Monday, August 27, 2012

Oh, That's Old Testament Stuff - Matt Kountz


I don’t know about you, but I hear that phrase way too often from Christians.  Whether you would say that yourself or not, it has probably snuck into your thinking.  Wayne Grudem, a writer and seminary teacher in Arizona said that the number one complaint he hears from their students graduating seminary [receiving masters degree’s in Bible!] is that they don’t know how the Old testament and the New testament fit together.  I think it is because people aren’t really sure what the bible is all about.  My argument here is that the bible fundamentally is about the good news of Jesus - New Testament and Old Testament.  At first you might disagree, but then you will start to think of all the prophecies about Jesus - The suffering servant, the root of Jesse etc.  Then there is of course all the striking psalms like psalm 22 [If you haven’t read it… do].  Then there are those who argue about the song of Solomon being about Jesus and the church, but that leaves a lot of Old Testament that is not about Jesus….. or is it?
 Something people miss when they are studying the OT is the redemptive themes.  In the theological world they call it ‘Biblical Theology’ to distinguish it from ‘Systematic theology’.  For example people tend to think that God has somehow changed from the Old Testament times, or that he and Jesus are at odds with each other because Jesus brings grace, but Yahweh seems to bring the law.  This of course would be a theological heresy so nobody says it out loud - they just kind of think it.  They say in their hearts “God was mean in the Old Testament [OT] and is nice in the New Testament [NT]”.  The issue here is that they don’t know that Jesus came because the father wanted him to, and God has been slowly, thematically revealing it to his people since the beginning of time. That is why we have passages like this

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
LUKE 24:27 [emphasis mine]

 All the scriptures are concerned with Jesus.  Take for instance the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus.  It was always Gods plan to send a substitute sacrifice to save sinners.  Let’s look at this one theme as it grows and develops in scripture. 

- Adam and Eve fall, and hide because they are naked and ashamed.  God himself slaughters animals to make clothes for them to cover them. [It is a sacrifice to help them with the effects of their sin - just a glimmer]

- Gen 4 -- Cain and Abel offer their sacrifices as a tribute to God’s lordship.  [Basics of sacrifice – we offer to God what is His / what he deserves]

-  Genesis 8 – Noah makes whole clean animal sacrifices to the Lord as an offering of thanksgiving after the flood.  It then says “The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said ‘never again will I curse the ground because of man’” [Here we start to see sacrifice have an effect on Gods attitude toward us.]

- Genesis 22 – Here is a doozy!  Abraham is called to sacrifice Isaac [type of Christ].  Isaac is the a promised miracle child –born to a mother who shouldn’t have gotten pregnant - and has to carry the wood for his own sacrifice up to the hill where he will be offered on it.  [Sounds a bit like Jesus]   The key here is that when they get up there God provides a ram to be sacrificed in his place!  [What we learn here is that God will accept a substitute for a life that he has a claim to, but what is more is he will provide that substitute.]

- Exodus 12 – God’s wrath is coming to be poured out on the inhabitants of Egypt.  All the firstborn will die.  God gives Israel a way of escape so that they won’t taste the sting of the curse.  He has them take a year old lamb, without defect [flawless], sacrifice it, and smear the blood of the sacrifice on their door posts.  When the destroying spirit see’s that they are marked by the blood it passes them over and they are not destroyed.  He has them keep this meal as a remembrance that they are His chosen people.  He rescues them, takes them to Mount Sinai and gives them the law.  [They are redeemed by the blood of another, so their blood does not need to be spilled.  They repeatedly have a traditional meal of remembrance after that.  They are a people set apart, and they are consecrated to God and taught how to live now that they are set apart.]

- Leviticus – this book hits sacrifice and starts to clean it up a ton with specifics. 
- Only clean animals without defect
- Substitution is a huge theme [Leviticus 1:4] burnt offering is accepted on your behalf  - lay hands on head to transfer guilt
- Every firstborn must be redeemed with a sacrificial substitute. 
- Priests are set up to be intermediaries between God and his sinful people / sacrifices are everyday. 
- ***The day of atonement – High priest enters the Holy of Holies and sprinkles the blood on the MERCY seat [symbolic throne of God] to make atonement for his own sin and the sins of the people. 

These are all shadows of something greater to come – Jesus.  He is the perfect, flawless, firstborn, sacrificed to save the descendants of Adam from the curse of their own sin.  If you are marked by His blood you will not bear the wrath because he took it as a substitute.  God's wrath for our sins was exhausted on him, so if we are marked as his special people then he will bring us into his promised land [heaven].  The great thing is that because this sacrifice was of Jesus the God Man it can bear the guilt of man, but also bear the weight of the entire wrath of God [something we finite creatures couldn't do in all of eternity].  That means that we don’t have to be like the Jews sacrificing every day.  It is finished!  We now have a great high priest [Jesus] pleading for us because he knows where we are tempted, but has never himself given into sin.  

The OT is not unfamiliar with the propitiatory sacrifice, and grace of the NT.  It was the plan all along.  The study of biblical theology gets in to these themes that hold all 66 books of the bible together.  The theme of sacrifice that I just quickly went over is only one of them.  There are a ton - Creation, fall, promise, marriage, adoption and others.    This is a great study that will open up your eyes to the unity of the bible and how God’s plan has always been there.  For future reading check out “Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church” by Michael Lawrence [9Marks Book] * “The Unfolding Mystery” by Edmond Clowney [Westminster Seminary] * “Gospel Centered Hermeneutics” by Graeme Goldsworthy * “Biblical Theology” by Geerhardus Voz.  I would suggest them in that order so that as you come to understand biblical theology you can pick up the heavier books.   

     Mr. Matt Kountz

Matt Kountz is a Pastor-in-training at a non-denominational church. He also has been a long term missionary to Zambia.

Monday, August 13, 2012

The Armor of God


“Put on the full armor of God…”  Ephesians 6:11a

     My church recently went through a study of Ephesians 6:10-18  the passage talking about the Armor of God – which I really enjoyed because I learned more about the background behind the actual armor.  Now don’t get me wrong, the other stuff is great too!  But I’ve always been fascinated with learning the historical context behind the verses.  Like, what would this have actually meant to the Israelites when they read it?

     “10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”  –Ephesians 6:10-18

     First of all, there’s the pretty obvious stuff.  You know, “our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against…the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  (Ephesians 6:12)  The armor that we’re reading about isn’t solid – it’s not something that you can actually physically put on – because the enemies we’re fighting and defending ourselves against aren’t flesh and blood.  They can’t be defeated by the physical.  But then you get into the other stuff that makes a lot more sense when you know their actual history.

     See, the Armor of God is made up of a belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword.  This is actually very similar to the armor that a Roman soldier would have worn during that time.  Because most of the known world was governed by Rome, the Christians of that day would have been very familiar with that armor and it's purpose.

The Belt of Truth
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…”
     The first thing a Roman soldier would put on is his belt.  Without it, he would be constantly stumbling, tripping over his tunic and he would also have nowhere to put his sword.  The Christian’s belt, similarly, was to keep them from stumbling around without the Truth (God).

The Breastplate of Righteousness
“…with the breastplate of righteousness in place…”
     A Roman soldiers’ breastplate protected him from his neck all the way down to the tops of his thighs and helped keep him from being hit by an arrow, or a sword in his back.  It protected two of the three vital areas, one’s heart and one’s midsection (bowels) where the other organs were.  During that time, thinking was associated with the heart and the bowels were associated with feelings and emotions.  One of the things Satan likes to attack are our thoughts and emotions, so if we’re wearing a breastplate of righteousness that comes from God, our vital areas are protected.

The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
“…and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
     A soldier needed firm footing, and the Roman soldiers’ caligae (“half boots”) provided stability, support, and traction.  They looked similar to sandals, having an open design so their feet could breathe, keeping them from getting “trench foot” after walking through water and to keep them from getting fungus on their feet.  Also, in the bottom, they attached nails, which provided stability as well as a weapon.  As Christians, Satan is constantly trying to shake our footing, but when we have our feet firmly planted in the Gospel of Peace through Jesus Christ, he can’t move us.

The Shield of Faith
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
     The shield of a Roman soldier was four feet tall, two feet wide, and made of thick leather.  Before battle, this shield would be dipped in water in order to not only stop, but also extinguish their enemies’ arrows which were often dipped in pitch and then lit on fire.  Our shield is God – the very object of our faith – who protects us from Satan’s fiery arrows which are both piercing (persecution) and burning (temptation).

The Helmet of Salvation
Take the helmet of salvation…”
     The purpose of the Roman soldier’s helmet was to protect his head, particularly from the broadsword which was 3-4 feet wide, two sided, required two hands to wield, and one of its main purposes was to crush the enemies’ skull.  And just as a Roman soldier would receive his helmet from his commanding officer, we as Christians receive the Helmet of Salvation from God.  (The Greek word used for “take” actually means “accept” or “receive”)  Instead of “saving” us or making us Christians (we’re already Christians if we’re fighting Satan), it protects us from Satan’s broadsword whose two sides are discouragement and doubt.  He tries to convince us that we aren’t actually saved, but according to 1 Thessalonians 5:8 (“But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”) we as Christians have hope – a sure and certain expectation – of salvation through Christ.

The Sword of the Spirit
“…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
     The sword referred to in this passage isn’t the broadsword that the helmet helped protect against, but the sword more commonly carried by soldiers, the machaira (or makaira), which was anywhere from the 6 inch dagger to an 18 inch sword and kept in a sheath or scabbard at the soldiers side.  The machaira were used in hand-to-hand combat both for offense and defense.  Ephesians 6:17 tells us specifically what the Christian's sword is: the word of God  the Bible.  As with the sword, we can use it both as offense and defense in battling Satan.  As defense, to fight off Satan using scripture, and as offense, to share the story of salvation with others.

     In closing, I'd like to make one more comparison between a Roman soldier and a Christian. A Roman soldier wouldn't think of going into battle without his full armor – he could be in big trouble if he was missing a piece – but all too often we Christians think we can get by if we just, say, leave off the helmet for once, or think we can set down the shield or sword.  But the truth is, that leaves us vulnerable.  We need to be like a soldier in the midst of battle – always at the ready and fully clothed in the armor of God, because Satan doesn't wait for us to be ready to fight, he attacks us when we're at our weakest, at our most vulnerable.


     The Comma Queen


***
 All information was taken either from my pastor’s sermon series, “The Armor of God” or John MacArthur’s 1979 sermon series, “The Believer’s Armor”.  I would greatly encourage you to listen to or read these sermons for yourself, as they are full of really good information that I wasn't able to include in this short article.

“The Armor of God”









“The Believer’s Armor”








Bible verses taken from the NIV 1984

Image by Leaping Lizard

Monday, August 6, 2012

Symbolism... Literaly

Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 1:13 

Symbolism runs rampant through the Bible. Almost anything you can think of in the Bible has a double meaning or is attached to a type, figure or foil. But these are literary symbols, not literal ones. Many symbols run throughout our culture, a cross, a crescent, a croc (yes, brands are represented by symbols); but how often do we think about the symbols we wear and what they represent? I am going to run down some of the most popular and/or misunderstood symbols in our culture, and what they really stand for; and what our culture has redefined them as.
            I'll start off with a pretty easy one; the ikthus; or Christian fish (there are many possible spellings. I am going to use the one that most accurately represents the original Greek spelling). The Greek spelling is ICQUS (sorry, but it looks like some browsers do not support the Greek font, it is spelled iota, kappa, theta, upsilon, sigma). Some people say that Icqus (which just means fish) can be broken down and the letters would spell Iesus Cristos Qeos Uios Sotor. The translation is ‘Jesus Christ, Son of God, our Savior’. The letters have also been combined into a wheel. The Ikthus tradition states that it was a method of discreetly confirming your Christian faith to another believer in times of intense persecution (think Nero). Its use as a secret symbol faded with the establishment of Christianity under Constantine. This tradition is widely accepted in both Christian and Secular circles.1
            How about one of the most popular symbols in our present culture; the Peace symbol? The Peace symbol is actually called ‘Nero’s cross’ and is the most misunderstood symbol in existence. Nero’s Cross represents the vision of the Roman Emperor Nero, who, if you don’t know, martyred, brutally murdering, slaughtering, torturing thousands and thousands of Christians. I really don't want to go into detail, but if you want to grasp a small portion of his depravity read 'Foxe's Book of Martyrs" a book I think all Christians should read at least a part of. He believed that the only way to assure peace in his kingdom was to destroy Christianity. So, the ‘peace’ that this symbol actually represents is a world without Christians.2 This is the Christian's version of the Jew's Swastika.
            This next one is incredibly convoluted. If you Google "stars as a Christian symbol," you will find several things: you will find that the star of David (a six pointed star) is a traditional Jewish symbol and means Judaism. Great! However, if you surround it with a circle it becomes a popular wicca/witchcraft symbol.2 The five pointed star is a little more convoluted. Many people have a five pointed star on the tops of their Christmas Trees; therefore some claim that it is a Christian symbol representing the traveling of the Magi and therefore Christ’s birth. However (again) the five pointed star (when left unfilled) becomes a pentagram or pentangle, both associated with extremely Satanic rituals.
            So now that I have explained the history of these symbols you probably have several thoughts running through your head right now. One of which might be; “Don’t you judge me! That is not why I wear my peace sign head band/T-shirt/bracelet!” (That was not directed at anyone in particular). I am not judging you. I am giving you some information I have picked up so you can judge yourself and how you are presenting Christ to those around you. I don’t know where you are in your walk with Christ (or if you have even started your walk). I don’t know who you associate with, who you are trying to witness to and how strong the fellow believers in your life are. I do know that you do. I also know that every action we have has an effect on those around us.
            In Romans 14 Paul talks about how those who are strong in their faith need to help those who are weak. In one example (vv. 5-6) he references the Sabbath. Are certain days more sacred then others? According to the Bible; no. However, we set aside the Sabbath in order to worship God and to keep others from stumbling. Similarly, is one set of lines more sacred than another? By the same token, no. But certain sets of lines have a history behind them, creating an undesirable light to be cast on our witness, how we present ourselves and how we serve others. In verse 13 Paul says “Make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.” I know several people who are severely offended by some of these symbols. Does that mean that I shouldn’t wear them because I will offend them? No. Does that mean that I shouldn’t wear them because it will place a stumbling block in their walk (or potential walk) with Christ? An emphatic yes. I also know several people who are unaware, or don’t mind, the history behind these symbols. Does that mean that I should judge them as less ‘holy’ then I am? Absolutely not. (But you should look into what you wear/do, as a seemingly innocent expression or motif can mean some of the most depraved things the human mind can come up with).
            We each need to focus on our own sins (log and speck). Things like clothing, tattoos, piercings, junk food, etc. are between the person using those items and God. That person knows his/her own heart, and if he is right with God about his actions. Do I think that some of these symbols, or some of the actions above might severely impede our potential witness to an unsaved individual and how we serve the community of believers? Yes, but again, that is between him/her; and God.

     Leaping Lizard

1 http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_symb.htm/ (PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A NOT A SITE WHOSE MISSION WE AGREE WITH! Religious Tolerance.org is an anti-Christ organization.)
2 http://www.nazarite.net/evil-symbols.html (a little over the top but excellent information.)

Image by Leaping Lizard