December 7

Letter of the Romans (Continued) - Righteousness of God - Romans 3:21-31, 4:1-25, 5:1-21, 6:1-23; Freedom from the Law - 7:1-25; Freedom from Death - 8:1-39

I googled "God's love" and I got 3.4 million sites. I googled "Obama love" and the search came back with 137 million sites. Any questions?

I think of the sacrifice of Christ and it strikes me that we (or, at least, I) don't grasp the immense power of it. But Paul tries to put into perspective for us. I fear we try to limit its limits and effect. It continues to amaze me and gives me hope for the breadth of those His salvation will reach.

"For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many." Romans 5:15

I pray always Heaven throw wide your pearly gates...that everyone might enter.

I am confident that God's love is sufficient, that it will cover far more than we give it credit. Lord knows.

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

December 6

Letters to the Romans - Romans 1:1-17; Judgement of God - Romans 1:18-32, 2:1-29, 3:1-20

David Lipscomb College in 1979, the campus I remember.

It seems like the Church of Christ discovered Grace when I was growing up. When I went to Lipscomb, Dr. Harvey Floyd's class on Romans was what folks were oooohing and ahhhing about. It's funny, I just googled "Romans and Harvey Floyd" and a lot of interesting stuff popped up. Including this from an essay by Jay Guin entitled, Do We Preach 'Another Gospel'?:

I remember sitting in Bible class at David Lipscomb College. While I owe a lot to DLC, including meeting my wife, the fact is that most of the Bible classes were boring and badly taught - little better than poorly taught Sunday School classes. But the class I was in was different. Dr. Harvey Floyd was teaching a class on Romans, and for the first time in my experience, a college Bible teacher was actually teaching on the college level.

Dr. Floyd was a brilliant man. Some of us spent weeks trying to find the same translation he was teaching from, only to learn that he taught straight from the Greek and translated as he went along.

That day's lesson was on grace. I knew what grace meant: "unmerited favor," and in more practical terms, that if I attained a certain level of holiness, God would make up the difference and treat me as perfect and so saved. But I could never figure out just what level I had to attain to earn God's grace. And I couldn't tell from reading the Scriptures why some doctrines, like instrumental music in worship, would damn you if you were wrong; while so many other doctrines, such as the indwelling of the Spirit, permitted differences of opinion.

That day Dr. Floyd explained that grace is a gift, not something you earn. And gifts are by very definition free (Rom. 7:23). They may have conditions attached, such as faith, but nothing of intrinsic merit, such as works, or else grace and salvation just wouldn't be gifts.

As he led the class through Romans 3 and 4, for the first time in my life I felt 100% ironclad, totally saved. I had been baptized when I was eight! And yet for over a dozen years had never felt saved! But I did that day. Indeed, it was the only day in my life when I felt like my feet didn't touch the ground. I felt as though physically lifted six inches off the ground -- as though the heaviest of all possible weights had been lifted off my shoulders."

- p. 15, Do We Preach "Another Gospel"? by Jay Guin [Here's a link to his blog, One in Jesus and a pdf of the entire essay, Do We Preach "Another Gospel"?]

No offense to Dr. Floyd or Jay Guin - I enjoyed Harvey Floyd's teaching as well and I'm thankful we finally discovered grace - it's just I'm always amazed how we land on a teaching and go off on it and celebrate it and pronounce it's singular truth and proudly congratulate ourselves for having recognized it.

Grace has been there from the beginning. Other religious groups, other people have recognized this before us. The truth does not exist because we find it or because it's suddenly vogue. It is and always was and will be. I think love of doctrine is a problem. It is part of the Pharisee's dna. It creates pride in self for seeing and understanding. I'm talking about the love of doctrine. I'm glad, too, that Jay felt saved. But I'm not sure his teaching is any more advanced than those Lipscomb Bible classes he criticized as "boring and badly taught - little better than poorly taught Sunday School classes." I cringed when I read that. Jay, someone could be reading your teaching and thinking the same thing. Sometimes I think we've traded in works for I.Q. Jay's attitude about those teachers says more about his teaching than his well-worded arguments. And I know and confess my own sin of pride and that what I've said about Jay could be said about me and my questioning in this blog.

It's not about doctrine. It's not even about the Bible or grace or works. It's about Christ and knowing and celebrating and telling the world about Him. All Paul does. All any scripture does is point us to the essential truth the "yes" of Christ. We have only to look to our hearts to find the heart of that message. It is that completely evident in my way of thinking. There is too much talk. Too much doctrine. Too little Christ.

How much do we really need to know to know God? Paul writes that God is made plain to everyone.

"...Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

Romans 1:19-20

And then:

"For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)"

Romans 2:13-15

Don't get me wrong. I'm thankful for scripture and God having made himself known and plain. I just grieve what we do with it. With knowledge and understanding and promoting our understanding to others. Instead of introducing them to Christ and let Him do the talking.

All I ever need to know is all around me and on my heart. Yes, scripture helps me to see, but it's not the thing I am to see. Lord knows.

December 5

2 Corinthians continued - Defense of Paul's Apostleship - 2 Corinthians 10:1-18, 11:1-33, 12:1-21, 13:1-14; Acts 20:2-3

I found this icon when I googled "Super Apostles." It was linked to a Super Apostle Detector. Some fun. Knock yourself out.

Nowadays, Paul is just an accepted, even revered, apostle and major contributor to the cannon. It's hard to imagine how controversial he must have been in his day - a killer of Christians now proclaimed to be an Apostle. The first century was far from perfect. How long did perfection on Earth and in the church last? There never was a perfect moment - Christ's followers doubted till the end and then even at the beginning with Christ raised.

There will always be human imperfection in the church, in marriage and in life. Acknowledging the imperfection can transform church, marriage and self.

So Paul feels obligated to spend several chapters defending himself from the "Super Apostles." How did that make him feel? But even as he defends, he leaves us with words that centuries later we find comfort in:

"...There was give me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. [ah, my earlier question is answered. There is perfection in this weakness. The weakness of the church is not exclusive of its perfection. It is part of it.]" 2 Corinthians 12:8-9

For all of the humbling and sorrowful moments he experienced on this earth, I'm confident that Paul has seen more than recompense in heaven and with his Lord. Lord knows.

December 4

Second Letter to the Corinthians - 2 Corinthians 1:1-24, 2:1-13; Regarding Paul's Ministry - 2 Corinthians 2:14-17, 3:1-18, 4:1-18, 5:1-21, 6:1-18, 7:1-16, 8:1-24, 9:1-15

Cliche, I know, but how can you mention God and poetry and not show a tree? And look closely at this tree. I think God has a wonderful sense of humor. I hear Him when He makes a tree like this...by accident.

I was reading poetry in the bathtub. I think it was Mariana's grandmother, Molly, one of those southern ladies who as she aged lost the gentility assigned to the region of her birth and spoke her mind, who said that one shouldn't ever talk about bathing or showering because it inspires unbecoming pictures in the mind. Thank you, Molly.

I was relaxing, reading poetry. A popular poet - which to some is mutually exclusive words - named Billy Collins. Reading good poetry makes me feel good. Something about how it does put pictures in my mind and in the painting of those pictures let's me see meaning vivid detail. Here's a poem I like by Collins. Reminds me of my English teaching days at Lipscomb High:

Introduction to Poetry

By Billy Collins

I ask them to take a poem

and hold it up to the light

like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem

and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's room

and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski

across the surface of a poem

waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do

is tie the poem to a chair with rope

and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose

to find out what it really means.

I was reading poetry just before I picked up The Daily Bible to read today's reading. Maybe it's like how eating one food will change the taste of the next thing you put into your mouth - never eat onion before drinking milk - so reading poetry seemed to change the taste of Paul's letter in my mind. And I heard Paul's poetry this time. I know this isn't a big revelation that there's poetry in Paul's writing. Just something that piqued my interest today. I've never been a big fan of Paul's. He's so passionate, so sure, telling people whether or not to get married and how to cut their hair. Maybe a big braggadocios though they say it's not bragging if it's true. But Paul the poet I find I like.

He who has ears to hear, listen to the many small poems in today's reading [the line breaks are mine]:

"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ.

And so through him the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God."

2 Corinthians 1:20

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay

to show that this all-surpassing power is

from God and not from us.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;

perplexed, but not in despair;

persecuted, but not abandoned;

struck down, but not destroyed."

2 Corinthians 4:7-9

Therefore we do not lose heart.

Though outwardly we are wasting away,

Yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."

2 Corinthians 4:16

"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed,

we have a building from God,

an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands."

2 Corinthians 5:1

"...through glory and dishonor,

bad report and good report,

genuine, yet regarded as imposters;

known, yet regarded as unknown;

dying and yet we live on;

beaten, and yet not killed;

sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;

poor, yet making many rich;

having nothing, and yet possessing everything."

2 Corinthians 6:8-10

There's something about Paul's words that remind me of Thoreau. The confidence and insight, the boldness to live life differently and offer words that help us do just that.

Lord knows.

December 3

Regarding the Resurrection - 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; Closing Personal Thoughts - 1 Corinthians 16:1-24; Acts 19:23-41, 20:1

Ok, I promise, I'm not going to touch baptism for the dead [1 Corinthians 15:29] or Paul's assertion that Peter was first to see Christ after his resurrection [1 Corinthians 15:5]. I had my fill of controversy yesterday.

What caught my eye and ear in this reading was:

"But some may ask, 'How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?' How foolish! When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as He has determined, and to each kind of He gives its own body." 1 Corinthians 15:35-38

We are just seeds of ourselves. I wonder what we will grow in to? So our life - like the life of a plant before it seeds - is to store up what we will need in the next life. And what is it we are here to store up? What is it we have here that we will need to blossom in our next life? Knowledge of God? Or experience with God? I wonder. And I laugh. As I age, at various points, I can't help but think my life is drawing to a close. But, I'm wrong.

I'm just going to seed. Lord knows.

December 2

Regarding Body Unity and Fellowship - 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Regarding Spiritual Gifts - 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 13:1-13, 14:1-40

Well, I guess there are some people who don't realize this speaking in tongues thing is pretty controversial. They wear their belief on their shirt sleeves. Well, to be accurate, they wear it on their t-shirted chests. These and other tongue-inspired tees are available at HolyGhostTees.com. The tees are a steal at $37 a shirt plus $8.95 shipping and handling. I think the price says it all.

Ok, I'm going to avoid the whole spiritual gift thing. Although when I read:

"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy." 1 Corinthians 14:1

"Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers;" 1 Corinthians 14:22

"When you come together everyone has a hymn or a world of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church." 1 Corinthians 14:26

"Therefore, my brothers be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues." 1 Corinthians 14:39

What am I suppose to think? Of course, in my conservative fellowship, the argument has always been something like: Paul is speaking specifically to the Corinthians in their day. The age of miraculous gifts has passed. It ended with the laying on of hands by the Apostles.

I believe God can do anything He wants to do when He wants to do it. He can say everyone will surely die and then Enoch and Elijah don't. He can set the sun and moon in motion and then stop them.

Has the age for miracles ceased or are we a town or a time or a people that Jesus couldn't perform miracles in because of our lack of faith? Mark 6:4-6

But I'm not going to speak about any of this.

What I wanted to point out is the image of the first century church. The teaching and/or preaching seems to be more of a dialogue instead of our monologue.

"Two or three prophets should speak and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace." 1 Corinthians 14:29-33

I like that. I want to go to a service like that. Of course, with our hypersensitivity to order and control, we'd think even the above situation with multiple speakers and people rising from the audience to give a revelation would constitute disorder. We need more dialog in the church and less monolog and pronouncement. I always enjoy it when a minister gets up after a minister and lets the congregation know what a powerful service it's been. It's like the Florida Chamber of Commerce telling you it's sunny outside. Dialog. Dialog. Then elders and ministers would know exactly where the church is at instead of being content that the "core" "gets it." Maybe I should have focused on spiritual gifts instead.

Sorry. That's just my read. At any rate, when all is said and done, as today's reading of the 13th chapter points out, the only important thing is love. Surely we can agree on that.

Lord knows.

December 1

Regarding Immorality - 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 6:1-20; Regarding Marriage and Singleness - 1 Corinthians 7:1-40; Regarding Mutual Submission - 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, 9:1-27; 1 Corinthians 10:1-33, 11:1; Regarding Role Distinctions - 1 Corinthians 11:2-16

"Do you not know that we will judge the angels?" 1 Corinthians 6:3

Whoa, there. Is this a bit of well-placed Pauline hyperbole? Me judge an angel? I just want to see one. And is that angels both good and fallen angels? Are we going to get a quick peek at history and how both the angels of the Lord and the angels of Satan intervened? But now instead of going about their work unnoticed by the bulk of us, we see what really happened and judge. Or is just the good guys and we're just judging as in rating them like Dancing with the Stars? I'd be happy turning my "judge" role over to the Lord. I just want to see them. Get them to autograph something - a judgement day game program, an angel trading card or maybe my heart. I want to see angels. See if the artist got it right. Sometimes when I read these descriptions of angels with multiple wings it sounds more insect than bird like.

Now none of that may be intellectual sound. But this book is more about heart than head. And at the heart of this readings practical suggestions and admonitions is, well, the heart.

And so Paul writes:

"Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." 1 Corinthians 8:1

"The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But he man who loves God is known by God." 1 Corinthians 8:2-3

"Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge of eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge." 1 Corinthians 8:9-11

In God's great celestial card game, love seems to trump knowledge every time. I know, I know, I'm still on my anti-scholar bias here. But I believe in God's view, love is knowledge. Love is the knowledge of God.

Lord knows.