March 9th, 2009 by Geoff Volker
In these days of economic uncertainty and suffering it is good for the believer to have a biblical perspective on what is happening to him. What we are talking about is having a biblical attitude about all of life. What does Scripture say about how we are to view what is happening to us? Well…. I am glad that you asked that question for Scripture is quite clear on this issue. In Romans 8:28 we are told that everything will work out for our good if we are a believer.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 NIV)
The reason that everything works out for our good is because our Father in heaven is controlling everything that happens to us and he is motivated in what he does to us by this love for us and his perfect wisdom. Now it is important to understand that when we sin we and we alone are responsible for our sin (Acts 4:27-28). We are never allowed to blame our God for our sin even though in some way he is the first cause of all that we experience in our life (1 John 1:5). Therefore in light of all this we must come to the conclusion that whatever we experience in our life is the result of the work of a loving Father. If this is true, and it is, then we must conclude that whatever we experience in our life is exactly what our Father wants us to experience. That means that everything that has happened is an essential part of God’s plan for our life. His love for us has determined that we must experience what we have experienced. Nothing else will do.
This means that our only biblical response which glorifies our Lord is one of true thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18, Ephesians 5:20). To give thanks is to embrace what our Father has done and to acknowledge that WHATEVER HE DOES IS RIGHT and we love him for doing it that way. We are acknowledging his perfect wisdom in what he is doing in our life. This truth is very freeing to the believer. It means that we are never the victim and there is absolutely no room for any self-pity. To indulge in self-pity is to indulge in unbelief. To look at life from a biblical point of view transforms our attitude and enables us to have true joy in all of life (1 Thessalonians 5:16). This is my confidence, this is my certainty, that whatever my God does in my life is motivated by his love for me and his perfect wisdom. Knowing this means that the only response that glorifies him is one of truly giving thanks for all that he has done. Whatever my God does is right!
December 4th, 2008 by Geoff Volker
I was doing some reading in Scripture and I came across Numbers 28. This is the chapter that describes the various offerings that must be done in the nation of Israel. There are the daily offerings, the Sabbath offerings, the monthly offerings, etc. Now, to be honest I normally do not find this portion of Scripture very stimulating. I typically race through it to get to something that it is more interesting or relevant. The detailed descriptions of the various offerings that were to be done by Israelites seem not only to be tedious reading but also a tedious way to live. So… how do we make sense of this section of Scripture. It is the word of God and therefore it is profitable for us to study (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The challenge is to find out how we are to view this passage so that we can find a proper application for our lives.I believe that the answer lies in the concept of offering or sacrifice in both an Old Covenant and New Covenant sense. From an Old Covenant point of view the sacrifices of the Mosaic Law were required by God yet from a New Covenant perspective they did not take away any sin.
But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. (Hebrews 10:3)
First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you please with them” (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, ” Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:8-10)
The author of Hebrews is making the point that the offerings and sacrifices were required by God in the Old Covenant era yet they did not secure the forgiveness of sins. What then was the purpose of those sacrifices? When we repeatedly read in Leviticus that the doing of the proper sacrifice or will bring about forgiveness (Leviticus 4:26) what are we make of this? It would seem that in light of the teaching passages in the New Covenant era on the subject of Old Covenant sacrifices and offerings we are to understand that the sacrifices and offerings never paid for the sin of the one who was offering the sacrifice. It did give them a right standing in the nation of Israel but not acceptance by the God of Israel. Only the death of Jesus Christ on the cross can accomplish the forgiveness of sins. So, the sacrifices and offerings of the Old Covenant era functioned only as a picture of something that the death of Jesus on the cross would accomplish. If you only read the Old Testament that truth would not be very clear. Therefore we must read the Old through the lens of the New.
In the New Covenant era the subject of sacrifice is dealt with in a very different way. Jesus did offer himself as our sacrifice on the cross to pay for our sins. Yet we are told to offer our bodies as living sacrifices.
Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1)
The believer in the New Covenant era is not burdened with the tedious sacrifices and offerings that were the responsibility of the Israelites under the Old Covenant. Our Savior has made the perfect sacrifice for us and as a result of that we are unconditionally accepted by the Father. But there is a sense in which our lives are characterized by sacrifices. We are to be a living sacrifice to our Lord. All of life must be lived for Him. This is what we will desire to do if we have a new heart, and all those who have their sins forgiven will also have a new heart (Hebrews 10:14). So, in the New Covenant era sacrifice still dominates the people of God just as it dominated the lives of the picture of the people of God in the Old Covenant era. Only in this era the sacrifice that is required is a life that is motivated to do all things for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
So as you read the Scriptures please take the time to understand the significance of each portion. It all has meaning for us. All we need to do is to understand why it is there and our boredom will be extinguished.
August 9th, 2008 by Geoff Volker
At the end of the 6th day of creation God made the statement that Moses recorded, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31 NIV) The goodness of our God’s creation is under attack and it is necessary that we understand our Father’s creation from the point of view of the new covenant era and the law of Christ. We were created with an sense of taste and an appreciation of beauty and texture. This is said to be “very good.” Yet, this truth has constantly been under attack throughout church history by the teaching of asceticism. This teaching seeks to pursue holiness through the denial of earthly and physical pleasures. This teaching is answered in the New Covenant era by the apostle Paul.
“Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do your submit to its rules: Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” (Colossians 2:20-23 NIV)
Holiness comes from the work of the Spirit in the life of the believer (Romans 8:5-14). The Spirit causes the believer to be discontented with those things that are displeasing to him (Titus 2:11-12). Whatever we do that is not done for the glory of God must not be done. There was a time in my early walk with the Lord that I could not play tennis to the glory of God since I was so competitive. There was nothing wrong with the game of tennis. I just could not manage to play it with a God-honoring attitude. This applies to the television, movies, etc. There are no foods that are off limits to us today. It would do no good to quote 1 Corinthians 6:20 (NIV) where it is said that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and therefore we should honor God with our bodies, the context is about avoiding the sin of sexual immorality, not certain foods.
It is true that during the Old Covenant era under the Mosaic Law there were holiness laws that restricted what you could eat (Leviticus 11). It was sin to eat something that was forbidden under the Mosaic Law. But this era was the time of the picture. Our God was illustrating through physical forms spiritual truths (Colossians 2:16-17). Now that we live this side of Pentecost in the New Covenant era we are no longer under the Mosaic law but under the law of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19-21). In the Law of Christ there are no longer any restrictions regarding what we should eat or what we should wear. Now, we are to do all things in such a way as to bring glory to our God. To bring glory is to do everything in a manner that does not go against the law of Christ (Romans 12:2).
Our Father in heaven has given to his children an amazing world that is to be enjoyed as long as we recognize our obligation to do all things for the glory of God. And in closing is should be noted that all believers have this work of the Spirit working in them that causes them to keep on loving their Lord which results in their having an ever increasing desire to do all things for his glory.
So enjoy certain foods and certain colors and appreciate the beauty that is around you, for you were created this way by the God of heaven and earth and he described his creation as VERY GOOD!
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