God and Judas Iscariot

“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.”

— 2 Thessalonians 2:7 —

Where do we begin? Evil exists, ultimately, because we have been designed by our Creator to make free will choices; to discern between right and wrong. Again, be design we are free to choose; God does not coerce us into making the right choices to His name’s glory. Furthermore, He will judge everything in perfect justice in the end (Romans 14:10–12; 1 Corinthians 4:3–5; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 9:27).

Free will is wonderful until someone’s free will adversely affects us, directly or indirectly. As when we were in school and one student made the dumb decision to act up; and then we all suffered the consequences.

Again, God allows things to be done—the good and the bad—and He will judge it all: every idle word we say (Matthew 12:36–37) and every thought and intention of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12–13). He didn’t stop Judas Iscariot from betraying His Son into the ruthless hands of the Jews (John 18:2, 5). “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. … What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:28, 31–32).

It’s not that God causes all things … He causes all things to work together (the Greek word sunergeō from which our word “synergy” comes from) for good. And for good to those who love Him! Truly, God’s grace toward us when we were helpless, when we were ungodly, is stunning! God should be praised for His indescribable gift (Romans 5:6–9; 2 Corinthians 9:15).

The first couple of chapters of the first book in the Bible describes a beautiful and sinless place identified as the Garden of Eden (2:8). We’re informed that in the beginning God “saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). But something happened …

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.’” And the serpent said to the woman, “You surely shall not die!” (Genesis 3:1–4)

The word of God is clear that Eve was deceived (2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:14). But what Adam did was poorly discern between right and wrong: and he chose wrong, he chose to do that which was evil in the sight of God—he sinned. And there were immediate and far-reaching consequences. To this day we bear in ourselves the consequences of Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12). We do not bear his guilt—that’s on him (see Romans 5:14)—but when we ourselves sin against God’s will, that’s on us. “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:24–25).

In Solomon’s assessment, “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God” (Ecclesiastes 8:11–13).

All is not hopeless. We must depend upon the promises of God (see Hebrews 6:13–20). “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9–11).

The Faith of Demons

You believe that God is one; you do well. 

Even the demons believe—and shudder! 

(James 2:19)

In referring to the imperative nature of having an active faith, the writer of the book of Hebrews admonishes us: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. … By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. … And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:1, 3, 6). What he writes here reminds us of Solomon’s foundation to knowledge which leads us to wisdom and instruction: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7).

But when we use the word “faith” we’re not just saying that we believe a certain set of facts without them effecting change in us. If we did, then we would be manifesting the faith of demons, who believe in God’s existence and shudder, but this realization or concession doesn’t effect change in them.

Consider what William Barclay wrote about this demon-like faith: “There is belief which is purely intellectual. For instance, I believe that the square on the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle equals the sum of the squares on the other two sides; and if I had to, I could prove it—but it makes no difference to my life and living. I accept it, but it has no effect upon me. … What James is arguing against is the … acceptance of a fact without allowing it to have any influence upon life” (The Letters of James and Peter, 73).

Is it any wonder, then, that the first word of the gospel is “repent”? The apostle Peter was asked “What shall we do?” after his audience had heard that they crucified Jesus who is Lord and Christ. Peter replied, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37–38). Again, the first thing he said to them was repent. Those with a demon-like faith would have simply walked away; but “those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41).

Repentance is not merely accepting the need to change our minds, but it is a call from God for us to conform to his will. Allowing the Bible to serve as its own commentary, we read Paul’s definition of what repentance is: “that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit; and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth” (Ephesians 4:22–24).

What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can that faith save him? And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, and one of you tells them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled;” and yet you did not give them the things the body needs, what good is it? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself (James 2:14–17).

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say? Everyone who comes to me, and hears my words, and does them, I will show you who he is like. He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation on the rock. When a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it was founded on the rock. But he who hears, and doesn’t do, is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great” (Luke 6:46–49).

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1–2).

That Is Not the Way You Learned Christ

They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus.

—Ephesians 4:19–21—

It’s easy to claim to be a follower of Jesus. Anyone can do it! There are many people who firmly (and sincerely) believe that it doesn’t really matter how they behave if they simply believe. The Lord didn’t teach this, and neither did his apostles.

Jesus said, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great” (Luke 6:46–49).

In the context of our reading from Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul is urging them not to be like the culture around them, living in the futility of their minds: they’re to be different by putting off their former manner of life, being renewed in the spirit of their minds, and putting on the new self—

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:17–24).

The truth of God in the first century is the truth of God in the twenty-first century! God seeks in us a change, a difference from the world in which we live. It’s not always easy to be different than our surroundings, but we can do it if we’ll trust the Lord and follow his commands; and his commands are not burdensome (John 12:50 / 1 John 5:3).

It’s not just about reading the Bible, it’s about allowing God’s word into our hearts and minds—meditating (thinking) on his word (Psalms 1:2 / 19:4 / 63:5-7 / 119:15 / Philippians 4:8-9); spending time with his word, focusing on what matters most (1 Peter 1:13). The thing is, we’re all busy in our own ways, but we all know we should be making the best use of the time God is giving us (Colossians 4:5). We need to prioritize our priorities (Matthew 5:20 / 6:33). There’s a need to have some “down time,” but we don’t need to dwell there!

As the apostle Paul defended himself before King Agrippa, he said, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:19–20).

God still calls us to repent, turn to him, and do the things he commands in his word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It’s not merely a matter of what we believe, but what we do (James 1:19-25 / Ephesians 2:8-10). It’s not just that we stop doing bad things (repenting) but that we do the right things. “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17). As the ESV Study Bible explains: “It is not only what people do that matters; the good that they fail to do is equally important to God.”

Pursue Love

If one member suffers, all suffer together; 

if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 

—1 Corinthians 12:26—

The word “love” is used 213 times in the New Testament (ESV). It’s used the most in the first letter of John (36 times) and in his gospel (26). The main point I want to underscore from this is that love is a very important concept from God to man—“For God so loved the world …” (John 3:16). And it’s not merely that God loved us, but that His kind intention is that we love one another.

The love God has for us is supposed to be shared by us toward one another:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:7–11).

Jesus taught the apostles—“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35). The thing is, we know this … there’s nothing new to us in reading this passage.

But why is loving our brother sometimes difficult? Maybe we’d point the finger to our difficult brother! In all seriousness, the issue is not one-sided—it never has been, nor will it ever be. Indeed, there are those who make it challenging to be loved, but our Lord doesn’t admonish us to only love those who love us back. The harder thing is loving those who don’t love us back (and our Savior knows this better than anyone).

Jesus taught that we’re to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44). I would hope we never consider a brother or sister as an enemy, but even if we did, we’re supposed to love our enemies and therefore love our brethren! We’re to strive to be perfect as our heavenly Father and love everyone (Matthew 5:43–48).

John wrote: “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:15–16).

Paul admonishes: “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:1–5).

How do we go about pursuing love?

1. We need to hold in the highest esteem love as God does—“God is love” (1 John 4:8). “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. Pursue love” (1 Corinthians 13:13–14:1). As Paul would conclude in his first letter to the Corinthians—“Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14).
2. Pray for one another (James 5:16). Selfishness is sinful (Philippians 2:3; James 3:13–18), but some pray selfishly. Our prayers should include others; we certainly want others praying for us, so we should pray for others. Jesus prayed for Peter (Luke 22:31–32). Jesus intercedes for us (Romans 8:34). Paul asked for prayers and we’re sure he received them (Ephesians 6:18–19).
3. Remember that Christ died for all of us—that His gift of love and forgiveness is for all the ungodly (Romans 5:6, 8; Ephesians 5:2; John 6:51; 1 John 2:2).
4. Be genuine in our love for others (Romans 12:9). We know the importance of really being loved; God has done this for us, we should be willing to do this for one another—“And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24–25).

Honest and Good Hearts

And the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have 

heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, 

and bear fruit with perseverance.

—Luke 8.15—

There are a couple of points to stress from this passage. First of all, as we raise our children and influence our grandchildren, nieces and nephews, let’s remember to instill in them honesty and goodness by our own examples of honesty and goodness. Most of us learn better (more permanently) not by being told what to do, but by being shown what to do.

They need to see these qualities in us that the Lord taught necessary to receiving the word of God (the seed, Luke 8.11). These qualities might be instinctive to some degree—some people seem to be predisposed to being honest and good more than others—but I believe the word of God can change us into becoming honest and good as we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3.18).

Another point to stress from Luke 8.15 is the dire need we have to learn from Jesus and grow in His grace: Jesus urges us all to “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11.29). Learning from Jesus comes by learning about Him as He’s been revealed to us in His word (John 12.44–50), meditating upon it, gleaning from it the wisdom needed, and doing what we have learned by His perfect example (Ephesians 4.20–24). It’s not just about learning what Jesus taught, but also what He did in glorifying His Father.

Jesus is honest and good; therefore, we need to strive for these qualities. It’s not to say that other qualities—love, goodness, kindness, self-control, for example—are not necessary, but these two characteristics (honesty and goodness) are what the Lord explained are needed to receiving the word of God and being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12.1–2).

Bearing fruit with perseverance indicates that we’re bearing fruit (Galatians 5.22–24 / Philippians 1.9–11 / Romans 2.6–7) to God’s glory. “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15.8).

And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful (Luke 6.31–36).

And how do we bear fruit? Jesus said, “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15.5). As the apostle Paul put it, “Continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3.14–17).

Growing in grace means that we’re wholly dependent upon God’s thoughts and ways as He has revealed them to mankind through the apostles and prophets (2 Peter 1.16–21 / Isaiah 55.8–11 / Zechariah 1.4–6 / Ephesians 2.19–20 / 3.4–5).

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2.1–4).

Our call to action is to learn God’s ways and do them: “Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves” (James 1.21–22). Remember, good and honest …

We Are What We Eat

How sweet are Thy words to my taste, 

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Psalm 119:103

We all know, but we may not all appreciate, that we are what we eat. In other words, if we eat a lot of junk food, then we’re going to eventually bear the consequences of that consumption—and it has also been scientifically shown to affect our thinking and attitudes. If we choose to eat a balanced diet, including those veggies (even broccoli?), the benefits of eating better will also be manifested physically, intellectually, and emotionally.

This applies spiritually—we are what we eat. If we consume spiritually-light foods (what I call spiritual cotton candy) then we’re not going to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3:18).

We need to get desperate for God’s food—as Jesus said it, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). God’s grace freely offers us this spiritually rich feast—in the prophet Isaiah’s words: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food” (Isaiah 55:1-2).

Or, as David put it: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5).

The idea that we are what we eat can also be shown by what the apostle Peter wrote, when he encouraged us to be like newborns longing “for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation — if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:2-3).

One of the problems is that many don’t eat as they should, encouraging personal and thus congregational growth; and if we’re not growing, we’re dying (Ephesians 4:11-16; Revelation 3:1-6). This is an unchanging principle of life.

The writer of Hebrews rebuked his audience for not growing as they should—as would be expected of anyone who follows Christ—because of what they were limiting themselves in consuming and what they were possibly refusing to consuming—“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14).

The word of God is for our spiritual benefit—it’s not merely information for us to know things (mere knowledge), but it goes far beyond that in providing us life here and now (true wisdom is using what we know), but most especially into the eternity (John 1:1-5, 14-18; 3:16; 12:44-50). In Jesus’ own words: “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal” (John 6:27).

Take special notice of the wonderful words of King David given to him by the Holy Spirit (Psalm 19:9-11)—

The rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

And when David was in the wilderness of Judah, he wrote: “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips” (Psalm 63:3-5).

Again, we are what we eat—and so we need to be careful, deliberate and focused in feeding our souls with the best God has given. God generously provides us the best as He has prepared a table before us where we can feast sumptuously (James 1:5-8; Psalm 23:5). Have we eaten today?

The Posture of Prayer

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father

—Ephesians 3:14—

When the apostles asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, nothing is mentioned in the passage about the physical posture (see Luke 11:1–4). This means our physical posture is immaterial: it’s not the primary concern of prayer. When Jesus was asked by His disciples to teach them to pray, He did not say one word about physical posture.

The most important posture for us to take in prayer is not physical, but spiritual — it is the posture of humility (see Isa. 57:15; 66:2; James 4:6–10; 1 Pet. 5:5–7).

God’s word does not impose upon us one kind of posture to assume in praying—bowing down, or bowing the knee is common (2 Chron. 6:13; Psalm 95:6; Matt. 17:14; Mark 1:40; Luke 22:41; Acts 7:60; 9:40; 20:36; Rom. 14:11; Php. 2:10). Other postures are mentioned — standing (Mark 11:25; Luke 18:11–13); falling on our face (Mark 5:33; Luke 17:16).

One brother put it this way: “Bowing the knee is an expression which expresses spiritual attitude much more than physical posture” (Colly Caldwell).

Allow me to make this point — if physical posture matters, then those who are immobilized on beds of affliction because of disease or injury are helpless in prayer. We can’t imagine telling someone who is laid flat on their back in a hospital room that their prayers are going to go unanswered because they cannot kneel or maybe even bow their heads.

The importance of prayer is in the disposition of one’s heart as we pray (see Luke 18:9–14; Matt. 6:5–6).