James: Trials of Faith
The Meaning of Baptism
In this audio sermon/lesson I explain the true meaning of baptism as given by Paul in his description found in Romans 6:1-12. Please leave comments so that I can continue to provide quality audio and video material on subjects that are of interest to you.
The Name of God
THE NAME OF GOD
Many times I listened to sermons of pastors or read books that are meant to enlighten us about Jesus and the role he played in the revelation of God to men, but I always seem to come away feeling disappointed. I realize that one cannot preach or teach on something that they themselves do not fully understand and probably no one truly fully understands the intimate relationship between Jesus and God. But this is not an excuse for us to not search scripture for the fullness of truth on the matter.
In some cases the further we develop our knowledge the better our understanding becomes, but sometimes the more knowledgeable we become the less that we truly understand. In my own personal search for truth I thought it might be better to try to understand Jesus from the point of view of a contemporary Jew who made up Jesus’ intimate audience. What would a Jew think about Jesus when he said the things he said about himself? What would they think when he performed miracles and even forgave sins? Now I’m not talking here about the self-righteous Jews called Pharisees, but about those who really wanted to follow Jesus and understand him. I think that if we can get into their mindset of such a person, we will able to understand Jesus’ relationship with God in a much deeper, meaningful manner than using old theological terms that were developed much later by those trying to justify their spiritual understanding with philosophers.
To begin our study we accept that God has always revealed himself to man from the moment of creation. Even creation itself is an act of revelation. But what is important here is not a general knowledge of God, but an intimate one. When God wanted to reveal himself personally he did so using the name “Yahweh.” Some of you may better recognize this name in another form “Jehovah.” Most theologians today believe that Yahweh is a more accurate translation of the name of God so I’ll stick with that one. Many Bible editors chose to use LORD in all uppercase as a substitute for God’s name to avoid controversy. You can, however, find Jehovah used in the American Standard Version. The main point that I want to make here is that there was an actual name associated to God.
If we take the time to study how God revealed himself using this name, we can see that there was a progressive development that took place according to the scriptures of the Old Testament. These names reveal some very interesting qualities of God. Some revelations of God under this name are Provider, Healer, Banner, Sanctifier, Peace, Righteousness, Shepherd, Presence, and LORD of Hosts.
So, the Jews during the time of Christ were very much aware of the importance of God’s name and what it revealed. Once we understand this we can see how through this name God developed a profile of himself that was to be later fulfilled in his revelation of Christ.
The final revelation of God’s name is found in the name JESUS, which means “Yahweh (Jehovah) Our Salvation.” So in the person of Christ we have the culmination of all the previous qualities of God revealed in his name fulfilled in the final revelation of Yahweh as Jesus.
Why is this important and what can we gain from this understanding? It is important because it teaches us that the name of Jesus is a derivation of the name Yahweh (Jehovah) and therefore, the name of Jesus must be given the same respect and authority as the name Yahweh. We can see this when we read through the New Testament and observe how the disciples used the name Jesus with that same authority as well as how the Pharisees negatively reacted when the disciples called upon the name of Jesus for healing and salvation.
Romans 10:13 (KJV)
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Interestingly, we can see this exact same verse applied in the Old Testament to the name Yahweh:
Joel 2:32 (NKJV)
32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD (Yahweh) Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.
It is very clear that Joel’s prophecy predicted a time when people would call upon God’s name for salvation. And according to Peter there is only one name, Jesus, that has the authority to save.
Acts 4:10-12 (KJV)
12 “. . . .for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
And if you are not convinced by those verses compare Isaiah 45 to Philippians 2
Isaiah 45:22-23 (KJV)
22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
Philippians 2:10-11 (KJV)
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
What we can gain from this is an understanding that God has become all things to us. When we call upon the name Jesus we are calling upon God in the form of the most intimate revelation of him that exists.
Because of the unity of the name of God between Yahweh and Jesus the identity of Jesus cannot be separated from God himself nor can God be separated from Jesus. This means that the God of the Old Testament is not a different God in any sense, but an unfinished revelation that would finally be fulfilled in the birth and death of Jesus. So now you know why the name of Jesus was so very important to Peter, Paul, John, and the rest of the disciples. I hope that now it will be more important and meaningful to you as well.
Beyond Faith
Most of what we hear today from pastors is about having faith in God or in Christ. Even Luther and other reformers spoke almost exclusively about faith and how this was our primary means of salvation. We haven’t come much further from this message although it might surprise you that both Paul and Christ did not consider faith to be the ultimate goal.
For years Paul’s statement in I Corinthians 13 troubled me as to how faith was not the greatest way to perfection. But even Jesus gave us a clue that we needed to look deeper into the gospels and the letters to find the perfect way beyond faith.
According to Paul it was love and not faith that was the greatest thing to seek after (1Cor 13:13) and Jesus taught that the greatest commandment was not to have faith in God, but to love God with all of our heart, soul and mind, which was recorded in all three synoptic gospels (Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27).
Why is this distinction so important? I have seen over the years that many believers struggle with their faith. “Faith alone” has created many ethical conflicts in people’s lives as well as in my own. I have also seen people who appeared to have great faith but were missing something that prevented them from growing spiritually and becoming more Christlike. What was missing in them was love, but this is not some ordinary love. It was divine love (Agape Love). It is the love that binds God to man and man to God. This is why 1 Corinthians 13:13 tells us that love is greater than both faith and hope. Love is what actually transforms us into Christ. This is not to say that faith and hope are not necessary, but as Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:21, one might have great faith and still not make it into his kingdom. How is this possible?
Faith enables us to do mighty works, i.e., healing, miracles, conversions, etc., but these are not our works, they are the works of God. It is love that transforms us by allowing us to take God’s love and give it to others. It is this process that God’s love flows through us like a mighty river, transforming us into his sons and daughters.
How then do we transcend faith and reach divine love? I do not believe that we can simply create love for God. The source of love is not actually in the lover, but in the beloved. It is the quality of the Beloved that draws us towards him. Have you not heard the scripture that says, “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19)? God loved us by giving us the life of his only Son. This is a two-pronged love; for the Father gives us his Son, but the Son gives us himself. The two are inseparable.
But it is not just this act of God’s selflessness that draws us to love God. It is the very character of Jesus that completes our love for God. It makes it possible to love God in the fullness of his personal character as seen in Christ. But where do we see this character? In the Sermon on the Mount. It is here that we get insight into the very character of God in Christ. This is the Christ that we must love and we do this by loving everything that he teaches. If we exclude these teachings, we diminish the very source of our love.
So, why is love greater than faith? Because love transcends faith. Faith cannot take us where love can because love fulfills faith.
Matthew 22:36-40 (KJV)
36Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38This is the first and great commandment.
39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Read this carefully and notice the order of love. We must first love God before we love our neighbor. Why? Because we cannot love our neighbor with God’s love unless we are first filled with His love. It is a misunderstanding to think that we love God by loving our neighbor. Although many today believe that self-love is necessary for divine love, this is not the message of Christ.
So, the whole teaching of Jesus is that you must have faith in order to enable you to come to a fullness of love for both God and men. For you cannot have divine love without first having divine faith and you cannot fulfill divine faith unless you also have divine love.
Summary of the Sermon on the Mount
After reading the Sermon on the Mount you might be thinking to yourself that no one can achieve the perfection that Jesus teaches here, but if you are thinking this, you are missing the point. We are not here to judge ourselves or others as to whether we are perfect or not, but whether we really love the one who is perfect. Paul understood exactly what Jesus was teaching and reflected it in his writings to the Philippians:
Philippians 3:12-14 (KJV)
12Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
We are called to strive toward the upward call of God in Christ. The truth remains that we cannot accomplish the goals set for us in this sermon by our own willpower nor achieve it by the use of self-help books. But such weakness is not an excuse for our failure. Realizing this brings us much closer to understanding Jesus’ teaching. What Jesus expects from us is to love the character that he just described in his sermon. This character is, in fact, a profile of Jesus himself. If we say that we believe in Jesus, this is the Jesus that we must believe in. This is the true Jesus who lifts us out of sin by his own character through love.
The Sermon on the Mount cannot and should not be reduced to one idea or simplified into a cliché. It is complex and speaks to us differently at different levels at different times in our lives. Today, many have taken Jesus’ teachings and transformed them into a behavioral psychology in order to satisfy man’s psychological needs. We see this frequently when pastors take the words of Jesus and conform them into motivational techniques in order to publish best-selling Christian self-help books. These are mere imitations of the true teachings of Jesus. We must understand that what started out as divine teaching has now been transformed, conformed, and finally adapted to the needs of humanity as a technique to improve the quality of life and not the divine teaching of God that brings eternal salvation.
Authority of Jesus (Matt 7:28-29)
How did people react to this sermon? They were amazed and astonished at what he said because he taught as one who had the authority to say such things. He wasn’t quoting other rabbis or schools of theology. He was himself the origin of authority. When he did quote Moses or others he did so only to show how his teachings were superior. This was not to say that Moses got it wrong, but rather that Jesus came to finish the work that was started under the Mosaic Law. He would be the one to fulfill this law not simply by his teaching, but by his very being. This is one major difference between Jesus and other religious figures. Others could only claim to be teachers or at best prophets, but nothing more.
Unfortunately, today people no longer seem to be amazed at this sermon and his teachings. They try every way possible to turn these truths into something abstract. Their point is to make it unnecessary for anyone to take it seriously as a way of life. They turn it into a form of idealism where one can only meditate upon it, but certainly not apply these teachings to their reality. Was Jesus giving this sermon just for the mere reason of establishing a “Christian Ideology?” No! So, when you read or listen to these teachings simply allow yourself to become amazed and astonished. This will be the beginning of true understanding.
Doers of the Word (Matt 7:21-27)
The next set of verses are very difficult for some to not only understand, but also to accept that they may apply to them. There are some who call Jesus their Lord, prophesy in his name, cast out demons, and even perform miracles who will not enter into God’s kingdom. Jesus warns us that the bottom line is that we must do the will of his Father. Everyone who hears this sermon and does them is like the wise man who properly prepares himself like a builder who prepares his house for a storm. Such a house is built upon a solid foundation that will not give way in a storm. The one who did not build his house properly loses everything because the foundation is destroyed by the flood waters bringing down the house along with it.
We should not simply gloss over these verses like they don’t affect us. The gospel of Jesus is not simply that he died for our sins, but it is the complete teaching of Jesus. He is telling us here that a true believer begins with this truth—Jesus is Lord! Everything is built upon this truth. We do not lay a foundation of works nor one of half-truths. We begin with the belief that Jesus is truth and everything else is built upon that foundation.
How do we feel when we hear the Sermon on the Mount? Are we willing to listen to what Jesus is telling us or are we satisfied with a Hallmark version of it where its sting is removed so as not to offend anyone? Are these simply nice words to repeat like poetry or are they words to live by? Jesus seems to feel that we must live by them if we are to be the wise man in this parable. I agree.
False Prophets (Matt 7:15-20)
These verses are directly related to the previous verses on the wide gate and broad way. Here Jesus warns of false prophets. From Jesus’ time till now they have existed and still exist today. These are people who claim to be speaking about the things of God when, in fact, they are deceivers. So, outwardly they appear to be like sheep, but inside they are ravenous wolves. So how can we tell the difference? These wolves are people who have an extreme appetite or hunger for wealth and power. Although they appear to be driven by Biblical teachings, they are really driven by greed, wealth, and power. Many such wolves have been fooling naive believers with their false performances for generations, but eventually their true motives are revealed.
Jesus tells us that we can know them by their fruits. Sometimes this gets a little tricky because they are very good at their sheepish disguise. We must look for love not in their words or even in their deeds, for both can be imitated, but in their character (this is their real fruit). It is their character that is faulty because it is like bad fruit from a bad tree. Even if it looks good, it is rotten to the core. Rest assured that their reward will be justly deserved for all the deception that they have spread.
2 Peter 2:3 (ASV)
3 And in covetousness shall they with feigned (false) words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not.
The King James and American Standard Version are closest to the proper Greek interpretation of this verse in Peter. We can see the fulfillment taking place today where churches are concerned more with the production of their service than its content. Believers have been turned into merchandise. Making money off the Word of God in books, movies, and speaking engagements have priority over the real teachings of Jesus. Let us remember how much Jesus charged for his teaching—nothing! As a matter of fact, Jesus paid the ultimate price for us to listen—his death on a cross. But over the years of my experience I realize that this is all that they have. They do not have any real understanding of Jesus and therefore can’t teach what they themselves do not know. They would be far better to be quiet sitting in the pews listening than to be preaching from the pulpit.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (KJV)
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Paul warns us as he warned the Corinthians to be careful of appearances. Many false prophets will appear to be apostles of Christ even to the point of looking like angels of righteousness. It is one thing to preach about righteousness and another to be righteous. But God will not be fooled by them and they will suffer a righteous judgment by their own words.
The Wide and Narrow Gate (Matt 7:13-14)
How then do we enter into God’s kingdom? We must enter through the narrow gate and difficult path. It is a narrow gate in the sense that we must accept the teaching that not all religions will get you there. Even the Pharisees who practiced Judaism and the Law of Moses will not automatically be accepted into God’s kingdom. This doesn’t mean that we must be perfect in order to enter. Rather, it means that not everyone will be allowed in simply because they perform the correct rituals, say the correct prayers, or be sanctioned by some religious authority. This goes against many pastors and theologians today who want us to believe that the gate is wide and inclusive of everyone regardless of their beliefs and conduct. It is true that Jesus speaks about a wide gate and broad path of inclusion, but he tells us that those who travel on that road will end in destruction. The narrow gate and path are the only ones that lead to life and few will find it.
2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Scripture tells us that Jesus wants to include as many as possible, but they must enter through the narrow path into the narrow gate. These are not those who are already righteous, but those who truly want to be righteous and recognize that true righteousness is in him (Christ) alone.
In these verses Jesus is teaching us that there are many who will fall into error. There are many false religions that may sound great, but are deceiving many. There are even many pastors who have extracted some Biblical truths only to mix them with human psychology or philosophy in order to create a deceptive form of Christianity that has drawn many people into to their churches.
The narrow gate also refers to the idea that we must enter God’s kingdom as an individual and not as a group. This gate only has enough room for one person to pass through at a time. We don’t enter into God’s kingdom because we are members of the correct church or denomination. Each of us will stand before Christ as an individual, naked, and stripped of all religious identity. We cannot assume that just because we are with the crowd or the majority that we are on the correct path. Jesus actually teaches that the opposite is true.
The term “narrow path” is actually translated from a Greek word that means narrow in the sense of being very difficult to pass through. This narrow path implies that life will be a struggle for believers as we live in this world. The world will resist us because it resists true holiness. It is a difficult path because our family and our friends may reject us. We may lose are jobs and some may lose everything that they have including their lives on account of God’s kingdom. But although it is a path of struggle, it is the only one that will eventually lead us into God’s eternal kingdom of peace and holiness.
In this sermon Jesus certainly didn’t bend his truth in order to recruit followers. In fact, he made it very clear that those who were willing to follow him better prepare themselves for this difficult path. This path hasn’t changed simply because we now live in the 21st century. If anything, it is getting more difficult to live such a life since Jesus’ teachings are becoming more obscured by a Hallmark imitation of his truth.
PHILOSOPHY & CHRISTIANITY 