What is the fear of the Lord?

On June 28th, a couple months after my 8th birthday, my parents gave me my first Bible. Inscribed on the flyleaf was the reference "Proverbs 1:7." In my youthful enthusiasm, I immediately went to the verse:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Reading this, stopped me in my tracks. I'd been taught about the love of God. Why would I fear Him? I asked my Dad "what does it mean to fear God?" (Or something reasonably close to that.) I remember his reply was that "fear" in this case didn't mean "terror" but more like "respect." I remember that the explanation didn't quite click. I understood it and filed it away, but it didn't really fit.

Over the decades since, as I've thought about, studied and prayed over this verse and others like it, I've come to a different conclusion: the "fear of the Lord" does not mean "respect God." It means to be terrified of Him.

The first definition for fear means "knowledge of imminent danger." I think this is the appropriate meaning.

God is holy and righteous. We are sinful. He is light. We are darkness. When light and dark meet, there is no fight. Dark simply vanishes. This should strike terror into our hearts.

Daniel was a prophet of God. He was part of Israel's royal house. He was captured by the Babylonians and made a servant in the foreign king's court for the rest of his life. Daniel grew up and served in an environment where those in authority had the power of life and death over him and those around him. He lived a long life, at least into his 80s, possibly longer. He had extensive first hand knowledge of the authority of the king. He also had a lifetime of serving God. He prayed daily. He interpreted dreams. He was given multiple visions. He saw angels. He had first hand experience of the miraculous. Towards the end of his life, he had a vision of the pre-incarnate Jesus. Even with this lifetime of experience, both in the natural and spiritual, when God shows up he faints in fear.

John was the beloved disciple. He leaned on Jesus at the last supper. He was one of the three closest to Jesus when He was on earth. He was one of the first leaders in the church. He wrote five books of the New Testament. He stood trial before political leaders who tried to kill him. He also lived into his 80s. Towards the end of his life he too had a vision of the resurrected Jesus in all His power. In spite of this lifetime of experience, both in the natural and spiritual, he too faints in fear when Jesus is fully revealed.

I mention these by way of example. I don't think these mighty men of God, who stood boldly before men who held their lives in their hands, fainted out of respect when God showed up.

No. They were shaken to their core. They trembled. They were terrified. If this was their response, how much more so would (or should) we do the same?

God is holy. God is righteous. We should tremble. This is where we need to start. But it's only the beginning.

God is also love. In love He has provided a way for us to be able to stand in His presence and not vanish like shadows when the light is turned on. He touched Daniel and John to give them strength to stand in His presence and receive revelation of what was on His heart. For us He has provided Jesus blood as the way for us to be cleansed of our sins. As a result, we are able to stand in His presence and receive the Holy Spirit to know what is on His heart.

A pastor named Steve Brown frequently says:

If you've stood before God and not been afraid, you've not stood before God. If you've stood before God and only been afraid, you've not stood before God.

And C. S. Lewis puts it succinctly:

He's not a tame lion.

To tremble in fear before God is a good thing. It comes from the knowledge that He is holy and we are common. He is mighty and we are weak. He is just and we are unjust. And it leads us to the understanding that we need salvation and the good news of the cross. Without the fear we cannot know the salvation.

Fear is where we begin.

What is the gospel?

What is the gospel?

Let me start with what it's not.

The gospel is not "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life."

This statement focuses on the wrong person. It has "you" as the center. "You" is the object in both parts of the phase. The phrase "wonderful plan" also implicitly sets an expectation that, after becoming a Christian, your life will be blessed and without problems.

But the gospel is not about you.

And God's wonderful plan is not to make your life trouble free.

When Jesus uses the word "gospel" it is frequently followed by "of the kingdom." When other New Testament writers use the term, it is followed by "of God" or "of Jesus." The focus is not on personal salvation and eternal life, although these are certainly by-products of it.

The gospel is closer to the line of thought that: This world is badly broken by the effects of sin. God is going to invade it to remove the effects of sin and make things right. If you are living in sin (and everyone is), this means you're part of the problem and are going to be removed too. But God loves you enough to pay for your sins Himself and offers salvation from the removal process as a gift. Once you accept His gift, He also loves you enough not to leave you wallowing in your mess. He will work in your life to remove the things that keep you from wholeheartedly loving Him and being a fit citizen of His kingdom.

The focus is on God and what He has done and will do. It's on His kingdom and Him preparing us to live in it. Because of the effects of being born into a sin filled world, He has a lot of work to do in us to make us ready for His kingdom. This work is frequently associated with pain and hardship. Sanding off our rough edges skins our egos. Cutting out the cancerous sin from our souls leaves scars. The end result is wonderful, but we may not appreciate the result in our mortal life.

Yes, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life" is part of the gospel. But it's a whole lot bigger than just you and the time-line is from the standpoint of eternity, not today, tomorrow or even your lifetime.

7 things

He who created light^[1]
      became the light of the world.^[2]
He who separated earth from sky^[3]
      was born onto the earth under a night sky.^[4]
He who formed the land,^[5]
      was tempted in its dusty wilds.^[6]
He who hung the sun, moon and stars^[7]
      was himself hung between heaven and earth.^[8]
He who populated the water with fish^[9]
      directed those fish into the net.^[10]
He who breathed life into the first Adam^[11]
      as the last Adam breathes His Spirit into us.^[12]
He who rested on the seventh day^[13]
      provides rest to all who believe in Him.^[14]

---

1. Genesis 1:3

2. John 1:4,5

3. Genesis 1:6

4. Luke 2:7,8

5. Genesis 1:9

6. Matthew 4:1-11

7. Genesis 1:14

8. Acts 5:30,31

9. Genesis 1:20

10. John 5:1-11, John 21:3-6

11. Genesis 2:7

12. 1st Corinthians 15:45

13. Genesis 2:2

14. Hebrews 4:1-11

Praying for our enemies

Listen to my words, Lord,
    consider my lament.
Hear my cry for help,
    my King and my God,
    for to you I pray.
        -- David (Psalm 5:1,2)

Psalm 5 talks about our enemies. For David, his enemies were obvious. For us, probably not so much. Even those who we may not get along with, they're still not enemies in the same way as Saul was to David. Really. I mean, when was the last time someone tried to pin you to the wall with a spear?

I last read this Psalm during a time when I was also spending time in both Ephesians and The Sermon on the Mount. As I read David's words, I was reminded that, the guy at work who's manipulative and duplicitous isn't my enemy, even though it may seem like it.

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
-- Jesus (Matthew 5:43-45)

Jesus actually calls me to love him.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ... And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
-- Paul (Ephesians 6:12,18)

However, the demons jabbing him are my enemy. I don't wrestle with men, my fight is with the spirits manipulating them. My weapons are not physical or even political or intellectual. My weapons are spiritual because that is the realm of the battle. Paul exhorts us to give ourselves wholly to prayer so we may stand when things are at their worst. From a cave in hiding, David gives us an example of what this looks like.

What is God's primary emotion?

I recently read an article that reminded me how important it is to think rightly of God and His relationship with us. If we don't have the proper understanding of how God perceives us, then we'll base our actions and reactions on wrong information and respond incorrectly. One method to analyze our thoughts surrounding our relationship with Him is to honestly ask ourselves:

What is God's primary emotion when He thinks of me?

When you read that question, what was your initial gut reaction before thinking about it? When you think about God, is He up in heaven upset at the last thing you did wrong? Is he merely putting up with you but would rather you weren't around? Is He ready to throw lightning bolts at you with the slightest provocation? Is He mad at you?

Or is He looking down on you, disappointed that you screwed up again? Does he focus on how you don't measure up to His standards? Does He wish you'd act better? Is He sad about you?

When I asked the question originally, I asked about His primary emotion. There are times when He is angry. There are times when He is sad. But I submit that neither of these are His primary emotions. Rather I believe He is mostly glad. Let's look at the reasons I come to this conclusion.

He isn't mad. Jesus' paid the price for your sins, my sins and the sins of the whole world.^[1] God's wrath was poured out on Him on the cross.^[2] He took on the burden of your sin so you don't have to.^[3] There are limited cases where His anger is released, but He is patient and slow to anger.^[4] An example of this is in the future when all the nations are persecuting the church and the armies of the world are descending on Israel. At this point, we're told His jealous rage will cause massive loss of life as He comes to the defense of His people.^[5] But this is a limited event, not a typical occurrence.

He isn't sad. He is in control and will ultimately rule and reign.^[6] He knows the end from the beginning.^[7] He knows how history will turn out and He knows it is good.^[8] There's no reason, long term, for sadness. The things that cause sadness are when people reject Him and His gifts.^[9] He longs for relationship with others and their rejection of that relationship breaks His heart. But not all fall into this category, and He knows that the end for these who accept Him is righteous relationship with Him for eternity.^[10] Any sadness over those who reject Him is temporary, overcome by the joy from those who accept Him.

He is glad. When He formed you, He knew what He was doing^[11] and danced in joy when He created you.^[12] You are the apple of His eye.^[13] Jesus was anointed with joy by the Holy Spirit, more than any other^[14] and He went through what He did knowing the joy that His work would produce.^[15]

So, when you think about God, is He mad, sad or glad? Do you need to change your perspective of Him? How would a change of perspective change your relationship with Him?

---

1. 1st John 2:2; Hebrews 2:9

2. Romans 5:9; 1st Thessalonians 1:10, 5:9

3. 2nd Corinthians 5:21; 1st Peter 3:18

4. 2nd Peter 3:9

5. Revelation 19:11-21; Isaiah 63:1-6

6. Hebrews 1:8-9, 2:8; 1st Corinthians 15:20-28

7. Isaiah 46:10

8. Philippians 1:6

9. Matthew 23:37

10. Matthew 25:1-46

11. Psalm 139:13

12. Proverbs 8:30-31

13. Psalm 17:7; Zechariah 2:8

14. Hebrews 1:9

15. Hebrews 12:2

Two Brothers and Their Dad

There's a familiar story told by Jesus, as related by Luke^[1], paraphrased here:

There once were two brothers in business with their dad. The younger one wanted to leave home and so asked his father for his half of the family estate. When he received it, he left, traveled far away and partied with everyone he could convince to join him.

In time the money ran out and everyone left for the next rave. He was left alone with no friends and no means of support. Finally he got a menial, part-time job in order to have a place to stay. He fed himself by dumpster diving behind eating establishments. Eventually he realized his father's employee's ate better and decided to return to see if his father would employ him.

After a long and arduous trek back home, his father saw him in the distance and ran to embrace him. The son started his prepared speech, "Father, I am not worthy to be called your son..." whereupon his father interrupted him and, calling to his general manager, said "Put his name back on the checking account, put clothes on his back and call the caterer for a big feast. My son has returned."

When the older son returned from a business meeting, he saw all the festivities and asked the nearest employee what was happening. "Your brother has returned and your father is treating us all to a feast." The brother was angry, stalked to his office, slammed the door and sat down for a sulk. His father heard he was back and went to talk with him, "Your brother has returned. Come. Eat. Rejoice."

"But I've worked for you all these years and never asked for anything. You never had a feast for me."

"Oh, son, all I have belongs to you. But today, we must celebrate because your brother who was lost has been found."

Both these sons had their individual failings and short-comings. I don't think the father was ignorant of their problems. He knew the younger would waste his inheritance. He knew the older had a chip on his shoulder. Neither one's issues took him by surprise. But in both cases, he embraced them and reminded them of his love. To one he had to remind him that he was his child, and all he had to do was return to be restored to relationship. To the other, he had to remind him that he was his child and all he had belonged to him.

This parable is the third of a series. The first talked about a lost sheep.^[2] The second talked about a lost coin.^[3] And this one talked about a lost son.^[1] The end of all of them is a celebration of the lost thing being found.

One of Jesus' really mind blowing statements is similar to these stories.^[4] He has just met the woman by the well in Samaria and has engaged her in conversation. She asks Him a question about the proper place to worship. In an almost non sequitur response He replies with "A time is coming, and in fact is now here, when the true worshippers will worship in spirit and reality, for such worshipers the Father seeks out." The idea of almighty, self-sufficient God seeking, being on the look out for, searching out, weak, broken people for relationship is amazing.

As we celebrate Father's Day here in a week, remember the One who wants to be the Father of each one of us. If you're in a far country, out of fellowship with Him, take the risky step toward Him. He will run to you and embrace you. If you're in fellowship with Him and living by His side, remember He loves you in spite of your short-comings. You may be dark, but He finds you lovely. In any case, focus on His overwhelming love, return His embrace and let it be what produces the change to make you into the child He wants you to be.

1. Luke 15:11-32

2. Luke 15:3-7

3. Luke 15:8-10

4. John 4:7-26

The Rapture

I found it fascinating how the pop culture picked up on the Rapture theme a couple weeks ago. People have set dates for this event for since at least the beginning of last century. I remember it happening a number of times just in the last couple decades. So why did the setting a date this time capture the attention of the general public?

I don't have an answer for that but I do have a couple thoughts on the matter in general. The principle points are: I believe the rapture will happen^[1] and I believe no one knows when^[2], but I also believe we can have a general ideal of its relative timeliness.^[3] The following general overview of events surrounding the Rapture is based on how I understand the various passages in Scripture surrounding this topic.

At some point, a global government with a single charismatic leader will emerge.

For some this will be the best of times. Wars and conflict will cease. Global peace will appear to have been achieved. The middle east will no longer be a hotbed of conflict. The Jews will again have a temple in Jerusalem and will re-establish their daily sacrifices. There will be a single world-wide currency. Commerce will be regulated. People will prosper.

For others this will be the worse of times. If they don't conform to the system, they will be pursued, prosecuted and punished with the death penalty.

After approximately three and a half years, public opinion will turn against Israel. Over the course of several years, the conflict will increase to the point where the world's armies will surround this small strip of land.

It is in this context that the Rapture will occur. The sky will split open, Jesus will return in bodily form. Believers still alive at that point will be physically transformed, dead believers will raise from the dead and both groups will meet Him in the air. Jesus, along with all those with Him, will come to wage war against the global powers. At that point Jesus will establish His kingdom on the earth and rule over the planet from Jerusalem.

Yes, the Rapture will happen. There will be many signs preceding it for those paying attention. They will be aware of what's happening and be ready for it. The thing is, most of the population will either ignore the signs or openly scoff at them. For them, it will seem to happen suddenly and without warning.

I encourage everyone to study this for themselves. Jesus' second coming and the events surrounding it are some of the most written about topics in scripture. I believe they're there for a reason and we need to pay attention to them.

Further reading

Matthew 24-25
Luke 21:7-36
2nd Thessalonians 2:1-12
Revelation, the whole book
Daniel, starting with chapter 7
Old Testament minor prophets

Related posts

The Theodrama in Three Acts
Why War Against the Kings of Kings?
Series entitled "Establishing a Throne"

Footnotes

1. 1st Corinthians 15:51ff

2. Matthew 24:36-37

3. 1st Thessalonians 5:1-5; Luke 21:29-36

The Theodrama in Three Acts

The last couple months, particularly as advent has approached, I've thought (and written) about the incarnation. Several times I've been reminded of seven verses that concisely summarize the whole theodrama^[1] of this present age from Genesis in the past to the future depicted in the apocalyptic books. They are hidden in the second chapter of Paul's letter to the Philippians and neatly divide into three sections.

Act I

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
-- Paul the Apostle (Philippians 2:5-7)

As the curtain rises, we see Jesus existing as part of God. His very nature was the same as God the Father's. Other translations say that He "did not consider it robbery to be equal with God." In other words, other beings considering Him to be God and worshiping Him as such did not in any way rob the Father, because both were God. Jesus was as much God as the Father was God. They were one in nature and being, although separate in expression and manifestation.^[2]

This is in contrast to the devil who wanted that same worship and in so doing did rob God of His due. Satan was of a different, created nature than the uncreated manifestation of God as Jesus. In desiring the worship reserved only for God, he fell and was removed from his place in heaven.^[3] Jesus however, even though He did deserve this adoration did not use it to His own advantage but set aside the glory He shared with the Father and took on the form of a created man.

Jesus was born to an unmarried woman in a culture where this was condemned. People scoff today at the thought of a virgin having a baby. People of Mary's time were no less ignorant of how babies are made than we are. I'm sure there was as much doubt then surrounding Mary's story of Jesus conception as there is today. Jesus not only took on the form of a human, but was born into a situation that was looked down on by the society around Him. He was not born in a place or to parents that would draw attention to who He was or the purpose for His coming.

The Maker of the Universe lived among His creation completely overlooked and ignored.

Act II

Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
-- Paul the Apostle (Philippians 2:8)

Jesus did not stop with descending to earth to become a man. As a perfect, sinless man, He continued to pour Himself out and offered Himself as the sacrificial Lamb. Neither the Jewish religious leaders nor the Roman political class took Jesus' life from Him. He gave it willingly. Even on His last night on earth, when they came to arrest Him, just a minor release of His authority caused them to fall to the ground. There is no way they could have crucified Him if He did not allow it. In addition to His own restrained power, only their perfect obedience and discipline kept legions of angels from coming to His rescue.^[4]

This center verse is the fulcrum of all history. Everything changes at the cross. The glorious, self-existant One empties Himself in humility, not just as a man, not just as a bastard son, but all the way to an execution as a naked, broken criminal. He did this out of love. He did this to bring redemption to mankind and all creation. His goal is to restore everything to the way it was when He first created it. He did this, with eyes firmly focused beyond the circumstances of that moment, on the future when all things will again be placed under His authority.^[5]

Act III

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
-- Paul the Apostle (Philippians 2:8-11)

The final act in this story is yet future for us in history, but it's finished in the mind of God and He has told us the general shape of what it will look like. Some have said a third of scripture talks about the end of this age when Jesus will return and the Father will place all things under His authority. God has given us much information about the end times. It must be important to Him for us to know what will happen. There are many arguments about details and I do think some align better with scripture than others, but one thing is certain and we need to stay focused on: Jesus will reign and every being, whether angel or demon or human, will acknowledge His pre-eminence over all things. Some will do this willingly, having said to God throughout their lives "Thy will be done" and be accepted into His presence. Others will do so begrudgingly and God will say to them "thy will be done" as they are thrown out of His kingdom into everlasting darkness.^[6]

So, in this time of year when we think about His first coming as a weak, vulnerable infant, let us remember the great heights from which He has come to us. Let us remember the incredible depths from which He has saved us. And let us join with the shepherds and wise men and bow the knee, worshiping Him as both Lord and Savior.

Further reading

1. Theodrama: Theo- meaning God. -drama meaning story. I.e. the story of God.

2. Isaiah 6:1-5

3. Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-19; Revelation 12:7-10; Revelation 20:7-10; Ephesians 6:12

4. John 18:1-6; Matthew 26:47-53

5. John 3:16; Romans 8:19-23; Hebrews 12:1-2; Hebrews 1:1-12; Hebrews 2:5-16

6. Matthew 25:14-30; Matthew 25:31-48

Zombies

Zombies. They are gaining attention in the popular culture. There are zombie walks. There are movies about zombies. They are characters in video games. There are talks given about how to survive a zombie apocalypse. There are web sites with zombies as their sole topic. They are all around in our entertainment and thought of as mythical. No one takes them seriously. But I'm here to say they are real and they are all around us. You see them every day. You may in fact be one.

To begin, let's start with a definition. There are many around the web but the one I like best is found at The Zombie Nation:

A living being stripped of it’s will, humanity, and normal behavior by outside forces either supernatural and mundane.

This definition has three elements to it:

1. dead people,
2. these people walk around doing things and
3. they are controlled by an external supernatural force.

Next, let's look at a section of scripture that Paul wrote to the Ephesians:

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.--Ephesians 2:1-3

This passage also includes the same three elements as the definition above.

1. Anyone living in their sins, anyone not following Jesus, anyone disobedient to God, is dead.
2. They are walking around following their lusts.
3. They are controlled by a spiritual force in rebellion to God.

Therefore, they fit perfectly the definition first given. That person is a zombie.

In Adam, everyone inherits a sin nature. From the moment of conception, even though we are alive physically, we are dead spiritually. God knows us, but we don't know Him. We are separated from Him. Cut off. We live according to our lusts, slaves to sin. By ourselves, we have no hope of life. We don't have a chance of lifting ourselves out of the hole we're born in to. It would be like a single individual trying to pay off the debt of the United States. It is impossible.

If this were the end of the story, we'd be in very sad shape. However, it is not. There is some great news.

In Christ, we can be made alive. Jesus revealed God to us. He was a sinless man doing only what the Father told Him. He was the only human who didn't inherit Adam's sinful nature. Although He was all this, He was so much more. Jesus showed us God's heart and character because He was in His very nature God. And because of all this, by His death He paid that debt that was impossible for us to pay. When we accept this gift and put all our trust in becoming alive only in what He's done for us, we are united with Him and receive life from the very author of life. We no longer are slaves to sin but become alive to righteousness.

Everyone was born a zombie.

We don't have to stay that way.

But many still are.

Are you?

Further reading

Romans 5
1st Corinthians 15
Ephesians 2

Can we lose our salvation?

My friend and I were talking the other day about the sermon at his church on Sunday. The focus of the message was on the assurance of our salvation from John.

You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. --John 15:16

His pastor emphasized the fact that we're chosen by God, not of our own volition, and so we'll remain in Him. My friend was a bit confused by this, particularly when read in context. The previous verses present a metaphor of us being branches on the vine of Christ and if we don't abide in Him, we'll be gathered up and burned. So, we talked a bit about some of the differences between the Calvinist and Arminian positions regarding the perseverance of the saints and eternal security.

Then, during this morning's workout, I listened to one of my favorite radio preachers, Steve Brown. His message was about the fact that the church as a whole isn't going to disappear. One of the points he touched on involved eternal security of the individual as typically presented by five-point Calvinists.

In the context of these two events, the whole debate between the Calvinists and Arminians came back to the fore of my thinking. This is one of those topics that is somewhat interesting to me, but not enough to spend a lot of time really digging into it. I certainly make no claim to know the topic really well.

Having said that, I grew up in churches heavily influenced by Wesleyan thought with its roots in Arminian teaching and the belief in the possibility of losing our salvation. This has never fully set right with me. I've done some reading on Calvinism and am not really comfortable with their position, as I understand it, either. Both have apparent extremes, each supported in part by some Bible passages, that are hard to reconcile when you look at all of scripture. My intuition is that much of the debate is due to our lack of perspective and limited understanding.

As I was mulling over these issues, it occurred to me that perhaps at least part of the problem is the way it's framed. It is typically put in the context of "can we lose our salvation or not?" I think the problem with this may be the term "lose". This carries the connotation of accidental or inadvertent failure to retain possession. Sort of an "oops, I misplaced my salvation. Now where did it go?"

I wonder what would happen to the debate if we framed it more in terms of actively rejecting Jesus rather than passively losing our salvation. I think it might make more sense to ask

Can I go to hell by actively rejecting Jesus' offer of salvation, regardless of what I previously professed?

I don't have any conclusions, just thought that was an interesting shift of perspective.

References

Some Wikipedia articles with background on the topic:

• Perseverance of the saints
• History of Calvinist-Arminian debate
• Christian soteriology

What are our core values?

The other day Glenn Beck talked about how we need to come together around our common core values to fix the divisions in America. I understand he is trying to bring unity by focusing on the good and not the bad, the strengths and not the weaknesses. The problem is I do not think we have common core values. We may have some common surface values, but I think the divide goes much deeper than his rhetoric would admit.

My core values are God exists and He is not silent. He speaks to us through creation. He speaks to us through the Bible. He speaks to us through His Son. His word is eternal. My goal is to live as consistently as possible to what He has said. That means God's written word is the only objective standard by which I can measure. I may not be perfectly consistent. I may not understand His word correctly. These are my failures, not His, and I need to change when He reveals to me where I am wrong.

I do not base my core values in the United States' Constitution, democracy, the writings of any Founding Fathers or the American dream. These are temporary things, giving guidance on how to organize our country right now. Please do not get me wrong. I believe we have the best governmental system to date. Until something better comes along, I think we need to defend these things and do our best to preserve them. Nevertheless, they are not permanent. There will come a time when they will grow old and pass away. On the other hand, God's word is permanent and will not disappear. Therefore, I base my core values on the permanent rather than the transitory.^[1]

From my observations, I conclude there is a large segment of our society with very different core values. They believe in Humanism. In this system, man is the ultimate arbiter of right and wrong. This leads to a relativistic moral outlook and decision-making process. They rebel against the clear absolute teachings of scripture. In doing so, they deny, either outright or through their beliefs and actions, the word of God.^[2]

It is possible to come together at some level and agree in principle on things governmental and political. The problem is there is no unity on core things. I look to God's word for objective truth. They do not believe there is such a thing as objective truth. This is a vast gulf of a difference and it will undermine any true progress.

This is evident in some of the major clashes seen in our society today. The radically different core values are why we have so much debate, demonstration and violence over issues such as evolution, abortion and same-sex marriage. These are not peripheral issues; fundamentally divergent worldviews drive these differences. A large segment of our society says the Bible clearly teaches these things to be wrong. Another large segment of our society says the Bible is myth and we do not need to listen to it; these things are perfectly acceptable.

I agree with Glenn that we need to try to come together in open, honest dialog and attempt to reconcile on issues where we can agree. In the process, we need to refrain from demonizing the other side; that causes separation and not unity. On the other hand, we cannot delude ourselves that this will bring about lasting change or that we are dealing with core issues. We are not. We are dealing with surface issues.

Finally, a quote by Abraham Kuyper, that explains both sides' passion:

When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin; you must, at the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy, with all the fire of your faith.

---

1. I cringe when I hear well-meaning people expound about democracy being the best governmental system and how bad a theocracy is. The problem is we have not seen a true theocracy. When we do, it will be the ultimate governmental form.

2. In addition, a third segment tries to reconcile the two views. I think both other segments look on these people as pretty confused.

Establishing a throne: What is righteousness?

This is the fifth and final article on a series entitled Establishing a throne. Previous articles are:

1. Is Jesus a Democrat or Republican?
2. How is it established?
3. Who sits on it?
4. What is justice?

This article looks at the last phrase of our key verse for this series:

In love a throne will be established;
in faithfulness a man will sit on it --
one from the house of David --
one who in judging seeks justice
and speeds the cause of righteousness.
-- Isaiah 16:5

Our society does not talk much about righteousness. This is unfortunate since I believe it is at the very core of the defining issues of the present generation. Warren McGurn in the Wall Street Journal opines that the conflict in our society is not due to “culture wars” but rather “constitutional wars.”^[1] While I think I understand what he is saying, that there is an element to the conflict that is based on differences of understanding how the constitution should be applied, I disagree on which is cause and which is effect. I think there are different visions for our society and culture leading to the constitutional disagreements, not that those constitutional differences drive the culture. I believe the laws of a society reflect the values of that society. They are an encoding of what that culture believes to be right. For example, with the long-standing conflict of abortion and the newer issue of so-called “gay marriage,” both sides typically frame the argument as human rights issues. The problem is neither of these are fundamentally human rights issues but rather issues of righteousness.

So what exactly is righteousness? This is not a hard question. The dictionary defines it as “the quality or state of being righteous; holiness; purity; uprightness; rectitude; conformity of life to the divine law.”^[2] Deuteronomy 6:25 defines it simply as following God’s commands: if we are careful to obey all this law ... that will be our righteousness. There is not really much wiggle room in either of these definitions. In both cases, the standard of God’s law is the basis for righteousness. The problem I see with our current cultural situation is we do not bring this into public discourse. We try to have conversations on fundamentally moral issues without an absolute moral framework. We hold the discussion on political or morally relative foundations and so we have lots of arguments, amendments, demonstrations and disagreements without addressing core issues or coming to a resolution.

Another interesting question: is righteousness something that involves personal, religious beliefs that are independent of society as a whole? Alternatively, can we apply the concept of righteousness to a culture? I believe it to be both. There is the concept of personal righteousness, wherein we as individuals need to realize we will stand before the Judge of the universe and be held personally accountable for our actions. Old Testament prophets talk about individuals being responsible for their own sin; the son is not responsible for the father’s sin nor is the father responsible for the son’s. Paul exhorts us to pursue righteousness by living lives of faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Jesus, Paul and John all tell of judgment to come. These are but a few examples.^[3] Scripture is replete with more.

The issue we as a society have ignored, and what may be offensive to many, is the concept of righteousness applying to a group of people, whether it is a nation, culture or society. Many try to raise the “separation of church and state” argument. The problem is the misapplication of this phrase when used in this situation. The concept, worded this way by Thomas Jefferson in some letters and encoded in our constitution as the First Amendment, means the government will not support and establish an official state denomination or sect.

This concept has its roots in the history of Europe where the Catholic Church had ruling power shared with kings. Due to political differences between nobility and liturgical leaders, there were many conflicts. Eventually some countries established other denominations as their official ones that, in some countries, continue to the present day.

At the founding of the United States, the Constitution eliminated an official, established, state religion to avoid the conflict and possible oppression that it can foster. However, no one intended an abandonment of Judeo-Christian ethics or a banning of the reference to scripture from all things public and politic. In fact, many early leaders recognized that without scriptural values as a base, this country would not survive.^[4]

Regardless of what the Founding Fathers thought, scripture tells us “righteousness lifts up a nation, but sin is a disgrace in any society” and that “the way of wicked people is disgusting to the LORD, but he loves those who pursue righteousness.”^[5] Even if early or contemporary Americans think religion has no place in society, God will disagree. Israel was judged for their corporate sin.^[6] God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for the wickedness found in them.^[7] Through these and other passages,^[8] it is clear that God judges societies for their collective sins independent of whether or not they acknowledge His rule.

Because of this, many in the present day are concerned about the repercussions due to unrighteousness in our own society. Even though they individually follow God’s commands as best they can, they are still concerned about the lack of concern in the culture as a whole to follow them. They know that even though Daniel was one of most righteous men who ever lived, he did not escape captivity when judgment fell on his society.^[9] The active disdain evidenced by some quarters of our nation towards scriptural commands puts us as a country in a dangerous position before the King. We cannot continue to ignore divine law and expect to continue enjoying the blessings we have had up to now.

On the other hand, we see oppressive, religious fundamental societies in the Middle East where groups walk around brutally enforcing their version of righteousness and we recognize this is not a good model to follow either. While we may admire the passion some Moslem sects have for their cause, we cannot adopt their means. Some things are clearly condemned in the Bible; there are also many things not so clear. I do not agree with all my Christian brothers with what constitutes all aspects of righteousness and would not want to be under their control any more than those who disagree with me want live with my understanding of God’s laws.

Clearly, there needs to be liberty to allow individuals to seek of God’s will and responsibly follow it. At the same time, because of the corporate responsibility we share, we need to arrive at some means of agreement with what the minimal standards are. At issue are those in our midst who will not seek to follow God’s rules in any measure. It is not a matter of disagreeing on degree or subtleties; these individuals outright reject clear scriptural teaching. I wonder if there is a way to reconcile these groups. Perhaps this is why in the end, God himself will return to set things right.

Getting back to the text, what is the “cause of righteousness” and how does one “speed” it? Personally, I find this phrase hard to understand. Translations that are more literal render it as “hastening righteousness” which I find easier to comprehend. Simply, Jesus the King urges and facilitates our growth in righteousness. There are two ways I see this happening. As above, one is on a personal, individual level and the other is on a corporate level.

First, Jesus came the 2000 years ago to save individuals from their sin. We each owed a debt where the only payment was our death. When the perfect Jesus died in our place, he paid that debt for us. When we accept this payment, He imputes His righteousness to us and we receive God’s approval and life.^[10] Because of this right standing we now have before the Father, we have authority to live righteously. Before the imputation of righteousness, sin bound us like slaves. Now we are free from sin and have the capacity to live righteous lives. By freeing us from this bondage, Jesus makes it possible for each of us to be righteous.

Finally, he will return to save us from our corporate sin. As alluded to above, there are two sub-points here. One, there are areas that Christians honestly disagree over when it comes to understanding what scripture says. They are not both right, and in fact, they may both be wrong. In order to clarify these areas, He will reveal unambiguously by His appearing and instruction how we are to live. Two, there are those who will outright reject His decrees and laws. They have no interest in righteousness; no desire to follow His commands. These He will remove. In both cases, He will ultimately cause righteousness to increase on a global level.

In conclusion, Jesus has caused, and will cause in the future, an increase of righteousness. First by imputing His righteousness to us, then through the agency of the Holy Spirit imparting righteousness to us as we mature in Him and finally by establishing a global government wherein righteousness reigns.

Footnotes

1. Opinion piece by William McGurn in the Wall Street Journal online.

2. righteousness. (n.d.). Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary. Retrieved December 09, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/righteousness

3. Ezekiel 18:19-20,30-32; 1 Timothy 6:11; Matthew 25:31-46; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15; Revelation 20:12-15

4. Washington’s Farewell Address: Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens. The mere Politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connexions with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked, Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

5. Proverbs 14:34; Proverbs 15:9

6. Jeremiah 2:20-28

7. Genesis 18:16-19:25

8. Deuteronomy 9:5: Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart, dost thou go in to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these nations Jehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may establish the word which Jehovah swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
Isaiah 58:2: They look for me every day and want to know my ways. They act as if they were a nation that has done what is right and as if they haven’t disregarded God’s judgment on them. They ask me for just decrees. They want God to be near them.

9. Ezekiel 14:14,20: Even if these three men--Noah, Daniel, and Job--were in that country, they would, by their righteousness, rescue only themselves," declares the Almighty LORD. ... As I live, declares the Almighty LORD, not even Noah, Daniel, and Job could, by their righteousness, rescue their sons or daughters. They could rescue only themselves.

10. I Corinthians 1:30: You are partners with Christ Jesus because of God. Jesus has become our wisdom sent from God, our righteousness, our holiness, and our ransom from sin.

Romans 5:18: Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

II Corinthians 5:21: God had Christ, who was sinless, take our sin so that we might receive God’s approval through him.

Philippians 3:9: This means that I didn’t receive God’s approval by obeying his laws. The opposite is true! I have God’s approval through faith in Christ.

Establishing a throne: What is justice?

This is the fourth installment in the series entitled Establishing a throne where I look at the following verse:

In love a throne will be established;
in faithfulness a man will sit on it --
one from the house of David --
one who in judging seeks justice
and speeds the cause of righteousness.
-- Isaiah 16:5

An alternate rendering for the passage highlighted above is "In judgment He establishes justice." Psalm 89:14 tells us "justice is the foundation of His throne". There are many other similar passages.^[1] Given the nature and plethora of passages, we understand that the concept of justice is very important in Jesus' kingdom.

Looking around the world, we observe varying degrees of oppression in all governments. We see decrees by court systems that seem out of alignment with our sense of justice. Moreover, at the same time, others look on these very same rulings and deem them just. Legislatures pass laws we look at with dismay. Those charged with upholding the laws too frequently undermine them. With so much seeming injustice in the world, and so many different voices in our culture claiming situations as being both just and unjust, the question is raised "What exactly is justice?"

One definition of justice is "Things in perfect accord with God's original plan."^[2] This is a great definition. It works well illuminating the passages above, and elsewhere in scripture, about justice. Using this definition, decisions are just when they match God's will, heart and desires. It gives us a yardstick by which to view any given situation and evaluate what is just in that context.

This definition also explains why there is disagreement on what exactly is just by relating it back to Genesis. Originally, everything was good in God's eyes; justice ruled. The reason we yearn for justice is that it is the original intent. It is part of our hearts and souls' design. However, when disobedience entered the world, we separated from God. The reason we now have injustice is that we, corporately and individually, through our separation are no longer in perfect accord with God's plan.

Apart from God, there is no hope for lasting justice. All our fallen human institutions are corrupt: government, political parties, charitable organizations, cultures. No group of people is sinless: wealthy, poor, male, female, black and white. Because of this corruption, if we start with any other foundation than God's will, we build on the sand of human sentiment. We will inevitably take our eyes off the injustices our own soul commits and focus on injustice external to ourselves. In doing so, we forget our own depravity and think we can bring change through our own efforts.

To solve issues of injustice, we first must start with our relationship between God and ourselves. The original injustice is sin. We have all done it. We have all violated God's laws. We all need reconciliation with Him. The only way to this is through Jesus and accepting His payment on our behalf. It is only after this most basic of all relationships has been restored that we can begin pursuing and understanding what is on His heart for other relationships. This must be the foundation for establishing justice in our own life and the lives of others. If it is not, then we are fostering the spirit of anti-Christ by making people think justice can happen apart from right relationship with God.

After we have dealt with our injustice towards God by acknowledging our culpability, seeking His forgiveness and accepting His mercy, the next step is to deal with the injustices we have committed towards others. Depending on the situation, there may be various, appropriate means of dealing with the injustice. These include, but are certainly not limited to, seeking forgiveness directly from the individuals involved, providing restitution, confession to authorities and seeking forgiveness from God. Due to the various ways of dealing with these situations, seeking and doing God’s will is of utmost importance.

Injustice towards us is the last relationship with which we are personally involved. This can be a hard issue to deal with since everything in our being cries out for justice. Unfortunately, we are not objective enough to judge accurately when we are the wronged party. In these situations, remember Jesus’ example where, while suffering the greatest injustice of all on the cross, he asked God to forgive the very people committing the crime and submitted Himself to God's will.

Finally, there is the issue of injustices between third parties. This includes all the contexts where we are not one of the parties involved in the situation. One place where this occurs is the so-called Justice system. Balthazar's definition of justice explains why human courts sometimes get it right and other times wrong when it comes to their rulings. If the ruling matches what is on God's heart in the matter, they get it right. If the ruling conflicts with God, then it is wrong and needs to be changed. At one time, God's laws formed the basis for our laws. The Ten Commandments used to have a prominent place in our courthouses. Our legislation simply encoded the basic tenets of Judeo-Christian ethics and our courts followed. As our society has moved further into humanistic relativism, our legislature and courts have reflected this shift with more and more laws and rulings that are out of accord with God's law. We are slowly moving from the absolute authority of God's word to relativistic human sentiment and thought.

Another common theme associated with justice revolves around social issues relating to the oppressed and poor. All too often, we try to treat these issues outside the context of right relationship with God but the fact is God is more concerned with social issues than we are. Like the children of Israel in Egypt, He hears the cry of the downtrodden and promises aid. They will see the ultimate fulfillment when Jesus’ throne is finally established. This is the primary hope to point them to while secondarily we attempt to implement some of God’s kingdom even now.

Given all this, it is incumbent upon all of us to consider each decision in light of God's desire, first as individuals and then as leaders. Do you not think you are a leader? Consider virtually everyone is in a leadership position somewhere whether parents who guide their household or a team captain establishing rules for those they are working with or national politicians establishing and administering laws. When we make decisions, we can either seek God's will or follow our own desires.

Finally, some questions to contemplate:

• What would my life look like arranged with everything in perfect accord with God's plan?
• How far off is it?
• In those areas that are off, is it due to a decision I have made or one imposed on me?
• For those decisions I have control over, what can I do to rectify the situation such that it is closer to what I know to be His will?

Further reading

Stuart Greaves gave a talk on this topic. Notes for it are here.

Footnotes

1. Psalms 45:6, Psalms 89:14, Psalms 97:2, Isaiah 9:7, Hebrews 1:8

2. Quote attributed to Hans Urs von Balthazar.

We need change!

November 4th, 2008 was truly a momentous day. With both President-elect Obama's win and the Democrat revolution in congress taking over 20 seats, it appears there is significant change coming for our country and possibly the world. I hope that it is change for the better. I pray for righteousness in our leadership and that God will have mercy upon our country. Unfortunately, even as my prayers go up for the new leadership, my spirit is troubled.

There are two things that deeply concern me. First is the way Barak Obama has been presented by supporters and how he presents himself.

Here's a transcript from a speech Charles Rangel gave:

Our hand enabled to bring to us one of the greatest presidents we will ever see, Barak Obama.
Who are we going to elect? Barak Obama.
Who's the next president? Barak Obama.
Who's our hero? Barak Obama.
Who's going to lead us out of poverty? Barak Obama.
Who's going to save the United States of America? Barak Obama.
Who's going to save the entire world? Barak Obama.
And who do we love? Barak Obama.
God bless.

And here's a transcript from a speech Louis Farrakhan gave:

You are the instruments that God is going to use to bring about universal change, and that is why Barack has captured the youth. And he has involved young people in a political process that they didn't care anything about. That's a sign. When the Messiah speaks, the youth will hear, and the Messiah is absolutely speaking.

I don't have a transcript for President-elect Obama's acceptance speech, but towards the end he finished with making statements and then punctuating them with the refrain "Yes we can!" which the audience quickly picked up on and echoed.

My skin crawls when I hear all three of these speeches. In the first, Senator Rangel attributes Barak Obama with bringing salvation to both the United States of America and the world. In the second, Louis Farrakhan calls Barak Obama the Messiah. And finally in the last, Barak Obama points the crowd to themselves for the answers needed in society.

In each case, peoples' eyes were taken off of Jesus, the only Savior, the only Messiah, the only One with answers, and pointing them to Barak Obama. Things that should only be attributed to God, were attributed to a man. This is the operation of the spirit of anti-christ. It is a devilish ploy to take attention away from the true Christ and point it elsewhere. In two cases to a man and in one case back to self. I want to be very clear here: I am not saying Barak Obama is the Anti-Christ of Revelation. I am saying that by doing this, he and his supporters are helping to prepare peoples' hearts for the Anti-Christ.

Secondly, there are two issues where President-elect Obama and I have radically different positions: pro-choice and gay marriage. In my reading of scripture, these two issues are fundamental defining social issues of our day and how we as a people respond to them will determine the health and future of our nation. I believe them to be more important than any other issue we face as a country. They are more important than the economy. They are more important than the overseas conflicts. They are more important than poverty. They are more important than health care. They are more important than education. If we don't get these two issues right, then nothing else matters.

In Psalm 139:13, David says "For you [God] created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." God creates us. He knows us before birth. To willingly kill this nascent life breaks the heart of God. God commanded the Israelites not to sacrifice their children or judgment would fall on them. When times got tough, when they thought God wasn't watching, in order to improve the harvests, out of convenience, they did what was commanded not to be done. And their country was taken over by their enemies.

Old Testament law says "'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." Paul states in 1st Corinthians 6:9 that homosexuals have no place in God's kingdom. In Romans 1:18ff, it says "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ... For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ... Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts ... Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, ... Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." Genesis 19 is the account of God's destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah due to their perverse lifestyles.

When either of these statues were trespassed, God was faithful to bring down judgment for disobeying His law. I believe there is a direct correlation between these biblical examples and the issues in our country. God would be unjust if He judged Israel, Sodom and Gomorrah for their violations but didn't judge us for ours. But God is not unjust. In His mercy He has not yet called us to account, but if we continue in these practices, if we fail to repent of these evils, I believe He will.

Given all this, I find it highly ironic that both Senator Rangel and Barak Obama finished their speeches with "God bless America." There is no way God can bless our country when we so blatantly reject His commands. All of us, both Democrats and Republicans, whether elected officials or voters, need to fall on our faces in mourning, repent of our evil ways and then allow God's healing power to flow into all areas of our society.

I agree with President-elect Obama on one thing: we desperately need change in our country. But the nature of that change needs to be first at the heart level in individuals and then the overflow of that will flow into the situations around us. There is no way anything done through political process will bring the changes so needed by our country.

Establishing a throne: Who sits on it?

This is the third in a continuing series entitled Establishing a throne where I'm looking at Isaiah 16:5. By way of introduction I asked Would Jesus be a Democrat or Republican?, concluding the question was the wrong thing to ask. Then I followed with How is it [a throne] established? looking at the role love plays in the formation of God's kingdom.

Now, let's look again at the passage, focusing on the second phrase.

In love a throne will be established;
in faithfulness a man will sit on it --
one from the house of David --
one who in judging seeks justice
and speeds the cause of righteousness.
-- Isaiah 16:5

The faithfulness of both the Father and Son are involved in the establishment of Jesus' throne. Throughout history Father God has made promises. He started in a broad way with Eve when He told her at the fall one of her descendants would crush Satan's head. He narrowed it to a nation when He told Abraham that all the nations of the earth would be blessed by one of his offspring. He restricted Himself even more by promising David he would have an heir on the throne forever. He finally focused it to a point in telling Mary that she, even though a virgin, would have a son who would take away the sin of the world and rule forever on David's throne.^[1]

These series of promises over about 4,000 years were partly fulfilled by Jesus the first time He walked the earth. God was faithful to keep the promises to Eve and Abraham. Satan's head was dealt a crushing blow that blessed all mankind by the work Jesus finished on the cross. Because of this past faithfulness, we can be confident He will complete the yet unfulfilled promises to David and Mary. God will be faithful to establish Jesus kingdom.

Jesus' too illustrated He was faithful to do the whole will of God without wavering. Following the ancient plan, He started with the incarnation when He set aside the glory of heaven and took on flesh and daily followed it, even to death on the cross. Through His faultless obedience to the Father, He has proved His faithfulness to both God and humanity. His faithfulness has demonstrated His worthiness to rule.^[2]

The final item of note is Jesus' humanity. He is not some other-worldly being that will rule, but a flesh and blood descendant of Adam, a man. So often we think of Jesus as a man during his first time on earth and then he becomes something else at the resurrection and ascension. No. He was a man with a resurrected body, but a body none the less. He ate. He drank. His disciples touched Him. He was not a ghost. He became nothing less with the ascension and He will continue to wear meat for eternity. This is the miracle of the incarnation. Not that God became man for 33 years but that He became man forever.^[3]

1. Eve: Genesis 3:15
Abraham: Genesis 22:15-19, Galatians 3:15-18
David: 2 Samuel 7:16, 1 Kings 8:25, Psalm 89:3-4, Psalm 132:11-12
Mary: Luke 1:29-33, Matthew 1:21

2. John 5:19-30, John 17:4, Galatians 4:4-5, Philippians 2:6-11, 1 Peter 1:20, Revelation 5:9-10, Revelation 5:12-14

3. Luke 24:36-43, Acts 1:11, Colossians 2:9, Hebrews 7:23-25, Revelation 1:17-18, Revelation 1:31

Establishing a throne: How is it established?

In love a throne will be established;
in faithfulness a man will sit on it --
one from the house of David --
one who in judging seeks justice
and speeds the cause of righteousness.
-- Isaiah 16:5

This passage recently caught my attention. In the middle of prophecies about destruction due to unfaithfulness and injustice, this verse appears about one who will put things right. It stands out with hope in contrast to the context of misery it sits in.

It starts stating a throne will be established in love. I believe this to be a future prophecy about Jesus' earthly government with several aspects to the "love" component.^[1] First, he will be given the throne by the Father because of the love between the Father and Son. The Father has loved Jesus since before creation. Jesus honors the Father through obedience to His will; in turn, the Father is pleased with and desires to honor the Son.^[2]

Next, the Father will give leadership to Jesus because they both love creation and mankind. Originally, creation was made perfect. When humans rebelled, all of creation was subjected to futility. Because of their love for the cosmos, they do not want to leave it in this condition but know, under current systems, nothing is going to fundamentally change.^[3] Something radically different needs to happen; that radical change is Jesus government. He came the first time to pay the price to rule the universe and to demonstrate His worthiness. Next time He comes it will be to claim and enforce the right He already possesses.^[4]

Finally, because of the love between Jesus and His people, those being ruled will agree with and support the Father's action. Jesus is working in his people that the same love the Father has for Him will also be in them.^[5] There are two places these people come from. The first is from the non-Jewish peoples. These are the Gentiles who have believed on Jesus and have been grafted into the family tree of faith, spiritual descendants of Abraham. The second group are Jews. Jesus told the Jewish people I will not come again until Israel says "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."^[6] We don't yet see either of these groups sold out in love to Him but there is a time coming when we will. Jesus is developing a deep love in both these groups to bring them together so in unity they may cry with the Spirit "Come!"^[7]

1. I follow the traditional Christian position that this passage is talking about Jesus. I depart from some of Christianity by believing it will be fulfilled literally. I'm convinced that there will be a time when Jesus physically returns and establishes a global government here on the earth. This topic is too large for this article, but I did want to establish my perspective right up front.

2. Matthew 3:13-18, Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 1:9-11, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 3:21-22, Luke 9:28-36, John 3:31-36, John 5:19-20, John 17:24, 2 Peter 1:16-18

3. John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. The word translated "world" here is the Greek "kosmos" from which we get our word "cosmos". Like our word "world" it can mean either the physical planet or the inhabitants thereof. I think both meanings are equally applicable.

4. 1st Corinthians 15:20-28, Hebrews 2:5-9, Ephesians 1:19-23

5. John 17:26, Revelation 22:17,

6. Matthew 23:37-39

7. Revelation 22:17

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This is the second in a series entitled Establishing a throne:

1. Would Jesus be a Democrat or Republican?
2. How is it established?
3. Who sits on it?
4. What is justice?
5. What is righteousness?

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Establishing a throne: Would Jesus be a Democrat or Republican?

Jesus would have been a Democrat.

Someone was loudly proclaiming this on the internet the other day shortly after Senator Obama's speech at the close of the Democratic National Convention. Over the years I have heard Republicans express similar claims on the loyalty of Jesus to their party. I have got some news for all these people: your paradigm is completely, utterly wrong.

Jesus would not be a member of either party. Not only that, he would reject the whole governmental system of the United States. He is not interested in democracy. He is not interested in a republic. No. Get this straight:

Jesus is a king.

He does not care about political planks on some party's platform. He doesn't care about building consensus or opening dialog in a pluralistic society. Rather, He leads a kingdom. His word is law. He speaks and righteousness and justice are established. Any who do not agree with Him have no place under His leadership and will be removed from His kingdom.

No, we cannot claim Jesus to our side.

All we can do is align ourselves to His side.

---

This is the first in a series entitled Establishing a throne:

1. Would Jesus be a Democrat or Republican?
2. How is it established?
3. Who sits on it?
4. What is justice?
5. What is righteousness?

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