The Disciple and Immanuel

Imanuel G. Christian

December 2012

“What is in a name?” asked the famed poet Shakespeare. Of course, a lot! Especially when we consider the names of God in the Bible, each is loaded with theological and practical significance. There are more than 100 names and titles used in the Bible for Jesus Christ. 
 
               However, as we celebrate Christmas there is no other name that is more significant than the name Immanuel. More than 700 years before Christ’s First Advent, God declared through the prophet Isaiah, “the virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). In the New Testament Matthew applied it to Jesus’ birth (Matthew 1:23).
 
               The concept of God in all other religions presents God as someone who, like a watchmaker, creates the world and then stays uninvolved with it. But the God of the Bible desires to fellowship with His people, He is the very present help to His people in their distress. As the prophet Isaiah said, “In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old” (Isaiah 63:9).
 
               God called Moses to lead His people out of the bondage of Egypt and told him, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt, I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land…” (Exodus 3:7-8, with emphasis added). He does not just sit in the heavens above and watch what is going on the earth, especially among His own people, but He gets involved in their affairs and helps them in their trouble. 
 
               Similarly, He was with them throughout their journey in the wilderness. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people (Exodus 13:21-22). God instructed Moses to build the Tent of Meeting as God’s dwelling place with His people, “Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God” (Exodus 29:45-46, with emphasis added).  
 
               Even during the Babylonian captivity God did not want to leave His people. As His people kept running away from Him, He kept running after them. He appeared to the prophet Ezekiel in a vision and through him told His people in Babylon, He was with them even here. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone” (Ezekiel 11:16).
 
               He says “For a little while I have been a sanctuary for them,” because He is not going to leave His people in captivity forever! They will be there only for a little while. By His grace He will bring them out from there and He says, “I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God and they will be my people” (Ezekiel 37:26-27). And this is the temple that God shows the prophet in his vision and he describes in chapters 40-48, where God reveals His name, Jehovah-Shammah; THE LORD IS THERE, the last words of the prophet Ezekiel. 
 
               This was only a vision for the prophet Ezekiel. He lived as a captive among the heathen idol worshippers and died away from home. Just as Moses saw the Promised Land only from distance but could not enter into it (Numbers 27:12-16), for Ezekiel and other Old Testament saints this was in the distant future, beyond his lifetime: “None of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:39-40). 
 
               But for us, in one sense this has already been fulfilled. Some 2000 years ago, God came down and dwelt among us and men saw Him with their very eyes, as John writes, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only…” (John 1:14). “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Immanuel. Jehovah-Shammah. God with His people. God with us.
 
               This is the message of Christmas. God desires to dwell with His people. While His people were running away from Him, were separated from Him, He provided the way for them to come into fellowship with Him again so He can be with them forever, be with us forever. 
 
               And yet, in other sense it is not yet fulfilled. It is similar to what God said about the people in the captivity: “For a little while I have been a sanctuary for them” (Ezekiel 11:36). The fulfillment of “I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them” (Ezekiel 37:36), is yet to come. John, who wrote “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us”, later, like Ezekiel, sees the reality of it in his vision and describes: “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain…” (Revelation 21:3-4). 
 
               The message of Christmas is not only that He came “for a little while”, but also that He will come and be their sanctuary forever. As His first coming was a historical event that happened just as foretold, His second coming will happen for sure. The message of Christmas is that we not only look back to His first coming, but also that we eagerly look forward to His second coming. Christmas is not just the celebration of His first coming; it is to prepare us for His second coming. As we celebrate Christmas, we not only see the Baby in the manger, but we see the King on His throne. His first coming brought the message of salvation for the whole world, His second coming is only for those who have accepted that message and are living in eager expectation of His second coming.
 
               “I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2-3). “Behold, I am coming soon. Yes, I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:12, 20). And for those who have known Him from His first coming, their prayer is, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). Immanuel! God is with us, with His people. Forever! “In Thy presence is fullness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:11, NASB). 
 
               This is Christmas in its truest and fullest sense; Immanuel. God with us, now and forever! Have a Merry Christmas!

The Disciple and the Two Masters

Imanuel G. Christian

November 2012

            We are all very familiar with the parable of the lost (prodigal) son (Luke 15:11-31). The parable tells the story of a loving father and his two sons. One is irresponsible, the other hard working. One wastes his life and comes home humbled; the other proudly refuses to celebrate his brother’s home coming. It tells of the father’s love and understanding and how he deals with each of them. The story ends with one son inside enjoying a joyful family celebration, the other lingers outside, refusing to join the celebration, bitterly unwilling to forgive. The story raises a question: which son is really lost?

            This is all too familiar to us; father and his two sons. Now, before reading further, please open your Bible and read that parable. After you have read it, answer this question: how many human characters are in this story? Three---the father and his two sons? Well, there are lots of other people: the servants and all those friends and neighbors who join the celebration, also the friends of the prodigal son. But have you ever considered the owner of the herd of pigs who hired the lost son?

            What kind of person do you think this owner of the pigs must have been? Obviously, he was rich, at least comparatively doing well. While others starved because of the famine, he owned a herd of pigs. He was able to hire a servant to take care of the pigs. What kind of nature did he have? Obviously, he did not care and had no concern for his servant(s). He gave the prodigal son a job, but did not provide for even the most basic needs like food and shelter. He sent his servant, the son, to the fields, but did not bring him into his home. He had no pity, no care, and no concern it seems.

            Compared to this man, think of the father of the son. Not only was he rich and had lots of servants, but he was loving and kind. His heart ached for his sons, for both sons. He longed to bring them into his home. He longed to have a relationship and fellowship with both the sons. He wanted them to be part of his life, wanted them to enjoy all the blessings of the family relationship.

            Now, if you had to choose between the two, with whom would you want to have a relationship? With whom would you want to spend your time and life? To whom would you give your life and service? The choice seems obvious, right? Even the question seems ridiculous! And yet, we see people making wrong choices! Not just the people of the world, but even those of us who consider ourselves growing disciples sometimes make wrong choices, choosing to serve the world rather than the Father.

            Why would anyone leave the Father’s home and go out and serve a master who has nothing of any significance to provide and exacts from us hard labor without rewarding anything of value in return? The answer is probably the same as for the prodigal son who left his father’s home: to have fun filled life! To have a blast! Like the prodigal son, we too are sometimes tempted to think that the grass is greener on the other side.

            The world is very tempting place! As John very succinctly puts it, there are three things of the world that continue to lure us away from enjoying the Father’s blessings (1 John 2:16 KJV). One is “the lust of the flesh”, preoccupation with gratifying our physical desires. Today we are surrounded by all kind of allurements that appeal to our “flesh” and if we are not careful, these things, not evil in themselves, can lead us away from the Father’s fellowship.

            Second is “the lust of the eyes”, craving worldly pleasures, pleasures that gratify the sight and invade our thought process and affect our worldview. Most of the pleasures that the world offers are visual and the eyes are the windows to our mind and heart. 

And number three, “the pride of life”, “boasting of what he has and does” (NIV), “boastful pride of life” (NASB). That is the materialistic attitude, accumulating things we do not need. This is why we crave a bigger home, more expensive cars, better clothes, ultra modern appliances and all the more toys, more and better than our friends and neighbors. We are always comparing and competing and never satisfied.

The serpent used these same three devices to tempt Eve. “When the woman saw the fruit of the tree was good for food (the lust of the flesh) and pleasing to the eye (the lust of the eyes), and also desirable for gaining wisdom (the pride of life), she took some and ate it” (Genesis 3:6). The devices of the serpent have not changed, nor has the nature of man.

            How can we protect ourselves from being tempted to move away from the things of the Father to the things of the world, from giving our life and service to the Father to spending and wasting life in running after the world? One of the sure remedies is a heart full of gratitude for the blessings the Father has already given to us, the attitude of gratitude, not just for a particular day or time of the year, but all the moments of our life.

            The way it works for me (please forgive me for being too personal here) is never forgetting where I was and where the Father has brought me today. I was born in a small village in India. My parents were very poor, no source of any income. So they moved to a city and found a job in a textile factory where they labored until their retirement. They left my older brother and me back in the village with my uncle and aunt who did not have any child of their own.

            My uncle had a small business of selling handloom cotton cloth. But he was too kind to have good business. He sold things on credit and most of the people did not pay him back. During mango season my brother and I would roam in the farms to collect mangoes, peel and dry them and sell them. During peanut harvest, after the crop was taken we would systematically follow the furrow, digging with a spade collecting peanuts left underground. We did not have running water and so we two brothers had to walk several times a day to a river to carry water pots on our heads (which was women’s work, and I always felt embarrassed). After finishing high school in the village I moved to the city with my parents.  That was the first time I touched a bicycle!

            After four years of college life took a major turn. Not only was I offered a faculty position in the same college I graduated from, but that same year I accepted the Lord and committed my life to full time ministry. And the rest is history, as they say! Today God has blessed me and my wife with joyful opportunities to serve Him. He has blessed us with our three sons and their loving families who are blessed and doing well in every way.

            Now, why would I leave the Father who has blessed me so much and go back and serve the world? For me and my family there is no greener grass anywhere else. I suspect we all have the same story, just different details, as Paul notes (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). If so, why would we serve any other master? “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits”.

           

            Happy Thanksgiving!!

The Disciple and the Fear of God-1

Imanuel G. Christian

September 2012

One of the most significant differences between New Testament Christianity and other religions is the concept of the fear of God. God in other religions has been pictured as a capricious God, who is ready to zap anybody the moment he commits some sin. Because of this, people live in constant fear of God. Behind all their good works, sacrifices and offerings is this fear, the idea being that if God is not appeased, He will bring punishment. So sacrifices and offerings are offered, either to avoid punishment, ward off evil, or to remove evil that has already come.

            Religion is one of Satan’s most effective tools to keep the people in the bondage of fear. Because of this, there is no concept of having or even wanting a personal relationship with God and no opportunity to do things for the pure love of God. In contrast, in Christianity God is seen not as a capricious cosmic dictator ready to zap us at any moment, but as a personal and loving God, a Father who loves and is concerned for His children, and in return expects the same love from His children, instead of dread. Jesus Himself addresses God as, “Abba, Father” (Mark 14:36), and also taught His disciples to address God as Father (Luke 11:2; etc.). Paul wrote to the believers in Rome, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you slaves again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry ‘Abba, Father’ ” (Romans 8:15).

            And so we can approach God without fear, like a child would his father, and we can have a personal and intimate relationship with Him. John wrote in his first epistle, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). What John means to say is that when we live life trying to please God out of fear of punishment, we have not really grasped the nature of God and our relationship to Him through the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. For a believer, love for God and gratefulness for what He has done for him is the motivating factor, not the fear of punishment, or even the fear of losing eternal rewards.

            Closeness, however, can bring disrespect and aloofness. Familiarity breeds contempt. This is true in our human relationships. Job’s wife, for example, was the one who threw the first stone at him (Job 2:9). Jesus was ignored by his close relatives and townspeople with whom He grew up ((John 7:2-5; Matthew 13:55-57). Jesus said, “Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor” (Matthew 13:57; also Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24; John 4:44). The reason was that they thought they knew Him, because He grew up among them, but they really did not know Him, and so made the biggest mistake of their lives and missed the blessing.

            What is true in human relationships and was true for Jesus during His earthly life, is also true in our relationship with God and with His Word. Familiarity, or perceived familiarity, with the Word of God robs us of the awe and wonder of it. When we read it, we just glance over it and it does not stir our emotions and produce the result in our lives that God desires. For example, think how often we would read the story of Abraham offering his son and never stop to think of the agony and emotions that both the father and the son must have felt because we know the end of the story. As a result, we never long for that kind of commitment to and love for God that we would be willing to pay any price to have it. Or, since we already know the end of Job’s story, how often we journey with him and feel his agony and frustrations as his own wife loathed him, closest friends accused him and God remained silent until the end, and as a result we miss the main point of the story, which is trusting God in any and every situation. And how about the suffering of Jesus and His agony on the cross? Since we know the fact of the resurrection, do we ever stop to think what it cost God to provide our salvation? As a result, grace becomes cheap and the Christian life loses its meaning and true commitment.

            This is also true of our relationship with God. Here too familiarity breeds disrespect. True, God is our Father and we can approach Him as our daddy. But He is an awesome God and should be thought of with reverence. This becomes evident in our corporate worship, in how we dress, how punctual we are, how much respect and awe we feel for God as we worship Him. Do we ever feel the real sense of being in the presence of God as Isaiah felt (Isaiah 6:1-5), or, as Ezekiel felt (Ezekiel 1:28), or, as Peter felt (Luke 5:8)? Jesus came down from heaven and emptied Himself of all His glory (Philippians 2:6-8).  His purpose in doing this was to raise us up to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24) and to become more and more like Him, in the image of Christ (Colossians 3:10). Instead, what we have done with our “buddy, buddy” feeling of God is that we have brought Him down to our level and have lost the real sense of awe toward Him.

            This is also reflected in our contemporary architecture of church buildings. Church buildings today are not built as “sanctuaries” but as “auditoriums”. They are “functional” rather than having the purpose of creating a worshipful attitude. Yes, I do realize that God does not live in man-made buildings. But so did Solomon as he said, “The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27). And yet the magnificence of the temple that Solomon built is beyond our imagination! If God did not consider the place of His worship so important, why would He give the detailed instructions for their buildings as He did for the Tabernacle (Exodus chapters 25-40, read 25:8, 9, 40), for Solomon’s temple (1 Chronicles 28:11-19, read v. 19), and the future millennial temple (Ezekiel Chapters 40-44)? The cathedrals of the bygone era had the purpose of creating a sense of awe of God and worshipful attitude as one entered them. Can you imagine anyone walking into them casually sipping coffee as we do today?

            The author of the book of Hebrews very well expressed the idea of the awe and reverence for God when he said, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).

            How is the fear of God, the sense of awe, evidenced in our daily life? Well, we will see that as we continue this topic in the article next month. 

The Disciple and the Fear of God- Part 2

Imanuel Christian

October 2012

            Last month we talked about the disciple and the fear of God and saw that the concept of God in Christianity is of a loving Father who, like any other good father, longs to have an intimate relationship with His children. But because of that, the danger is that the familiarity, or perceived familiarity, breeds disrespect. Our God is an awesome God and cannot be taken too lightly as we often do in our corporate worship services or in our casual attitude in life.

            This month we want to see how the fear of God is evidenced in our daily life. For a disciple it is necessary to have a sound theology and an accurate concept of God. But that would be meaningless if that does not have a practical effect on daily life. How do others see  the fear of God in my life that kind of God would they think I worship? Here are some thoughts, although not an exhaustive list.

            First of all, the fear of God will be seen in our disciplined and holy life. Those who fear God will live by the moral standard that He has set in His Word. As Peter, quoting from the Old Testament says, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written, ‘Be holy because I am holy.’ Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your life as strangers in reverent fear” (1 Pet. 1:14-17). Peter here presents God both as a loving Father as well as an impartial Judge. We have, in our modern Christian culture, emphasized the idea of God as the loving Father, but have largely forgotten Him as an impartial Judge to whom one day we will have to give account of everything we do.

           

            Job provides the best example of this idea: “This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). This was the commendation that God Himself gave him twice (1:8; 2:3). Moses told the people of Israel, “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God and to walk in all His ways…” (Deut. 10:12).

            Secondly, the fear of God is evidenced in our daily life through our loving God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our might (Deut. 6:5). As Moses, in the rest of the verse quoted above, said, “What does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD God… and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deut. 10:12). Love for God is seen in rejecting anything and everything that competes for our attention and draws us away from our relationship with God. The disciple’s relationship with God is his first and foremost priority; everything else, and anybody else, takes a secondary place. Oswald Chambers in his well-known book, My Utmost for His Highest, writes, “There is only one relationship that matters, and that is your personal relationship to a personal Redeemer and Lord. Let everything else go, but maintain that at all costs, and God will fulfill His purpose through your life” (November 30).

            We may attain material abundance and great social respect and everything else this world offers, but without the relationship with God, nothing is worthwhile. That is why the Psalmist cried out in his anguish, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds” (Ps. 73:25-28).

            When Abraham put God first and not any material gain (Genesis Chapter 14), God came to him and said, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward” (Gen. 15:1). More than any other blessing, the greatest blessing of the disciple’s life is God Himself, the privilege and joy of having the personal relationship with Him. The Levites, as the servants of God, did not receive any inheritance in the land, because, God said to them, “I am their inheritance; and you shall give them no possession in Israel—I am their possession” (Ezek. 44:28, NASB; also see Num. 18:20; Deut. 10:9; 18:1, 2; Josh. 13:33). For a disciple there is no greater possession, no greater blessing than to have the personal relationship with God Himself. What do I desire more, God’s blessings or God Himself?

            Thirdly, the fear of God is evidenced in our daily life as we make God a most important part of our decision making process. Our financial, social or other decisions should be made in the context of how would it help me to serve God better, how would it help me to show God’s love to others better, and not primarily based on how would it help me financially or in social relationships. For making right decisions we need wisdom that can only come through our disciplined time in the Word of God. The Word of God helps us, “for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair” (Prov. 1:3, 4). Paul too said that the Word of God “is useful for teaching, rebuking, correction and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16). Actually, the Word of God is the chief basis of our relationship with God and everything else will naturally flow from that.

            Fourthly, the fear of God is evidenced in our daily life through resting secure in His loving care in any and every situation. When we recognize God not only as the sovereign Creator, but also as the One who lovingly controls everything that happens in our life, we will be free from worry and will rest secure in His loving care. David proclaimed in one of his psalms, “How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you!” (Ps. 31:19). Also, in another psalm, “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name” (Ps. 33:18-21). Fear of the Lord is such a freeing thing!

            Fifthly and finally, the fear of the Lord is evidenced in our daily life by how much we are eagerly waiting for Him. The second coming of Christ is one of the cornerstones of Christian theology and nothing else would matter if we take that out. As surely as He has come, He will come again, and we will stand before Him and, “each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:12). All other things mentioned above— moral character, utmost desire to have a relationship with God, putting God first in every decision of life and resting secure in His care — would not be possible unless we are living with the one goal of standing before Him one day and being able to say, like Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).

            Today what we need the most in the Christian culture, in the believer’s life, is the fear of God and of His Word that is evidenced in every aspect of our life. We would then be joyfully looking forward to standing before Him one day to receive His commendation. Again as the author of the book of Hebrews said, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28-29).

The Disciple and the Law

Imanuel G. Christian

In the context of salvation by grace and not by keeping the Law, is there nothing expected of us any further? Is all that God said to His people in the Old Testament about how they were to live in relationship to Him no longer applicable? Do we understand anything in the Old Testament, such as life principles to live by, as “law”? Or was it all simply ceremonial Law that looked forward to Christ? Is the law a good thing or bad? Are we supposed to keep the law or discard it? Are we, as believers, totally free from keeping the law?

            As we read the New Testament sometimes it creates an impression that we as believers are totally free from keeping the law. Believers died to the law (Romans 7:1-4). We are released from the law (7:6). Christ is the end of the law (1o:4). Redeemed from under the law (Galatians 4:5). We are not under the law (5:18). The law is not for good people (1 Timothy 1:9)!

            Similarly, Christ blasted the Pharisees for their keeping the letter of the law and loading it up with their traditions making it a heavy burden to bear (Matthew 23:4; Luke 11:46). In the first church council in Jerusalem, Peter too said the law was “a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear” (Acts 15:10). Later Paul called the law “a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

            The theological doctrines of saved by grace and not by keeping the works of the law and the eternal security of the believer also add to the general impression that the law is not for the believers and we are now free from the law. The first of these two makes the law useless and the second unnecessary. As one comes to the cross, there is no difference between the thief on the cross and Saul of Tarsus. Or, to say it in modern terms, between Adolf Hitler and Imanuel Christian, except that Hitler did not become a believer (as far we can know).

            The result of this, of course, is obvious. There is no need for a marked difference in the lifestyle of those who claim to be believers and those who do not. There is no fear of God and no need to live a holy life. Flesh becomes an easy excuse, Satan a readily available target, environment and circumstances easy temptations and eternal security a license to live our own way. This has made the Christian life appear to be easy and cheap. In that context we need to grasp the significance of the law in the life of a believer. And, we are speaking only in relation to the believer, as in all these monthly articles.

            First of all, Christ did not abolish the law. He said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17; Read vv. 17-19). What He did is He shifted the focus of righteousness simply from outward behavior to inward character and the motivation from seeking the approval from man to seeking the approval from God. On the one hand Christ simplified the law by condensing it in the two basic commandments; love the Lord and your neighbor. And on the other hand, by giving the deeper meaning of the law in the Sermon on the Mount, He demonstrated that there is no person on earth who can fully satisfy the requirements of the law.

            Secondly, the main point in Paul’s writings, especially in the letters to the Romans and Galatians, is that no one can fully meet the requirements of the law to earn his salvation; and the law was never meant as a way of gaining salvation. Whether in the Old Testament or in the New Testament, the way to salvation was always by trusting God, in faith, , not by keeping the law (Romans Chapter 4). Salvation is by grace alone through faith in the finished work of Christ, and not by works of the law (Ephesians 2:8-9).

            However, Paul vehemently denies that a believer is free to live in any way he may like; he is bound to live by the moral code provided in the law, except that now he has the Holy Spirit who enables him to live by God’s law and his motivation is now different; it is not for outward show to please man, but an inward attitude, the fruit that the Spirit produces in him, living life that is pleasing to God.

            Third, when Peter said the law was “a yoke that neither we or our fathers have been able to bear” (Acts 15:10), he referred to the ceremonial law and cultic practices required as a part of the Old Testament system of Law; not to the moral law that God has placed in everyone’s heart. “He” (God), Peter said, “accepts men who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:35). Similarly in the Book of Hebrews the point is, “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (10:8) and so it was necessary for Christ to shed His blood. But the author later emphasizes life still lived in reverence and awe of God, for God is a consuming fire.

            My point is, nowhere in the New Testament are we told, directly or indirectly, that the moral code God gave to His people Israel in the Old Testament now does not apply to the New Testament believer. What Moses said in the Old Testament to the people of Israel (for example Deuteronomy 6:4-7; etc.) is as valid today as it was when Moses initially gave it. Whether the Old Testament or the New, God’s character does not change and He has the same set of rules that He expects every person to live by (Leviticus 11:14ff; 1 Peter 1:15-16).

            If you are under any impression that the law given to the people of Israel in the Old Testament was a heavy burden and a drudgery that Christ has relieved us from and we now do not have to live by the law given in the Old Testament, I would encourage you to slowly and meditatively read the 119^th psalm. It is no accident that the longest chapter in the entire Bible, that is placed exactly in the centre of the Bible, is a love poem about God’s law! The psalmist uses eight different words for the law---law, statutes, precepts, decrees, commands, word or words of God and way or ways of God---a total of 173 times in 176 verses. Law of God for the psalmist does not merely mean rules. “It expresses the totality of God’s written instructions. The poet sees life full of uncertainties, of enemies, of pain. But God has given a reliable guide for living—like pavement underfoot after you have been stuck in mud. God’s law to the psalmist beckons toward freedom, not slavery” (NIV Student Bible; Notes by Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford).

            As we live in a culture that is progressively becoming more and more lawless, we have to commit ourselves to live by the Book, by the moral code that God has given in His Book. Christ did not abolish this law, He gave to it deeper meaning and different perspective. Grace does not give us a license but gives an added incentive to live by God’s law. Eternal security does not take away our responsibility to live life that is pleasing to God. Living by the law of God is the life and responsibility of every believer. Like the string that enables the kite to soar, God’s law binds us to God and enables us to go on the heights and live life to its fullest. “Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart” (Psalm 119:1-2). 

The Disciple and the Peleg Principle

The Disciple and the Peleg Principle

Imanuel G. Christian

June 2012

The names in the Bible, whether person or place, especially in the Old Testament, have special significance. The Bible does not always provide the meaning for every name. But when it does, the name and its meaning carry an additional significance, as for example, Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:24-26; 27:36), or Nabal (1 Samuel 25:25), or place names like Kibroth Hattaavah or Meribah (Numbers 11:34; 20:13).

          Some of such names and their meaning are not very familiar to us and often they are lost in obscurity, buried under other details that we sometimes consider insignificant. One such name, buried under a list of genealogical record of Noah’s three sons, is Peleg (Genesis 10:21-26; 11:10-26; 1 Chronicles 1:17-27). The Hebrew word ‘Peleg’ means “division” and the reason is given for such a name, “because in his time the earth was divided” (Genesis 10:25; 1 Chronicles 1:19).

          Although some scholars take the dividing of the earth in the sense of geological division, the division of the earth in two hemispheres, obviously here it does not mean that. The very next chapter (Genesis 11) gives us the details about the division of the earth; not a geological division, but the division of the people of the world into various language groups and scattering them all over the earth. Also, 10:32 makes it clear that this is division of people on the earth. This happened during the lifetime of Peleg (ca. 2247 B.C.).

          As we are told in Genesis 9:19 and 10:32, all the people of the world, after the Flood, were descendants of Noah’s three sons. They were originally part of one family, one culture and one language. However, because of their desire to use their family unity to excel and to make their name great, God divided them and scattered them all over the world (11:5-9). Unity is good and the unity in the family is something to be desired (Psalm 133:1-3). But when men become united in their rebellion against God, God breaks down their unity and frustrates their plans. No plan formed against God can ever succeed.

          But the Peleg factor we want to consider here goes much deeper than dividing people into various language groups. If Genesis Eleven speaks about separating people into various language groups, Genesis Twelve further speaks about separating out one individual, and later his descendants, from the rest of the people of the world.

          When God called Abram, he lived in Ur of Chaldees, an idolatrous city, and his father Terah was an idol worshipper (Joshua 24:2). God separated him from his country, his people and his father’s household (Genesis 12:1). Actually, God had Abram and the plan to separate him from his roots in mind long before he was born (as He does each one of us: Psalm 139:16; Revelation 13:8; 17:8). Two hundred and twenty-three years before Abram was born, Peleg’s father Eber was born, from whom the Hebrews derived their name (‘Hebrews’ because others referred to them as ‘descendants of Eber’, Genesis 10:21), and God had this plan of separating these people out of the rest of the world. Later, as we know, God renamed Abram as Abraham and made him the father of the nation Israel. God called the nation Israel as His own people, separated from the rest of the peoples of the world: “…out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy (separated for God) nation” (Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2; 26:19).

          And that is the deeper sense of the division of the people into two groups; the people of God, those who are separated unto God, who are committed to Him and live for His glory, and the rest of the people of the world, who do not follow God. God expected His people to bring glory to Him and be light and blessing to the rest of the people of the world.

          Because of God’s special call and dealing with them in a special way, the nation Israel ethnically remained a distinct nation and people. The Gentile nations too looked at them as a distinct nation and people. The word ‘Hebrew’ or ‘Hebrews’ in the Old Testament is mainly found in the speech of foreigners, notably the Egyptians and the Philistines, who contemptuously referred them as the Hebrews (Genesis 39:14, 17; 41:12; Exodus 2:6; 1 Samuel 4:6, 9; 14:11). Or it was used by Israelites to identify themselves as foreigners (Genesis 40:15; Exodus 3:18; 5:3; 7:16). Similarly, the word ‘Jews’ is not found in the Old Testament until the time of the Babylonian Exile, when they were looked upon as refugees.

          Whether in Egypt or in Canaan or during their captivity in Babylon, Israel maintained their separate identity and other people too looked at them as a distinct people. However, God’s basic purpose for their separation was that they become a holy nation, separated unto Himself and through them all the people of the world would come to know Him. But the history of Israel tells us that they did not maintain their distinct identity morally and spiritually. Whether in Egypt or in Canaan, they were influenced by the pagan cultures and worshipped heathen gods. That created the problem: “wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, ‘These are the LORD’s people, and yet they had to leave his land’ ” (Ezekiel 36:20). They failed to observe the Peleg principle in the life of the nation.

          The Peleg factor is as valid today in the life of a believer and the church as it was when God separated His people, the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, from the rest of the people of the world. The Greek word for ‘church’ is ekklesia, which literally means, “called-out assembly”, people called out and separated from the world as a distinct group committed to God and to a radically different lifestyle than the rest of the people of the world. Just as the other people looked to Israel as a distinct people, the people of the world have looked at the church as a distinct group of people and expect a different kind of lifestyle from them. As the words ‘Hebrew’ and ‘Jews’ were mainly used by non-Israelites, so too the term ‘Christians’ was actually coined by non-Christians (Acts 11:26).

          It was in this context that Jesus told His disciples that they were the salt and the light of the world and, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16, which is placed between the Beatitudes that describe the ideal lifestyle of the disciple, Vv. 1-12, and the deeper and meaningful fulfillment of the Old Testament moral code, Vv. 21-48). Paul expressed the same idea both in a negative and positive way: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). We as the disciples of Christ have to follow the Peleg principle in life, each one of us responsible to live a life set apart from the rest of the world, one that conforms to the ethical and moral values of the Word (1 Peter 1:13-16; 2:11-14) and not of the world. 

Crafty...!

This is what we read in Genesis 3:4. The serpent was more crafty than any other animals of the field. It deceived Eve by its crafty talk! It just made Eve believe that what ever God said was not true; In my bible study at church, we discussed the serpent did not even pick the fruit and give it to Eve! All it did was to talk about the fruit. Then Eve by herself went and picked the fruit and ate and gave it to Adam!

The serpent is still alive, and the serpent is still CRAFTY.. ! But its CRAFTINESS become modern....! And this serpent easily adopts to modern technology and trends.

So What are the modern CRAFTY language this serpent uses? I can think of a few things that stands out to me. Even after I understand the craftiness of the serpent, I still feel, it is all good.. because 'KNOWLEDGE puffs up'.I feel I master over these craftiness, and I know exactly where to cut the line, but unfortunately, I fall into this well crafted duplicates and miss the originals!

Yes, 'Santa Clause'. Today the kids looking forward for Christmas only to expect what Santa is going to bring. How did we get here? How CRAFTY Satan is today, in distorting the truth of Christmas with the fiction of Santa! How are we going to tell our kids that Christ is real and Santa is not real? What is our stands on the realistic relationship with Christ? Or is that too a fiction in our lives?

This is just a fun activity for Kids...! It is spring time, new life emerges, and that is what the 'Eggs' represent. How does it relate to Easter? Who coined the word 'Easter Eggs'? What a CRAFTY word to distort the TRUTH of Easter in our kids' minds to bring in the concept of 'Egg Hunt', and it hunts you down to eat more Sugar.. ?!Are we looking towards the 'Risen Lord' or are we looking for the 'Hidden Eggs'?

The word 'FUN' is the most crafty word that our modern day serpent is using, not necessarily to the the world, but also the craftiness creeps into the Christian Lives in the form of FUN. Yes, Movies that are in-appropriate but we say it is just fun... Alcoholic drinks, we say it is ok in moderation... same-sex marriage- we say, we need to be tolerant.. and much more..!

The serpent was more “crafty” (‘arum ) than any of the creatures. The word ‘arum is not primarily a negative term in the Bible but suggests wisdom and skill. (Besides its use here, it occurs eight times in Proverbs and twice in Job).Man’s disobedience is not so much shown as an act of great wickedness or a great transgression as much as it is an act of great folly. He had all the “good” he would have needed, but he wanted more—he wanted to be like God.The forbidden tree is the tree of the knowledge of “good and evil”. When the woman and the man took of the tree and ate, it was because she “saw that the tree was desirable for gaining wisdom“.

The serpent that was CRAFTY on Eve's Garden, is still active in our own gardens...in our minds.. in our moden day cultures... ! Lets not fall prey to his craftiness..! Lets not waste our lives! Let's put on the armor of God and tell the serpents of this world, 'Get Away From Me satan' (Mat 4:10) just as Jesus did, on the wilderness!

The Disciple and the End of the World on 12-21-12

Imanuel G. Christian

February 2012

You may have heard, or, will certainly hear, about the predicted end of the world on December 21, 2012. There has been so much hype and hoopla on this subject. Web sites, articles, books, YouTube videos and major motion pictures are spreading the message of an imminent destruction of the world as we know it. If you do a Google search on “2012 end of the world” you would find millions of web sites. People are selling things like survival kits and shelters and T-shirts. YouTube has hundreds of thousands of videos informing and warning people of the coming doom in 2012. You can even get an app on your iPhone that features an animated countdown to 12-21-12. As the time draws near we will be bombarded more and more, even by the main line media.

All this is based on the Mayan calendar. The Mayan Long Count Calendar has five “world cycles” and each of these is made up of 5,160 years totaling 25,800 years. According to Mayan belief each of these cycles ends with world destruction and beginning a new world order. The mythical creation of the Mayans is believed to be August 11, 3114 B. C. That is Day One on the Mayan Long Calendar. The fifth and final cycle is supposed to end on December 21, 2012 (Day Last). So, the Mayan alarm clock of the doomsday is set to go off on 12-21-12.

Along with the Mayan calendar, the year 2012 coincides with the “galactic alignment” of the sun and the earth with the “galactic equator” that bisects the black hole at the center of the universe. This rare alignment occurs once every 26,000 years, the time it takes the earth to complete one wobble around its axis. As the earth rotates on its axis, it wobbles very slightly. This wobble creates a small circle in the galaxy. The earth wobbles one degree every seventy two years. It takes 25,800 (around 26,000) years to complete one full circle, exactly the total number of years of the five cycles of the Mayan calendar. So, the scientists are thinking that maybe there is something to the Mayan calendar and something unusual is going to happen when this takes place on 12-21-12. Amazingly, the Mayans were able to figure all this out without the use of even the simplest telescope, what we now can know only by using our advanced computer technology and powerful telescopes.

And mix with this the current world situation: The rogue nations gaining an upper hand and acquiring nuclear power, the Middle-East crisis, especially nations rising up against Israel and the West, the shortage of oil, food supply and vital natural resources, the economic meltdown, wars and rumors of wars and rising terrorism, the erratic weather patterns that create unprecedented earthquakes and tsunamis. All these have created frenzy like sense of an impending world crisis like an enormous volcano ready to erupt any moment.

So, how much should we be concerned about the end of the world this year? Not much! Will the world as we know it end on 12-21-12? Certainly not! Nothing as predicted by the 2012 fanatics is going to happen!

How can we be so sure? Let me give you just three reasons. One, although the Mayan calendar cycle seems to exactly coincide with the earth cycle, as the modern scientists have calculated, there is no scientific basis for the end of the world at the end of the Mayan calendar cycle. The hypothesis of the end of the world is based not on astronomy, but on astrology, on the New Age thinking. Most of the 12-21-12 doomsday predictors are New Age followers. The New Age followers are commonly associated with the movements of the constellations and cosmic convergences with the help of demonic practices. Their idea is that the end of the present world will usher in a new beginning, the dawn of a new golden age, an age of awakening, of higher consciousness, a new plane of existence, much like what the Serpent promised Adam and Eve in the Garden (Genesis 3:5).

How could the Mayans come up with such an elaborate calculation of the solar system without the aid of even the simplest telescope or computer technology? We do not know. But because of the New Age ideology behind it, we can safely assume that demonic sources are behind it, like the prophesying spirits in Paul’s time (Acts 16:16-18).

Of course, the world is hurling towards a precipice and that may lead to many catastrophic events like major wars or major natural catastrophes, as we noted above. But that has nothing to do with the 12-21-12 hypothesis.

Secondly, nobody knows, or, can know, exactly when the end of the world will be. In the past, many such dates have been set. According to one web site there have been 242 past predictions about the end of the world. They all have come and gone. Similar hoopla was created about Y2K, predicting that we would experience crisis of a mammoth proportion and even the end of the civilization as we know it. Many, including believers, were caught up in that frenzy, storing up enough food and water supply to last for months. Nothing happened! As Jesus said no one knows that day except the Father (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32; Acts 1:7).

Thirdly, the prediction of the end of the world on 12-21-12 does not match with the end time calendar that God has given us in His Word. Before the end of the world happens as described in 2 Peter 3:10, there will be the rapture of the church, the seven year tribulation, the second coming of Christ and His one-thousand-year reign. The next major event on the eschatological calendar is the rapture, not the end of the world.

So, we do not have to panic as the people of the world who ignore the Word of God do. Nor do we have to go into frenzied preparation or in hiding in a remote mountain place as many, even believers, did during the so called Y2K crisis. BUT, we do have to be ready for the coming of the Lord to take His Bride. We can be sure that the world will not end on 12-21-12. But we do know for sure that some day it is going to end and this world is not our home. “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:10-13).

(Information for this article was gleaned from various web sites and the book 2012, The Bible and the End of the World by Mark Hitchcock; Harvest House, 2009)

EVERY WORD OF GOD IS FLAWLESS; HE IS A SHIELD TO THOSE WHO TAKE REFUGE IN HIM (Prov. 30:35)

The Disciple and His Perfect Peace

Imanuel G. Christian

January 2012

Last month we noted that the birth of Christ in our hearts prepares the way for us to fulfill the longing of our human hearts. At the same time, we also noted that we are still groaning with the eager expectations of our final redemption, and our prayer still is, “Come, Thou long expected Jesus”. Even after the Son of righteousness has been born in our hearts, we continue to live in the “world with devils filled that threaten to undo us” and face all kinds of problems and heartaches that are common to humanity. As we begin the year 2012 we do not know how the year will go and what kinds of problems we will face. In this situation how can we have the perfect peace that is promised in the Word of God?

Yes, the Word of God does promise perfect peace and overflowing joy. The prophet Isaiah described this perfect peace and overflowing joy in beautiful poetry, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; (so much joy and peace that) the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands” (Isaiah 55:12).

Although Isaiah is describing this in the context of the millennial kingdom, in some ways we can experience that perfect peace and overflowing joy even today. As believers we do not have to wait to experience all the blessings of heaven until after we die and go to be in the presence of the Lord where there is fullness of joy and eternal pleasures (Psalm 16:11). We can, at least in some measure, experience these blessing even in this life. Eternity begins at the moment we come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

In the New Year how can we experience the heavenly joy and peace in spite of us living in the world that is still under the grip of the evil one? First of all, we need to change our focus. Much of the time we focus on our own life surrounded by problems, on the evil that surrounds us, on our disappointments and frustrations. All these things weigh us down and rob us of our joy and peace.

Instead of that, our focus should be on God in whom and through whom all our questions are answered and problems resolved. When the psalmist focused on the evil around him (Psalm 73), his heart was grieved and his spirit became bitter (v. 21). But when he changed his focus to be on God he realized, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (vv. 25-26). As Isaiah said, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3).

Secondly, we need to change our priorities. Much of our life is spent on making a living and not enjoying life, in worrying about things we do not have, and in taking care of things we do have. Like our garages, our life is cluttered with so many things and activities that drain our energy, use up our time and resources, and rob us of our joy and peace. We believers, too, have been dragged into a consumer mindset and try to find our joy in having

a certain standard of living, so when things change and we cannot maintain it, our world goes upside down. Contentment is not having everything we want, but enjoying things we have; learning “the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12). It is in this context that Paul makes the next statement; “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (v. 13).

Instead of focusing on the things of this world, our priorities should be focused on eternal things: serving the Lord, being a joy and blessing to others, and accumulating eternal treasures. Things of this world are temporary, but they can be used to build up eternal treasures. If this is our priority, we can trust God to meet all our basic needs. David said, “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed” (Psalm 37:25-26). It is rare that we have to worry about our basic needs like shelter, clothes and food. Most of our worries are about things beyond our basic needs.

Thirdly, we have to live a life that is totally pleasing to the Lord. No believer can have the joy and peace promised in the Word of God as long as there is an unforgiven sin in his/her life. As David said, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer” (Psalm 32:3-4). Of course, as long as we are in this life, we cannot live a sinless life. But as we grow in the Lord we sin less and less and the goal is, like Job, to live a life that is blameless and upright, fearing God and turning away from evil (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3). If there is any sin in our life we have to immediately ask forgiveness from God and, if necessary, from others whom we may have offended.

Finally, the goal of the believer’s life is not just to enjoy this life, although there is nothing wrong in that as God allows us to enjoy it (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25; 3:22; 5:18-20), but to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Because it is only in a relationship with Him that this life not only becomes meaningful, but also joyful. As Solomon said, “For without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?” (Ecclesiastes 2:25). No One! As children of God we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing, with the things that really matter from the eternal perspective.

If we make God our focus in 2012, and make knowing Him, loving Him and serving Him our priority, then the things of this world will grow strangely dim and we will be able not only to appreciate our spiritual blessings, but also to be able to enjoy this life and the things of this world, and our life will be more and more filled with the joy and peace that God desires us to have.

O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.

(Helen H. Lemmel, 1922)

(Next month: End of the world on 12-21-12?)