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The death and resurrection of Jesus

Posted on by NeuralMonk

There is not much written about the three days of Christ’s death.  Most of what I write is speculation, but I do think some of it was revealed to me.

See, from creation, we know that the Holy Spirit was brooding over the face of the deep.   I don’t think this is the only time of the Holy Spirit’s brooding.  I believe today, He continues to brood over the body of Christ.

When Jesus died, his divine-human soul left his divine-human body.  I say this because Jesus was truly God and truly man.  The Son of God became human.  He didn’t change from God.  He didn’t just wear a human suit.  He became the first fruits of what we can become through Him.

So the author of life entered into created life.  And because Jesus was God, there was no one who took His life.  This might seem strange, but understand that He was lead like a lamb to the slaughter.  It was not the trial which killed the Author of Life.  It was not the beatings that separate His soul from His body.  It was not the ubermensch way, after these beating that would have killed most men, that he walked from Jerusalem to Golgotha.  It was not the taunting of a cruel world which caused Him to give up.  It was not the nails that pierced His arms outstretched to receive the world, nor the nail through His feet that anchored Him to this world.

Jesus was crucified by this world, but Jesus gave His life upon His own terms.  Jesus first pardoned the world, then willingly surrendered to death itself.  In the same manner, He entered into life to change life, He entered into death to change death from within.  He tore not only the veil of separation in the temple but also the veil of life and death.

Death sought to consume this life offered to it.  However, death did not bargain for the Source of all Life.  There was no way that death could contain this Holy One.  All of Death died that day because the cost of consuming the Source of Life cost Death everything Death had.  Death was not strong enough to contain this source.  So Death was created anew, into a true path to life itself.  In order to save itself, Death now must serve Life.

Now that Death had been defeated, Jesus then moved on to the abode of the dead.  There is a great divide within this abode.  This abode was created for Abel first because of Abel’s soul crying out to God.  Because the issue of sin had not been resolved in those early times, the Holy Spirit, being God’s love created a place of God’s love for these souls which the Father loved.

The justice of God, however, could not allow those who rejected Himself from interfering with those who sought God out and repented.  So the Holy Spirit, in an act of love (both for those who rejected but also those who loved God), created a vast chasm between the two groups.  This chasm was created by Justice Himself and was Justice itself.  This chasm separated the fire of God’s love from the fire for God’s love.  The fire of God’s love we call Hell.  The fire for God’s love was known to the Jews as Abraham’s bosom.

Therefore, when the unjust acts of mankind led to the Author of Justice surrendering His life, Jesus was the only man who could stand upon Justice, offering Justice, Love, and Life to all those in the abode.  Jesus was able to heal the bridge between the Father’s children.

Because justice belongs to God alone, I will refrain from saying if any of those who were in Hell received the Author of Justice.  If I truly love my neighbor, I must love those who have lost their lives, and especially those who may have also lost their soul.  May they rest in peace.

It was at this time, that the Holy Spirit started brooding over the body of our Lord.  In tenderness, He whispered to Him the words of Love.  “You cannot be dead, because everything the Father told me has come true, except this.  And the Father, who loves You, asks me to remind you of His love.  Because I love you, you must not remain dead.  You have done everything the Father has asked except this one thing.  You must remain the Author of Life.  You must return to those you gave the Father, so that they may return to Him, to You and to me.  You must bring them all to the Father, and I will help you.  I will help them because You love them, and the Father loves them, and I love them.  It is Love calling to you to come alive.  It is love that raises you up and will make you whole.  I, Love, will do these things because I love you, just as I love the Father, I also love them.  The Father has honored your prayer, and through you, they may now join the Father.  I, Love will make this happen as the Father requests.  So arise sleeper to the newest day, for it is love that commands you.”

He tenderly whispered because when God speaks, that which is nothing now exists.

Eph 3:7-19

Posted on by NeuralMonk

For today’s reading, we are going to include a few verses that will help stage the discussion, we are going to start with verse 7, but the reading starts with verse 8.

“Of this (secret) I became a minister by the gift of God’s grace that was granted me in accord with the exercise of his power.”

The secret Paul was given (as he expresses earlier) was that the Gentiles were a part of God’s plan of salvation.  For a Jew, this was unthinkable.  The law, prophets, rites, liturgy, and practice God gave to the Jews.  For a Jew, the only way that God could work with a Gentile was for them to become a Jew first, but Paul had this secret revealed by Jesus himself.

So God gave Paul a give of grace.  For those that are stuck thinking that grace is about forgiveness or mercy, this use of charis is not familiar.  In this case, the grace granted to Paul was the power to exercise his ministry.  This is a very special gift of God, and Paul is calling this out for humility and authority as a rabbi.

“Brothers and sisters:  To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ,”

Because Paul had this grace, he was able to preach Christ to the Gentiles.  Note that the grace is not of Paul, it is a gift of God, not of Paul’s works lest Paul should boast.

However, we start to get interesting, because what Paul is going to preach is the riches of Christ.  What are the riches of Christ?  Well, there are many:

  • Inner strength
  • Faith
  • Companionship
  • Stability
  • Being understood
  • God’s Love
  • Sense of Accomplishment

And the source of these riches is so vast and deep, it cannot be traced.  That is what the word translated as inscrutable means.

“and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery hidden from ages past in God who created all things, so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the principalities and authorities in the heavens.”

These secrets that Paul received in this grace allowed Paul to reveal the mystery (whispering).  What is interesting here is how this revelation is to occur.  It is not designed to be shared through the scriptures, but to be shared through the church.  Not a church, but THE church.  Paul only ever saw one church going forward.  Because how can you have unity when there is more than one church.  How can these whisperings be made known if the church isn’t using these riches?  If you think I am overemphasizing this, I am just pointing out what Paul was saying.  Paul uses a genitive feminine SINGULAR article preceding a genetive feminine SINGULAR noun.  This means that the article modifies the noun as much as the noun modifies the article. (Article being “THE” and Noun being “church”).

This sharing through the one church is not for the benefit of the world, but for the benefit of the principalities and authorities in the heavens.  Not on the earth, but IN THE HEAVENS.

“This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness of speech and confidence of access through faith in him.”

God had planned all along that the eternal purpose of the church was to speak about these riches to all mankind (Jews and Gentiles) and to access these riches through faith in Jesus.  Note that there is no reference to a book, but the church.  Also, note this is God doing this, and he doesn’t fail.

Verse 13 is nice:

“So I ask you not to lose heart over my afflictions for you; this is your glory.”

So Paul’s afflictions are the glory of the church?  Yes, Paul exercised the charis given to him by the Father through faith in Jesus.  Because he exercised this grace, he was afflicted.  Yes, afflicted by people on this earth, but more importantly, he was targeted for afflictions by the principalities and authorities in the heaves.  But when we give these up for the Gospel or the cross of Christ, it is true that God joins our afflictions to His son, to give more grace to those in need.

By the way, if you wonder about the list above, here it is:

“For this reason I kneel before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory
to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self,
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
that you, rooted and grounded in love,
may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones
what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,
so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

2 Timothy 2:8-15

Posted on by NeuralMonk

So Paul is talking to Timothy, and shares with him not only the Gospel he is preaching, but what it means to him.  Like a father sharing values to his son.

“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David”

To a Jew, this is a mouthful and a good summary.  Jesus is the anointed one (the Christ) which means that he is all the fulfillment of the prophets.

Raised from the dead summarizes his pharisaical belief in life after death, but that he was raised from the dead by God gives Jesus a new status beyond the prophets and better than Moses.

A descendant of David, and therefore has royal rights to the throne of Isreal, the promise and ruling authority over God’s people.

“such is my Gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal.  But the word of God is not chained.”

We must remember it is proper to suffer.  Suffering is not something to be avoided, but to make our joys and suffering available to God, so that He can do his good and turn them into grace for others.  Paul was focused on others, and these others made sure that the word of God was not chained.  Paul realized that chains serve a larger purpose.  They may bind and restrict, but they also amplify a good message.

“Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory.”

Remember before I stated that God will turn the suffering into grace for others?  This is the exact message that Paul is trying to communicate with this passage.  All of Pauls life was dedicated to those chosen.  But just because they are chosen, doesn’t mean they have it easy.

It is required of those chosen to obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus.  “But wait,” you might say, ” I thought salvation was by grace through faith.”  So I answer that it is, but grace is not just forgiveness of sin, it is the power of God as a gift to those with faith.  It is the power to heal and overcome evil, both in our lives and the lives of others.  Just because we are chosen does not mean we don’t have a choice or a part to play in salvation, but without God’s grace, earned through the suffering of Jesus Christ, we cannot do it ourselves.

Once we obtain salvation, we then may obtain eternal life.  Note in the passage, “together with eternal glory.”  So the task that Paul was after was to join his sufferings to the Gospel message so that the chosen could obtain salvation and eternal glory.  And this is what Father Paul was passing on to his son Timothy.

Now we get to an early creed:

“This saying is trustworthy:

If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.”

This is a regression list, or as I like to think of it, and inverted progression:

  1. We must have faith in Jesus because Jesus has faith in us.
  2. If we have faith, we cannot deny Jesus access to our life.
  3. If we continue to allow him access to our life, Jesus will reign through us
  4. If Jesus reign’s through us, then our old worthless self will die.

Because salvation is about saving us from our wounded, worthless life.

“Remind people of these things and charge them before God to stop disputing about words.  This serves no useful purpose since it harms those who listen.”

One thing not well understood is “stop disputing about words.”  This does not mean stop all dispute.  Gnostics believed that it was necessary to find the right words to unlock the secret.  Gnostic discussions were about criticizing people who didn’t say the “magic phrase.”  There was an endless discussion in the gnostic circles about what was the right words of Jesus.  Father Paul is telling Timothy that these discussions about the words of Jesus were more about living them than debating them.

Which is why:

“Be eager to present yourself as acceptable to God, a workman who causes no disgrace, imparting the word of truth without deviation.”

To be acceptable to God is the goal, but to do that we need to be a workman, not just discussing things, but putting our salvation to work for others.  And when we live what we speak, the word of truth (another gnostic reference being borrowed) will be imparted.

Jesus speaks about penance and indulgences

Posted on by NeuralMonk

Setting Isaiah 58:5 aside, many non-orthodox protestant students of scripture will tell you that penance is not a scriptural concept. If you remove the concept of penance, the question of indulgences becomes an easy target, even for the likes of Luther. However, what if Jesus himself spoke directly about the concept of penance and indulgences? What if this passage was even included in every translation of scripture and is not refuted as being authentically the words of Jesus?

The standard Catholic answer for indulgences recounts the church’s authority to forgive or retain sin.  While this authority is a very solid argument, it is not the strongest argument.

So a bit of background… penance, and indulgences are very old concepts. These concepts go back before Jesus’s earthly time and are rooted in the Jewish religion, practice, and faith practiced by Jesus, Peter, and Paul. The Jewish faith, which was authored and completed by Jesus through Moses is the foundation of Christianity. While some aspects of Jewish practice were abrogated by Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the church, Jesus did not replace the key elements of the Jewish faith. This did not occur even on Paul’s watch.

The foundational argument is a question of the fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. When Adam and Eve sinned, did this rebellion negate God’s declaration of goodness over Adam and Eve, or was this sin a wounding of our good nature, making us susceptible to ignorance, malice, concupiscence, sin, and death? While this is a good topic for an article, it will have to wait.  For the sake of this article, we are going to assume that this original sin was just a wounding of our goodness.

This wounding requires a healing which is provided by the grace (χάρη) of God. For those biblical scholars out there, please remember that grace is a superset of gifts, of which forgiveness and mercy are members.  These two gifts are just a taste of the total grace of God through Christ Jesus.

To start this discussion revealing Jesus’s credible words of encouragement to us, we need to address one additional point.  It is a foundation belief of this author that one cannot earn salvation by our own good works.  However, I do believe your salvation is what earns you eternal life by good works.  That may seem contrary, but the difference between salvation and eternal life is critical.  “We are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is a gift of God, lest anyone should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.”

So, to the point and the scripture passage.  This passage is highly confusing for most scholars: Luke 16: 1-15

1 Then he also said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. 2 He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’ 3 The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ 5 He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’ 7 Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’ 8 And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 9 I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 10 The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. 11 If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? 12 If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? 13 No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Okay, let’s break this parable out in modern-day language.  For most people reading, the connection between a dishonest steward and indulgences might not be apparent.  We need to understand a number of steps in the story:

  1. Rich men had many properties.  In today’s world, the rich man would be called a wealthy businessman having multiple businesses, or more direct, the business owner.
  2. Each property would have a steward who was responsible for managing the property.  We would call this manager a CEO.
  3. Every year, just after harvest, there would be an accounting of all properties owned by the business.  We have this today and we call it an audit.
  4. The reporter of accounts would come before the businessman and report the expenses, income and show the gain/loss of the accounts.  We call these people auditors today.
  5. The auditors found a discrepancy that pointed to the CEO spending the gains of the company on himself.  We would call this embezzlement.
  6. The auditor brought this embezzlement to the owner, pointing the finger at the CEO.
  7. The owner called a meeting with the CEO, and in the meeting, notice asked him to give an accounting of the embezzlement, a full statement of accounts and his resignation letter to the meeting.
  8. The CEO panicked thinking that not only was he going to lose his job, he probably was going to be placed in jail, lose his residence and family, and any sense of respect from other people.
  9. The CEO hatched a plan to protect his status, position, and respect.
  10. First, proving that the owner and auditor were not making a mistake (because God doesn’t make a mistake), the CEO decided to take his ill-gotten gains, to prop himself up.  We know he did this because Jesus told us within the passage exactly what the CEO embezzled.
  11. The CEO decided to play this both ways, telling the owner he was wrong (with “proof”), and also gain some respect with the owner’s debtors.
  12. He went to the first debtor and asked him how much he owned.  This was 100 measures of olive oil.  Remember, Jesus uses 100 as a placeholder for the elect.  One hundred sheep and one was lost…
  13. The CEO “gave” him the 50 measures of olive oil to return to the owner.  How do we know this?  Because this is not the parable of the dishonest debtors.  The books have to match.  The note must match the office copy.  The CEO didn’t just find someone to lie about what he owe’s, he is actually helping the debtor.
  14. The returned oil could be claimed an oversite by the auditors.  In this way, the CEO is not calling the owner dishonest (because God is always honest), but instead, placing the blame on his accusers.
  15. The grace (χάρη) of the oil given creates an unspoken contract in the honor of the χάρη.  To understand this contract, you must understand the Greek concept of grace.
  16. The next debtor owed 100 kors of wheat.
  17. The CEO “gave” him the 20 kors of wheat to return to the owner.  Again, the note was changed and the accounts updated.  We should assume this debtor was also honest.
  18. Again, the returned wheat could be claimed an oversite by the auditors.
  19. The grace (χάρη) of the wheat given creates an additional unspoken contract in the honor of the χάρη.
  20. The owner was not fooled, however, he was impressed.  If the CEO had been found with the evidence, he could have been jailed.  Even if he returned it in good faith, jail would have been required.  However, the CEO used the ill-gotten materials to win grace for himself and creating a plausible shield for his honor.
  21. The owner gave praise to the shrewd actions of the CEO, increasing his honor.

Now Jesus gives us the reason for this parable in verse 9.

“I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into ETERNAL dwellings.”

Please note, that this parable is about eternal dwellings, yet, it is also about how we deal with our wealth.  When we sin against God, we are embezzling from the owner.  We are squandering what God has given us for our own selfish desires.  At some point, there will be an accounting, and if we have been squandering what He gave us, he will put us out of His property.

However, it is possible to use what we have taken for God’s glory.

Penance is our attempt to make right the wrong we did.  “Confess your sins, one to another.” and again, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from unrighteousness.”  But that doesn’t fix the brokenness.

A good example would be throwing a baseball through the neighbor’s window.  The neighbor can forgive us for the infraction, but the window still needs to be repaired.  Justice demands restitution.  Forgiveness deals with relationship, penance deal with justice.

There are many Catholics who perform their penance for their own gain.  Penance makes me feel better about myself because I can feel like I am paying for my damages.  However, when we do penance, we are doing this penance with what God gave us.  It is not ours to take either.

This is where the economy of grace comes into view.  What I can do is to give what I have to those in need.  If I have the ability to spend a bit of my life in service to others, I am giving what I have taken, and using it for others that God loves.  I am spending my life, my joys, my sufferings, and realizing that these are only things given to me as a steward.  All things belong to God, and I am just a steward.

Therefore, when I do penance, I should only do penance to those who cannot repay their debt.  I should use what I have been given for the benefits of others.

This is where indulgences come into the picture.  An indulgence is a series of gifts that I can do, to provide grace to others in need.  I am able to take what God gave me, and through suffering on my part, use this grace to enact justice.

But remember, I cannot earn my own salvation, and I should not embezzle for my friends, but I should make new friends with my dishonest wealth.  Then, those whom I have helped can help me secure my eternal dwelling.

God wants us to love each other, not ourselves.

So next time you have a penitential situation or are able to complete and indulgence, follow the example of the dishonest steward.  Give those graces to those in need.  Offer them up to a stranger, and gain a friend in the eternal kingdom of God.

 

 

When Romans was written

Posted on by NeuralMonk

The book of Romans was most likely written around Acts 18:1-17

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them, and they worked together—by trade they were tentmakers. 4 Every sabbath he would argue in the synagogue and would try to convince Jews and Greeks.

5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with proclaiming the word, testifying to the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus. 6 When they opposed and reviled him, in protest he shook the dust from his clothes and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 Then he left the synagogue and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God; his house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the official of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord, together with all his household; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul became believers and were baptized. 9 One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people.” 11 He stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal. 13 They said, “This man is persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to the law.” 14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of crime or serious villainy, I would be justified in accepting the complaint of you Jews; 15 but since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I do not wish to be a judge of these matters.” 16 And he dismissed them from the tribunal. 17 Then all of them seized Sosthenes, the official of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of these things.

Claudius was an interesting ruler.  On his fourth marriage, married his niece (brother’s daughter) and adopted her son Nero.  Yes, that Nero.  However, that marriage relationship is not what makes him interesting.  One of Claudius’s many passions was to see a return to the old beliefs of the state religion.  No, this wasn’t Christianity but the Roman pantheistic beliefs.  Amongst the laws, he saw put into effect, was a law to criminalize anyone who was proselytizing within Rome.

According to Suetonius (a Roman historian during this period), “Iudaeos impulsore Chresto assidue tumultuantis Roma expulit.” In English, “Since the Jews constantly make disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, Claudius expelled them from Rome.”  Now to be clear, most scholars are unclear whether Chrestus is a mis-spelling of Christus (because they sound similar in ancient Latin), or was an actual individual during that time.  We don’t know.  However what we do know is what was occurring in Corinth.

The Greeks like to be very synchronic.  Being people dedicated to reason and intellect, some of the Greeks saw Jewish thought as very persuasive.  Also, some of the Jews saw truth in the reason and logic of many of the Greek writers.  Maimonides actually called Aristotle “half of a prophet”.  These Greek-Jewish people were known as Hellenistic Jews.

Because Hellenistic Jews were more receptive to new lines of thinking, the Christian message of Jesus the Messiah was very compelling.  So much so, that many debates took place between “Jews and Greeks.”

This chapter opens up with Paul leaving Athens.  Athens at this time was the center of new religious thought.  However, Pau went to Corinth, which was a modern Roman city established on the ruins of Corinth around 44BC.  This was a major center of commerce for Roma during this time and would be a good place for tentmaking.  In going through the market, I am sure that Paul found Aquila because of his trade and discovered later that he was a Jew.

However, Aquila was not just a Jew but a Jew from Pontus, a region by the Black Sea in Greece, and as we called it before, a Hellenistic Jew.  Aquila and his wife Prisca were probably both running “the shop.”  Aquila and Prisca are Latin names, not Greek, giving us a glimpse into their background.  Having Latin names indicates that they have contacts and connections beyond the Greek and Jewish hints given by Luke.  Also having a trade, like tentmaking suggests that Aquila may have had some rabbinical training like Paul.

Paul, having found a common brother in the faith, would have had many a good talk about the Jewish faith.  They had much in common between them with Aquila’s background, occupation, and religion during the week.  But on Saturday, Paul would spend his time in the synagogue.  While Paul may have had the same formation, thoughts, and theology of Aquila, I believe that Prisca (who became the more tender name of Priscila) was the one who shared Paul’s heart.

It was not Aquila who Paul mentions first in the book of Romans, but Priscila.  This is not normal unless the heart for those in Roma came from her, and not him.  Aquila may have had a heart for the Messiah, Priscila had a heart for the Messiah’s bride.  My guess is that Paul identified more with that love when writing the letter than he did the love of ideas.

Back to the synagog, notice that he was arguing with both the Jews and the Greeks trying to convince them of the messianic nature of Jesus Christ.  Jesus who is the living Torah.

Now another custom that you must know.  When the temple was active, there were three courtyards around the temple.  The courtyard of the Jews, the courtyard of women (Jewish), and the courtyard of the Gentiles.  To get to the courtyard of the Jews required passing through each of the prior courtyards.  Just before a Jew would cross from the Gentile’s court to the courtyard of women, he would remove his cloak, sandals, and headdress and shake them out, “lest the dust of the Gentiles profanes the temple.”

So when the Jews started to receive insults regarding his teaching, Paul used this as an object lesson to those Jews.  He shook the dust off his clothing indicating that he is leaving their profanity and “uncleanliness” in their synagog.

Now, this being the Shabot, Paul kept the Jewish custom of limited work on this holy day by only going next door to the synagog.  He entered the house of Titius Justus.  Titius is the first name of an Italian who was not a Roman citizen.  However, Titius’s last name was Justus, which may have been his title in the city.  Regardless of his importance, we see the best title of all, “a worshiper of God.”  Titius was a Gentile, not a Jew who worshipped God in the synagog.  So when Paul said, “I will go to the Gentiles,” he was not just being figurative, but literal.

So here we see Paul, keeping the law, but rejecting the works of the law.  He kept the law of Shabot, which is older than Moses, but rejected the purification laws of the Jews by entering into a Gentile’s house on Shabot.

Luke is not giving us just history here, but he is interweaving truths about our faith and how Paul was living this faith in Jesus Christ.  It was this act of faith on Paul’s part that caused the head of the synagog to believe in Jesus.

It is this tension between the law given by God which cannot be abrogated, and the laws of men used to shield us from the law.  This time of Paul’s life was very formidable and stands as a foundation for the letter to the Romans.

While I cannot say that the letter to the Romans was written at this time (51AD) or later (54-55AD), the words of the letter were formed in his mind, mouth, and heart.  It was this incident that steeled his resolve and welded his theology.

Next time you read through Roman’s think on this event, think about the conversations of Priscilla and Aquila.  Think about the actions in the synagog.  Realize the foundations of that great letter.  Remember he was leaving the center of new religious thought, to intertwine the faith of the Jews with the teachings of the Torah made flesh.

 

 

 

Are you saved?

Posted on by NeuralMonk
A common question asked by evangelicals is, “Are you saved?”  However, what is missing is the object of the question, saved from what?
If it is the joker?  Batman has you.
Are you drowning?  The lifeguard has you (if one is present).
Is it Death?
Maybe it is a meaningless life?
The real questions, the ones that really matter, are bigger than just about salvation.
While some evangelicals believe savation is just saving us from death and yes, God can save you from death by receiving His faith.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved”
Believing that Jesus is Lord requires our action to make Him the ruler of your life.  This is not just a quiet belief, but actual action required.  By taking this action of faith, then you will be saved from a meaningless existence of serving yourself.  You will be serving Him.
How do you serve Jesus as Lord?  By being called out of your current life into the life of the church.  By serving others in your church and community, you are saved from a worthless life, and if you keep your faith active through His grace, God can save you from a worthless death.

Faith

Posted on by NeuralMonk
Faith is a communication of belief.  The communication is not vocal, it is an action.
I can tell you I believe something.  That is a weak argument.
I can show you I believe in something.  That is a strong argument.
I can be the sender of faith.  “I will show you my faith by my works.”
I can be a receiver of faith.  “You are saved by faith through grace.”
God sends His faith to us by the acts of His Son.  God also believes in you.
If I receive His faith, I not only believe in myself, but I believe in God.
Faith is the seed of belief.
I share my faith in God, by believing in you.  I do good works for you to show you that God believes in you.  By this work I express my faith in you and God.
Your current future is death.
God’s belief in you is that you can be a new creation.  This new creation takes death, and gives it new life.
Unless you receive that faith, you cannot be saved from death and a worthless life.  To receive that faith, you must show you believe by doing what God has faith we can do.
God has faith that you can love, because He created you in His image, and He is love.

Belief

Posted on by NeuralMonk
Belief, Trust, Consent, Agree.  All four words are commonly confused.
Example:
Do you agree the chair is safe?  (no action performed)
Do you consent to sit in the chair? (still no action)
Do you trust the chair? (first action)
Do you believe in the chair? (continuing action)
Belief is commonly used for agree or consent, but belief requires action.  When you truly believe, you can transmit your belief as faith to another person.
When you trust, you do something.  When you believe, you continue to do something.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.”
“If you believe in me, you will keep (do) my commandments”
Understanding that belief is beyond agreement, beyond consent and beyond trust.  It is foundational to faith.
“Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith BY my works.  Faith without works is dead.”

A Limit is Allot

Posted on by NeuralMonk

Most people view limits as a negative thing. In fact, as human beings, we have a nature desire to push the limits when we can. Speed limits come to mind, but so does Adam and Eve.
“Of any tree in the garden, you may eat, but the tree in the center of the garden, you may not eat.” Next thing you know, Adam and Eve are standing by the tree tasting that fruit.
So when we are limited by time, money, resources, ideas, and creativity, we tend to think that we are missing out when we could just have more.
The truth is, that limits are good. Because limits make us be creative. Limits can cause us to push the boundaries of our lives. It can make us do great things.
Limits can help us keep things simple. It can narrow our target audience and help us focus on that unique thing we do which others cannot.
We tell our children, “You can be anything you want to be,” when the reality is we should be telling them, “You can only do one thing, you should do it well, and it should be something you enjoy but only one thing.”