THE ONE WHO IS BLESSED

Rev. 1:3 ... "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near."

      To most people the Book of Revelation is a very mysterious volume, full of cryptic passages. Some despair of understanding it, and consequently seldom read it. Others, however, look upon this terminal portion of the Bible as the key to understanding all the rest. Among these students one finds diversity of interpretation to the point of utter confusion, so that the advice is sometimes offered, "When you under-take a study of Revelation, be sure to use only one commentary."

      The purpose here is not to critique all these diverse interpretations, since a task that great is defi-nitely beyond this undertaking and its purpose. Nevertheless, this writer insists that God gave us this book to read, to understand, and to obey. The text above indicates this clearly when it pronounces a blessing upon those who -1- read, -2- hear (understand), and -3- "heed" (obey) the things that are written in it." The Lord has given us many commands in Revelation, and we ignore them only to our own hurt. We cannot, therefore, avoid this book as if it were a great cavern in which grotesque images move strangely in near darkness. Neither can we circumvent it as a maelstrom of confusion wherein the venturous traveler is soon lost in the countless crosscurrents of absurd conjecture.

      Some of the modern English versions (e.g., NEB and TEV) translate the Greek makarios as "happy" rather than "blessed." In doing so there is a great loss of meaning, so much so in this writer's estimation that damage is done to the message which the Lord seeks to convey. The word happy is derived from the root "hap" which denotes chance or luck. Webster's New World Dictionary defines "happy" as an emotional response to be favored by circumstances. The adverb "haply," which comes from the same root and is used a half-dozen times in the KJV, means "by chance or accident." All this means that being happy is the feeling we experience when situations in life turn out in our favor. The configuration of such advantageous circumstances, however, seldom last long. Like a beautiful cloud in the sky, they are soon transformed into something less, or even vanish entirely. This is why happiness is a fleeting thing; it lifts us up for a while only to drop us into melancholy before long. Those who pursue only happiness always in the end find disappointment.

      But it is not so with being blessed!, for God and not man is the origin of blessing. A blessing does not fall apart as components gradually drift away from one another, leaving only a fond memory with respect to the past and sorrow in the present. The blessings of God endure and are not consumed by one's rejoicing in them. The things that make us happy soon disappear, but the God who blesses us will sustain us therein as long as we maintain eligibility. This applies to the blessing of Rev. 1:3, to the famous blessings (or beatitudes) of Jesus in Mat. 5:1-12, and to all other blessings mentioned in the Bible. We should never substitute the word "happy" for blessed in God's word.

      Revelation is a book of sevens, a number which seems to indicate completeness, or perfection. One of its several sets of sevens is a collection of seven blessings. Our text, the second sentence in the book, is the first of these blessings, which in their scope suggest the fullness of God's grace bestowed upon those who believe, reverence, and obey Him. Although the blessing here is referred to the Book of Revelation, it is not difficult to recognize also the entire Bible within its compass. For the Bible in its entirety is from God, who likewise gave each of the other sixty-five books to be read, understood, and obeyed. (See II Tim. 3:14-17).

 

      

CONTEND FOR THE FAITH

Jude 3: ... "Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints." 

     The world of ideas is a battleground, and everyone who ventures there must be prepared to fight. We are told that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood," (Eph. 6:12), and Jesus, when being tried by Pilate declared, "If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting ... but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm," (John 18:36). In the animal world, where emotions rule, beasts attack each other, tear and kill, and then devour the carcasses. In the world of unregenerate men, where lust rules, they also engage in physical conflict to achieve their desires, (Jas. 4:1-3). But the Christian must rise above the emotional level of animals and above the lust-driven plane of most people, to enter and dwell in a spiritual context.

      While we live in this earthly dimension, that contest is a mental warfare, because Satan's influence here is manifested as lies, deception, illusion, and perversity. He started it all in Genesis 3 when he beguiled Eve's mind with suggestions and illusionary lies to lead her away from faith in God to trust in what she could sensorially verify, (vs. 1-6). This archfiend still operates in the spiritual sphere in much the same fashion. Probing our minds with ideas that are appealing, suggestive of great wisdom, and even convincing in the matrix of logic, self-verification, and blatant claims of irrefutability. People accept these ideas to the extent that they become the orthodox view of society. To challenge them is to mark yourself in the eye of society as being ignorant, naive, and ridiculous.

      When these ideas concern man's relationship to God, as most of them do directly or indirectly, it becomes the immediate concern of the Christian to arm himself with the truth and do battle with the error involved. The "truth" is "the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints." The word "faith" here refers to the source of Christian faith, to the object of that faith, and to the substance of such faith. In short, it means the gospel. the "word of truth," (II Cor. 5:7; Col. 1:5; II Tim. 2:15; and Jas. 1:18).

      There is so much evil in the world of ideas that Christians face a colossal task in opposing it as they "contend earnestly for the faith." But with the word of God, which is a mighty "sword of the Spirit," (Eph. 6:17), in the hands of those who prepare themselves to use it, (II Tim. 2:15), the Christian soldier can defeat falacious ideas and victoriously "contend for" and defend "the faith." We are told by Paul the apostle that "though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying  speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete," (II Cor. 10:3-6).

      Christians have the spiritual weapons for defeating all error, (Eph. 6:10-18). God will supply the wisdom in how to use these weapons effectively, (Jas. 1:5), as His people take them up and exercise themselves in them, (Heb. 5:14). If error triumphs over the faith in the world of ideas in our generation, it will not be because the error was the stronger or was irrefutable. It will rather be because Christians will fail to arm themselves with the truth, "have their senses trained to discern good and evil," and advance courageously into the ideational conflict.

      But whether Christians succeed or fail in "contend(ing) earnestly for the faith," one thing is sure, "the word of God is not (and cannot be) imprisoned, (II Tim. 2:9). In the end that Holy word, "the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints," shall destroy all erroneous ideas and their deceptive constructions, (II Ths. 2:8-10). And then, with the untenable half of the world of ideas obliterated for-ever, the word of God, which is the gospel. (Rev. 14:6), shall endure forever.

THE JOY OF CHRISTIAN PARENTS

III John 4 ... "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth."

     When John wrote the three epistles in the New Testament that bear his name, he was a very old man, (many think he was past 90), and he was also the last surviving apostle. His generation of Christians were then nearly all "asleep in Jesus," and the brethren to whom he wrote were a generation or two behind him. Being much younger than he, they were to John "my children," or even sometimes "my little children." He m eant for these expressions to show affection as much as, if not more than, superiority to them in experience of age and apostolic authority. He often also addressed them as "beloved," employing the word agapêtoi, which is derived from the better known word agapê. The significance of using these terms is that they indicate love growing out of the supreme love that the Father has for us rather than the tenuous love common to natural human relationships. In other words, he loved them sincerely because they had devoted their lives to Christ and were committing themselves daily to the Lord's service.

      In John's day the Gentile philosophers spent a great deal of time trying to identify what truth is and then to delineate its boundaries. But there was little agreement among them. Jewish scholars interpreted truth in one way, and Greek sophists in quite another. Even within each of these schools of thought there was considerable debate as to what truth is. Pilate referred to all this confusion when he contemp-tuously answered Jesus, "What is truth?" (John 18:38). But to John, and to all Christians as well, there is no question or doubt or confusion about what ultimate truth is. As He addressed His Father in prayer, Jesus declared, "Your word is truth," (John 17:17). The word of God, therefore, is the truth for which inquiring, thoughtful men have searched throughout the ages. It alone reveals to us where we came from, what we are, and where we are going. It also tells us why we are here, imposes upon us our duty in life, and proclaims our accountability in appropriately responding thereunto.

      To the scholar and philosopher, and often to the theologian, the end of the search for truth is to embrace it mentally. That is, simply to store it in one's mind and be satisfied with having at last found it is its ultimate reward. But to John, and the other inspired New Testament writers, that is by no means the object of the search for truth or the good to be derived from it. The truth from God is not only to be learned and esteemed; it is moreover to be used as the guide for living the kind of life that God will approve and then reward eternally.

      John had spent some 60 years as an apostle in the arduous task of teaching the truth to men and persuading them to obey it. Those who did accept and obey it were the people whom he addrssed as his "children." And those who maintained allegiance to the truth and used it to direct their way through life each day were those of whom he said, "They walked in the truth."

      John said he had "no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth." The world counts success by the scale of making a fortune, wielding power, displaying rare talent, or becoming famous and the idol of many. People rejoice when their friends or kindred achieve such worldly goals, and up to a point that is justifiable, proper, and acceptable. But the greatest achievement, the most brilliant success, and the most glorious triumph, is to find the truth revealed to us from God, accept it in faith, and to see others do likewise.  This is the only joy that is permanent and unfading.

      

      

REJECTING THE FALSE TEACHER

II John 10-11 ... "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds." 

      With respect to moral, ethical, religious, and eschatological considerations there are only two kinds of doctrine: (athat which issues from Christ and His apostles under the direct supervision of the Holy Spirit, and (b) that which issues from mere man. The former is inspired of God (II Tim. 3:16), moti-vated by the Holy Spirit (II Pet. 1:21), and identified as "the gospel" (Gal. 1:8).The latter is once called "destructive heresies" (II Pet. 2:1), or more mildly "a gospel contrary to what you received." Those who teach the pure, unadulterated gospel of Jesus are to be respected, heard, believed, and supported (Rom. 10:14-18) and promoted in their work (III John 5-8). Those who teach doctrines of human origin are to be first "watched" and then "turned away from" (Rom. 16:17). That is, they should be excluded from the Bible classroom, from the pulpit, and from all other gatherings of disciples where instruction might be given. In our desire to be magnanimous we may think it only fair to let everyone state his position, but among Christians no forum should be offered to those who are known to teach something alien to the doctrine of Christ.

      The featured text above concerns the reaction of Christians to those who teach something which was not issued from the Father through Christ or through the Holy Spirit. In many cases the spurious doctrine is strictly a human invention, but in many other cases it is a corruption, or distortion, of the real gospel into a form of teaching identified as "the error of unprincipled men" in II Pet. 3:15-17. Such teaching is more difficult to expose because it employs Scripture and appeals to the same faith in God cherished by the orthodox. Great care must be taken to refute such error while upholding the truth with which it is intertwined. Christians are strictly warned not to do anything whatsoever that would aid, comfort, facilitate, support, or promote the activity of such counterfeit teachers. This is approximately what it means to "neither bid him God speed," as the KJV expresses the phrase. The faithful should not give such people lodging, or feed and clothe them, or give them a donation, or buy anything from them that would amount to a profit for them.

      But what if their work, in addition to their heretical teaching, involves providing beneficial service to unfortunate people about us? This Scripture would ban a Christian's participation in supporting them; and it is not being hard-hearted or insensitive to deny the honor and praise that accrues to erroneous teachers for such relief of human misery. The Lord's church as a body, and Christians as individuals, should be performing these very acts of mercy to the limit of their ability in the name of the Lord so that the honor and praise will go to Him who alone deserves it.

      This principle can be overextended, however, to deny a Christian's participation in business and social interactions with unbelievers. Actually, it is impossible for Christians to live and conduct their affairs in total isolation from worldly people. Paul wrote in I Cor. 5:9-10, "I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; but I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world." The only way Christians can totally sever their involvement with unbelievers is to escape earthly life, which is impossible other than by death.

      The best course, therefore, is that of prayerful discernment. When it can be ascertained that inter-action with someone will result in promoting error, a Christian must refuse the interaction lest he makes himself one who "participates in his evil deeds." When it is not apparent, or likely, that involvement will promote error, a Christian may continue in it as a necessary consequence of having to live in a corrupt and very complicated world, (John 17:14-17). 

KEEPING YOURSELF FROM SATAN

I John 5:18 ... "We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him."

      How does a person come to be "born of God"? This spiritual rebirth is certainly an incomparable state for one to desire since it will not tolerate the presence of sin in one's life and excludes the blighting touch of Satan. The answer to this important question is given in I Pet. 1:23, "You have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God." When the incorruptible seed of God's eternal word is sown in a heart that is receptive and reasonable, it takes root and brings forth that person as a newborn child of God. The implanted word, however, must be obeyed in order for it to regenerate an individual, for I Pet. 1:21b-22a lays the foundation for the above-quoted verse in these words, "Your faith and hope are in God, since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls." The apostle here makes it clear that one's soul is purified, (i.e., cleansed of sin), by means of obedience to the truth that comes to us through the Holy Spirit. The purification of the soul makes it fertile ground from which faith in God and hope for His promises can grow abundantly.

      The nature of this natal experience is outlined by Jesus in His statement in John 3:5, "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." In other words, being "born of God" involves the instrumentality of water, (i.e., baptism as in Mrk. 16:16, Rom. 6:14-17, Rom. 6:4-5). Therefore, anyone who receives in faith the word of truth, the medium through which the Spirit of God operates upon the soul and conscience of man, and responds to it by obedience unto baptism, he is thereby begotten of God (or "born of God).

      As a result, our leading text says that he does not sin. The doctrine based on these words, that a  Christian cannot commit sin, is in total ignorance of the Greek original so translated. The verb is constructed in the present tense, which in Greek emphasizes continuity of action rather than the duration of time. That is, the Scripture is saying that one who is "born of God" will not continue in a sin that he might commit. Every Christian will occasionally commit sin, as I John 1:8 and10 affirms, but rather than accept it, incorporate it into his character, and become its submissive pawn, he will immediately repudiate it and confess it to God with assurance of His promise to forgive it under these conditions, (cf. I John 1:9).

      The struggle against sin never ceases in this life, but those who are "born of God" never permit it to gain a foothold in their redeemed, sanctified lives. The apostle says that they "keep" themselves,* using the verb têreo, which means to "guard" or to "withhold oneself from something." Christians are aware that they are engaged in spiritual warfare and cannot afford to let down their defense. At all times they must be vigilant to detect the action of evil in their proximity, (I Pet. 5:8), and restrain themselves from involvement in anything which can draw them out into a vulnerable position, (I Ths. 5:22). Vigilance and self-restraint will enable Christians to preserve their purity and sanctity unto the glory of God. The apostle then adds that "the evil one does not touch him." The literal meaning is that the devil cannot get a hold on him. Satan cannot stand up against any child of God who has the will to resist him, (Jas. 4:7), because God always grants the victory to His children who keep up the struggle, (I Cor. 15:57). He will never permit Satan to subject them to temptations too severe to be repelled, (I Cor. 10:13), or so powerful as to separate them from His love, (Rom. 8:35-39). It is wonderful to know that as Christians our lives are temples of God's Spirit, (I Cor. 6:19), who therefore dwells within us. And "greater is He who is in you than he (Satan) who is in the world," (I John 4:4). With His aid, we can indeed keep ourselves from sin.

(*Here I differ with the NASB and favor the KJV reading that the pronoun "he" refers to the Christian rather than to Christ. The NASB capitalizes H in "he" when reference is to Christ. I favor that practice as being more reverential. But in the oldest manuscripts, all letters are capitals. I am persuaded that the meaning here is that it is the duty of a Christian to "keep himself" and not rely on Christ to do it for him. Of course, a Christian can only succeed in that because Christ supports him. But the initiative is the Christian's, and then Christ will support him as much as needed.)

KNOWING GOD THROUGH LOVE

I John 4:7b-8 ... "Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love."

      When God created "the heavens and the earth," (Gen. 1:1), He established a law to govern the process of reproduction in every form of life, namely, that whatever lives must reproduce "after their kind," (vs. 1:11, 12, 21, 24, 25). This principle operates in the spiritual world just as in the physical. When He created man, "God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness' ... (and) God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him," (vs. 26-27). The operation of this fundamental principle occurs whenever God acts to regenerate a human soul, making it to be like His own Spirit. The text above proclaims that "God is love," so that we may know that God is love personified. Or pershaps it may more appropriately be said that love is God as He expresses His character to man. It has long been argued that love cannot be defined. If this means that the fulness of genuine love cannot be reduced to the limitations of human language without loss of meaning, then it cannot be defined. But in words of divine inspiration John declares that love is fully personified in God, and this writer maintains that love is indeed defined in the manifestation of God's character to us. All that He has ever done for man is an expression of His love. Even His judicial acts toward us, which are sometimes painful and very disagreeable, are also acts of love, (Heb. 12:6). And when God in His amazing grace enables a person to be reborn spiritually, He recreates that individual in love like His own.

      Love in its highest and purest form, uncorrupted by self-interest and lust, comes only from God. The love that originates within the human psyche is by nature self-oriented. Although it may appear to benefit others and seem to be gracious, these positive features are really by-products of its fundamental goals. This principle has been recognized by non-religious philosophers who incorporated it into their own moral systems. For example, Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), an English philosopher and founder of utilitarianism, argued that "every man is naturally selfish and hence almost invariably seeks pleasure or the avoidance of pain for himself." Human love rises to its highest, noblest plane when the desires of the individual are cultured and refined. But only from God does man learn that love (called agapê in the New Testament original) which is invariably altruistic.

    The featured text above says that "Everyone who loves is born of God." A person thus born is also said to "know God," which means to experience in his life the power, direction, and sovereignty of God through an understanding of and submission to the truth He has revealed. As one who is "born of God" perceives God's supreme love working in his life, transforming his mind and conduct to the norm of righteousness, (Rom. 12:2), he is coming to "know God" ever more fully.

      We are told in v.12 following the featured text above that "If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us." God loves everyone, (John 3:16), even rebellious sinners, (Rom. 5:8). So when He recreates us in His own likeness, we receive the capacity, inclination, and motivation to transcend the inferiority of human love. And when we exercise our new nature to "love one another," God's Spirit is kindled within to "abide in us," and we come to "know God" in the fullest sense. The ability to know God is realized in the experience of "keep(ing) His commandments," (I John 2:5).  Our featured text is not promoting an alternative approach to the knowledge of God, that is, an approach via love rather than obedience.  Actually, the two approaches are one, being harmonized in Jesus' statement, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments," (John 14:15). Both love and obedience are intensive, yet comprehensive, experiences involving God that lead us further into really "knowing God" as they progress in their action within our lives.

LOVE IN DEED AND TRUTH

I John 3:18 ... "Little children, let us not love with word, or with tongue, but in deed and truth." 

      The apostle, as an elderly leader in the late first century church, often addressed the Christians of the two or even three generations following him as my "little children." Not only does this reflect his relation to them with respect to age and status, but also with respect to love and concern. John says essentially the same thing here about love that James said about faith. The latter wrote, "If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself," (Jas. 2:15-17). In v.14 he had written, "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?" In other words, faith that is shown in no other way than verbally is non-productive, questionable, and ultimately invalid. Faith must be applied in tangible, visible acts that produce effective results before its reality is established and its value demonstrated.

      John says the same about love: "But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word, or with tongue, but in deed and truth," (vs. 17-18). When the only evidence of love is the claim in someone's mouth that he loves, not only is the reality of it doubtful, but it is also unfruitful and irrelevant. Love that is authentic will manifest itself openly and decisively, through actions that bless the one toward whom it is directed.

      Christians know that love is the supreme good in their religion, which of all religions known to man is the only one that originated outside of human volition. Love is the emphasis in the first and second commandments of importance in Christianity, obligating us to love God before everyone and every  thing and to love people about us as much as we love ourselves. But all too often our deeds prove our words to be a lie. Love does not undercut, backbite, bitterly accuse, rail, condemn, or speak to others abusively, harshly, and angrily. Love does not ignore those who are hungry, ragged, sick, and lonely. Love does not forsake sinners to the error of their way. And love does not rest on past laurels or seek the course of least involvment in the service of God. Quite to the contrary, love works hard to establish and maintain relations between people that are friendly, peaceful, supportive, and happy. Love is quick and glad to feed the hungry, clothe the ragged, minister to the sick, and cheer the lonely. Love addresses itself to the lost condition of sinners and toils to bring them to salvation in Christ. And love will not boast of past accomplishments, but reserves its energy and drive to bear new burdens in the service of God.

      In Lk. 7:36-50, we are told about a time when Jesus dined in the home of a Pharisee. At one point a deeply penitent woman came up behind Jesus as He reclined at the table. As her tears fell upon His feet, she dried them with her hair. She also annointed them with perfume she had brought. Within himself the Pharisee began to condemn Jesus as a fraud, thinking that if He were a genuine prophet He would know the woman to be a sinner and refuse to let her touch Him. Knowing his thoughts, Jesus told the Pharisee about his failure to be a good host. He had not offered Him the usual courtesies extended to a guest: the welcome kiss, washing the feet, and anointing the head. But the contrite woman had done all these things with pure motives. Then Jesus said, "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little," (v.47). He recognized the woman's love to be real, because she demonstrated it with her actions. Love that is worthy of the name will always reveal itself in deeds even when no words are spoken. This is the kind of love that the Lord requires of His people, and He will recognize nor reward anything less.