Eagerly Desire the Day

May 1, 2020

Peter makes an intriguing appeal “You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” (2 Peter 3:11-12, NIV). Of interest is the word that the NIV has rendered “speed.” A quick survey of translations indicate two possibilities: (1) hasten or speed the day or (2) eagerly desire the day.

  • “hastening” (ESV, NASB, NKJV, NRSV and NET), “speed” (NIV), 
  • “eargerly” (NIV margin, Hugo McCord), “earnestly desiring” (NRSV, ASV), “earnestly desire” (HCSB), “look forward” (NCV)

The Greek word “speudō” has both meanings. Those who favor “hastening” point to Jewish background, although the IVP Background Commentary notes that the rabbis were divided on the issue of whether Israel’s repentance and obedience sped up the day. “Hastening” would suggest that we speed the coming of that day by our repentance, evangelism, and prayers. Those who favor “eagerly desire” find it the simpler solution because it doesn’t involve human behavior affecting the timing of the end. Although I’ve tended to favor the second choice, I must confess the difficulty of the options.

However, I don’t want to get lost in the “trees” of this passage and miss the grandeur of the “forest”. As you read 2 Peter 3, it is apparent that Peter wants us to be prepared for the Day. It will arrive “like thief in the night.” We know it’s coming, but we don’t know when. This world will be destroyed, but Christians hope for better things. In the meantime, we must live holy lives knowing that our future home is where righteousness dwells.

Yet what may be most challenging to 21st century American Christians is the eager anticipation of that Day. What is apparent in the chapter is an eager anticipation regardless of translation choice in 3:12. First century Christians were excited with longing for Jesus’ return. It didn’t mean they checked out from this world. Preparations needed to be made. People needed to be reached. As C.S. Lewis has aptly quipped, “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.”

We are in need of reminders to aim at heaven. The busyness and comfort of this life may cloud our vision. Would we pray with Paul, “Our Lord, come!” (1 Corinthians 16:22)? Or would our lifestyle proclaim, “O Lord, wait!”? Our attitude to the day has an effect on our lifestyle. Somehow, the companions of eager desire are holinesses and reverence. May we eagerly desire the day of God!

–Russ Holden

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Once, Now, and If

April 24, 2020

They are two adverbs and a conjunction — once, now, and if. You may not be able to label parts of speech in a sentence, but you know how English works. These three words reveal the structure of Paul’s thought in Colossians 1:21-23. Once speaks about the past. Now speaks about the present, and if speaks about a potential, conditional future. It is good for us to ponder once, now, and if as we think about Paul’s message

With the word “once,” Paul points to the past, the pre-Christian past of his readers. They were once alienated. This is an objective statement about status outside of Christ. Christians can and should be welcoming to non-Christians in the assembly. But just as tourists can be welcomed in a foreign country and yet not have the privileges of citizenship until they have moved from the category of aliens to citizens, the same is true for those outside of Christ.

But Paul has two more descriptions of the past: hostile in mind and doing evil deeds. The classic statement that says our way of thinking is different from God’s is Isaiah 55:8-9.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  Isaiah 55:8–9, ESV

The more alienated we are from God, the more our thinking is going to be off, and the more our thinking is off, the more our behavior will be wrong, even evil.

“Now” indicates the present. The Christian’s present is different from the past. Now we are reconciled to God by the death of Christ. Reconciliation means that the broken relationship that was once hostile and alienated has been made right. We have been brought near. This is done so that we might be presented holy, blameless, and above reproach before him. There is the justification sense of this. Because I am in Christ, “there is now no condemnation for those who are Christ Jesus”. There is also the sanctification sense. Because I am in Christ, I am actually growing more holy in life and conduct.

Finally, there is the big “if”. Paul says that we must continue in the faith. Although translations differ here (“the faith” ESV, NASB, KJV, NKJV and “your faith” NIV), I think “the faith” is preferable, although both statements would be true. The Greek text does have the definite article (i.e., the), and it seems to link up with what was heard and proclaimed in the latter part of the sentence.

Paul wants us to be stable, steadfast, and not shifting from the faith, the apostolic message. If we do that, we will stand before God blameless and above reproach.

Paul gives us a glimpse into our past, present, and future with once, now, and if.

-Russ Holden

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The Meaning of Jesus’ Resurrection

April 10, 2020

How can we express what the resurrection means?

It means vindication. Jesus really is the Messiah, the Anointed One, who fulfills the promise made to David. The chief priests had rejected him. The crowds had cried, “Crucify him!” Peter preached that the resurrection gives us the certainly “that God has made him both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).

It means forgiveness. The wages of sin is death. God warned against eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17, ESV). The sacrificial system of the Law of Moses was a pointer to what God would some day do on the cross. Life was in the blood. A life was accepted in exchange for the life of a sinner. “He (that is God) made him who did not know sin a sin offering in our behalf, in order that we may become the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21, my translation*).

It means reconciliation. Adam and Eve had walked with God in a way that it is difficult for us to imagine. Our only hint is in Genesis 3 when they heard the sound of God walking in the garden, and they knew what the sound meant, so they hid themselves because of their sin. Paradise was lost. Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden. Yet, God has sought to reconcile the world to himself. Because of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence. As Christians, we become a temple of the Holy Spirit. We look forward to once more having access to the Tree of Life and walking in God’s glorious presence.

It means transformation. Yes, I need to be forgiven of my sin, but I also need a moral makeover. I need to become a better person. Following Jesus and putting to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit is the process of that moral transformation. God’s desire is that we be conformed to the image of his Son (Romans 8:29).

It means eternal life. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Jesus is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead anticipates and is the basis of the resurrection at his coming. Death has been conquered. Yes, we may still have to experience physical death, but those who are in Jesus have life and hope of eternal life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24, ESV). “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11, ESV).

How wonderful and marvelous — He is risen!

—Russ Holden

*The word “sin” is frequently used in the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) for “sin offering, so I’ve rendered it that way here for it makes the passage clearer. 

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Is Life a Test?

April 5, 2020

Dr. Gregory House was television’s fictional curmudgeonly doctor who solved medical mysteries. Some have even wondered what House would do with Covid-19. But House was also a misanthrope and an atheist. In a scene where the characters were considering whether there is anything to people seeing a white light at the end of the tunnel in near death experiences, House retorts that it is simply the chemical reactions to the brain shutting down. There is nothing after death, and he finds that comforting. When questioned about this being comforting, he replies: “I find it more comforting to believe that this isn’t simply a test.”

The scene succinctly raises an important issue about life. Is life a test or not? The Christian worldview gives a much different answer than the one given by the fictional Dr. House. The question is worth pondering.

I suspect that the comfort gained from saying life isn’t a test goes something like this. Death is the end. There is no judgment, heaven, or hell. (Can we hear John Lennon’s Imagine being sung in the background?) We can’t get life wrong. It’s like the elation of the student who finds out there is no final exam.

Yet, this perspective comes with a terrible cost. It would mean that life has no ultimate meaning despite the fact we all seem to seek to make our life meaningful. It would mean that no moral values exist, other than the ones I subjectively create for myself, or we decide as a group, or some elite, powerful group decides for us. Yet such values are more akin to “I like chocolate; you like vanilla” than they are to “thou shalt” or “thou shalt not.” The dictator who exterminates millions, the gunman who takes out a passersby in a shopping mall, or the woman who donates time at a soup kitchen are all just different ways of living life. Who’s to say which is better? They all die. If life is not a test, no one passes or fails.

Believing that life is a test certainly has ramifications. Since my choices in life can lead to eternal loss or eternal bliss, choices are filled with meaning and cannot be taken lightly. A choice between good and bad really exists. Doesn’t my sense that some things are not fair suggest that there is something about moral decisions that goes beyond my subjective feelings about them?

Such a life is more than a pass or fail for the afterlife. Life becomes a moral adventure. We have the opportunity to grow in goodness, love, and kindness. We learn the challenges of standing up for justice and fairness in a world that is frequently unfair. Honesty grows into transparency as we learn to be honest about who we are in all circumstances. The trials of life produce patient endurance.

I find comfort in life being a test. It means life matters, and death is not the end. It’s a profound question. The course of your life will be affected by your answer. Is life a test?
−Russ Holden

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Veneer or Solid Wood?

March 27, 2020

When I was a small child, I remember a dresser which had veneer. If you are wondering what veneer is, the dictionary definition of veneer is “a thin decorative covering of fine wood applied to a coarser wood or other material.” This dresser had seen better days, so some pieces of veneer were missing or loose. As a curious child I noticed the difference between the beautiful veneer and the coarse wood beneath. And truth be told, I wanted to pull on the veneer to see more, much to my Mother’s dismay.

As an adult, I have a couple of pieces of furniture from my family which are solid wood. The veneer dresser, by the way, is long gone. One of these pieces of furniture is an oak end table. I remember when it was purchased at an antique store. It too had seen better days. But being solid wood, the beauty of the oak was restored to its former glory, because it was oak all the way down. It was solid wood.

I cannot help but feel that we as Christians are being tested by the Covid-19 pandemic. If we can’t assemble together, will we worship God in smaller groups? God continues to be worthy of worship. In fact, our English word, worship, has as its etymology “acknowledgement of worth.” God is still our creator. God is still our redeemer. God is still the one who reveals himself through his word. God’s providence hasn’t failed. I still have blessings, and God still deserves thanksgiving.

What I fear is that this past Sunday, God received less worship, less praise, and less thanksgiving than the week before. And if my fear is true, it is not because churches weren’t trying to provide resources for their members. It seems to me that a crisis is exactly the time to turn to God even more devotedly. So I want to make clear the challenge for us.

On Paul’s Second Missionary Journey, he and Silas were arrested in Philippi. They were placed in stocks in the inner prison. Roman prisons had less creature comforts than our modern jails and prisons, and I wouldn’t want to live in a modern one let less a Roman prison. Not only were they in jail, but Paul and Silas were placed in the most secure part of that prison. Their feet were placed in stocks, a device to confine their extremities and make it impossible to escape. And I thought long flights in economy class were uncomfortable. I can’t imagine the discomfort felt by Paul and Silas. And yet, what did they do? “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God” (Acts 16:25 ESV). Paul and Silas didn’t stop worshipping and praying when times were tough or even when they couldn’t be in an assembly with others.

So the question is a simple one. Will we continue to worship and pray? Is our Christianity more like a thin layer of veneer, or are we solid wood all the way down?

— Russ Holden

*Oxford Dictionary of English, see under veneer and worship.

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Christian Living and Covid-19

March 20, 2020

Covid-19 has changed our lives. Most churches are cancelling their assemblies because of the CDC’s recommendation of not having a gathering of more than 10. These have been difficult decisions for church leaders. The kind of closings we are experiencing haven’t occurred since the Spanish Influenza of 1918. By the way, most church leaders closed church doors during that time, but they reminded Christians of the things we can continue to do. So let me remind you of the things we can do as we face this present crisis.

Christians Pray In Times of Crisis. Paul writes, “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” (1 Timothy 2:1–2 ESV). Our leaders certainly need our prayers at a time like this. And we should remember our church leaders as they struggle with these issues as well.

I’ve read articles asking whether Covid-19 is the plague of Revelation. My short answer is no. My convictions about Revelation is that it is written about the persecutions of the early church by the Roman Empire, so that Revelation 1-19 is dealing with Roman persecution and the Fall of Rome.

My longer answer goes something like this. God did use natural disasters and armed conflict to punish nations. We see this in the prophets. But it would be presumptuous of me to say that this crisis is a punishment from God. You need a prophet to say that. But I think it is wise to use any calamity as a time to examine ourselves spiritually. I’ve been saying for decades that we need to pray for spiritual revival in our country. So whether this is sent from God or not, this is a good time to pray for revival, to pray for the spiritual condition of our country and our world.

A crisis brings a certain amount of anxiety into our lives. So let me remind you of a couple of passages.

“casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 ESV)

“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6 ESV)

Scripture gives us prayer as an important way of dealing with worry. I don’t want to live a life of fear even now. Prayer and trusting in God’s providence is my way of dealing with life’s difficulties and this current crisis.

Christians Worship in Times of Crisis. We are facing a situation where many church buildings may closed for worship this Sunday all around our country due to Covid-19. But Christian worship is simple in what we do, and profound in what it means. So my hope is that families or a few people may get together and worship this Sunday minding the CDC’s recommendation about groups not larger than 10. I’ll miss the assembly, and I will want to get back to regular church life as soon as possible. But Christian worship scales down to where two or more are gathered in my name and scales up to the largest assemblies that we have. I think if a family has children, this will make a lasting impression on them. Christians always worship God. We worship God because he is worthy of worship. We can’t even let a pandemic stop our worship and praise to God.

Christians Serve in Times of Crisis. Christians always serve others, but a time of crisis may present additional opportunities. Our congregation is making certain that people who can’t get out at this time have food and supplies. We are also cooperating with Feeding America to offer special food pantry days to serve the community. You may be able to find such opportunities in your own life. You may know neighbors who are in the high risk category who need help.

I have multiple myeloma. I underwent a stem cell transplant where they kill your immune system with chemotherapy and then reboot it with your own stem cells. I tell you this, because I know what it is like to be quarantined. It’s bit lonely, and you feel a little stir-crazy. I think all of us may be feeling that in the coming days. I want to emphasize how important phone calls were to me while I was going through my quarantine. One way you may serve others is reaching out to them with a phone call. You may brighten someone’s day, and you may find out other ways you can serve them.

Christians serve, and Christians certainly serve in times of crisis. When we do, it makes our faith real to us and real to others.

May God be with you through this time of crisis.

— Russ Holden

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What Jesus Means to Me

March 13, 2020

Jesus is the wisdom of God. I probably would not have called it wisdom as I was first coming to know Jesus. The more common phrase would be moral teaching. But it may very well be that Jesus attracts us at this beginning point, and we begin to connect with him.

The moral teachings are accessible. Even a child can understand the basics. The greatest command is to love God with all of our being. The second greatest command is to love our neighbor as ourself. We need to control our anger. We shouldn’t lie. Jesus teaches us a simple beginner’s prayer. We need to trust God as our heavenly Father. We must build our house on the rock, and not be like the foolish man who builds his house on the sand.

As we mature, it may hit us how challenging some of these teachings are. To love our enemies is not an easy task. To go the second mile may chafe us like an ill-fitting suit. We may also grasp that Jesus is the wisdom of God because he has come from the Father. Jesus is the one who has come down from heaven to reveal God. “He who has seen me has seen the Father.” Jesus is Immanuel — God with us.

Jesus is the gift of God. At a young age I learned “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.” “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.” Jesus died for my sins.

To understand those words, we must come to accept that God is holy. The basic human problem is sin — moral failure. My moral failings estrange me from God. They lead to my spiritual death if not forgiven. Forgiveness is possible because of a life sacrificed in my place. Jesus is that sacrifice, that offering.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Seen by witnesses and predicted by prophecy, the resurrection is also God’s great affirmation of Jesus. Sin and death are conquered. New creation has begun. In Christ, I am a new creation having been born again of the Holy Spirit. With God’s help, a moral transformation is at work in my life. The same Spirit will raise me from the dead giving me a resurrection body or transform me in the blinking of an eye if I’m alive at Jesus’ coming. Because of Jesus we experience new life now, and we look forward to resurrection and life with God for eternity.

Jesus is wisdom, a gift, and life. And Jesus is so much more. Jesus means much to me. What does Jesus mean to you?

—Russ Holden

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Don’t Be Worldly Like Esau

March 6, 2020

Hebrews uses Esau as an instructive, bad example. Encouragements to avoid certain behaviors occurs in Hebrews 12:15-17. The part about Esau reads, “unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” (Hebrews 12:16–17, ESV) The overall appeal in the larger section is to see that no one fails to obtain the grace of God. The author surveys several ways that it can happen, but it is worth focusing for a moment on Esau.

Hebrews calls Esau “profane” (KJV, NKJV); “godless” (NASB, NIV, NET); “unholy” (ESV); “irreverent” (CSB); or “irreligious” (FHV). The Greek word, βέβηλος (bebēlos, Strong’s Number 1013), has an etymology of “walk” and “threshhold.” The idea was is to be beyond the threshold of a temple, and therefore be in profane space. And from there, the word deals with the attitude of living without regards to the holy. It describes the profane or worldly person. Esau wasn’t thinking about spiritual things or the promises of God. The underlying problem in Esau’s life was his worldliness. Hebrews is warning us: don’t be worldly like Esau.

Esau is also incredibly shortsighted. All of us have to decide between short-term needs and benefits versus long-term needs and benefits. Esau was legitimately hungry and thirsty. But Jacob would only give Esau some of his stew if Esau sold his birthright (see Genesis 25:29-34). The birthright included a double portion of the inheritance, a special blessing, and leadership in the family. In a family with two sons, it means Esau paid one third of the inheritance for one meal besides the other things he was giving up. The price was too high! Surely there was another way to meet his needs, but Esau was only looking at the short-term.

Esau experienced great regret for his wordiness and shortsightedness. There came a time “when he desired to inherit the blessing” (see Genesis 27:34). But he was rejected. As Hebrews says, “for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears” (Hebrews 12:17, ESV). We see Esau’s regret in the historical narrative of his life. He missed the spiritual, so he serves as a great reminder that missing the grace of God will lead to regret at the judgment. At the judgment, if we have missed God’s grace in this life, we will regret it, but there will be no further opportunity for repentance. We must learn from Esau.

“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God.” Don’t be worldly and shortsighted like Esau.

— Russ Holden

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For Such a Worm as I

February 28, 2020

I remember a song leader who stopped every time he led “Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed?” and drew our attention to the end of the first verse.

Would he devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

He would instruct us to sing instead, “For such a one as I.” He would remind us that we are valuable in God’s eyes. “We are not worms!” he would say. I suppose he was concerned about our self-images when called worms. And yes, I know that some people have grown up in toxic environments. But I’ve always considered that such steps were missing the point of the poetry as well as missing a biblical allusion. A proper explanation could help the person from a toxic environment as well as changing the word. Unfortunately, song book editors have also followed suit. You won’t find “worm” in the first verse of this song in our current song books either. “For such a one as I” is the substitute.

Isaac Watts wrote the lyrics to this hymn. I suspect that there is a biblical allusion behind the end of the first verse. People familiar with Scripture should recognize it. (People not being familiar with Scripture is part of the problem.) The passage is Isaiah 41:14.

Fear not, you worm Jacob,
you men of Israel!
I am the one who helps you, declares the LORD;
your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 41:14 ESV)

In context, it is God who calls Jacob “you worm.” And by Jacob, he means the nation of Israel. Worm in this passage doesn’t mean worthless, but it emphasizes that the nation is weak and helpless in comparison to God. It is God who helps and delivers them. In the same way, when it comes to our salvation from sin, I am weak as a worm. I can’t save myself.

Now I’m not lobbying to get “worm” back in the lyric. I can sing the line either way. But I think it is a cautionary tale. Do we know our Bibles well enough to recognize allusions in our hymns? When the world is crying out about something like self-image, do we know the Bible well enough to give a scriptural response? The Bible doesn’t focus on self-esteem but has us focus outwardly on God. When we do, we get a proper sense of self. When we love as God has inspired and instructed us, we also heal the hurts of this broken world.

The hymn having drawn the contrast between “the sacred head” that was offered and my helplessness as a worm, it boldly commits; “Here, Lord, I give myself away, ’Tis all that I can do!”

— Russ Holden

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The Approval of Sin

February 21, 2020

We are introduced to the Apostle Paul at the stoning of Stephen. This is before his encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road and his conversion. In fact, this incident in his life introduces him in Acts, and then tells how he became a persecutor of the church. What is Paul’s role at the stoning of Stephen? “And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul” (Acts 7:58 ESV). Paul isn’t throwing stones at Stephen, but his presence at this scene is sympathetic with those who do. The text then reads, “And Saul approved of his execution” (Acts 8:1 ESV). Paul approves of the murder of Stephen and so participates in the sin by his approval.

Paul uses the same word “approves” in Romans 1:32. In this section of Romans, Paul has described humanity which has failed to acknowledge or give thanks to God. He depicts a downward spiral of wrong behavior, and he concludes the section with a series of sins. We are not really convicted of sin until we are convicted of specific sins. But notice the end of the list.

Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. (Romans 1:32 ESV)

I don’t think we can mistake Paul’s statement. To approve sin is sin

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In our current world, the definition of tolerance has changed. It used to be that tolerance involved the ability to kindly disagree. We granted the other freedom of speech and were willing to compete in the marketplace of ideas for the minds of people. The new tolerance means acceptance of other views as true or at least as true as your own. Failure to do that is viewed as being intolerant. Obviously, the person who believes in moral absolutes cannot agree with such a position, but he or she can be tolerant in the older definition of the term.

The first century culture would have accepted Christianity, if only Christians would have recognized the pagan gods as valid ways to truth. Christians couldn’t do this without compromising their faith, and some paid with their lives. We face a similar conflict, although we are long way from the persecution of the first century. Our culture will tolerate a compromised Christianity, one that will acknowledge many ways to truth and the validity of all values. But here’s the rub. To approve sin is sin.

Our goal should be to approve of what God approves and disapprove of what God forbids. We must stand for truth and morality as revealed by God. That approach will be unacceptable to many people in our society, and we must accept the fact that there will be opposition to us. But we must not fall into the trap of approving sin. To approve of sin is sin.

— Russ Holden

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