THORNS & THISTLES

A friend of mine asked what was the emblem on my shirt. “It’s a thistle; Scotland’s national flower!” He made a catty comment about a thistle being a weed in Australia! What makes a weed a weed? Is a weed really just a plant growing in the wrong place? Does this not then make the English rose a weed if, like the Scottish thistle, it grows in Australia?

Regardless of how aesthetically pleasing to the eye roses and blooming thistles are, would an Australian farmer be happier with rosebushes instead of thistles growing in the middle of his cereal crop? Do you see what I’m getting at? Both the rose and the thistle have at least one thing in common; they can cause pain. This tells us something profound.

Thorns and thistles are a sign to us of God’s covenantal curse. When Adam sinned against God in the Garden of Eden, the Lord said to Him: “…Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food…” Genesis 3:17b-19a.

No longer was there a smorgasbord of delightful food laid on for him. Now man needed to toil hard for his bread in the midst of inedible thorns and thistles: weeds (i.e., plants growing in the wrong place!) Adam the ‘gardener’ became ‘Farmer Adam’ when he ate the forbidden fruit.

Out of the garden he was sent with his wife Eve to toil among the weeds in the wilderness. Angels and a flaming sword guarded the way back to the tree of life.

Enter the new Man, Jesus Christ, the replacement, i.e., the last Adam. His ministry began in the wilderness with the devil talking to Him about bread. Later Jesus asked His disciples to consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: neither do they toil nor spin; yet God provides for them. How much more will He provide for His own adopted children who toil and spin by the sweat of their brow?

As Abraham’s substitute sacrifice had its head caught in a thicket, so Jesus went to the cross with His head tangled in thorns. God’s fiery wrath came upon His head for our sins incinerating the curse. Scripture says: “Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden” John 19:41a. And after He was raised from the dead Mary Magdalene saw Him “supposing Him to be the gardener…” John 20:15.

We’re back in the garden with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ultimately the thornless and thistle-less Paradise. So, next time you see a thistle or a rose, consider the profundity of the Saviour. 

CURTAIN CALL

 

As we get older we tend to take stock of our life. When will the curtain close for the last time? How well has any of us performed on this earthly stage God has constructed for us? For the Christian the hearing the Lord’s words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’ will drown out any applause from man, be it a Nobel Prize or a funeral eulogy! Frank Sinatra did it his way. Edith Piaf had no regrets. Good for them! Me? What will my final bow mean to the masses, to anyone? Well, Scripture says, ‘Whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do all to the glory of God’ 1 Corinthians 10:31. Therefore, my hope is that I have lived my life to the glory of God by enjoying Him every moment, including my last moment on earth.

Some members of the Christian ‘Hall of Fame’ or rather ‘Hall of Faith’ are listed by the author to the Hebrews in Hebrews 11, people like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel etc. Then he writes, ‘Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God’ Hebrews 12:1-2.

The Apostle Paul was able to write the following, ‘For I am being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on the Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing’ 2 Timothy 4:6-8. Notice that Paul is saying that all true Christians will receive a crown. The Lord says, ‘Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown’ Revelation 3:11. Therefore for the Christian ‘curtain call’ is actually ‘coronation call’. But, let’s not be too hasty! As Christians even our swan song is about glorifying God! We need to be like the twenty four crowned elders in John’s vision sitting on thrones surrounding the Lord’s throne, ‘clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads’ Revelation 4:4. These, ‘cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “you are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created’ Revelation 4:10-11. The idea then is that any glory for any worthy thing you may have done in life belongs to the risen Lord. But never mind that. So does every unworthy thing! And that is the real beauty of the whole thing. As John the Baptiser said of Jesus, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ John 1:29.

The curtain call for the Christian is all about preparing for court acquittal before the Judge of all the earth. ‘If anyone sins we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous’ 1 John 2:1b. Therefore, our final bow is not about how well we have done in life. Rather it is about how well Jesus Christ has done to make us right with God. He is the Judge, but for the Christian He is also our Defence Attorney. In Him the Christian has been justified, i.e., declared righteous on account of Christ’s righteousness. Jesus has already taken the place of the one being acquitted and has already paid the price for the Christian’s sin against God. Thus the acquittal.

If we understand a curtain call to mean a final bow at the end of life in which we return to the stage to be recognized by the audience for our performance, then what will you be met with? Applause? Will people rise to their feet and give you a standing ovation? Yes, some may stand and applaud you for some of the things you have done, but the difference between Jesus and us is that when He enters every knee bows! He is magnificent! He is glorious! He is beautiful! He is perfect! He is King of kings and Lord of Lords! Praise Him! After His resurrection He was seen by over five hundred Christians at once (1 Corinthians 15:6). He was worshiped by His Disciples (Luke 24:52). Why such praise for Jesus at His ‘curtain call’? ‘Being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name  which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father’ Philippians 2:8-11.

INDEPENDENCE

18 year old me

 Only God has absolute independence (Genesis 1:1), and, as the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, He is in an internal and an eternal relationship with Himself (Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-3; 17:5). Thus, there is an eternally constant interaction within the Godhead (Genesis 1:26; 3:22; 10:7; Psalm 110:1 etc.). Even so, the Father is sovereign in regard to Fatherhood, and the Son is sovereign in regard to Sonship, and the Spirit is sovereign in regard to Spiritness. Thus, within the sovereign Godhead there are other sovereign spheres. This ‘Sphere Sovereignty’ reflects the One and the Many nature of the Triune God, i.e., the One does not Lord it over the Many, nor does the Many Lord it over the One. Here also we see illustrated the idea of distinction as opposed to separation. Theology never speaks of the three Persons in the Godhead (or the two natures of Christ) as being separate. However, clearly they may be distinguished.

The Triune God is independent from His creation. He is separate and distinguished from it (1 Kings 8:27), yet He constantly interacts with the works He has made (Matthew 10:29). The Triune God created us, male and female, in His image (Genesis 1:26). Therefore, though mankind collectively is in a relationship with God, all human beings will be judged by Him individually on Judgment Day (Acts 17:31; Hebrews 4:13). Therefore, as individuals we have a derived independence, i. e., we each are sovereign in our own sphere of operation. We are One but we are Many.

Ideally, and reflecting the Creator, each sphere of creation is under God. It may be stated thus:  One Human Race Under God; One Individual Human Being Under God; One Nation Under God; One Church Under God; and, One Family Under God. Many other spheres may be identified and distinguished, but, collectively these spheres make up One Cosmos Under God (Ephesians 4:6). Creation is One but it is Many.

 Though there is an internal relationship among the identified and distinguished contents of each sphere, each sphere has sovereignty (or independence) within its own arc of operation. For example, in the relationships of the State, the Church, and the Family, (as within the Godhead), each of these spheres must remain distinguished, i.e., sovereign and therefore without interference from the others.  The State holds “the Sword of Justice” (Romans 13:4), the Church “the Keys of the Kingdom,” (John 16:19; 18:18), and the Family “the Rod of Correction” (Proverbs 22:15; Hebrews 12:9). The sword, the keys, and the rod, are not physical but symbolize the sovereignty or independence from each other. The Family, the Church, and the State are independent only in their respective spheres. They are One but they are Many.

Encasing the abstract in concrete as it were, the Family, the Church, and the State, if you will, are three pillars in the Temple of God, or, to change the analogy, three Captains in the same Army – God’s Army. And, as such, each sphere of activity is accountable to God for its actions, good and evil. It does not matter whether any or all of these three distinguished spheres ignores or even redefines God, it does not change the fact that their sovereignty is a derived independence, i.e., each sphere of activity is under God. Therefore, as a building inspector inspects the whole edifice including everything within, so God judges families as families (Exodus 20:5; 34:6-7, Numbers 14:18), churches as churches (Hebrews 10:30; Revelation 1:20-3:22), and whole nations as nations (Psalm 9:17; Isaiah 2:4; Revelation 21:24 KJV). He is the Judge of all the earth (Genesis 18:25). The rod, the keys, and the sword of all nations belong to Him. How they have been used and are being used by human beings will be assessed by Him. Thus God, the original One and Many, is Judge of the One and the Many of every sphere.

By merely focusing on the individual many churches today seem to be blind to the fact that the Gospel is designed to set cities and nations free from God’s judgment. But Jesus dispels this narrow-mindedness by speaking thus to various cities, ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you’ Luke 10:13-14; cf. Matthew 11:20-24.

It is only when we become grounded in the Triune God that we will see that individual independence means distinction not separation. For each individual has many relationships. The Christian therefore must think beyond saving his/her own skin! For he/she is a member of some and perhaps all of the following: the human race, a family, a church, a city, a state, and a nation, creation etc. Remember that the Gospel has been designed by the Triune God to save much more than you the individual! (John 3:17)

HOT DOGS & ICE CREAM

                                                            Hot Dogs & Ice Cream

One of the positive things about getting old is the storage of a vast array of memories. On the negative is an accumulation of aches and pains! As my physiotherapist worked on my lower back, I asked ‘What does the mention of hot dogs bring to mind?’ ‘The ball game’. ‘Ice cream?’ ‘The beach!’ So there you have it. Hot dogs and ice cream conjure up memories of ball games and beaches, and, for good alliteration, let’s add in boardwalks.

We associate hot dogs and ice cream with entertainment, relaxation, what we call recreation. These might also be called ‘comfort foods’, of which part of the ‘comfort’ may be more than just in the ‘sugar hit’ but in their associated memories. Thus, eating hot dogs and ice cream becomes a form of escapism, a temporary distraction, a relief from all of life’s aches and pains. Here Christians and non-Christians alike relate. However, for the Christian, hot dogs and ice cream are also reminders of the goodness of God, the ‘God, who comforts the downcast’ (2 Cor. 7:6). Indeed, the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter. As the Paraclete, He gets alongside the Christian and consoles us as our Advocate, our Counsellor.

So, we move from seeking solace in hot dogs and ice cream to ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him’ (Psa. 34:8). What might hold back a non-Christian from seeking refuge in God not food? Well, like fungus on a hot dog or mouldy ice cream, the look and smell would rightly be off-putting. Non-Christians view Christianity and Christ’s gospel as something that kills when ingested. ‘For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life’ (2 Cor. 2:15-16a). Thus, they refuse to ‘taste and see that the Lord is good’ preferring the temporary comfort of hot dogs and ice cream to the eternal life from the Bread of Heaven.

God, i.e., the triune God, promises Christians that He ‘will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain’ (Rev. 21:4). Wow! No need for trips to the physiotherapist. No need for comfort foods. Yes, this is all in the future for the Christian, but just as hot dogs and ice cream may comfort us by reminding us of the ball game, the beach, and the boardwalk, those bygone happy times, so tasting the LORD causes Christians to remember His sure promises for the happy future, the bliss forever place.

Reading God’s Word is a ‘sugar hit’ for the Christian. ‘How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!’ (Psa. 119:103), like the opening line of the old hymn, ‘Blessèd assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine!’ (Alstyne). A friend told me that his old and senile mother tried to eat the Bible page by page! Some might say that there’s as much nutritional value in eating the Bible as in eating hot dogs and ice cream! However, even in her senility my friend’s elderly Christian mother knew the value of God’s Word.

As I grow older and my aches and pains more abundant, as did Job before me, I long for the future resurrection, ‘For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me’ (Job 19:23-27).

ECONOMY

 The economy in the Garden of Eden was robust. Adam and Eve had perfect health and wealth, that is, until they rebelled against the establishment. The opening chapter of the Bible starts from an outer-space perspective and then focuses on the planet earth. Details of how and with what the Creator populated it are given in general terms. The second chapter zooms-in on the planet earth, then on Eden, and then onto the Garden in Eden. Certain specifics are given about where to find gold, ‘Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there’ Genesis 2:11b-12. The clear intention is that Adam and Eve and their offspring are to utilise these and other resources for the creation of wealth to the glory of God. However, Adam and Eve became involved in the revolution that attempted to overthrow the established order with the result that any wealth would be gained only by ‘the sweat of your face’ Genesis 3:19. One gets the impression that before the Fall there was easy access to raw materials and precious commodities (e.g., Ezekiel 28:13), perhaps as in the words from the old Bob Dylan song, ‘I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it…’ However, since the Fall, and particularly since the global Flood, we have had to dig and drill to build our economies. Even in the ‘Promised Land’ the nation’s wealth would only come through effort,  ‘For the LORD is bringing you to a good land … a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper’ Deuteronomy 8:9b.

Western economies tend to be based on gold held in reserve. However, the general trend is toward wealth through borrowing and by fiat – if your nation needs money simply print more! Most Middle Eastern economies tend to be built on oil (which Western economies cannot do without.) There was perhaps some oil around before the Deluge produced coal and oil in great abundance and buried underground the precious stones. E.g., Noah was to cover the ark ‘inside and out with pitch’ Genesis 6:14. It is possible that this ‘pitch’ was manufactured from tree resin. However, we do know that there were tar pits not long after the flood into which some of the enemies of the wealthy Abraham fell, ‘Now the valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there…’ Genesis 14:10a. Many Western nations are rich in oil resources. However, rather than make it easier for companies to drill for more oil, they choose instead to buy from the Middle Eastern nations at inflated prices. This causes a great drain and strain on Western economies –especially during cold months. However, Norway is a good exception. Its economy, based on its own oil, is flourishing!

The Bible has had a major influence on Western economies through men such as John Calvin (1509-64), whose Biblical teachings on economics greatly influenced Adam Smith. Adam Smith (1723-90) is often regarded as the founder of modern economics. He established ‘theories of labour, distribution, wages, prices, and money, and advocat[ed] free trade and minimal state interference in economic matters’ (Oxford English Reference Dictionary). In the 1930s John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) helped move Western nations away from the Calvinistic approach of keeping a balanced budget to the more Socialistic idea of borrowing capital simply to sustain employment.

The wealth of the nations’ belongs to Christ! His City is adorned with all kinds of precious stones: jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth, and amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass ... And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honour into it … And they shall bring the glory and the honour of the nations into it’ Revelation 21:18-21; 26-27. Entrance is gained by repenting and believing in the Gospel!

IMAGINATION

                                                                        Imagination

Imagination

Anselm’s ontological argument for the existence of God from 1078 runs something like, ‘God is a being than which none greater can be imagined.’ However, before our imagination starts working overtime, God Himself tells us not to have any gods before Him and not to make any images of Him ((Exo. 20:3-6). These are, of course, the first two of God’s Ten Commandments. Among the sins forbidden in the 2^nd Commandment are ‘the making any representation of God, of all or any of the three persons, either inwardly in our mind, or outwardly…’ Westminster Larger Catechism 109. So, ‘the flying spaghetti monster’ and all other such unimaginative monstrosities blaspheming God, along with ‘Atheism, in denying or not having a God’ are barred by God. But back to Anselm. He was arguing that if the greatest possible being can exist in your mind, then it can and must therefore exist in reality. I find these kinds of arguments for God’s existence a little hard to follow. Maybe I just don’t have a good enough imagination!

God simplifies the argument for His existence by telling us that we already know that He exists. ‘For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse’ (Rom. 1:18-20). Thus, according to God’s Word, the truth of His existence is both subjective and objective. We innately know of God in our own minds, and what we know about Him in our own minds is confirmed by the things He has made, including us. The bad news is that all of us tamp down this knowledge. We try our hardest to keep a lid on it. We do this through letting our imagination run riot either by ignoring and denying God’s existence or forging gods of our own imagination. We do this because our human nature is fallen. ‘Man’s nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols’ (Calvin).

King Nebuchadnezzar had a 27.5 metre (90 ft) tall golden idol made and commanded that everyone bow down and worship it (Dan. 3:1-12). The text doesn’t say, but some suggest that it was an image of himself. This, of course, would fit well with the Latin verb imaginari (‘to picture oneself’), from which we get the word imagination. We use our imagination to form gods in our own image and likeness. In both Old and New Testaments, the word ‘imagination’ is used to translate Hebrew and Greek words having to do with forming, moulding, weaving, framing, as in picturing thoughts.

Sometimes it is asked if God broke His own Commandments by forming humanity in His own image and likeness (Gen. 1:27). Well, first off, the 2^nd Commandment begins, ‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them’ (Exo. 20:4-5a). Thus, neither God nor us (nor Nebuchadnezzar!) are to make for ourselves images to bow down and to and serve. We are to bow down to (i.e., worship) and serve only God (Matt. 4:10).

All images begin in the imagination. For the mind is where they are first made. And because God is that being than which none greater can be imagined, therefore, ‘Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves’ (Psa. 100:3a).

BALANCE OF POWER

             The term ‘balance of power’ tends to speak of conflict. In Cartesian ‘dualism’ there supposedly is a tug-of-war between mind and matter or mind and body. In morality the supposed conflict is symbolised by Taoist ‘yin and yang’ representing good and evil. In Federalism the term ‘balance of power’ expresses the tension between the federation and the states or provinces, such as in America, Australia and Canada. Among other things, the American Civil War or The War Between the States illustrates this conflict. In physics we can watch magnets with positive and negative charges attract and repel iron filings. In Chemistry acids and alkalis illustrate the same. In Anthropology there is the male and female tension. And on it goes.

Pompeii

All conflict in every realm of existence is resolved by looking to God. ‘In the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit’ (Westminster Confession of Faith). Notice that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are equal in unity. The Three are One and the One is Three. The One does not lord it over the Many, or the Many over the One. There is no conflicting dualism or ‘yin and yang’ in the Godhead. Theologians refer to this perfect balance of power as ‘equal ultimacy’. The One and the Many, Unity and Diversity, are kept in perfect balance in, by, and through the Triune God.

My old college professor, the late Dr Francis Nigel Lee, was fond of paraphrasing the opening verse of the Bible thus: ‘God Triune, at the beginning, created the tri-universe.’ Dr Lee would point to the fact that God created two heavens and one earth – a tri-unity! Indeed, the Triune God, the original One and Many, is reflected throughout creation. The Creator keeps everything in His creation in perfect tension. Therefore all dualistic conflict is resolved by introducing a third party, i.e., God. He holds the balance of power. As Jesus said to Pontius Pilate, ‘You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above’ John 19:11a. ‘Power’ is often used interchangeably with ‘authority’ in the New Testament.

Since His resurrection from the dead Jesus Christ now holds the balance of power. He says, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth’ Matthew 28:18b. Jesus, as you know, is God and Man in one Divine Person forever. Therefore, His divine nature does not lord it over His human nature or vice versa. ‘Two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, the Godhead and the manhood, were inseparably joined together in one person, without confusion. Which person is very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only Mediator between God and man.’ (Westminster Confession of Faith). Notice the use of the word ‘distinct’ when describing the two natures of Christ. No dualism here. No conflict. This is because the two natures are distinct, not separate. For example, the current conflict over the so called ‘separation of Church and State’ in Western Society is resolved by exchanging the word ‘separation’ with the word ‘distinction’. Both are one, (i.e., one nation), under God. We make distinctions when discussing the Godhead, the two natures of Christ, or the nation. However, each distinction is sovereign in its own sphere. The State ought not lord it over the Church or vice versa. In Scripture the Church does not hold the sword of justice. The State does. The State does not hold the keys of the kingdom. The Church does. They are distinct. Yet both are one under God.

God holds the balance of power because God is the balance of power. Introduce the Triune God into the equation and all conflict, even between good and evil, light and darkness, Heaven and Hell, is resolved. For each of these, when distinguished, remains sovereign in its own sphere.  In other words, they derive their power or authority from God, which is to say that they serve the purpose for which they were designed by God. Yes, ‘The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and our children forever’ Deuteronomy 29:29a. Therefore, even when we struggle to understand suffering and evil in the ‘tri-universe’, we know that because God holds the balance of power ‘all things work together for good’ Romans 8:28a.