Being Faithful with Faith

Can one grow in faith?

As any Christian knows, faith is an important part of the Christian life. At least we know it should be. But what if you feel you don’t have any faith but you know you should? Or perhaps you feel you have little faith but want more. The common response is to try harder or to psyche yourself up. But mostly you just keep telling yourself you need to have faith and little progress is made. What things in life hold you back because you don’t feel you have enough faith? If the faith you had did what you wanted it to do then you wouldn’t be wanting more, but often, when someone says that they want more faith they are pointed to what Jesus said:

Luke 17:5-6
The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

“With the little faith you have, nothing is impossible!” they say. And yet, no mulberry trees are ever moved. That’s because I don’t think Jesus was trying to say that you could move mulberry trees with a little faith but if you plant the seed of faith and let it grow, it will become big enough to do anything:

Mark 4:30-32
Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."

But even the faith you plant is a gift from God and if you try to have faith in your own strength, you will fail.

Romans 12:3
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

Romans 12:6
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.

Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

Just like in the parable of the hidden talents (Matthew 25:14-30), he who invested what he was given, was given more. Sow the little faith that you have and it will grow. Faith is meant to grow!

2 Corinthians 10:15
Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand,

2 Thessalonians 1:3
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.

Establishing A Tree

A principle of sowing and reaping gained from Paul, Old Testament Law, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil

I was thinking about what I wrote yesterday and also about principles of sowing and reaping. I’m trying to learn how to sow and reap good things in my life and I was intrigued by Paul when he refused to reap financially from the Corinthians but did accept from other churches. I asked God if there was some other principle of sowing and reaping I might learn from Paul. He brought to mind this verse:

Leviticus 19:23
When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten.

In order to establish a tree and make it healthy, they were not to eat the fruit of it for three years. Paul was employing the same principle in establishing the Corinthians as a church:

1 Corinthians 9:11-12
If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

I also believe that God was using the same principle in the Garden of Eden:

Genesis 2:16-17
And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

I think Adam and Eve would have eventually been able to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil when they and the tree were mature enough. The phrase “knowledge of good and evil” refers to wisdom. It is the ability to judge wisely, to discern between good and evil:

Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.

The serpent in the tree is described as wise:

Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made.

The word "crafty" is also translated "prudent" (Prov 16:21, 18:15) which is an aspect of wisdom. Jesus also says:

Matthew 10:16
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Wisdom is for the mature, which takes us back again to Paul and the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 2:6
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

Let’s learn from these Biblical examples. When sowing and reaping, make sure the level of maturity is there before reaping whether it is in your own life or in others. Not everything may need a lot of time to mature. Wheat only takes a season before one can harvest it but fruit trees need time.

Fear and Trembling - Part II (I Corinthians)

The phrase “fear and trembling” is meant to point one to a servant’s attitude and not to an unhealthy fear.

Last time we looked at the phrase “fear and trembling” as used by Paul in Philippians and showed how it is meant to show an attitude of humility and servanthood. This time we will look at a similar phrase Paul used in I Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 2:3
I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.

Some have said that Paul said this because he was unsuccessful in Athens right before he came to Corinth (Acts 17). They argue that Paul had tried to argue intellectually with the Athenians and he wasn’t very fruitful, so when he came to Corinth he was discouraged and switched tactics. I think it’s debatable that Paul was unsuccessful in Athens but even if he was a failure there I don’t think he would be so discouraged that he would be in fear and trembling. From what we know about Paul from his writings he appears to be a bull that brings his own china shop with him. This is the same guy who sang praises after he was beaten and then demanded an escort after his release from prison (Acts 16).

Furthermore, Paul affirms that he is using the same tactic that he used in Athens when he says:

1 Corinthians 9:19-22
Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.

In Athens, Paul became an intellectual to win intellectuals. If he was not successful then it was because of the soil (Matthew 13:1-23) and not his method of sowing the seed. Paul’s use of the words “fear” and “trembling” have nothing to do with being discouraged or afraid of how the Corinthians would respond but Paul was saying he became weak (a humble position), like them, to win them.

The Corinthians had encountered some people in the Church who had expounded wisdom. This put the authority of Paul into question since he did not speak with the “wisdom” of others. Paul responds by pointing that the wisdom of this world with not worth anything:

1 Corinthians 1:20-27
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Paul also points out that he could have spoken with wisdom but they were not ready for it yet:

1 Corinthians 3:1-2
Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.

1 Corinthians 2:1-7
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

And just like in Philippians, Paul points out that those who are mature (those with wisdom) should not use their authority in a selfish way but should give up what they are entitled to if it better serves others:

1 Corinthians 4:1
So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God.

1 Corinthians 9:11-12
If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

Fear and Trembling - Part I (Philippians)

The phrase “fear and trembling” is meant to point one to a servant’s attitude and not to an unhealthy fear.

Philippians 2:12
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

This verse is one that a lot of people aren’t sure what to do with or how to explain. And if they do explain it, it is in an over simplistic way that forces the verse into their own preconceived boxes. The phrase “fear and trembling” instills with it a feeling that you had better not screw up or else you’re going to be in big trouble. But if you look at the phrase within a broader context and historical usage, it will give you a fuller understanding of what Paul was trying to say.

“Fear and trembling” was used to show how a servant relates to a master or how a subject relates to a king. It was a position of humility that recognized that the servant was not above the master and the servant should respond with the appropriate obedience and attitude that was in order for that relationship. Paul points out to the Philippians throughout his letter that they should have a servant’s heart, even in the address of the letter:

Philippians 1:1
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus…

Also, in Ephesians, Paul directly ties the “fear and trembling” with the servant:

Ephesians 6:5
Servants, be obedient to them that are [your] masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

The servant attitude Paul promotes is in contrast with the attitudes that the Philippians were coming into contact with and even struggling with themselves. There were those that had an attitude of pride and did not serve others but only looked after themselves.

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.

-Philippians 1:15-17 (NIV)

Those that were preaching the gospel selfishly and looking only to their own interest were not serving anyone. Paul writes against that position and uses Jesus as an example:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

-Philippians 2:3-11 (NIV)

Even though Jesus was God, he still came with a servant’s heart and was humble and obedient.

As we listen to Paul’s call for humility and a servant’s heart let’s remember the proverb that God opposes the proud but gives favor to the humble.

Next time I will take a look at the phrase “fear and trembling” in I Corinthians.

Multi-Dimensional Scripture

Reconciling various views of prophetic scriptures.

When I was at Trinity International University I took a class that went over the various approaches to Biblical prophecy. The study of Biblical prophecy is called eschatology. Please get a quick overview here. I come from a Futurist, Pretrib, Premil background (which most of the students had), but this class caused me to think seriously about other views. It certainly can become a hotly debated topic, right up there with free will vs. predestination. Most of the students in my class balked at the other views other than the Futurist, Premil position. But the professor (Matthew Williams, now over at Talbot) did a great job at presenting the evidences for all views. And the evidences from the other views were compelling. So much so that the students began gravitating towards the evidences of some of the other views but doing so in a smorgasbord kind of way – chopping up Scripture and picking and choosing what they liked from each position but not committing to any position. The professor wisely put a stop to that as it was most certainly an end run around the critical thinking he was trying to get the students to do. He forced them to commit to a position by having them write an essay in support of just one of the positions.

But in doing so he was forcing the students into a logical fallacy known as the “false dilemma”. This fallacy typically involves asking a question and providing only two (or in this case three: Futurist, Preterist, or Historicist) possible answers when there are actually far more or at least one other one. I wish to present another option. All of the positions are true, not in a smorgasbord kind of way but in a mulit-dimensional way. God designed prophecy to be true on multiple levels.

Critics of prophecies used to prove Jesus was the Messiah say that those prophecies were fulfilled much sooner (in Israel’s history) and are taken out of context if applied to Jesus. In many cases prophecies were speaking of Israel AND Jesus. Both are true. This is not a compromise to accommodate the critics but an elevation of Scripture and a fuller of understanding of the characteristics of prophecy. This is one of John’s main points that he stresses throughout his Gospel. The two most quoted Old Testament books in the Gospel of John are the Psalms and Isaiah. The Pharisees had taken much of the Psalms symbolically and much of Isaiah literally. John flips it around and uses Psalms literally and Isaiah symbolically to point to Jesus. Interpretation of prophecy is not meant to be discovered easily but is hidden within layers of meaning. This is similar to Jesus hiding meaning in parables.

Jesus points out the multi-dimensionality of prophecy in John’s writings when he uses the phrase, “a time is coming and has now come”.

John 4:23
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

John 5:25
I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

1 John 2:18
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come.

Jesus was pointing out things on two levels: is coming and has now come. Some fulfillment had come, more fulfillment is coming.

The Book of Revelation is an obvious source of disagreement when both are true. Those who take it as symbolic and a reflection of the spiritual and those who take it literal and believe it will happen in the physical. But the same issue sparks disagreement in other parts of Scripture as well . The Song of Solomon for example. Does it refer to an actual historic event? Is it an analogy of God and the nation of Israel? Of Christ and the Church? The answer is all three. Paul uses another scripture to show an example of Christ and the Church:

Ephesians 5:31-32
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.

This is not just a coincidence that the analogy fits so nicely but God had planned it that way and Paul had discovered the “mystery”. People who connect so well with symbolism have a hard time taking the Bible literally. Works of literature with heavy symbolism are usually works of fiction. But God is an Author who writes His stories with real people and real events and not just pen and paper.

Cool Clip

A Clip from a Rienhard Bonnke Crusade in Lagos, Nigeria

This clip is from a DVD called "Called to Populate Heaven" or "Raised from the Dead". I'm not sure which. Both are by Rienhard Bonnke.

Just about everyone I've shown this to has gotten goosebumps.

We Three Kings...

Some background on the 3 Kings (also known as wisemen or Magi) who gave gifts to Jesus.

I was watching PBS last night (not my usual source for Biblical revelation) and they had a pretty interesting show on the 3 kings. They pointed out that there may not have been three. The Bible does not say how many there were, only that they brought three gifts. Amazing how tradition can become so ingrained without even realizing it.

Also, Chuck Missler gives some good historical background on the Magi in this article. He also links Daniel to the Magi in his Commentary on Daniel.

John 3:16

Deeper understanding of “the world” in a familiar verse.

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

This verse is usually quoted to others to assure them that they are not beyond God’s love and “the world” does in fact include them. And that is true. However, there is some historical background that will shed new light on that verse and will highlight the particular issue Jesus was speaking to when he spoke it.

In Isaiah (which is the most quoted book in the Gospel of John) God pronounces judgments throughout the first 30 chapters against various nations and then is summed up in Chapter 34:2

The LORD is angry with all nations;
his wrath is upon all their armies.
He will totally destroy them,
he will give them over to slaughter.

Deliverance is promised only for Israel.

The situation is further expanded by the historical split of Israel. After King Solomon died, his son Rehoboam became king and promptly lost part of the kingdom to a guy named Jeroboam:

1 Kings 12:20
“When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David.”

So Israel was split into the southern kingdom and the northern kingdom (Judah was in the southern kingdom) and it remained split even until Jesus.

This presents a problem for the Northern Kingdom because according to Old Testament Law, if you are cut off from the Temple then you are cut off from God. The Temple was in Jerusalem and Jerusalem was in the Southern Kingdom. So the Jews had lumped the Northern Kingdom in with the rest of “the world”.

But Jesus comes along and says, "For God so loved the world (meaning all the nations of the world and the Northern Kingdom) that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John stresses this point throughout the Gospel:

John 1:46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. (Nazareth was in the Northern Kingdom).

The Samaritan Woman and Temple worship in John 4.(Samaria was in the Northern Kingdom)

John points out where most of the 12 disciples were from (the Northern Kingdom).

One Primary History

I am really leaning toward the belief that Genesis through II Kings (minus Ruth) was written by one single author after the Babylonian Exile. Now before you burn me at the stake let me explain a few things.

I was exploring the unity of the Pentateuch (Genesis thru Deuteronomy) by examining the common themes, issues and overall writing style. To get a broader scope of things I dipped into Joshua and it seemed like it was written by the same author that wrote the other books in the Pentateuch. So I researched it on the internet to see if anyone else thought so. I did find a reference to one scholar that thought there was a chiastic structure that ran through Genesis to Joshua. But I also found another website that talked about the unity of Genesis thru II Kings (minus Ruth) which is called the “Primary History”. Although the views on that website were a bit liberal (it seems to think of the Bible as myth), it did present interesting ideas about the unity of the Primary History and evidences that it was written by one author. He points out similar themes that run throughout such as being exiled to the east (Adam and Eve, Cain, the Israelites).

I also found evidences on my own which includes Israelite king references before there was a king of Israel:

Genesis 36:31
These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned

And a sort of chiastic structure that runs throughout on a broad scale:

Genesis-Judges: Calling of a nation (Abraham), Exodus, various judges

ISamuel-IIKing: Calling of a king (David), Exile, various kings

I thought about how there are various references in the Gospels about how Moses wrote the Penteauch. However, the Primary History could have included what Moses wrote so technically that is correct. This is not to be confused with the JEDP theory but more similar to the Tablet theory.

I asked Dr. Ramey over at inthebeginning.org and he said, “It is clear to me from reading the Hebrew text that there were different authors of Genesis – 2 Kings. The grammar and syntax varies. This is very pronounced by reading the text in the original.” But isn’t that what JEDP theorists say about Genesis? And yet Dr. Ramey uses chiasmus to disprove the JEDP theory. Regardless, I am still interested in it and would like to learn more both for and against it.

If it were true that it was written by one author it would be a bit ironic since much of the New Testament was written by one author (Paul). Who might the author of the Primary History be? I don’t think we could ever find out for sure but it was probably a priest or scribe. Ezra has been suggested since he did find the book of the Law. But I think Jeremiah could be a possibility since the last chapter in Jeremiah and II Kings are almost exactly the same. Jeremiah also uses the phrase “void and without form” in regards to Jerusalem, which harkens back to Genesis 1. However, that is further speculation.

Elders and Healing

There is a verse in James that says that if anyone is sick that they should have the elders of the church pray for them:

James 5:14
“Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

Many churches don’t even have the elders pray for the sick but the ones that do often do so without understanding. They simply shuffle out the elders on to stage every time someone is desperate enough to ask for their prayers. But they do so out of obedience and simply because the Bible tells them that is what they should do. Obedience is good but understanding is good too.

Often it is perceived that the elders have the ability to heal (and that is a big if to a lot of people) simply because they are elders. However, if we read a bit further in James, we find the true catalyst for healing:

James 5:15
“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.”

Faith is the key here. And this is where people get confused. Elders are supposed to be chosen because they are full of faith. They do not have faith because they are elders.

Stephen in the book of Acts was chosen because of the same criteria:

Acts 6:5
“This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.”

DDWJS – Don’t Do What Jesus Said

Ahhh, the gospels. Aren’t they great. Filled with all sorts of things that Jesus said. And yet I feel that the Church today has missed and misinterpreted the words of Jesus.

I think there is great misunderstanding around what a parable is. It is often touted as a devise to help people understand, to make things clear for them. Even the infamous movie “Last Tempation of Christ” has Jesus claiming to speak in parables to help the simple farm folk understand what he is teaching. But parables are not about that. In fact, they are just the opposite. They are meant to hide things. That is why he was always having to explain them to his disciples.

Matthew 13:13-15
This is why I speak to them in parables:
"Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
" 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.

A parable was almost like a riddle. And a riddle back in the ancient day was used to make the one who spoke the riddle seem wise and the one who can’t figure it out seem foolish. Jesus spoke parables to make the “know it all” Pharisees seem foolish while at the same time the Pharisees were drilling Jesus with questions to make him seem foolish. Jesus won pretty much all the time.

So next time you read a parable, don’t be so quick to understand it. There not meant to be understood quickly.

Another tactic of Jesus was to challenge a position by taking a seemingly extreme opposite position on something. The title of this article kind of uses the same tactic.

Matthew 18:8
If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.

Most people understand that Jesus was not saying that we should cut off our hands but they still don’t go far enough. They regulate it to something like the following practical application:

If your tempted to drink too much (or you can insert any of your personal weaknesses here) then stay away from the bar (or insert the item, place, or thing that seems to make you sin when you get around it).

But that was not Jesus’ point at all. His point was that neither the hand nor the foot cause you to sin and although it may seriously hinder your ability to sin, it does not change your heart. And avoiding the bar does not fix the spiritual conditions that make you want to drink too much. You are simply playing a game of containment if you avoid the bar but it does not provide a permanent solution.

Matthew 5:20
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven..

Same thing here. It’s not that the Pharisees needed to not be hypocrites in addition to all the things the did. Jesus meant that the Pharisees would not be righteous (and neither would you) no matter what good things they did, because their very nature was unrighteous. They were sinners to the core and if they just would’ve admitted it, then all would have been well.

So the gospels are great but cryptic and it would be a mistake to over simplify them.

Chiasmus Structure

Chiasmus Structure is the name of my new band. Just kidding. Actually, I was outlining Genesis the other day and it just wasn’t working out. I felt like it wasn’t flowing and that I was cramming it into a literary structure that was never intended. So, I thought to myself (or the Holy Spirit said), I wonder if the ancient Hebrews had a different way of outlining their literature. Turns out I was right. There is an ancient form of literary structure called chiasmus and it will help make much better sense of much of the Bible.

What is chiasmus? I will defer that question to
inthebeginning.org

For some examples of chiasmus, check out this
webpage

It has been a wonderful discovery and the chiasmus structures in the creation account of Genesis punches holes in the JEPD theory

Good and Evil doesn’t matter

I thought it was interesting how Jesus makes an issue about how good and evil doesn’t matter in some things. Even though people are evil, they can still do good and they certainly know how to use the sowing and reaping principle:

Matthew 7:11
"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! "

Luke 18: 4-5
"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "

Luke 16:8
"The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly (wisely)."

Matthew 22:10
"So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests."

Matthew 5:45
"...He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.. "

Dead Faith

The following proposes a new perspective on the concerns that James was addressing in his letter. Take a look at chapter 3, verses 14-18 as follows.

14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

We relate this passage to our time saying it is like when someone tells us of problem that they have. The common response in the Church is to say “I will pray for you”. Although prayer is good, the typical pastor will say, you should do more for them than that. You should actually take steps to help the one who has the problem. But I propose this is not what James had in mind when writing those verses.

The readers of the letter of James would have seen or heard of or even experienced occasions such as the one mentioned in Acts:

1One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
6Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8He jumped to his feet and began to walk.

Here is an occasion where a person is in need, in want of any hand out but in particular money. But Peter and John don’t blame others for not taking care of his needs, they don’t start a shelter for the homeless, and they don’t even give him any money. But by faith the man walks. Paul is involved in another incident as well:

8In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. 9He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

I believe the readers of James had been attempting the same as Peter and Paul. By speaking to the one in need saying “keep warm and well fed” they believed they were like Paul saying, “Stand up on your feet”. They would then claim that they had done something to help them and they had done it by faith. The difference between their account and the accounts in Acts is that nothing happened when they spoke and this is the point that James highlights in saying that “with out works, you faith is dead”.

This Thing Called Grace

The word “grace” has always been a word with an elusive meaning, especially in religious circles. It’s become a word that’s been religionized and comes preloaded with a lot of doctrine. But the other day I stumbled upon a discovery that brought new meaning to the word. I was studying about the “favor” of the Lord and how to get more of it. I learned that the Greek word for favor is “charis”. Then I learned the Greek word for grace, which is also “charis”. So it appears that, in the New Testament at least, grace and favor our one in the same word. I thought that was helpful and can draw more meaning from grace when I replace it with the word favor, especially in light of the ancient tradition of gaining favor in the middle east with kings and such.

Can one grow in grace/favor? Or is it a one time blessing that we automatically get when we accept Christ? Keep in mind the following verses:

Luke 2:52, "Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor (charis) with God and men."

(2Peter 3:18), “But grow in grace (charis), and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him [be] glory both now and for ever. Amen.”