is the exact nature of "time" and "eternity," and what God ultimately wants: what is the ultimate purpose of God's plan. 

The cosmological view presented by the film is not consistent with orthodox Christianity.

Ghosts!!!!!

The Bible is clear that we are surrounded by hosts of supernatural beings, both benevolent and malevolent.  A less clear question is whether or not any of these beings are what we would call “ghosts,” the disembodied spirits of dead humans.

There are numerous mentions of “ghosts” and “spirits” and an “after-life” in the Bible.  (Deuteronomy 18:9; 1 Samuel 28:7-25,  Matthew 14:25-27, 2 Corinthians 4:13-18, 5:1,6-8, 11:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, John 10:10, 19:30, Mark  5:1-20, 15:37-39, Luke 23:46, 24:39  1 John 4:1,  

There are various Christian interpretations which have been put forth:

1.     “Ghosts: are demons in disguise, hoping to lure us away into error.

2.     “Ghosts” are not personal beings, but are traces or ripples we leave behind in the space-time continuum., especially after intense emotional experiences.

3.      “Ghosts” are what many believe them to be, the disembodied spirits of dead humans, trapped in the material and unable to “move on.”

4.     “Ghosts” are the product of superstition or very “active imaginations.”

5.     “Ghosts” are an utter fabrication produced by persons wishing to profit in some way from gullible people.

My own take on ghosts is that they do not exist.  When we die, we immediately are in the presence of the Lord (Luke 23:43).  There is nothing in the Bible about the spirits of the dead walking the Earth.  The witch of Endor who called up Samuel the Prophet (1 Samuel 28) was shocked when he actually showed up.  She was accustomed to dealing with someone or something else.

If ghosts did exist, Christians would have no need to fear them.  We are indwelled by the Mind of Christ and demons, as well as angels, must obey us.  The demon’s only other recourse would be to run away. (James 4:7)

Below are links to sites exhiiting the world’s extreme interest in ghosts and hauntings.

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-seven-most-haunted-spots-earth

http://paranormal.about.com/od/hauntedplaces/ig/World-s-Most-Haunted-Place/

http://www.letitflow.com/most-haunted-places-usa/

http://inventorspot.com/articles/13_real_haunted_places_2532

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reportedly_haunted_locations_in_the_world

One United Church of Christ pastor , The Paranormal Pastor, definitely believes in ghosts:.

http://theparanormalpastor.blogspot.com/2008/08/bible-and-paranormal-part-1-ghosts.html 

And, The Haunted Places Directory.

http://www.haunted-places.com/ 

"...the Devil will get you!"

Just north of Prattville, Alabama (USA) on Interstate Highway 65 is a roadside billboard on which there is painted a gleefully leering red-skinned devil with a pitchfork.  There he stands, with a long pointed tail and little horns on his head.  Just like the little devil who stood on Little Audrey’s left shoulder in the classic cartoons. (A little white-robed angel with a halo stood on her right shoulder.)

On the billboard, is the inscription in bright red, “Go to Church or the Devil will get you!” 

I used to pass by this sign without any serious thought, but, this last weekend, it really bothered me.  I know that the people who put up the sign were well-meaning and devoted Christians and I share their concern.  The primary and overriding task of the Church is evangelism. (Matthew 28:19)

There are several things I see as troubling about the billboard.

1.                     The devil on the sign is cartoonish and stereotypical.  Non-believers will laugh at the supposedly “stupid” Christians rather than be frightened by the Devil whose existence they deny. 

2.                     If we are serious about challenging the world’s evil system and wish to draw others to Christ, we must present arguments which are intellectually unchallengeable, not trite and stereotypical ones which will be dismissed as silly by unbelievers.

3.                     As presented, the message seems to state that        

church attendance will save someone.  Then why does every honest pastor know that, among the people in their churches, some, perhaps many, are totally lost? “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:23 (The full passage is Matthew 7:15-28)

4.                     The billboard's message implies that an action, church attendance, is important in our salvation.  We are told not to forsake assembling ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25) but we are also told that observance of the law and assembling on a particular day will not save us; we are saved by our relationship with Jesus Christ.  (Galatians 2:16, Romans 14:4-8.)  There is nothing which we can do to save ourselves, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9

The person(s) who placed the devil billboard on the side of the highway had only the best intentions and, if only one person was moved by the billboard to accept Jesus as Lord, there was rejoicing in Heaven (Luke 15:10).  We must, however, be careful about the unintentional messages we are sending by our statements and actions to be sure that the received message is the biblical one we intended to send.

Film Comment: Zardoz

Zardoz (1973) is a film set in the extremely  distant future, so far in the future that no attempt is made to tell the audience when it occurs.  Over the untold centuries, Earth’s population has split into three distinct cultures: the Eternals, who used science to become telekinetic and immortal and have long since become bored with everything, even science; the Brutals, who live muddy lives of primitive mind-numbing poverty and ignorance; and the Exterminators, who gleefully hunt and kill the Brutals for their bloodthirsty god, Zardoz, a giant flying stone head.

One of the Exterminators, Zed (Sean Connery) is smarter than the others and wants to know the answer to one question, “Why?”  Committing an act the other Exterminators would see as stupidly blasphemy,  Zed jumps into the open toothy mouth of the enormous giant head, Zardoz.  When the head begins to move, Zed stays inside and is carried away to his destiny.

Standing in the mouth of the idol, Zed sees sights he’s never seen before; forests and a settlement with buildings.   Zardoz, which is obviously a mechanism, carries him to the Vortex, a force-field surrounded paradise in which the Eternals live.

The presence of a barbarian stirs up long-dead emotions in the Etertnals, especially in one woman (Charlotte Rampling).  The Eternals allow Zed to link his mind into their computer which controls the tedious day to day functions of maintaining their environment.  Zed is suddenly no longer an illiterate barbarian Exterminator; he is now a hyper-genius barbarian Exterminator.

Along with all the Eternal’s accumulated historical and scientific knowledge, Zed has also learned their secret: “It was all a joke.”  Zardoz is a machine, his name is stolen from the book, The Wizard of Oz, and he was created to find the perfect Exterminator.  The Eternals have groomed Zed to be their executioner, to do for them for what they could not do for themselves.

Some people find this film to be excruciatingly slow, and it is.  I think the speed of this film is intentional.  It moves slowly to highlight the deadly boredom of the Eternals.  They have done everything, seen everything, discussed everything, learned everything, and have absolutely no challenges to which to respond.  Perfect health, limitless wealth, and eternal life have become their prison.  Zed, the ruthless killer, is exciting because he is dangerous, because he can end it.

Many Christians have a deficient understanding of eternity.  I doubt that many actually believe the Hollywood idea of the dead becoming angels and sitting on clouds playing harps for eternity.  Besides being totally confused about who the angels are, this future would become a Hell just like the one faced by Zardoz’s bored Eternals, because it would never end or change.

More likely, many Christians probably never give it a thought.  Thinking about death and eternity are unsettling to most people.  To the Christian, though, they shouldn’t be.  Jesus has defeated death.   We have absolutely nothing to fear.

The biblical understanding of eternal life is expressed in the Greek words, ζωὴ αἰώνιος, “life aeon-long.”  An aeon (αἰώνιος) is the longest period of time the human mind can conceive, endless time.  Jesus has said (John 8:58), “Before Abraham was born, I AM,” an existence of NOW in which the past, present, and future are all one thing.  There is no beginning and no ending, everything is now.

In this eternal now we will not just float around on clouds, playing harps.  We will be “kings and priests” (1Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6, 5:10) and we will judge angels (1 Corinthians 6:3).  And here is a secret: our eternal life has already begun.  It started when Jesus said, “It is finished!” 

Christian Heresies: Pneumatomachianism

The Pneumatomachi (aka Macedonians) were a fourth and fifth century sect which flourished primarily in what is now Turkey.  Led by Macedonius, Bishop of Constantinople (d.  about 364), they denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit.  They said the Holy Spirit was a creature, merely a ministering angel.  They would say only, "We believe in the Holy Ghost."  Macedonius tortured, forced baptisms, and excommunicated those who would not agree to his doctrine.  Macedonius was deposed by Emperor Constantius (Constantius II, son of Constantine I) for disinterring the body of Constantine.

The teaching of Macedonius was condemned as a Trinitarian heresy by the First Council of Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey).

Stuck in the Dark

Yesterday, 12 October 2010, a rescue crew began pulling up 33 copper/gold miners who have spent 69 days trapped in a chamber three miles in from the mine entrance and 2300 feet under the Earth's surface.  The rescuers are using a cylinder-shaped metallic cage equipped with guide wheels and raised and lowered down a shoulder-wide shaft using a metal cable.  Sort of like a very cramped personal elevator.

The entire procedure is very dangerous.  Any errors could cause the death of the miner being pulled up and trap the remaining men, perhaps permanently.  The entire world is watching, the President of Chile is in the crowd at the mine, and each successful extraction elicits yells, cheers, celebrations, arms raised in the victory salute, and, in a few cases, prayers.  The most obvious of the prayers came from Mario Gomez, the spiritual leader of the miners.

As I write this, 19 of the 33 miners have been successfully extracted from the hole.

This incident reminds me of the Christian concept of salvation in which sinners mired in the darkness and confusion of this world are lifted into the Church, the Kingdom of God on Earth, and the angels rejoice as each one is saved.

"Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." Luke 15:10

Book Comment: If the Church Were Christian, Chapter 2, Part 3

If you are joining this book review series mid-stream , you can read the comment from the beginning by going to the LABELS section following the last post on this page and clicking on PHILIP GULLEY

Gulley, Philip, If the Church were Christian.  Rediscovering the Values of Jesus (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010)

CHAPTER 2: Affirming Our Potential Would be More Important Than Condemning Our Brokenness

God sees His people as perfect.  When He sees us, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, He sees Jesus.  We are covered by the Blood of Jesus (Ephesians 1:7), the Lamb of God, just as the Jews were covered by a lamb’s blood on their doors when the Angel of Death passed over Egypt (Exodus 12:12-13).

Washed by the Blood of Jesus, we become white as snow; God doesn’t even remember our sin.  Our forgiveness is total and complete.  We don’t suddenly quit sinning but it does happen over time (1 Corinthians 6:11). 

We are not saved by faith and then saved by our own efforts for subsequent sins.  On the Cross, Jesus said, “It is finished.”  There is nothing we can possibly do to add to that.  We are forgiven.

Those in the Church can and do occasionally sin, but it is not in their new nature to sin habitually or continually.  We are not to live in a perpetual state of guilt.

Philip Gulley says that we shouldn’t leave church feeling spiritually bruised.  I couldn’t agree more.  A church which sends its members out into the world feeling beaten and full of guilt has completely missed the point of the Gospel.  They fail to understand how God views His Christians.  Don’t they know that the angels rejoice over one sinner who repents? (Luke 15:10)

The world is broken, dirty, bruised, confused, hateful, arrogant, spiteful … all those things.  We, who are members of the household of God, are charged with helping the world to see that there is a better way, even if the world doesn’t want to see it.

This is part of a continuing chapter-by- chapter response to this book.  More to come. 

What Does It Mean?: Why Jesus Spoke in Parables

"And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."  Matthew 13:10-13.

Many modern theologians make a major point about the fact that Jesus never came out and simply declared, "I am God."  They speak of the Incarnational Mystery and wonder if Jesus thought of Himself as God.  Two points:

1. The rabbis and religious Jews who heard Jesus speak knew exactly what He was saying but thought that he was speaking blasphemy.  “The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”  John 10:33

2. Jesus used parables to teach.  The simple stories made His meaning easy to understand for even the most literal of His followers.  The parables also served a second purpose: to conceal.

In Matthew 13:10-13, the disciples asked Jesus about this.  The parables made no sense to those not equipped to understand them.  It is like us being immersed continually in showers of television and radio signals but hearing and seeing nothing because we don't have an internal receiver;  we are not physiologically equipped to perceive the information.

Without the Holy Spirit, the message of the parables makes no sense to those who don't belong to Jesus.  Jesus' motive for this is simple to see:  He wanted followers by faith, not by sight.  “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”  John 20:29

In Constantine (2005), a secular horror/action film, a cancer-ridden detective named John Constantine is desperately trying to impress God by hunting and killing demons.  He tells the angel Gabriel, "I believe."  The angel replies, "No, you know.  There's a difference."

A Quote from Constantine (2006)

In the comic book based movie, Constantine (2006), the angel Gabriel is filled with resentment and is trying to "fix" things. He (?)/she (?)/it (?) (Tilda Swinton as an androgynous angel) thinks that mankind is unworthy of God's grace and is trying to bring about an apocalypse on Earth from which worthy, tested survivors will emerge. John Constantine, cancer victim, demon hunter, etc. goes to Hell and back (literally) to stop Gabriel's plan.

Gabriel explains,

"You're handed this precious gift and, right, each of you granted redemption from the Creator. Murderers, rapists and molesters, all of you, you just have to repent and God takes you into His bosom. In all the worlds, in all the universes, no other creature can make such a boast, save man. It's not fair! Your sweet, sweet God loves you so."