"Nakedness" of the Soul

Right after Adam and Eve sinned against God in the garden, Genesis 3:7 reports, “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.” My professor gives the following quote from John Dick (Lectures on Theology, Vol. 1, p. 453) that I thought was really interesting:

First, "their eyes were opened and they knew that they were naked." The fact
that their bodies were without covering they knew before; and the opening of their eyes, and their knowing that they were naked, must mean something different. The result of eating the forbidden fruit was not the acquisition of supernatural wisdom, as they fondly hoped; but a discovery that they had reduced themselves to a wretched and unprotected condition, being divested of original righteousness and exposed to the wrath of their Maker. Hence they covered themselves with fig leaves, and hid themselves among the trees of the garden, that he might not find them out. That Moses does not mean bodily nakedness, may be inferred from the words of Adam, who says not, "I was ashamed," but "I was afraid, because I was naked." The nakedness which gave rise to fear, must have been the nakedness of the soul. Our first parents were conscious of guilt, and wished to avoid a meeting with their Judge.

"Biblical Sparring"

In a previous post, we saw how Satan quoted Psalm 91:11-12 in order to tempt Jesus to “jump off a tall building” since God would command his angels to save him. Then, we saw how Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:16 to counter Satan by saying that “man is not to put God to the test.” Now this “biblical sparring” between Jesus and Satan is fascinating because it tells us something very important about how to (or at least how not to) interpret this passage from Psalm 91. Specifically, Christ’s response implies that Psalm 91:11-12 should not be viewed as a “blanket promise” that Christians should apply at whim to any circumstance without qualification. And Satan’s attempt to use God’s promises of faithfulness and protection to tempt Christ to test God was obviously not an appropriate application of this Psalm.

So what hermeneutical (i.e. interpretive) principle can we gather from this understanding? Since Jesus used Deuteronomy to correct a wrong application of the Psalm, the assumption is that the Bible needs to be interpreted “as a whole.” Proper interpretation of a single verse needs to incorporate the greater context of the entire Bible. That’s a daunting task (but an important one if we want to avoid errors and heresies).

For example, let’s consider prayer...

In Matthew 21:22, Jesus gives this amazing promise: “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive...” Now, are we to believe that this promise is a “blanket promise” without any qualifications? Would Jesus, for example, grant the request of a drug dealer to sell more drugs on the street? Would Jesus grant the request for protection of a thief as he was stealing a car? Obviously not! Christ’s promise is unquestionably qualified! And to discover these qualifications, we need to look at the “greater biblical context.” From other books of the Bible, we recognize that prayers need to be made in faith (Hebrews 11:6, James 1:6-8, and Matthew 17:20), with a life lived in righteousness (1 John 3:22, Psalms 66:18, and 1 Peter 3:12), with motives that are not selfish or self-seeking (James 4:3), with earnestness and perseverance (Luke 18:1-18), and be within the will of God (1 John 5:14-15). I have heard of some Christians blaming other Christians for unanswered prayers simply because of lack of faith. Although that may be the case, the reality can also be that unanswered prayers may occur simply because they are not within the will of God. And attributing all unanswered prayers to lack of faith seems to me a rather simplistic (and possibly uncompassionate and ungracious) assessment.

Anyway, this study has been a good reminder for me to always consider the broader biblical context when narrowly focused on a particular Bible passage.

LINK: "The Bible Is Better Than Being There"

Tyler Kenney from Desiring God wrote an interesting article about why having the Bible is better than being a firsthand witness to the historical biblical events. Just like the incarnation of Christ, it’s amazing to be reminded that the Bible is the message of God “made flesh.”

Using the Bible for Evil

When Jesus was being tempted by Satan, we see something quite interesting. As you read this passage from Matthew 4:5-7, notice the approach Satan used to tempt Christ.

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”
        Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Several points about this passage strike me. First, did you notice that Satan used the Bible as the “authority” for his temptation? He was quoting Psalm 91:11-12! In other words, in his attempt to incite evil, Satan was appealing to God’s Word! Now, as Christians, there are several implications from this appeal that can help us to understand some of Satan’s methods (and therefore help us to “do battle”).

1. When Satan said for it is written he was basically saying this, “You believe in the Bible don’t you? You want to be a good Christian who follows the Bible don’t you? Then, you better do what I say, since what I am saying comes directly from the Bible which comes directly from God himself!” Now obviously, Satan does not “believe in” or hold Scripture as his personal authority. However, he will at least pretend to align himself with the Bible in order to make himself look good and his message credible.
   
2. Satan knows the Bible! And he knows it really well. We had better know it too.
   
3. The fact that Satan uses the Bible to attack Jesus and that Jesus uses the Bible to repel Satan tells us something astronomically important about interpreting the Bible!—there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. Or to state it a little differently, accurate interpretation of the Bible is not a “relative” practice guided by personal preferences. This often heard argument—“Well, that’s your interpretation of the Bible! But that's not my interpretation!”—will simply not hold water. There most definitely exists a firm standard for good interpretation of the Bible (and that standard does not proceed from our personal whims and creative exegetical efforts).
   
4. Good and accurate interpretation of the Bible is not something reserved for the ivory towers of academia—it is vital for everyday living. Since Satan can twist and manipulate Scripture in his attempt to incite evil, we must know how to “accurately handle” the Bible in order to live in a way that brings glory to God.

Anyway, these are just some random thoughts about this passage. There are likely other (and better) points that can be made from this short passage...

"Oh Wow!"

"Has this world been so kind to you

that you should leave with regret?

There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

- C.S. Lewis

       Joe was one of my favorite patients. I speak about Joe in the past tense because he has gone home to be with Jesus. During the six years that I had known him, he was always a perfect example of warmth, kindness, honesty, and hope despite the fact that he was painfully and slowly dying from cancer. Whenever Joe made an appointment to see me, he rarely talked about his pain or cancer. He was more interested about me and how my family was doing. I can honestly say that Joe gave me more than I ever gave him during those appointments. Even when he was at the hospital getting his chemotherapy, his eyes revealed his compassion for others who seemed to “have it worse” than him. And towards his final days when his health was rapidly deteriorating, he was more concerned about Dorothy, his wife, than about his own suffering. That’s the way Joe was—he cared more about others than himself. The only time he put himself first was when a Cincinnati Bengals football game was playing. Nobody dared to interrupt him then!

       After Joe’s funeral, Dorothy shared with me this story. Whenever something especially amazing or spectacular happened in Joe’s life, he often said, “Oh wow!” That was one of his trademark phrases. When somebody received particularly good new, whenever he witnessed a spectacular fireworks show, or when the Cincinnati Bengals made an eighty yard touchdown run, everybody around Joe expected him to say his hallmark “Oh, wow!” He didn’t say it everyday, but when he did, everyone agreed that the sight or news was impressive.

       During the last few hours of Joe’s life, his family surrounded him in love. His wife lay in the bed with him stroking his forehead and letting him know that it was “ok” to go home to Jesus. His breathing became more labored and difficult. But before he died, a peaceful expression came over his face, and he said one last, “Oh wow!” Then, he was in paradise.

       Even in his death, Joe was still giving something to others. This time his gift to us was a window into what paradise will be like. Personally, if someone asked me to describe what I think heaven will be like, I can’t think of a better description than “Oh wow!”

If God cannot sin, is he all-powerful?

Another lecture question...

Since God is holy, he cannot sin. Does the fact that God cannot sin make him less than all-powerful? Elaborate.

The fact that God cannot sin is not a weakness—it is a strength! And the fact that all men have the natural inclination to sin and therefore must struggle with temptation and desire for evil is not an asset to humanity—it is a weakness! Only the strange, twisted, and depraved thinking of man could deem God’s inability to sin as evidence of His failing. Consider this: would a father’s inability to physically abuse his children be considered an asset or a deficiency?

NEW SERMON: "Real Food"

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In the John 4:34, Jesus said to his disciples, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” In other words, Jesus describes evangelizing and doing the work of God as delicious, mouth-watering, and satisfying food! If that is the case, why is it that doing these things often does not feel like “food” to us? Why does “serving” God feel more like hard and tiring work?

Join us as we probe the answers to this difficult question, and see if God uses this message to revitalize your “service” to him...