The Colors of Cloth and Interpreting Scripture

Well? What colors do YOU see?

Quite the internet controversy exploded last night -- and it was all over the color of a dress. Somebody posted a picture of a clearly blue dress with obviously black trim and asked what color it was. Turns out, many, many people believed the dress to be white, and with gold trim. My wife was among these people. So convinced was she of its color that she honestly thought I must be kidding when I told her I saw blue and black. Likewise, anyone who declared the dress white and gold, I thought must plainly be deluded.

This was such a mystery that even experts began to weigh in, from researchers to science magazines, opinions began to flow like water over not only the true color of the clothing in question but as to how everyone was seeing something different. However, unless the manufacturer of the dress actually comes forward with the truth, we may never honestly be sure.

What fascinates me here is the simple fact that so many people can't seem to agree over something so simple. My wife and I literally looked at the same image on the same computer screen, yet saw two completely different things. Even when she conceded that she could see how it may appear tinted blue in the shadows, I was taken aback, because to me it was as blue as the Summer sky. Likewise, when I said I thought perhaps the light was making the black fringe look like gold, she incredulously exclaimed she couldn't see any black at all. Still others had other varieties of interpretation. So, whatever the cause -- whatever the experts have to say about it -- the one thing we know for sure is this: two people can look at the exact same thing and see something completely different from one another.

Scripture is sometimes like this, too -- particularly when we get to some of those grayer areas of interpretation. I'm often shocked, when discussing Scripture, to find disagreement in the interpretation of a passage I'd previously believed to be black and white. That someone could possibly disagree on a matter I'd thought to be more than obvious. We'd be looking at the same passage -- comparing from the same translations, even, yet seeing completely different things.

Now, this isn't an apologetic for relativism. There is a single Truth. Just as that dress is either actually blue or actually white, Scripture actually says what it actually says. But, like the dress, we sometimes need to hear from the manufacturer to be sure what, exactly, we're looking at.

Paul points out this reality in his letters to the Corinthians:

And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. ² For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. ⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ⁵ so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Cor 2:1-5)

And the Ephesians: 

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit^[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. (Eph 1:17)

So what can we learn from this? Well, when it comes to Scripture, we can see how vital it is to be in tune with God when examine His word -- how important to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to "rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15)." Only, don't wait until you find someone who disagrees with you before you do. 

Study the Word of God, but do so prayerfully, seeking guidance from the One who inspired it. And in so doing, you can know that, no matter what anyone else sees, the Maker knows for sure.

The Point, We Have Missed It

I had an interesting discussion online the other day. I said some things about church doctrine in general, and was asked whether I believed doctrine was important in defining our beliefs. It's a good question, and I certainly think it has its place. But with a few caveats.

Doctrine is constantly changing; God's word doesn't. Doctrine is made by man, who is fickle and double-minded; God is neither.

Doctrine can be a good thing, so long as it compliments God's word rather than contradicts. When the doctrine of man is elevated to the status of Scripture, we have a problem. When a church begins defining sin based on its own set of extrabiblical beliefs, it has lost its way. When it preaches Christ is A way to Salvation instead of THE way, it has lost its way. When it elevates the trappings of religion and religiosity over the "religion God finds pure and undefiled" (James 1:27), it has lost its way.

We miss the point because we let doctrine first define, and then separate.
We split the church over dunking or sprinkling, and we miss the point.
We declare Holy Communion exists only inside the walls of the church, or only when we use bread, or unleavened bread, or holy blessed wafers, or red wine, or grape juice, and we miss the point.
We elevate the rich over the poor, and we miss the point. By a mile.
We pull out the parts of Scripture we don't personally like, and we miss the point.
We declare ourselves outside of Israel's law because of Grace, but saddle the Body with laws we invented, because we missed the point.

Doctrine can indeed be useful in defining what we believe, but that doctrine must be informed first and only by Scripture.  And doctrine must not be used to separate believers. We must instead look past the surface, into the commonality we have in Christ, and find unity.

 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (James 1:26-27)

And He Will Be Called: Wonderful Counselor

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

For many of us, our first prayer is a cry for help. Often, we're looking for a way out of some mess in which we've found -- or, usually, gotten -- ourselves. This cry for salvation will set the tone for our relationship with Him in the future. Salvation from sin. Help from trouble. And of course, there's nothing wrong with this -- it is in Jesus' very nature to assist in time of need. 

But sometimes, I find myself crying out for help because of a failure on my own part: the failure to look to Him first for guidance. We look at Scripture, and find Jesus healing, and preaching, and prophesying... but we don't look beyond to see Him as the Wonderful Counselor. The wise friend we can trust to be honest, forthright, and -- importantly -- always right. 

It's easy to go to our friends for advice on finances, or our marriage, or our children. But what about Jesus? I admit, I sometimes forget to ask Him. I'll ask advice from my dad, my friends, my pastor -- all of whom can offer wise counsel, for sure. But then I forget to ask God what He would have me do. 

Job was somebody in dire need of good counsel. His friends sought to give him advice, and failed miserably. His wife offered equally horrific advice ("curse your God and die," I believe). But through the noise, Job remembered where to look for true wisdom: “To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his." (Job 12:13)

David, whose life was often fraught with threat and trouble, also knew to whom he could turn when he needed a word of wisdom. "I will praise the Lord who counsels me," he says in Psalm 16:7. "Even at night, my heart instructs me."

This week, I'm taking the time out to reflect on the names of the Messiah, given in Isaiah 9. Today, I remember He is rightly called "Wonderful Counselor," and it is my prayer that I take His name to heart. When I need advice, a word of wisdom, my God and my Savior is also my Wonderful Counselor, and I can always trust in His word.

Like Loaves And Fishes, But With Words

I've noticed lately that, whenever I pick up the Bible,  I read something entirely new. It isn't that I haven't read a particular passage before -- even several times before -- but that every time I re-read, I find an entirely new insight or application to my life. That there are layers upon layers to what God reveals through each individual piece of Scripture.

This shouldn't be surprising, when you think about it. Doesn't Hebrews call it The Living Word? In chapter 4, verse 12, in fact, we read, "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Our God is eternal. His wisdom is eternal. 1 Corinthians 1:25 says, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."

So how arrogant was I to believe, even for a second, that I had anything like a full understanding of His word?

The truth is, where God is infinite, His very words must also be infinite. Each one of God's words must be worth so much more than our own could ever be -- and indeed when you read and re-read what He has inspired, reading under His inspiration, you can't help but see that is exactly the case. Like an onion,  you can savor His words, peeling layer after layer after layer, and finding each meaning more powerful than the last.

And, I'm growing to learn, with each new understanding can only come the desire for more. 

Kind of like the National Debt

Did you know the NIV version of the Bible uses the word, "Inheritance" 220 times? The land, as an inheritance for Israel. A father's passing down to his sons. The inheritance, down generations, of God's promises.

I was reading a column yesterday, in which the author discussed her children's genetic inheritance from her and her husband. Her eyes. His math skills. Her tendency to faint upon even reading about blood.

It made me think about what my wife and I have passed to our children. My son has my eyes and dimples; his Mom's hair. In fact, all my kids got their mother's hair, except the unruliness of my daughter's, which comes from my side of the family. My daughters also got my wife's creativity and compassion; my son wound up with my analytical and sarcastic streaks. And, there are less pleasant aspects of our own personalities -- aspects trained away by maturity and prayer, and some with which we are still dealing, even now -- which are also cropping up in our kids. A sense of humor that can, occasionally, not know when enough is enough. A sudden flare of temper.

Scripture reminds us that sin is also in our DNA. An inheritance from the beginning of Man's journey on Earth.

To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. (Romans 5:13-14)

As children of the World, Death is our inheritance. However, as adopted Children of God, we have a new inheritance to which we can look forward. The promises of God, passed down from generations, are now ours as His Children.

In fact, in Romans 5, Paul continues his discussion of our original inheritance of sin and death, when he says that the sacrifice of Christ covers over that original condition:

... just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. (vs 18-19)

Death is in our blood. Passed from father to son like eye color. But the inheritance of Life is found in His blood, for those who will accept it.

Oh, Lord, Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

We live in a technological age which makes it both easy and convenient to communicate without speaking. This has not, of course, come without a price. I dare say while our ability to communicate has increased exponentially,  our skill at doing so has suffered greatly. We talk about everything -- our pets, our fears, our baggage -- without actually saying anything. And when we do have something to say, meanings can be lost in a digital world of typewritten words without voice or inflection. We have gained efficiency at the price of nuance.

What I mean to say is, thanks to technology, we can now be misunderstood, misrepresented, and accidentally offensive at greater speeds and rates than ever before. Turn that into a marketing slogan.

Some of being misunderstood, of course, is the fault of the listener. Communication is, after all, a two-way street. Sometimes this is willful misunderstanding -- a person may simply choose to ignore what you mean in order to attack what you said (we'll explore those motives another time). And sometimes, it is simply a genuine misapprehension.  This is something with which Jesus dealt throughout his entire ministry. His own disciples, in fact, were notorious for just not getting it.

The key, however, to being understood more often lies, not with the listener, but with you: the speaker. How easy it is to say the wrong thing! And when the internet, or a text message is involved, even easier. Because then, you don't have to see the face of the person. You're not held responsible, by that look of hurt or passing anger,  for the things you have said, no matter how well-intentioned.

But the Bible warns us about the danger inherent in our tongues. That, in fact, communication is itself potentially a deadly weapon. Proverbs 12:18 says, "The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." 

If Solomon had known about Facebook,  maybe he would have mentioned fingers, too.

Save Tomorrow For Tomorrow

The hits just keep coming,  as more and more bad news filters out of the Middle East. We watch the growing unrest, and have to wonder: what's coming next? Is this it? Is this the beginning of the End? I'll be honest: I don't know, and I'm not going to speculate. I was not gifted with prophetic insight and, though I could probably make a few guesses here and there, they would be only that: guesses.

But you know what? The good news is, we don't have to guess. As a matter of fact, Jesus says that, if we are focused on those things over which we have no control, we're missing the point.

Matthew 6:33-34 says, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

As Christ-followers, we have things we need to focus on. A job to do. To "Go into the world and make disciples..." We are not to focus on tomorrow, because we have work to do today. Instead, we know that Our God knows what's coming tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that, until the End of the Age. He doesn't want us focusing on that, which is why He said we'll never know (Matthew 24:36).

We must, for sure, be concerned about those living and working under these terrifying circumstances. We must lift them up to God in prayer. But let us do that today,  and focus on God's work for us this moment, and give tomorrow to the One who already knows how it all turns out.

God In The Midst of Tragedy

Yesterday was the anniversary of the biggest, most wide-scale tragedy, certainly in my own lifetime. The words Nine Eleven, now forever etched in the American collective consciousness, as the day we lost 3,000 fellow countrymen, and were catapulted into war and political turmoil. A day where sadness mixed, for many, with rage, and with confusion, but also with hope and love. 

Many of us took to our knees that day, while still others decried the very existence of God. “Why,” they said, “would a loving God allow such a thing to happen?”

This, of course, wasn’t the first time in history such a question was asked, nor the last. The question is asked, often on a smaller scale, every hour of every single day. Why do bad things happen to good people? Does God even care? If He does, can He do anything about it? Or does He exist at all?

Romans 8:28 tells us, “… that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Not, you will note, that God MAKES these things happen. Rather, God allows them to happen. He allows mankind to act, and allows him the consequences of those actions. BUT, we can have faith that, even in the midst of tragedy, the Creator of the Universe WILL turn those curses into blessings. 

Remember what Joseph told his brothers. They cast him into a well, sold him into slavery. He spent time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. But, when the time came, and his family needed him, God had put him into a position of authority, and enabled him to help his family, and indeed the entire region. Joseph said to his brothers, “And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. (Gen 45:5)”

Joseph’s brothers meant to do evil to him. And it was many years before Joseph could learn the plan God had for him. The good God had in store didn’t come right away, but Joseph kept his faith, and when the time came, God rewarded that faith, and used Joseph to accomplish His holy purpose.

The question, then, is not WHY do bad things happen, but instead, WHEN bad things happen, who do YOU trust to work those tragedies into blessings?

Hoax!

Another day, another celebrity death hoax. 

Yesterday, it was Morgan Freeman (don’t worry… he’s still alive and well). It’s always a little surprising to me how quickly these sorts of rumors spread, and how even otherwise intelligent people are the ones passing them on. It is as though, when it comes to Celebrity Mortality, Facebook and Twitter are the prime authorities, and we forget just how easy it really is to find the truth before passing along the information. You don’t even have to leave the Internet to find the real story, but suddenly, typing an actor’s name into a search engine becomes a task we don’t even consider in the face of his untimely demise. 

Or maybe, some things are just too juicy, too good, to be bothered with fact-checking. In that thirty seconds it takes to Google “Morgan Freeman,” somebody else within our circle of influence might beat us to the punch! 

Unfortunately, we can often act the same way when it comes to the Word of God. I’ve lost count of how many times the world was supposed to end last year, at least according to some supposedly Christian “prophet” or another. And don’t even get me started on the whole Mayan Calendar thing. 

But of course, false doctrine usually comes on a far less grand scale. Tiny heresies we find ourselves embracing, because they’re just too good to let go. And yet, so often, the answer – the Truth – is right in front of us, if we just open the Word of God. 

2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

Test what you hear. Does it line up with Scripture?

When you hear something on the Internet, you check it against a reliable news source.

When you hear something about GOD, however, we can check it against the Good News, and see what God HIMSELF has to say.