A Question of Holiness
Holiness. More often than not that word does not stir up pleasant feelings. The meaning of the word is obscure, but it carries with it a weightiness. Before I became a follower of Christ, I would have cringed at that word. Something about it left a bad taste in my mouth. Holiness was not a virtue to be exalted, let alone embraced. Something about it seemed so serious, so heavy, so alienating. The very mention of the word seemed to inspire feelings of guilt.
What I knew of holiness was associated with the term "holier-than-thou." To be holy meant to be pious, uptight, and, well...snobbish. Holy people didn't have fun. In fact, holy people were too serious to enjoy life's pleasures. Holy people had so many rules to obey that they were not free to do whatever they wanted - how could that be fun? When I pictured holiness, I pictured people in long, flowy white robes walking around shaking their heads at "sinners" as they went about their religious activities. There was something so dull about it - like a lonely grave, holiness carried with it the stench of lifelessness.
My One Dimensional God
I can't think of a subject more misunderstood than the Holiness of God. If discussing politics and religion is taboo, then Holiness, especially as it pertains to the wrath and judgment of God, might be the most taboo topic of all. Until recent years, I tended to focused on the other attributes of God - you know, the ones that inspired more pleasant feelings, like love, joy, peace, grace, etc. How can Christians believe in a God who is loving and gracious yet has wrath and judgment? Aren’t the two a contradiction? Don’t you have to believe in one or the other? For me, if there’s a question that comes up in conversations about Christianity more than any other, it’s this one.
To be honest, it’s a question that haunted me for years, one I contented myself not to really think about because I just didn’t have an answer. It just seemed like one of those “mysteries” of God I would never be able to understand. But inevitably the question would resurface with a vengeance whenever I heard about hell, heard stories from the Old Testament, or read passages of scripture where God’s dealt harshly with people. These things made me afraid, and not in a “I love scary movies” kind of way.
Monday, November 26, 2018
Saturday, December 9, 2017
God of the Old Testament: Bully or Benevolent Pt 1: The Sacrifice of Isaac
If you're a Christian whose read the Bible or grown up in the church, you know the story of Abraham and Isaac. You've been taught it in Sunday School or heard a sermon preached with illustrations. For many, it's one of the more troubling passages of scripture. This passage understandably can be hard for many to reconcile with their view of a loving God.
Genesis 22: 1 - 14
"Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
On one hand, you have a God who condemns sacrifice, especially child sacrifice, on multiple accounts throughout the Old Testament, most notably to the Israelites before they enter the Promise Land: "When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire...Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you." (Deut 18:9-12).
God condemns human and child sacrifice in the strongest terms: They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind." When the Israelites did engage in it in later texts, they faced capital punishment or divine judgment from God, even being driven from the promise land.
But then, you read the passage on Abraham and Isaac and it seems to run totally contrary to all the other passages where God condemns human sacrifice. How can God even ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his own child? And Abraham's own obedience to this can seem more shocking - what kind of parent would even think of sacrificing their child? Isn't this a contradiction of the Bible? Certainly, most societies would not sacrifice their own children, although exceptions exist. But in terms of absolute good versus evil, it's wrong - morally, ethically, and absolutely.
At this point, Abraham has already had to give up Ishmael. Now God's asking him to give up the only child he has left? His one and only son? The question that resonates within everyone's mind is this: what kind of God would ask such a thing?
Genesis 22: 1 - 14
"Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
On one hand, you have a God who condemns sacrifice, especially child sacrifice, on multiple accounts throughout the Old Testament, most notably to the Israelites before they enter the Promise Land: "When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire...Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you." (Deut 18:9-12).
God condemns human and child sacrifice in the strongest terms: They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind." When the Israelites did engage in it in later texts, they faced capital punishment or divine judgment from God, even being driven from the promise land.
But then, you read the passage on Abraham and Isaac and it seems to run totally contrary to all the other passages where God condemns human sacrifice. How can God even ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his own child? And Abraham's own obedience to this can seem more shocking - what kind of parent would even think of sacrificing their child? Isn't this a contradiction of the Bible? Certainly, most societies would not sacrifice their own children, although exceptions exist. But in terms of absolute good versus evil, it's wrong - morally, ethically, and absolutely.
At this point, Abraham has already had to give up Ishmael. Now God's asking him to give up the only child he has left? His one and only son? The question that resonates within everyone's mind is this: what kind of God would ask such a thing?
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Unity
Unity is one of the most powerful weapons of mankind – for good or evil. Perhaps there is no greater illustration of this than the infamous Tower of Babel.
In Genesis 11, mankind unites to build a great city and exalt themselves over all the earth. We might expect God to ignore their futility and claim they are powerless without Him. But God doesn’t deny the power of their unity. Instead, He laments their abuse of it:
“If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other” (Gen 11:6, 7).
To this day, we live under the curse of Disunity – confusion, wars, and oppression.
But I have hope for our Unity. In the above story, we see a wrathful God who punished mankind by confusing their language. But what we forget is this: if man was capable of such evil together, the opposite also holds true.
Only together can we see the fullest expression of the Holy Spirit. And the Enemy of our souls knows this, fighting against it every chance he gets.
When we unite as One to build a city for God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will do things this world has never seen and may yet never see again. God separated us for a time for our own goodness and salvation, but in the end, we will all be reunited again as we were meant to be. And out of this unity in the Spirit will be birthed the full expression of God’s glory and goodness on earth: justice for the oppressed, freedom from darkness, and mercy for the forgotten.
Though the fight against evil and exploitation feels hopeless at times, if God is for us and we are united in Him, who could stand against us? Is there anything that would be impossible?
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Finding Jesus in the Passover Seder
Some of you may remember, but about a year ago I was studying the Passover. So in honor of holy week I thought I'd share some of the insights of what I learned from that time, and hopefully, you, like me, will find a new appreciation of the beauty and symbolism behind this tradition as you find the Messiah in the Passover.
As some of you may remember, I shared with you all how each of the celebrated holidays of Judaism unfold the story of salvation in order. Jesus would have died on the day of atonement, risen on the feast of first fruits (he is first among the harvest), and ascended to heaven during the feast of weeks.
Passover itself is celebrated through a ritual ceremony known as the Seder to commemorate the Lord's deliverance of his people from the Egyptians when the angel of death passed over homes painted with the blood of a perfect lamb. While there are some variations, the Seder has generally been celebrated the same for thousands of years without major change:
Chametz: The ceremony opens with the Father sweeping bread crumbs off the shelf, symbolizing the removal of yeast from the house (yeast in scripture is used to represent sin) the mother in turn lights the Passover candles and pronounces a blessing over the family
The Passover plate: each item on the plate represents a part of the deliverance story
The cup of Wine: the cup of wine is sipped from four different times, each sip with its own significance and meaning.
The First Cup - Cup of Sanctification: this is the first sip from the cup, symbolizing it is God who sanctifies us and sets us apart for special use. The father speaks a blessing, " Blessed are you O Lord our God, the King of the universe, the Maker of the fruit of the vine"
Urchatz: This is the ceremonial hand-washing to symbolize cleansing and purification. Jesus chose this part of the ceremony to wash his disciple's feet, demonstrating that true leadership not only serves but washes us in the word
Parsley/karpas: the parsley represents the hyssop used to paint the blood the lamb over the doorposts on the night of Passover. This parsley is dipped in salt water, symbolizing the tears and sorrows of their years spent in slavery, which in turn sweetens the parsley.
The First question: The children ask four different questions throughout the ceremony. The first is this: "Why on this night do we eat only unleavened bread?" The adult answers: Because our ancestors left Egypt in haste and did not have time to let the bread rise, and the unleavened bread was easier to carry for the journey.
The Matzah covering: In the covering are placed three pieces of unleavened bread. Some believe these represent Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But the bread more likely symbolizes the oneness of God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Only the middle Matzah, the one marked by stripes, is removed from the covering and pierced. This pierced bread is then broken. One piece is wrapped in linen and hidden to be found at a later time and brought back to the father. The other piece is returned to the covering. Before consuming the bread, a blessing is pronounced: Blessed are you O Lord our God, who bring forth bread from the earth. "Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.." (Jn 19:1). "He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isa 53:5).
Saturday, August 23, 2014
The Day I Died
In The Beginning
Since the beginning, stories have been central to human existence. It is from stories that we learn the most about a person. If you want to know why someone is the way they are – ask them about their life journey. Each of us has our own journey, so our stories are as unique as their tellers. If we were having coffee right now, I would sit across from you and ask you about your life. What your own personal story is and how it has defined you. How all of it – the good and the bad - has built up until this very moment, making you the person you are today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. But today.
Everyone has their story. And this is mine. I am humbled when I consider the fact that my story is merely a blip on the screen in a long line of stories, beginning ages ago. My life is only one life in the billions of living souls out there. My story is not even the most important story out there. But nevertheless, it is my story. My watershed occurred ten years ago this very day. This day, ten years ago, my whole world changed. In a very real way the Christina I once knew died. But it wasn’t a sad kind of death. It’s the kind of death that precedes a glorious metamorphosis. The way winter gives way to spring or a seed becomes a tree. It’s the kind of death that leads to life. The ‘me’ I knew died, and a new Christina awakened in her place. But of course, my journey didn’t start ten years ago. It started long before that.
Everyone has their own demons to face down. And entering into high school, I certainly had mine. I was very much a loner; I had my reasons. What I knew of life up until that point was far from a typical, sheltered childhood. While my childhood was wonderful in many ways it was in this season of life that I experienced many of my deepest wounds. I was fortunate enough to have both a mother and father who loved me and expressed that love. But I had very few friends as a child. What I frequently experienced from other children was exclusion and ridicule. At a very young age I also experienced abuse from someone I knew and trusted, but I did not tell my parents about the abuse out of fear. Instead, I opted to pretend like nothing had ever happened. And at age eight, as a result of having no friends at school, my mother withdrew me from school and placed me in home-schooling. My life took another dramatic turn when my family was burned by our church; they had been like close family to us. But the church was torn down the middle when some of the leaders began to abuse their power in the church, my family on the receiving end. My parents left the church taking me and my brother with them. But the impression it left on me of Christians was not a good one.
Entering into adolescence, I was pretty disillusioned with the world. But I found ways cope. I turned to solitary activities to keep myself preoccupied, becoming consumed with the television, video games, the internet, and fantasies. I became numb and detached from reality. I would spend an average of nine to nine and half hours watching television (can you say high school anime club?). These fixations were my escape. I didn’t “need” anything or anyone. Instead, I looked out for myself. I was fine on my own. Or so I thought.
My first year of high school my parents put me back into public school. To be honest, I hated their decision. My first two years back in public school were not different from my previous experience. I didn’t fit in and I certainly didn’t try to. While all the others kids were worried about being popular and winning a date, I could have cared less. I was the reserved, quiet kid who didn’t talk much and kept mostly to myself. I dressed different, acted different, and was into different things. So I was labeled as an outcast, looked down on and ridiculed for being different. But that was fine by me. I wasn’t interested in following the crowd. As far as I was concerned, I was better than all of them.
Since the beginning, stories have been central to human existence. It is from stories that we learn the most about a person. If you want to know why someone is the way they are – ask them about their life journey. Each of us has our own journey, so our stories are as unique as their tellers. If we were having coffee right now, I would sit across from you and ask you about your life. What your own personal story is and how it has defined you. How all of it – the good and the bad - has built up until this very moment, making you the person you are today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. But today.
Everyone has their story. And this is mine. I am humbled when I consider the fact that my story is merely a blip on the screen in a long line of stories, beginning ages ago. My life is only one life in the billions of living souls out there. My story is not even the most important story out there. But nevertheless, it is my story. My watershed occurred ten years ago this very day. This day, ten years ago, my whole world changed. In a very real way the Christina I once knew died. But it wasn’t a sad kind of death. It’s the kind of death that precedes a glorious metamorphosis. The way winter gives way to spring or a seed becomes a tree. It’s the kind of death that leads to life. The ‘me’ I knew died, and a new Christina awakened in her place. But of course, my journey didn’t start ten years ago. It started long before that.
Everyone has their own demons to face down. And entering into high school, I certainly had mine. I was very much a loner; I had my reasons. What I knew of life up until that point was far from a typical, sheltered childhood. While my childhood was wonderful in many ways it was in this season of life that I experienced many of my deepest wounds. I was fortunate enough to have both a mother and father who loved me and expressed that love. But I had very few friends as a child. What I frequently experienced from other children was exclusion and ridicule. At a very young age I also experienced abuse from someone I knew and trusted, but I did not tell my parents about the abuse out of fear. Instead, I opted to pretend like nothing had ever happened. And at age eight, as a result of having no friends at school, my mother withdrew me from school and placed me in home-schooling. My life took another dramatic turn when my family was burned by our church; they had been like close family to us. But the church was torn down the middle when some of the leaders began to abuse their power in the church, my family on the receiving end. My parents left the church taking me and my brother with them. But the impression it left on me of Christians was not a good one.
Entering into adolescence, I was pretty disillusioned with the world. But I found ways cope. I turned to solitary activities to keep myself preoccupied, becoming consumed with the television, video games, the internet, and fantasies. I became numb and detached from reality. I would spend an average of nine to nine and half hours watching television (can you say high school anime club?). These fixations were my escape. I didn’t “need” anything or anyone. Instead, I looked out for myself. I was fine on my own. Or so I thought.
My first year of high school my parents put me back into public school. To be honest, I hated their decision. My first two years back in public school were not different from my previous experience. I didn’t fit in and I certainly didn’t try to. While all the others kids were worried about being popular and winning a date, I could have cared less. I was the reserved, quiet kid who didn’t talk much and kept mostly to myself. I dressed different, acted different, and was into different things. So I was labeled as an outcast, looked down on and ridiculed for being different. But that was fine by me. I wasn’t interested in following the crowd. As far as I was concerned, I was better than all of them.
Monday, December 23, 2013
The Spirit of Christmas
It's that time again. The Christmas season. Depending on your family situation, that sentence might inspire feelings of warmth or feelings of dread. Three Christmases ago, I wrote a blog titled The Two Sides of Christmas. I wrote about the mixed feelings Christmas brings. There is something more to Christmas than simply getting everything on our list. The holiday touches on something that resonates deep within each of our souls: love. Christmas is really about Love. Love's a funny thing though, isn't it? I mean what does it mean to love someone exactly? It might seem so easy to define until you think about it. Sometimes, love can mean so many things. We love our family, our friends, our significant other. We also love pizza, music, and movies. Yet none of these loves are even remotely the same.
"All You Need is Love"
I can't think of a subject more talked about, more written about, or more sung about than love. The longing for love is so deeply rooted in the human heart. I have met people from many different walks of life, but I've never met someone who didn't desire unfailing love. It is the one common thread weaving through all of humanity. Our love is what separates us from the rest of nature. Love is incompatible with self-preservation or survival of the fittest. We're not animals simply trying to survive, we're human beings with a deep desire to connect with others on a soul level. We search, we chase, we dream. And that's not so surprising when you think about it. After all, if we are made with a soul in the image of our God, wouldn't it make sense that we have such a capacity and desire for love?
We do crazy things in our pursuit for love. Sometimes we walk away winners, other times we walk away broken in pieces. It's a graveyard of hearts, this world in which we live. Some give up and deaden their hearts to this longing for love in an effort to avoid further pain; others pick up the pieces and press on in their search, hoping to one day find a love that won't let go.
But Christmas is not only about the human search for love. Christmas is really a story about Love. The human story is marked by our own exhaustive pursuit of love. But Christmas tells the story of Love's relentless pursuit of us. "For love is as strong as death, it's jealousy as unyielding as the grave" (Song 8:6). Love came down to earth in human form to give us hope, joy, and peace. You see, I've come to realize that it's not the longing for love that is the enemy. You could deaden your heart in an effort to stop the bleeding, but all that does is numb you. You might not feel any pain, but then again, you won't feel anything at all. This drive for love is in us for a reason. The desire for love is not the problem, it's simply a question of where you look for it.
"All You Need is Love"
I can't think of a subject more talked about, more written about, or more sung about than love. The longing for love is so deeply rooted in the human heart. I have met people from many different walks of life, but I've never met someone who didn't desire unfailing love. It is the one common thread weaving through all of humanity. Our love is what separates us from the rest of nature. Love is incompatible with self-preservation or survival of the fittest. We're not animals simply trying to survive, we're human beings with a deep desire to connect with others on a soul level. We search, we chase, we dream. And that's not so surprising when you think about it. After all, if we are made with a soul in the image of our God, wouldn't it make sense that we have such a capacity and desire for love?
We do crazy things in our pursuit for love. Sometimes we walk away winners, other times we walk away broken in pieces. It's a graveyard of hearts, this world in which we live. Some give up and deaden their hearts to this longing for love in an effort to avoid further pain; others pick up the pieces and press on in their search, hoping to one day find a love that won't let go.
But Christmas is not only about the human search for love. Christmas is really a story about Love. The human story is marked by our own exhaustive pursuit of love. But Christmas tells the story of Love's relentless pursuit of us. "For love is as strong as death, it's jealousy as unyielding as the grave" (Song 8:6). Love came down to earth in human form to give us hope, joy, and peace. You see, I've come to realize that it's not the longing for love that is the enemy. You could deaden your heart in an effort to stop the bleeding, but all that does is numb you. You might not feel any pain, but then again, you won't feel anything at all. This drive for love is in us for a reason. The desire for love is not the problem, it's simply a question of where you look for it.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
In Jars of Clay
It's no secret that Christians have a vocabulary of their own. Hang around Christians long enough, and you will pick up on some of the interesting (and perhaps peculiar) jargon Christians often use. We have a host of sayings/cliches we often employ in every day conversation that may make perfect sense to us but may not make much sense to others. As demonstrated in Rebecca Pippert's story, while we may mean well, we can take for granted the meaning behind the jargon we so casually employ:
"When I worked with college students, I gave many evangelistic dorm talks. I remember one in which a skeptical but seeking student asked me, "What does it mean to be a Christian?" A Christian student who really desired the other student to understand replied, "It means you have to be washed in the blood of the lamb." The first student paled and looked confused. The Christian continued, "That way you will be sanctified and redeemed." Another student, seeking to help his Christian brother said, "And the fellowship is so neat. Praise the Lord! You really get into the Word and get such a blessing." By the end of the evening, it was clear from the skeptic student's face that he felt Christians came from another planet." (Out of the Salt Shaker and into the World)
I can't say I blame him. I often wander if we even know what half the stuff we say means. Redeemed. Sanctified. Washed in the blood of the Lamb. Try explaining the gospel to someone without using Christianese and in plain language - it's harder than you think. I am in no way saying Christian jargon is bad; jargon is normal to any tight-knit group of people, much like inside jokes. Nor am I saying we should pessimistically question everything out of some sense of hyper-skepticism. It's easy to focus on everything the church has done/is doing wrong and bitterly stew over it's many flaws - I've been there and it only serves to encourage a my own sense of self-righteousness. But what would happen if we stepped back and examined the meaning behind some of the things we say?
"When I worked with college students, I gave many evangelistic dorm talks. I remember one in which a skeptical but seeking student asked me, "What does it mean to be a Christian?" A Christian student who really desired the other student to understand replied, "It means you have to be washed in the blood of the lamb." The first student paled and looked confused. The Christian continued, "That way you will be sanctified and redeemed." Another student, seeking to help his Christian brother said, "And the fellowship is so neat. Praise the Lord! You really get into the Word and get such a blessing." By the end of the evening, it was clear from the skeptic student's face that he felt Christians came from another planet." (Out of the Salt Shaker and into the World)
I can't say I blame him. I often wander if we even know what half the stuff we say means. Redeemed. Sanctified. Washed in the blood of the Lamb. Try explaining the gospel to someone without using Christianese and in plain language - it's harder than you think. I am in no way saying Christian jargon is bad; jargon is normal to any tight-knit group of people, much like inside jokes. Nor am I saying we should pessimistically question everything out of some sense of hyper-skepticism. It's easy to focus on everything the church has done/is doing wrong and bitterly stew over it's many flaws - I've been there and it only serves to encourage a my own sense of self-righteousness. But what would happen if we stepped back and examined the meaning behind some of the things we say?
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