How can a life be summed up in a few words?

Yesterday I noticed two boxes in my storage room. They are filled with notebooks — my devotional thoughts from many years before using the computer and storing them in digital files. This is my life in communion with Christ. I may have some reference to moving from place to place, raising three children, birthday parties, dinners with friends, vacations, leisure activities, and a host of other activities, but not the full account. How would I summarize dozens of years?

Today ends a devotional reading that summarize the New Testament. Thirty days of short notes hardly do justice to this Book of books. How can the life of the early church be summarized? How can the life of Christ be edited to a few words? The Apostle John didn’t even try. He said:

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30–31)

Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. (John 21:25)

Peter tried to do it also:

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. (Acts 10:38–43)

Paul offered many short summary statements like this one:

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. (1 Corinthians 15:3–5)

As for the church, the summary I like the best is this one telling of the changes that happened because “in the fullness of time” God sent His Son to redeem sinners:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. 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. (1 Corinthians 6:9–11)

“And such were some of you.” This is the good news, the assurance that no matter what a person has done, the Lord Jesus Christ died to forgive, to redeem, to justify and sanctify, to make us children of God and inheritors of His kingdom.

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Lord Jesus, Your Book is rich with narrative, truth, instruction and all I need to know and walk with You. it gives me comfort, encouragement, hope and grace. I’m forgiven, changed and being changed. Life is rich and full of meaning, a great adventure because of You and because You communicate with me through the marvel of both the Old and New Testament. Thank You for speaking, for revealing Yourself in this way that I might see You in the pages of Your Word.

Knowing the future . . .

I might say that I don’t want to know the future but doesn’t everyone? Last night in a long conversation about politics, it was obvious that the person on the other end of the telephone wanted to know, even control the days ahead by knowing what will happen next. He was hoping for a good government, peace and prosperity. Doesn’t everyone?

However, both of us know the biblical prophecies. God promises to bring in a “new heaven and a new earth” but before that happens, life will not be pretty, even for the people of God. While there is much debate about the exact meaning of those prophecies, I don’t want to forget that the last book of the New Testament begins with an amazing promise:

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. (Revelation 1:3)

God tells me to read it aloud. Immediately I remember that He says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) Faith is not limited to verbal; I can believe and grow in faith by reading, but there is something about hearing that is important.

God also says to obey what this last book says. That is an interesting challenge. It was written by the apostle John while in exile on the island of Patmos, off the coast of present-day Turkey and addressed to seven actual churches of that time. John forwards letters from Christ Himself, letters that include commendation, criticism, and comfort. Some of what He tells them is applicable to me. For instance:

I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. (Revelation 2:3–4)

When I read this, I have to examine myself. Do I love God and love others as much as I did when Christ first touched my life? I hope so, yet need to continue reading these admonitions and making sure I obey them.

After these seven letters is a long series of visions of judgment on the wicked. The language is highly symbolic but the ending is clear. Despite the violence and stress, Jesus wins. He triumphs as “King of kings and Lord of lords” (19:16), brings an end to sinful rebellion and establishes “a new heaven and a new earth” (21:1), where God himself will reign forever and ever (11:15). This is the climax of our redemption and God’s purpose — which He is . . . 

making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (Ephesians 1:9–10)

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)

In last night’s conversation, I kept going back to this final outcome. The promises of God are certain. No matter the years of ups and downs in worldly politics, prosperity and wars, Jesus will return and establish His kingdom. No one knows the day or the hour, but we do have the promises.

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power . . . (Hebrews 1:1–3)

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Lord Jesus, I’m at peace even in this troubled world because I know that You are not stumped by it, nor thwarted. Human rule rises and falls yet You have a plan and that plan will be fulfilled. You are God who does not fail. Your Word upholds the universe and what You say has the power to bring us first to our knees and then to our feet in a victory of worshiping You forever.

What is truth?

We live in a day when truth is considered relative and subjective, even to the extreme that believing a lie makes it true and not believing a truth makes it a lie. Declaring something to be true sometimes gets people in trouble with their friends, with culture, even with the government or the law.

One dictionary says, “truth about something is all the facts about it, rather than things that are imagined or invented.” Bible dictionaries such as Baker’s offer paragraphs concerning the Bible’s use and definitions of this word. I’m looking this up for two reasons: my devotional reading points out that the New Testament has several books that address the problem of false teaching as opposed to truth revealed by God.

Strong warnings are part of what the NT says. Christ had warned His followers of the rise of false Christs and false prophets.

For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. (Matthew 24:24)

The other reason is a story I heard last night. Two young people both from a Christian upbringing heard about a group in another part of the country, went there, became involved but the group turned out to be a cult. Their followers are forbidden to read the Bible and must listen only to their leader. They are also forbidden to see or speak to any of their family members. Their parents are heart-broken and deeply dismayed. How can this happen to their children whom they thought ‘knew better’ than to get involved in false teaching?

According to Scripture, the only thing real about false teaching is that it exists. It was there before Jesus came and multiplied after He ascended to heaven. Paul told the church:

I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. (Acts 20:29–30)

Those who know the Bible realize that we have a spiritual enemy who is called the father of lies. He twists the truth to deceive and destroy. One would think this enemy would be obvious and easy to spot, but not so. Paul warned the church about false teachers and their activities and in that warning, he describes how this enemy disguises himself to dupe unwary people:

And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. (2 Corinthians 11:12–15)

One example of false teaching in the NT is Gnosticism in which teachers claimed to possess a superior philosophical-religious type of knowledge. The Bible, especially John’s epistles, answer that error, mostly by pointing out how faith in Christ changes people, setting them free from sin.

Some might say that Christians also claim to have superior knowledge, etc. but this is not our claim. It is Jesus who said:

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

He is the only one who can back up that statement. He lived a sinless, selfless life, healed the sick, controlled the weather, turned water into wine, and loved even sinners to the point of dying for us that our sins might be forgiven and we could receive eternal life. No one else has ever done that and millions of people can testify to the truth/reality of it. I am free and assured of eternity with God because of Jesus and the Holy Spirit that He sent:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:16–17)

Deception denies Jesus and His power. Deception says we can save ourselves or that we don’t need saving because we are good people. Deception sometimes will tell us that we are so damaged that there is no hope for our lives. None of this corresponds to the reality of Jesus who is still in the business of saving sinners. He is the truth — so much needed in this dark and deceitful world.

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Lord God, I’m thankful today that You took me from my self-deception, exposing the lies I believed about You and about myself. You saved me from sin and continue to save me. You also assure me over and over that You are true and You are enough. How I need you! How this world needs You. May the power of truth transform this present darkness.