Jesus and Recipes?

I came across a quote today that I’m not sure I fully understand, and just doesn’t seem quite right, at least to me. “Jesus does not give recipes that show the way to God as other teachers of religion do. He is himself the way. — Karl Barth”

What do you think? Is that entirely accurate? Are Jesus teachings devoid of recipes that show the way to God? I guess that would depend on how you view finding God. If you think that knowledge is all you need, then you might agree with Karl Barth. But would Jesus agree with Karl Barth?

Before we look at that question, consider what a recipe is. Recipes contain ingredients, and steps to follow. When you combine the ingredients in the order prescribed by the steps, and you follow the steps that are given in the order they are given, then you are following a recipe and get a defined result.

Back to the previous question – would Jesus agree with Karl Barth? Let’s take a look. This quote borrows from a statement of Jesus himself. Jesus said:

I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

If we believe Jesus, then we must accept at least that Jesus is the way to God.

But consider another statement made by Jesus:

“Verily, verily, I say unto theee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

So Jesus says if we are not born again, we cannot see the kingdom of God. Would you agree that God is in the kingdom of God, and that he is over and the ruler of the kingdom of God? If we cannot see the kingdom of God, then we cannot go to where God is, or see God. That would mean we would not have found the way to God. So in order to see God, it appears that Jesus is saying we must be born again.

Now notice what else Jesus says in John 3.

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life”

So not only do we have to be born again, we find out we need to believe in God’s son.

We could continue with many other passages, but that is not the point. The short version is that Jesus taught many things that we need to do (steps), and many things that we need to have (ingredients), and that these are required according to God’s divine order in order to be pleasing to God. Is this starting to sound very much like a recipe?

Karl Barth is right at least on one account. Many people have created their own recipes for how you can find God, and how you can be pleasing to him. If we try to follow their recipes, then they won’t work. Why? Because Jesus is the way to God, and unless we listen and obey what he said, we cannot find God or be his follower. We must follow what Jesus taught, and be his follower, in order to get to God.

So yes, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and to come to God we must go through Jesus. It’s just that going through Jesus requires us to submit ourselves to him, and his teachings, and be obedient to his commands. If we aren’t willing to do that, then we aren’t willing to come to God “through” Jesus, we are following our own way, and that just won’t work.

In other words, if we are going to come to God through Jesus, the only way to God, we are going to have to learn Jesus’ “recipes” on how we do that, and then follow him, how he lived, and how he taught us to live when we follow him.

To his glory,

David E.

Excuses

People have many excuses for why they don’t attend church. What if you used those same excuses for why you don’t attend ballgames? You would sound pretty silly.

Why I stopped going to ball games:

1. Whenever I go to a game, they ask for money.
2. The other fans don’t care about me.
3. The seats are too hard.
4. Coach never visits me.
5. The referee makes calls I don’t agree with.
6. Some of the games go into overtime and make me late for dinner.
7. The band plays songs I don’t know.
8. I have other things to do at game time.
9. My parents took me to too many games when I was growing up.
10. I know more than the coaches do anyway.
11. I can be just as good a fan at the lake.
12. I won’t take my kids to a game either.  They must choose for themselves which teams to follow.

Citation: Mike and Amy Nappa, A Heart Like His (Barbour, 1999), pp.182-183.

Digging deeper, have you ever noticed that many of the people who go to church, still choose to complain about these same things?

In the end, whether you’re a complainer or just don’t go all, and even if your faithful, we all need to remember the following which Jesus Christ himself reminded us to do:

  And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39 ESV)

Next time you are thinking about not going church, or complaining about something that happened while you were there, remember – put God first, and treat your neighbor the way God wants you to.

To his glory,

David Epler

Are you in love?

Many Christians understand that we are to love God.  Jesus himself told us this was the first and greatest commandment.  One of the questions I ask myself is if I’m really loving God, or simply the idea of God.

Let me explain from a biblical example – the pharisee and the publican.  It’s recorded in Luke 18:10-14.

Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

The Pharisee was in love with the idea of God being his God.  His evidence that God was his God was all the things he did.  Today it might be someone saying “I go to church three times a week.  I give every time I go. …” You get the picture.

We can feel good about being Christian, so much so we forget to be subject unto Christ.  One obvious clue is who or what are we focusing on.  If we aren’t focusing on what God wants and what Christ wants, we’re probably not putting them first.  When we get more focused on what we are doing that is in line with what God says, rather than on what he says and how we can better follow him, we are getting off course.

The Pharisee is the extreme example of this – he was doing all the things the law told him to do, so he believed he was righteous because he could go down the list and say “See, I’m a great Jew!”.

The publican is the extreme opposite – he saw his sin, and how he fell short of what God required.  Out of subjection to God and submitting to God, he asked God to forgive him for his sins.

What about us?  What about you and I?  Do we love God with all of our heart?  Do we see ourselves as always under his rule?  Are we constantly working on submitting to him, and aware of how we are falling short, and grateful for what he did in Christ?  Or are we simply in love with the idea of being a Christian?  Do we like the idea of thinking we’re going to be in heaven after this life, and superficially look at our lives like the Pharisee – see Lord, my life lines up with what you told me to do…

Remember Matt. 7:21-23:

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

It is a sobering reminder that we can be like the Pharisee thinking we are doing all these things because we love God, when in reality we simply love ourselves and the idea that God will save us.

God is great and powerful and worthy of our utmost admiration and reverence.  I need to work more on being like the Publican rather than the Pharisee.

What about you?

To your eternal life,

David Epler

What is Most Important?

If you’re like me, everywhere you turn something wants your attention?  Projects.  People.  Things.  Events.  Activities.  Places.  Work.  The list goes on.

How do we determine what is most important?  Many people simply use their gut feelings as a guide.  In contrast, as christians, our standard is the word of God.   Since we have a standard, we can turn to the bible to find out what is really most important.   One method we could use is to pick something and then test our choice by turning to the word of God.

For example, what about work?  Is work most important?  Let’s take a look.  We can start with 2 Thess. 3:10

For even when we were with you, we would give you this command:  If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

Is work important?  It was important enough for Paul to command that if there were those not willing to work, they should not eat.  It sounds like work is important.  We see more about the importance of work in 1 Timothy 5:8

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

One of the  reasons work is important is not just to provide for ourselves, but to provide for our relatives.  With a little bit of thought we understand that work is  important not simply because of the work itself, but because by work we provide for ourselves and others, and by work we help not only ourselves but others.  That means that we are important, each and every one of us.  If that’s true, and it is, then perhaps family is most important.

Another great passage is Ephesians 5:25

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her,

Here Paul plainly says that a husband is to love his wife to the point of giving himself up for her even to the point of death.  Clearly family is more important than work.  So is family most important?

Let’s take a look at Luke 14:26

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

What are we to do with that?  Love your wife but if you come to Christ you should hate your wife?  It may help some to know that the word translated “hate” takes on the meaning of “to love less” in passages such as this.  Jesus is saying that if we do not love father and mother and wife and children less than we love Jesus, we cannot be his disciples.  Jesus must come before them.  From Luke 14:26, we see then that while family is important, even important enought to die for, it is not most important.  Loving Jesus is more important.  When we understand that Jesus came to earth as God in the flesh, then we gain a greater appreciation about how important it is to love Jesus when we read that the first and greatest command begins with “Love the Lord your God”. 

But what does that mean?  Do we simply have feelings that we call love, and that means we are doing what is most important?  Common sense would tell us that if a man simply claims to have loving feelings for his family, but doesn’t do anything for them, he is deceived.  He doesn’t really love his family.  That should be obvious from the passages referenced above. 

Is this true in our relationship to Jesus Christ?  Is there anything we will be doing if we really love Christ?  We again turn to the standard to find out.  Perhaps one of the clearest places we can turn to is John 14:15,21a.  Jesus is speaking.

If you love me, keep my commandmants.

He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me.

1 John is even clearer.  Consider 1 John 2:4

He who says “I know Him (Jesus),” and does not keep His comandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

How does Jesus know if we love him?  How do we know if we love Jesus?  If we keep his commandments, if we do what he says, if we know his word, and do what he says –  that’s how we know we love Jesus, and how Jesus knows we love him.

What is the conclusion?  Perhaps it is best summarized by the ancient wisdom that God gave to Solomon.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:  Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.  — Eccl. 12:14

What is Truth?

Have you ever noticed how things change?  Culture changes.  People change.  Languages change.  Words take on new meanings as cultures change and people use them in different ways.  The word “truth” is no exception.  Culture is changing and many have a new understanding of what is true and what is not.  But why is that?

 In today’s world, it is not uncommon for someone to think that what is true for you is not true for them.  Many have embraced a concept of individual truth.  Others still hold to the view if something is true,  it is true, not just for me, but for you, and for everyone.  It would seem the main difference between these two views is one sees truth as absolute and universal,while the other holds that truth is relative.  

How can we have a meaningful discussion about truth when it appears there are two different and seemingly diametrically opposed views on what truth actually is?  Perhaps the secret is in realizing that both definitions of truth are recognizing truth in relationship to a standard.  The very concept of truth implies a standard.   The one who holds that truth is absolute and universal believes there are principles and laws at work that do not change.  Thus they are true for everyone.  The other who says that truth is relative recognizes that each of us have different ideas and beliefs, and can hold to different opinions regarding was is true or not.

When two people accept the same rule or standard, then they can agree on what is true and what is not.  Before discussing truth it is important to define and agree on the standard.  Otherwise there is no basis for  mutual understanding. 

With these thoughts in mind, consider the words of Jesus as recorded by John.

If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. — Jesus (John 8:31-32)

Jesus first tells us the standard he wants us to follow – his word.  Everything else he is about to say is conditioned on this, that we abide in his word.  Today his followers recognize the Bible as his word. 

Next, he says the result of abiding in, which means dwelling in and living by his word, is first of all, we are his disciples.  Being a disciple  is another way of saying we are followers and that we live by the teachings of someone.  Christians are those who follow and live by the teachings of Jesus, and are thus his disciples.  It must proceed that if we do not abide in his word, we cannot be and are not his disciples as we are not following Jesus.

As his followers, and continuing to abide in his word, he says we will know the truth.  What truth is that?  Truth as defined by Jesus.  It is not subject to our own interpretation, or views.  It is not individualized for each follower – but it is truth as defined by Jesus – his very word being the standard that Christians follow.   Perhaps it would help to recognize Jesus said we would know “the truth” (only one) rather than using the phrase “a truth” which would imply one of many.  Consider also John 17:17 and 2 Peter 1:20.

This does not mean that you cannot choose to define truth differently,or hold an opinion that there are many truths and we are all free to follow and go wherever we want.  It simply means that to be a follower of Jesus as he defines it, there is only one truth which he has already defined, and we must abide in it and acknowledge it as the truth we must follow for hime to recognize us as his disciples.  His promise that we will “know the truth and the truth will set us free” is contingent on our accepting and abiding in truth as he defines it.

Many today are asking the same question that Pilate asked 2000 years ago.

Truth?  What is truth? — Pilate  (John18:38)

As you consider your answer, rememeber that choices have consequences.  If Jesus is the son of God – the God who created the universe and created us, and if God’s word the bible is 100% accurate, then all of us will spend an eternity either in eternal bliss or eternal torment.  Our individual views of truth will not change whether we exist 1000 years from now, but they will impact how we live here and where will we be then. 

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow me.  — Jesus (Luke 9:23)

So now it is up to you, and the question for you to consider and answer is: 

“Truth? What is truth?”

To your eternal future,

David Epler II

Test All Things

Test all things; hold fast what is good. — 1 Thess 5:21

How do we know if something is good and true?  We test it.   For example years ago when someone found gold, they would take it to the assayers office to have it tested.  If it was really gold, it was valuable.  If not, it was generally worthless.

Paul instructed the Thessalonians to do the same when it came to religious teaching.  Test it.  Prove it.  Verify that it is really so.  How do we know if it is true or not?  We have to compare it to the standard.   As Christians we know that the standard is God’s word, the bible.

As part of the focus of this web site we seek to test things by God’s word.

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness,examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. — Acts 17:11

To his glory,

David Epler II