For Whom There Is No Peace, Part One

Isa. 48:22 ... "There is no peace for the wicked, says the Lord."

One of the central concepts of the Bible is peace, and it is also a frequent subject of concern for people in every age. There are many aspects of peace, and it would take a lengthy dissertion to present and dis-cuss them all. This brief article assumes the usual meaning of peace as the welfare, safety, and pleasant course of life that prevails when there is no strife, conflict, or disturbance. Unfortunately, such a condi-tion is seldom entirely present, and when it does occur to our great satisfaction, it does not last very long. It is God's desire, however, that peace prevail so that we may live pleasantly. He sent His own Son down from heaven, to live among us in human form, to promote peace on earth. In Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is called the "Prince of peace." And when He was born in Bethlehem, God sent a host of angels to pro-claim, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

The way to peace is revealed in Rom. 5:1, "Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." The way to real and enduring peace is therefore "through our Lord Jesus Christ." There is, however, an esential prequisite, being "justified by faith." This means the recognition and total conviction that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God," (Mat. 16:16). This is the faith that motivates the individual to submit His life to Jesus, (Mat. 16:24-27).  More is required than the pious cry of "Lord, Lord!" as hands are clasped and eyes are lifted upward. This is so often an emotional reaction in a church service that reverts to routine human behavior during the week following. One's appeal to the Lord must proceed into modeling your attitudes, speech, and routine conduct to the stan-dard of life which Jesus taught and then modeled in His own way of life displayed before us and des-cribed in Scripture. So Jesus said in Mat. 7:21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven."

The lack of real and enduring peace, which would make the world a wonderful place to live, is the result of rejecting the Prince of Peace sent by God. That rejection is often deliberate, resolute, and overt. There are many places in the world where the mention of Christ and His teaching are banned. Some of those places are in the United States, which was once called a "Christian nation." I myself was twice warned not even to mention God's name in the public high school where I taught in Nashville. Others have lost their jobs for mentioning Christ and commiting to His teaching on subjects that are no longer accepted in an organization. When the conscience of a generation is not formed and buttressed by a moral stand- ard that advocates morality, honesty, human dignity, and the unselfishness of real love, the result is the climate of conflict, danger, and outbursts of cruelty that occur practically on a daily basis in the USA and other countries.

When peace is established and maintained by force, it will never be fully successful or endure for long. The annals of history prove that statement to anyone who will bother to read them. When there is no higher being to whom a person yields than himself, or perhaps his group, there is the urge to defy authority, the peace-by-force entity. Thus, we see continual public protests, which often beome destruc-tive and inflict injury and sometimes death. The very enactment of a law to define human conduct becomes a provocation to many to oppose it, defy it, and use all means to dismantle it.  The only peace that will be effective and endure is that not based in power and managed by force, but that which God has offered to the world in His Son and the message of life, truth, salvation and righteousness which He brought down from heaven and gave to us for our greatest good, (Heb. 2:1-4).

Many will reject this brief discourse with the argument that Christ and His teaching have been with us for 2000 years and have failed. I will answer with this story. A well-known evangelist came to a town to offer the appeal of Christ and His Gospel to the public. Thre was a large factory in town that produced soap, and many earned their living by working in that factory. Somehow, the owner of the factory, to show good will to the preacher, invited him to lunch. In his car, driven by a chauffeur, the owner picked up the preacher at the place he was staying and took him to the restuarant. On the way, they passed through a slum where dirty kids played in the street, drunks staggered down the sidewalks, and harlots appealed to men on street corners. The factory owner said, "Just look at all this corruption! Christianity has been in the world 2000 years, and it hasn't prevented all this." The preacher then pointed to the dirt and squalor that motteled the skins and clothes of the people along the street and answered, "You mass produce soap here, and it hasn't made your town any cleaner." The owner rebutted, "That's an unfair statement. Common sense makes it obvious that soap will not clean unless it is used!" The preacher replied, "Precisely, sir! And Christianity won't lift people up to a level of dignity, morality, and good conduct unless it is used."

(This subject will be continued in later posts, if I may further write them.)

Joy vs Happiness

John 15:11 ... "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."

Contrary to popular opinion, at least in the Biblical context, joy and happiness are not the same thing. Though this has for years been occasionally publicized in sermons and various publications, many speakers and writers go right on equating the two. Some even say that "happiness" is the better term because people use it more in daily speech than they do "joy." To me, this is deplorable!  I am disgusted with a speaker or writer who puts "happiness" in the place of "joy." Joy is a pure, basic Biblical term, but happiness is not. Of course, the words "happy" and "happiness" are used in recent versions of the Bible rather than "joy," but in the original language that is not the essential meaning of the words so translated. Joy is a gift of God; happiness comes from within us. It is the product of our emotion when things go to suit us, when we are made to feel good, when we succeed in something important to us.

The words "happy" and "happiness" come from the root HAP, which signifies "chance." If a combina-tion of things line up to produce something that is pleasant, you are happy. But when those things fall out of alignment, according to the vagaries of the flow of daily events, happiness disappears and you are left flat, empty, and let down. Such alignment of the components of happiness is a chance occur-rence, and thus happiness is the product of chance. Daily life is a succession of such a rise and fall in chance. But joy, as a gift of God, is not by chance. It is an act of God. And it stays with you, unchanged, unless you choose to hand it back to God through sin and foolishness.

If further proof is needed that joy is a gift of God, then consider Gal. 4:22, where it lists the "fruits of the Spirit." Of the nine things named, the second is joy! The expression "fruits of the Spirit" means "precious results that the Holy Spirit produces in our life." And such is JOY! It is indubitably a gift of God. Nowhere in Scripture does it say "happiness" is a "fruit of the Spirit" or a gift of God. That is because, as I have just shown, happiness is the product of chance.

In the past, when I have spoken on this subject, I have heard the comment that it is "just a matter of word meanings." That dismisses all the testimony and proof presented. And that, my friends, is sheer foolishness and the product of mental laziness. Words express units of thought; it's the main way we communicate ideas. And we can accurately communicate ideas only with words that have accurate meaning. When we are talking about the things of God and His revelation, we absolutely MUST use words that express in truth the meaning involved. I take word meaning seriously, and I try very hard to use language that is faithful to the meaning intended. Extemporaneous speaking, while appealing to most listeners, very often fails in using words accurately.

Will You Be Remembered?

 Luke 22:19 ... "Do this in remembrance of me."

When Jesus presided over the final meal with His disciples in an upper room somewhere in Jerusalem, He was facing death by crucifixion the next day. In His human state, He dreaded the torture and inde-scribable agony He would suffer; and surely, He was sad at leaving His friends. He knew they would be devastated by His terrible death, and He sympathized with their sorrow. He loved them and wanted them never to forget Him and what He did for them. It was the future mission of these men to make disciples of Christ of as many people as possible. And that mission continues from one generation to the next as long as the world stands. Jesus' desire to be remembered by every generation was His purpose for instituting the Lord's Supper to be observed by His disciples until He returns again.

It is common among people to hope that a person will not be forgotten when he passes from the worldly scene. So, we often leave behind mementos of ourselves ... pictures, personal items, letters, diaries, objects we have made, etc. Especially, we want a monument to be set up at our grave that displays our name, vital dates, perhaps a picture, a pertinent motto and, in special cases, a statue. But practical obser-vation should convince us that, in spite of all effort, those who survive us will not remember us for very long. Memory gradually fades as days past; grief is relieved by daily occupations until the person can again smile and enjoy life. The mind dwells less and less upon the life of the departed, though for some people it may take years before they can go through a day without a flashback of memory.

Of course, family and loved ones retain good memory when they wish to retrieve it, especially in con-versation or browsing through a photo album. But when one comes to the end of life's journey, the following generation will think with less detail and affection of the lives of his parents. Looking to the past, dear reader, can you name each of your 8 great-grandparents? or, each of your 16 great(x2)-grand-parents? Unless you are an avid genealogist, you may not know the name or anything about even one of your great(x3)-grandparents. So, let us face reality; we will be forgotten and unknown within three or four generations. Even if you leave behind a detailed biography, it will be of slight interest to few and of no interest to most within a century. So, as we are told in Rom. 12:3, "I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think."

When a person becomes a Christian, however, he is given status as a child of God and granted a place in God's holy family that is eternal. Then, as we are assured in Rev. 21:27, "those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life" will be taken into heaven to live in glory forever. God does not forget the name and life of anyone who lives "faithful (in Christ) until death." His name is enrolled in the Book of Life in heaven, and beyond death he will be given by Christ a "crown of life," (Rev. 2:10). To run the course of life in this world with no interest in religion, no relationship with Christ, and no thought of answering to God beyond death, (see Rom. 14:11-12), is to be forgotten not only in the world you leave behind, but in the spiritual world everyone enters beyond death. To deny future exis-tence does not make it null and void. To disregard it by living as you wish, by "doing it my way" as Sinatra sang it, is to boast now of your independence and then bitterly regret it for an eternity. The first step to true wisdom and eternal identity is, therefore, to "deny (yourself) and take up your cross (assume your responsibility), and follow (Christ)." These are the best words it is possible for me to offer to any-one, and they are here offered for your benefit rather than mine.

Your Unavoidable Choice

Rom. 12:9 ... "Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good."

There is one final component of Christian character to add to those presented in the previous 17 articles on this subject. It is to make the right choice, which no one can avoid, between following the path of evil or the path of good in one's course through life. This involves the concept of dualism, which views the world as divided into two spheres, good and evil. Behind the good, supporting and promoting it, is God; behind the evil, promoting and supporting it, is Satan. These two beings are diametrically opposed to each other and in perpetual deadly conflict. Satan's goal is to overthrow God and destroy Him, annihilating everything that is good. It is God's purpose to overthrow and destroy Satan, annihilating all that is evil.

God has already won the first phase of this great conflict, (see Rev. 12:9). Satan is no longer in heaven, but he is for sure here on earth, where he continues in fury to wage war against God and all that comes from God. His chief weapon is deception, by which he blinds our eyes to his presence, his ambitions, and his opposition to all that is good. Satan's work in deceiving people is exposed throughout the Bible, and it's quite evident in every sin recorded from Genesis to Revelation. In John 8:44, Jesus was speak-ing of Stan when He declared that "there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies."

Satan's greatest lie is that there is NO difference between good and evil, that everything is relative, and the words good and evil are subjective in meaning. The Bible and the religion it projects are ridiculed because they teach there are "absolutes" and "imperatives" that condemn certain ideas and behaviors. When we are told that the difference between good and evil is nothing but prejudice and intolerance, we are hearing the voice of Satan. It is like what John saw in Rev. 13:11, "I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke as a dragon."

A part of Christian character concomitant to the one being discussed is discernment, the ability to see that good and evil are distinct and opposing forces in everything that moves and operates in the world about us. But there is more to it than just discernment; there is also the accompanying driving urge to embrace what is good and then support and promote it with all the force you can. And that is because we recognize that whatever is good comes from God. Love for God, reverence for God, and faith in God motivate us to exalt whatever comes from Him and then cling to it. This is why everyone who rejects the God of the Bible, who sent Christ here to save us, can never possess Christian character.

It is a character flaw to fail to discern the presence of evil in so much of life about us and carelessly accept it as just a part of our culture. There is a great mixture of evil from Satan in every part of con-temporary life that we have come to tolerate and even adopt as normative -- in lifestyle, speech, cloth-ing, entertainment, grooming, and even in the context of worship. This character flaw will continue until we become serious about what Rom. 12:9 demands of us, "Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good."

The Importance of Loveliness

Php. 4:8 ... "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

In recent articles the effort has been made to show that essential elements of good character (Christian character) are found in Php. 4:8. The first two, being truthful and being honorable, were emphasized in the two previous essays. The third and fourth in the series, devotion to what is right and exalting what is pure, have really already been featured in the exposition of Jesus' beatitudes in Mat. 5:3-12. Devotion to what is right is the same as Beatitude No. 4, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; and exalting what is pure is the same as Beatitude No. 6, "Blessed are the pure in heart." There is no need, therefore, to add anything further to these, although a great deal more could be said about each of them. Thus we shall proceed to the fifth thing presented in Php. 4:8, "Whatever is lovely."

The word thus translated from the original Greek text is prosphilê, which means "that which calls forth love." What is featured here is a quality in a person's life that induces others to love them. We all can think of someone whom it is very easy to love. There is something about them that makes you feel good in their presence and quickly wins your heart. Jesus saw that quality in unusual measure in the Apostle John, because four times in the Book of John this apostle is called "the one whom Jesus loved." The first is in John 19:26-27. As Jesus was being crucified, it says, "When (He) therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved, standing nearby, He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold your Son!' Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother!' And from that hour the disciple took her into his own household."

Jesus loved all His apostles, as well as friends like Mary, Martha and Lazarus of Bethany, in a special way. But there was something about John that called forth His love in an exceptional manner. That is what this character trait is -- loveliness -- a power within someone's personality that "calls forth" your love. You notice it quickly; you appreciate it greatly; and you start loving them.

To explain this power, it is tempting to produce a list of things that together "call forth your love": an habitually pleasant facial expression, frequent smiling, a pleasant disposition, being mild-mannered, being genuinely sympathetic, and being kind and polite. Several other qualities can be added to this list. A person who has them will win your heart easily and quickly; you will not even have to try. So it would be easy to say that the presence and combination of them is what "calls forth your love" and that the combined effect is what loveliness is.

But I don't think that is the case. Rather, what we see here is a single component of Christian character that produces the wonderful effect mentioned above. This elemental compoent is what the New Testa-ment calls prosphilê (loveliness). It is what produces a beautiful personality that "calls forth love" when you are with such a person. Let us not confuse the effects with the underlying cause; let us recognize that cause and learn to call it by its proper name, loveliness.

At birth God gives us certain special potentials that He does not give everyone, at least not in the same meausre. We call them "talents." They are inclinations and abilities to do something in a way better than others. For example, some people are born with musical talent. That does not mean that at age six they can sit down at a piano and play Beethoven, Mozart, and Brahms easily. But it does mean they can learn quickly, easily, and perfectly the skills that would enable them at an early age to play the music of the Masters like the Masters. A person without talent, with diligent effort, could learn to play them also. But they would never do it with the ease, the skill, and the grace of the person with real talent. The same is true with any talent ... art, athletics, eloquence, intelligence. Nearly anybody can be taught art, but their work will never hang in the Metropolitan Gallery in New York. Many youngsters become local stars in the various sports, but they never make the professional teams, or in most cases, even college sports. God does not give everyone the capacity to compose a symphony, paint a masterpiece with uni-versal appeal, set athletic records in the pros, rival the great orators, or win a name alongside Einstein in intelligence.

The reader may now think I have "gotten off track"; what does this have to do with loveliness? Well, here is the point: God grants the potential to be lovely to some people more than others; it is, therefore, a talent. Some people almost from birth display the attributes that "call forth love" in those about them. The rest of us have to work for it ... and work hard! I have been told that my usual facial expression is somewhat forbidding; I do not smile a lot of the time; some of my students said my disposition is stern; I do not think I'm good at being mild-mannered; I have to work to be sympathetic; I have to remind my-self to be kind, especially in stressful situations; and sometimes I suffer a lapse in politeness. So, I am reconciled to the fact that I was not born with the talent of loveliness. But that does not mean I cannot develop it to a level that will be acceptable to God. I just have to try! And that is the case with most who read this. So, indeed, let us make that effort, resolutely and consistently.                    

                                                                                                                                             [Character 17]

Character 16

Php. 4:8 ... "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things."

In this statement eight essential attributes of good character, or more expressly, Christian character, are presented to us.  Although the word "character" is not mentioned in context, we are urged to "let your mind dwell on these things." What resides in a person's mind within determines the nature of his external life in mood, speech, conduct, and response to the fluctuations of daily experience. This is what we are told in Pro. 23:7, "As [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he." In the last article (Character 15) the first thing in this verse, truth, was featured and commended. In the present essay, the second thing, honorable, will be discussed and also commended to the reader.

The word in the original so translated is semnos, which may also be translated "dignified" or "serious." In the King James Version, it is rendered as "honest/" Although honesty is very much involved in the idea expressed, it is not the fundamental meaning. When the New Testament writers wished to deal with honesty, they used other words or phrases, such as "being truthful, speaking the truth, being sincere, and being just." The New American Standard and the Revised Standard translate the term as "honorable"; the NEB uses "worthy," and the translations of Goodspeed and Moffatt choose "noble." Basically, Php, 4:8 teaches us that, to set our minds upon whatever is dignified, has real merit, and is serious, in con-trast to what is silly or frivolous. What we are being told here is to lift our mind above the level of most people about us and elevate it to the plane of what is noble, worthy, and dignified.

Previously discussed has been the subject of "character flaws." These appear in situations where someone lacks a component of good character. Being dishonorable is such a character flaw. Not only is it prevalent, but it is actually capitalized upon in society. There are so many people who seem to be serious about nothing and let their minds run free toward anything that is trivial, meaningless, useless and inappropriate. Led by such people as the TV variety show hosts, they spin raw humor out of everything, trash public figures, and laugh at tragedy. They are not fit to listen to, and Christians ought to avoid them. 

The Bible often forbids this kind of dishonorable, undignified practice. In essence, it warns us about a character flaw and thus clears the way to plant a real trait of good character within us. We are instructed in Eph. 5:4 that "there must be no filthiness, silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting; but rather, [the] giving of thanks." Paul ordered Titus in his ministry in Crete to "urge the young men to be sen-sible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, in order that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us," (Tit. 2:6-8). He was told to teach "women likewise [to] be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things." This character component of being honorable essentially means to say nothing that embarrasses others, disgraces yourself, or casts reproach upon your Lord. 

This does not mean we should be like the Puritans in early Colonial America who lived in fear that "someone, somewhere was actually having a good time." Eccl. 3:4 says that there is "a time to laugh." In fact, there are instances of humor to be found in the Bible. Being honorable allows occasional humor, but it excludes trivializing what is serious. Eccl. 3:4 also says there is "a time to weep." And Rom. 12:15 points out one of those times: "Weep with those who weep."

Character 15

Php. 4:8 ... "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things."

This passage presents to us a set of eight mental dispositions that will develop genuine Christian character in anyone who will admit them into his personal psychology. In earlier articles in this series I have asserted that only Christ is the standard of good character, for He is the only person in the Bible to whom that word is applied, (Heb. 1:3). If space permitted, it would not be difficult to show that Jesus exemplified each quality in this set in His life. That is, in fact, the last thought expressed before these things were thus named: "And the God of peace, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus," (v.7).

There is something to be noticed in this statement that is very important:  It shows that the essence of character resides in your inner being, not in your outer being. The typical prescription for character development taught in public venues addresses the external features of a person. They present a formula of conduct that regulates outward behavior. Not only do they fall short because they ignore Christ, but also because they address only the surface of our human nature.  But the essence of a person is the inner self, and that means his mind and heart. Observe that the eight qualities presented in Php. 4:8 have a dual reference, first, they involve the mind and heart, and second, they involve one's union with Christ.

The first one named is TRUTH. To possess Christian character, a person must recognize truth, esteem truth, and commit himself to truth. This is the case with Jesus in a way that far exceeds even the best person among us, for He is equated with truth. He is the very embodiment of truth. This is what we are told in John 1:14, "The Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." This declares that Jesus is "full of truth," and recall that Heb. 1:3 states that He is 'the exact representation of God's nature." This means that truth is a part of Jesus' character, because God is true. Of this we are assured in Heb. 6:18 which says that "it is impossible for God to lie." God is the essence of truth; He speaks nothing but truth; and all His actions are in perfect harmony with truth.

As the impression of God's nature into the baby born in Bethlehem was His character, the impression of Jesus into the life of a person is Christian character. And one great part of that impression is conformity to truth. Until Christ is admitted into a person's life, commitment to truth is not established within him. In the description of unregerate men in Rom. 3, it states that "their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving. The poison of asps is under their lips." In v.4 preceding it says, "Let God be true, though every man be found a liar." None of us want to think we don't look good, that what we say is silly, and that what we believe is wrong. So, we take care to compliment each other, approve each other, and agree with each other, even though our heart sees "the other" quite differently. It takes cour-age to speak only the truth. Actually, when a time comes that you cannot speak the truth because it would hurt too much, the proper thing to do is say nothing. It is not necessary always to give a reply.

A great part of Christian character is being truthful. That means to search for what is fundamentally true in everything, expel from your thinking whatever you find not true, and stand by the truth no matter what. Pro. 23:23 says it thus, "Buy truth and do not sell it. Get wisdom and instruction and understand-ing." Truth is pure gold, anything less is iron pyrite. Something false is often very popular and attract-ive, but in reality it has no value. I like what Anatole France (1844-1924, Nobel Prize in Literature) once said, "If 50 million people say something stupid, it's still stupid!" To be like Christ in character, always search for truth, incorporate it in your thinking, and cling to it though others may ridicule you for doing so.