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...

Misplaced Glory

If genuine humility and “basking in the glory of Christ” go hand-in-hand, where does “lowly” thinking of ourselves fit in? Quite well actually... Let me suggest this: pride is really misplaced glory. Instead of treasuring the infinite glory of Christ, we treasure our own “goodness”, our own self-sufficiency, our own glory. But the irony is that our glory is often not glory at all—it’s depravity! This is something that I have been personally fighting. It’s good for me to always repeat to myself, “David Koo is very bad! But God is good!” And the truth is that this radical innate sense of self-sufficiency and smugness and spiritual rebellion exists in the very heart and soul of every person (although it may be easier to outwardly visualize in some people than others). This disposition towards pride and rebellion has marked humanity ever since man’s fall in Eden. However, the beauty of a correct understanding of our broken and sinful nature is that it helps us to refocus our gaze from self onto the glory of Christ and his shocking work on the cross. And in doing so, not only do we gain a good and sober assessment of ourselves, we receive a wondrous and a sin-killing vision of God. And remarkably, love for others grows in the soft soil of this joyful humility.

Father, forgive us for an incorrect assessment of ourselves. We are all broken vessels that forget that we are broken. We are all sinful creatures that too easily forget of our sinfulness. Help us Father to lean on you daily. And please help us to focus our gaze on the source of all goodness, love, humility, beauty, and truth. In Christ’s name we pray... Amen.

Seeking Humility Through Glory

There are many things about Christianity that are mind-blowing! For instance, consider humility. Did you know that the best way to gain genuine and lasting humility is through glory? Did that statement cause you to raise an eyebrow? That’s right... Humility is gained by actively seeking glory. Let me explain what I mean (before I get stoned)...
       Recently, I was listening to a sermon by John Piper and he said something that caught my attention. First the scenario... In heaven, if someone asked a Christian if he was humble, how would he respond? Piper suggests that the answer would be something like this: “KING JESUS IS ALL!” In other words, when we experience the full revelation of Christ’s glory, we will be filled with a consummate joy, overwhelming happiness, unceasing wonder, and unimaginable beauty. And this vision of Christ’s glory will result in utter forgetfulness of ourselves. That’s how love works! The lover is so enraptured by the other person, that he is lost in utter forgetfulness of himself. Humility and “forgetfulness in Christ” go hand-in-hand.

Lord, forgive us for our tiny view and understanding and desire for your glory. Please give us an unquenchable thirst for you which results in a simple forgetfulness of ourselves... In Christ’s name we pray... Amen.

To be continued...

"Intellectual Humility"

I’ve been thinking (which I admit is often a dangerous activity)—is there really such a thing as “intellectual humility?” It seems that the word “intellectual” and the word “humility” are not usually associated together. Not infrequently, an “intellectual” is thought of as arrogant and ungracious (especially if someone disagrees with him). But does this have to be the case? Does it necessary follow that knowledge breeds pride?
       Now, before we delve into this questions, please allow me to take a quick, but relevant, detour... What is truth? In our culture, there is a pervasive opinion that truth is relative. In other words, truth as an absolute and objective category does not really exist. It is not uncommon to hear, for example, the following sentiment in our modern speech: “You believe your thing, and I’ll believe my thing, and then we’ll all get along just fine.” The assumption here is that what is “true” for one person may not be “true” for another person. Granted, on a superficial level (such as our favorite flavor of ice cream), this statement may be valid. However, for the vast majority of life experiences, this relativistic understanding of truth fails at all levels—personal, practical, spiritual, and even logical. No sane person, for instance, holds a relativistic understanding of truth at the traffic light (a red light does not mean both “go” and “stop”), at the doctor’s office (a patient either has cancer or he doesn’t), or at their wedding (“I do” as a promise does not mean “I might”). The same principle applies to God—He either exists, or He doesn’t. Consequently, a person who believes that God exists and another person who doesn’t cannot both be right. Someone will be absolutely wrong! And saying that someone is “wrong” is not considered “loving.” Or is it?
       As a doctor, I face this dilemma almost everyday. Sometimes to reduce a child’s fever, parents will give their sick child an “ice bath.” Although this practice may have been common 50 years ago, it is not currently considered a good practice because of the risks of hypothermia. Now, as a good doctor, what am I to say? Do I relativistically affirm that the consequences of “ice baths” do not exist? Or do I tell the “narrow” and “exclusive” truth about the dangers of giving ice baths. Obviously, the loving thing to do is to tell the truth (with humility).
       So going back to our original question: can a person be “intellectual” and “humble” at the same time? Obviously, the answer is yes. And for a true Christian, this mixture may look something like this:

1. “Intellectual humility” does not deny the exclusivity of truth—it affirms it! When Jesus states in John 14:6—“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”—he was obviously making an exclusive truth claim. But as we have already discuss, absolute truth claims are not in themselves “unloving” (assuming that they are true). And by affirming the exclusivity of Christ’s claims we are not being “narrow-minded” and unkind—we are offering tremendous hope and unimaginable joy! Even preaching the Doctrine of Hell is not unkind if it leads the unbeliever to the tender and loving embrace of Christ. If we as Christians really believe in Hell, then that should motivate us to spread the gospel of Christ—as soon as possible!
2. “Intellectual humility” deeply considers the “method” of delivery. In the well-known passage in 1 Corinthians 13, the apostle Paul writes, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” Therefore, our motive (and “method” of delivery) is radically important. Paul continues, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
3. “Intellectual humility” does not “force itself” upon the volition of others. Although the Christian is most definitely called to boldly affirm and preach the truth, we are not called to “change the minds” of the unbeliever. That job rests solely on the Holy Spirit. Our job is simply to joyfully proclaim the gospel.
4. “Intellectual humility” is able to admit uncertainty. Let’s face it. There are some things in the Bible that are obviously clear—the divinity of Christ for example. But there are other things in the Bible that are less “obvious”—the interaction between God’s complete sovereignty and man’s personal responsibility. Intellectual humility will allow for “mystery” in those areas where the Bible remains vague. Of course, the irony is that the ability to spiritually discern between those areas that are “clear” and those areas that are “vague” requires tremendous disciplined and prayerful study of Scripture!

So there you have it! I’m sure that there are more (and better) points that can be made (and feel free to add some in the comment section), but that’s all that my tired brain could produce right now... Please allow me to close this blog will a simple prayer...

Father, help us to be a humble and loving people. Forgive us (and me especially) for those time where we have been “noisy gongs.” You call us to know you as you reveal yourself in Scripture (so help us in our study of your Word). But help us also, as we gain knowledge of you, not to be “puffed up.” Helps us to display genuine gentleness, patience, kindness, and most of all love. In Christ’s holy and precious name we pray... Amen.