Of Adam and Inspiration

Several years ago I heard some brothers discussing whether Adam was a real person. Apparently this idea was floating around a large church of an evangelical denomination. According to the Crossway Comprehensive Concordance of the Holy Bible, ESV Version, Adam is mentioned twenty times (the reference in Joshua is to a place name) in eight separate Old or New Testament books. In none of these is it even hinted that Adam was mythical. His wife Eve is mentioned four times in three different books. The theme of inspiration of the Bible as the Word of God is attested in numerous places. 2 Timothy 3:16 refers to all Scripture as being "God breathed," or inspired. 2 Peter 1:20-21 reads, "Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (ESV) "Every word of God proves true..." ( Proverbs 30:5) "If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things that I am writing you are a command of the Lord." ( 1 Corinthians 14:37) No one can honestly say that they believe in the inspiration, and thus the inerrancy of the Bible, and at the same time say that Adam was not a real person. Why would someone want to assert this falsehood regarding Adam? One possibility is that the truth about Adam is a key component in the question of women's roles in the Kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit, writing through Paul, gives the reality of Adam being created before Eve ( a clear case of God's sovereign will, as He could have created them simultaneously or Eve before Adam) as the primary reason why women should not teach the Word of God or have authority over men. ( 1 Timothy 2:11-13) If Adam is not a real person then this argument evaporates. In Romans 5:12-21 we learn that although Eve actually sinned first ( Genesis 3:6) Adam is held responsible. This provides a foundation for male headship in marriage and the family. Again if Adam is not real then this passage is irrelevant. Since the Bible has about forty human authors but only one divine author it forms a unified whole. Once we begin removing parts then that affects other parts. We should consider the warning found at the end of the book of Revelation, the last book written of the Canon of Scripture. "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone addsto them, God will also add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book." ( Revelation 22:18-19 ESV)

Bacon Seeds

Once i was described by a close friend and brother as being "as serious as a heart attack." Normally this is true but today I would like to indulge in a little whimsy using the following famous quotes. "Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your bacon seeds." Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." "Ask not what your country can do for you, but where you can find some bacon seeds." ( JFK) "To be a bacon seed or not to be a bacon seed; this is the question. Whether tis nobler in the eye to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to lose all your bacon seeds..." ( Shakespeare's Hamlet) "Four score and seven years ago our forefathers came to this country... to find bacon seeds." Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address "Beam me up, Scotty. There are no bacon seeds on this planet." ( Star Trek) "Give me liberty or give me bacon seeds." ( Patrick Henry ) "Let them eat bacon seeds." ( Marie Antoinette ) "I came. I saw. I found bacon seeds." ( Julius Caesar ) "I want to grow my own food, but I can't find any bacon seeds." (Told me by my friend Dan, who inspired this post, original author unknown.) A merry heart is like a medicine- Proverbs 17:22a Apology to readers whose first language may not be English. There are no such things as bacon seeds.

Defining Moment

This morning's decision by the Supreme Court of the United States to legalize marriage by homosexuals throughout the country is a defining moment in the life of the Church of Jesus Christ. Those genuine Bible adhering followers of His cannot submit to this ruling. In general Romans 13:1-7 covers the responsibility of believers to be law abiding citizens of wherever they reside. However, there are exceptions to this rule. One is found in Acts 5. The Sanhedrin, which was a legal governing body in Israel, arrested the apostles and put them in prison. (verse 17)An angel frees and directs them to speak of "all the words of this life."(v. 19-20) They are rearrested and brought before the Sanhedrin. The high priest says, "We strictly charged you not to teach in this name..." (v. 28) The apostles responded, "We must obey God rather than men." (v. 29)The corollary is that they suffered for their stand. ( "they beat them" v. 40)We should expect to suffer when we stand for the truth of the Word of God. There will be many ostensible believers and pastors who will compromise. We should expect this. But God will preserve a faithful remnant who are willing to stand and suffer for the truth. I am told that there are already over 44,000 pastors who have signed a pledge not to marry homosexuals. Christians are often accused of prejudice or even hatred of homosexuals. In forty-four years in the church interacting with many believers in many settings, I have never heard anyone use language one-tenth as strong as the Bible itself uses. In the Old covenant book of Leviticus, which true believers are no longer under, it is called an "abomination," (Lev. 18:22)and they should be put to death. ( 20:13 a penalty given to many other sins also). In company with other sinful people they will not inherit the Kingdom of God. ( 1 Corinthians 6:9) 1 Timothy 1:10 places homosexuals together with murderers, enslavers, and other lawless and disobedient people. Romans 1:26-27 reads, "For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those who are contrary to nature, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error." We are told to love even our enemies. One of the most honest ways to love someone is to tell them the truth, that without surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and repentance of their sins, a person will go into eternal conscious punishment. ( Matthew 25:46, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, 2 Thess 1:5-9 Prepare to go underground as the church in China and other countries have had to do.

Reproducing What?

A week or two ago I was reflecting on my decades in the Church. I have been in small groups and very large ones, traditional and house churches, charismatic and evangelical, East and West coasts. During that time God has allowed me to do virtually any kind of ministry that can be done in a church.Not that i was good at or gifted in these various things, but I was available to try to meet a need. Most I did for a significant period of time, with sincere effort, to please God and bless the people in the churches. This included moving many tables and chairs, cleaning the church, serving as an usher, and doing church books and finances. Also I managed ministry businesses, co-led evangelistic outreaches, led worship, Bible studies, small groups, and a men;s ministry. Initiated and led men's prayer groups, was ordained as both a deacon and an elder, have preached/taught the Word of God publicly on at least 300 occasions,with anywhere from 5 to 1500 people, and have both married and baptized believers. I have served as a shepherd of the people of God, guarding against false teachers and wolves, have done overseas ministry,and endless counseling. And have even done what some think of as small "a" apostolic ministry, attempting to build unity and encourage house churches.About the only thing i have not done is lead a women's ministry and that is probably a good thing. What is the result at the end of the day? What fruit was produced? Not very much. Some of this is a result of my own problems and issues. But there is a larger reality. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says that He will build the church. In Matthew 28:19 he tells us to make disciples. After forty odd years I realized that I had been trying to do what He said that He would do, rather than what He told me to do. Now I have been working with men one on one for over 15 years, albeit with limited fruit. Belatedly i have come to understand that what I was doing was mostly befriending and mentoring, neither of which am I commanded to do. The primary reason for the lack of fruit in the Church in America, in whatever setting, is the lack of genuine, personal, accountable discipleship. The heart of discipleship is pouring out our lives into someone else to help them become more like Christ. Being made in, and conforming to, His image is the original plan ( Genesis 1:26,28), and is still the plan ( Romans 8:28-29). The primary difficulty is that so few have actually been personally discipled, and that so few want to be. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to build a culture of discipleship in the Church so that the expectation becomes one of discipleship immediately after conversion. Without this all we will do is reproduce American evangelical church culture rather than the Kingdom of God.

Thoughts

While with my discipler on Friday we looked at Psalm 40. One verse that particularly caught my attention was verse 5. "You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told." This is reminiscent of Psalm 139 where David writes. "How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand..." (verses 17-18a) Even with seven or eight billion people in the world, God's thoughts towards us are innumerable. Yet how often do we think about God? If we love someone and they love us, we think about them all the time. For decades I have been gathering with Christians informally in things like men's breakfasts. The topics vary from A to Z. The irony is that only rarely in those conversations do Christians actually talk about God, or the things of God. Why is this? The exception is ardent "Doctrines of Grace" people. Unfortunately they often speak more about Calvin than Jesus. Hebrews 12:29 says that "Our God is a consuming fire." As we get closer relationally to an infinitely holy God our garbage becomes more obvious, or, at least, mine does. The Holy Spirit wants to root out the junk. I need to receive and walk in more faith and courage to proceed farther. "O wretched man that I am. Who will deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24) "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:57) Lord Jesus, have mercy on my soul.