Ask the Author

       Many people say they have the Word of God, that they know the truth, and however else they may say it. But how can we know that people actually know, or that we ourselves actually know… what the truth is? In this blog, I’ll try to explain it in as simple a way as possible.

       Do you remember some of those assignments you got in English class? Particularly the ones where you’re asked to analyze a particular book, play, act, chapter, scene, or title, and to suggest what the author meant when they wrote it. While I have nothing to say against creative or critical thinking exercises, everyone knows we have no way of knowing what in heck the author meant exactly without contacting the author themselves. The trouble with God’s great book however, is that people do think they can interpret it without His divine help. Really? The oldest, most pertinent and multi-faceted book in human history, and it’s capable of being understood without the help of its Author? How can this be? Easy answer: it’s not. From the logical point of view, it makes sense, as well as from the perspective I’ve gained from my own relationship with God, it makes sense. The Bible itself says in 2 Peter 1:20 “That no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” Jesus also said of both the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Spirit that they testify to us about him (John 5:39, 15:26); so this book actually tells us to contact someone who knows its own Author – it must be important.

       One of my favorite scriptures on this topic is 2 Tim. 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for exposure, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” A good complement to this is the scripture in Job which says, “I said, days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment.” (Job 32:7-9) (As a side note, this highlights the importance of being “poor in spirit” as Jesus said in Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”) But back to topic, these scriptures were not meant to only be given to those who would write the Bible, though God most certainly inspired them to do that. This also means that we can only receive the scriptures… into our hearts – the place where it really counts – by the Spirit of God. The word inspiration is derived from the word which means “God-spirited” or “divinely breathed in” in both the Greek and ancient Hebrew.

       The King/Psalmwriter, David said that he hid the word of God in his heart so that he would not sin (Psalm 119:11). A sin, I think most people know by now, is a transgression against the law of God. But what is the law of God? Many people would cite the Bible, especially the older scriptures like those found in Leviticus, but it’s actually not that easy. When Jesus came two thousand years ago, yes, he died a perfect sacrifice for our sins, but he also taught us about the ways and the laws of God. Sure he made certain challenges against the traditions of the elders of Israel, such as not washing his hands before eating, but he fulfilled every part of God’s law. Some would say he did away with those old laws, drawing on examples such as God telling Peter that He cleansed many things which were considered unclean before (Acts 11). The truth however, is that Jesus re-taught us how to apply the laws of God to our lives so as to fulfill the true purpose of God’s law. God does not care about all this stuff on the surface of our lives that might mean so much to the earthly man; His concern – and the purpose of His law – is for our spiritual well being. Jesus illustrated this in Mat. 5:27-28 “Ye have heard that it was declared to them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” In this particular comparison, Jesus is talking about living – even in one’s own mind – after lust, and that that is breaking the law of God. Further analysis of this single passage will tell you how Jesus spoke against wrath, lust, infidelity, being a false witness, greediness, slothfulness, revenge, and pride, all of which needn’t manifest themselves in some sort of obvious way, but they are nonetheless sins we can commit in our hearts and which break the law of God. As you can see, there is still a law God wants people to abide by, and it is (in some ways) even more strict than the old one. But God makes the purpose of His law clear to His servant, King David in Psalm 19:7-9 “The Law of Yahweh is flawless, restoring the soul; The testimony of Yahweh is faithful, making wise the simple; The precepts of Yahweh are upright, rejoicing the heart; The instruction of Yahweh is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of Yahweh is clean, standing unto the future; The judgments of Yahweh are truth; they are righteous altogether.” There is more to that passage but I’ll let you study it for yourself. Also you should have your own personal relationship with Jesus and with God, the Father, as Jesus said in John 17:3 “This is life eternal, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” The Author and His son, both are people you should get to know, to know both the truth and God’s law, and for to obtain eternal life. The Bible says that the law is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ in Galatians 3:24, and I have learned to interpret this on two levels: first, there was the law God gave Moses and the children of Israel, a nation into which the Christ, Jesus, was born, and second, after Jesus came and re-taught the law of God, we can now follow it into obtaining the anointed life of Christ for ourselves.

       And for those who think they’ve obtained the truth but perhaps do not have the real thing I have another scripture, Rev. 3:17-20 “Because you say, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing; and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I advise you to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and white raiment, that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness will not appear; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I expose and discipline: be zealous therefore, and reconsider. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” There’s a lot in that short passage which may be of interest but there’s only one part that I’ll call your attention to right now: “as many as I love, I expose and discipline.” So ask yourself some questions: Has Jesus exposed or disciplined me lately? What have I been gaining from my time with him? How much time have I actually spent with him? Do I need to “reconsider” some of these things?

       The last thing I want to address in this post is teaching others to either follow or transgress God’s law; we’re all doing either the one or the other. This idea, really, is quite simple: through your actions and the words you speak, are you encouraging others to show love, patience, generosity, kindness, courage, tenderheartedness, etc. or are you promoting hatred, misery, hopelessness, fear, complacency, etc? In practice however this may not be so easy; many people, in their zeal, commit even extremely violent acts for what they think God desires, provoking fear, hatred, and sorrow – among other things. We should watch ourselves so that we don’t let ourselves get caught up in that sort of behavior; and when forced to bear witness to it, remember that those people aren’t serving God in such acts (whether they know it or not), and that we can have a personal relationship with God in which He will help us every day of our lives. Proverbs 3:1-6 says, “My son, do not forget my law; and let your heart preserve my instructions; for length of days and years of life, and peace shall they add to you. Do not let mercy and truth forsake you; bind them about your neck, and write them on the tablet of your heart. Thus you will find grace and good understanding in the eyes of God and man. Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and do not lean to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” That short passage sums up a lot of what I’ve said so far, but pay attention to that last bit, “in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths,” as it says rather plainly what you should do. Now I’ll give you an example of Godly behavior so you can perhaps see the difference: Volunteer Chick-fil-A employees near Orlando, Florida, went to work on Sunday after the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in the city, breaking a longstanding restaurant policy of remaining closed on Sundays. Employees provided food to people who were donating blood and to law enforcement officers who were part of the response effort. Chick-fil-A has faced criticism from the LGBT community in the past because of comments made by the company’s CEO opposing same-sex marriage. And while Chick-fil-A was not the only business or organization to lend the people of Orlando their aid they did prove that you don’t have to agree with people on every great social or religious issue as a prerequisite to showing them kindness. The shooting which took place at the nightclub is a great example of what people should not do but can do when they don’t really know God or how to keep his commandments.

       Anyway, that’s about all I’ve had congealing in the back of my brain-fridge over the last couple weeks or so, so I hope you found it edifying. God bless you.