Driving home from vacation a couple of years ago, we passed a billboard that really made me stop and stare (well, maybe not stop, but definitely stare). It said this:
SATURDAY = The True Lord’s Day
SUNDAY LAWS = The Mark of the Beast
Whatever you believe, I don’t think this would be the most effective way of getting your point across. Nonetheless, it did provoke a lot of thought in my mind that made me reexamine my beliefs about the Sabbath. Why do we celebrate the Lord’s Day on Sunday, when Genesis 2:2-3 says
And he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
And then there’s the fourth commandment, which says
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11)
I once heard somebody say “I obey all nine of the Ten Commandments,” and it does seem as though this commandment is often ignored in our culture. I know that I look at the Ten Commandments and I can see how most of them apply to my life today, but the Sabbath one seems outdated. How am I supposed to obey this commandment? Is it right to celebrate the Lord’s Day on Sunday, the first day of the week?
Once again, I listened to Al Mohler's sermon on this topic, and once again I would encourage you to listen to it too. It has helped give me perspective on what exactly this commandment means. So a lot of what I’m going to say comes from him, not from me.
Unlike the other nine commandments, the fourth seems to be specifically directed towards the Israelites as opposed to the world in general, at least in its totally literal reading. But if you look at it in the context of the other nine and of the Bible in general, it seems that it is pointing to something. According to Dr. Mohler, it first points backwards to Creation, where God rested on the seventh day and made it holy. It thus emphasizes the importance of rest amidst our busy lives. Secondly, it points forward to a greater rest that is coming. This meaning obviously would not have been clear to most Israelites at the time of the old covenant. It merely seemed to set the seventh day aside so that no work could be done. Yet God had a bigger purpose for it.
I find it interesting that three of the four gospels record the same story in almost exactly the same words. I’m going to quote the story from Matthew 12:1-8 because it is the most extensive, but it can also be found in Mark 2 and Luke 6.
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
Why did all these gospel writers consider this passage to be so important that they would all include it? I think it’s because this passage shows the meaning behind the Sabbath. This is obviously important to God, or else he would not have included it in the Ten Commandments. So what can we glean from this passage?
First, it condemns the strict legalism of the Pharisees about the Sabbath. It uses as an example David eating sacred bread from the temple. This bread was meant for God, but when needed for a good cause (as in, not selfish desires), David was able to eat it. Also, the priests break the commandment every Sabbath because they are offering sacrifices and keeping the temple in good shape, yet they bear no guilt. So God obviously isn’t concerned with the strict, legalistic rules that the Pharisees insisted on placing on the Sabbath. He is more concerned with the motives of the heart.
Second, it identifies the purpose of the Sabbath. In Mark 2:27, he says “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” The Sabbath was instituted as a reminder from God to man that he needed to rest. But God is not ultimately concerned with us resting in our physical bodies, although that was clearly important to him. Ultimately, God is concerned with where our souls rest, and that was where the Sabbath pointed us to.
Third, it identifies Christ as the new temple and new Sabbath. He is greater than both the temple and the Sabbath establishment as given in the Old Testament, and he later identifies his own body as the new temple. And this makes sense, because what is the temple? It’s the dwelling place of God on earth, and what is Christ other than God himself? But, more relevant to our discussion today, he is also greater than the Sabbath. In fact, he is Lord of the Sabbath. He is the ultimate fulfillment of the purpose of the Sabbath. As Dr. Mohler states, we are to find our ultimate rest in Christ, which means that we must cease our own labors for salvation and trust in his work alone.
This brings us to how we should observe the Sabbath in the present day. Dr. Mohler gives three options: Seventh Day Sabbitarianism, Lord’s Day Sabbitarianism, and Lord’s Day Observance. Since he is the expert, not me, I’ll let him speak for this section (at least, I’ll let him speak through my paraphrase):
1. Seventh Day Sabbitarianism—the fourth commandment continues unaltered until this day. The main problem with this view is that, after the life of Christ, there is no mention of any seventh day observance of anything. The church, on the other hand, gathered on the first day of the week, known as the Lord’s Day, in order to honor Christ’s resurrection. The most obvious reference to this is Acts 20:7:
On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.
The New Testament clearly chronicles that the early church always met on the Lord’s Day, not on the seventh day. So it would seem that this view is not the most biblical.
2. Lord’s Day Sabbitarianism—the fourth commandment is merely transferred to the first day. The main problem here is that there is no New Testament transfer, whether explicit or implicit. As a matter of fact, it almost seems to be explicitly condemned in Colossians 2:16-23
Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels…and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body…grows with a growth that is from God.
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—“Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
Since we now have our rest in Christ, and we have the new covenant of grace instead of works, Sabbath rules and regulations no longer apply to us. This brings us to the third option:
3. Lord’s Day Observance—the church should gather together as commanded in the New Testament. This is not to be a time of rules— as in, the “do this” and “do that”s of Colossians 2—but instead, just a time of worship and gathering. It is to be a priority because it is an institution, set in place by the apostles themselves and held as extremely important in the New Testament.
And this brings us to the application: what can we do or not do on the Lord’s Day? After that whole discussion, you didn’t think I’d just give you a list of do’s and don’ts, did you? Of course not. Dr. Mohler’s statement on this was as follows: Anything that would detract or rob from the Lord’s Day in your life should not be done. This becomes a matter of conscience. In my family, we don’t do anything to earn an income on Sunday. We do yardwork, clean the house, watch football, and spend time together as a family instead. I know others who don’t do school on Sunday, and others who do both of these things. All of these are perfectly fine and acceptable, so long as they don’t interfere with your Lord’s Day observance. Church is to be the priority. If something gets in the way of church, that something has to go. That’s the bottom line here.
Have any of these commandments had a simple application yet? I don’t think so…
Showing posts with label Ten Commandments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ten Commandments. Show all posts
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Be Careful Little Lips...
"Be careful little lips what you say,
Be careful little lips what you say.
For the Father up above is looking down in love.
Be careful little lips what you say."
Exodus 20:7
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain."
In this day and age, most people look at words as either good or bad. "That's a bad word" they'll say. But what is it about a word that makes it bad?
In preparing for this post, I listened to a message by Al Mohler on The Third Commandment.
Al Mohler says, "Words are among the most powerful of the potent tools at our finite disposal."
Words are powerful.
Proverbs 10:11 "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence." and verses 19-20: "When words are many, transgression is not lacking,but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;the heart of the wicked is of little worth."
Al Mohler also makes this statement: "This is perhaps the commandment most routinely broken by evangelicals. Broken in our discourse with each other, broken in our piety, and broken in our worship."
One of the distinctives about Israel, and the children of God is to be their speech about God. His name must be spoken and heard with reference.
I am that I AM. God reveals His name to us. Our Father in Heaven reveals this to us, not flesh and blood. It is a name about which God Himself is jealous. He just finished telling us that He is a Jealous God.
Exodus 20:5 "You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God"
It is no small thing that we should know His name. In giving to us His name, the Father has given Himself to us.
That is why we must honor His name. In honoring His name, we honor Him.
He is The Almighty, The Amen, The Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, Eternal, Faithful, The Holy One, The Just One, The King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, The Light, The Judge, The Word, The Creator, Lord of Glory, Lord of Kings, Lord of lords, Lord of Peace, King of Heaven, God Alone, El Shaddai, Jehovah-Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts), Rock of Ages, Yahweh, and The Majesty on High.
He is filled with zeal for His name -> Ezek. 36:22-23 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.
He has allowed His name to be spoken and manipulated and even maligned by sinful creatures. Soon after He gave us His name, it was violated. Sin is a blight upon the name of God. He will not allow His name to be blasphemed without vindication (vs 23 above).
Al Mohler says, "What if the Third Commandment isn't as simple as we thought it was? Maybe there is a hidden danger here that would endanger our very souls, and endanger the very reputation of God; a reputation which He sill vindicate."
He then goes on to explain how this is true.
To understand the name of God is to understand the power of the name. It is a revelation of His character, His Holiness. God has the sole right to define and to name Himself. Taking His name in vain treats Him like an idol.
We often take His name in vain in our piety. We often take God as trite, and don't honor Him as we should. God wants us rich in the knowledge of His name.
We often take His name in vain by superficial worship. We can think that worship must be happy, fun, or creative. He points out that worship demonstrates what we genuinely believe. We do not take His name seriously if we think worship is about anything other than God and God alone.
We take His name in vain by our manipulative God talk. We have no right to speak where God has not spoken. His name is taken in vain when we speak in His stead.
**This is where I would like to jump in to clarify the point he is making. Many people think that you are only taking His name in vain if you actually say His name. This is not true. You are taking His name in vain when you even say something that should only be said by God. For instance, only God can punish and damn the wicked. It is not our place to do that. When we use that word in any given situation, we are using His name in vain because we are taking His place. I will comment on this further later on.**
Al Mohler concludes by saying that this commandment extends "to everything we touch, and everything we think that is even remotely theological or spiritual. It extends to the totality of our lives because God makes total claim upon us by His name. We should be zealous and careful to honor His name with Godly reverence. There will come that day when every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."
-------
Alright. I agree with everything he said, but I would like to clarify a few things, and add a few things...
A) First, like I said earlier, taking God's name in vain does not just mean that we are actually saying His name. If we say something that is reserved for God, and God alone to say, we are actually using His name in vain. In a sense, we are saying that we are on the same level with God, and therefore qualify to make the same statement that God would. Most curse words fall into this category.
I have had people say this: "Saying 'Oh my God' isn't saying His name in vain." I don't understand how they could say this. It is very clear. When you say that, you are using His name. He has declared His name as Holy. When you say that, you are not using His name in reverence.
Dictionary.com defines vain as:
1. Without real significance, value, or importance; baseless or worthless
2. Without effect or avail; to no purpose
3. In an improper or irreverent manner
When you say, "Oh my God", are you saying His name with significance, value, or importance? Are you using His name for a purpose? Are you using it properly or in a reverent manner? I doubt you can answer yes to those questions, and therefore, it is taking His name in vain.
B) There are some words that are called "bad words" that don't really fall into either of these two categories though: They aren't God's name, and they aren't something reserved for God alone to say. Now, I am going to assume you have an idea about what words I'm using, because I'm not going to put them up here.
Ephesians 4:29-30 says, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. "
There are words that fall into the category of corrupt talk. We are clearly told by Scripture to not use those words either. I believe that most of you understand this.
C) However, I present to you a possibly new proposition. Before I tell you what it is, I want you to know that I am the worst offender of this. That however, does not make it right.
I would submit to you that even substitutionary words would be using the name of the Lord in vain, or would be corrupt talk. Words such as "gosh, flippin', darn, dang, and others..." Why do I believe that these words are wrong to use?
Matthew 12:34 "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."
Matthew 12:36-37 "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
We are going to give an account for every careless word that we speak. And, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Why are you using those words? It is generally because you want to say something similar, but don't want to say a bad word. God looks at the hearts of men.
Luke 16:15 "And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts."
God doesn't look only at what you say; He looks at why you're saying it. When you are asked to give an account for those words, what are you going to say?
Just because we choose to use substitutionary words on the outside does not change our hearts.
And even if you don't agree with my arguments against substitutionary words, think of it this way: When you use them, you are using them in a complaining way almost every time.
Philippians 2:14-15 "Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world"
Scripture is clear. We are to do ALL things without grumbling or questioning.
Substitutionary words are words that I know that I use a lot. But that does not justify them. I am sobered when I realize that I will one day give an account for every careless word, and every substitutionary word.
When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
Be careful little lips what you say.
For the Father up above is looking down in love.
Be careful little lips what you say."
Exodus 20:7
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain."
In this day and age, most people look at words as either good or bad. "That's a bad word" they'll say. But what is it about a word that makes it bad?
In preparing for this post, I listened to a message by Al Mohler on The Third Commandment.
Al Mohler says, "Words are among the most powerful of the potent tools at our finite disposal."
Words are powerful.
Proverbs 10:11 "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence." and verses 19-20: "When words are many, transgression is not lacking,but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;the heart of the wicked is of little worth."
Al Mohler also makes this statement: "This is perhaps the commandment most routinely broken by evangelicals. Broken in our discourse with each other, broken in our piety, and broken in our worship."
One of the distinctives about Israel, and the children of God is to be their speech about God. His name must be spoken and heard with reference.
I am that I AM. God reveals His name to us. Our Father in Heaven reveals this to us, not flesh and blood. It is a name about which God Himself is jealous. He just finished telling us that He is a Jealous God.
Exodus 20:5 "You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God"
It is no small thing that we should know His name. In giving to us His name, the Father has given Himself to us.
That is why we must honor His name. In honoring His name, we honor Him.
He is The Almighty, The Amen, The Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, Eternal, Faithful, The Holy One, The Just One, The King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, The Light, The Judge, The Word, The Creator, Lord of Glory, Lord of Kings, Lord of lords, Lord of Peace, King of Heaven, God Alone, El Shaddai, Jehovah-Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts), Rock of Ages, Yahweh, and The Majesty on High.
He is filled with zeal for His name -> Ezek. 36:22-23 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.
He has allowed His name to be spoken and manipulated and even maligned by sinful creatures. Soon after He gave us His name, it was violated. Sin is a blight upon the name of God. He will not allow His name to be blasphemed without vindication (vs 23 above).
Al Mohler says, "What if the Third Commandment isn't as simple as we thought it was? Maybe there is a hidden danger here that would endanger our very souls, and endanger the very reputation of God; a reputation which He sill vindicate."
He then goes on to explain how this is true.
To understand the name of God is to understand the power of the name. It is a revelation of His character, His Holiness. God has the sole right to define and to name Himself. Taking His name in vain treats Him like an idol.
We often take His name in vain in our piety. We often take God as trite, and don't honor Him as we should. God wants us rich in the knowledge of His name.
We often take His name in vain by superficial worship. We can think that worship must be happy, fun, or creative. He points out that worship demonstrates what we genuinely believe. We do not take His name seriously if we think worship is about anything other than God and God alone.
We take His name in vain by our manipulative God talk. We have no right to speak where God has not spoken. His name is taken in vain when we speak in His stead.
**This is where I would like to jump in to clarify the point he is making. Many people think that you are only taking His name in vain if you actually say His name. This is not true. You are taking His name in vain when you even say something that should only be said by God. For instance, only God can punish and damn the wicked. It is not our place to do that. When we use that word in any given situation, we are using His name in vain because we are taking His place. I will comment on this further later on.**
Al Mohler concludes by saying that this commandment extends "to everything we touch, and everything we think that is even remotely theological or spiritual. It extends to the totality of our lives because God makes total claim upon us by His name. We should be zealous and careful to honor His name with Godly reverence. There will come that day when every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."
-------
Alright. I agree with everything he said, but I would like to clarify a few things, and add a few things...
A) First, like I said earlier, taking God's name in vain does not just mean that we are actually saying His name. If we say something that is reserved for God, and God alone to say, we are actually using His name in vain. In a sense, we are saying that we are on the same level with God, and therefore qualify to make the same statement that God would. Most curse words fall into this category.
I have had people say this: "Saying 'Oh my God' isn't saying His name in vain." I don't understand how they could say this. It is very clear. When you say that, you are using His name. He has declared His name as Holy. When you say that, you are not using His name in reverence.
Dictionary.com defines vain as:
1. Without real significance, value, or importance; baseless or worthless
2. Without effect or avail; to no purpose
3. In an improper or irreverent manner
When you say, "Oh my God", are you saying His name with significance, value, or importance? Are you using His name for a purpose? Are you using it properly or in a reverent manner? I doubt you can answer yes to those questions, and therefore, it is taking His name in vain.
B) There are some words that are called "bad words" that don't really fall into either of these two categories though: They aren't God's name, and they aren't something reserved for God alone to say. Now, I am going to assume you have an idea about what words I'm using, because I'm not going to put them up here.
Ephesians 4:29-30 says, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. "
There are words that fall into the category of corrupt talk. We are clearly told by Scripture to not use those words either. I believe that most of you understand this.
C) However, I present to you a possibly new proposition. Before I tell you what it is, I want you to know that I am the worst offender of this. That however, does not make it right.
I would submit to you that even substitutionary words would be using the name of the Lord in vain, or would be corrupt talk. Words such as "gosh, flippin', darn, dang, and others..." Why do I believe that these words are wrong to use?
Matthew 12:34 "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."
Matthew 12:36-37 "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
We are going to give an account for every careless word that we speak. And, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Why are you using those words? It is generally because you want to say something similar, but don't want to say a bad word. God looks at the hearts of men.
Luke 16:15 "And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts."
God doesn't look only at what you say; He looks at why you're saying it. When you are asked to give an account for those words, what are you going to say?
Just because we choose to use substitutionary words on the outside does not change our hearts.
And even if you don't agree with my arguments against substitutionary words, think of it this way: When you use them, you are using them in a complaining way almost every time.
Philippians 2:14-15 "Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world"
Scripture is clear. We are to do ALL things without grumbling or questioning.
Substitutionary words are words that I know that I use a lot. But that does not justify them. I am sobered when I realize that I will one day give an account for every careless word, and every substitutionary word.
When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Icons and Idol Factories
This year, our youth ministry is putting on the musical Godspell. We do this musical every few years, and of course one of the biggest questions is always “Who’s going to be playing Jesus?” The role obviously requires good acting skills, but more importantly, the actor himself must live a life in private—as in, when he’s not on stage portraying Jesus—that is worthy of the gospel. The build-up to the announcement, however, has sparked some other discussion as well: is it sinful to portray Christ in a physical form at all? One very good friend of mine has come to the conclusion that it is, and if he had been asked to be Jesus in the show, he would have declined. I, on the other hand, think that in certain cases it is okay. One of the key texts in examining this issue is Exodus 20:4-6, also known as the second commandment:
Exodus 20:4-6 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or 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 or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
Some people make the comment that this particular commandment seems to be almost a repeat of the first commandment. I listened to Al Mohler’s fabulous sermon on this topic a few weeks ago (you can listen to it here, and find a very helpful summary here), and he made some very helpful distinctions between the two commandments: the first tells us that we are to worship only God, and the second tells us that he will be worshipped as he wants. The first speaks to the identity and exclusivity of God, and the second shows us how we are to rightly worship him.
In his last post on the first commandment (if you haven’t read it yet, click here), Josh dealt with a lot of the problems of idols. Some will say, “Sam, he already addressed your topic. This post is just going to be redundant.” But Josh was dealing only with one aspect of idols: what we identify with and spend our time doing. But there is another, more obvious kind of idol, the kind that instantly pops to mind when someone says the word “idol”: a little golden statue of a cow or Buddha or Apollo or something like that that people bow down to worship. “Exactly, Sam,” some will say, “This isn’t applicable to us. People don’t do that anymore, at least not in the civilized world.” But they do, and they do it every day, and in Christian churches across America. They are known as “icons.”
Now, I have heard several very strong arguments for the use of icons in worship, and all the arguments hinge on one thing: the icons themselves are not worshipped, but they merely provide visual aids to help us worship God. I can understand those arguments, and they have a lot of merit. However, I still don’t believe they address all the issues, and I think that the basic argument against the use of icons comes down to what Dr. Mohler said in his sermon: the second commandment shows us how we are to rightly worship God, how he chooses to be worshipped. And the way we are to rightly worship God is not through the use of icons.
I have heard it said that one of the reasons for the decline of American culture is the rise of the visual over the verbal. Our culture has become so infatuated with visual media (i.e. television and movies) that it has lost its ability to value verbal media (i.e. newspapers and books). The problem is that God has chosen to reveal himself through verbal, not visual means. In fact, he places an extremely high value on the verbal.
John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
God identifies himself as the Word. Not as an image, but as an inherently verbal being. And that’s how he chooses to be worshipped. He doesn’t want to be worshipped “through” something like a crucifix, he wants to be worshipped for who he is. Verbally. Worshipping him through visuals dishonors him.
Why is this important? Dr. Mohler made the point that “to worship the right God in the wrong way is not honoring to him.” As the Westminster Catechism states, the chief end of man is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” When we worship through icons, we are not worshipping him as he demands to be worshipped, so we are not glorifying or honoring him.
Another significant problem with worshipping through icons is that our hearts are, in an illustration that C.J. Mahaney once used, idol factories. Humans have to worship something, and thus we are churning out idols left and right. Even good things (such as relationships, computers, or music) can be turned into idols by our sinful hearts. And one of the easiest things to do when worshipping through icons is to subtly transition to actually worshipping the icons. This can be viewed in its extremes in the Catholic Church, where crucifixes are treasured and prayed to without any thought being given to Christ himself. Other denominations have similar problems as well. The majority of people in these denominations have forgotten that the icons are meant to spur on worship of Christ, and they merely worship the icon. Our hearts do this easily and naturally, perhaps too easily and naturally for it to be safe to use icons.
“Okay Sam, I agree with everything you’ve said so far,” you might be saying at this point, “but it seems like you’re destroying your own position here. Didn’t you say at the beginning of this essay that you believed it was okay to portray Jesus in a physical form?” Ah, now that is where a distinction shows up. Al Mohler made the statement that “Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God, is our only icon.” What he meant is that the actual person of Jesus Christ is what we should worship, not any images of Christ, but himself as a person and as God.
However, are we worshipping the portrayal of Jesus in Godspell? Is that Jesus an image that we’re worshipping? I don’t believe it is, and here’s why: we are not worshipping the image of Jesus as portrayed by James Maresco (who got the part in this production). This image of Jesus is merely meant to tell a story, to illustrate a point. If anyone began worshipping James/Jesus, then that would be a sin. They would be breaking the second commandment. However, if people merely view James/Jesus as a vehicle for portraying a truth from God’s Word, I don’t believe this is in violation of the second commandment. The same goes for pictures of Jesus in Bible storybooks. I don’t think that anyone, even a little kid, would look at a picture of Jesus found in The Beginner’s Bible and start to worship that picture of Jesus. The pictures are merely a vehicle, a means to tell a story. The purpose is not to worship them. So I don’t believe that such portrayals are sinful.
In conclusion, the best application of all that I’ve discussed in this post here is to recognize, as Dr. Mohler said, that we all are natural-born idolaters. We are constantly looking for something to worship, and our sinful hearts loves to grab even things that are gifts from God and turn them into idols. So our first instinct must be to distrust our hearts, and constantly be examining ourselves to determine whether or not we are turning this thing into an idol. We must ensure that we are, at all times, worshipping only the true and living God, and that we are worshipping him as he wants to be worshipped.
Exodus 20:4-6 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or 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 or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
Some people make the comment that this particular commandment seems to be almost a repeat of the first commandment. I listened to Al Mohler’s fabulous sermon on this topic a few weeks ago (you can listen to it here, and find a very helpful summary here), and he made some very helpful distinctions between the two commandments: the first tells us that we are to worship only God, and the second tells us that he will be worshipped as he wants. The first speaks to the identity and exclusivity of God, and the second shows us how we are to rightly worship him.
In his last post on the first commandment (if you haven’t read it yet, click here), Josh dealt with a lot of the problems of idols. Some will say, “Sam, he already addressed your topic. This post is just going to be redundant.” But Josh was dealing only with one aspect of idols: what we identify with and spend our time doing. But there is another, more obvious kind of idol, the kind that instantly pops to mind when someone says the word “idol”: a little golden statue of a cow or Buddha or Apollo or something like that that people bow down to worship. “Exactly, Sam,” some will say, “This isn’t applicable to us. People don’t do that anymore, at least not in the civilized world.” But they do, and they do it every day, and in Christian churches across America. They are known as “icons.”
Now, I have heard several very strong arguments for the use of icons in worship, and all the arguments hinge on one thing: the icons themselves are not worshipped, but they merely provide visual aids to help us worship God. I can understand those arguments, and they have a lot of merit. However, I still don’t believe they address all the issues, and I think that the basic argument against the use of icons comes down to what Dr. Mohler said in his sermon: the second commandment shows us how we are to rightly worship God, how he chooses to be worshipped. And the way we are to rightly worship God is not through the use of icons.
I have heard it said that one of the reasons for the decline of American culture is the rise of the visual over the verbal. Our culture has become so infatuated with visual media (i.e. television and movies) that it has lost its ability to value verbal media (i.e. newspapers and books). The problem is that God has chosen to reveal himself through verbal, not visual means. In fact, he places an extremely high value on the verbal.
John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
God identifies himself as the Word. Not as an image, but as an inherently verbal being. And that’s how he chooses to be worshipped. He doesn’t want to be worshipped “through” something like a crucifix, he wants to be worshipped for who he is. Verbally. Worshipping him through visuals dishonors him.
Why is this important? Dr. Mohler made the point that “to worship the right God in the wrong way is not honoring to him.” As the Westminster Catechism states, the chief end of man is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” When we worship through icons, we are not worshipping him as he demands to be worshipped, so we are not glorifying or honoring him.
Another significant problem with worshipping through icons is that our hearts are, in an illustration that C.J. Mahaney once used, idol factories. Humans have to worship something, and thus we are churning out idols left and right. Even good things (such as relationships, computers, or music) can be turned into idols by our sinful hearts. And one of the easiest things to do when worshipping through icons is to subtly transition to actually worshipping the icons. This can be viewed in its extremes in the Catholic Church, where crucifixes are treasured and prayed to without any thought being given to Christ himself. Other denominations have similar problems as well. The majority of people in these denominations have forgotten that the icons are meant to spur on worship of Christ, and they merely worship the icon. Our hearts do this easily and naturally, perhaps too easily and naturally for it to be safe to use icons.
“Okay Sam, I agree with everything you’ve said so far,” you might be saying at this point, “but it seems like you’re destroying your own position here. Didn’t you say at the beginning of this essay that you believed it was okay to portray Jesus in a physical form?” Ah, now that is where a distinction shows up. Al Mohler made the statement that “Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God, is our only icon.” What he meant is that the actual person of Jesus Christ is what we should worship, not any images of Christ, but himself as a person and as God.
However, are we worshipping the portrayal of Jesus in Godspell? Is that Jesus an image that we’re worshipping? I don’t believe it is, and here’s why: we are not worshipping the image of Jesus as portrayed by James Maresco (who got the part in this production). This image of Jesus is merely meant to tell a story, to illustrate a point. If anyone began worshipping James/Jesus, then that would be a sin. They would be breaking the second commandment. However, if people merely view James/Jesus as a vehicle for portraying a truth from God’s Word, I don’t believe this is in violation of the second commandment. The same goes for pictures of Jesus in Bible storybooks. I don’t think that anyone, even a little kid, would look at a picture of Jesus found in The Beginner’s Bible and start to worship that picture of Jesus. The pictures are merely a vehicle, a means to tell a story. The purpose is not to worship them. So I don’t believe that such portrayals are sinful.
In conclusion, the best application of all that I’ve discussed in this post here is to recognize, as Dr. Mohler said, that we all are natural-born idolaters. We are constantly looking for something to worship, and our sinful hearts loves to grab even things that are gifts from God and turn them into idols. So our first instinct must be to distrust our hearts, and constantly be examining ourselves to determine whether or not we are turning this thing into an idol. We must ensure that we are, at all times, worshipping only the true and living God, and that we are worshipping him as he wants to be worshipped.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
By Definition, Who Are You?
A few years back, I was crazed about video games. I let them rule my life. When I would get together with friends, I would talk about them. When I would be at home with nothing else to do, I would play them. They were the most important things to me. They were all I talked about, all I did, and all I wanted to do. When I could have been spending time with my family, or in God’s Word, I would be up in my room playing N64 or Xbox, or some other computer game. It was my life. It was who I was…
Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.”
I think that if I were to ask you, you would probably say that you don’t have a little golden idol hidden away in your room. You don’t go up there and bow down and worship it every morning and evening. You don’t pray to this statue, and worship it. Therefore, you’re already keeping this commandment, right?
Now this may seem like a silly question to some of you. I know that most of you know the answer. But it is something I believe we must all be reminded of constantly.
What does God mean when He says, “You shall have no other gods before me?” Does He mean, “Don’t go making yourself any golden idols and don’t worship them?” Well, sure He does. But that’s not all that this verse is saying.
What this verse is truly talking about is found in our hearts, not in our closets. What in your heart is taking the place of God? What in your heart are you focusing on more than God? It doesn’t have to be something bad. It can be something very good, but if it is taking the place of God, you have elevated it too high.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Is there anything that you love more than God with all your heart, soul, and might? If there is, it has become a god to you.
Look at how much we should love Him. We should teach these words to our children. We should talk of them when we sit in our houses, and when we walk by the way, and when we lie down, and when we rise.
Basically, He is saying that this should be your life. Your life should be lived for God. He should be the One true desire in your heart that you are focusing your entire life on.
Matthew 6:24 says, ““No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
In this case, Christ is speaking specifically about money, but this verse can be applied to all aspects of our lives. We must realize that if we are not living for God, then we are living for something or someone else. If we love one, we will hate the other. If we love, say, money for instance, we will hate God. Now, God is not saying that money is evil (although the Bible does say that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil), but what He is saying, is that we cannot live for one desire and also live for God. We can focus our lives on one thing and one thing only. What is it going to be for you?
Now you may be saying, “I love God. I don’t have any desires competing with God.” This may or may not be true, but given our sinful nature, I would guess that for the most part, there will always be something at least fighting to gain control.
Scripture says, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” What do you talk about the most? What do you most enjoy to talk about? Is it God, or is it something else?
The thing that you talk about the most will be the thing that you treasure most in your heart. If it is not God, then it should be seen as an idol or another god. You are treasuring it more than God.
What do you spend your free time doing? Playing video games? Spending time online? Watching TV? Hanging out with friends? Listening to music?
Or, do you spend your free time seeking out God, whether in fellowship, or in His Word, or in worship, or in prayer?
Now, I’m not saying that you should always be talking about God, and that it would be a sin to talk about anything else. But, what are you talking about most? What are you doing the most? How much time are you spending in God’s Word compared to the time spent doing other things?
Dictionary.com defined Christian in a number of ways. One of them was this:
Christian: a person who exemplifies in his or her life the teachings of Christ
Who are you? If your life were defined by what you do, who would you be? I was once a video gamer. Many things have changed. In fact, now, I don't even like video games. But there are always things competing for my heart. I pray for help, and strive to be defined as a Christian, as one who exemplifies the teachings of Christ. Sometimes I am, sometimes I’m not. Are you defined as a Christian (according to Dictionary.com)?
.
Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.”
I think that if I were to ask you, you would probably say that you don’t have a little golden idol hidden away in your room. You don’t go up there and bow down and worship it every morning and evening. You don’t pray to this statue, and worship it. Therefore, you’re already keeping this commandment, right?
Now this may seem like a silly question to some of you. I know that most of you know the answer. But it is something I believe we must all be reminded of constantly.
What does God mean when He says, “You shall have no other gods before me?” Does He mean, “Don’t go making yourself any golden idols and don’t worship them?” Well, sure He does. But that’s not all that this verse is saying.
What this verse is truly talking about is found in our hearts, not in our closets. What in your heart is taking the place of God? What in your heart are you focusing on more than God? It doesn’t have to be something bad. It can be something very good, but if it is taking the place of God, you have elevated it too high.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Is there anything that you love more than God with all your heart, soul, and might? If there is, it has become a god to you.
Look at how much we should love Him. We should teach these words to our children. We should talk of them when we sit in our houses, and when we walk by the way, and when we lie down, and when we rise.
Basically, He is saying that this should be your life. Your life should be lived for God. He should be the One true desire in your heart that you are focusing your entire life on.
Matthew 6:24 says, ““No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
In this case, Christ is speaking specifically about money, but this verse can be applied to all aspects of our lives. We must realize that if we are not living for God, then we are living for something or someone else. If we love one, we will hate the other. If we love, say, money for instance, we will hate God. Now, God is not saying that money is evil (although the Bible does say that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil), but what He is saying, is that we cannot live for one desire and also live for God. We can focus our lives on one thing and one thing only. What is it going to be for you?
Now you may be saying, “I love God. I don’t have any desires competing with God.” This may or may not be true, but given our sinful nature, I would guess that for the most part, there will always be something at least fighting to gain control.
Scripture says, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” What do you talk about the most? What do you most enjoy to talk about? Is it God, or is it something else?
The thing that you talk about the most will be the thing that you treasure most in your heart. If it is not God, then it should be seen as an idol or another god. You are treasuring it more than God.
What do you spend your free time doing? Playing video games? Spending time online? Watching TV? Hanging out with friends? Listening to music?
Or, do you spend your free time seeking out God, whether in fellowship, or in His Word, or in worship, or in prayer?
Now, I’m not saying that you should always be talking about God, and that it would be a sin to talk about anything else. But, what are you talking about most? What are you doing the most? How much time are you spending in God’s Word compared to the time spent doing other things?
Dictionary.com defined Christian in a number of ways. One of them was this:
Christian: a person who exemplifies in his or her life the teachings of Christ
Who are you? If your life were defined by what you do, who would you be? I was once a video gamer. Many things have changed. In fact, now, I don't even like video games. But there are always things competing for my heart. I pray for help, and strive to be defined as a Christian, as one who exemplifies the teachings of Christ. Sometimes I am, sometimes I’m not. Are you defined as a Christian (according to Dictionary.com)?
.
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