Impressing a deity

A few years ago I had the opportunity to spend two months in Kenya doing missions work. In the small town where we spent the main portion of our time, we decided to go for one of the nicer hotels. It was a relatively new establishment, with prices that by Norwegian standards were still very affordable.

In Norway, we have certain expectations when we enter into a nice hotel. For example, you'd expect that the steps in a staircase are of roughly the same height. Not so in Kenya. There each step was whatever height they felt like building it that day. When we entered into the bathroom we expected the tiles to be arranged into straight lines. There, the mere presence of tiles was plenty impressive. They would make the walls look nicer by painting the lower part in a different color from the upper part, and it took Norwegian eyes to even notice that the height of the lower part fluctuated wildly across the wall.

Of course all of these superficial observations driven by western vanity have no true significance in the big picture. But they do point out an interesting facet of human nature; that two men can look at the same thing, and depending on what they're accustomed to one can be wildly impressed while the other will shake his head and snicker.

I know someone who from eternity past reigned with his Father in a kingdom that was flawless. A place where nothing had ever seen decay, and no object ever got a dent or a scratch. A place where every smallest detail was handmade by God, and every curve on every blade of grass reflected his endless glory. The kind of place where you could pick up a rock from the ground and be brought to tears by the mere perfection of it, and wherever you turn them, your eyes would be filled with sights so glorious that you would have a hard time holding back from singing improvised songs of praise and worship to the Creator of it all.

Yet this person that I know, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Can you imagine what it would be for someone who existed eternally in perfection to come down to this fallen earth? To lay down his omnipotence and subject himself to corruption and death? If the contrast between the wealth of Norway and the poverty of Kenya stood out to me, imagine how unimpressed he must be with even the finest this earth has to offer. Will he not look at everything I find magnificent and amazing and think to himself that it is only a faint shadow of what he once created it to be?

While the cross was the pinnacle of Jesus' sacrifice, we often miss that even being present on this earth would have been a sacrifice much greater than we could ever imagine. And when we do that, then at the same time we deprive ourselves of imagining the glory and the grandeur of heaven.

What do you have that you did not receive? (1. Cor 4:7)

For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? (1. Cor 4:7)

Here, Paul makes it personal. They can’t hide their pride behind their preachers anymore. Paul demands an answer to what would lead them to see themselves as superior to anyone else. He does so with the piercing question “what do you have that you did not receive?”

No question could be more deadly to pride and arrogance. So you claim to have discernment, do you? Who did you get it from? So your preacher is better than his preacher? Who created your preacher? Who called him into the ministry? Who died on a cross to give him something to preach about? Was it you?

Try to think about the most evil and wicked human being you can possibly imagine. Someone who’s committed sins that would make the devil himself blush. Now ask the question. What separates you from him? Nothing but the grace of God. Left to yourself you’d not only be as bad as him. You’d be worse.

“Wait”, you say. “I’m not like that. I don’t have those same inclinations to sin.” That is right, and the reason you don’t is because of God’s grace. Even if you’re a first rank atheist, you still have some remnant of god-given grace in your life too keep you from going where you would go left to yourself. His grace is to some degree restraining even the most evil person you can think of.

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, (Rom 2:14-15)

So what do you have that you have not received? Name one thing you’ve earned by your merits, or created yourself from nothing.

God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Becoming arrogant because of what you have received, is to take God’s gracious free gifts to you and turn them into something he detests. “But he who boasts is to boast in the Lord” (2.Cor 10:17).

Thank you Lord that I'm not like that Corinthian (1. Cor 4:6)

Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other. (1. Cor 4:6)

Yesterday, we saw how the Corinthian pride in preachers was really just a disguise for pride in self. So today is an excellent opportunity for us to shake our heads at the silliness of the Corinthians, and pat ourselves on the back for not being like them. Let’s go up to the temple and lift our eyes toward heaven and say “Thank you God that I’m not like those arrogant Corinthian sinners.”

Well maybe you, like the Corinthians, would be to humble to say that out loud. But you might very well still be susceptible to have the same proud thoughts and arrogant feelings enter your heart. If not about preachers, then about some other worthy, spiritual sounding cause.

“My doctrine is better than yours”. It goes without saying, for those of us who are conscious of what we believe about God, that we would believe those beliefs to be true. And that if someone then disagrees, they would be wrong. But who gave you your doctrine? Was it not a gift by God’s grace? Then why would you act like you were the one who invented God? Why would you think those who don’t see it your way are just stupid or difficult? Am I saying that we should just toss all doctrine out the door, and start watching nooma videos? Not by any means. But when we know that the doctrines we believe, the ability to understand them, and the will to accept them were gifts given to us from God, we tend to treat those who disagree with us with a little more patience and grace.

“My church is better than yours”. Yes, but you are not the rock on which the Church is built. (Neither was the apostle Peter, by the way, but I won’t get into that here). If you keep that in mind you will not be slandering the bride of Christ down the street. You will humbly seek to serve them and show them more fully the things they fail to see.

There’s a million things a christian can use as a cover for arrogance. Things like Bible translations, how or when or how much to pray, how to witness, what music to listen to, what music to play in church, and the list just goes on and on. It is all fine and dandy to have an opinion about such things, and seek to convince others that you’re right. That doesn’t make you arrogant. But that feeling of superiority when you discuss these opinions with those who disagree with you, that most certainly does make you arrogant.

When your heart is filled with anger against someone else, and you start thinking “I don’t need him anyways”. When your mind starts thinking up accusations against him, and your mouth starts speaking harsh and hurtful words. Then it doesn’t matter if you’re right and he’s wrong. God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble. He doesn’t resist the wrong and give grace to the right. So even if he’s wrong, if he’s humble about it he’s still better off than you.

Hiding pride behind preachers (1. Cor 4:6)

Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other. (1. Cor 4:6)

Over the last few weeks we have seen Paul and Apollos as farmers, builders and stewards. Paul applied those word-pictures to himself and Apollos with a specific goal in mind. He wanted the Corinthians to humbly see themselves and their fellow servants in light of what is written.

In writing these things he emphasised three things in particular. First that their assignments were from God. Not from their own ambitions. Secondly, that it is a work of cooperation. And third, that they would be judged by God for their faithfulness.

This is Paul’s prescribed antidote to carnal Corinthian pride. But how does that work? Paul talked about his own and Apollos’ ministry, and their responsibilities to God. How does that cure the Corinthians of their arrogance?

By pulling their preachers down from their pedestals and pointing out that they are nothing but servants, Paul achieved two things. He set them up as examples of humility, and he took away the Corinthians’ possibility to hide their own pride behind them.

You see, pride in preachers is really just a disguise for pride in self. Of course, like other Christians, the Corinthians would have been very humble. Much too humble to be puffed up on their own behalf. They knew they couldn’t get away with that. But under this humble surface was a heart still filled with carnal arrogance, and it leaked out through the cracks. It sure looks much better to those around you to be puffed up on behalf of someone else, rather than on your own behalf. But Paul was not fooled. He knew that puffed up is puffed up, no matter how it’s disguised.

“My preacher is better than your preacher” is just another way of saying “I’m better than you” After all I am the one who is spiritual and smart enough to chose the right preacher over the wrong one. After knocking their disguise down, he goes on to address their real problem of a proud heart in the next verse.

This blog post has been proven by science

There are many things that annoy me. One of them is a vice that is as popular among Bible-believing preachers as well as atheist university professors. What is it?

Making unspecific claims to scientific support.

A claims to scientific support demands at the very least a footnote with a reference that someone might be able to look up. Preferably there should be a short description of how the study was conducted as well so that you can quickly discern whether it's applicable to the claim made.

Over the years I have adapted to attach no significance to such claims as "Science proves", "we now know", "studies have shown", or even more vague "studies suggest". Usually they just mean the author is just expressing his own opinion and trying to sound smart at the same time. At best he might be referring to some internet rumor or something that he at least feels ought to be proven.

It annoys me when atheists do it, but it infuriates me when Christians sink to their level. (Especially when they do it to perpetuate one of the 5 worst arguments for Christianity ever). Does not the ninth commandment forbid bearing false witness? Leave lying to the atheists. Leave vague unsupported claims to fictional evidence to those who have no truth.

When the master comes back (1.Cor 4:5)

Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God. (1.Cor 4:5)

When Jesus returns it will not matter whether our fellow servants thought we were wrong or right. It won’t even matter if we ourselves in a moment of weakness started wondering whether we had gone crazy. What will matter is if our Lord is satisfied with our service to him.

On that day he will put everything right. Many who may have appeared to others to be doing poorly will be praised by God because they were doing exactly what he told them to do. Others who seem to be doing great will be rebuked, or even rejected by Him because of wrong motives, secret sin or disobedience.

Let’s live for that day, and those words out of our master’s mouth. Well done, you good and faithful servant.

The dangers of an indifferent conscience (1.Cor 4:4)

For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. (1.Cor 4:4)

Paul is not aware of any past or present sin that he has not brought before God, and that is an exceedingly restful position to be in. However, cultivating godliness and intimacy with God is not the only way to get there. There is another way, properly labeled antinomianism. You know what anti means, and nomos means law in Greek, so the word would describe those who are against the law. Those who accuse anyone who is obedient to the commands of God of being a legalist.

The antinomian would say along with Paul, I know of nothing against myself. After all Jesus died to forgive me all of my sins, so I can indulge in whatever I would like. We’re free from the law. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” (Rom 6:1) The  antinomian would say “sure, why not?” Christ shed his blood to free them from the power of sin, and they see it as an occasion to increase their sin.

So here we have Paul, the obedient servant with a good conscience, and the antinomian with a dead conscience, both making the same claim. “I know nothing against myself”. Are they thereby acquitted? “No”, Paul says.The one who examines us it the Lord. We can not acquit ourselves. We can not declare ourselves to be right with God because we feel like we are. God is our judge, and we need to withstand his scrutiny.