God is Relational

The Lord God said,” It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for Him.” So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, He took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The Lord God then built up into a woman the rib that He had taken out of man. When He brought her to the man, the man said,” This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called woman, for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.  Gen.2:18,21-23  (NAB)

God is perfectly relational within the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and even though we are created in His image, He has limited our ability to be just like Him to being like Him. It is in this way He has called us to community. Man was incomplete without woman and is acknowledged  as such when, the man states,  bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called woman, for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken. As the end of chapter 2 clearly states, this is why man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two become one body. They need each other. Man needs woman and woman needs man and without this oneness the family, the culture, the world would not exist. Much like God Himself would not exist with one member of the Holy Trinity missing.

This is the beauty and sanctity of the sacrament of marriage! A living witness of the love that exist in the Triune God. God is love. Perfected love within the oneness of community.   We are created separately, to become one. Though we won’t be perfect, it is the witness of two becoming one, the unity it symbolizes, the dependence we have upon one another that reflects His image and His likeness.

Paragraph 357 in The Catechism of The Catholic Church states: “Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge, of self-possession and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with other persons. And he is called by grace to a covenant with his Creator, to offer Him a response of faith and love that no other creature can give in his stead.”

God Rules

And the Lord God commanded the man saying,”Of every tree of the garden, you may freely eat; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.”    Gen. 2:16-17 (NASB)

As stated last time, God allows us to rule over creation. Yet we cannot rule over Him, God is the ultimate ruler. Also, as stated last time, we must submit to His rules, His authority or suffer the consequences.

When I was younger, I tended to look at church, with all it’s rules and regulations as “the no fun zone.” I didn’t understand that God’s rules, His commandments, were given to us to keep us safe, to keep us healthy and happy and in total communion with Himself. Just as I tell my children,”Look both ways before crossing the street,”or “Brush your teeth after every meal,” to keep them safe and healthy.

Our hedge of protection is built first with obedience (1 Sam. 15:22). If all we do is “praise” God or “worship” God, but have no “fruit” to show with it, then guess what, it ain’t real! As James would say, that’s a “dead faith”. Obedience to God is not optional, if we are His child. We must not look at sin as the “fun” thing. That’s a very hard thing to do in today’s society, but we must trust God and the rules He’s given us, to keep us from the danger and destruction of sin.

Secondly, our hedge of protection, is built with faith. We can say we have faith all day long but how is that faith manifested? I must act upon God’s promises, believe He is who He says He is, and act like it. It’s a life-style. This is how we co-operate with His grace; we choose to! Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, before the “Fall”; before the inclination to sin was present in them. Once they sinned, their hedge of protection was gone (in the fullest sense). Their protection now was in the form of a restoration process, through obedience. Today it’s still the same.

If I think I can live, do, say, think or act any old way I want to and be a Christian, then I am a fool! As Paul would ask,”Who has bewitched you?” (Gal.3:1). Ever wonder why people won’t go to church with you? Could it be they do not see the power of the gospel, lived out in your life?

So in His image and likeness we know good and evil (Gen. 3:22). Let us choose God in obedience and faith, bringing glory and honor to our Father in heaven and being a light to this dark world.

The Old Law in The New Covenant

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Of course not! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience which leads to righteousness?  Rom. 6:15-16 

St.Paul, here states the function of the law (of the Old Covenant) with grace (of the New Covenant). He starts out by asking the ridiculous question,”Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Of course not!” Without the guidelines of the law, how would we know God’s qualifications of righteousness? God didn’t design salvation for His people to be obscure, but founded upon obedience. That is what Paul goes on to say,”if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves you are slaves of the one you obey. So that is the question. Who are we going to obey?

“According to Christian tradition, the Law is holy, spiritual, and good,(Rom. 7:12,14,16) yet still imperfect. Like a tutor(Gal 3:24) it shows what must be done, but does not of itself give the strength, the grace of the Spirit, to fulfill it. Because of sin, which it cannot remove, it remains a law of bondage. According to St.Paul, its special function is to denounce and disclose sin, which constitutes a “law of concupiscence” in the human heart.(Rom.7) However, the Law remains the first stage on the way to the kingdom. It prepares and disposes the chosen people and each Christian for conversion and faith in the Savior God. It provides a teaching which endures for ever, like the Word of God.” CCC 1963

One last thought; Paul in Ephesians 6:2, quotes one of the Ten Commandments as if it was to still be adhered to. One of those things I’ve read a thousand times, and I just came to realize.

The law is still to be followed, for it is the Word of God.

The Truth and The Law

Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of them, it can never make perfect those who come to worship by the same sacrifices that they offer continually each year.   Heb. 10:1  

A recent discussion on how the Old Testament Law relates with the New Covenant, prompted me to present the teaching here, as part of the “What is Truth?” series.

When we look at statements about the Law, we must be careful to understand their context and their purpose.

 As God established the Mosaic Covenant (the Law) He instituted a sacrificial system. Different sins (breaking the Law) carried with them different sacrifices. The people would bring their sacrifices to the priest at the Temple, where it was offered to the Lord. On the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) the High Priest, would go into the Holy of Holies with a sacrifice for the whole nation.

In this interpretation, what we see is that,  Jesus is the “once for all sin offering”. In other words, today when I stumble and break the Law of God, I have a “perfect sacrifice” in Jesus Christ, to cleanse me of my sin. This is done in faith, through the blood of The Lamb, not by the blood of bulls and goats (Heb. 10:4).

Do not think I have come to destroy the law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.   Matt. 5:17  

What could Jesus mean by this? Exactly what He says! He is God the Father’s Law keeper. Being fully Divine, He could keep the Law. Being fully human, He suffered the temptations that you and I do, only He overcame all the temptations, we rarely do! So, not only is He the “perfect sacrifice”, He is the perfect “High Priest”!

The Law is still in effect. Jesus taught that all His life. That is what the “sermon on the mount” is, an explanation of the law and how to live it out (Matt.7:24-27). Particularly, in our day to day lives. What we try to do as human beings is, make God in our image instead of letting Him conform us to the image of His Son.

God’s standard has not changed and, will never change. I must cooperate with His grace, by faith and live a life worthy of the call of Christ.

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment in the law was He answered: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second on is like it: You must love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commands.”   Matt. 22:37-40 

Now, let us go and do likewise!

Amen.

Speak the Truth

Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, for we are members of one another.    Eph. 4:25    (NAB)

So far in our study, we have confirmed that God is truth, Jesus (being God) is truth, His Church is truth and His Word is truth. In fact, we even looked at the rules for interpreting His word to find His truth.

Now, let’s look at speaking the truth.

In God’s covenant with Israel, He gave them certain rules to live by. The most famous of these rules are The Ten Commandments. The Eighth Commandment states: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (Ex. 20:16) When we, as children of God, speak or act contrary to the truth, we lie. “Since God is “true” the members of His people are called to live in truth,”(CCC 2465).

” Truth as uprightness in human action or speech is called truthfulness, sincerity or candor. Truth or truthfulness is the virtue which consists of showing oneself true in deeds and truthful in words, and guarding against duplicity, dissimulation, and hypocrisy,” (CCC 2468).

“Men could not live with one another if there were not mutual confidence that they were being truthful to one another. The virtue of truth gives another his just due. Truthfulness keeps to the just mean between what ought to be expressed and what ought to be kept secret; it entails honesty and discretion. In justice,” as a matter of honor, one man owes it to another to manifest the truth”, St. Thomas Aquinas, Sth II-II, 109,3, corp.art.” (CCC 2469).

As a follower of Christ, I am not only obligated, but commanded to be truthful with my fellow man. In my words and my actions. That is my witness. My witness reveals who my “Lord” is, who my “God” is, and it reveals who “I” am. A true believer or a hypocrite.

As it is written; If we say,”We have fellowship with Him,” while we continue to walk in darkness we lie and do not act in truth.”   I Jn 1:6  (NAB)

Interpreting the Truth Part II: The Senses of Scripture

These things happened to them as an example and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of all ages has come.   I Cor. 10:11   (NAB)

What are the senses of Scripture?  ”According to an ancient tradition, one can distinguish between two senses of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual with the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral, and anagogical.” (CCC 115)

“The literal sense is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation,”( CCC 116). (see previous post, Interpreting the Truth Part I, for the “rules of sound interpretation”)

What is exegesis? It’s the critical explanation or analysis of a text. (American Heritage Dictionary)

“The spiritual sense. Thanks to the unity of God’s plan, not only the text of scripture, but, also the realities and events about which it speaks can be signs.

1. The allegorical sense. We can acquire a more profound understanding of events by recognizing their significance in Christ; thus the crossing of the Red Sea is a sign or type of Christ’s victory and also of Christian Baptism, (1 Cor.10:2).

2. The moral sense. The events reported in Scripture ought to lead us to act justly. As St. Paul says they were written for our instruction, (1Cor. 10:11, Heb. 3:1-4:11).

3.The anagogical sense. (Greek: anagoge,”leading”) We can view realities and events in terms of their eternal significance, leading us to our true homeland: thus the Church on earth is a sign of the heavenly Jerusalem, (Rev.21:1-22:5).” (CCC 117)

 To summarize;” The Letter (literal) speaks of deeds; Allegory to faith; The Moral how to act; Anagogy our destiny,” Augustine of Dacia, (CCC 188)

One of the biggest misconceptions I had about the Catholic Church, as a Protestant, was  their interpretation of Scripture. I thought you had to see it their way or hit the highway, and we see clearly, that is not the case. There is still room for my personal application along side the Church’s interpretation and they should never contradict each other. If they do, then someone is wrong. But for true students of the Word, you’ll find you line up with Church teaching.

God uses rules and structure to protect His children. He wants us to be safe and secure in His love and fellowship. The way He has chosen to do this, is through the Church He established.

Interpreting the Truth Part I

The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name- He will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.   Jn.14:26  (NAB) 

After the last post, “Our Guide to All Truth”, we came to understand that the Holy Spirit reveals God’s Word as truth, Jesus as truth and the Church as truth. But the question still remains; How do we interpret the Scriptures?!

“To interpret the Scriptures correctly, the reader must be attentive to what the human authors truly wanted to affirm and to what God wanted to reveal to us by their words” (CCC 109). “ To truly discover the sacred authors intentions the reader must take into account the conditions of their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking, and narrating then current”(CCC 110).” But since Sacred Scripture is inspired there is another, and no less important principal of correct interpretation, without which Scripture would remain a dead letter. It must be read and interpreted in light of the same Spirit by whom it was written. The second Vatican Council indicates three criteria for interpreting Scripture in accordance with the Spirit who inspired it”(CCC 111).

The first is;” Be especially attentive to the content and unity of the whole scripture. Different as the books that comprise it may be, Scripture is a unity by reason of the unity of God’s plan, of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since His Passover”(CCC112).

Second; “Read the Scripture within the living Tradition of the whole Church. According to a saying of the Fathers, sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church’s heart rather than in documents and records, for the Church carries in her Tradition the living memorial of God’s Word and it is the Holy Spirit who gives her the spiritual interpretation of the Scripture(” according to the spiritual meaning which the Spirit grants to the Church”, Origen, Hom. in Lev. 5,5: PG12, 454D”), (CCC113).

Thirdly; Be attentive to the analogy of faith(Rom.12:6). By “analogy of faith” we mean the coherence of the truths of the faith among themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation” (CCC 114).

What does all this mean? Well ,what it means basically, is that there are rules to interpretation. It goes beyond just the Scripture itself, to the times and places and cultures long ago and far removed from us. We must step “back in time” as it were, to fully understand what was trying to be conveyed, and ask ourselves in the “here and now” what is God trying to show/teach me?

Next time, we will look at the senses of Scripture.

Our Guide to All Truth

But when He comes, the Spirit of truth, He will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming.   John 16:13  (NAB)

In our attempt to understand “What is Truth” we’ve seen that; scripture says that God’s word and His laws and commandments are truth (Jn. 17:17, Ps. 119:142, 151), that Jesus Himself is the truth (Jn. 14:6), and the Church is the pillar and foundation of the truth (I Tim. 3:15) Now we will learn of the Spirit of truth.

The Holy Spirit is given to all true believers in Christ. In the brief description above, we see, one of the duties of the Holy Spirit, is to ” lead and guide us to all truth.” With so many denominations, preachers, faith- healers and teachers proclaiming ” truth” that differs from one to another, what’s one to believe?

When one only has partial truth, then truth becomes distorted. Though based on truth, it may retain some truth, but the fullness is laking. Truth has a four-fold purpose:

1.  structure
2.  direction
3.  purpose
4. information

If a truth lacks any of these four dimensions then it is most likely not to be true to the fullest extent.

Since most of us agree that Jesus and the Bible are truth, let’s look at the controversial subject of the Church as truth. What I’ve come to understand is this: The Catholic Church has been around a lot longer than the rest have, has taught the same thing from it’s beginning. Other denominations cling to the Catholic Church’s definition of the Holy Trinity and Christ being fully God and fully man (things not found in the Scripture) and denies the Eucharist and Holy Matrimony as Sacraments (things that are in the scripture!)

 What this all means is simple, and yet, complex. What we have is; Jesus as truth, revealed by the Holy Spirit. The Church as truth, lead by the Holy Spirit, and the Scripture as truth, interpreted by the Holy Spirit. These dynamics working together form  the triangle of truth. Each point is connected by the work of the Holy Spirit.

If there is only one God, then why so many different interpretations of scripture? Is it because what was established from the beginning, has been altered, ignored or worse yet, rejected?

 Take a look and study the history of the early Church, you will see that what the Church taught in years past, is what the Catholic Church still teaches today.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever.  Heb.13:8   (NAB)  

Worshiping in Spirit and Truth

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth.   John 4:23-24   (NAB)

I had someone say to me recently,”I can meet God anywhere.” And that is true…to an extent. I’ve also heard people say,”I can worship God anywhere.” And that is true…to an extent. The above verse is often used in an attempt to justify personal worship over corporate worship.

Jesus is not referencing some sort of interior worship, within our own spirit. This is a reference to the Holy Spirit, given by God, that reveals what His truth is; and enables us to worship the Father, in the most appropriate way.

Jesus is addressing the issue of centrality; to worship “here” or “there”, Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim. He is revealing, to the woman at the well, that those who worship the Father in this “hour” that is “now here” are on the world-wide scale, not just Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim.

Over spiritualizing everything in scripture is not yielding to the Spirit of truth. When God created us, He wasn’t surprised that we were physical beings. In fact, He made the earth and all that dwells in it, not just for His glory but for our pleasure. These things in the physical world, should serve as reminders of God’s great love and provision for us.

Isn’t this one of the reasons God created the Church, as a visible sign of a spiritual reality? The Church is not just this cosmic spiritual body, it’s also a universal physical body. Again I will make the statement, it’s not an either/or, but, a both/and.

Yes we can see God in nature. We can feel His presence in our car, and we can worship Him in those places. But the ultimate act of worship is renewing the covenant with God, through the Eucharist of Christ, and letting Him change us, conforming us to the image of His Son, by becoming a living sacrifice.

Amen.

Where Does The Bible Say We Can Find Truth?

I will reference 3 verses to this question.

1) Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.   John 17:17 

Just the fact that we are using the scriptures to tell us where we can find truth is an affirmation of this reference, Your word is truth.

2) Jesus said to him, ” I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.   John 14:6 

Jesus is the Son of God, the second Person of the Holy Trinity. Sent by the Father for the redemption of mankind. He is 100% God and 100% man. Well wait a minute, Jesus being 100% God and 100% man is not in the Bible (we’ll get to this in a minute). We are told in scripture that Jesus was born of a virgin, her name was Mary and she was engaged to a man named Joseph. She was told by the angel,“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”  Luke 1:35

So scripture states that God’s word is truth. Jesus is God’s Son and He is truth. This leads us to our third reference.

3) But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.  1 Tim. 3:15  

The church is “the pillar and foundation of truth.” I had never read that verse before! I can’t tell you how many times I had read 1 Timothy and had never seen that verse! What could this mean? Well we need to step back, turn to Matthew.

And I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  Matt. 16:18-19  

The church has been given authority by Jesus Christ, the Son of God Himself, the Truth Himself.

Here are a few examples of the Church’s authority:

A.D. 49-50: The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) combated the heresy that Gentile converts had to observe the Mosaic Law completely.

A.D. 196: The Easter controversy, which day to celebrate the Resurrection, Sunday ,or linking it with the Jewish Passover regardless of the day of the week.

A.D. 325: Council of Nicaea; responds to numerous heresies, condemned Arianism which claimed Jesus Christ was a created being and not God by nature. Developed the Nicene Creed- a clear definition of the Trinity.

A.D. 367+: The Canon of the New Testament slowly collected and confirmed. Books recognized as authoritative by the Council of Carthage.

A.D. 381: Council of Constantinople 1 finalizes the Nicene Creed and condemns heresies concerning the Holy Spirit.

A.D. 431: Council of Ephesus condemns Nestorianism which taught that there were two distinct Persons in Jesus Christ and Mary was the mother of the human part only, therefore, some of Jesus’  actions were human and some divine. (Remember reference #2). Condemned Pelagianism which claimed man could attain salvation by works. The Council defines Mary, Jesus’ mother, as Theotokos,“bearer of God” to show that Jesus has one nature that is fully human and fully divine.

So Jesus, through God the Father and the Power of the Holy Spirit, guides the Church in teaching and authority. The Church was led by the Holy Spirit in the development of the dogma (doctrine) of the Incarnation, of the Holy Trinity and, the Holy Spirit even led the Church, in gathering the collection of letters and gospels that make up the New Testament.

Let us ponder one last thought: If Jesus is the fullness of Deity (Col.1:19), why would the Church He founded, be devoid of the  fullness of truth?

Amen.