Wasted Stuff

It’s Valentine’s Day today, and while I’d typically be tempted (given my present status) to post something like this:

I decided to take the higher road and read something I posted about a year ago. Proverbs 31 is famous for many reasons—particularly for describing the virtuous wife and setting her against the foolish woman, but also for being the name of a women’s ministry that seeks to create women that look like this through their teaching. However, what is often missed—and I kick myself for it now after reading my post from a year ago—is that Proverbs 31 was written to a man. It was not written to challenge women to be something. It really wasn’t even written to challenge men to search for a certain type of girl. And this post will seek to prove that. Rather, all of Proverbs 31 was written by a king, reflecting on stuff his mother told him, and it is impossible to rightly understand 31:10-31 if we don’t first understand 31:1-9.

It reads, “The words of King Lemuel, an oracle that his mother taught him:  What ⌊should I say⌋, my son? What, son of my womb? What, son of my vows?  Don’t spend your energy on women or your efforts on those who destroy kings.  It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine or for rulers ⌊to desire⌋ beer.  Otherwise, they will drink, forget what is decreed, and pervert justice for all the oppressed.  Give beer to one who is dying and wine to one whose life is bitter.  Let him drink so that he can forget his poverty and remember his trouble no more.  Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed.  Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy.”

Verse 2 has Lemuel’s mother basically asking, “What advice should I give you? What is the wisest thing I can impart to you?” And she concludes, proven throughout the nine verses, with the following outline of topics: “With remarkable conciseness the mother of Lemuel describes the moral requirements of good government. These lessons are, simply put: do not use your authority as a means to debauchery (v. 3), keep your head clear from the stupefying effects of alcohol (vv. 4–7), and use your power to help the powerless (vv. 8–9).”[1] And it is the first one that I want to focus on in this post, since today is one of the most sexualized days in our calendar year.

But then that question flies into my head: “You’re not a king. Are you sure this applies to you?” And part of me wants to say, “You’re right. I don’t have to heed any of this. I can find and flirt with any girl I want.” But then I read the verse by itself and it screams, “Don’t spend your energy on women or your efforts on those who destroy kings.” If it has the power to destroy kings, how much more power does it have to destroy people that aren’t even close to as powerful as kings?

The first thing to determine here is, “What is energy? Is it talking about sex? Or is it talking about something else?” The word is from the Hebrew chayil which most commonly means “army” or “power” or “strength.” In fact, according to one scholar, “The [Greek Old Teestament] translates chayil with [power] 165 times, with [strength] 27 times, and with [mighty] 18 times; they cover the whole semantic range of chayil. There are also cases of interpretative variation, where the [Greek Old Testament] renders chayil as [riches] (9 times) or [army] (3 times).”[2] If we understand the passage solely according to the Greek Translation, we see that the passage explains, “Do not spend your wealth on women.”

And this is huge. Especially in connection with Valentine’s Day. And when you spend $92.62 in the space of two days a year ago—simply to say something that your actions should say every day—only to get dumped like a piece of garbage a month later, the wisdom in this verse is HUGE! (Oh how I hate that I focused too much on the other part of this chapter first.) Proverbs is not the “how to find a wife manual” (see this post), but rather the “how to walk rightly as a believer in this tricky world manual.”

But that’s not all the beginning of Proverbs 31 has to say for itself. It also says, “Don’t spend . . . your efforts on those who destroy kings.” One scholar explains clearly, “Sexual deviation can ‘eradicate’ a dynasty and bring about its end.”[3] King David serves as a sort of proof of this. He lay with Bathsheba, and part of the judgment for his sin was that Yahweh was “going to bring disaster on [him] from [his] own family: I will take your wives and give them to another before your very eyes, and he will sleep with them publicly” (2 Samuel 12:11). That process was started when Amnon, David’s son, raped Tamar, David’s daughter, and David did nothing. Absalom, Tamar’s brother took it upon himself to kill Amnon, and then started an uprising, that—if not for God’s amazing grace—would have left the kingdom in ruin and the dynasty of David in shambles. Sexual deviance is a mess and needs to be stopped.

In addition, the very fact that kings being destroyed is mentioned is huge. What destroys better than death? And what causes death better than disease? And what diseases are on the rise today because of sexual deviance? Lemuel’s mother wanted to protect him from this. She wanted him to have a good, long reign; she wanted him to love one woman all his days (cf. 31:10-31). So she told him not to waste his strength/wealth/sexual energy on women who could potentially help to kill him/at least be his undoing.

If we want to be wise men (or women), we must heed this counsel as well, especially given the day of the year. Let’s not fall for the lies of society. Sex is a gift. It is sacred. Paul said in Ephesians 5:3, “But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints.” This means we shouldn’t even talk in a sexual way except with our spouse. And I’ll be the first to say, “While Lemuel—and men—are counseled not to let women destroy them, women are not the only body destroyers. In my personal experience—especially in today’s culture—I think men are much more capable of destroying women than vice-versa (but perhaps it goes both ways and always has).” My point: Women, don’t give your strength to men, your energy to those who destroy queens!”

A passage that has long haunted me is the following,

For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,  unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good,  traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,  holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people!  For among them are those who worm their way into households and capture idle women burdened down with sins, led along by a variety of passions,  always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:2-7, emphasis added).

Verse 7—in italics—scares me the most. I see in my own heart the seeds of committing this foul atrocity, and while I haven’t actually committed it, I’ve certainly flirted with it on occasions. Which, when studying for this short post today, allowed me to get straight smacked by the following quote,

Give not thy strength unto women, unto strange women. He must not be soft and effeminate, nor spend that time in a vain conversation with the ladies which should be spent in getting knowledge and despatching business, nor employ that wit (which is the strength of the soul) in courting and complimenting them which he should employ about the affairs of his government. "Especially shun all adultery, fornication, and lasciviousness, which waste the strength of the body, and bring into it dangerous diseases.

Give not thy ways, thy affections, thy conversation, to that which destroys kings, which has destroyed many, which gave such a shock to the kingdom even of David himself, in the matter of Uriah. Let the sufferings of others be thy warnings." It lessens the honour of kings and makes them mean. Are those fit to govern others that are themselves slaves to their own lusts? It makes them unfit for business, and fills their court with the basest and worst of animals. Kings lie exposed to temptations of this kind, having wherewith both to please the humours and to bear the charges of the sin, and therefore they ought to double their guard; and, if they would preserve their people from the unclean spirit, they must themselves be patterns of purity.[4]

Matthew Henry, though not the greatest exegete, was certainly a man of God, who often had helpful comments on Scripture of a very practical nature, as that quote hopefully proves. And there’s a reason why Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter speaks to me so strongly. It’s because I see too much Dimmesdale in my heart, in my “training for pastoring” heart. (God, please help me root this garbage out!!!)

In conclusion, I don’t know who’s reading this. Regardless, my prayer is that you would understand sex rightly. If you’ve abused it for the majority of your life—or even just really wanted to—or even just fallen back into a pattern of it recently—or simply taken the first step toward a potential pattern, I want you to know that Jesus is there waiting to forgive you and cleanse you. The physical consequences will probably remain, but the eternal consequences—death apart from God—will be repaired if you give Him your heart and say, “I’m done rebelling against you. Lyrics from my upcoming album will close us out:

Today I stumbled on a metaphor of a rose

All dirty, mangled, wilted and broke

Nobody would want to showcase that trash

But Jesus, You took the weight of God’s wrath

For me—I’m that rose—dirty and broke

And You said, “Come here, I want you to know

That you look to Me like a beautiful lily

And I love you despite your mess and times you act silly”

It doesn’t matter how much bad you’ve done, or how badly you stumble around in the future; if you have trusted Jesus Christ completely, those lyrics speak to you as well. Please trust Him!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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[1] Duane A. Garrett, New American Commentary – Volume 14: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1993), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 246.

[2] G. Johannes Botterweck and Helmer Ringgren, Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament – Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament: Volume 4, Revised, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 09/16/2016), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 349.

[3] G. Johannes Botterweck, Helmer Ringgren, H. J. Fabry, Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament – Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament: Volume 8, Revised, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 09/16/2016), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 231.

[4] Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

The Struggle is Real! – 5:16-18

Have you ever thought, “Well that’s easy for you to say”? If so, you’re like most of us. When someone gives good advice that seems impossible to actually carry out, we are likely to say, “That’s easy for you to say; however, I’d like to see you actually do it.” And Paul was no stranger to this kind of response. In fact, He anticipates it in our passage today. It is easy to say, and it is simple to do also; the problem is, it is not easy to do, and Paul here explains why.[1]

Paul writes in Galatians 5:16-6:10,[2] “I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.  Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity,  idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions,  envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,  gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit.  We must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted.  Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.  But each person should examine his own work, and then he will have a reason for boasting in himself alone, and not in respect to someone else.  For each person will have to carry his own load.  The one who is taught the message must share all ⌊his⌋ good things with the teacher.  Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap,  because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.  So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.”

Paul is here continuing to describe the path of true freedom. The complete thought of this lengthy passage continues past the struggle to give hope to the struggling Christian that there is an end to the struggle—that Christ has already won the victory—and to keep our eyes on the goal—not to stop sinning, but rather to practice active righteousness. As Andy Mineo rapped, “Putting on new, taking off old / If you only take off, you’ll be waking up cold.”[3] Paul has already stated that we are free and that our freedom is not to sin, but to serve through love. He has also stated that we are not to submit to another yoke of slavery. Here’s a bold statement this post will seek to prove: If you say, “That’s sin—I can’t do it,” then you are submitting to law and another yoke of slavery, and in fact—rather than resisting the sin—it will only cause you to commit the sin.

Paul begins in 5:16 by saying, “walk by the Spirit.” This is a command. We cannot get out of this command. We are not to walk by the Law and we’re not to walk in sin either. We are to walk by the Spirit. (Next week’s post will specifically describe the opposite of walking by the Spirit—5:19-21—and the week after will describe walking by the Spirit—5:22-24.) To put it simply now—walking by the Spirit means walking in “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control.” Keep in mind that as these are commanded in 5:16, it isn’t a natural occurrence—just like it isn’t natural to avoid the things listed in 5:19-21. We must actively put on love, joy, peace, etc.

It is curious that this injunction comes directly after a caution about biting and devouring one another. Martin Luther explains, “No flesh, not even that of the true believer, is so completely under the influence of the Spirit that it will not bite or devour, or at least neglect, the commandment of love. At the slightest provocation it flares up, demands to be revenged, and hates a neighbor like an enemy, or at least does not love him as much as he ought to be loved.”[4]

Paul wanted the Galatians then, and us now, to know that if we find ourselves in a place where we are biting and devouring one another we are not walking in the Spirit. However, at the same time, Paul wants us to know that repentance is possible. The word translated “Walk” often carries the idea of “way of life.”[5] And it’s helpful to use the term “walk” because even the most sophisticated person—while walking—may occasionally slip or stumble. It does not mean that they are unable to walk, it just means they aren’t infallible. In the same way, even the most dedicated, Spirit-filled believer will not successfully walk by the Spirit 100% of the time. If they could, they would have no need for Jesus. (This should never become an excuse for sin, but it is a comfort for the troubled believer.) When you’re walking and you trip, you get up and keep going. It must be the same way in the Christian life. Hebrews 12:1 would exhort us to remove whatever causes us to stumble, so that we can run more victoriously in the future.

It’s why Paul concludes verse 16 by saying, “and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” Literally, this translates to, “and you will by no means at all complete the desire of the flesh.” There are two meanings within this, and I believe Paul is aware of and intending both.

First, if we place the emphasis on the words, “will not,” we see that if we walk by the Spirit perfectly we will never do anything fleshly. In addition, with this viewpoint, it is clear that if we as believers fail to walk by the Spirit, it is not at all the Spirit’s fault, but rather ours alone.

Second, if we place the emphasis on the words “complete the desire” (my translation), we see that even when we fail to walk by the Spirit we are unable to carry out fleshly desires to their ultimate end—death (cf. 5:21). John Calvin helpfully explains, “We ought to mark the word fulfill;[6] by which he means, that, though the sons of God, so long as they groan under the burden of the flesh, are liable to commit sin, they are not its subjects or slaves, but make habitual opposition to its power.”[7] The point is that the believer is free and will never again be enslaved, and as a result, even when he/she sins, he/she did not do it out of slavery, but rather freely chose to do so. It’s why Paul commands in Romans 6:13, “And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness.” When we sin we basically say, “I want to serve you,” and it paints a confusing picture because we are no longer slaves of sin and can never be such again.

And then Paul says in 5:17, “For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.” This helps to further explain the previous discussion. If the believer cannot complete the desires of the flesh, and the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, then it stands to say that it is impossible for the believer to successfully oppose the Spirit. We may make jabs at the Spirit by our sin, but ultimately the Spirit wins in the end (cf. Genesis 3:15).

Many people want to compare this verse to Romans 7:7-25. I don’t believe that that is a valid interpretation of Romans 7. If we look closely at Romans 7, the Spirit is nowhere to be found, but it is clearly shown here. The Spirit is opposed to the flesh. Romans 8:12-15 are closer to this discussion:

So then, brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  All those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons.  For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”

Again, we will come back to Romans 7 before the end, but for now it’s enough to know that the struggle of holy living is real. In fact, Calvin explains, “Carnal men have no battle with depraved lusts, no proper desire to attain to the righteousness of God. Paul is addressing believers. . . . Paul therefore declares, that believers, so long as they are in this life, whatever may be the earnestness of their endeavors, do not obtain such a measure of success as to serve God in a perfect manner.”[8]

As such, I would posit that the believer is actually capable of becoming more distressed, more discouraged, and more depressed than a non-believer. It is why Paul starts chapter 6 by saying, “Carry one another’s burdens.” If a believer is isolated, and if he has no one to carry his burdens, he can end up in a worse place than even a non-believer, because he sees his sin as being directly against God, he sees his sin as active and present, and he sees the holy standard that he is failing to live up to, and it grieves him to the core. (For free: this is why I’m planning on moving back to California this summer; I know there’s a healthy church there that will actually be glad to help me carry my burdens, and I’m sick of drowning on my own.)

And then Paul concludes his introduction to the Spirit/Flesh dichotomy. And, as he does so, he throws us a curveball:

Verse 16: Spirit vs flesh

Verse 17: spirit vs flesh

Verse 18: spirit vs flesh law

Where we would expect Paul to say, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the flesh,” he says instead, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” And as such, he returns to his discussion of Law that has been huge throughout Galatians. For all practical purposes this is the last time the Law comes up in this letter. And this occurrence is huge! Paul essentially places flesh and law on the same level. Here’s where Romans 7 comes in:

What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet.  And sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the law sin is dead.  Once I was alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. The commandment that was meant for life resulted in death for me.  For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.  So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good (7:7-12, emphases added).

Paul has already explained in 3:24 that the Law was created to lead us to Christ. In Romans 7, Paul explains that the Law does this because sin commandeered it and uses the law to incite sinful desires. The law shows us what we are supposed to be living like, but because of sin we are completely unable to live that way. The Law has no power to help us live rightly, and it therefore shows us our need for Jesus—leading us to Him.

Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan is again helpful. Bunyan relates the following parable that Christian is shown in the house of Interpreter.

Then he took him by the hand, and led him into a very large parlor that was full of dust, because never swept; the which after he had reviewed it a little while, the Interpreter called for a man to sweep. Now, when he began to sweep, the dust began so abundantly to fly about, that Christian had almost therewith been choked. Then said the Interpreter to a damsel that stood by, "Bring hither water, and sprinkle the room;" the which when she had done, it was swept and cleansed with pleasure.

Chr. Then said Christian, What means this?

Inter. The Interpreter answered, This parlor is the heart of a man that was never sanctified by the sweet grace of the Gospel. The dust is his original sin, and inward corruptions, that have defiled the whole man. He that began to sweep at first, is the law; but she that brought water, and did sprinkle it, is the Gospel. Now whereas thou sawest, that so soon as the first began to sweep, the dust did so fly about that the room by him could not be cleansed, but that thou wast almost choked therewith; this is to show thee, that the law, instead of cleansing the heart (by its working) from sin, doth revive, put strength into, and increase it in the soul, even as it doth discover and forbid it; for it doth not give power to subdue. Again, as thou sawest the damsel sprinkle the room with water, upon which it was cleansed with pleasure, this is to show thee, that when the Gospel comes in the sweet and precious influences thereof to the heart, then, I say, even as thou sawest the damsel lay the dust by sprinkling the floor with water, so is sin vanquished and subdued, and the soul made clean, through the faith of it, and consequently fit for the King of glory to inhabit.[9]

In much the same way, someone who is trying to use the law to be sanctified will only succeed in stirring up dust and choking himself/herself on more sin. Paul illustrates this principle well in Romans 7:13-25—proving that even he wasn’t able to perfectly walk by the Spirit. Romans 7 is not describing sanctification, but rather anti-sanctification. Romans 7 is followed by Romans 8 which talks extensively of the Spirit’s power in sanctification.

Paul has questioned in Galatians 3:2-3, “Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith?  Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now going to be made complete by the flesh?” (emphases added). He also equated law and flesh there, and he does so again in 5:18 because he wants us to know that the more we rely on law instead of Christ, the more fleshly and sinful we will end up being. This is why I said at the beginning, If you say, “That’s sin—I can’t do it,” then you are submitting to law and another yoke of slavery, and in fact—rather than resisting the sin—it will only cause you to commit the sin. Saying, “I can’t do that,” is putting a law on yourself in a certain way of thinking. The better method is to say, “Jesus, this action would be unloving. Help me to act lovingly instead.” We have to put on, not simply take off, because if we simply take off, something is going to be put on, and it will be sin if we don’t actively put on righteousness. (Read that sentence again slowly and digest it; I don’t know how to say it more clearly.)

If you’re an unbeliever, the truth is that your life is Romans 7. The things you want to do you cannot do, and the things you do not want to do you keep on doing. Even if your only goal is to live by your own standards of good, you fall short of it. Jesus is here saying, “Believe in me—that I died for you—and be saved from your fruitless effort that only frustrates you.” If you are not a believer, then you are actively opposing the Spirit everyday, and the fact is that you will ultimately lose. The Spirit wins (cf. Genesis 3:15) and those who are not in Christ will be crushed like the snake. Please trust Him today and let the Spirit enable you to truly live for Him.

With that, Paul has introduced us to the Spirit/flesh dichotomy. This dichotomy continues through Galatians 6:10, though the emphasis after 5:21 is on the Spirit. The struggle is real for the believer trying to obey the Lord and walk in the Spirit. But we are guaranteed ultimate victory if we get up and keep walking when we stumble.

Til next time.

Soli Deo Gloria. Solus Christus.

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[1] In fact, Paul shares his own experience with this very concept in Romans 7:7-8:17. More on this concept later in this post.

[2] Verses 16-18 are bolded because those are what this post is focusing on.

[3] Andy Mineo, “Every Word,” Formerly Known (Reach Records, 2012), MP3.

[4] Martin Luther, A Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians.

[5] John MacArthur, Galatians, 152.

[6] Translated “carry out” by the HCSB, “complete” by me.

[7] John Calvin, Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul to the Galatians and Ephesians.

[8] Ibid.

[9] John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress, 31.

The Birds and the Bees – Really?

“The world is not subtle; why should we be subliminal?” raps Christian rap artist, Shai Linne.[1] And he is right, which makes me ask, “If the world is going to blast their filth and spread it everywhere, why should we hesitate to call it what it is publicly? Why do we have to veil our messages in metaphors that take all the power out of them?” It is for this reason that I decided to release a single today. It will not be on my upcoming album—Welcome to da Faith—set to drop on Easter, Lord willing.

And before I share a link to where you can find the song, I would point out specifically why I wrote the song.  I wrote it in dreaded anticipation of a new movie that releases this weekend. I hesitate to even call it by name. But let me just say that I can guarantee you it is trash and not worth a second of your time. The whole second verse of my song is dedicated to dissing it. Fifty Shades Darker, the second movie in an erotic book series, comes out Friday. And for people who call themselves believers in Jesus, please STAY AWAY FROM THIS FILM. If we’re ever going to take the culture back for Jesus, we need to refuse to succumb to the culture in things like this.

With that said, the link will follow this paragraph. I need to warn parents of children that this song may bring up questions that you may or may not be comfortable answering yet. So with that said, maybe review it yourself first, before sharing it with the family. However, and I will expand in this post, I personally believe that the sooner we discuss sexuality with our children, the better off they will be. Here’s the link to the audio:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsfMOtgb8f4

And if rap and you don’t quite get along, here’s a link to the lyrics:

http://lilfytr.blogspot.com/p/teach-me-some-respect.html

And yes, this song is supposed to be on iTunes and Spotify and Pandora and Amazon music in the near future. I didn’t get it to them with enough time to spare before I wanted it released. It’s on youtube as well so that I could reach a wider audience. (In fact, one of my tags for it is “Fifty Shades” so that maybe someone searching for movie stuff can stumble on it; #Godissovereign.)

*          *          *

So I’m not going to lie. The phrase, “the birds and the bees” makes no sense to me. Go ahead and say that birds lay eggs and bees fertilize flowers, but I still don’t connect it to the fact that when a man and a woman come together babies result. Birds and bees don’t mate with each other.

All that to say, “We need to be up front, and not subliminal.” Especially as believers and especially on the topic of sex. We are the ones with the truth on the subject. We have zero reason to hide it from our children.

God created sex perfect. He created male and female and created them naked. I don’t think I need any more proof to say that sex in and of itself is good. However, we all wear clothes now, and that is GOOD, because when Adam and Eve disobeyed God—listening to the snake—the first thing that suffered was sexuality. Shame entered in. Uncomfortable feelings entered in. They covered themselves to escape these feelings. After God spoke to them, He essentially agreed with their covering of themselves, because He clothed them in skins of an animal.

And as the first verse of my song shows, this was all part of Satan’s plan. At the end of Genesis 4, we read, “Lamech took two wives[2] for himself, one named Adah and the other named Zillah” (4:19), and thus we have the first written example of people disregarding God’s monogamous intention.[3] And, ignoring a whole bunch of the book of Genesis—Genesis 19 comes to mind—we end up in Genesis 34, where we read,

Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went out to see some of the young women of the area.  When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, a prince of the region, saw her, he took her and raped her.  He became infatuated with Dinah, daughter of Jacob. He loved the young girl and spoke tenderly to her.  “Get me this girl as a wife,” he told his father Hamor (emphasis added).

Thus we have the ultimate example of selfish sex. And, also, by the end of Genesis we see that Satan has thoroughly perverted sex for his own ends. It’s no wonder that sexual addiction is one of the strongest addictions out there.[4] An interesting statistic shows, “The National Council on Sexual Addiction Compulsivity estimated that 6%-8% of Americans are sex addicts, which is 18 million – 24 million people.”[5] The same website defines sexual addiction as “compulsive sexual thoughts and acts alongside difficulties with intimacy. It can demonstrate itself as uncontrollable compulsions with pornography, masturbation, phone sex, cybersex, escorts, prostitutes, meaningless affairs, strip clubs, voyeurism, and exhibitionism to name a few.”[6] With this in mind, not everyone who participates in illicit sexual activity is an official addict. This problem is widespread, and it was all part of Satan’s plan.

But here’s the thing: Satan loses. God promised as much the day Adam and Eve found out they were naked. When Jesus died on the cross in the ultimate act of LOVE—giving us the definition of love—He allowed His heel to be bitten by the snake, but He rose three days later proving that He was going to renew everything. This includes sex!

For the believer, sex is new. It is not supposed to be about what I can get. It’s supposed to be about what I can give. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 7:4, “A wife does not have the right over her own body, but her husband does. In the same way, a husband does not have the right over his own body, but his wife does.” Interestingly, this was a counter cultural truth in Paul’s day. “Paul will have no truck with a view of marriage that leaves the sex act in the sole control of the male,” which was the exact opposite of the culture of that day.[7] For a very good discussion of this passage, check out this sermon.[8]

If we teach our children this from early days, I personally believe that it will spare them from finding answers elsewhere. We have to tell them that it is God’s gift, to be used in a certain context, and that if they wait until that context, it will spare them much sorrow. God wants us to be happy, and sex is one proof for this, but we have to use it rightly! When kids learn about sex from porn movies it corrupts their understanding of it, and it takes a VERY LONG time to rewire the brain.

But with all that said, maybe you read this whole post, but you’re not a believer in Jesus. In my song I say,

don’t call it making love, cuz you just earning death

If the two of you aren’t bound by covenant yet

And there’s a double meaning there. Actually, the more I think about it, there’s a ton of meanings there. But here’s the primary one: You have to be married to your sexual partner to have God smile on your sexual activity (cf. Song of Songs 5:1), but at the same time, you have to be bound in covenant with God to be earning anything but death. And my song explains it well. “Confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). If you do that, your sinful past of sexual activity will be wiped clean and instead of being described in 1 Corinthians 6:9, “Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality,” you will be described by 6:11, “And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Please trust Him today! I don’t want to see you shut out of the kingdom of God—I don’t want to see you end up in hell.

And if you’re a believer who has gotten off track sexually, please come back! God is waiting with open arms to forgive you and receive you. Luke 15:20-24 describes the potential scene.

So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.  The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’  “But the father told his slaves, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast,  because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.

The following lyrics are true regardless of which side of the cross you are currently on:

Trust Him today, say you’re done with your sin

If you truly do this I promise you that He’ll come in

He’ll shovel out your filth, He’ll make you brand new

It won’t be immediate change, but He’ll be living through you

And I’ll be honest. The rap introduction to my song—after the spoken portion—is an example of how this process is not immediate. Even Satan wants to twist Scripture—like Genesis 2:18—so that we act selfishly. We cannot do this. Sex is to be selfless or we cannot call it love.

So let’s call things what they are. Sex outside of marriage (fornication) is sin. Prostitution is sin. Pornography is sin. Masturbation is sin. Bisexuality is sin. Homosexuality is sin. For all of these sins, the same Savior stands ready and waiting.

Soli Deo Gloria

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[1] Shai Linne, “Taste and See,” The Attributes of God (Lampmode Recordings, 2011), MP3.

[2] In my song, I use the word “doe” occasionally for rhyming purposes, but it’s on the basis of Proverbs 5:18-19:

“Let your fountain be blessed, and take pleasure in the wife of your youth.  A loving doe, a graceful fawn— let her breasts always satisfy you; be lost in her love forever.” 

[3] Monogamy as the intention can be proved because God only created one man and one woman. In fact there was no one for Adam and Eve to marry if they wanted to divorce the other.

[4] “Top 10 Addictions in 2014: Sex Makes The List,” https://www.addiction.com/4249/sex-among-top-10-addictions.

[5] Jacquelyn Ekern, “Sexual Addiction Causes, Statistics, Addiction Signs, Symptoms & Side Effects,” Addiction Hope, https://www.addictionhope.com/sexual-addiction/.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries – 1 Corinthians, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Academic, 2008), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 106.

[8] Pastor Steve Feinstein. Sovereign Way Christian Church. “The Cure for Sexual Immorality.” May 8, 2016.

Live in Love! – 5:13-15

As some of you know, liL fytr is also my rapper moniker. And, as some of you also know, I’m releasing a new song—a single that will stand alone—in five days. I figure I’ll give you a peek at it in this post. One of the central lines in the song says:

The goal of the Christian life is love to all

From the bedroom to the mall to the Islamic radical

And that line, by putting “bedroom” with “Islamic radical”, forces one to ask, “How do you define ‘love’?” And my answer, hopefully made clear throughout the song, is that it is the same in both cases. It’s a matter of thinking of others before yourself. And, if your curiosity has been piqued, you’ll just have to wait until Wednesday, February 8, 2017 when the song comes out. The point for today is that Paul hits on the exact same theme in our Galatians passage.

Paul writes in Galatians 5:13-15, “For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.  For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.  But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.”

Paul has thus far explained that the Law is not necessary for the believer. He’s explained that the Law exists to point us to Christ—showing us our need. He’s explained that all the Law is capable of is enacting slavery on those who are under it. Finally, in 5:1, he said that Christ set us free for the purpose of freedom. We are not to ever return to slavery. In 5:2-12 he showed one side of the slavery that we are not to return to, and he hinted at the true path of freedom (5:6). Here, in 5:13-15, Paul shows us the opposite side of slavery that we are not to return to (5:13a), and elaborates greatly on the true path of freedom (5:13b-15).

Paul begins by describing the other form of slavery that we are not to return to. “For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh.” And thus he quickly sucks the life out of any argument that would state, “If there’s no law, then we can do whatever we want!” Paul holds that living by the flesh is just as enslaving as the Law is enslaving, and Jesus agrees with him. Jesus said, “I assure you: Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34).

And I would point out that Jesus is not talking about the occasional slip into sin. He literally says, “Everyone who is doing sin.” He explains in verse 36 that there’s a difference between a slip into sin and being a sins slave: “Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.” First John is helpful on this point. In 3:9 John writes what can be literally translated, “Everyone who has been born of God is not continually doing sin, because His seed abides in him; and he is not able, as a result continually to sin, because he has been born of God.”  Thus, the one who is not born of God is continually doing sin.[1] A literal translation of 1 John 2:1 highlights the difference, and explains what a believer’s sin looks like: “If anyone might sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” While unbelievers are only able to sin—since they are slaves of sin—believers do not have to sin. While unbelievers do sin—sin being the thing that is done—believers simply occasionally sin. While unbelievers are not born of God—not set free from slavery—believers are free, because they have been born of God. The word translated “sin” in 2:1 is in the subjunctive mood, which means it is not a necessary thing, which is why I translated it with the word “might.”

The point being, if you’re a believer, you’re not a slave to sin. You don’t have to continue in sin. If you do, and you enjoy it—thinking often about it—you should question whether or not you really have been born of God and set free. Just as much as it is slavery to submit to rules of Law, it is slavery to feed your selfish passions and desires. One commentator explains, “Later, the rabbis used various metaphors to describe the insidious enslavement of sin: ‘At the beginning it is like a spider’s thread, but finally it will be like a ship’s rope’ (R. Akiba, c. a.d. 135), ‘at the beginning it is like a guest, later it will become the ruler of the household’ (R. Jicchaq, c. a.d. 300).”[2] Paul wants believers to have complete freedom. Flirting with sin and/or following Law do not allow for complete freedom.

As such, Paul lays out the path to true freedom in 5:13b-15. “But serve one another through love.  For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.  But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.” (I could write a whole dissertation on this theme, but I will control myself and limit my discussion to the point of this passage within the book of Galatians.) Right out of the gate Paul defines love. He says, “Serve one another.” This is the kind of love that Jesus describes in John 13:35: “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”[3]

And, as a side note, all sin is a lack of love—whether to God or to man. Fleshly living is loveless living. For the unbeliever, whenever they say, “I love you,” to someone they care about, they are actually lying, and are just proving again how badly they need Jesus. Paul says that freedom doesn’t give an excuse to live by the flesh, and then says that freedom does give us the opportunity to serve (love) others. A practical application of what he’s saying is that for any sin you are trying to defeat, you need to preach the lovelessness of the sin to yourself and look for the loving alternative to it. (In my song that releases Wednesday, I give examples of this strategy.)

Paul then sums up the Law of Moses by saying that it is fulfilled in one statement: Leviticus 19:18. “Love your neighbor as yourself; I am Yahweh.” Now before explaining what this means, allow me to let John Calvin explain what it does not mean. He explains that most teachers in his day held that: “The love of ourselves must always hold the first rank.” He then drops this bomb:

This is not to interpret, but to subvert our Lord’s words. They are asses, and have not even a spark of the love of their neighhour; for if the love of ourselves were the rule, it would follow that it is proper and holy, and is the object of the divine approbation. But we shall never love our neighbors with sincerity, according to our Lord’s intention, till we have corrected the love of ourselves. The two affections are opposite and contradictory; for the love of ourselves leads us to neglect and despise others, — produces cruelty, covetousness, violence, deceit, and all kindred vices, — drives us to impatience, and arms us with the desire of revenge. Our Lord therefore enjoins that it be changed into the love of our neighbor (emphasis added).[4]

It’s not a matter of loving ourselves more so we can love others better, but rather of asking ourselves, “how do I want to be loved?” This is further explained by Jesus Himself in the Sermon on the Mount when He says, “Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them—this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). And then, Martin Luther makes a mic-dropping statement,

But what more needs to be said? You cannot find a better or nearer example than your own. If you want to know how you ought to love your neighbor, ask yourself how much you love yourself. If you were to get into trouble or danger, you would be glad to have the love and help of all men. You do not need any book of instructions to teach you how to love your neighbor. All you have to do is to look into your own heart, and it will tell you how you ought to love your neighbor as yourself.

My neighbor is every person, especially those who need my help, as Christ explained in the tenth chapter of Luke. Even if a person has done me some wrong, or has hurt me in any way, he is still a human being with flesh and blood. As long as a person remains a human being, so long is he to be an object of our love.[5]

And I know that given current events, people would love to quote me/Luther here and say, “Trump’s executive order is anti-Christian love.” However, I’m going to take that opportunity straight out of your hands. If you really want to do the loving thing, love others more than yourself and actively love the oppressed Muslims in the seven banned nations, rather than overly loving yourself and waiting for them to come here before loving them; the whining and moping of Christians about Trump’s executive order is foolish and telling.[6]

But back to Paul’s point: The whole Law is fulfilled in this statement. Assuming for the sake of keeping this concise that the entirety of the Law is Exodus 20:2-17, the reason for the ten commandments is to protect our neighbors (and us by extension). Paul explains in Romans 13:9-10, “The commandments: Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not covet; and whatever other commandment—all are summed up by this: Love your neighbor as yourself.  Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.” How much easier is it to say, “Love your neighbor,” than, “Thou shalt not x, y, z”? The burden of worrying about all the things you need to do or not do are condensed down to the following question: “What is the most loving thing to do in this situation?” MacArthur explains, “When a Christian genuinely loves others he fulfills all the moral elements of the Mosaic law.”[7]

Paul then concludes today’s passage with a warning. “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.” When love is lacking, this is the picture that emerges. The word translated “bite” is often used of snakes. “Paul is . . . referring to conduct more fitting to wild animals than to brothers and sisters in Christ.”[8]

Unfortunately, this verse describes a lot of churches today too well. Sometimes, it’s due to theological disagreements, but other times (and more contextually accurate for this post) it’s due to people not thinking of others ahead of themselves. And here’s the thing: people are too good at preaching, “Love others selflessly,” but not good at all at practicing what they preach.

(Confession: I have been guilty in the past three months of being extremely bitter, jealous, angry, and hateful [for lack of a better word] towards a brother [and sister] in my church.) And when I would confess as much to them or to “counselors” at the church they would essentially tell me, “Love means putting others ahead of yourself.” And I tried. I told the objects of the sinful attitudes that I was working on the attitudes, that I wanted to support them in their relationship, and that I believe in unity of believers and love amongst believers. And they assured me that they wanted to include me in their life (at least he did), but I consistently fell through the cracks, and at church I was in the back—alone—while they publicly displayed their affection two rows in front of me.[9]

If every member of Christ’s church loved biblically—thinking of others first—then when someone starts acting unlovingly he can be rebuked. You can’t rebuke a genuinely loving person for starting to act unlovingly when no one loves him biblically. Now, by no means am I trying to justify myself (or say that I love perfectly—may it never be!); my anger and bitterness is still there, and it is sin, and I am working on rooting it out. However, my point is that we can allow others to be bitten and devoured if we aren’t serving them through love—it’s the passive way of biting and devouring which is still just as wrong. Galatians 6:1 proves this; if we aren’t carrying others’ burdens, we’re allowing them to drown, and we’re not acting like Christ to them (cf. Matthew 11:28-30).

Paul, through these three verses would equate not loving others—allowing them either actively or passively to be bitten and devoured—with being fleshly. The very last thing that freedom in Christ can possibly mean is freedom to neglect actively loving others by serving them. Love is not a noun; it is a verb! We have to do it!

In conclusion, allow more lyrics from my upcoming song to sum up this post:

Trust Him today, say you’re done with your sin

If you truly do this I promise you that He’ll come in

He’ll shovel out your filth, He’ll make you brand new

It won’t be immediate change, but He’ll be living through you

We’ll never love perfectly. That’s why the lyrics just quoted fit perfectly here. Martin Luther explains, “Let nobody think that he knows all about this commandment, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.’ It sounds short and easy, but show me the man who can teach, learn, and do this commandment perfectly. None of us heed, or urge, or practice this commandment properly.”[10] Pray this week that God would help you be more loving than you were last week. I know I will be praying for this.

Til next time.

Soli Deo Gloria. Solus Christus.

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[1] The discussion comes down to this: is sin an occasional action, or the thing that you do daily?

[2] Colin F. Kruse, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries – John, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Academic, 2008), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 208.

[3] Proof of this is found in the fact that if we look at this verse’s wider context, it is found in a passage where Jesus serves His disciples by washing their feet. (Feet washing was cultural, and I would argue has zero business in our churches today, but that’s a whole exegesis of John 13:3-15 in itself; it’ll be a while before I get to it, but it’s on my list.)

[4] John Calvin, Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul to the Galatians and Ephesians.

[5] Martin Luther, A Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians.

[6] See Albert Mohler’s discussion here: http://www.albertmohler.com/2017/01/30/briefing-01-30-17/. Let it be clear that this was not Mohler’s conclusion, but I drew my conclusion from what he said.

[7] John MacArthur, Galatians, 148.

[8] R. Alan Cole, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries – Galatians, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Academic, 2008), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 209.

[9] When only one member of a church is actively trying to love others biblically—ahead of himself—no one should judge him when he “acts out” through his attitude, thoughts, and ultimately by withdrawal from a specific fellowship.

[10] Martin Luther, A Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians.