"Faith is ... the certainty of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1)
livingwithfaith.org
  • HOME
  • ARTICLES
  • E-BOOKS
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT

The Apostle Paul's Job Description

10/29/2014

 
Picture"Paul" By Kenneth Wyatt *
Throughout the epistles of Paul the apostle gives us glimpses of how he saw his job description. Most of his epistles open by greeting those to whom he writes as an “apostle” or “servant” of Jesus Christ (in fact, all the named epistles sent by him alone), but these are essentially job titles rather than job descriptions. Similarly, in his letter to Philemon Paul introduces himself as the “prisoner” of Jesus Christ because of his captivity, but once again this is a summary of his role at that time, not an extended job description. It is interesting to look closely at verses where Paul elaborates more fully what the goals of his work were. 

One such job description occurs in Paul’s letter to Titus: “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—in the hope of eternal life” (Titus 1:1-2).

This description revolves around Paul’s famous triad of “faith, hope and love,” although the fact may not be obvious without thinking about it. He mentions faith and hope directly, and the third quality – love – is lightly veiled in the form of “godliness” which (although it can be more than love alone), the Bible frequently equates with love. Because God is love (1 John 4:8) godliness obviously is also the way of love; and we see the equation made clear, for example, in 2 Peter 1:3-7 where godliness is positioned with brotherly affection and love.   

But Paul does not mention his great triad of spiritual qualities just to include them in the letter – he could have done that later. Instead, he stresses them in the statement of his job description as being at the heart and core of his work.  Reading the whole of Titus 1:1-2 we see how Paul envisioned this.  The apostle clearly saw a big part of his job as “furthering” or growing and expanding the faith of those God had called, as well as their “knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness” and their “hope of eternal life.”

Most of us think of “faith, hope and love” in the context of I Corinthians 13, where  Paul shows we should be developing these things in ourselves. So it’s easy to read over the same qualities in the epistle to Titus without grasping their significance for Paul – as key elements in the job he was called to do.  We may even study, meditate and pray about these very qualities as things we should strive to develop in ourselves, but how often do we think of them as goals for the lives of others?

Remembering Paul’s self-defined job description, we might think more about how we too can help grow these qualities in others. It’s easy to see the outgoing aspect of our calling as essentially one of helping others to initial belief in Christ – but then it tends to stop. Perhaps we think of continuation in terms of ongoing “encouragement” of our brothers and sisters, but Paul shows us that he had specific goals in mind in the work he did.  Faith, hope and love/godliness lie at the heart of what Paul had to say about living God’s way of life. Titus 1:1-2 shows us that Paul also saw that teaching and developing these qualities in others was an important part of doing God’s work.   

How do we apply this principle to help others grow these qualities? It's a big question, but if we want to imitate Paul as he tells us to do (1 Corinthians 4:16), as he himself imitated Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1), it's a question we should all think on.

* Reproduced with the kind permission of the artist, Kenneth Wyatt
(kennethwyatt.com).

Did John Know Jesus or Not?

10/22/2014

 
Picture
Scripture in Question:  ​John 1:31-33 

The Gospel of John records the words of John the Baptizer, that he “did not know” Jesus when the latter went to him to be baptized in the Jordan: “I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel … I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit’” (John 1:31-33).

But, as many skeptics have pointed out, John was a relative of Jesus.  John’s mother Elizabeth knew Jesus’ mother Mary, and knew that she was to be the mother of the Messiah (Luke 1:43), and it is unlikely that John would never have met Jesus and did not know him.  Furthermore, Matthew records that as John spoke to the Jews well before the baptism of Jesus he told them: “… after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry” (Matthew 3:11). When Jesus did go to John for baptism, but before John  saw the Spirit descend on him, John objected that he was, indeed, unworthy to perform the immersion for Jesus (Matthew 3:14), indicating that he not only knew Jesus, but also knew who he probably was.

The solution to this apparent contradiction between Matthew and John is that the Greek language in which the New Testament was written has several words which may be used for “knowing.”   The word oida  – which was used by the Baptizer to say he did not “know” Jesus (and also that the Jews did not “know” Jesus in John 1:26) –  carries the meaning of  what we might call firm or certain knowledge – to know “for sure,” as we might say.  It would seem that although John probably knew Jesus from childhood and was aware of many of the signs indicating he might be the promised Messiah, he did not know “for sure” that Jesus was, indeed, the Christ until he saw
“the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him” (John  1:32).

Overcoming Obstacles to Faith

10/19/2014

 
Picture
Everyone who has begun to travel down the road of faith knows that there can be obstacles along the way. Some spiritual obstacles cannot be avoided, but they can be overcome in the same way that an athlete learns to leap over the hurdles set up on a running track. 

Today we have uploaded a new article: "Overcoming Obstacles to Faith: A Basic Guide" which looks at five of the most common obstacles that block the development of our faith. These obstacles are common to the human condition, and we see them even in the lives of Christ’s own disciples. Jesus warned against each of them – usually in context of the expression “You of little faith” – and the more fully aware we are of these obstacles, the better we can be prepared to overcome them.  Read the article here.

Book Review: The Reason For God

10/15/2014

 
Picture
THE REASON FOR GOD:
BELIEF IN AN AGE OF SCEPTICISM

By Timothy Keller
   
This book is not new, but it is one which belongs in the Reviews section of this site. The author begins by showing that whether we accept or reject the idea of God, we make a leap – whether it is a “leap of faith” or a “leap of doubt,”  we choose between two possibilities in an alternate set of beliefs.

As Keller maintains, we really can only make a choice as to which account of the world has the most “explanatory power” for us personally to make sense of what we see in the world and in ourselves. To presume that logic or faith alone somehow proves one choice over the other can be an error which is belied by the number of intelligent individuals who have chosen each kind of "leap."  This is an excellent book on the nature of belief which will repay the time spent with it. You can read our short review here.

Have You Checked?

10/15/2014

 
If you haven't checked our sister site, TacticalChristianity.org, recently you will find that there is more new material there.  As is the case with this site, blog posts and/or other material is uploaded at least once a week and usually more often.

Recent blog posts you might enjoy on TacticalChristianity.org include: “It’s How We End Up that Counts,” “An Eternal Foreclosure Recovery Plan,” “A Mirror You Can Trust,” “Moving Ahead By Stopping More Often,” and others.  In addition, there are also recently uploaded quotes and articles.

On this site, we have new quotes and  a book review today – and much more coming soon!

James the Son of Zebedee

10/12/2014

 
Picture
              "Faith Hall of Fame" Series

“James the Greater” or “James the Elder” was the brother of the apostle John and
“the son of Zebedee,” as distinct from the other James among the disciples,  "James the Lesser," the son of Alphaeus (Mark 15:40). Both men were called Ya'akob in Hebrew/Aramaic (Greek Iakobos), but their names are usually anglicized as James.  “James the Greater” was probably so called because he was taller or older than "the lesser James," but he was also a disciple of considerable faith.
 
James the son of Zebedee was one of Jesus’ first disciples (Matthew 4:21-22), and the Gospels mention that he and John followed Jesus without any hesitation. His family seems to have been fairly prosperous and we are told that Salome, his mother, also afterwards followed Christ and helped to financially support the disciples (Luke 8:3). This family affluence may be part of the reason Jesus, on the cross, committed his mother into the keeping of John, knowing that they could afford to support her.

Perhaps, in addition to a mother’s natural desire to advance her sons, the family’s physical success lay partly behind the famous story in which the mother of James and John asked Jesus if her sons could sit at his left and right hand in the coming kingdom (Matthew 20:20-23).  But James is perhaps best known from the nickname he and John were given: Boanerges or “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17) on account of their fiery tempers.  The two brothers were rebuked by Jesus for this trait when they wanted to call down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village (Luke 9:51-56), but the later history of James and his brother clearly suggest that this character trait was overcome as time went on.
    
In fact, James was selected – along with John and Peter – by Christ to be one of the three disciples who were privileged to witness his transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9).  When Jesus went to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, to raise his daughter from the dead, he took Peter, and James and John (Mark 5:37); and, at the end of his ministry, on the night of the Last Supper, when Jesus went to pray in the garden of Gethsemane, James, Peter, and John were also the disciples he took with him (Matthew 26:36-37). This position of James in the small group that seems to have been closest to Jesus certainly indicates that he was deeply committed in his discipleship.

Commitment may, in fact, be the hallmark of James’ character as he was executed by Herod Agrippa early in the history of the new Church (c. AD 44) for his unrelenting faith. In fact, he is the only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament, and he is thus believed to be the first of the twelve apostles to be martyred (Acts 12:1-2).  Today he is remembered as a leading apostle by believers in all branches of Christianity.

Overall, although we are not given a lot of details regarding the life of James the Greater, it seems clear that despite his natural hot temper he was able to overcome this flaw and function as one of the three most dedicated and faithful apostles – a lesson from which we can all take encouragement.

What Faith Is Not

10/9/2014

 
Picture
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.”  
                                                          Job 13:15

It seems to be a common misunderstanding among new believers, and even among some established ones,  that if we have faith we will know that everything is going to work out right in every circumstance – if we just have faith.  The unfortunate corollary of this misunderstanding is that when things don’t work out or things go wrong many believers begin to question their own faith – thinking that perhaps they did not have “enough faith” or were somehow to blame in some other way.  The answer to this problem lies in understanding what faith really is – or perhaps more accurately, what faith is not.

It is important that we come to understand that faith is not a guarantee that despite  problems that come up, if we pray about them and only have enough faith, we will be kept securely in some kind of spiritual safe zone – protected from worsening problems and hardships and even death itself – if we only have faith.

We need only read the psalms of David to see the many things God allowed him to suffer despite his faith and close relationship with God.  Read Psalm 44, for example, to see this. In this poignant psalm David outlines God’s help in past situations (Psalm 44:1-8), then details the way in which things had not turned out – ways in which God had not protected him from certain bad events and trials (Psalm 44:9-16). This occurred, David honestly reports: “… though we had not forgotten you; we had not been false to your covenant. Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path.  But you crushed us and … covered us over with deep darkness” (Psalm 44:17-19). In the rest of the psalm David prays that God will yet turn things around and help him; yet he is honest that despite his obedience and faith in God, things had not gone well and God had allowed him to suffer.

Is this not the story behind the greatest complaint story in the Bible – the Book of Job? Job also knew that he had been faithful and trusted God (Job 1:8, 10; 19:25) but that God had nevertheless allowed him to suffer.  But this is where faith comes in. Faith is not the certainty that God will not ever let bad things happen to us. It is the certainty that He will not let anything happen to us without a purpose and for our ultimate benefit: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).  

In reality, faith is not something we exercise to keep everything running well – faith actually kicks in most powerfully when things go wrong.  Faith is not always a “get out of jail free card.” It was for the apostle Paul at one point (Acts 16:25) but not at another, at the end of his life  (Philemon 1:9).  And Paul certainly had faith, of course.  The outcome to any problem we take to God depends on the will of God in the specific circumstances. God certainly will often protect us from bad events (Psalm 138:7), but if He does not, He has a purpose in mind. That is where faith comes in – to say, like Job: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him”  (Job 13:15).

This understanding of what faith is and is not is perfectly summed up by the apostle Peter: “…you who through faith are shielded by God’s power …, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1 Peter 1:5-6). So do not be discouraged if things sometimes do not go well in life “despite” your faith.  Faith does not guarantee the Christian a first-class flight, but it does guarantee that we will get to our destination despite everything.  Faith is not a promise that everything will always go well, just that it will ultimately end well (2 Timothy 4:18).  When we are faced with the realities of life, that is a wonderfully encouraging thing to know.

The Mother's Name

10/5/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Despite differences in some parts of the world (such as in Spanish speaking countries where both the father’s and mother’s names are often passed on to their children), in many cultures it is the father’s name that is passed down to children. Looking back in history, without good records, the mother’s name is not always known in such cultures.

Although Judaism determines individual Jewish identity by means of matrilineal descent, in biblical times patrilineal descent was utilized for determining things such as tribal affiliation, priestly status and royalty. Detailed family records certainly were kept, as we find genealogies going back a great many generations. Nevertheless, we have only to look at the Books of Kings and Chronicles to see that the ancient Kings of Judah and Israel are usually listed as being the son of a named father.

But there are some interesting exceptions – or perhaps we should say “additions” to this fact.  In some cases the name of the king’s mother is given.  What is interesting is the breakdown of which kings have their mother’s names recorded.  In a few instances the mothers of bad kings are listed, and in these cases the women seem to have been a negative  influence on the king (for example Rehoboam, son of a foreign woman; Ahaziah, son of the daughter of the evil Jezebel). Perhaps more significant is the fact that the mother is listed for every one of the kings of the divided monarchy of whom the Bible says they ruled well or ended up well.   

The fact that the mothers of the bad kings are not usually recorded, but the mothers of the good kings are can hardly be the result of simply incomplete records. It would seem that the biblical writers are rather giving credit to the mothers of the good kings.  David himself wrote: “Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did …” (Psalm 116:16), and although his father appears to have been a very upright man, David clearly honors his mother’s influence in what he says in this psalm.

So, next time we read the name of a mother given in the biblical account, we should realize that the mother’s name is probably not just a footnote to the story. We should give credit to those women whose children became good rulers and be encouraged by the lesson they remind us of – how important a mother can be in the development of her children’s character. 

0 Comments

It's Not about Feelings

10/2/2014

 
Picture

You know how great it is when you are feeling good and everything just seems to be running smoothly – worship is a joy and doing the things you know you need to do seems effortless yet full of meaning.  It doesn’t happen to us all the time, of course, and notice how I prefaced this introduction: “… when you are feeling good …”  Our feelings can make a vast difference to how we perceive our own worship and spiritual activity, but they shouldn’t.

It’s easy enough to think that when we feel great – exuberant, happy, full of positive feelings and faith – our worship is great, but that’s not necessarily how it really is.  In the same way, when we feel down – unwell, discouraged, without any joy –
we may sometimes think that our worship is not as full or as meaningful, and we can condemn ourselves for this by presuming our negative feelings equal lack of faith or an improper attitude of worship.  But the truth is that our feelings really have nothing to do with how our worship and our daily spiritual walk is perceived by God.

Look at it this way: pretend for a moment that you are calling a close relative or best friend on the phone. Do you think that how you happen to feel at that moment affects how pleased the other person is to hear from you – how happy they are that you made the effort to call? Hopefully we wouldn’t just complain or sound “down” all the time  in making such a call, but even if we did, isn’t it likely that the other person would value the fact that you called – despite how you felt – all the more?

Worship really is like that.  God doesn’t judge our spiritual performance by how we feel and neither should we. In fact, although true worship is often filled with joy, it can be dangerous to think that just because we are happy we are worshiping deeply – and vice versa. Just because we don’t feel great doesn’t mean our worship is empty or worthless.  

We can extend this fact to many Biblical stories:  Imagine how Joseph felt in Pharaoh’s prison for all those years – doubtless he often didn’t feel wonderful, yet God honored and rewarded his persistent faith and worship during that time (Genesis 41:51-52).  Imagine how the apostle Paul actually felt in that Roman prison – especially as the prospects of his release dwindled – yet his faith and worship clearly remained untouched (Ephesians 6:20) despite the human feelings he may have had.  It’s not that this just applies to spiritual superheroes, either.  Think about the little people – the sick and desperately unhappy people – Jesus helped in his ministry, often commenting when they were full of faith (Mark 5:34, etc.).  Clearly the spiritual performance of these people was not affected by their current feelings.

But sometimes, if we let them,  our feelings can get in the way of effective worship and service, and we must always keep this in mind. We may feel “down” due to circumstances such as loss, trouble or illness in our lives, but we do not need to wrestle with ourselves as though we have to be happy all the time to be worshiping fully and effectively.

Ultimately, it’s much more important to just be close to God than to feel close to Him. We need to walk with God regardless of our feelings and sometimes despite our feelings. And when we do, just like that phone call to our closest relative or friend, we can be sure that our communication is welcomed – perhaps all the more so – however we may feel at the moment.

    BLOG

    Follow @livingbelief

    RSS Feed

    For a smart browser-bookmark showing new blog postings, click on the RSS Feed icon.  

    Author :

    Unless otherwise stated, blog posts are written by R. Herbert, Ph.D.,  who writes for a number of Christian venues – including our sister site: TacticalChristianity.org
    ​
    For more about us, see our About Page.

    Categories :

    All
    Behind The Stories
    Bible Study
    Biblical Concepts
    Books Of The Bible
    Christianity & Culture
    Christian Living
    Dealing With Doubt
    Discipleship
    Encouragement
    Faith Hall Of Fame
    Faith & Trust
    Faith & Works
    Family
    Fellowship
    Forgiveness
    Giving
    God
    Gratitude
    History & The Bible
    Hope
    Knowledge & Wisdom
    Love
    Persecution
    Prayer
    Relationships
    Scripture In Question
    Spiritual Growth
    The Christian Calling
    The Christian Faith
    The Life Of Jesus
    Truth
    Works Of Faith

    Archives :

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Community :

    Picture
    - Charter Member -
© 2014 – 2022 LivingWithFaith.org