Month: March 2024

Understanding the Red Letters   Part 25

The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5 through 7 is a very complicated part of the gospel.  In these chapters, Jesus teaches Law, Jesus teaches old covenant, and Jesus points forward to the coming new covenant.  And these focuses are intermixed throughout these chapters.  One of the undervalued pieces of Jesus’ presentation is how much of it is prophetic; again, pointing forward.  Matthew 7:1-5 is one of these passages.

I think the most well-known verse in the Bible, particularly among those who have never read the Bible, is Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.”  The command not to judge others is universally approved (though rarely put into practice).  Remember when we were kids?  One of our favorites phrases was, “You’re not the boss of me!” as we tried to announce our independence.  As adults, “You’re not the judge of me!” has become ours and society’s mantra.  But is “you’re not the judge of me” really what Jesus is saying here?

Let’s continue the passage.  “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.  Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?  You hypocrite, …”(Matthew 7:2-5a)

This is usually where we stop the thought in this passage of Scripture.  And we conclude that it teaches, “You hypocrite, you have your own giant problems so stop correcting your brother” or “With such great flaws of your own, stop trying to point out your brother’s minor ones.”  In short, “Don’t judge.  In fact, never ever ever ever judge others.”  This is where typical preaching on this passage leaves us.

But this isn’t where Jesus stops the thought.  Let’s read all of verse 5, “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and you will see clearly enough to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5).  Is there really a role for us to play in “taking the speck out of our brother’s eye”?  Rather than falling for the notion that we all have so many problems that we should not be assisting others with theirs, Jesus calls us to start by taking action about our own sin; removing the log in our own eye.

We are to remove the log – be willing to address our own blind spots – in our own eye so that we will be clear-seeing and equipped to help our brother.  Jesus is not saying to ignore each others’ sins.  He is telling us to take care of our own challenges first before we go too far down the path of trying to “help” our brother.

How do we get the log out of our own eye?  The short answer is that when we allow Christ to live His life in and though us, we see areas or blind spots in ourselves that need to change.  And the beautiful promise to new covenant believers is that Jesus has given us the power to change.  Sin is no longer our master.

Remember, at the time of this message, nobody knew what was coming in the new covenant.  Nobody knew about the promise of a new power over sin that was coming to those who believed in Jesus.  Nobody knew that the power to remove the log from our own eye was coming to us through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

This passage is actually being prophetic.  It is looking ahead to what is coming in this new covenant body, the church.  Fast forward to Galatians 6:1, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.”

“You who are spiritual” is the one who understands grace and practices grace.  In a loving community of believers, those who are spiritual (those who has been captured by the power of grace to fuel our godly living) are to help our brothers and sisters along the way.  There no condemnation in helping our struggling brother in this way, only gentleness.

Understanding the Red Letters   Part 24

When Jesus called out these words from the cross, He spoke in Aramaic, “Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani.”  Some in the crowd thought that Jesus was calling for Elijah (Mark 15:35).  Translated into English, we have the well-known, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

We have been taught that Jesus spoke these words on the cross because God the Father turned His back on His Son.  While the weight of the world’s sin was upon Jesus’ shoulders, God the Father abandoned the Son.  Is this really true?  I don’t think so.

The bond between the Father and the Son is unbreakable.  I don’t believe that there was ever any separation between them.  We have no support in Scripture that “The Father and I are one” was ever broken.  I don’t believe there is any reason to think that God abandoned the Son even as He became sin for us on the cross.

So what was Jesus saying from the cross?  Jesus was speaking line one from Psalm 22, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Psalm 22:1).  The rest of this Psalm is a stunning prophecy of what His death would be like with passages like, “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.  My heart is like wax; it is melted within me.  My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws.  You lay me in the dust of death.  For dogs have surrounded me.  A band of evildoers has encompassed me.  They pierced my hands and my feet.  I can count all my bones.  They look, they stare at me.  They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots” (Psalm 22:14-18).  Wow, does that sound like a description of the death of Jesus?

It has been suggested that in first century Israel, it was a common practice for a rabbi to speak the first line of a Psalm and expect his students to recite the rest.  Could this be happening here?  Could Jesus be saying from the cross, “For those with ears to hear, I am pointing you to the prophecy of Psalm 22; and in My death, I am its fulfillment”?

With or without this view, it does not diminish the suffering that Jesus experienced on the cross.  It is totally expected that Jesus felt abandoned by the Father.  He was suffering greatly.  He was at death’s doorstep in brutal pain.  And it was Jesus’ last test of obedience as He suffered.

“In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.  Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.  And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation” (Hebrews 5:7-9).  On the cross, in the depth of His suffering, Jesus passed His last test of obedience.  “He learned obedience” does not mean Jesus was lacking and needed to “learn” something.  It means that Jesus was tested regarding obedience and passed the final exam on the cross.

Just as the Psalmist in Psalm 22 felt that God had abandoned him, so Jesus, in the dying of His human form, likely felt that God had turned His back on Him in that moment.  However, by the end of Psalm 22, we find that God had been protecting the writer all along.  “For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from him; but when he cried to Him for help, He heard” (Psalm 22:24).  I especially like the phrase that God has NOT hidden His face from the afflicted.  God did not turn His back on the Son.  I believe God the Father was there with the Son at the cross.

So what lesson is here for us?  We have been taught that God turned His back on His Son because He could not look upon sin.  But that doesn’t square with the rest of Scripture.  God pursued Adam and Eve in the garden after they sinned.  Jesus, God in the flesh, was a “friend of sinners”.  He dined with, visited with, and called sinners.  Sometimes, He even invited Himself to their house (Zacchaeus).

And God and Jesus can look upon you in your sin.  When we sin, Jesus does not withdraw from us.  Our fellowship with God is not broken.  Jesus is with us when we sin.  Jesus is with us in our sin.  And He is holding up a way out of our sin.  He is there to walk us out of our sin.  He is there to say, “This isn’t who you are, My child.  Come with Me to the path of righteousness.”  God is not turning His nose up at your sin.  He came to save you from it.  And He will never give up on you.  Your union with Him is unbreakable!

How can I be so sure? God has given us this promise that you can take to the bank, “I will NEVER desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Understanding the Red Letters   Part 23

So if you have been following these posts at all, you know that I believe the Bible teaches us that all of our sins are completely forgiven by the shed blood of Jesus the moment we believe the gospel.  But the church at large, at least in their practice, does not seem to share this view.  Almost every church I visit, has some form of confession and seeking forgiveness for our sins built into their worship.  Why is this so?

First is the holdover from the Catholic church that confession and forgiveness is required as an integral part of the Christian life.  I will just say it is not and go on to point two.

Second – and this is probably why number one still hangs around – is that grace and complete forgiveness is just too good to be true.  In our heart of hearts, I think most of us believe that when a sin is committed, someone has to pay.  No one gets off scot-free.  Forgiveness that lasts forever no matter what you do next is just not allowed.  We need to continue to pay for our sins by asking for forgiveness whenever we fail.

But what folks who feel this way fail to comprehend is that grace is beautifully unfair, by its very nature.  It comes to us completely free of our works.  Until you understand the beautiful unfairness of grace, you will struggle to understand your complete forgiveness in Christ.

Third, not understanding the transactional forgiveness outlined in the Lord’s prayer as old covenant confuses us.  In churches Sunday after Sunday, we repeat, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).  This sure sounds like asking God for forgiveness and that forgiving those who harm us is required to experience His forgiveness.

But keep in mind that what we know as The Sermon on the Mount is a combination of Jesus teaching Law, of Jesus teaching old covenant, of Jesus giving us glimpses of the coming new covenant.  In this case, seeking to be forgiven as we forgive is complete old covenant.  It is transactional, and transactional between us and God is at the heart of the old covenant.

The Golden Rule is another good example of this in the Sermon on the Mount, “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).  Jesus identifies this as old covenant teaching with the phrase, “For this is the Law and the Prophets.”  Much of the Sermon on the Mount is old covenant and needs to be seen in that light.

Before the cross, under the old covenant, we were told to forgive to be forgiven.  After the cross, under the new covenant, we are instructed to forgive BECAUSE WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN forgiven.  Huge difference.  “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

Fourth, is our misunderstanding of the audience for I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  This message of forgiveness and cleansing was addressed to a group of unbelievers who claimed no need for a Savior because they had no sin.  Agreeing (confessing) with God that they were sinners is the first step to believing the gospel and receiving God’s complete forgiveness.  This verse is not directed at believers.

This understanding of I John 1:9 is frequently covered in my posts.  For further study, I recommend the book, Forgiven and Cleansed, by Brad Robertson.

Understanding the Red Letters   Part 22

One of the hallmarks of the gospel message that seems to be buried by the Christian religion is the complete forgiveness of our sins brought to us by the shed blood of Christ.

“When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14).

What happened to the totality of our sins?  “Having forgiven us ALL of our transgressions.”

What happened to the penalty of our sins?  “Having canceled out the certificate of debt against us.”

What happened to the placement of our sins?  “Having nailed it to the cross.”

Christ did all the work upon the cross for our forgiveness AND it became ours when we appropriated it by faith; when we believed the gospel message of Jesus Christ.  Christ’s death plus our faith = our complete forgiveness.

In fact, our forgiveness is so complete that, The Holy Spirit declares, ‘Their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more’ “ (Hebrews 10:17).  Our forgiveness is so complete that, “By one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14).  We are perfected and sanctified – past tense – by the offering of Jesus.  We are not perfect in our actions, but we are perfect in regard to our complete forgiveness.

Again, the key to appropriating God’s forgiveness is faith.  It is the pattern in the gospels.  What did we learn last time about the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet?  “Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins have been forgiven … Your faith has saved you; go in peace’ “ (Luke 7:48-50).  But wait there is more.

Think back to the story of the paralytic being let down through the roof.  Do you recall Jesus’ proclamation of the man’s sins forgiven?  The words of Jesus are very similar to the woman’s experience in Luke 7.  “Being unable to get to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.  And Jesus SEEING THEIR FAITH said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven’ “ (Mark 2:4-5).

I don’t even know how much was the paralytic’s faith or his friend’s faith, but either way, their faith prompted Jesus’ declaration of forgiveness.

I believe Jesus declares us completely forgiven the moment we believe His gospel message.  So why do so many pastors insist that we revisit our sins and seek God’s forgiveness as an integral part of our Christian experience?  We will talk about at least four reasons next time.

Understanding the Red Letters   Part 21

Last time, we featured Jesus as “friend of sinners”.  Jesus came to befriend, call, and save sinners, which we were!  He came for us.  And this mission of Jesus riled the religious leaders of His day.  Let’s look at another story of our beautiful “friend of sinners” in action.

“Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.  And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.  Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.’ “ (Luke 7:36-39).

You can see the wheels turning in the host’s mind, “If Jesus were really a prophet, He would know that this woman is a sinner.  And if He had any scruples at all, He would not be allowing her to touch Him.”  Of course, Jesus knew exactly who the woman was.  She was exactly the type of woman that Jesus came to rescue!

Jesus then tells Simon, His host, a parable about forgiveness with this point.  Those who have been forgiven much, love much; love that this woman is showering upon our Lord.  Jesus concludes his story, “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much” (Luke 7:47).

Did Jesus just say that her sins are forgiven?  Did Jesus just say that her sins, which are many, have been forgiven?  We haven’t heard a word from this woman in the text.  We have not seen a single word from this woman asking for forgiveness.  Has Jesus truly forgiven her?  The next three verses give us the beautiful truth.

“Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins have been forgiven.’  Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, ‘Who is this man who even forgives sins?’  And He said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace’ “ (Luke 7:48-50).

Jesus said it again, this time straight to the woman, in verse 48, “Your sins have been forgiven.”  Again, how can this happen if she did not ask for Jesus’ forgiveness?  Jesus gives us the simple and straightforward answer in verse 50, “Your faith has saved you.”  Her literally pouring out her love for the Savior is an expression of her faith.  She and us are forgiven of our sins when we believe in Jesus; when we believe His gospel message.  It is just that simple.

Yet, the church makes asking God to forgive us a staple of the Christian life, especially the need to seek God’s forgiveness over and over when we sin.  Why would be encouraged to do this when our sins, even if they are many, have already been forgiven?  We will continue this thought in the next few posts.