God loves those who are hated

One of the greatest themes that we find throughout the Bible is God showing his love to people who were the least likely to deserve His love.

In the book of Jonah, Jonah was asked to by God to go to Ninevah, the capital of Assyria to tell the people to repent, which means to turn from their sins to life in God. It was common for God to ask a prophet to tell people to repent, but these were the Assyrians, the most evil people in the world at the time. Warren Weirsbe said, “History tells us that the Assyrians were a cruel and heartless people who thought nothing of burying their enemies alive, skinning them alive, or impaling them on sharp poles under the hot sun.” Just imagine Jonah’s response to this request! He probably didn’t care if the Assyrians were destroyed, they deserved it! God, however, still wanted Jonah to go to Ninevah to preach repentance.

Well, Jonah ran.

This is a response that would be made by many Christians. Many Christians are scared of mess up, its like they do not want to be contaminated. This is a messed up reaction, God loves the crappy, are we more holy than God? So often Christians are filled with pride because we are “saved.” It took a lot to humble Jonah, in fact it took him being swallowed a huge fish to realize his sin! One thing I would like to address, it is not wrong to say if somebody is sinning. I hate the phrase “We can’t judge.” This phrase is partially right, since we are all sinful, but if we say what God says about sins, it’s not us judging, it is God. We do, however, need to stay away from the attitude that we are better than somebody just because we are a Christian. Your salvation should bring you to compassion, not pride.

Now I want to focus on the Ninevites. These were very evil people. I guess in today’s society these people can be comparable to murderers and the like. God’s response to these people is amazing! He is furious about their sin, he wants Ninevah destroyed, but he also wants these people to live. He gives them opportunity to leave death and enter into life! When Jonah goes to Ninevah, the people repent, they turn to God.

Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. ⁴ Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” ⁵ The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

 ⁶ When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. ⁷ This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:

   “By the decree of the king and his nobles:

   Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. ⁸ But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. ⁹ Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

 ¹⁰ When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

This is one of my favorite passages in Scripture. God showed mercy on these people. These are people who do not deserve God’s love. When we become Christians, something marvelous happens. Our sins are placed onto Jesus, Jesus was punished instead of us, so justice was served. Then, Jesus’ righteousness was placed onto us, so instead of seeing the guilt we deserve, God sees the righteousness of Jesus! So it doesn’t matter what sins we did in the past, present, or future, it was all placed on Jesus! This does not give us excuse to sin though (Romans 6).

Jonah’s response to God’s love wasn’t good.

 ¹ But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. ² He prayed to the LORD, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. ³ Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

 ⁴ But the LORD replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

 ⁵ Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. ⁶ Then the LORD God provided a leafy plant^[a] and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. ⁷ But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. ⁸ When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

 ⁹ But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

   “It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

 ¹⁰ But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. ¹¹ And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

A Christian should never respond like Jonah does. Jonah acted like he deserved God’s mercy, but the hated of society do not deserve it. Nobody deserves God’s mercy. A Christian should see the mercy given to them, and show that same amount of mercy to others.

Words In The Water

Here is a song by the band Thrice.

“Words In The Water”

Standing knee-deep in cold water, swiftly moving
Somehow I knew I lost something

Waiting waist-deep I saw a book there, in the river
Waiting for me to find it there
I tried to read it, neck deep, treading water
The tide pulled me out to sea

Then with water in my eyes
The words began to rise from their place
They were beautiful and dread
I reached for them and fed on each phrase
They were honey on my lips
Then a bitter twist in my side
I knew they’d lay me in my grave
“Is there no one who could save me? ” I cried
Sinking down deep through cold water and heavy silence
Shadows stirring in the gloom
What things lay sleeping down deep in the darkness?
Woke then to find me in my tomb

Then with water in my eyes
The words began to rise from their place
They were beautiful and dread
I reached for them and fed on each phrase
They were honey on my lips
Then a bitter twist in my side
I knew they’d lay me in my grave
“Is there no one who could save me? ” I cried

And when I lost all hope to look
Someone took that heavy book from my hands
All it’s weight they set aside
After they had satisfied it’s demands
I felt white and black reverse
And the lifting of a curse from my heart
Then like one receiving sight
I beheld a brilliant light in the dark

 

Matthias replaces Judas

Here are some lyrics by the band Showbread of their song Matthias replaces Judas. I really like this song.

it is so that my transgressions have born a withered fruit,
the sun has scorched the rising plans;
alas they have no root, the bleached bones of animals bound by leather strips,
dance through the air with laughter as i wield this wicked whip,
as you did warn me carpenter, this world has weakened my heart,
so easily i disparage, self-seeking the work of my art,
and there you have come to me at the moment i bathe in my sorrow,
so in love with myself, sought after avoiding tomorrow,
where do you find the love to offer he who betrays you?
and offer to wash my feet as i offer to disobey you,
your beauty does bereave me, and how my words do fail,
so faithfully and dutifully i award you with betrayal,
the weak and the down trodden fall on broken legs,
as i walk past a smile i cast, fervor in my stead,
but my bones like plastic, do buckle backward now,
i lay in this field by Judas’ bowels and anticipate the plow,
i can not be forgiven; my wages will be paid,
for those more lovely and admirable is least among the saved,
and where would i fit Jesus?
what place is left for me?
the price of atonement is more than i’ve found to offer up as my plea,
Jesus my heart is all i have to give to you, so weak and so unworthy,
this simply will not do, no alabaster jar, no diamond in the rough,
for your body that was broken, how can this be enough?
by me you were abandoned, by me you were betrayed,
yet in your arms and in your heart forever i have stayed

Your glory illuminates my life, and now darkness will descend,
for you have loved me forever, and your love will never end

having been appointed a faith

My own translation of 2 Peter 1:1-11:

1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who having been appointed a faith of equal privilege with ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

2Grace and peace be yours in ever increasing measure through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.

3 His divine power has freely given to us all things for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and might 4 by which he has freely given to us his precious and splendid promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by sinful desire. 5 And for this reason also, make every effort to supplement in your faith virtue; and by virtue, knowledge; 6 and by knowledge, self-control; and by self-control, steadfastness; and by steadfastness, godliness; 7 and by godliness, brotherly affection; and by brotherly affection love. 8 For if you possess these qualities and are increasing in measure, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For one who does not have these qualities is blind  because of shutting one’s eyes, having forgotten he was cleansed from his past sins. 10 Therefore brothers, be all the more eager to make firm your call and election, for by doing these things you may never ever come to ruin. 11 For in this way, there will be richly provided for you the entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

to those who having been appointed a faith

Let’s focus on this section for a bit. Many translations have “to those who have obtained a faith.” The Greek word here is lacousin. The root word is lagcanw which means: I receive, am appointed by lot, to cast lots.  John MacArthur says, “It [lacousin] is often translated ‘received’ and can mean ‘attaining by divine will.’ Here, Peter was emphasizing that salvation was not attained by personal effort skill, worthiness, but came purely from God’s grace.” The Biblical Viewpoint journal said this about the word lacousin, “‘Obtained’ is a rather uncommon word (lagcanw) signifying originally the gaining of something by casting lots. Since casting lots was a process by which to determine God’s will in a matter, the word came to signify the idea of gaining something that God wills one to have. So this ‘like precious faith’ is not something that a person decides on his own initiative that he would like to have; rather, it is a gift from God, reflecting a choice on His part.”

The Gospel is such a comforting thing. So many times, I feel like I am never good enough at anything. We can get exhausted trying to meet everyone’s expectations. I burn myself out trying to meet expectations. The Gospel, however, is not that way! The doctrine of election is extraordinarily comforting. Especially, as seen in the Greek word for appointed, election was not based on a forseen faith. In election we are chosen by God, and we had no part in it. For once something, the most important thing, is not based off of trying to meet expectations! When we fail, we are still elected by God! Some of us do not get chosen for anything, but God chose us for this. There is always controversy over this doctrine, but one thing to realize is that God choosing people is always reflected in a positive light in Scripture. So as a reminder, when you fall into sin, over and over again, we are chosen unconditionally.

There is a fountain…

I should be doing Greek….

I remember last year, around this time, there were a couple times when I broke down emotionally because of school work. School can sometimes get so overwhelming, that sometimes we crumble under the pressure. I remember one time when I just broke down, I called a good friend to help me out. When he came over, he didn’t say a word. He pulled out his Bible and began to read the book of Romans to me. I think he read chapters 5-8. There are times, when we crumble under the pressure, we just need to be reminded of our status with God.

Romans 5:1-5 states, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ²Through him we have alsoobtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and werejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵andhope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

It is pretty amazing how the Gospel penetrates to every area of life. In our greatest need, God reminds us that we have a living hope.

One of my favorite hymn writers is William Cowper. Cowper was a well known writer back in the day (in the late 1700’s).  Cowper had some examinations for a job he had to take, and he broke under the pressure, to the point of insanity. He tried committing suicide three times, and eventually he was admitted into a Christian asylum. The person who ran the asylum, Nathaniel Cotton, read the Bible to Cowper during his darkest times. One day, when reading the book of Romans, hope lit up the darkness in Cowper’s life and he, for the first time, had a living hope. Eventually as a result he wrote my favorite hymn: There is a Fountain.

Here are the lyrics to this hymn:

There is a fountain filled with blood
drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
and sinners plunged beneath that flood
lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains,
lose all their guilty stains;
and sinners plunged beneath that flood
lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see
that fountain in his day;
and there may I, though vile as he,
wash all my sins away.
Wash all my sins away,
wash all my sins away;
and there may I, though vile as he,
wash all my sins away.

Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood
shall never lose its power
till all the ransomed church of God
be saved, to sin no more.
Be saved, to sin no more,
be saved, to sin no more;
till all the ransomed church of God
be saved, to sin no more.

E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream
thy flowing wounds supply,
redeeming love has been my theme,
and shall be till I die.
And shall be till I die,
and shall be till I die;
redeeming love has been my theme,
and shall be till I die.

Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I’ll sing thy power to save,
when this poor lisping, stammering tongue
lies silent in the grave.
Lies silent in the grave,
lies silent in the grave;
when this poor lisping, stammering tongue
lies silent in the grave.

As a final reminder, we have a living hope in Christ. Read 1 Peter for more.

Exhaustion

It has been suggested that I should write a blog. In all honesty I probably shouldn’t. I should be studying for my Greek quiz tomorrow instead of writing a blog. But in all honesty, I am exhausted. I feel physically tired, I am now living on coffee and my stomach is yelling at me for it. I feel spiritually exhausted too. As I am trying to keep up with life, I forget about the Gospel. So I figured this blog is a good reminder for me. So most of my posts will probably be about Jesus.

I am right now at Calvin in the coffee shop, I have a class at six, and I feel spiritually dead right now. I remember a couple of years ago I felt much more spiritually alive at this moment. My first year at Kuyper I read through the Bible, I never felt so energized in my life. My favorite book that I read from the Bible, besides the epic bookof Romans, was the book of Leviticus.

The book of Leviticus is obviously usually ignored, but the book begins instantly with the Gospel.

“¹ The LORD called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, ²“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them,When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.”

God calls to Moses from the tent of meeting to explain how the people of Israel should sacrifice to Him. This is insanely important! When God gives the law, he shares if from the mountain. But when God tells how to give sacrifices (which a sacrifice is a foreshadowing of the Gospel) He shares it from the tabernacle. When God speaks from the Tabernacle, He speaks from the mercy seat which is located in the holy of holies. So God shares the Gospel from the mercy seat! Even in the Old Testament God is a God of mercy!

Later on in Leviticus…

³“If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD. ⁴ He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall beaccepted for him to make atonement for him.”

God tells the people of Israel to sacrifice an unblemished lamb (which is foreshadowing of Jesus who is the “Lamb of God”) and this lamb will make atonement for him.

When Jesus made atonement for us, our sins were imputed onto Him, and His righteousness was imputed onto us. Therefore, when God sees us, He does not see the guilt and wrath we deserve, but He sees the righteousness of Jesus!!! How epic!

So, when we are exhausted from the semester, lets remember our living hope that we have. When life is overwhelming, and Satan at this time always likes to remind us of our sins, we need to remember that we have peace with God through Jesus.

We deserve hell everyone, I know this doctrine is debated, but hell is extraordinarily important. If there is no hell, then why is the Gospel so important? So we must remember, we deserve hell, but we received eternal life instead, not through our work but through Jesus.

I want to end this off with one of my favorite quotes from a great Lutheran theologian Joseph Seiss from his book “The Gospel in Leviticus.”

“Everything in Christian life, justification and sanctification, the forgiveness of our sins, and the acceptable-ness of our services, our hopes and our spiritual festivities, run back into Christ’s vicarious sufferings, as their fountain and foundation. If he had not submitted to be slain and offered for us, we could not be forgiven; and if not forgiven, we never could be holy and acceptable; and without being holy and acceptable, we never could have peace. There is not a spiritual joy which the believer has, but must be traced back to atonement by blood.This is the centre from which all Christian doctrine, and all Christian experience, radiates, and into which it ultimately resolves itself. Without this, Christianity dwindles down into a cold, flat, and powerless morality, with no warming mysteries, no animating sublimities, no kindling and melting affections, no transforming potencies. Without this, the soul languishes and droops like a plant excluded from the sunshine, or flourishes only in its own disgrace. The sinner must have it, or he sinks into a dead and gloomy Deism, or into a mere idolatry of self, with his highest and tenderest affections shrivelled, crisped and destroyed. If we would have peace, it mustbe founded upon blood. If we would rejoice, our sacrifice must die.”