Last time we tried to come to grips with what it means to know God. It is, however, one thing to define it; it is quite something else to experience it. Let us then consider a number of pointers or guidelines to help us forward on this road of the highest of human callings.
1. I must realise that I have no greater calling than the pursuit of the knowledge of God.
Micah 6:8: "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (remember our emphasis last time on the personal relationship with God).
Phil 3:8-10: "... I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord ... I want to know Christ ..."
The Westminster Shorter Catechism: "What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever" (Q&A 1).
2. Let me embrace this fact with both arms: It is God's will to reveal Himself to me and walk in fellowship with me.
This is what lies at the heart of His promises for the New Covenant (Hos 2:18-19; Jer 31:31-34). This is what it is all about: that we shall be His people and that He shall be our God.
3. My focus must be God personally - in other words, the Giver and not the gifts!
Can there be a greater insult than to show an interest in somebody only for what you can get out of him?
4. God can only be known in and through Christ.
This is vital! It can never be overemphasised!
The incarnate Word is God's supreme, perfect and final revelation to us (Jn 1:14; 14:8-9). It is impossible to have a proper knowledge of God without looking continuously and intensely at our Lord Jesus Christ. "The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being..." (Hb 1:3). Christ is the clearest window through whom we see who God really is (2Cor 4:6).
Moreover, Christ is the one and only Mediator between God and man. Without Him there is no fellowship with God (Jn 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1Tm 2:5).
5. This revelation comes to us through the Word and the Spirit.
It is so that God's eternal power and deity is evident from nature - His general revelation (Rm 1:20). But this is not sufficient to lead us to a saving and personal knowledge of God. For this we are dependant on His special self-revelation in Christ - as recorded in the Bible. Without the Word we can never know the living God as we should.
This does not mean that I need simply to study the Bible as I would any other book. God's revelation, especially the deep truths of the New Covenant, remains hidden unless we are enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The responsibility to seek the knowledge of God is mine, but I will only make any progress if I do so in prayerful dependence on the Spirit's work (1Cor 2:6-16).
6. Without regular, disciplined and persistent prayer we will not progress one millimetre along this road of the highest calling.
It is after all in prayer that we experience the most intimate fellowship with God.
Question and answer 116 of the Heidelberg Catechism puts it like this: Why is prayer necessary for Christians? Because it is the chief part of the thankfulness which God requires of us, and because God will give His grace and Holy Spirit to those only who with hearty sighing unceasingly beg them of Him and thank Him for them.
7. The knowledge of God will always bring about a measure of emotional experience.
Can there ever be a love relationship without emotion? But here too the norm for all genuine Christian experience applies: it can only be trusted as authentic if it is rooted in Biblical truth.
8. God reveals Himself only to a faith that is childlike and utterly dependant.
Never are we more dependant, and never do we need more faith than when we concern ourselves with His self-revelation. Augustine said, "If you do not believe, you will not understand". it is as simple as that. The old Puritan Thomas Watson said, "Faith is the main artery of the soul".
In this connection Hb 11:6 is of the utmost importance: "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (NASB). Man can accomplish much without faith, but nothing that will please God.
Without faith there can be no salvation. But more than that, faith lies at the heart of our daily walk with the Lord. By faith the unseen becomes visible, the inconceivable becomes possible. Faith is the hand with which I take hold of His gifts.
9. God reveals Himself only to the humble.
Do not expect to progress in the knowledge of God if you are a proud and choosy know-all. That is why the Lord Jesus says in Mt 11:25-27: "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure ... No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
10. The knowledge of God is not for casual and double-minded seekers.
The knowledge of God is something to which we must "press on" in a resolute, disciplined and persistent manner (Hos 6:3). "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jer 29:13).
All the men and women of God throughout the ages, in Biblical times and thereafter, have pursued the knowledge of God with a holy hunger.
This was the case with Moses. Exodus 32-34 make for thrilling reading! Already in 33:11 we read that God spoke to Moses "face to face as a man speaks with his friend". Then Moses comes to a full realisation of the seriousness of his calling to lead his people and he prays, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favour with you" (13).
To this God then replies, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name" (17).
But, while Moses is duly thankful that the Lord has granted his request, he is afraid that he may merely have received the ability to know God's ways and to lead the people correctly. Wonderful as this is, there is something that he desires above all else, something without which he cannot live and which he is afraid God will stop short of. What holy boldness he has: "Now show me your glory" (18)!
God responds positively, but not without qualification: yes, He will pass before Moses in all His majesty, but Moses must realise that there are limits. No-one may see God in all His glory and live. Therefore He will cover his servant with His own hand in the cleft of a rock until He has passed by. He will then take away His hand so that Moses may see His back (19-23).
The fulfilment we find in Ex 34:5-7: "Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation'".
Afterwards, when Moses begged the Lord to remain Israel's God, in spite of their sinfulness, He renewed the covenant with them (10).
Nothing pleases the Lord more than a desire such as the one expressed by Moses. And if we persist in our prayers, the Holy Spirit will increase our capacity to know Him, intensify our longing for Him, and fulfil our desires more and more.
11. Those who are zealous to live a holy life and serve Him in loving devotion, are the ones who progress in the knowledge of God.
Man was created in God's image. That image was seriously marred by the Fall. But this is being restored as part of the redeeming work of Christ. Those of us who are united to Christ are being transformed into His likeness (Eph 4:23-24; Col 3:10). That is why we are commanded to be holy as God is holy (1Pt 1:15-16), and to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (Mt 5:48).
It stands to reason that not all of God's attributes will be reflected in man. Some, however, can come to expression, such as His goodness, mercy and love. And we will be able to develop these traits to the extent that we learn to recognise, admire and worship them in Him.
In this connection the promise of the Lord Jesus in Jn 14:21-23 is of the utmost importance: "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him ... If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."
12. The knowledge of God is for those who have worshipping hearts.
God created and re-created us so that we may worship and glorify Him. This is one of the reasons why the Holy Spirit wants to lead us into an ever deepening knowledge of God. But worship is not only the fruit of this knowledge, it is also a root of it. Why would the Spirit lead us ever higher if we do not show our gratitude and awe by richer worship? Truly, worship and the knowledge of God always walk hand in hand.
13. Those who are serious about the knowledge of God must be content to receive not only good things from Him, but also His discipline (Hb 12).
We come to the knowledge of God not so much on the peaks as in the valleys. We know this not only from the lives of the saints through the ages, but from personal experience.
14. Last but not least, I myself have to walk the mountain track to the peaks of the knowledge of God.
Of course it will help to link arms with my brothers and sisters who have the same passion burning in their hearts. True Christian experience is often corporate by nature. But in the final analysis everybody must carry his or her own pack. There are in any case long stretches of the climb where the ledges can only be negotiated by one person at a time - and increasingly so the higher we progress.
Nico van der Walt
Saturday, May 18, 2013
EE 31 - JOHN 17:3 : THE ESSENCE OF ETERNAL LIFE [1]
In the process of becoming a mature Christian I must master many Biblical truths. What is more, my priorities must undergo many adjustments. But the calling above all others, is the unspeakable privilege of growing in the knowledge of God. As the Lord Jesus says here in His high priestly prayer, it is the essence of eternal life. More than anything else it will dominate for all eternity the life of everyone who is savingly united to Christ.
Over and over again the Bible emphasises the importance of the knowledge of God.
In Jer 9:23-24 the Lord says, "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight."
Hosea often deals with this subject. In Hos 2:19-20 (ESV) the Lord promises, "And I will betroth you to me for ever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord." The prophet then goes on to mourn the fact that his people are "destroyed for lack of knowledge" (4:6). What is the knowledge he is talking about? He provides the answer a few verses earlier in 4:1: "Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land ..." Finally Hosea makes a passionate appeal to his countrymen in 6:3: "Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord." He then backs the call with an assurance from the Lord: "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (6:6).
There are several similar pronouncements elsewhere in the Bible, e.g. Prov 9:10; Ex 33:13 et seq; 2Pt 1:2-3; 1Jn 2:3-4; 4:7-8.
What is this knowledge of God?
❏ To start off, two qualifications.
Firstly, in both Hebrew and Greek the word "to know" carries the idea of knowledge resulting from observation, contemplation and experience. It therefore implies both objective insight and subjective experience. It often carries the meaning of an intimate relationship and intimacy between people. We read, for instance in Gn 4:1 that Adam "knew his wife and she conceived..." (ASV, ESV).
Secondly, if we look at the way knowledge of God is described in the Bible, it is noticeable how often it is tied to an understanding and experience of His attributes and the excellence of His character (comp. Jer 9:24 and Hos 2:18-19, already quoted).
❏ The knowledge of God has three distinguishable but inseparable elements. The extent to which these components are a reality in my life, is the extent to which I know God.
The knowledge of God is
an understanding of that which the Triune God has revealed about Himself,
which hangs together with
an ongoing, conscious and personal walk with Him,
which brings about
an insight into His will and ways.
❏ The first element has to do with understanding that which God has revealed about Himself in Scripture. It is concerned with thought and study. The apostle writes: "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him ..." (1Jn 5:20, ESV).
Because knowledge of God involves much more than mere knowledge of various facts about Him, some think that they can get by without it - a fatal mistake! Why, after all, has God revealed so much about Himself to us?
Without disciplined, thoughtful and prayerful study of what God has revealed about Himself in Scripture one can easily lapse into a quagmire of subjective and one-sided arbitrariness. And the outcome is inevitable: you are misled into creating a god after your own image - leading in effect to idolatry, and all the twisted outcomes in one's life.
He who serves an imaginary God will have to accept imaginary salvation one day!
J.I. Packer has this to say about the study of God's character: “No topic is greater, grander, or more important, and by the same token none is more demanding. It is the theological Mount Everest, and no one ever masters it or does it full justice.”
❏ The second element of the knowledge of God is our personal relationship or fellowship with God. "Enoch walked with God" - like all godly men and women through the ages (Gen 5:22, 24).
My personal relationship with God finds expression in two ways:
on the one hand in my believing identification, my grateful experience, and my reverent recognition of His attributes operating in my life,
and
on the other hand in my believing trust in His promises, my loving commitment to His glory, and my grateful obedience to His commands.
We may never concern ourselves with the theological aspects only. God did not reveal Himself to man merely for the sake of the intellectual and the speculative. No, He revealed Himself to us so that we may worship, love and serve Him accordingly. That is why the Bible, when speaking of God, does not limit itself to abstract statements about Him, but time and again boils it down to experiencing His attributes in personal and ordinary human terms.
The Bible never regards a truth as truly known until it controls the life of the learner. And nowhere is this more apparent than in its teaching about the knowledge of God.
This emphasis helps us to steer clear of lapsing into a mere cerebral and scholastic view about God - a view which may be doctrinally sound but emotionally and spiritually dead.
But then it is also equally important to note that fellowship with God does not consist of having a mere subjective and mystical dialogue with Him.
On the one hand I live in fellowship with God when in faith I view my entire life through the spectacles of the Word and so come to recognise His intimate involvement in all my circumstances and the whole course of my life.
On the other hand I live in fellowship with the Lord when in faith I apply in my life the practical implications of what He has revealed about Himself and his will. In other words, it is my response to His saving initiatives, His ongoing loving faithfulness and His sovereign rule over my life.
In this way the covenant of grace, namely that the Lord shall be a Father to me and that I shall be His child, becomes an everyday experimental reality.
The life of David serves as a beautiful illustration. Take for instance Psalm 139, where he speaks of God's lofty attributes - His omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence. He however does not do so in abstract terms, but as he himself has experienced them. He mentions the name of the Lord six times in the Psalm, and uses personal pronouns that refer to Him approximately thirty times. He also refers to himself about fifty times. Therefore, in David's innermost experience of his faith there are only two persons involved, the Lord and he himself. That is why he does not talk of "He", but of "you", and not of "people" or "man", but of "I".
❏ The third element has to do with insight into God's will and His ways.
In Ex 33:13 (NIV) Moses pleads with the Lord, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favour with you"; and in Ps 103:7 we find the statement, "He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel."
This is about wisdom and ongoing renewal in my way of thinking, which help me to discern clearly my own role in effecting God's will for my life. Nowhere is this principle put more clearly than in Rm 12:2: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."
However, we are concerned here with more than our personal obedience. What is also involved is insight into how God normally deals with this world, His church and His people. It involves an understanding of His precepts, and how His universal principles are to be applied; what are His preferences and dislikes; what pleases Him or raises His anger.
What do we learn from all this?
This is as far as we go with our theme for the present. Actually we have only put a few foundation stones into place. I propose to talk about the practical guidelines for our pursuit of the knowledge of God next time.
In conclusion I would like to make a single appeal to you: Take time to reflect in all honesty and in detail on everything we have been considering.
Ask yourself whether you are really walking with the Lord in a balanced and Scriptural manner. Are all three elements required for a genuine knowledge of God present in your life? Do you really have a personal relationship with the Lord? Are His fingerprints to be seen in your daily existence? Is He really involved with you personally? Can you recognise it? Is your lifestyle marked by trust in God, by loving dedication to Him, by principled and uncompromising obedience to Him?
Why are these questions so important? I think I have a Scriptural mandate to tell you that if you are a stranger to them, you probably have not received eternal life yet.
Do not simply argue that you have always been a good churchgoer and a believer. Many of us come from backgrounds where lopsided thinking about these matters have been the norm rather than the exception. Often there is either a one-sided emphasis on the purely intellectual, or an over-reaction manifesting itself in emotionalism.
No! No! Examine yourself to ensure that your faith is true and authentic (2Cor 13:5). This is vitally important, because the Bible frequently warns us against false doctrine, self-deception and an expectation about eternal salvation that may prove to be in vain.
And if you fail the test? Then you go to the Lord in humility and plead for His mercy. And persevere until He answers you. He has promised his grace in Christ to people who approach Him like this.
May the Lord in His mercy and through His Spirit grant us the ability to carry out this self-evaluation in a sober, honest and mature way!
Nico van der Walt
Over and over again the Bible emphasises the importance of the knowledge of God.
In Jer 9:23-24 the Lord says, "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight."
Hosea often deals with this subject. In Hos 2:19-20 (ESV) the Lord promises, "And I will betroth you to me for ever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord." The prophet then goes on to mourn the fact that his people are "destroyed for lack of knowledge" (4:6). What is the knowledge he is talking about? He provides the answer a few verses earlier in 4:1: "Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land ..." Finally Hosea makes a passionate appeal to his countrymen in 6:3: "Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord." He then backs the call with an assurance from the Lord: "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (6:6).
There are several similar pronouncements elsewhere in the Bible, e.g. Prov 9:10; Ex 33:13 et seq; 2Pt 1:2-3; 1Jn 2:3-4; 4:7-8.
What is this knowledge of God?
❏ To start off, two qualifications.
Firstly, in both Hebrew and Greek the word "to know" carries the idea of knowledge resulting from observation, contemplation and experience. It therefore implies both objective insight and subjective experience. It often carries the meaning of an intimate relationship and intimacy between people. We read, for instance in Gn 4:1 that Adam "knew his wife and she conceived..." (ASV, ESV).
Secondly, if we look at the way knowledge of God is described in the Bible, it is noticeable how often it is tied to an understanding and experience of His attributes and the excellence of His character (comp. Jer 9:24 and Hos 2:18-19, already quoted).
❏ The knowledge of God has three distinguishable but inseparable elements. The extent to which these components are a reality in my life, is the extent to which I know God.
The knowledge of God is
an understanding of that which the Triune God has revealed about Himself,
which hangs together with
an ongoing, conscious and personal walk with Him,
which brings about
an insight into His will and ways.
❏ The first element has to do with understanding that which God has revealed about Himself in Scripture. It is concerned with thought and study. The apostle writes: "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him ..." (1Jn 5:20, ESV).
Because knowledge of God involves much more than mere knowledge of various facts about Him, some think that they can get by without it - a fatal mistake! Why, after all, has God revealed so much about Himself to us?
Without disciplined, thoughtful and prayerful study of what God has revealed about Himself in Scripture one can easily lapse into a quagmire of subjective and one-sided arbitrariness. And the outcome is inevitable: you are misled into creating a god after your own image - leading in effect to idolatry, and all the twisted outcomes in one's life.
He who serves an imaginary God will have to accept imaginary salvation one day!
J.I. Packer has this to say about the study of God's character: “No topic is greater, grander, or more important, and by the same token none is more demanding. It is the theological Mount Everest, and no one ever masters it or does it full justice.”
❏ The second element of the knowledge of God is our personal relationship or fellowship with God. "Enoch walked with God" - like all godly men and women through the ages (Gen 5:22, 24).
My personal relationship with God finds expression in two ways:
on the one hand in my believing identification, my grateful experience, and my reverent recognition of His attributes operating in my life,
and
on the other hand in my believing trust in His promises, my loving commitment to His glory, and my grateful obedience to His commands.
We may never concern ourselves with the theological aspects only. God did not reveal Himself to man merely for the sake of the intellectual and the speculative. No, He revealed Himself to us so that we may worship, love and serve Him accordingly. That is why the Bible, when speaking of God, does not limit itself to abstract statements about Him, but time and again boils it down to experiencing His attributes in personal and ordinary human terms.
The Bible never regards a truth as truly known until it controls the life of the learner. And nowhere is this more apparent than in its teaching about the knowledge of God.
This emphasis helps us to steer clear of lapsing into a mere cerebral and scholastic view about God - a view which may be doctrinally sound but emotionally and spiritually dead.
But then it is also equally important to note that fellowship with God does not consist of having a mere subjective and mystical dialogue with Him.
On the one hand I live in fellowship with God when in faith I view my entire life through the spectacles of the Word and so come to recognise His intimate involvement in all my circumstances and the whole course of my life.
On the other hand I live in fellowship with the Lord when in faith I apply in my life the practical implications of what He has revealed about Himself and his will. In other words, it is my response to His saving initiatives, His ongoing loving faithfulness and His sovereign rule over my life.
In this way the covenant of grace, namely that the Lord shall be a Father to me and that I shall be His child, becomes an everyday experimental reality.
The life of David serves as a beautiful illustration. Take for instance Psalm 139, where he speaks of God's lofty attributes - His omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence. He however does not do so in abstract terms, but as he himself has experienced them. He mentions the name of the Lord six times in the Psalm, and uses personal pronouns that refer to Him approximately thirty times. He also refers to himself about fifty times. Therefore, in David's innermost experience of his faith there are only two persons involved, the Lord and he himself. That is why he does not talk of "He", but of "you", and not of "people" or "man", but of "I".
❏ The third element has to do with insight into God's will and His ways.
In Ex 33:13 (NIV) Moses pleads with the Lord, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favour with you"; and in Ps 103:7 we find the statement, "He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel."
This is about wisdom and ongoing renewal in my way of thinking, which help me to discern clearly my own role in effecting God's will for my life. Nowhere is this principle put more clearly than in Rm 12:2: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."
However, we are concerned here with more than our personal obedience. What is also involved is insight into how God normally deals with this world, His church and His people. It involves an understanding of His precepts, and how His universal principles are to be applied; what are His preferences and dislikes; what pleases Him or raises His anger.
What do we learn from all this?
This is as far as we go with our theme for the present. Actually we have only put a few foundation stones into place. I propose to talk about the practical guidelines for our pursuit of the knowledge of God next time.
In conclusion I would like to make a single appeal to you: Take time to reflect in all honesty and in detail on everything we have been considering.
Ask yourself whether you are really walking with the Lord in a balanced and Scriptural manner. Are all three elements required for a genuine knowledge of God present in your life? Do you really have a personal relationship with the Lord? Are His fingerprints to be seen in your daily existence? Is He really involved with you personally? Can you recognise it? Is your lifestyle marked by trust in God, by loving dedication to Him, by principled and uncompromising obedience to Him?
Why are these questions so important? I think I have a Scriptural mandate to tell you that if you are a stranger to them, you probably have not received eternal life yet.
Do not simply argue that you have always been a good churchgoer and a believer. Many of us come from backgrounds where lopsided thinking about these matters have been the norm rather than the exception. Often there is either a one-sided emphasis on the purely intellectual, or an over-reaction manifesting itself in emotionalism.
No! No! Examine yourself to ensure that your faith is true and authentic (2Cor 13:5). This is vitally important, because the Bible frequently warns us against false doctrine, self-deception and an expectation about eternal salvation that may prove to be in vain.
And if you fail the test? Then you go to the Lord in humility and plead for His mercy. And persevere until He answers you. He has promised his grace in Christ to people who approach Him like this.
May the Lord in His mercy and through His Spirit grant us the ability to carry out this self-evaluation in a sober, honest and mature way!
Nico van der Walt
EE 30 - LK 11:5-13 : THE GENEROUS FATHER
Most Christians wrestle with guilty feelings over the fact that they do not pray enough. Sermons and books about prayer are so challenging that one becomes discouraged before you even start praying.
But this is not the Lord Jesus' approach. Lk 11:5-13, following as it does right after the Lord's Prayer, is wonderfully encouraging. We are invited to approach the Father's throne of mercy with boldness and to do so again and again.
What we are taught here should govern our life of prayer as well as our walk with the Lord. Many of our problems with prayer can be attributed to the fact that we are to some extent ignorant of the truths in this teaching.
A rhetorical question (5-8)
In the original the Lord begins with one long rhetorical question which presupposes the reply: Certainly not! (5-7).
It may be paraphrased as follows: Can any one of you imagine having a friend - to whom you go at midnight to borrow bread, because you have an unexpected guest - who would refuse to get out of bed, sending you away with a number of silly excuses?
This was unthinkable in a culture in which hospitality and good neighbourliness was valued much more highly than today!
In v. 8 Jesus then comes to the conclusion: In view of their friendship the man will of course get out of bed! But even if their friendship were insufficient motivation (what a silly idea!) the petitioner's shameless boldness (Greek) would compel the man in bed to assist him. Undoubtedly the midnight-host will get his bread!
Application (9-10)
In v.9 our Lord issues three injunctions in succession: Ask! Seek! Knock! This is of course really one and the same command, only worded in three different ways.
Each of the injunctions is followed by the assurance that obedience to it will not be in vain. Ask, and you will receive! Seek, and you will find! Knock, and the door will be opened!
In the case of all three verbs the tense used in the Greek text indicates ongoing action. This can be interpreted in one of two ways. Jesus either emphasises that we should keep on praying, or that we should always pray. In the former case the idea would be that we should keep on, persist, and not give up. In the latter He would mean that we should pray always, and not be timid - that we should go again and again to the throne of grace!
All this may look like splitting hairs, but the way in which we interpret these injunctions holds far-reaching implications. The first interpretation would convey the message that prayer is not easy, but that perseverance will ultimately be rewarded. The second would constitute a hearty invitation to ask again and again, with the utmost boldness. Which is the correct interpretation? The answer can be found in the very next verse.
Verse 10 starts with the causal conjunction "for". Jesus is thereby indicating that He is about to explain what He meant in the previous verse.
In the original language the words "ask", "seek" and "knock" are present participles. The idea is therefore that while asking, we receive; while searching, we find; while knocking, the door is opened to us.
What the Lord is therefore saying, is not that we will eventually receive after we have prayed for a long time, but that we will receive while praying. So it's clear. Verse 9 is a hearty invitation and an encouraging assurance: make continual prayer part of your way of life and answered prayers will be a daily reality. The Lord is therefore giving us the assurance that any disciple of his will always be welcome at the throne of grace. He is assuring us of the goodwill and generosity of His Father. This is the main point of the parable.
However, Jesus does not want to give his hearers the wrong impression. He is not suggesting that prayer is a superficial exercise. It is not just a matter of asking at your heart's content. He knows that prayer is sometimes a demanding battle, and that persistence is often essential. This is, in fact, what He teaches in Lk 18:1-8. And here in Lk 11 His careful choice of words balances the encouraging invitation above.
What He is saying, as it were, is, "When you pray, you will sometimes get the feeling that your Father is not there. But seek Him purposely and you will find Him. At other times you may get the feeling that He is ignoring you, but knock with determination, and the door will be opened."
This is exactly the way in which a neighbour will assure you of his goodwill: "If you need me, don't hesitate to call on me - night or day. Just remember, I am sometimes in the back garden, so just come and get me there. And I am a tight sleeper, so don't hesitate to hammer on the door!"
Driving it home (1-13)
Our Lord clearly does not wish us to miss this invitation to pray. Again He uses two rhetorical questions to strengthen his point. Will a father give his son a snake when he asks for a fish, or a scorpion when he asks for an egg? Of course not! Pray therefore, it pleases your Father. Pray! Your prayers will be answered! Pray! It is never in vain!
A final rhetorical question drives the conclusion home. Again the answer is crystal clear: If sinful parents know to give only the best to their children, all the more our heavenly Father!
The Father's great gift
In verse 13 the Lord Jesus gives an unexpected twist to His teaching. Contrary to what may be expected from what He has been saying, He does not promise a general answering of prayers, but specifically the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The promise Jesus makes in Mt 7:7-11 is verbally almost the same, but with a more easily understandable ending: the Father gives good gifts to those who ask Him.
Taking all of the above into consideration, we arrive at three very important truths.
Firstly, the Holy Spirit, in fact only He, is God's great gift to Christ's New Testament church. If we have Him, we do not really need anything else. Whatever God and our calling demand of us, we find in Him.
Secondly, believers know that they receive nothing from the Father except on the grounds of Christ's merit. However, we forget only too readily that we also receive nothing of eternal value save through the working of the Holy Spirit. Every good gift that we receive from heaven is, as it were, delivered by the Holy Spirit.
Thirdly, we receive from the Father only that which the Holy Spirit will deliver. He is holy and will bring nothing that is in conflict with His character. He brings only good gifts. We need to keep this in mind when we pray, or else we may end up asking for something that is in conflict with God's will - and of course not receive it.
Four practical implications
1. Jesus encourages us to pray with boldness, not with presumptuous rashness.
These two attitudes differ like day and night.
To be bold in prayer means to appear before the holy God in trusting faith and expectation, in spite of your remaining sin, solely on the basis of the perfect mediatorship of His Son. It means praying in His Name - without hesitance, timidity or fear, but freely and with assurance. It means to pour out your heart before your Father's throne.
On the other hand, presumption in prayer has to do with an attitude of smug self-assurance and self-centeredness, which knows very little of the fear of the Lord, or one's own unworthiness.
2. Our heavenly Father does not wish us merely to pray, but to pray boldly.
While the danger of presumption in prayer is ever present, the absence of boldness is probably a bigger and more general problem. That is why the Bible encourages boldness more often than it warns against presumptuousness in prayer.
Here in Lk 11 Jesus assures us repeatedly of the Father's benevolence towards His children - ten times over. There is hardly another promise that receives greater emphasis in the Bible.
3. Knowledge of God and His promises is the key to boldness and persistence in prayer.
Although the emphasis in Lk 11 is not primarily on perseverance in prayer, it so happens that we can and will persevere because we are convinced of our Father's generosity. After all, the very reason why you keep on hammering on your neighbour's door until he wakes up, is because you are assured of his goodwill. You would only hesitantly knock on the door of an unfriendly neighbour - and only once or twice - before turning away.
Nothing is of greater importance to our prayer life than true knowledge of God - more particularly His goodness, love, grace and covenant faithfulness towards those who are in Christ. It is because we know God in truth that we pray as we ought to - with boldness.
4. Only white-hot prayers reach heaven; cold prayers freeze before they get there.
This saying of the old Puritans is confirmed by many prayers in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. Quite often we come across prayers full of holy impatience - almost to the point of blasphemy. Can you imagine praying like this? "Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us for ever. Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression?" (Ps 44:23-24). "O Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?" (Ps 89:49). "O Hope of Israel, its Saviour in times of distress, why are you like a stranger in the land, like a traveller who stays only a night? Why are you like a man taken by surprise, like a warrior powerless to save? ... do not forsake us! (Jer 14:8-9)
Surely prayers like these would have been blasphemous had they not sprung from hearts aglow with passion for God's honour. But exactly here lies the secret. Nothing pleases God more than a burning zeal for His glory (Num 25:7-13).
How do we get this intensity of zeal for the Lord and His honour. What leads to prayers like those above? There is only one answer: my heart will burn with love and zeal for the Lord to the extent that I know Him! And the higher the flame of love and zeal burns in my heart, the more will I pray boldly - simply because I can not tolerate the dishonouring of His name.
And of course, the man or woman with a white-hot zeal for God can hardly pray a self-centred and presumptuous prayer!
Nico van der Walt
But this is not the Lord Jesus' approach. Lk 11:5-13, following as it does right after the Lord's Prayer, is wonderfully encouraging. We are invited to approach the Father's throne of mercy with boldness and to do so again and again.
What we are taught here should govern our life of prayer as well as our walk with the Lord. Many of our problems with prayer can be attributed to the fact that we are to some extent ignorant of the truths in this teaching.
A rhetorical question (5-8)
In the original the Lord begins with one long rhetorical question which presupposes the reply: Certainly not! (5-7).
It may be paraphrased as follows: Can any one of you imagine having a friend - to whom you go at midnight to borrow bread, because you have an unexpected guest - who would refuse to get out of bed, sending you away with a number of silly excuses?
This was unthinkable in a culture in which hospitality and good neighbourliness was valued much more highly than today!
In v. 8 Jesus then comes to the conclusion: In view of their friendship the man will of course get out of bed! But even if their friendship were insufficient motivation (what a silly idea!) the petitioner's shameless boldness (Greek) would compel the man in bed to assist him. Undoubtedly the midnight-host will get his bread!
Application (9-10)
In v.9 our Lord issues three injunctions in succession: Ask! Seek! Knock! This is of course really one and the same command, only worded in three different ways.
Each of the injunctions is followed by the assurance that obedience to it will not be in vain. Ask, and you will receive! Seek, and you will find! Knock, and the door will be opened!
In the case of all three verbs the tense used in the Greek text indicates ongoing action. This can be interpreted in one of two ways. Jesus either emphasises that we should keep on praying, or that we should always pray. In the former case the idea would be that we should keep on, persist, and not give up. In the latter He would mean that we should pray always, and not be timid - that we should go again and again to the throne of grace!
All this may look like splitting hairs, but the way in which we interpret these injunctions holds far-reaching implications. The first interpretation would convey the message that prayer is not easy, but that perseverance will ultimately be rewarded. The second would constitute a hearty invitation to ask again and again, with the utmost boldness. Which is the correct interpretation? The answer can be found in the very next verse.
Verse 10 starts with the causal conjunction "for". Jesus is thereby indicating that He is about to explain what He meant in the previous verse.
In the original language the words "ask", "seek" and "knock" are present participles. The idea is therefore that while asking, we receive; while searching, we find; while knocking, the door is opened to us.
What the Lord is therefore saying, is not that we will eventually receive after we have prayed for a long time, but that we will receive while praying. So it's clear. Verse 9 is a hearty invitation and an encouraging assurance: make continual prayer part of your way of life and answered prayers will be a daily reality. The Lord is therefore giving us the assurance that any disciple of his will always be welcome at the throne of grace. He is assuring us of the goodwill and generosity of His Father. This is the main point of the parable.
However, Jesus does not want to give his hearers the wrong impression. He is not suggesting that prayer is a superficial exercise. It is not just a matter of asking at your heart's content. He knows that prayer is sometimes a demanding battle, and that persistence is often essential. This is, in fact, what He teaches in Lk 18:1-8. And here in Lk 11 His careful choice of words balances the encouraging invitation above.
What He is saying, as it were, is, "When you pray, you will sometimes get the feeling that your Father is not there. But seek Him purposely and you will find Him. At other times you may get the feeling that He is ignoring you, but knock with determination, and the door will be opened."
This is exactly the way in which a neighbour will assure you of his goodwill: "If you need me, don't hesitate to call on me - night or day. Just remember, I am sometimes in the back garden, so just come and get me there. And I am a tight sleeper, so don't hesitate to hammer on the door!"
Driving it home (1-13)
Our Lord clearly does not wish us to miss this invitation to pray. Again He uses two rhetorical questions to strengthen his point. Will a father give his son a snake when he asks for a fish, or a scorpion when he asks for an egg? Of course not! Pray therefore, it pleases your Father. Pray! Your prayers will be answered! Pray! It is never in vain!
A final rhetorical question drives the conclusion home. Again the answer is crystal clear: If sinful parents know to give only the best to their children, all the more our heavenly Father!
The Father's great gift
In verse 13 the Lord Jesus gives an unexpected twist to His teaching. Contrary to what may be expected from what He has been saying, He does not promise a general answering of prayers, but specifically the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The promise Jesus makes in Mt 7:7-11 is verbally almost the same, but with a more easily understandable ending: the Father gives good gifts to those who ask Him.
Taking all of the above into consideration, we arrive at three very important truths.
Firstly, the Holy Spirit, in fact only He, is God's great gift to Christ's New Testament church. If we have Him, we do not really need anything else. Whatever God and our calling demand of us, we find in Him.
Secondly, believers know that they receive nothing from the Father except on the grounds of Christ's merit. However, we forget only too readily that we also receive nothing of eternal value save through the working of the Holy Spirit. Every good gift that we receive from heaven is, as it were, delivered by the Holy Spirit.
Thirdly, we receive from the Father only that which the Holy Spirit will deliver. He is holy and will bring nothing that is in conflict with His character. He brings only good gifts. We need to keep this in mind when we pray, or else we may end up asking for something that is in conflict with God's will - and of course not receive it.
Four practical implications
1. Jesus encourages us to pray with boldness, not with presumptuous rashness.
These two attitudes differ like day and night.
To be bold in prayer means to appear before the holy God in trusting faith and expectation, in spite of your remaining sin, solely on the basis of the perfect mediatorship of His Son. It means praying in His Name - without hesitance, timidity or fear, but freely and with assurance. It means to pour out your heart before your Father's throne.
On the other hand, presumption in prayer has to do with an attitude of smug self-assurance and self-centeredness, which knows very little of the fear of the Lord, or one's own unworthiness.
2. Our heavenly Father does not wish us merely to pray, but to pray boldly.
While the danger of presumption in prayer is ever present, the absence of boldness is probably a bigger and more general problem. That is why the Bible encourages boldness more often than it warns against presumptuousness in prayer.
Here in Lk 11 Jesus assures us repeatedly of the Father's benevolence towards His children - ten times over. There is hardly another promise that receives greater emphasis in the Bible.
3. Knowledge of God and His promises is the key to boldness and persistence in prayer.
Although the emphasis in Lk 11 is not primarily on perseverance in prayer, it so happens that we can and will persevere because we are convinced of our Father's generosity. After all, the very reason why you keep on hammering on your neighbour's door until he wakes up, is because you are assured of his goodwill. You would only hesitantly knock on the door of an unfriendly neighbour - and only once or twice - before turning away.
Nothing is of greater importance to our prayer life than true knowledge of God - more particularly His goodness, love, grace and covenant faithfulness towards those who are in Christ. It is because we know God in truth that we pray as we ought to - with boldness.
4. Only white-hot prayers reach heaven; cold prayers freeze before they get there.
This saying of the old Puritans is confirmed by many prayers in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. Quite often we come across prayers full of holy impatience - almost to the point of blasphemy. Can you imagine praying like this? "Awake, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us for ever. Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression?" (Ps 44:23-24). "O Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?" (Ps 89:49). "O Hope of Israel, its Saviour in times of distress, why are you like a stranger in the land, like a traveller who stays only a night? Why are you like a man taken by surprise, like a warrior powerless to save? ... do not forsake us! (Jer 14:8-9)
Surely prayers like these would have been blasphemous had they not sprung from hearts aglow with passion for God's honour. But exactly here lies the secret. Nothing pleases God more than a burning zeal for His glory (Num 25:7-13).
How do we get this intensity of zeal for the Lord and His honour. What leads to prayers like those above? There is only one answer: my heart will burn with love and zeal for the Lord to the extent that I know Him! And the higher the flame of love and zeal burns in my heart, the more will I pray boldly - simply because I can not tolerate the dishonouring of His name.
And of course, the man or woman with a white-hot zeal for God can hardly pray a self-centred and presumptuous prayer!
Nico van der Walt
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
EE29 - ACTS 9:1-9 : WHAT A CONVERSION!
Besides the happenings around the incarnation and death of Christ there could hardly have been an event which had a greater influence on the course of world history than the conversion of Saul, or Paul of Tarsus. After all who, apart from our Lord, has played a greater role in the development of the world's thinking and historical development?
This is indeed the most famous of all conversions. Even non-believers know the story. Luke, the writer of the Book of Acts, writes in some detail about it no less than three times. Here in our text he relates it himself, and later twice reports on how Paul himself describes it in his speeches (Acts 22:1-16; 26:9-18).
A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS CONVERSION
People often talk of a "Damascus Road" conversion, which alludes to Saul's dramatic about-turn to Jesus.
The conversion of one who hated the church.
A dramatic conversion it was indeed. Just think of Saul as he was before the event.
Prior to this chapter Luke refers to Saul three times. In 7:58 it is mentioned that Saul looked after the clothes of those who stoned Stephen. In 8:1 we read that the young Pharisee approved of the murder. And in 8:3 we find his hate-filled persecution of the church.
Luke's choice of words emphasises Saul's bitter and unremitting persecution of Jesus' disciples. Calvin describes him as a wild and bloodthirsty animal.
According to Acts 8:3 Saul "began to destroy" the church. In non-Biblical Greek the word refers to the way in which a wild animal tears a carcass to pieces.
In 9:21 we read that the people were astonished upon hearing that the persecutor of the church had been converted and was preaching the gospel. Is this not the man who "caused havoc" in Jerusalem among those who call on His name? The word they used could be translated as crush or destroy. Paul himself uses the word twice in the letter to the Galatians to describe his obsessive persecution of the church before his conversion (1:13; 23).
Paul was "breathing out murderous threats" against the Lord's disciples (9:1). This expression could also refer to the growling and snorting of wild animals.
No wonder that the apostle in later years said, "In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them" (26:11).
Truly this was a most dramatic conversion in the fullest sense of the word. Within a matter of days the ferocious wolf turned into a lamb - in fact, a loving and caring shepherd.
The Spirit prepared Saul for this moment.
Was Saul's conversion really an out of the blue happening as people seem to think?
Certainly he was changed in a moment from someone full of burning hatred into a broken man who wanted with all his heart to serve the Lord.
But do not think that the Lord had not spoken to him before he went on that journey to Damascus.
In Paul's version of what happened to him (Acts 26) he said that the Lord had spoken to him as he fell to the ground and said, "It is hard for you to kick against the goads" (14). The image used is that of a sharp instrument used to tame a wild animal. The implication is that the Lord had already for some time been breaking him in.
Are there any indications in the Word that this had been the case? Indeed! The Lord prepared Saul over a period for the Damascus road.
What are the goads against which he kicked?
• We may assume that Paul wrestled with doubts even at the time when he was filled with hate against the Christians.
He was about the same age as Jesus and it is most likely that the young rabbi had seen and heard Jesus. How could this intelligent man, versed as he was in the Old Testament Messianic prophesies, not have wondered sometimes about this remarkable Man from Nazareth?
• Another goad must have been Stephen's martyrdom. This godly man's powerful sermon and strong witness simply must have made an impression on this ardent devotee to Judaism. Quite possibly he was in the meeting of the Sanhedrin when they saw how Stephen's face became like that of an angel (Acts 6:15).
• The sharpest goad in Saul's flesh was, however, his own conscience. He could testify later that he had been faultless as far as legalistic righteousness was concerned (Ph 3:6). But to be outwardly exemplary is one thing; what goes on in your mind is something completely different. That is why Paul admits in Rm 7:7 ff. that he had suffered under what went on in his heart. Especially the tenth commandment - against covetousness - gradually convinced him of his depravity.
Once the Holy Spirit starts working on a person's conscience, it is a matter of time before you capitulate.
What we have to recognize therefore, is that Saul's experience on the Damascus road was not merely a sudden conversion, but had probably been preceded by a long process of conviction by the Holy Spirit.
In his conversion Saul was not completely passive.
The Lord's grace was not so overpowering that it ruled out Saul's will and choice.
Yes, the Lord so humiliated Saul that he fell to the ground. But He did not destroy him. He did not make a robot out of Saul. No, the future apostle's mind and will certainly played a role.
In asking Saul, "Why do you persecute me?", the Lord was addressing Saul's mind and conscience. And Saul was not so overcome that he was unable to talk. He asked after all, "Who are you, Lord?" When the Lord replied, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting", the words were etched so deeply in his being that he became and remained for the rest of his life a relentless worker for Christ's honour, gospel, kingdom and church.
Last but not least, Saul could obey a command. He got up and walked to Damascus.
PAUL'S CONVERSION WAS A SOVEREIGN ACT OF GOD
Having said all the above, it must also be stressed that this conversion was an act of sovereign grace on the part of God.
After all, the Lord initiated everything that occurred - the preparatory work, the light from heaven, the voice, the irresistible power. Clearly God decided that the moment had come for Saul's salvation, and thus it was unavoidable.
Furthermore, Paul never tired of stressing in his writings that the Lord had sovereignly taken hold of his life. That is why he wrote in Gl 1:15-16, "God ... set me apart from birth and called me by his grace".
He then goes on to say that God had revealed His Son to him so that he could proclaim the gospel amongst the heathen nations.
Paul's conviction that he had been saved by sovereign grace is strikingly underlined by some of the expressions he uses.
• In Ph 3:12 he says that Christ had taken hold of him. The word also means "to arrest". Ironically, this happened to Paul just before he arrived in Damascus to arrest the Christians!
• In 2Cor 4:6 he compares a true conversion experience to God's sovereign words at creation, "Let light shine out of darkness". Thus, he says, God made His light shine in his heart to give him the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. This, he then says, is the light that shines forth from Jesus Christ.
In 1 Tm 1:14 he writes that the grace of the Lord was poured out on him abundantly. The image he uses is that of a river in flood.
• In this connection Stott in his commentary calls to mind a few metaphors that C.S. Lewis uses in his autobiography (Surprised by Joy) with regard to his own conversion. Lewis writes that the Lord reeled him in like a fish; he felt like a mouse being chased by a cat; it was like a fox being overtaken by a pack of hounds; like a chess player gradually being manoeuvred into a position of checkmate.
WHAT DOES ALL THIS TELL US?
1. Think for a moment of your own conversion.
The circumstances and the manner of every person's conversion to Jesus Christ as Prophet, Priest and King are unique. Each one of us has his or her own story.
It may have been more dramatic or more mundane; it happened to us at different ages; sometimes it happened gradually over a lengthy period, sometimes the fight was over very quickly; sometimes there were tears of remorse, sometimes we were surprised by the joy of our salvation.
But there is always one common factor: it is always a conversion to Jesus Christ! Take Him out of the picture and per definition there cannot be a conversion.
2. Those who are still resisting Jesus Christ must know that there is no way of escaping a meeting with Him.
The Word of God states that every knee shall bow before Him. May the Lord in His mercy grant that you will do so in this present time of grace because millions of people will only come to bend their knees when it is too late.
I cannot therefore let this moment pass. If you are still a passionate opponent of the Holy Spirit I must call on you to turn to the Lord. Do so while you still have time, still have access to His grace. It is free - even to those who hate Christ and his church, like Saul of Tarsus!
3. Those of you who are praying for loved ones, never lose hope - no matter how long it takes!
If the first century's most unlikely candidate for salvation could be turned inside out in the twinkling of an eye, who could possibly evade the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Remember, your prayers are woven into the outworking of God's council!
4. Are you also driven to your knees in adoration at the fact that our King converts ardent enemies to loving and life-long servants?
Truly, for those of us who have been taken hold of by His grace, nothing makes more sense than to love and serve Him with an undivided heart!
Nico van der Walt
This is indeed the most famous of all conversions. Even non-believers know the story. Luke, the writer of the Book of Acts, writes in some detail about it no less than three times. Here in our text he relates it himself, and later twice reports on how Paul himself describes it in his speeches (Acts 22:1-16; 26:9-18).
A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS CONVERSION
People often talk of a "Damascus Road" conversion, which alludes to Saul's dramatic about-turn to Jesus.
The conversion of one who hated the church.
A dramatic conversion it was indeed. Just think of Saul as he was before the event.
Prior to this chapter Luke refers to Saul three times. In 7:58 it is mentioned that Saul looked after the clothes of those who stoned Stephen. In 8:1 we read that the young Pharisee approved of the murder. And in 8:3 we find his hate-filled persecution of the church.
Luke's choice of words emphasises Saul's bitter and unremitting persecution of Jesus' disciples. Calvin describes him as a wild and bloodthirsty animal.
According to Acts 8:3 Saul "began to destroy" the church. In non-Biblical Greek the word refers to the way in which a wild animal tears a carcass to pieces.
In 9:21 we read that the people were astonished upon hearing that the persecutor of the church had been converted and was preaching the gospel. Is this not the man who "caused havoc" in Jerusalem among those who call on His name? The word they used could be translated as crush or destroy. Paul himself uses the word twice in the letter to the Galatians to describe his obsessive persecution of the church before his conversion (1:13; 23).
Paul was "breathing out murderous threats" against the Lord's disciples (9:1). This expression could also refer to the growling and snorting of wild animals.
No wonder that the apostle in later years said, "In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them" (26:11).
Truly this was a most dramatic conversion in the fullest sense of the word. Within a matter of days the ferocious wolf turned into a lamb - in fact, a loving and caring shepherd.
The Spirit prepared Saul for this moment.
Was Saul's conversion really an out of the blue happening as people seem to think?
Certainly he was changed in a moment from someone full of burning hatred into a broken man who wanted with all his heart to serve the Lord.
But do not think that the Lord had not spoken to him before he went on that journey to Damascus.
In Paul's version of what happened to him (Acts 26) he said that the Lord had spoken to him as he fell to the ground and said, "It is hard for you to kick against the goads" (14). The image used is that of a sharp instrument used to tame a wild animal. The implication is that the Lord had already for some time been breaking him in.
Are there any indications in the Word that this had been the case? Indeed! The Lord prepared Saul over a period for the Damascus road.
What are the goads against which he kicked?
• We may assume that Paul wrestled with doubts even at the time when he was filled with hate against the Christians.
He was about the same age as Jesus and it is most likely that the young rabbi had seen and heard Jesus. How could this intelligent man, versed as he was in the Old Testament Messianic prophesies, not have wondered sometimes about this remarkable Man from Nazareth?
• Another goad must have been Stephen's martyrdom. This godly man's powerful sermon and strong witness simply must have made an impression on this ardent devotee to Judaism. Quite possibly he was in the meeting of the Sanhedrin when they saw how Stephen's face became like that of an angel (Acts 6:15).
• The sharpest goad in Saul's flesh was, however, his own conscience. He could testify later that he had been faultless as far as legalistic righteousness was concerned (Ph 3:6). But to be outwardly exemplary is one thing; what goes on in your mind is something completely different. That is why Paul admits in Rm 7:7 ff. that he had suffered under what went on in his heart. Especially the tenth commandment - against covetousness - gradually convinced him of his depravity.
Once the Holy Spirit starts working on a person's conscience, it is a matter of time before you capitulate.
What we have to recognize therefore, is that Saul's experience on the Damascus road was not merely a sudden conversion, but had probably been preceded by a long process of conviction by the Holy Spirit.
In his conversion Saul was not completely passive.
The Lord's grace was not so overpowering that it ruled out Saul's will and choice.
Yes, the Lord so humiliated Saul that he fell to the ground. But He did not destroy him. He did not make a robot out of Saul. No, the future apostle's mind and will certainly played a role.
In asking Saul, "Why do you persecute me?", the Lord was addressing Saul's mind and conscience. And Saul was not so overcome that he was unable to talk. He asked after all, "Who are you, Lord?" When the Lord replied, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting", the words were etched so deeply in his being that he became and remained for the rest of his life a relentless worker for Christ's honour, gospel, kingdom and church.
Last but not least, Saul could obey a command. He got up and walked to Damascus.
PAUL'S CONVERSION WAS A SOVEREIGN ACT OF GOD
Having said all the above, it must also be stressed that this conversion was an act of sovereign grace on the part of God.
After all, the Lord initiated everything that occurred - the preparatory work, the light from heaven, the voice, the irresistible power. Clearly God decided that the moment had come for Saul's salvation, and thus it was unavoidable.
Furthermore, Paul never tired of stressing in his writings that the Lord had sovereignly taken hold of his life. That is why he wrote in Gl 1:15-16, "God ... set me apart from birth and called me by his grace".
He then goes on to say that God had revealed His Son to him so that he could proclaim the gospel amongst the heathen nations.
Paul's conviction that he had been saved by sovereign grace is strikingly underlined by some of the expressions he uses.
• In Ph 3:12 he says that Christ had taken hold of him. The word also means "to arrest". Ironically, this happened to Paul just before he arrived in Damascus to arrest the Christians!
• In 2Cor 4:6 he compares a true conversion experience to God's sovereign words at creation, "Let light shine out of darkness". Thus, he says, God made His light shine in his heart to give him the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. This, he then says, is the light that shines forth from Jesus Christ.
In 1 Tm 1:14 he writes that the grace of the Lord was poured out on him abundantly. The image he uses is that of a river in flood.
• In this connection Stott in his commentary calls to mind a few metaphors that C.S. Lewis uses in his autobiography (Surprised by Joy) with regard to his own conversion. Lewis writes that the Lord reeled him in like a fish; he felt like a mouse being chased by a cat; it was like a fox being overtaken by a pack of hounds; like a chess player gradually being manoeuvred into a position of checkmate.
WHAT DOES ALL THIS TELL US?
1. Think for a moment of your own conversion.
The circumstances and the manner of every person's conversion to Jesus Christ as Prophet, Priest and King are unique. Each one of us has his or her own story.
It may have been more dramatic or more mundane; it happened to us at different ages; sometimes it happened gradually over a lengthy period, sometimes the fight was over very quickly; sometimes there were tears of remorse, sometimes we were surprised by the joy of our salvation.
But there is always one common factor: it is always a conversion to Jesus Christ! Take Him out of the picture and per definition there cannot be a conversion.
2. Those who are still resisting Jesus Christ must know that there is no way of escaping a meeting with Him.
The Word of God states that every knee shall bow before Him. May the Lord in His mercy grant that you will do so in this present time of grace because millions of people will only come to bend their knees when it is too late.
I cannot therefore let this moment pass. If you are still a passionate opponent of the Holy Spirit I must call on you to turn to the Lord. Do so while you still have time, still have access to His grace. It is free - even to those who hate Christ and his church, like Saul of Tarsus!
3. Those of you who are praying for loved ones, never lose hope - no matter how long it takes!
If the first century's most unlikely candidate for salvation could be turned inside out in the twinkling of an eye, who could possibly evade the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Remember, your prayers are woven into the outworking of God's council!
4. Are you also driven to your knees in adoration at the fact that our King converts ardent enemies to loving and life-long servants?
Truly, for those of us who have been taken hold of by His grace, nothing makes more sense than to love and serve Him with an undivided heart!
Nico van der Walt
EE27 - ECCL 12:1 : REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR
Let us look only at the first part of Ecc 12:1: "Remember your Creator..."
In this case the admonishment is directed specifically at young people: "... before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, 'I find no pleasure in them' ".
But this is, of course, a general principle which applies to us all no matter how old we are. So let us look at our text in this way. After all, every Christian, old or young, owes his or her existence and preservation to God our Creator.
THE WORD "CREATOR"
The Biblical concept, to create, is of fundamental theological importance. Throughout the Bible the word has only God as subject - simply because only He can create. We find the verb in the very first verse of the Word: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
• The word conveys the meaning of bringing about something - out of nothing. It therefore implies that the sovereign God is the Source, Owner, Ruler and Maintainer of everything that exists.
• The word is often used in the second part of Isaiah's prophesy (chapters 40-66), in fact 20 times out of a total of 49 in the Old Testament. This part of the book is one of the most comforting portions in the whole of the Old Testament. These two truths, taken in tandem, underline a most important principle: those of us who truly remember our Creator, should not regard the fact that He rules sovereignly over us as a threat, but as a wonderful source of comfort!
Isaiah 45:17-18 puts it in these moving words: "But Israel will be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame or disgraced, to ages everlasting. For this is what the LORD says - he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited - he says: 'I am the LORD, and there is no other.' "
• Here in Ecclesiastics the word "Creator" is used in the plural form. This is often the case in the Old Testament (Job 35:10; Ps 149:2; Isa 54:5). It also brings to mind Gen 1:26: "Let us make man in our image..."
Without a doubt this is an allusion to the three Persons of the Trinity - who were indeed involved in the creation of all things, and are still involved in their preservation.
• The concept "Creator" emphasizes the most basic relationship in which man can stand to God. This is true of each and every person: He made me!
• The words, "Remember your Creator", are not meant to imply that each one of us has his own creator. There are no other creators! What the writer wishes to stress is that every human being must personally and individually think about the Creator of all. He is therefore saying to his readers, you too are a creation of this Creator!
THE WORD "REMEMBER"
The word is intended to convey more that just thinking, reminding yourself, or remembering that you have a Creator. It has a much wider and fuller meaning. Of course we must be mindful of God, but more than that, we must value and cherish our relationship with Him.
But it goes even further than that: the Christian must, with loyalty and faithfulness, live a life that is evidence of the implications and responsibilities that such a relationship implies.
It indicates an attitude of the heart, not just a mental exercise.
God called upon His people continuously to remember Him. But they failed persistently. Hence His reproach that they had forgotten Him.
In Dt 32 the Lord rebukes His people because of their idolatry with the words, "You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth." (18).
And in Isa 51:12-13 He comforts and encourages them (with a mild reproof): "I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass, that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretched out the heavens ...".
HOW WE REMEMBER OUR CREATOR?
Our attitude towards our Maker finds expression in at least five attitudes of heart and ways of living.
1. Acknowledgement
In Him, and in Him alone, you and I have our origin.
By Him I was "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Ps 139:14), He formed my spirit within me (Zech 12:1), He "knit me together in my mother’s womb" (Ps 139:13).
These are the things we must think about and meditate upon over and over again. Look, for instance, at your hands and feet. More than half the bones in your body are located in these four limbs. The hand is capable of an almost unlimited number of functions. The concert pianist uses them to play as many as 120 notes per minute, the surgeon to perform the most delicate of operations. A caressing hand can communicate intense emotion and tenderness. And that same hand is capable of driving a heavy axe deep into a log. And then we have not even considered the brain behind it all!
Marvel at the capabilities of your Creator - and worship Him!
And if you are a true Christian, never think about Him as your Creator without reminding yourself that he is also your Re-creator. Is the greatest of wonders not the heart transplant that you underwent at the moment of your regeneration? That was, after all, the most glorious, was it not!
2. Subjection
God is your Creator and therefore also your indisputable and sovereign Owner. He has absolute authority and say in and over your life. He is the Potter, you are the clay (Rm 9:20-21). He can and will do with you and me as He pleases!
We have no choice but to accept it patiently and submissively - together with all its theological and practical implications.
How threatening this all would have seemed had God not revealed Himself to us as the Most-Benevolent and All-Bountiful. Those of us who are truly His children can trust in Him completely. Those of us who are in Christ can rest assured that everything that happens to us happens for our own eventual good, namely conformity to the likeness of the Son (Rm 8:28-30).
All this takes nothing away from the fact that you and I are answerable to Him and will have to give account to Him. After all, if He is my Maker, I owe Him everything!
Of course this gives rise to the burning question: How can I as sinful being one day stand blameless before Him (Job 4:17; 9:2)? Can there possibly be a more important question?
Let those of us who are in Christ rejoice endlessly that we have in Him the perfect Mediator - that we will indeed stand blameless before our Creator one day, credited with our Substitute's righteousness (Rm 4).
3. Dependence
God is not only my Creator, but also my Keeper - physically, emotionally and spiritually. Would God create someone and then neglect or forget about him or her?
Let us therefore with the greatest confidence offer our prayers and requests and trust and thanks. Approach Him with every need; it pleases and glorifies Him.
To live for yourself and in your own strength is to forget your Creator. To remember Him is to joyfully lay down your so-called independence, and to peacefully and trustingly place yourself in His care.
What a consolation: I have a Father in Christ who looks after me and cares for me - always.
4. Gratitude
Take note of your Creator's kindness. Acknowledge it. Meditate upon it. Train yourself in showing gratitude. What is there in your life that you have not received from Him?
And never forget, you owe it all to the mediatory work and intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ.
5. Devotion
If then everything you are and what you have comes from your Creator, there can be only one suitable response: unqualified and loving obedience. Let it be the single-minded passion of your life. Then you will remember your Creator in the way that pleases Him.
And remember, you cannot devote yourself to your Creator without at the same time devoting yourself to the Son, Jesus Christ. After all, God made the universe through Him (Hb 1:2). And this finds expression in a life of persevering discipleship.
THE ESSENCE OF THE LIFE OF A CREATURE
There can be no deeper or more fundamental transgression before God than to live only for yourself. Not to devote yourself with everything that you have to your Creator in acknowledgement, subjection, dependence, thankfulness and devotion, is criminal to the utmost degree. To ignore your Creator, doing your own little thing, is the most basic and worst of all sin.
The essence of what God demands of us is that we walk with Him. And effectively this means to acknowledge Him in all our ways (Pr 3:6) - in submission, dependence, gratitude and devotion. This is the childlike life of faith on which the Bible so strongly insists.
IMPOSSIBLE FOR NATURAL MAN
To remember his Creator by no means comes naturally to fallen man. On the contrary, since the Fall he has fled from his Creator like a bug from the light. In his fancied independence he pats himself on the back under the illusion that he will be able to cope and work out his own salvation. He either replaces his Creator with all manner of gods made up in his own mind, or else hides himself in religious formalism.
Look around you. If you see a man or woman or child who remembers his or her Creator in faithfulness - whose life is controlled by it from A to Z - you see a person who bears the fingerprints of the Holy Spirit, someone redeemed from the curse of the Fall by Christ's death of atonement. You see a pardoned sinner, lovingly elected by the Father before creation.
Whether you are young or old, do you remember your Creator?
Nico van der Walt
In this case the admonishment is directed specifically at young people: "... before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, 'I find no pleasure in them' ".
But this is, of course, a general principle which applies to us all no matter how old we are. So let us look at our text in this way. After all, every Christian, old or young, owes his or her existence and preservation to God our Creator.
THE WORD "CREATOR"
The Biblical concept, to create, is of fundamental theological importance. Throughout the Bible the word has only God as subject - simply because only He can create. We find the verb in the very first verse of the Word: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
• The word conveys the meaning of bringing about something - out of nothing. It therefore implies that the sovereign God is the Source, Owner, Ruler and Maintainer of everything that exists.
• The word is often used in the second part of Isaiah's prophesy (chapters 40-66), in fact 20 times out of a total of 49 in the Old Testament. This part of the book is one of the most comforting portions in the whole of the Old Testament. These two truths, taken in tandem, underline a most important principle: those of us who truly remember our Creator, should not regard the fact that He rules sovereignly over us as a threat, but as a wonderful source of comfort!
Isaiah 45:17-18 puts it in these moving words: "But Israel will be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame or disgraced, to ages everlasting. For this is what the LORD says - he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited - he says: 'I am the LORD, and there is no other.' "
• Here in Ecclesiastics the word "Creator" is used in the plural form. This is often the case in the Old Testament (Job 35:10; Ps 149:2; Isa 54:5). It also brings to mind Gen 1:26: "Let us make man in our image..."
Without a doubt this is an allusion to the three Persons of the Trinity - who were indeed involved in the creation of all things, and are still involved in their preservation.
• The concept "Creator" emphasizes the most basic relationship in which man can stand to God. This is true of each and every person: He made me!
• The words, "Remember your Creator", are not meant to imply that each one of us has his own creator. There are no other creators! What the writer wishes to stress is that every human being must personally and individually think about the Creator of all. He is therefore saying to his readers, you too are a creation of this Creator!
THE WORD "REMEMBER"
The word is intended to convey more that just thinking, reminding yourself, or remembering that you have a Creator. It has a much wider and fuller meaning. Of course we must be mindful of God, but more than that, we must value and cherish our relationship with Him.
But it goes even further than that: the Christian must, with loyalty and faithfulness, live a life that is evidence of the implications and responsibilities that such a relationship implies.
It indicates an attitude of the heart, not just a mental exercise.
God called upon His people continuously to remember Him. But they failed persistently. Hence His reproach that they had forgotten Him.
In Dt 32 the Lord rebukes His people because of their idolatry with the words, "You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth." (18).
And in Isa 51:12-13 He comforts and encourages them (with a mild reproof): "I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass, that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretched out the heavens ...".
HOW WE REMEMBER OUR CREATOR?
Our attitude towards our Maker finds expression in at least five attitudes of heart and ways of living.
1. Acknowledgement
In Him, and in Him alone, you and I have our origin.
By Him I was "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Ps 139:14), He formed my spirit within me (Zech 12:1), He "knit me together in my mother’s womb" (Ps 139:13).
These are the things we must think about and meditate upon over and over again. Look, for instance, at your hands and feet. More than half the bones in your body are located in these four limbs. The hand is capable of an almost unlimited number of functions. The concert pianist uses them to play as many as 120 notes per minute, the surgeon to perform the most delicate of operations. A caressing hand can communicate intense emotion and tenderness. And that same hand is capable of driving a heavy axe deep into a log. And then we have not even considered the brain behind it all!
Marvel at the capabilities of your Creator - and worship Him!
And if you are a true Christian, never think about Him as your Creator without reminding yourself that he is also your Re-creator. Is the greatest of wonders not the heart transplant that you underwent at the moment of your regeneration? That was, after all, the most glorious, was it not!
2. Subjection
God is your Creator and therefore also your indisputable and sovereign Owner. He has absolute authority and say in and over your life. He is the Potter, you are the clay (Rm 9:20-21). He can and will do with you and me as He pleases!
We have no choice but to accept it patiently and submissively - together with all its theological and practical implications.
How threatening this all would have seemed had God not revealed Himself to us as the Most-Benevolent and All-Bountiful. Those of us who are truly His children can trust in Him completely. Those of us who are in Christ can rest assured that everything that happens to us happens for our own eventual good, namely conformity to the likeness of the Son (Rm 8:28-30).
All this takes nothing away from the fact that you and I are answerable to Him and will have to give account to Him. After all, if He is my Maker, I owe Him everything!
Of course this gives rise to the burning question: How can I as sinful being one day stand blameless before Him (Job 4:17; 9:2)? Can there possibly be a more important question?
Let those of us who are in Christ rejoice endlessly that we have in Him the perfect Mediator - that we will indeed stand blameless before our Creator one day, credited with our Substitute's righteousness (Rm 4).
3. Dependence
God is not only my Creator, but also my Keeper - physically, emotionally and spiritually. Would God create someone and then neglect or forget about him or her?
Let us therefore with the greatest confidence offer our prayers and requests and trust and thanks. Approach Him with every need; it pleases and glorifies Him.
To live for yourself and in your own strength is to forget your Creator. To remember Him is to joyfully lay down your so-called independence, and to peacefully and trustingly place yourself in His care.
What a consolation: I have a Father in Christ who looks after me and cares for me - always.
4. Gratitude
Take note of your Creator's kindness. Acknowledge it. Meditate upon it. Train yourself in showing gratitude. What is there in your life that you have not received from Him?
And never forget, you owe it all to the mediatory work and intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ.
5. Devotion
If then everything you are and what you have comes from your Creator, there can be only one suitable response: unqualified and loving obedience. Let it be the single-minded passion of your life. Then you will remember your Creator in the way that pleases Him.
And remember, you cannot devote yourself to your Creator without at the same time devoting yourself to the Son, Jesus Christ. After all, God made the universe through Him (Hb 1:2). And this finds expression in a life of persevering discipleship.
THE ESSENCE OF THE LIFE OF A CREATURE
There can be no deeper or more fundamental transgression before God than to live only for yourself. Not to devote yourself with everything that you have to your Creator in acknowledgement, subjection, dependence, thankfulness and devotion, is criminal to the utmost degree. To ignore your Creator, doing your own little thing, is the most basic and worst of all sin.
The essence of what God demands of us is that we walk with Him. And effectively this means to acknowledge Him in all our ways (Pr 3:6) - in submission, dependence, gratitude and devotion. This is the childlike life of faith on which the Bible so strongly insists.
IMPOSSIBLE FOR NATURAL MAN
To remember his Creator by no means comes naturally to fallen man. On the contrary, since the Fall he has fled from his Creator like a bug from the light. In his fancied independence he pats himself on the back under the illusion that he will be able to cope and work out his own salvation. He either replaces his Creator with all manner of gods made up in his own mind, or else hides himself in religious formalism.
Look around you. If you see a man or woman or child who remembers his or her Creator in faithfulness - whose life is controlled by it from A to Z - you see a person who bears the fingerprints of the Holy Spirit, someone redeemed from the curse of the Fall by Christ's death of atonement. You see a pardoned sinner, lovingly elected by the Father before creation.
Whether you are young or old, do you remember your Creator?
Nico van der Walt
EE25 - EPH 3:14-21 : AN APOSTOLIC PRAYER [12]
Last time, when we looked at v.19b dealing with our being filled to the measure of the fullness of God, we did not discuss the fact that our full inheritance in Christ will only find perfection at our resurrection. Only then will the full glory that God has prepared for His children from all eternity become a reality. No matter how well we progress in our sanctification in this life, it will always remain only a fraction of our ultimate inheritance.
Just the thought of it compels Paul (in verses 20-21) to burst forth in a lofty song of praise: " … to him be glory ... for ever and ever!"
THE GUARANTEE OF OMNIPOTENCE (3:20)
❏ This song of praise is mainly a rejoicing at the wondrous omnipotence of the Lord (20). Paul is, after all, fully aware of the doubts that sometimes overwhelm us: Will God really be able to fill us with the fullness in Christ that He has promised? Will we really be raised from the dead? Can the children of God really look forward to the glory promised by the Bible? Does God really have the power to raise a body that has been dead for a thousand years?
Here in verse 20 the Word of God gives a very striking answer to all these vexing questions. He could hardly have put it more strongly and with more conviction.
❏ The apostle describes God's omnipotence as seven layers of truth, building on each other:
What God has promised to do for us:
1. He is able to do (He has the power);
2. therefore He can do whatever we ask Him in prayer;
3. it even applies to those things we do not have the courage to ask, but only think;
4. He can do it all (Gr. panta)
5. and He can do even more than that (Gr. huper);
6. even more abundantly (Gr. ekperissos);
7. more abundantly by far (Gr. huperekperissou).
❏ Herein lies the answer to the questions that vex us; herein lies our most wonderful consolation: The omnipotence of the Lord my God will take me to Him one day when the time for my departure from this life arrives. And when the time comes for the resurrection, He will also raise my body in glory, no matter how badly it was ravaged or destroyed at the time of my death or afterwards.
❏ The apostle then continues. What he says is not just wishful thinking. God works "according to his power that is at work within us" (20b). Paul therefore reminds the Ephesians that they have experiential knowledge of this power. It is already at work within them. He does not elaborate on this statement though. He has already done so earlier in the letter, and assumes that what he teaches in chapters 1 and 2 is still fresh in the minds of his readers.
❏ A comparison between this prayer and the one in chapter 1 shows that there is a marked similarity between the two.
In the earlier prayer the apostle prays that his readers may know the riches of God's glorious inheritance in the saints. He then immediately proceeds to talk about God's power - the power that He employs to our benefit (19a).
This power already came into play in Christ's life when the Father raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heaven in a position of authority over the powers of darkness (1:20-23).
However, Paul's argument does not stop here, but is continued into the first ten verses of the next chapter. In 2:5-6 he states that what has happened to Christ has also happened to us (past tense!), although in a different sense. We also have been made alive, raised with Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly realms. And this is how Christians know the power of God through experience.
This is all very well, but what is Paul talking about? The key can be found in 2:1-3. As sinners we were dead in our sins (2:1), but were made alive when we were born again and were saved (2:5). Secondly we were under the wrath of God (2:3b), but were made alive like Christ when the Father declared that He was innocent and therefore could not stay in death under His wrath (2:6). And thirdly, we were slaves to the world (2a), the devil (2b) and the flesh (3a) - but have been placed with Christ in a position of authority in the heavenly realms (2:6).
Paul's argument in Eph 1 and 2 is therefore: you may rest assured that God has the necessary power to realise finally and fully the riches of your inheritance in Christ. After all, this power is already at work in your lives. You know the life-changing effects of regeneration, the full assurance of justification by faith, and the reality of victory over sin.
MAY THE FATHER BE GLORIFIED FOR EVER AND EVER (3:21)
❏ It is inevitable: nothing but exalted praise can now follow. Exactly this is what Paul proceeds with.
Let us take a closer look at Eph 3:21.
❏ The words, "to him" (the Father), are accentuated by their position in the sentence.
❏ The "glory" (Gr. doksa) that belongs to the Father is significant.
In Greek the word is closely related to the verb, to make an evaluation. To have glory therefore means to be someone of whom others have a high estimation, someone whom they praise and honour, someone to whom they pay homage.
The Old Testament equivalent (Hb. kabod) is illuminating. The primary meaning of this word is that of weight. To have glory therefore means to be someone who has weight - someone of substance, dignity, magnificence, status and majesty.
Paul's heartfelt wish is therefore that all people should be deeply aware of God's indescribable glory and majesty.
❏ The words "in the church" are meaningful. It can be interpreted in two ways, both of which are probably applicable in this case.
• May the church itself experience it in this way. In other words, may each member be deeply aware of the Father's glory - His power, wisdom (3:10), mercy and love (2:4), and grace (2:5-8).
• May the outside world to an increasing extent see the glory of God reflected in the church. In other words, may the unbelievers become deeply aware of the glory of God as they observe the lives of Christians. May even the angels be overwhelmed by wonder at the rich diversity of God's wisdom when they observe the church (3:10; 1Pet 1:12).
❏ The qualification "in Christ Jesus" must not be missed. It emphasises the fact that the glory and praise given to the Father is inextricably linked with Jesus Christ. Without Him and His work, there would have been no glory given to God. Christ was and still is the only channel through which the Father's glorious work flows.
The apostles never tired of emphasising this truth. Truly, the church (or the preacher) who does not have this truth at the centre its teaching, is not proclaiming the true New Testament message.
❏ Paul then proceeds on the loftiest of lofty notes. It is his passion that the Father be glorified "in all the generations of the age of the ages" (lit.). The idea is that dispensations, each consisting of dispensations, should follow each other continuously for ever and ever. The apostle grabs for words and expressions to emphasise the eternity of God and His dominion.
Forever and ever we, the church of Christ, will sing the praises of our heavenly Father. As we are carried ever higher, from one discovery to the next, our praises will rise from one crescendo to the next. We will take an inexpressible delight and joy in Him. And we will experience an ever present and predominant gratitude before Him.
"When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise, than when we've first begun.” [John Newton (1725-1807): Amazing Grace].
❏ How else can Paul close but with the word "Amen"? It is an exclamation: Truly! Certainly!
A FEW THOUGHTS OF APPLICATION
1. The Christian faith is not just a philosophy - a metaphysical pie in the sky.
Those of us who have received true salvation have first-hand experience of the life-changing effects of regeneration, of the boldness and security arising from our justification, of the victory over sin as a way of life. Yes, we often fail. Nevertheless, we know these realities to be predominant in our lives.
2. If then you know the working of this power of God in your life, you have every reason to be sure of your future resurrection in glory.
Yes, we believe and say this in faith, but death to us will not be a jump into a pitch-dark abyss. We have experienced the beginnings of God's salvation, and we know that the hereafter will be a never-ending continuation thereof.
3. God will be and must be glorified in and through the church.
What a responsibility the church has! Let us not underestimate the importance of being part of a church. Doing your own thing in your own little corner, is not in accordance with God's ways. We are, of course, talking of a true church, a loving community of disciples who work arm in arm at knowing and serving the Lord zealously in accordance with His truth and commands.
And if there is not such a church in your town? Then you must be Christ's witness in your community. In principle there is no difference between you and the missionary in a far country. Find other followers of the Lord and plant a New Testament church. Also in your area God has to be glorified in and through a body of true disciples.
4. Take seriously your calling and rejoice in your destiny to glorify your heavenly Father forever and ever.
You say that you are a Christian? Let it then be engraved on the tablets of your heart: to glorify God is what your whole life is about - in fact your whole eternity. Let it be at the heart of your convictions; let it be the aim of all your endeavours; let it be the central passion of your existence!
Nico van der Walt
Just the thought of it compels Paul (in verses 20-21) to burst forth in a lofty song of praise: " … to him be glory ... for ever and ever!"
THE GUARANTEE OF OMNIPOTENCE (3:20)
❏ This song of praise is mainly a rejoicing at the wondrous omnipotence of the Lord (20). Paul is, after all, fully aware of the doubts that sometimes overwhelm us: Will God really be able to fill us with the fullness in Christ that He has promised? Will we really be raised from the dead? Can the children of God really look forward to the glory promised by the Bible? Does God really have the power to raise a body that has been dead for a thousand years?
Here in verse 20 the Word of God gives a very striking answer to all these vexing questions. He could hardly have put it more strongly and with more conviction.
❏ The apostle describes God's omnipotence as seven layers of truth, building on each other:
What God has promised to do for us:
1. He is able to do (He has the power);
2. therefore He can do whatever we ask Him in prayer;
3. it even applies to those things we do not have the courage to ask, but only think;
4. He can do it all (Gr. panta)
5. and He can do even more than that (Gr. huper);
6. even more abundantly (Gr. ekperissos);
7. more abundantly by far (Gr. huperekperissou).
❏ Herein lies the answer to the questions that vex us; herein lies our most wonderful consolation: The omnipotence of the Lord my God will take me to Him one day when the time for my departure from this life arrives. And when the time comes for the resurrection, He will also raise my body in glory, no matter how badly it was ravaged or destroyed at the time of my death or afterwards.
❏ The apostle then continues. What he says is not just wishful thinking. God works "according to his power that is at work within us" (20b). Paul therefore reminds the Ephesians that they have experiential knowledge of this power. It is already at work within them. He does not elaborate on this statement though. He has already done so earlier in the letter, and assumes that what he teaches in chapters 1 and 2 is still fresh in the minds of his readers.
❏ A comparison between this prayer and the one in chapter 1 shows that there is a marked similarity between the two.
In the earlier prayer the apostle prays that his readers may know the riches of God's glorious inheritance in the saints. He then immediately proceeds to talk about God's power - the power that He employs to our benefit (19a).
This power already came into play in Christ's life when the Father raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heaven in a position of authority over the powers of darkness (1:20-23).
However, Paul's argument does not stop here, but is continued into the first ten verses of the next chapter. In 2:5-6 he states that what has happened to Christ has also happened to us (past tense!), although in a different sense. We also have been made alive, raised with Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly realms. And this is how Christians know the power of God through experience.
This is all very well, but what is Paul talking about? The key can be found in 2:1-3. As sinners we were dead in our sins (2:1), but were made alive when we were born again and were saved (2:5). Secondly we were under the wrath of God (2:3b), but were made alive like Christ when the Father declared that He was innocent and therefore could not stay in death under His wrath (2:6). And thirdly, we were slaves to the world (2a), the devil (2b) and the flesh (3a) - but have been placed with Christ in a position of authority in the heavenly realms (2:6).
Paul's argument in Eph 1 and 2 is therefore: you may rest assured that God has the necessary power to realise finally and fully the riches of your inheritance in Christ. After all, this power is already at work in your lives. You know the life-changing effects of regeneration, the full assurance of justification by faith, and the reality of victory over sin.
MAY THE FATHER BE GLORIFIED FOR EVER AND EVER (3:21)
❏ It is inevitable: nothing but exalted praise can now follow. Exactly this is what Paul proceeds with.
Let us take a closer look at Eph 3:21.
❏ The words, "to him" (the Father), are accentuated by their position in the sentence.
❏ The "glory" (Gr. doksa) that belongs to the Father is significant.
In Greek the word is closely related to the verb, to make an evaluation. To have glory therefore means to be someone of whom others have a high estimation, someone whom they praise and honour, someone to whom they pay homage.
The Old Testament equivalent (Hb. kabod) is illuminating. The primary meaning of this word is that of weight. To have glory therefore means to be someone who has weight - someone of substance, dignity, magnificence, status and majesty.
Paul's heartfelt wish is therefore that all people should be deeply aware of God's indescribable glory and majesty.
❏ The words "in the church" are meaningful. It can be interpreted in two ways, both of which are probably applicable in this case.
• May the church itself experience it in this way. In other words, may each member be deeply aware of the Father's glory - His power, wisdom (3:10), mercy and love (2:4), and grace (2:5-8).
• May the outside world to an increasing extent see the glory of God reflected in the church. In other words, may the unbelievers become deeply aware of the glory of God as they observe the lives of Christians. May even the angels be overwhelmed by wonder at the rich diversity of God's wisdom when they observe the church (3:10; 1Pet 1:12).
❏ The qualification "in Christ Jesus" must not be missed. It emphasises the fact that the glory and praise given to the Father is inextricably linked with Jesus Christ. Without Him and His work, there would have been no glory given to God. Christ was and still is the only channel through which the Father's glorious work flows.
The apostles never tired of emphasising this truth. Truly, the church (or the preacher) who does not have this truth at the centre its teaching, is not proclaiming the true New Testament message.
❏ Paul then proceeds on the loftiest of lofty notes. It is his passion that the Father be glorified "in all the generations of the age of the ages" (lit.). The idea is that dispensations, each consisting of dispensations, should follow each other continuously for ever and ever. The apostle grabs for words and expressions to emphasise the eternity of God and His dominion.
Forever and ever we, the church of Christ, will sing the praises of our heavenly Father. As we are carried ever higher, from one discovery to the next, our praises will rise from one crescendo to the next. We will take an inexpressible delight and joy in Him. And we will experience an ever present and predominant gratitude before Him.
"When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise, than when we've first begun.” [John Newton (1725-1807): Amazing Grace].
❏ How else can Paul close but with the word "Amen"? It is an exclamation: Truly! Certainly!
A FEW THOUGHTS OF APPLICATION
1. The Christian faith is not just a philosophy - a metaphysical pie in the sky.
Those of us who have received true salvation have first-hand experience of the life-changing effects of regeneration, of the boldness and security arising from our justification, of the victory over sin as a way of life. Yes, we often fail. Nevertheless, we know these realities to be predominant in our lives.
2. If then you know the working of this power of God in your life, you have every reason to be sure of your future resurrection in glory.
Yes, we believe and say this in faith, but death to us will not be a jump into a pitch-dark abyss. We have experienced the beginnings of God's salvation, and we know that the hereafter will be a never-ending continuation thereof.
3. God will be and must be glorified in and through the church.
What a responsibility the church has! Let us not underestimate the importance of being part of a church. Doing your own thing in your own little corner, is not in accordance with God's ways. We are, of course, talking of a true church, a loving community of disciples who work arm in arm at knowing and serving the Lord zealously in accordance with His truth and commands.
And if there is not such a church in your town? Then you must be Christ's witness in your community. In principle there is no difference between you and the missionary in a far country. Find other followers of the Lord and plant a New Testament church. Also in your area God has to be glorified in and through a body of true disciples.
4. Take seriously your calling and rejoice in your destiny to glorify your heavenly Father forever and ever.
You say that you are a Christian? Let it then be engraved on the tablets of your heart: to glorify God is what your whole life is about - in fact your whole eternity. Let it be at the heart of your convictions; let it be the aim of all your endeavours; let it be the central passion of your existence!
Nico van der Walt
EE24 - EPH 3:14-21: AN APOSTOLIC PRAYER (11)
We come now to the third and last petition of this prayer. Like a mountaineer, Paul has ascended to a height where the thin air leaves us giddy - or, to mix our metaphors, we are out of our depth. What does the apostle mean when he prays, "that you may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God" (19b)?
Firstly we need to carefully analyse the text, otherwise we could get totally lost. We therefore need to ask ourselves what the Greek text tells us.
WHAT ON EARTH DOES THE APOSTLE MEAN?
❏ The words, "to the measure of the fulness of God", indicate movement, or growth, on the part of the Christian - progress towards a certain goal.
What is this goal? It is "all the fulness of God"!
In the original Greek this expression can be interpreted in two ways. It could refer to the fulness that comes from God, that which flows from Him, everything He gives to us - in other words our full inheritance in Christ. Or it could mean the fulness that fills God in His deity.
Surely Paul could not have had the latter interpretation in mind. Even in glorious eternity, although we will be without sin and indescribably more glorious than now, we will still be human. We should therefore think in terms of the first meaning.
❏ Yet, if we ask ourselves what this fulness is that flows from God into us, we realise that the two alternatives mentioned actually walk hand in hand. Is it not at the heart of our inheritance in Christ that we become more and more like God? Does Christian growth not have everything to do with the forming of Christ's image in us?
According to Rm 8:29 we have been chosen to be conformed to the likeness of the Son. And 2Cor 3:18 assures us that we are being transformed into the likeness of Christ with ever-increasing glory. Think also of the typical Biblical injunction, "Be holy because I am holy" (Lev 11:44-45; 1 Pet 1:15-16). And Jesus orders us, "Be perfect ... as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48).
Finally, a few verses on from our text we read that the end goal of the ministries mentioned in Eph 4:11 is specifically to ensure that the church grows and becomes mature, "attaining to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ" (4:13).
❏ To summarise: In the final analysis this prayer is concerned with the Ephesians receiving their full inheritance in Christ. And the culmination of that is conformity to the image of Christ.
Taking also the previous verses into consideration, this prayer reveals to us one of the most fundamental keys to genuine sanctification: to the extent that the Holy Spirit dwells and works in us, to that extent Christ will live in our hearts. And to the extent that we become Christ-centred, to that extent we will get to understand and experience Christ's love for us. And to that extent our inheritance in Christ will become a reality in our lives - at the heart of which is conformity to the Son.
WHAT DOES ALL THIS TELL US?
1. Let us not get bogged down by the first principles of our faith.
Too many churchgoers are quite satisfied to rest in the knowledge that they have been saved. Nothing is more against the spirit of the Word than such a self-centred mentality!
Leading up to one of the most serious warnings in the Bible, the letter to the Hebrews cautions us not to stick to the elementary things about Christ, with no interest in forging ahead in knowledge, sanctification and perseverance (Hb 5:11-6:12).
The apostle sets a wonderful example in Phil 3:7-11. He forfeits everything and forcefully strives to obtain Christ as his only gain - to know Him; and the power of His resurrection; and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death; and finally sharing in the resurrection.
Don't ever forget: those who do not persevere in the race will never receive the prize!
2. Let us not misunderstand this prayer - and perhaps become arrogant and full of pride.
Some televangelists and cult leaders apparently regard themselves as little gods. They forget that the Fall came about when Eve believed the snake that she would become like God if she ate of the forbidden fruit (Gen 3:5).
There is an essential and total difference between God as God, and man as man. It is the difference between the Creator and the created, the completely Sovereign and the totally dependent. Conformity to the image of God can therefore never be absolute. It is always qualified. In fact, in a sense the ambition to be like God is the worst of sins.
There are accordingly two vital truths that we must hold on to. In one sense it is man's greatest calling to be like God. In another sense this desire is the most terrible sin man can commit.
It is therefore clear that unless the Lord himself reveals to us in what ways we should become like Him - unless He clearly limits and defines it - we run the danger of transgressing all kinds of blasphemous limits. But, of course, the Lord did not leave us in the dark. To His Old Testament people He gave His law, which is an expression of His perfect character. And for His New Testament church he supplemented His law, refined it, and rounded it off perfectly in the person, teaching and example of the Word who became flesh (Jn 1:18; 14:9; Heb 1:3). By His life Christ demonstrated here on earth, and in a body like ours, what a godly life of obedience looks like. The will of God could not have been shown to us more clearly.
3. The fact that the apostle prays here for God to work in the lives of the Ephesians should not mislead us into an attitude of passiveness.
We must pray, as the apostle is doing here. This is, after all, what this passage teaches us. Let us never forget: the Lord's enabling work in us, on the one hand, and our own responsibility on the other, are not in conflict.
How then should we live in order to grow in conformity to the image of Christ - so that we can be "filled to the measure of all the fulness of God"? Such prominence is given to the call to sanctification in the New Testament that we could give dozens of different replies to the question, without once contradicting ourselves. Nevertheless, Paul's teaching on the fruit of the Spirit in Gl 5 is both fundamental and practical.
• We are like Jesus to the extent that the nine Spirit-given virtues in Gl 5:22 find expression in our lives. But this does not happen automatically. Reborn believers also have to do with ever-present sinful desires. We are incapable of producing the fruit of the Spirit in our own strength, least of all for any length of time. That does not mean, however, that the battle to live a life of holiness is doomed to failure. Not in the least! When a person is regenerated the Lord not only gives him or her a new heart with His commandments engraved on it, but also the Holy Spirit as a permanent Helper. The Lord therefore makes me willing to carry out His will (by giving me a new heart); and He enables me to do it (through the power of the Spirit) (Ph 2:13).
But, if I am to bear this fruit, I need to have the right attitude towards both the flesh and the Spirit.
• The correct way of dealing with the flesh is described in v 24: Those who belong to Christ have crucified their sinful nature with all its passions. To crucify something is to execute it. It is the strongest possible way of distancing yourself from it, of finally turning your back on it. The image speaks volumes. The correct attitude towards the flesh is to be totally merciless. In ancient times only criminals who were guilty of the most heinous crimes were crucified - those who deserved no mercy.
This negative aspect of sanctification was referred to as mortification by the old Puritans.
Mortification is final. Nobody has ever come down from the cross. A true Christian refuses to look back. He is not prepared to reconsider his decision. It is final.
Mortification is painful. There has never been a worse form of execution than crucifixion. The battle between flesh and Spirit is no joke. It is very real.
Mortification is a lifelong process. Crucifixion was a slow death. It sometimes took days. We have to take up our cross daily, right up to the end.
One of the main reasons why we have such a long drawn out battle with some of our sins is because we have not really crucified them. We fool ourselves. We have secret sins, bosom buddies, with which we keep on flirting. Do you have such a persistent sin in your life? Perhaps you have found the real reason for it.
• The correct attitude towards the Spirit is described in two vital ways.
Firstly, we must allow ourselves to be led by Him (Gl 5:18). The verb is in the passive form. The emphasis is on what the Spirit does and what I should allow Him to do. Elsewhere the word "lead" is used to describe a shepherd leading his flock, or the wind driving a ship. I must therefore submit to the initiatives and guidance of the Spirit. I must take His demands on my heart seriously and obediently.
Secondly, we should "live by" (v.16) and "keep in step with" (v.25) the Spirit. To think that our only responsibility is to passively submit our lives to the control of the Holy Spirit would be a mistake. No, living in the fulness of the Spirit demands serious commitment and effort.
The word translated as "live by" in v.16 is the word normally translated as walk in the New Testament. But the word translated as "keep in step with" is a loaded term, emphasising a way of life in accordance with an example, a principle or a norm (Acts 21:24; Rm 4:12; Gl 6:16; Ph 3:16). Here in Gl 5 the Holy Spirit Himself is that norm. I must follow the road that He has determined.
But what does this mean in practice?
The close relationship between the Spirit and the Word indicated elsewhere (compare for instance Eph 5:18 and context with Col 3:16 and context) makes it quite clear that the way of the Spirit is also that of the Bible. A life lived in step with the Spirit is a life in harmony with the Spirit-inspired Word.
We should therefore not understand this to mean that we should live in obedience to certain subjective promptings of the Spirit. No, we are talking about principled obedience to God's Word. This has always been how the true church has interpreted this matter.
History has confirmed over and over again: dedicated obedience to the Word has always ennobled man; mysticism has always misled him.
CONCLUSION
Let us then "go on to maturity" (Hb 6:1). All of us who are in Christ are, after all, called upon to seriously pursue the fulness of God.
Nico van der Walt
Firstly we need to carefully analyse the text, otherwise we could get totally lost. We therefore need to ask ourselves what the Greek text tells us.
WHAT ON EARTH DOES THE APOSTLE MEAN?
❏ The words, "to the measure of the fulness of God", indicate movement, or growth, on the part of the Christian - progress towards a certain goal.
What is this goal? It is "all the fulness of God"!
In the original Greek this expression can be interpreted in two ways. It could refer to the fulness that comes from God, that which flows from Him, everything He gives to us - in other words our full inheritance in Christ. Or it could mean the fulness that fills God in His deity.
Surely Paul could not have had the latter interpretation in mind. Even in glorious eternity, although we will be without sin and indescribably more glorious than now, we will still be human. We should therefore think in terms of the first meaning.
❏ Yet, if we ask ourselves what this fulness is that flows from God into us, we realise that the two alternatives mentioned actually walk hand in hand. Is it not at the heart of our inheritance in Christ that we become more and more like God? Does Christian growth not have everything to do with the forming of Christ's image in us?
According to Rm 8:29 we have been chosen to be conformed to the likeness of the Son. And 2Cor 3:18 assures us that we are being transformed into the likeness of Christ with ever-increasing glory. Think also of the typical Biblical injunction, "Be holy because I am holy" (Lev 11:44-45; 1 Pet 1:15-16). And Jesus orders us, "Be perfect ... as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48).
Finally, a few verses on from our text we read that the end goal of the ministries mentioned in Eph 4:11 is specifically to ensure that the church grows and becomes mature, "attaining to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ" (4:13).
❏ To summarise: In the final analysis this prayer is concerned with the Ephesians receiving their full inheritance in Christ. And the culmination of that is conformity to the image of Christ.
Taking also the previous verses into consideration, this prayer reveals to us one of the most fundamental keys to genuine sanctification: to the extent that the Holy Spirit dwells and works in us, to that extent Christ will live in our hearts. And to the extent that we become Christ-centred, to that extent we will get to understand and experience Christ's love for us. And to that extent our inheritance in Christ will become a reality in our lives - at the heart of which is conformity to the Son.
WHAT DOES ALL THIS TELL US?
1. Let us not get bogged down by the first principles of our faith.
Too many churchgoers are quite satisfied to rest in the knowledge that they have been saved. Nothing is more against the spirit of the Word than such a self-centred mentality!
Leading up to one of the most serious warnings in the Bible, the letter to the Hebrews cautions us not to stick to the elementary things about Christ, with no interest in forging ahead in knowledge, sanctification and perseverance (Hb 5:11-6:12).
The apostle sets a wonderful example in Phil 3:7-11. He forfeits everything and forcefully strives to obtain Christ as his only gain - to know Him; and the power of His resurrection; and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death; and finally sharing in the resurrection.
Don't ever forget: those who do not persevere in the race will never receive the prize!
2. Let us not misunderstand this prayer - and perhaps become arrogant and full of pride.
Some televangelists and cult leaders apparently regard themselves as little gods. They forget that the Fall came about when Eve believed the snake that she would become like God if she ate of the forbidden fruit (Gen 3:5).
There is an essential and total difference between God as God, and man as man. It is the difference between the Creator and the created, the completely Sovereign and the totally dependent. Conformity to the image of God can therefore never be absolute. It is always qualified. In fact, in a sense the ambition to be like God is the worst of sins.
There are accordingly two vital truths that we must hold on to. In one sense it is man's greatest calling to be like God. In another sense this desire is the most terrible sin man can commit.
It is therefore clear that unless the Lord himself reveals to us in what ways we should become like Him - unless He clearly limits and defines it - we run the danger of transgressing all kinds of blasphemous limits. But, of course, the Lord did not leave us in the dark. To His Old Testament people He gave His law, which is an expression of His perfect character. And for His New Testament church he supplemented His law, refined it, and rounded it off perfectly in the person, teaching and example of the Word who became flesh (Jn 1:18; 14:9; Heb 1:3). By His life Christ demonstrated here on earth, and in a body like ours, what a godly life of obedience looks like. The will of God could not have been shown to us more clearly.
3. The fact that the apostle prays here for God to work in the lives of the Ephesians should not mislead us into an attitude of passiveness.
We must pray, as the apostle is doing here. This is, after all, what this passage teaches us. Let us never forget: the Lord's enabling work in us, on the one hand, and our own responsibility on the other, are not in conflict.
How then should we live in order to grow in conformity to the image of Christ - so that we can be "filled to the measure of all the fulness of God"? Such prominence is given to the call to sanctification in the New Testament that we could give dozens of different replies to the question, without once contradicting ourselves. Nevertheless, Paul's teaching on the fruit of the Spirit in Gl 5 is both fundamental and practical.
• We are like Jesus to the extent that the nine Spirit-given virtues in Gl 5:22 find expression in our lives. But this does not happen automatically. Reborn believers also have to do with ever-present sinful desires. We are incapable of producing the fruit of the Spirit in our own strength, least of all for any length of time. That does not mean, however, that the battle to live a life of holiness is doomed to failure. Not in the least! When a person is regenerated the Lord not only gives him or her a new heart with His commandments engraved on it, but also the Holy Spirit as a permanent Helper. The Lord therefore makes me willing to carry out His will (by giving me a new heart); and He enables me to do it (through the power of the Spirit) (Ph 2:13).
But, if I am to bear this fruit, I need to have the right attitude towards both the flesh and the Spirit.
• The correct way of dealing with the flesh is described in v 24: Those who belong to Christ have crucified their sinful nature with all its passions. To crucify something is to execute it. It is the strongest possible way of distancing yourself from it, of finally turning your back on it. The image speaks volumes. The correct attitude towards the flesh is to be totally merciless. In ancient times only criminals who were guilty of the most heinous crimes were crucified - those who deserved no mercy.
This negative aspect of sanctification was referred to as mortification by the old Puritans.
Mortification is final. Nobody has ever come down from the cross. A true Christian refuses to look back. He is not prepared to reconsider his decision. It is final.
Mortification is painful. There has never been a worse form of execution than crucifixion. The battle between flesh and Spirit is no joke. It is very real.
Mortification is a lifelong process. Crucifixion was a slow death. It sometimes took days. We have to take up our cross daily, right up to the end.
One of the main reasons why we have such a long drawn out battle with some of our sins is because we have not really crucified them. We fool ourselves. We have secret sins, bosom buddies, with which we keep on flirting. Do you have such a persistent sin in your life? Perhaps you have found the real reason for it.
• The correct attitude towards the Spirit is described in two vital ways.
Firstly, we must allow ourselves to be led by Him (Gl 5:18). The verb is in the passive form. The emphasis is on what the Spirit does and what I should allow Him to do. Elsewhere the word "lead" is used to describe a shepherd leading his flock, or the wind driving a ship. I must therefore submit to the initiatives and guidance of the Spirit. I must take His demands on my heart seriously and obediently.
Secondly, we should "live by" (v.16) and "keep in step with" (v.25) the Spirit. To think that our only responsibility is to passively submit our lives to the control of the Holy Spirit would be a mistake. No, living in the fulness of the Spirit demands serious commitment and effort.
The word translated as "live by" in v.16 is the word normally translated as walk in the New Testament. But the word translated as "keep in step with" is a loaded term, emphasising a way of life in accordance with an example, a principle or a norm (Acts 21:24; Rm 4:12; Gl 6:16; Ph 3:16). Here in Gl 5 the Holy Spirit Himself is that norm. I must follow the road that He has determined.
But what does this mean in practice?
The close relationship between the Spirit and the Word indicated elsewhere (compare for instance Eph 5:18 and context with Col 3:16 and context) makes it quite clear that the way of the Spirit is also that of the Bible. A life lived in step with the Spirit is a life in harmony with the Spirit-inspired Word.
We should therefore not understand this to mean that we should live in obedience to certain subjective promptings of the Spirit. No, we are talking about principled obedience to God's Word. This has always been how the true church has interpreted this matter.
History has confirmed over and over again: dedicated obedience to the Word has always ennobled man; mysticism has always misled him.
CONCLUSION
Let us then "go on to maturity" (Hb 6:1). All of us who are in Christ are, after all, called upon to seriously pursue the fulness of God.
Nico van der Walt
EE23 - ISAIAH 58:13-14 : SUNDAY BLESSING
For the New Testament Christian, every Sunday is a commemoration of Christ's resurrection. The early church attached such importance to the resurrection that they usually gathered on the first day of the week for communal worship (1Cor 16:2; Acts 20:7) - rather than on the seventh day, as the Jews did in keeping with the Ten Commandments. This does not mean that they took the law into their own hands. Our Lord himself gave an indication that this is what should happen. On the first day He rose and appeared to His disciples (Jn 20:19,26). Also the Spirit was poured out on this day (Acts 2:1; Lev 23:15-16).
Moreover, the disciples began to call it the "day of the Lord" rather than the Sabbath. Quite clearly the apostles started leading the early church in this direction. John also finds it necessary to mention specifically that Jesus appeared to him on "the Lord's day" while he was praying (Rev 1:10).
Unless I am mistaken, there is an ever increasing carelessness - and this among people who call themselves Christians - towards Sunday and the importance of going to church. This sort of attitude is certainly a dishonour to God. That is why we need to think again about the way we keep the day of the Lord.
The first thing we must understand is that Sunday is a festive day. To lose sight of this is to lose something vital in the way we experience our faith. To make Sunday into a day of long faces and do's and don'ts would be a tragedy. And if our going to church becomes a duty and even a pain, something is seriously wrong somewhere.
C.H. Spurgeon said to his congregation: "I know that many of you live by your Sabbaths. You step over the intervening space from Lord's-day to Lord's-day, as if the Lord has made a ladder of Sabbaths for you to climb to heaven by ... You have clapped your hands for very joy when redeeming grace and dying love have been the theme, and infinite, sovereign, changeless mercy has been the subject of discourse" (The Full Harvest, p.290).
ISAIAH 58
Isaiah 58:13-14 sheds light in a most wonderful way on our subject, pointing out the importance, but also the preciousness of the Lord's day.
In that chapter the prophet exposes the hypocrisy of the nation. They live in sin, but are overly pious when it comes to their religion. Quite clearly this hypocrisy manifested itself most clearly on the Sabbath. The Lord addresses this aspect in verses 13-14. If they desire to experience the privileges and joys of the Sabbath to the full, they need to comply with certain conditions.
Conditions (v13)
First of all a preliminary observation. Take note that there is no question here of mere ceremony. No, it has everything to do with the attitude of our hearts. Every New Testament Christian can therefore fully identify with it.
❏ Verse 13a tells us for what purpose the day was instituted and thus also what it was not intended for. The point made by the Hebrew text is this: refrain from using the day that I have sanctified for Myself, for your own pleasure. It is the Lord's day. It is not about your enjoyment and interests.
❏ Verse 13b demands that we show the right attitude of heart in respect of the day that the Lord has sanctified for Himself. Two things are mentioned:
• You must delight in the day. You must appreciate it. It must be your joy.
• The Lord has set the day aside for Himself. Therefore you must honour and respect it.
❏ Verse 13c underlines the practical implications of the above principles for our daily lives. Three things are specifically mentioned:
• Sunday is not just another day of the week. It must have a character of its own. Do not do the same as you do on the other six days. You must "rest" from your worldly responsibilities and pleasures.
• Do not utilise the day in your own interests or simply for your own pleasure. It is a day to be devoted to the Lord and His things.
• Even our conversations should honour the Lord. The Hebrew text simply states that we should not speak our own words. It implies a measure of self-restraint that keeps one from idle talk and chatter. Rather our conversation should be uplifting and glorifying to the Lord.
Promises (v.14)
There is a threefold promise and an assurance.
❏ You will find joy in the Lord. You will ever more clearly see the beauty and glory revealed in His attributes and works. You will all the more appreciate His greatness, goodness and holiness. And you will respond thereto in true gratitude and loving faithfulness. This is really about deep and joyful fellowship between the Lord and His people.
❏ The Lord will cause you to ride on the heights of the land. The expression has its origin in Dt 32:13, the song of Moses. It alludes to the victory over their enemies that the Lord grants to His people. New Testament equivalents would be the statement that those in Christ are more than conquerors (Rm 8:37), and the fact that they sit with Him in heaven - in a position of authority over Satan, the world and the flesh (Eph 2:6).
Do you see that faithfully keeping the Lord's day is a powerful means of grace?
❏ You will feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. The expression in the Old Testament alludes to the covenant nation's inheritance of the land of Canaan (Ps 105:8-11), and more particularly to prosperity in that country (Ps 144:12-15). The promise therefore has to do with the way salvation is experienced in practice. In New Testament language one could say that it has to do with the privileges and joys that the Lord promises to His disciples.
❏ These promises, if we comply with the conditions, are as firm as the mountains: "The mouth of the Lord has spoken" (v14). Obedience to the Lord will certainly bring fellowship with the Lord, victory over sin and the joy of salvation.
SOME IMPLICATIONS
1. New Testament teaching should determine our interpretation of the fourth commandment.
The Lord Jesus and His disciples allowed themselves more freedom with respect to the Sabbath day than the Jewish religious leaders could tolerate. But we should understand that the scribes in no way represented the true spirit of the Old Testament. Their beliefs were formed by the Mishnah, a summary of Jewish oral traditions and customs since the exile, in which the rabbis tried to spell out the practical implications of the law in the finest detail. In the process they often went to ridiculous extremes. In their interpretation of the law about the Sabbath, for example, 39 different types of work were identified. So, for instance, the making of one stitch or the writing of one letter was allowed, but two were regarded as work and therefore not allowed. Even lighting or extinguishing a fire was regarded as a contravention of the commandment.
Jesus on the other hand, by His actions and through His teaching, taught people the true meaning of the law - of which He said "not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen" would be abolished in this dispensation (Mt 5:17-20). We may therefore assume that He was the living personification of everything that Is 58 teaches.
2. Let us therefore guard against two errors.
Firstly, to use the Lord's day in our own interest or for self-gratification is an ever present temptation.
Secondly, getting entangled in a host of do's and don'ts - which kills the festive character of the day.
3. Let us fill the Lord's day with that for which it was intended.
It is a day of rest. If we truly keep the other component of the commandment, namely to work conscientiously for six days of the week, we are sure to experience, week after week, this opportunity to recharge our batteries as a gift of grace from our heavenly Father. But then again it is not about loafing and useless idleness. We are concerned here with constructive recuperation. I have not only left behind me a tiring week, there is a week of hard work ahead of me.
It is a day of worship. What a blessing to have enough time to spend peacefully in our inner room or meet the Lord with beloved brothers and sisters - without the hustle and bustle of the week!
It is a day for good works. Most Christians are so busy during the week that they scarcely have the time for Christian service and ministry. Let us, like Jesus, devote ourselves to good works on this day.
4. So, if necessary, let us apply ourselves to the reformation of our Sundays.
The responsibility to consider this matter thoroughly and then to exercise strong leadership rests squarely on the shoulders of parents, and especially on the heads of households.
Think again about things such as undertaking long trips on Sundays, the Sunday papers, TV, sport, shopping, secular music - and huge meals which take up the time of housewives and leave the family in a state of total stupor for hours.
Take firm decisions about family attendance of church services. Take your children with you - they must learn to keep the Lord's day. Leave them at home in front of the TV or internet, and you will have some bitter fruit to pick in time to come!
Do I hear someone say that I am now also guilty of legalism? Certainly not! What we are talking about here is the attitude of our hearts. Self-discipline coming from a devout heart for the right reasons is not for one moment in conflict with the principle of Christian freedom - on the contrary!
5. Let us jealously treasure the Lord's day.
It is such a wonderful gift from our heavenly Father that we should do everything within our power to preserve it against the demands of the sinful flesh and a world that hates God.
Therefore, always keep Isa 58:13-14 in mind. Pay heed to the conditions in v 13 for receiving the blessing of the Lord and greet the realisation of the promises in v14 with excited expectation.
And remember the resurrection of our Lord. Embrace its joyful implications! This is how the early Christians greeted each other on a Lord's day morning: "The Lord has risen, He has risen indeed!"
Nico van der Walt
Moreover, the disciples began to call it the "day of the Lord" rather than the Sabbath. Quite clearly the apostles started leading the early church in this direction. John also finds it necessary to mention specifically that Jesus appeared to him on "the Lord's day" while he was praying (Rev 1:10).
Unless I am mistaken, there is an ever increasing carelessness - and this among people who call themselves Christians - towards Sunday and the importance of going to church. This sort of attitude is certainly a dishonour to God. That is why we need to think again about the way we keep the day of the Lord.
The first thing we must understand is that Sunday is a festive day. To lose sight of this is to lose something vital in the way we experience our faith. To make Sunday into a day of long faces and do's and don'ts would be a tragedy. And if our going to church becomes a duty and even a pain, something is seriously wrong somewhere.
C.H. Spurgeon said to his congregation: "I know that many of you live by your Sabbaths. You step over the intervening space from Lord's-day to Lord's-day, as if the Lord has made a ladder of Sabbaths for you to climb to heaven by ... You have clapped your hands for very joy when redeeming grace and dying love have been the theme, and infinite, sovereign, changeless mercy has been the subject of discourse" (The Full Harvest, p.290).
ISAIAH 58
Isaiah 58:13-14 sheds light in a most wonderful way on our subject, pointing out the importance, but also the preciousness of the Lord's day.
In that chapter the prophet exposes the hypocrisy of the nation. They live in sin, but are overly pious when it comes to their religion. Quite clearly this hypocrisy manifested itself most clearly on the Sabbath. The Lord addresses this aspect in verses 13-14. If they desire to experience the privileges and joys of the Sabbath to the full, they need to comply with certain conditions.
Conditions (v13)
First of all a preliminary observation. Take note that there is no question here of mere ceremony. No, it has everything to do with the attitude of our hearts. Every New Testament Christian can therefore fully identify with it.
❏ Verse 13a tells us for what purpose the day was instituted and thus also what it was not intended for. The point made by the Hebrew text is this: refrain from using the day that I have sanctified for Myself, for your own pleasure. It is the Lord's day. It is not about your enjoyment and interests.
❏ Verse 13b demands that we show the right attitude of heart in respect of the day that the Lord has sanctified for Himself. Two things are mentioned:
• You must delight in the day. You must appreciate it. It must be your joy.
• The Lord has set the day aside for Himself. Therefore you must honour and respect it.
❏ Verse 13c underlines the practical implications of the above principles for our daily lives. Three things are specifically mentioned:
• Sunday is not just another day of the week. It must have a character of its own. Do not do the same as you do on the other six days. You must "rest" from your worldly responsibilities and pleasures.
• Do not utilise the day in your own interests or simply for your own pleasure. It is a day to be devoted to the Lord and His things.
• Even our conversations should honour the Lord. The Hebrew text simply states that we should not speak our own words. It implies a measure of self-restraint that keeps one from idle talk and chatter. Rather our conversation should be uplifting and glorifying to the Lord.
Promises (v.14)
There is a threefold promise and an assurance.
❏ You will find joy in the Lord. You will ever more clearly see the beauty and glory revealed in His attributes and works. You will all the more appreciate His greatness, goodness and holiness. And you will respond thereto in true gratitude and loving faithfulness. This is really about deep and joyful fellowship between the Lord and His people.
❏ The Lord will cause you to ride on the heights of the land. The expression has its origin in Dt 32:13, the song of Moses. It alludes to the victory over their enemies that the Lord grants to His people. New Testament equivalents would be the statement that those in Christ are more than conquerors (Rm 8:37), and the fact that they sit with Him in heaven - in a position of authority over Satan, the world and the flesh (Eph 2:6).
Do you see that faithfully keeping the Lord's day is a powerful means of grace?
❏ You will feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. The expression in the Old Testament alludes to the covenant nation's inheritance of the land of Canaan (Ps 105:8-11), and more particularly to prosperity in that country (Ps 144:12-15). The promise therefore has to do with the way salvation is experienced in practice. In New Testament language one could say that it has to do with the privileges and joys that the Lord promises to His disciples.
❏ These promises, if we comply with the conditions, are as firm as the mountains: "The mouth of the Lord has spoken" (v14). Obedience to the Lord will certainly bring fellowship with the Lord, victory over sin and the joy of salvation.
SOME IMPLICATIONS
1. New Testament teaching should determine our interpretation of the fourth commandment.
The Lord Jesus and His disciples allowed themselves more freedom with respect to the Sabbath day than the Jewish religious leaders could tolerate. But we should understand that the scribes in no way represented the true spirit of the Old Testament. Their beliefs were formed by the Mishnah, a summary of Jewish oral traditions and customs since the exile, in which the rabbis tried to spell out the practical implications of the law in the finest detail. In the process they often went to ridiculous extremes. In their interpretation of the law about the Sabbath, for example, 39 different types of work were identified. So, for instance, the making of one stitch or the writing of one letter was allowed, but two were regarded as work and therefore not allowed. Even lighting or extinguishing a fire was regarded as a contravention of the commandment.
Jesus on the other hand, by His actions and through His teaching, taught people the true meaning of the law - of which He said "not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen" would be abolished in this dispensation (Mt 5:17-20). We may therefore assume that He was the living personification of everything that Is 58 teaches.
2. Let us therefore guard against two errors.
Firstly, to use the Lord's day in our own interest or for self-gratification is an ever present temptation.
Secondly, getting entangled in a host of do's and don'ts - which kills the festive character of the day.
3. Let us fill the Lord's day with that for which it was intended.
It is a day of rest. If we truly keep the other component of the commandment, namely to work conscientiously for six days of the week, we are sure to experience, week after week, this opportunity to recharge our batteries as a gift of grace from our heavenly Father. But then again it is not about loafing and useless idleness. We are concerned here with constructive recuperation. I have not only left behind me a tiring week, there is a week of hard work ahead of me.
It is a day of worship. What a blessing to have enough time to spend peacefully in our inner room or meet the Lord with beloved brothers and sisters - without the hustle and bustle of the week!
It is a day for good works. Most Christians are so busy during the week that they scarcely have the time for Christian service and ministry. Let us, like Jesus, devote ourselves to good works on this day.
4. So, if necessary, let us apply ourselves to the reformation of our Sundays.
The responsibility to consider this matter thoroughly and then to exercise strong leadership rests squarely on the shoulders of parents, and especially on the heads of households.
Think again about things such as undertaking long trips on Sundays, the Sunday papers, TV, sport, shopping, secular music - and huge meals which take up the time of housewives and leave the family in a state of total stupor for hours.
Take firm decisions about family attendance of church services. Take your children with you - they must learn to keep the Lord's day. Leave them at home in front of the TV or internet, and you will have some bitter fruit to pick in time to come!
Do I hear someone say that I am now also guilty of legalism? Certainly not! What we are talking about here is the attitude of our hearts. Self-discipline coming from a devout heart for the right reasons is not for one moment in conflict with the principle of Christian freedom - on the contrary!
5. Let us jealously treasure the Lord's day.
It is such a wonderful gift from our heavenly Father that we should do everything within our power to preserve it against the demands of the sinful flesh and a world that hates God.
Therefore, always keep Isa 58:13-14 in mind. Pay heed to the conditions in v 13 for receiving the blessing of the Lord and greet the realisation of the promises in v14 with excited expectation.
And remember the resurrection of our Lord. Embrace its joyful implications! This is how the early Christians greeted each other on a Lord's day morning: "The Lord has risen, He has risen indeed!"
Nico van der Walt
EE20 - EPH 3:14-21 : AN APOSTOLIC PRAYER [10]
We are looking here for the last time at the second part of this prayer - the part dealing with the way we understand and experience God's love for us.
We have seen that Paul uses two concepts in this prayer which at first sight appear to mean the same thing but are not really synonyms: to grasp (18) and to know (19). The first term has to do more with cognitive knowledge; the second with the way we experience it - in this case Christ's love.
Last time we looked in v.18 at those dimensions of Christ's love which we as human beings can more readily understand - its width, length, depth and height. We now look at v.19a, in which Paul prays that the Ephesians may experience Christ's love.
LOVE THAT SURPASSES ALL KNOWLEDGE
❏ It is necessary to emphasise again that Paul's prayer here is not that the Ephesians may have more love for the Lord. Of course he wants that, but this is not what he is praying for in this instance. What he is praying for is that they will grow in their understanding of God's love for them!
He knows that a person's love for Christ increases to the extent that he delights in Christ's love for him!
❏ The apostle makes a paradoxical statement. He wants the Ephesians - and therefore also us - to get to know something that surpasses all knowledge. He employs an interesting word (Gr. huperballo) which, translated literally, means "to throw right over." It is like Jonathan who shot an arrow over the head of David to warn him.
What the apostle is therefore trying to get across is that we will never be able to fully comprehend and experience Christ's love for us. There will always be more of it. But that should not stop us from pursuing it to an ever fuller extent.
We are therefore concerned here with progression in a process which never comes to an end - experiencing the love of Jesus.
CHRISTIANS ARE ALLOWED TO FEEL
❏ Many devout churchgoers hesitate when you start talking about Christian feelings and experience. Why are some of the Lord's people so wary of emotion when it comes to our relationship with God? There are mainly two reasons, it seems to me.
Some have an aversion to hearing people witness about intense spiritual experiences. This is so because it reveals to them that they themselves do not have a love-relationship with Christ. They might be very orthodox, but an orthodoxy which does not walk with the Lord is dead.
Others, on the other hand, recoil from Christian experience because of an overreaction to emotionalism - something which is unfortunately rampant in too many circles.
❏ The apostles teach us however to maintain a sensitive balance when it comes to emotions. No one can doubt that the New Testament insists on pure doctrine. But emotion also enjoys a prominent place. Just consider a few of the many incidences. They describe intense experiential faith, and most certainly in some cases intense emotion.
Jn 15:9-11: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love ... I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."
Rm 14:17: "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit..."
In Ephesians Paul calls on us not to live a life given to drunkenness and debauchery but rather to be filled with the Holy Spirit, which will bring its own joys - praise and hymns and mutual love (Eph 5:17-6:9).
Peter too understood: "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy..." (1Pet 1:8).
It stands to reason that the early believers also experienced that which God's people in the Old Testament had known only too well. One example will suffice: "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever" (Ps 73:25-26).
Throughout church history the lives of God's children have been characterized by profound experiences. We find this over and again in their biographies. And almost always it had to do in one way or another with the realisation of the unmerited and free grace of our Father in Christ!
We need only consider our own experience. Do you remember the time when you discovered the doctrine of sovereign grace - when you saw it against the backdrop of your total inability to meet God's standards? The wonder, the awe, the joy! And to this day, is it not so, hardly anything touches one more profoundly than feasting on this truth.
And this, more than anything else, gives birth to a reciprocal love in us for Him. Paul understands this, and therefore prays as he does.
HOW CAN I GROW IN MY APPRECIATION AND EXPERIENCE OF CHRIST'S LOVE FOR ME?
Firstly I need to understand that my expectation that the Lord must do something, on the one hand, and the acceptance of my responsibility, on the other, are not contradictory.
This is one of the most fundamental principles of the Christian life. God uses means, and I myself am his first instrument to bring about the answers to my prayers. It is I myself who must work out my salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in me to will and to act according to his good purpose (Phl 2:12-13).
Secondly, I need to grow in my insight into the perfect standards that God sets for man. I must get an in-depth understanding of his law.
How is this possible, you say? One wants to grow in one's understanding of his loving grace - not shudder with fear of his unattainable standards!
God deals with us in wonderful ways - so often quite paradoxical. This is how it works. To the extent to which I understand God's standards, to that extent do I appreciate how totally dependent I am on his saving grace - and to that extent his inexpressible love for me in Christ touches my heart.
Preaching the holy justice of God may totally discourage a non-believer (and the more this happens, the closer he gets to the Kingdom), but true believers grow in their understanding and experience of Christ's love for them - and therefore in their love for Him.
Thirdly, I need to remember that God reveals Himself to us through the means of grace.
The means of grace are the channels that God has instituted and is using to let his grace flow into our lives. There are more, but in the holy pursuit we are considering, prayer, Bible study and the preaching of the Word are the most important.
Without regular and persistent prayer we have no hope of advancing a single step towards getting to know God. And at the heart of our knowledge of God lies our understanding and experience of his love for us in Christ. Ask and keep on asking, even a thousand times per year, for the triune God to reveal Himself to you more and more - in Christ and through his Word. It pleases Him exceedingly when we hunger and thirst after Him. Truly, to know Him is our highest calling.
Bible study goes hand in hand with prayer, because it is in the Word where we find God's self-revelation. Trying to get to know Him by any other means would be an exercise in futility. It would soon leave me floundering without an anchor on a sea of subjectivism and mysticism. Without God's Word as basis and guideline, there is no certainty. In fact, I am bound to become totally misled, and very quickly too. Let us then make sure that the way we experience Christ is indeed Scriptural.
Today few things in the church are as underrated as preaching. This is in direct contrast with the teaching of the New Testament and the history of the church. The preaching of the Word has always played a vital role in the edification of God's children.
Take for instance the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers mentioned in Eph 4:11. Surely these are first and foremost preachers. And look what their ministries deposit in the lives of their hearers: "knowledge of the Son of God" (4:13) and growing up "into him who is the Head, that is, Christ" (4:15).
Do not rest, therefore, until you find a place where you can listen every Sunday to preaching that builds you up in the most holy faith. Just remember, real preaching is not made up of a few sentimental and moralistic stories, but is God-centred and Christ-focussed teaching of the Word - followed by the application of the text to the Christian's everyday life.
Fourthly, make sure that you live in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
Without the Holy Spirit our prayers, our Bible reading and our preaching are lifeless.
Just remember that our quest to live full of the Spirit has two components. On the positive side we must pray for it ceaselessly. We have the wonderful mandate of our Lord Jesus Himself in the parable of the persistent friend in Lk 11:5-13. On the negative side it should be our earnest desire not to offend the Holy Spirit. Scripture gives us clear warnings. Sin grieves Him (Eph 4:30). And contempt for his work extinguishes his fire (1Ts 5:19).
Fifthly, seek the Lord himself, not just the truth about Him.
Embrace this truth with both arms: God wants to reveal Himself to you and walk with you. See how central this is in his Old Testament promises about the Messianic dispensation (Hos 2:18-19; Jer 31:31-34). And be assured that there is nothing that pleases Him more than revealing to you his loving grace in Christ.
Make God personally the object of your quest. The Giver, not just his gifts! Can there be a greater insult to anybody, than being interested in him just for what you can get out of him?
Sixthly, persist in a lifelong search after the knowledge of God in the face of Christ.
There is no terminus on this road. There is always something more. In fact, the search for and acquiring of the knowledge of God - and accordingly a deeper experience of the love of Christ - is one of the main ingredients of a Christian life which never gets boring.
THE HIGHEST AMBITION
Let us close with a single call from the prophet Hosea: "Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth" (6:3, ESV).
Nico van der Walt
We have seen that Paul uses two concepts in this prayer which at first sight appear to mean the same thing but are not really synonyms: to grasp (18) and to know (19). The first term has to do more with cognitive knowledge; the second with the way we experience it - in this case Christ's love.
Last time we looked in v.18 at those dimensions of Christ's love which we as human beings can more readily understand - its width, length, depth and height. We now look at v.19a, in which Paul prays that the Ephesians may experience Christ's love.
LOVE THAT SURPASSES ALL KNOWLEDGE
❏ It is necessary to emphasise again that Paul's prayer here is not that the Ephesians may have more love for the Lord. Of course he wants that, but this is not what he is praying for in this instance. What he is praying for is that they will grow in their understanding of God's love for them!
He knows that a person's love for Christ increases to the extent that he delights in Christ's love for him!
❏ The apostle makes a paradoxical statement. He wants the Ephesians - and therefore also us - to get to know something that surpasses all knowledge. He employs an interesting word (Gr. huperballo) which, translated literally, means "to throw right over." It is like Jonathan who shot an arrow over the head of David to warn him.
What the apostle is therefore trying to get across is that we will never be able to fully comprehend and experience Christ's love for us. There will always be more of it. But that should not stop us from pursuing it to an ever fuller extent.
We are therefore concerned here with progression in a process which never comes to an end - experiencing the love of Jesus.
CHRISTIANS ARE ALLOWED TO FEEL
❏ Many devout churchgoers hesitate when you start talking about Christian feelings and experience. Why are some of the Lord's people so wary of emotion when it comes to our relationship with God? There are mainly two reasons, it seems to me.
Some have an aversion to hearing people witness about intense spiritual experiences. This is so because it reveals to them that they themselves do not have a love-relationship with Christ. They might be very orthodox, but an orthodoxy which does not walk with the Lord is dead.
Others, on the other hand, recoil from Christian experience because of an overreaction to emotionalism - something which is unfortunately rampant in too many circles.
❏ The apostles teach us however to maintain a sensitive balance when it comes to emotions. No one can doubt that the New Testament insists on pure doctrine. But emotion also enjoys a prominent place. Just consider a few of the many incidences. They describe intense experiential faith, and most certainly in some cases intense emotion.
Jn 15:9-11: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love ... I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."
Rm 14:17: "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit..."
In Ephesians Paul calls on us not to live a life given to drunkenness and debauchery but rather to be filled with the Holy Spirit, which will bring its own joys - praise and hymns and mutual love (Eph 5:17-6:9).
Peter too understood: "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy..." (1Pet 1:8).
It stands to reason that the early believers also experienced that which God's people in the Old Testament had known only too well. One example will suffice: "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever" (Ps 73:25-26).
Throughout church history the lives of God's children have been characterized by profound experiences. We find this over and again in their biographies. And almost always it had to do in one way or another with the realisation of the unmerited and free grace of our Father in Christ!
We need only consider our own experience. Do you remember the time when you discovered the doctrine of sovereign grace - when you saw it against the backdrop of your total inability to meet God's standards? The wonder, the awe, the joy! And to this day, is it not so, hardly anything touches one more profoundly than feasting on this truth.
And this, more than anything else, gives birth to a reciprocal love in us for Him. Paul understands this, and therefore prays as he does.
HOW CAN I GROW IN MY APPRECIATION AND EXPERIENCE OF CHRIST'S LOVE FOR ME?
Firstly I need to understand that my expectation that the Lord must do something, on the one hand, and the acceptance of my responsibility, on the other, are not contradictory.
This is one of the most fundamental principles of the Christian life. God uses means, and I myself am his first instrument to bring about the answers to my prayers. It is I myself who must work out my salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in me to will and to act according to his good purpose (Phl 2:12-13).
Secondly, I need to grow in my insight into the perfect standards that God sets for man. I must get an in-depth understanding of his law.
How is this possible, you say? One wants to grow in one's understanding of his loving grace - not shudder with fear of his unattainable standards!
God deals with us in wonderful ways - so often quite paradoxical. This is how it works. To the extent to which I understand God's standards, to that extent do I appreciate how totally dependent I am on his saving grace - and to that extent his inexpressible love for me in Christ touches my heart.
Preaching the holy justice of God may totally discourage a non-believer (and the more this happens, the closer he gets to the Kingdom), but true believers grow in their understanding and experience of Christ's love for them - and therefore in their love for Him.
Thirdly, I need to remember that God reveals Himself to us through the means of grace.
The means of grace are the channels that God has instituted and is using to let his grace flow into our lives. There are more, but in the holy pursuit we are considering, prayer, Bible study and the preaching of the Word are the most important.
Without regular and persistent prayer we have no hope of advancing a single step towards getting to know God. And at the heart of our knowledge of God lies our understanding and experience of his love for us in Christ. Ask and keep on asking, even a thousand times per year, for the triune God to reveal Himself to you more and more - in Christ and through his Word. It pleases Him exceedingly when we hunger and thirst after Him. Truly, to know Him is our highest calling.
Bible study goes hand in hand with prayer, because it is in the Word where we find God's self-revelation. Trying to get to know Him by any other means would be an exercise in futility. It would soon leave me floundering without an anchor on a sea of subjectivism and mysticism. Without God's Word as basis and guideline, there is no certainty. In fact, I am bound to become totally misled, and very quickly too. Let us then make sure that the way we experience Christ is indeed Scriptural.
Today few things in the church are as underrated as preaching. This is in direct contrast with the teaching of the New Testament and the history of the church. The preaching of the Word has always played a vital role in the edification of God's children.
Take for instance the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers mentioned in Eph 4:11. Surely these are first and foremost preachers. And look what their ministries deposit in the lives of their hearers: "knowledge of the Son of God" (4:13) and growing up "into him who is the Head, that is, Christ" (4:15).
Do not rest, therefore, until you find a place where you can listen every Sunday to preaching that builds you up in the most holy faith. Just remember, real preaching is not made up of a few sentimental and moralistic stories, but is God-centred and Christ-focussed teaching of the Word - followed by the application of the text to the Christian's everyday life.
Fourthly, make sure that you live in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
Without the Holy Spirit our prayers, our Bible reading and our preaching are lifeless.
Just remember that our quest to live full of the Spirit has two components. On the positive side we must pray for it ceaselessly. We have the wonderful mandate of our Lord Jesus Himself in the parable of the persistent friend in Lk 11:5-13. On the negative side it should be our earnest desire not to offend the Holy Spirit. Scripture gives us clear warnings. Sin grieves Him (Eph 4:30). And contempt for his work extinguishes his fire (1Ts 5:19).
Fifthly, seek the Lord himself, not just the truth about Him.
Embrace this truth with both arms: God wants to reveal Himself to you and walk with you. See how central this is in his Old Testament promises about the Messianic dispensation (Hos 2:18-19; Jer 31:31-34). And be assured that there is nothing that pleases Him more than revealing to you his loving grace in Christ.
Make God personally the object of your quest. The Giver, not just his gifts! Can there be a greater insult to anybody, than being interested in him just for what you can get out of him?
Sixthly, persist in a lifelong search after the knowledge of God in the face of Christ.
There is no terminus on this road. There is always something more. In fact, the search for and acquiring of the knowledge of God - and accordingly a deeper experience of the love of Christ - is one of the main ingredients of a Christian life which never gets boring.
THE HIGHEST AMBITION
Let us close with a single call from the prophet Hosea: "Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth" (6:3, ESV).
Nico van der Walt
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