Part 2; understanding the context

As I said in the last blog, the basic ideology of the TV show “The Good Place” is erroneous.  It asserts that if you pile up enough good works, you are granted entrance to “The Good Place” or Heaven.  But this is flawed logic.  Last time, I quoted Ephesians 2:8-9 as one example from the Bible that declares that we are put in a right relationship with God by grace, through faith, not works.  These powerful verses are even more potent when you consider the context of this passage.

The context starts in Ephesians 2:1, which says, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world.”  I’ve underscored that phrase “you were dead in trespasses and sins” because I’m going to get back to that in a minute.  For now, contemplate with me that the Bible is telling us that we all once walked in sins and we followed the course of this world.  I’m convinced that someone is reading this and inwardly you are disagreeing with the Bible’s assessment.  But we must go with what the Word of God says, even if makes us uncomfortable; the Bible unequivocally declares that all have sinned, and therefore, stand guilty before Him.

Thankfully, we are not left there.  Look at verse 4 of Ephesians 2: “But God…” let me stop there.  These two words are like beautiful music.  We were dead, helpless, sin-soaked, and rebellious, and we didn’t even know or care, but God chose to do something about it.  “But God…because of His great love with which He loved us, [verse 5] even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.”  When you put this together with the terminology underscored in verse 1, we see that we were dead, but now through Christ, we are alive.  Let me illustrate this.

Recently I was about to mow the lawn when the lawnmower decided that it didn’t want to start.  I wasn’t out of gas or oil or anything like that; the mower was simply unresponsive to anything I did.  Further, this lawnmower is really old – probably 20 something years old – so I speculated that the mower had simply died of old age (which made me sad, because it’s my dad’s lawnmower).  A few days later, I tried to start the mower again, and it started right up!  The mower that was dead is now alive.  Yes, I know that I probably just flooded it or something, but for all intents and purposes – at least in that moment – it was dead.  In the same way, we were dead and unresponsive to God until He made us alive.  It wasn’t because of anything we did; it was God’s power alone.  This, dear readers, is the context of Ephesians 2:8-9.

But we dare not stop at verse 9; I love Ephesians 2:10 as well.  It reads, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (italics added).  This verse answers the question that I’m sure has been plaguing you for almost two blogs now.  Inwardly, you’ve wondered, “Are works important for the Christian?”  The answer that comes screaming from the Bible is a resounding yes.  “We are not saved by our works,” writes Constantine Campbell in his book “Grace: Accepting God’s Gift to You”; “They are not for salvation, yet good works matter.”

This is further crystallized by these words at the end of verse 10: “which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  What an encouraging thought!  Once again, to quote Campbell’s words, “This means that even our good deeds are given to us by God.  God doesn’t just save us by grace and then leave us to our own devices…God plans the good things he wants us to do, and he enables us to do it…we should take comfort in that.  He is in the driver’s seat, and we are glad to go where he takes us.”  Amen and amen!

Kevin

God "helps those who help themselves"?

The other day, I watched the first episode of the TV show “The Good Place” on Netflix.  The premise of the show is a woman is killed and she enters her after-life.  She goes to what is referred to as “The Good Place” (they try to dance around the idea that it is Heaven, but it is).  The tension revolves around the fact that it was only through a clerical error that this woman entered “The Good Place” to begin with.  She didn’t do any of the good things that the records had tallied for her; in fact, in her Earthly life, she was rude, selfish, and unpleasant.

There are a lot of reasons why I don’t like this episode or this TV show in general, but my biggest complaint is that the show asserts that everyone who enters “The Good Place” does so exclusively through the good works that they have done on Earth.  It is explained that anytime someone does something good, it is recorded, and if you reach a certain plateau of points, you are able to enter “The Good Place”.  By the way, yes, there is also a destination they call “The Bad Place” (the dialogue acknowledges that “The Bad Place” is a place of torment and agony; they don’t call it Hell, but I’d say that’s what it is).

I find the premise of this show troubling.  Why?  It’s best summed up by a statement given in the film “Catch Me if You Can”.  Frank Abagnale, a master of deception (played very well by Leonardo DiCaprio) put it this way: “Keep pushing the lie; keep pushing it, until it becomes true.”  You don’t go to Heaven by performing good works.  But the more that lie is presented the more readily it will be accepted as fact.

So many Bible verses teach that salvation isn’t because of good deeds.  I could quote Titus 3:5, Acts 13:39, Romans 3:28, it’s actually stated several times in Galatians 2:16 alone – repetition aids learning.  But check out this passage from Ephesians 2: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith…it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (verses 8-9; italics added for emphasis).  It is by grace, through faith, that a person can be assured of Heaven one day, not as a result of accruing enough points through good works.

 

You see, grace is God giving us something that we don’t deserve to get.  Grace is God saying, “I have a free gift for you.”  Grace is unmerited favor.  Bill Oudemolen once put it this way in a sermon: “I believe Satan’s greatest lie about God is God delights in rewarding human effort.  ‘God helps those who help themselves.’  Which, by the way, is not in the Bible.  God doesn’t help those who help themselves; God helps those who don’t deserve it.  God bestows unmerited favor.”

There’s more I want to say, but that will be in the next part.  For today, I’ll conclude with this: Constantine Campbell in his helpful book: “Grace: Accepting God’s Gift to You” writes a memorable true story.  He tells about how at the 1998 Golden Globe awards, actor Vine Rhames won a Golden Globe.  Rhames surprised everyone by asking Jack Lemmon to join him on the stage.  When Lemmon did so, Rhames said, “I believe that being an artist is about giving.  And I would like to give this to you, Mr. Jack Lemmon,” and he handed his Golden Globe Award to Lemmon!  Jack Lemmon received the award and said that this gesture was one of nicest, sweetest moments of his life.  Beloved readers, only one word can describe that event: grace. 

To be continued!      

Forever in my heart

I’ve been thinking about a specific scene from the TV show “When Calls the Heart” of late.  A little boy named Cody, probably 8 years old or so, begins acting out of character.  He is angry, getting in fights, and ditching homework.  But Jack Thornton knows what is provoking the errant behavior.  Jack and Cody share a poignant talk.  

“You’re upset because you miss your dad,” Jack states. “That’s why you’re getting into fights; that’s why you won’t finish your essay.  Because it hurts to think about him.  It hurts to be alone.  It hurts to not have the people you love to tell you it’s going to be OK.”  “You don’t know anything,” Cody replies.  “Yeah, I do," Jack answers.  "Because I lost my dad, too.”  At this point, Cody finally begins to listen.

“It feels like someone took something from you,” Jack continues.  “Like there’s a giant hole inside of you.  But one day, that feeling that you’re feeling right now is going to go away, I promise.  But just because your parents aren’t here doesn’t mean they’re not with you.  You’ve got them right in here,” pointing to the boy’s heart, “every moment of every day.”  The two share an embrace.  Apparently, these writers know something about personal loss; take it from someone who knows, Jack’s words ring true. 

Even though my dad is in eternal paradise with God in Heaven, today is still his birthday.  Dad loved to take pictures.  So I want to present a few pictures that capture his life.  

Dad at the radio station - in 1973

Dad lived out the vow "til death do us part"

Love this one.  Dad with my Grandpa (and DeJean the dog)

A bit blurry, but I love it.  Father's Day, 2011.  Dad with my brother and me, and my niece, Anna

Dad expressing his faith in God by praying - his on-air prayers were always memorable

Dad took thousands of photos of God's creation - I love this one!

Jerry Bauer - my dad - will always be with me, in my heart

John 15:5 revisited (part 2)

We’ve been contemplating John 15:5 of late.  Today I want to focus on this question: what does Jesus mean when He says “abide in Me”?  In John 15, Jesus presents an analogy of a vine and a branch.  He invites us to abide in Him.  But what exactly does it mean to abide?  And if we realize that we aren’t abiding in Him, how can we decide to do so?

According to my Bible concordance, synonyms for this word are “stay, remain, live, dwell.”  I love the way one translation puts Jesus’ words: “I am the Vine, you are the branches.  Get your life from Me.  Then I will live in you and you will produce much fruit” (italics added for emphasis).  To abide simply means to draw life from Christ.  But how does that work exactly?  What are the mechanics of this?  First, you have to establish a right relationship with God, through Jesus.  I’m not going to spend a lot of time on this, but it is extremely important.  You can’t abide in Jesus if you don’t have a real relationship with Him. 

Secondly, be in fellowship with Christ.  It is possible to be in genuine relationship with God and yet not be in fellowship with Him.  For instance, is it possible to be married and not be in communion and intimacy with your spouse?  Of course it is.  Is it possible to be a child and not be in close fellowship with your parents?  The answer is yes.  You are still their child forever; that relationship remains intact, no matter what.  The issue is your lack of fellowship with them.  The same is true with our relationship with God.

I wonder if you can relate to this subject matter as strongly as I do as I write it.  There are episodes in my life where I run after things that are essentially plastic, stale substitutes.  I should know better, but the old hymn had it right, my heart is “prone to wander.”  In those incidents, salvation isn’t lost, but my fellowship and relational intimacy with God is affected.  Psalm 16:4 says, “Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god” (NKJV).  If you can resonate, may I remind you that Jesus is the vine?  Get your life from Him.  In fact, the Bible even declares that He is your life (Colossians 3:4).  Run back to Him.  He wants to restore and embrace you.

Abiding in Christ isn’t a formula; it’s a relationship.  Abiding in Christ isn’t checking off a set of boxes to make sure you’ve done the things needed to ensure that you are abiding.  It’s looking to Jesus daily – hourly – to sustain, fill, and empower you.  Let me conclude with this: Stephen Skelton in his book “The Gospel according to the World’s Greatest Superhero” writes, “Superman gets his powers from the sun (his body stores solar energy), forging a…link to Christ, who is the Son – and the one we get our power from.”  I love that picture!  Look to the Son to get everything you need.

Kevin 

John 15:5 revisited

In John 15:5 Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches.  He who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit.”  A branch can’t survive when left to itself; it needs to be in connection with the vine.  Jesus is declaring that He is the vine; He is the One that will provide the life, vitality, and sustenance that is needed.  It’s a striking metaphor.  Context is also helpful; a few verses earlier, Jesus stated, in no uncertain terms, “I am the true vine” (verse 1).  What a statement!  Only Jesus can truthfully say that He is the “true vine” because Jesus is the God of the universe in human flesh (Colossians 1:19).

Furthermore, consider this: For Jesus to proclaim that He is the true vine also implies that there are other competing vines that assert that they will provide us with real life, when in reality, they cannot do so.  I’ve been thinking of some of these artificial vines.  There are hundreds of examples, but let me list a few.

For example, some abide in the vine unrestrained sexual expression.  I’m a man who is a virgin in his thirties, so I know very well that we live in a “just do it” world.  Today’s sexually drenched society says not to restrain yourself when it comes to sexual desire.  If a man desires a woman sexually, and she desires him, they should simply jump into bed together, even if it’s just a “one night stand” (to say nothing of the inevitable consequences of such a choice).  But, the truth is, this kind of lifestyle will ultimately leave you feeling empty, unfulfilled, and miserable.

Please don’t misunderstand me on this one.  I’m not saying that sex is dirty or wrong.  Far from it.  I’ll never forget the analogy I read when I was a teenager.  The author likened sex to a fire.  When it is used properly, the writer explained, fire is a source of warmth, comfort, and security; however when it goes out of bounds, it becomes a source of destruction that can obliterate an entire forest.  Many today who have ruined their life through abiding in the vine of unrestrained sexual expression would attest to the truthfulness of that illustration.

 

But make no mistake about it, God Himself created sex.  As the author of such an incredible gift, He knows – and repeatedly advocates in His Word – that sex is best in the confines of marriage (see Hebrews 13:4 for one example).  Someone may want to ask, “Why so many rules?  Why can’t we live without them?”  Rob Petrie, in an episode of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” put it so well when he said, “Marriage, like a lot of other things, has boundaries.  To some guys those boundaries represent walls and that makes marriage a prison to them.  But to other guys, those boundaries hold everything that is good and fun in life.”  And, of course, his words apply to both men and women.

   

Secondly, some people abide in the vine of sports.  I recently saw a commercial that was advertising an upcoming preseason football game for the Denver Broncos that illustrates this.  This declaration was made: “We don’t just cheer for the Broncos; we live for the Broncos.”  Well, I hate to have to break it to you, but if you “live” for the Broncos (or any team for that matter) you will ultimately be disappointed.  You are not hearing me say that it is wrong to watch sports.  In its proper place, sports can be delightful.  I certainly look forward to the upcoming NFL season.  But if you make it more than it’s supposed to be, you will discover that it is an imitation vine that is incapable of providing nutrition to the branch.

I could go on.  I could mention climbing the corporate ladder; achieving college degrees; the accomplishing of dreams; even the gift and sanctity of marriage.  These are all wonderful things, but they will not – and indeed cannot – give life.  Jesus Christ, the God of the universe, the lover of your soul, said “I am the true vine” (John 15:1).  He said, “I am the vine; you are the branches.  He who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit” (verse 5).  If you’ve been clinging to an artificial, imitation vine, I invite you to abide in Jesus instead.  He will fill you up; He will provide you with the nourishment, life, and sustenance you need.  That’s exactly what He did for me.

Kevin