Monthly Archives: November 2010

Depression and Psalm 38, Psalm 102

Posted by Matthew on November 29, 2010 1 comments |

Depression is a somewhat mysterious thing. Definitions are often ambiguous. Although the word depression is entirely absent from the Scriptures, Bible teachers will often equate it with a broken spirit (Proverbs 18:14) or being laid low in the dust (Psalm 119:25). Some understand that it is a result of a chemical imbalance in the brain, and thus victims are “forced to be sad”. Traditional/Folk Psychology will render it a mood disorder or an inability to enjoy. It is labeled clinical depression when a person goes over two weeks without being able to enjoy any activities at all. Wikipedia states:

A number of psychiatric syndromes feature depressed mood as a main symptom. Mood disorders are a group of disorders considered to be primary disturbances of mood. Within them, major depressive disorder (MDD), commonly called major depression, or clinical depression, is a condition where a person has at least two weeks of depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities. Dysthymia is a state of chronic depressed mood, the symptoms of which do not meet the severity of a major depressive episode. People suffering bipolar disorder may also experience major depressive episodes.

On bipolar disorder it states:

Signs and symptoms of the depressive phase of bipolar disorder include persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, guilt, anger, isolation, or hopelessness; disturbances in sleep and appetite; fatigue and loss of interest in usually enjoyable activities; problems concentrating; loneliness, self-loathing, apathy or indifference; depersonalization; loss of interest in sexual activity; shyness or social anxiety; irritability, chronic pain (with or without a known cause); lack of motivation; and morbid suicidal ideation.

The curious thing about reading a definition like that is how closely it resembles certain passages in the scriptures:

For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me. There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning. For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart. O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes–it also has gone from me. My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off. Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long. But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth. I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes. (Psa 38:2-14)

Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. (Psa 32:2-4)

For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace. My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread. Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my flesh. I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places; I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop. All the day my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse. For I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears with my drink, because of your indignation and anger; for you have taken me up and thrown me down. My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass. (Psa 102:3-11)

Here the Psalmist feels guilt, heaviness, “plagued”, abandoned, dried up, shame, sunk, sad, and nearly hopeless. His days waste away. He can’t sleep. He feels incredibly lonely. But notice how he remarks, “because of your indignation“. He later says, “I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.” (Psa 38:18) Here, at least, sin is a very real element in the depression. You will also notice how God is behind a lot of these feelings: “your arrows have sunk into me”. Whatever the case may be with respect to depression, it is clearly beyond dispute that the Word of God has very significant things to say to these common feelings we humans go through during times of depression. And because they address the reality of sin so poignantly, the last thing one should do when they’re going through depression is to ignore them. Sin is no game.

But before we call all depression sin let’s clarify exactly what we’re talking about. The depression we are after and that we want to nail to the cross is self-pity depression. If there be situations such as chemical imbalances in the brain that contribute to our “feeling down” then we can say such “depression” is forced upon us. This has proved a great point of contention for Christians and non-Christians alike. If such were the case it would seem our complaint to God is just, and we are simply suffering from another disease as though it were cancer. However, one difficulty with this is the fact that cancer, HIV, and other diseased patients can, and do, rejoice and have joy, life, and peace in God. But being depressed is, by definition, some kind of inability to have joy, peace, and life. This presents a rather huge problem for any Christian who believes that there is life, peace, and joy in Christ. Nonetheless, whether this is all true or not is not our concern in our present study.

Perhaps the most important thing to understand when it comes to self-pity depression is that it is not forced upon us. That is just stating the obvious. We lead ourselves into it as a reaction to bad circumstances in our lives which can be our own fault, the fault of friends and family, or even the fault of God. The life of Job is a outstanding example of this. Anti-depression drugs will not solve anything in this regard. More likely than not when we face this kind of depression, we tend to find its cause in what others have, or have not, done to us. Some desire is unfulfilled. We want what we cannot get. We instinctively believe that fault lies outside of us. From a biblical standpoint this kind of depression is sin. We are not talking about godly sorrow, sadness, or pain here. Neither are we talking about the anguish or affliction of the heart. Those are such things that are indeed caused from without when circumstances beyond your control weigh heavily on you. Paul, Jeremiah, and Jesus were well acquainted with such emotions:

Paul - For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. (2 Cor 2:4)

Jeremiah - Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me, which the LORD inflicted on the day of his fierce anger. (Lam 1:12)

Jesus - And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luk 22:44)

Self-pity, on the other hand, is what the bible would categorize as “worldly sorrow”. It is not something to be taken lightly either for this kind of sorrow leads to death.

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (2 Cor 7:10)

This means there is an element of pride mixed in the emotion. Hence when you feel self-pity depression you can sense a “dirtiness” to it. There is an evident lack of righteousness. And in case you haven’t noticed, people are not very sympathetic to your depression. Often they will rightly judge that you simply need to stop “throwing a pity-party” and just get over yourself. The great thing about understanding the sinfulness of this depression is how it ultimately liberates us from it altogether. It stands in direct contradiction to the Way of Christ. Truth is what Jesus said would set us free. The depression literally sucks the life out you. In fact, in the U.S “over 60 percent of all people who die by suicide suffer from major depression…If one includes alcoholics who are depressed, this figure rises to over 75 percent.” (AFSP) Christ, on the other hand, puts life into us. (John 10:10) 1 John 1:9 and James 5:16 say that life comes through confession and repentance. The sweet sorrow of brokenness and contrition lead to life. When we are broken and contrite we are actually mourning for the sake of God’s righteousness because we (or others) profaned it. It was him who did not deserve what we did to him. This is true humility and why God delights to “lift up the humble” but “cast the wicked to the ground” (Psalm 147:6). (And I can’t think of anything more depressing than to be cast to the ground by God) The humble one is he who cares more about how God is treated than how he himself is treated. The fool thinks he is righteous in his ways and deserves good–worldly sorrow/depression. The wise man knows he is unrighteous in all his ways and deserves eternal damnation–godly sorrow.

Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. (Ecc 7:3-4)

Loathing your self or loathing your life?

Notice how scripture makes a distinction between loathing the self and loathing your life.

Job - I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath. (Job 7:16)

  • Interpretation: I hate my life, I don’t want to live any longer. Leave me alone, my life is useless!

Elijah - And he begged that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” (1 Kings 19:4)

  • Interpretation: I’ve had enough of this crap, God. I suck! Please let me die!

Jonah – When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”  (Jon 4:8-9)

  • Interpretation: This is bull trash. I don’t deserve this!

God – Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. (Eze 36:31)

  • Interpretation: I want you see that your heart is sin. Then you will know godly sorrow.

Job – …therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:6)

  • Interpretation: I have seen my heart and it is evil! I’m so sorry God, please have mercy!

Notice how repentance follows Job’s loathing of his self but not when he was loathing his life. The former was an example of godly sorrow, while the latter was of worldly sorrow. The People’s New Testament Commentary notes on the suicide of Judas (Matt. 27:5), “The sorrow of Judas was remorse. In the case of many besides Judas, it has resulted in despair, which has led to destruction of life, or to eternal death.” To hate your life is to despair. The loathing of your life is a sinfulness that, if left unchecked long enough, can lead to the desire to commit suicide as it did for Judas.

Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (Jas 1:15)

Even if we don’t get to the point of hating our life and wanting to hang ourselves, all of us will at some time feel like life sucks. It can be as simple as the remorse of child getting caught for doing something he shouldn’t have, or a disciple of Jesus having to let go of materialistic things as was the case of the rich young man:

Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Mat 19:21-22)

Whatever the case may be, all forms of worldly grief must be repented of as quickly as possible. Arthur Pink gives us some powerful commentary on 2 Cor 7:10,

The sorrow of the world is the grief and mortification of disappointed worldlings, of those who know not God but whose trust is in themselves or in some arm of flesh. They have relied for prosperity from the world, and the world has sadly failed them. They have sought satisfaction from its broken cisterns, only to have their hopes dashed. The bitter springs from which their ambitions have proceeded are pride and carnal self-respect, and their motives and occasions for indulging the same are as manifold as the deceitful lusts of the flesh. But frustrated plans and defeated expectations sour and enrage, and nature’s greenness is turned into the drought of unrepentant grief. So far from leading the soul to God, it fills with wrath and enmity against Him. Its miserable subjects seek consolation from the world, endeavouring to drive away serious reflections by drowning themselves in its pleasures.

The sorrow of the world does not arise from just views of sin, nor does it proceed from any concern that God has been offended. It does not lead the soul to God in true penitence, nor turn to Him for consolation. The sorrow of the unregenerate is occasioned by temporal losses, which fill them with chagrin and dismay; by crimes which incur public disgrace for their perpetrators and their families; from the squandering of a goodly heritage which terminates in poverty and despair; from wandering from the path of chastity, and in consequence losing their good name among men: from intemperance and reckless living, which ends in ruined health and vain regrets for having played the fool. In all such cases there is no contrition of heart for having violated a righteous Law, offended a kind Creator, or been an occasion of stumbling to their fellows. It is only that they are incensed at the harvest which follows their evil sowing and fretful because lack of money or health prevents them from continuing such excesses. (Arthur W Pink, Studies in the Scriptures)

The Exhortation to Rejoice

To exhortation to be joyful is the exhortation to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We’re not talking about the ‘happy-clappy’ smiles of toothpaste commercials but a true joy that comes by choosing to rejoice.

For the kingdom of God is…of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Rom 14:17)

It is a foreign idea to our carnal minds yet spiritually liberating on so many levels. John Piper has a great work on the subject known as The Dangerous Duty of Delight. While it’s not fitting to be happy in the midst of trials, it is completely fitting to rejoice in the midst of trials. If it weren’t so, the Apostles are conflicted:

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith–more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire–may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Pet 1:6-7)

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (Jas 1:2-4)

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope 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. (Rom 5:2-5)

Notice how Paul says “we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” in this passage. When we go through loss, pain, suffering, affliction, fiery trials, etc., we rejoice not for our own lives but in hope of the glory of God. God cares about himself very much and Paul is saying that this very fact is cause for rejoicing. But why is that? It’s much easier and makes more sense to rejoice when God keeps us out of suffering! Or at least relieves it quickly! But many times he does not. And when our suffering is prolonged, by and by our sinful nature begins to eat away at us from the inside and we slowly turn into self-justifying, God-accusing, bitter old people who hate life and everything about it. If suffering is long, you are not alone.

David - For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away. (Psa 31:10)

Job - For my sighing comes instead of my bread, and my groanings are poured out like water. (Job 3:24)

Hezekiah - What shall I say? For he has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul. (Isa 38:15)

And if there was any solution to this selfish depression it would be this: repent and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. We must be fully liberated from our self by his glory before we can overcome deadness of self-pity.

Lord, forgive me of worldly, selfish sorrow!
Restore in me a right vision fixed on you
for I have wandered from you into the darkness of myself,
Behold I am of small account, what shall I answer you?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
Therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

The Body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12

Posted by Matthew on November 18, 2010 None comments |
bodyofchrist

There is a great deal to teach about when it comes to understanding the Body of Christ. Most of us know in a general sense that the Body of Christ is the Church. It is all the believers acting as the “hands” and “feet” of Jesus reaching out to the lost and dying throughout the world. While all of that is true, it remains that there is a pressing need in our generation for Christians to have a much fuller understanding of the Body of Christ and how we relate to it as individuals.

How do we personally relate to the Body of Christ?

The spirit of the age that we live in, especially in the West, is that of radical or extreme individualism which is literally leading the mass of people toward a narcissistic, ego-centered worldview. This is something that stands in direct contradiction to Body Life-the way the people of God live out their Church life. That, the Bible says, is self-destruction. It is self-destruction because of the fact that our “self” is deprived. It is desaturated of life, fully fallen, sinned-out, and totally shot. Not a sliver of good remains within us.

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. (Rom 7:18)

So while the world tells us to inflate, exalt, and indulge the self with pleasure, the Bible says to crucify it. Therefore the first step in entering into an authentic Church life and contributing to the Body of Christ is crucifying the self. You don’t inflate it but deflate it. You don’t exalt it but humble it. You don’t indulge it, but discipline it.

To clarify the definition of the Body of Christ we must see it in three ways. First is the literal Body of Christ, resurrected from the grave, ascended to the right hand of the Father. Second is the spiritual Body of Christ, in which every believer throughout history into the present (and future) is baptized by the Holy Spirit. Thirdly is the local Body of Christ which exists within the constraints of a particular time and place on earth. “Bodies of Christ” scattered abroad.

The way we relate to the first is by way of personal relationship with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. The way to relate to the second is by virtue of being born-again into the divine family of God as a son or daughter making us all brothers and sisters with everyone from Abraham to the Apostle Paul to the last saved soul on earth. The way we relate to the third is by the act of submitting to and meeting regularly with a local group of believers.

1) If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (Col 3:1)

2) For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Cor 12:13)

3) Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. (1 Cor 12:4-28)

The third way is the one that needs particular emphasizing because the extreme individualism of our day is causing many Christians to believe that the first two ways are sufficient for our walk and the third is not necessary. In fact we presume to think that the third is merely institutional or man-made and therefore of little or no relevance to our lives as Christians. But such thinking is to put the entire teaching of 1 Corinthians 12 in the trash. God has appointed in the local church body various kinds of talents, gifts, activities, and means of service.

Your Part: Singleness of Purpose

Of Zebulun 50,000 seasoned troops, equipped for battle with all the weapons of war, to help David with singleness of purpose. (1 Chron 12:33)

Each individual is given something. He is appointed by God a specific function or role in the Body of Christ. This is an all-important truth that cannot be overlooked. This means that each individual has the responsibility to offer that talent or gift to the Body of Christ and not bury it. Likewise, church leadership has the responsibility to see to it that each individual has a place to use their talent and to encourage them in the use of it.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Rom 12:3-8)

It is interesting that Paul precedes this passage with a warning: do not think of yourself more highly than you ought! The reason he gives for this is that we are one body and individually members of each other. We need each other. We are not the Body of Christ in and of ourselves! How many of us like to think we can do everything ourselves and be some kind of jack-of-all-trades Christian. But this is not possible because talents are appointed and apportioned by the Almighty God. He decides who is gifted with what.

The members do not all have the same function. Think again about the varieties of talents, gifts, activities, and means of service. There are endless possibilities to the make-up of a local body. Obviously some of the more pertinent gifts are those such as prophecy, healing, discerning spirits, tongues, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy, etc, but there are also varieties of service and activities which could be anything from real estate to a foreign language to a musical instrument.

Our function as individuals in the Body of Christ, as granted by God, should transcend church attendance. It is not a function turned on for an hour each week and then turned off when you go home until you return again. Our function should become part-and-parcel of our personal identities.

Every individual needs to find out what their role in the Body is. God is ready to reveal that to listening ears. When we know our role, gift, or talent, we need to take it to the max. This means self-discipline and self-sacrifice. If you try to be great at too many things you will end up good at nothing. It is a matter of investing whole-heartedly into that talent God has given you to produce those most return that you can. But to do this we must renounce the selfish individualism that bids us to “live in the moment” and do all you can for the sake of pleasure-eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you die. Such an attitude will cause us to spread ourselves thin across all sorts of activities, skills, talents because we are doing it all for ourselves. The local Body of Christ should be the most preeminent thing in our lives. This doesn’t mean neglect of our personal lives, or our family lives, for we and our families are included in the local Body of Christ. It means rather a re-thinking of how we spend our time alone, with our families, and with the local Body of brothers and sisters.

Think of those musicians who are a part of a professional orchestra. Their life and career is literally the instrument they play. Because they practice and train devotedly with such discipline and singleness of eye they are able to contribute a powerful part to the whole Orchestra. The benefit they reap for all the hours and years of hard discipline and practice is the privilege of contributing to and being part of a glorious force of music which is reward enough in itself.

Or in the case of the army think of how men will spend all their time training and specializing in one field or weapon to become as skilled as possible in it. When that one soldier of skill is combined with a multitude of soldiers of skill you get, once again, a glorious force of strength that is not quickly defeated. Whereas if soldiers are all trained in all manner of fields and weapons so as to become mediocre in skills, it is of no advantage; they will be but a mediocre force when combined and easily subsumed by the enemy.

William M. Thayer writes on having singleness of purpose:

By singleness of purpose we mean an early decision to follow a certain occupation or profession as a life-work, keeping that object constantly in view, true as the needle to the North Pole, and pushing using for it through sunshine and storm to the goal. That is what the great apostle meant when he said, “This one thing I do.” That single purpose took possession of his soul, and all the powers of his nature combined and bent to its accomplishment. In his triumphant declaration, “I press toward the mark for the prize,” is not only a dauntless spirit, but also the lofty aim that never knows defeat. Perhaps the wise man put it best of all, when he said to the young, “Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left.” That is singleness of purpose….There is no grander spectacle than that of a youth girding his loins for the battle of life, his sharp eye upon the flaming goal in the distance, his soul on fire with enthusiasm for victory, and all barriers crumbling beneath his feet. These are the few who were not born to die. They live for one noble object and so they live for all.

What, then, is the goal of the Christian Body of Christ?

Is it to seek growth? Is it to form grandiose and ambitious plans? Is it to design the perfect model? Is it to live for the community around us? No, it is none of these. The goal of the Christian community is to be spiritual:

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor 2:12-16)

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. (1 Cor 3:1)

Jesus says we must be spiritually born again if we will enter the Kingdom of God, and that our whole path is centered on seeking this Kingdom:

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Mat 6:33)

He calls us to make one thing the primary focus of our seeking hearts. It is not church growth nor great plans or strategies, nor producing the finest models for fellowship. It is to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness. But what does seeking the Kingdom of God have to do with becoming spiritual? Further exposition on what this means leads us ultimately to the Spirit of God:

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Rom 14:17)

For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. (1 Cor 4:20)

This kingdom does not consist in talk, food, or drink, but in power, righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit. Therefore we don’t judge a church by its numbers, designs, forms, models, or growth-we judge it by its power, its righteousness, its joy, and its peace! That is what you will find in a strong, mature, and glorious church!

To recap what we have said in our study:

  1. The Body of Christ has the divine purpose to become a powerful and glorious force in the world.
  2. We must individually strengthen our primary function and skill as best we can for the sake of the Body of Christ.
  3. We must not “live in the moment” for ourselves but be thinking ahead and finding out our function and gifting as early as possible so that we may use our talent for the sake of the Body.
  4. We must grow out of our infancy into spiritual maturity and strength according to our respective functions by seeking the Holy Spirit. When the hand grows strong, and the foot grows strong, and the other members of the Body each grow strong, only then can we have a strong Body of Christ.

That will be the day when our “Orchestra” resounds with a majestic beauty and power that will leave the world standing in awe.

The Highest Gift on Earth – Genesis 2:18

Posted by Matthew on November 6, 2010 None comments |
The Gift of Marriage

It is interesting how the Bible puts the relationship between a man and a woman on a spectrum between what can be the highest blessing in life and or worst curse in life.

Compare and contrast the following verses:

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be
alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18)

…love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave…(Song of Solomon 8:6)

I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is
snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. (Ecclesiastes 7:26)

God wired us so that a relationship with the opposite sex would be the most fulfilling thing in our lives. The gift of the “two become one” trumps all other earthly gifts by quite a large margin. There was nothing else in creation designed to suit the man. Nor was there anything else in all of creation that the woman was made to suit.

Adam was not incomplete as a man, but he was wired to do specific things: to lead, protect, provide for, and fight for something. Yet there was no place to put those gifts into action. He was alone and God knew it: “It is not good that the man should be alone.” He needs something that requires those gifts; that needs leading, protection, provision, and fighting for. But more than that it needs to be something Adam would desire to fight for, protect, provide for, and lead. After all, if you’re going to fight for something, it’s got to be worth the fight.

So God made Eve. Perfect.

She was  gifted with companionship—to be able to connect, support, and communicate intimately with great sensitivity.

“…she is your companion and your wife by covenant” (Malachi 2:14)

“I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18)

She was gifted with beauty and desirability.

“…rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe.” (Proverbs 5:18-19)

She was gifted with the ability to nurture and comfort.

“…she was the mother of all the living.” (Genesis 3:20)

“As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted…” (Isaiah 66:13)

“Can a woman forget her nursing child?” (Isaiah 49:15)

This is why the fit is emphasized by Paul who, referring to the Genesis account, said:

For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.  (1Co 11:7-9)

Eve was not incomplete as a woman. However she was wired to suit Adam. Peter wrote:

“…honor the woman as the weaker vessel.” (1 Peter 3:7)

God created Eve weaker than Adam for a purpose. It was not a mistake. She is not less than or inferior to Adam. The idea of evolution might see the woman as less evolved and perhaps inferior–after all, survival of the fittest—but not the idea of creation.  God made the man and woman perfect.

An entire book of the Bible (Song of Solomon) is actually a poem dedicated to the wonder of this highest and richest gift. Consider some of the descriptive metaphors:

“..better than wine” (Song 1:2)

“…sick with love…” (Song 2:5)

“My beloved is mine, and I am his…” (Song 2:16)

“How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!” (Song 4:10)

“…his desire is for me.” (Song 7:10)

“…love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave…” (Song 8:6)

The Proverbs put it this way:

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. (Proverbs 31:10)

She is far more precious than anything else! Not as a commodity or piece of property as many twisted minds of men have made her out to be, but as a blessing of companionship and a means to do as a real man does on the sojourn of life.

The same principles of course hold true for a woman:

Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find? (Proverbs 20:6)

Ever since the fall, finding a faithful partner is difficult. However there are hints that God is there to help us if we become his servants:

“…let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac.” (Genesis 24:14)

Having observed all of this in Scripture, a bigger question needs to be asked. Why did God create all this? Why did he make men and women the way he did?

“…and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord…” (Ephesians 3:9-11)

God has an eternal purpose in creating all things. This eternal purpose is represented by a  circular flow or trajectory.

For from him and through him and to him are all things.” (Rom 11:36)

If Eve was specifically made and wired for a man, what was Adam specifically made for?

“For a man ought not to cover his head, he is the image and glory of God.” (1 Cor 11:7)

This is the clue that begins to unlock the mysteries and revelations revealed in Jesus Christ.

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” (Eph 5:25)

Here we begin to see that man is a sermon illustration for God the Father—who leads, protects, provides, and fights for us. Men are called to a very high calling! Conversely, the woman is a sermon illustration of the Church. The glorious bride adorned and made beautiful and lovely by her husband.

“When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine. Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.  (Ezekiel 16:8-14)

We are a sermon illustration in the Grand Eternal Sermon of God…his Word. Think of yourself as a word or paragraph in the preaching of God. As long as creation exists, God is actively preaching. What is he preaching exactly? If all things are from him and to him then it must be about none other than himself. And so it is. As the temple was a copy, or sermon illustration, of heavenly things, so is marriage:

“These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Col 2:17)

“They serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things.” (Hebrews 8:5)

“For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself…” (Hebrews 9:24)

“…the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities.” (Hebrews 10:1)

Marriage and relationships are all about God. When we make it about anything else we disrupt the eternal glorious flow of God’s sermon, as happened at the Fall, and end up violating and corrupting it. This is why God cannot stand sin and must do away with it. Yet everything teaches us about himself. His dying on the cross for us preaches so loudly of his character as a sacrificial God who fights for those whom he loves.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.  (Isaiah 55:8-11)

For from him and through him and to him are all things.” (Rom 11:36)

When we make marriage or relationships about ourselves a mess will result. If all things are from God and end with the man, we are left with chauvinism. If all things are from God and end with a woman, we are left with feminism.  If all things are from God and to God, our marriages and relationships will be powerful conduits of God’s glorious flow—transparent equals through whom God can proclaim his glory and the glory of his Church–the ultimate eternal blessing.