wordofgod: June 2023

Thursday, June 29, 2023

What Is the Bible Saying in 1 Corinthians 11 about Head Coverings?

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

We might not always like it, but the fact of the matter is that our clothes make a statement. What you wear says something about who you are: your nationality, wealth, generation, occupation, and even your position on certain movements or issues in culture. After all, your clothes are the first thing people see, and you have to wear them.

We use clothes to make ourselves look “cool” and attractive, to identify with a certain group, or to rebel against our parents or authority. In fact, clothes can pigeon-hole us so much (especially in our pop-culture) that some people emphatically want to assert that clothes mean nothing: “It is not the outside that defines me but the inside.”

Yet, ironically, those who take such a dogmatic stand often end up being concerned with clothes just as much as the next person. Of course, it is good not to be vain (true beauty is of the heart) or too concerned about our clothes, but we cannot escape the fact that what we wear is a factor in who we are and how we interact with and respect other people.

In chapter 11 of First Corinthians, the apostle Paul brings up this issue of dress, especially in worship, and he calls us in Christ to respect and follow the order of God’s creation, an order through which Christ has revealed himself and his salvation to us.

God is a God of order.

After commending the Corinthians for maintaining the traditions he gave them in 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul uses the occasion to instruction them on another topic. The Corinthians are holding to some of the apostolic traditions, but there is one more tradition with which they need help. And Paul begins this topic of instruction by setting forth the undergirding principle in verse 3:

But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. (1 Cor. 11:3)

Headship is the key truth that must be kept in mind through our passage. By head, Paul means authority. To be the head is to be the one over another, to be in leadership. Yet, Paul is not evoking some heavy-handed image of authority. Rather, head is an organic image.

Head is an organic image.

The head is over the body, but the head acts for the body. The body serves the head, but what is good for the head is good for the body—there is mutuality. Thus, this structure of heads does not negate equality. Surely, Christ is equal to God in power and glory, but God is the head of Christ. So also, man and woman are equal in value and worth, even though man is the head of woman.

Certainly, there is a difference between Christ and man, but this verse shows that this structure of different heads is not about inherent worth, but about order. The apostle is setting for an order that God ordained and through which he works. In any army or business, there are levels of structural authority: workers, middle management, senior management, and a CEO. So also, God’s kingdom has a structural authority.

Indeed, since Christ is essential to the structure of heads, it is clear that Paul is thinking primarily of Christ’s kingdom—the church. Paul will bring in creational order as well, but the crosshairs of his instruction are aimed at the church.

Of course, when we hear that man is the head of woman, we immediately wonder how this is worked out? What is Paul saying specifically here about “headship”?

In order to understand Paul’s argument here, it is critical to know the world, or cultural context, in which Paul and the Corinthians lived, especially how they dressed, for the Greco-Roman world was one that had a defined dress code. People’s clothes were to be in accord with their status. As historian Thomas A. J. McGinn comments in Prostitution, Sexuality, and the Law in Ancient Rome, “you were what you wore.” [1]

Yet, the Greco-Roman world was quite diverse, and the dress varied between cultures. Greeks did not dress exactly like Romans, and the difference between Romans and Greeks would have been especially felt in Corinth, which was a Roman colony in the middle of Greece. It would be like working at the United States embassy in Egypt—your different dress would be noticeable.

The church has a dress code for men.

Paul begins with men—yes, Paul is concerned with men just as much as he is with women in this passage:

Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head” (1 Cor. 11:4).

First, Paul identifies a very particular activity of men: praying and prophesying. By prophesying, Paul is referring basically to preaching God’s word—to pray and prophesy is to be officially active in public worship.

Paul states in the above verse that the man who prays and preaches in public with his head covered shames his head. This head covering looked basically like a hood: the fabric covered the back of the head, not the face, with a piece of robe going over the head. But why is this so shameful?

It is clear that Paul is being a pastor to a church in the context in which they lived. For God commanded that Aaron and all the Old Testament priests had to cover their heads as they ministered in the temple. Aaron, as high priest, had to wear a turban, which covered his head. So, Paul’s point is not some universal prohibition against wearing hats in worship; rather, he is focusing on something different.

For the Romans, when their priests officiated in worship—praying and sacrificing—they would cover their heads. The male Roman priests would drape their togas over their heads. The emperor Augustus (and others after him) would do this as well, since he also performed pagan priestly duties. Augustus covered his head in prayer to show that he was also the religious head of the empire, and numerous statues have been found around the Roman Empire depicting Augustus with his head covered while praying. This image is also found on coins, as it was a form of Roman propaganda—showing Caesar as a religious head.

As this image was propagated in the Roman Empire, men started to copy it in their dress while praying. To copy the emperor was a way to elevate your own status. It said, “Look at me—I am noble as the emperor.” Therefore, the Corinthian men were copying a pagan dress as they conducted worship that stated, “Look at me and my high status. I am elite.”

Besides copying pagan worship, the Corinthian men also were copying female clothing by covering their heads.

There was another thing wrong with this male covering of the head in worship. When the Greeks looked at a man with his head covered, they thought he looked like a woman. The normal dress for a married woman was to wear a covering over her head.

There is one relief of Augustus praying with his head covered next to a woman with her head covered, and being clean shaven, he looks just like the woman. For a man to cover his head was effeminate; it was to blur the line between genders for Greeks.

So, the Corinthian man who was wearing a head covering was officiating in worship in a manner that said, “Look at my high status,” but everyone in the congregation was thinking, “he is dressing like a woman.” It is no wonder that Paul says that a man who does this shames his head. And in light of 1 Corinthians 11:3, there is double sense to ‘his head.’ As his head, it refers to the man himself—he shames himself. But the head of every man is Christ, so the man also shames Christ. He brings dishonor to Christ by drawing attention to himself and looking like a woman.

Paul then uses the hypothetical example of what it would mean for a woman to be leading prayer or prophesying with her head uncovered in verses 5 and 6:

But every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. (1 Cor. 11:5-6)

It is critical to note that Paul is clear in 1 Corinthians 14 that women should not be praying or prophesying in an authoritative role in the public assembly of the church; thus, he is not condoning such actions here in chapter 11. Rather, Paul is using hyperbole to show the men how inappropriate it was for them to dress like a woman via the example of a woman who is flaunting both cultural and church standards.

The church has a dress code for women.

Again, we need to be familiar with the normal dress for women in the Greco-Roman culture. First, to get married was known as “putting on the veil.” So only married women wore the head covering (hood-like; not over the face). Young girls got married at about 14, when they hit puberty. So women did not cover their heads until they were married, and young girls did not go out in public. Widows and prostitutes did not wear the cover. Wives, however, did not wear the cover at home, where they spent most of their time. The head covering was specifically for married women in public settings.

This covering told everyone that you were an upright and devoted wife, who honored your husband—so do not touch. The covering was a crucial part of being a modest and self-controlled woman. It was so important that many Greek cities had a local official called the “controls of women” who policed how women dressed in public.

In fact, Roman law stated if a married woman went out in public without a head covering and a man made advances toward her, it was her fault. Not wearing a head covering advertised that the woman was looking for a man (e.g., she was a prostitute).

Paul was addressing the “new women” of the first-century Roman empire.

In Paul’s day there was a movement by some women/wives to be more like men—historians call them the “new women.” (For more on this topic, please see Roman Wives, Roman Widows: The Appearance of New Women and the Pauline Communities by Bruce W. Winter.) They were trying to act and dress more like men. A wife who prayed in public with no covering was declaring she was free from all restraints—she was promiscuous. She was rebelling against the rules of propriety by dressing and acting like a man. In fact, for a wife to go out in public without the head covering would indicate that she was looking for another man and was thinking about a divorce.

Paul states at the end of verse 5 that such a woman is the same as one with her head shaven because the shaving of a woman’s head was a punishment for adultery—it shamed the woman in public as an adulteress. This is why Paul says a wife praying uncovered in public shames her head.

She not only shames herself, but she also shames her husband by making the statement that she sleeps around. For a wife to go out in public without her head covered would be similar to a wife today posting on Facebook that she is looking for sex partners. And it appears that these wives were doing this in the Corinthian church, which also dishonors Christ. To further attempt to lead prayer or prophecy dressed without a head covering would be especially appalling.

Paul grounds his point about dress in worship in creation.

Thus, a man should not cover his head while officiating in worship because he is the image and glory of God:

For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. (1 Cor. 11:7)

By image, Paul is not thinking so much about the image of God—for women as well as men are created in the image of God. Rather, Paul is using image in terms of a picture or portrait, as that which reveals or makes visible something unseen. This fits with glory, which is the visible manifestation of God’s perfections.

The same sense is found in Colossians 1:15, “Christ is the image of the invisible God.” Christ makes visible the unseen God. Now God is not a creature, so gender does not ultimately belong to him, but God has always and only revealed himself to us as a man. Christ is a man. Our Lord is God, not a goddess.

Ministers represent God.

As a man is officiating in worship, he is especially representing God. Therefore, he cannot look like a woman, which a head covering made him look like in first-century Corinth. If the minister looks like a woman, this brings dishonor to God who reveals himself through the minister as a man.

Thus, Paul is not ultimately concerned about men wearing hoods or hats, in or outside worship, but he is clear that no cross-dressing is permitted, which a head covering was for a man in Corinth. A man should not dress like a woman—especially the minister in church who officially represents God and Christ, his head.

The wife reveals the honor of her husband.

In keeping with the headship structure of 1 Corinthians 11:3, if man is to reveal the honor of his head, Christ and God, so a woman is to reveal the glory or honor of her head, man. That is, she is to help her husband be honorable, and act in a way that respects him and upholds his good name. As the saying goes, behind every great man there is an even greater woman. The wife reveals the honor of the husband.

And this truth that man is the image of God and woman is the glory of man Paul roots in creation. As he states, man is not from woman, but woman is from man, since Eve was formed from the rib of Adam. The first man named her woman for she was from him, bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.

For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. (1 Cor. 11:8-9)

Likewise, woman was created for the sake of man, not the other way around. God created the woman to be a helpmeet to the man. It was the man that needed the help. This is the creational order that establishes the truth that the head of woman is man and that she is the glory of man, while the man is the image and glory of God.

Christ upholds the created order in his kingdom.

Christ, then, in his kingdom upholds this created order. Even though we belong to Christ’s heavenly kingdom, this heavenly kingdom does not undo the differences and order between the genders. In terms of equality and worth, there is no Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, but we are all one in Christ (Gal. 3:28).

But in terms of order and structure, the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. We still live our lives within the good created order that God ordained by his good and perfect will.

What is Paul saying about angels in verse 10?

It is for this reason Paul states,

That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. (1 Cor. 11:10)

In Corinth, for a wife to be uncovered while praying in public does not just dishonor her husband, but it also disrespects God’s ordained order in the church. The praying and uncovering woman says, "she is like a man, officially representing God.” So the authority on her head is for her to be in submission to the God-ordained structure of headship of 1 Corinthians 11:3.

By the phrase “because of angels,” Paul most likely is referring to the truth that when the church worships, it is taken up to a heavenly plane. On this heavenly plane of worship, we are with the angels. The angels join in with our worship of God on the Lord’s day. Therefore, for a woman or a man to throw off the headship order in the presence of angels is especially shameful, since God’s heavenly servants are witnessing such a flagrant denial of God’s good order.

Paul’s point about hair length has to do with gender differences in the Corinthian culture.

Paul brings up hair length in verses 14-15 to make a point about gender differences. For it was the common presupposition for both Romans and Greeks that men have short hair and woman have long hair.

Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. (1 Cor. 11:14-15)

By nature, Paul means “the customs of a given society or culture.” This is clear if you think about Old Testament Israel. The Nazirite had long hair by law. Absalom was famous for his long, thick hair. And if you saw pictures of the Assyrians, the men’s hair was down to their shoulders (probably close to Israel’s length). Israelite priests especially wore their hair longer.

Paul is referring to the cultural norm of the Greeks and Romans, who thought a man with long hair looked effeminate and weak. Thus, in their art, the Romans often pictured the barbarians being defeated with long hair as sign of their effeminate weakness, more like a woman. So also, for a woman to cut her hair short was for her to disguise herself as man.

Paul picks up this cultural norm in order to make the point: if a man looks like a woman it is shameful, and if a woman looks like a man, it is shameful. Her long hair is her glory and a sign that she is a woman, rightfully in her place of order. The Corinthians are cross dressing in worship, flaunting all norms of cultural modesty and decency. And their cross-dressing is destroying God’s created gender distinctives and the order of headship.

Paul affirms the equal worth of men and women.

Even though Paul is stressing the proper order between men and women, even though he stresses the proper order of headship, he nonetheless is clear about equal worth of men and women:

Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. (1 Cor. 11:11-12)

There is a mutuality and interdependence between man and woman. Woman came from Adam’s rib, but man is born of a woman.

In the Lord, we are not independent of each other. The body needs the head, and the head is dead without the body. In marriage and in the church, both sexes are essential and necessary. In the Lord, men and women are fully equal as members of his covenant and heirs of his salvation. Everything is from God, so we must live in the order he has given.

How should Christian men and women dress today?

From our discussion of Paul, it becomes pretty clear what it means for us today. It means we should not cross dress. Men should dress and act like men, and women should dress and act like women. And especially in worship, the minister should not look like a woman.

The issue is not whether the minister has a hat on per se. Aaron had to wear one, but Paul forbids it in Corinth, for it is what women did. Hence, to fully appreciate Paul here, we must think critically about cultural norms. Culture is not sovereign or untouchable. We must be critical of our culture, and yet we cannot be a-cultural. We are always products of our culture.

So women should dress respectfully and modestly in their society, but this doesn’t come with a transcultural standard—such as her hair must be 15 inches long. In some cultures, the women have quite short hair. Many women can’t grow long hair, especially when they get older.

Likewise, with men short hair is not always a sign of manhood. If you were an Assyrian, men wore hair down to their shoulders and a full beard. Think of the debates in our country during the last fifty years. One decade, long hair is down to your ears; another, it is shameful to have a beard; and in another, it is fine to have facial hair.

Nevertheless, aside from these variations, it is pretty clear in a particular culture what is cross-dressing. It may be fine to wear a kilt in worship in Scotland, but in many other places, a man should not do this. Whatever culture you are in, men should dress as honorable men.

And women should not dress like prostitutes but as modest and respectable women. Whatever the specifics, we must uphold God’s structure of headship and the created differences between the genders. Indeed, this is what Paul is doing in the context of Corinth. He is telling the Corinthian church not to offend outsiders by acting dishonorably through cross-dressing in worship.

Christ uses his headship for our good.

This order—that man is the head of woman, and the head of man is Christ and the head of Christ is God—should be precious to us, for it is the very order that Christ has revealed himself to us. Christ is the head of us as his church. Christ is our Groom, as we are his bride.

This headship of Christ is the sweetest thing, because in it we find the very gospel. As Paul says elsewhere, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.”

Christ’s headship of us is summarily comprehended in the gospel of our salvation. He rules us not with a rod of iron, but with the tenderness of his love and grace. Christ uses his headship for your good. He uses it so that you can be his glory.

Yes, you are the glory of Christ, as Christ makes his perfect righteousness and love manifest in and through you, as his body. Christ became poor so that you might be rich in him. Jesus humbled himself, taking on the shame of the cross, so that you might be glorious in him. Thus, the key attribute of being a head is to seek the good of the other.

As the God-man, Christ died so that you might have life and glory in and through him. Thus, as we keep to God’s structure of headship with its distinctions between the genders, we actually image and testify to the glorious work of Christ done for us and in us. As we submit to God’s order, we bring glory to our only Head and Savior, Jesus Christ. May God give us the grace to glorify Christ in this way.

Recommended Book:

Roman Wives, Roman Widows: The Appearance of New Women and the Pauline Communities by Bruce W. Winter

[1] Thomas A. J. McGinn, Prostitution, Sexuality, and the Law in Ancient Rome, 2nd ed.(New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2003), 162.

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Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Holding Fast to Your Christian Liberty

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

Do you ever feel like other people are better Christians than you are? Maybe they read their Bibles more, give more money to the church, pray more for others, are involved in church ministry, do more good deeds, or never seem to do anything really sinful. It’s easy to get discouraged when we start comparing our own Christian walk with other believers we know.

One of the big reasons this happens is that humans are geared to think that keeping rules is how we are right before God, and they are actually correct about this (see Lev. 18:5; Luke 10:25–28). The problem is that no one can keep God’s laws perfectly. This is why Jesus came: we need his perfect righteousness and perfect sacrifice to be counted to us through faith in Christ so we can be declared justified before God.

Some Christians can add requirements that the Bible doesn’t dictate.

Still, Christians are often prone to think that they will be closer to God by keeping certain rules and living certain lifestyles. The problem with this is that some Christians can add requirements that the Bible doesn’t command, or they may consider certain lifestyle choices to be more spiritual than others. What is a Christian to do when it comes to knowing how to live according to God’s word in this world?

The Westminster Confession of Faith gives us excellent counsel in this area in its chapter, “Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience”:

God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are, in anything, contrary to his Word; or beside it, if matters of faith, or worship. So that, to believe such doctrines, or to obey such commands, out of conscience, is to betray true liberty of conscience: and the requiring of an implicit faith, and an absolute and blind obedience, is to destroy liberty of conscience, and reason also. (WCF 20:2)

Look at the phrase, “or beside it.” With these words, the Westminster Confession of Faith reminds Christians that they are not bound by any “doctrines and commandments of men” that are not found in God’s word. It is also true that believers must be considerate of their neighbors, not causing them to stumble (Rom. 14:13–23: 1 Cor. 8:7–13). The sixteenth-century pastor and theologian John Calvin reminds Christians to use their freedom responsibly and lovingly:

Nothing is plainer than this rule: that we should use our freedom if it results in the edification of our neighbor, but if it does not help our neighbor, then we should forgo it (The Institutes, 3.19.12)

Christians may also add unnecessary rules by taking a Bible verse out of context.

Sometimes well-meaning Christians add unnecessary rules by taking a Bible verse out of context and making it say something it doesn't mean to imply. When the Bible tells us to “rejoice always” (1 Thess. 5:16) and “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17), does that mean we should stay up all night to praise God and pray and never sleep? The verses do say “always” and “without ceasing.” Of course, this is not what Paul means. He wants Christians to consistently rejoice in and pray to the Lord as they go through life. When making decisions in life, we must always wisely look at the whole counsel of Scripture and seek to interpret a passage’s meaning in its proper context.

For another example, some people have mistakenly believed that women shouldn’t braid their hair based on 1 Timothy 2:9-10 and 1 Peter 3:3-4:

Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. (1 Tim. 2:9-10)

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. (1 Pet. 3:3-4)

During the time period Paul and Peter wrote their letters, some women spent excessively long hours braiding their hair into very intricate styles, which caused them to put an inordinate amount of time into their appearance for the sake of their hair being a status symbol. Paul and Peter were exhorting women not to be vain and overly concerned with their appearance but rather to focus on the beauty that comes from an obedient heart devoted to loving God and their neighbor. They weren’t saying that women can’t ever braid their hair, wear gold or pearls, make wise purchases of quality clothing, or improve their appearance in appropriate ways.

We should not impose restrictions on Christians where God has given his children liberty.

Christians have great liberty of conscience in many aspects of life. This includes the vocations they choose, where they reside, how they spend their money and time, whether they marry, how they raise their children, what attire they wear, and how they go about growing in the love and knowledge of their Savior.

If Christians do decide to get married, the Bible does instruct them to marry a fellow believer (1 Cor. 7:39; 2 Cor. 6:14). Every Christian has different gifts, abilities, and circumstances, and these differences produce wonderful fruit in many beautiful ways in God’s kingdom.

We cannot know what is in the hearts of fellow Christians as they seek to honor God in their daily lives, and we should not impose restrictions on believers where God has given us liberty. Although it is human nature to do so, we also should avoid comparing ourselves with other believers and thinking that they are better than we are—or that we are better than they are—for whatever reason, since all of us are sinners in need of God’s grace in Christ.

Christians should always seek to keep all of God’s commands in his word, even though they shall do so imperfectly in this life. May we enjoy our freedom in Christ while practicing godly behavior in all we think and do, always seeking to grow in holiness to the glory of Jesus our King.

Le Ann Trees is managing editor of Beautiful Christian Life.

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

3 Important Things to Know about Walking Arm in Arm with Jesus from Proverbs 3:5-6

Photo by juan pablo rodriguez on Unsplash

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

Two people arm in arm. This always gives me joy. Of all the ways that human beings can express physical affection, this one seems unfailingly delightful. It brings people closer than holding hands. Unlike the kiss, it doesn’t exclude others. Unlike an embrace, it doesn’t prevent you walking along together.

A father and daughter proceed arm in arm down the church aisle. Two students, backpacks bouncing up and down, skip arm in arm to school. Comrades in arms march arm in arm on their country’s Memorial Day with grim smiles and misty eyes. Two friends walk briskly, arm in arm, to find mutual warmth on a frosty morning.

Two people arm in arm are going somewhere, helping each other on the way.

Two people arm in arm are going somewhere. They are going somewhere together. They are helping each other on the way. That is what I want with Jesus. I want to walk through life arm in arm with him. I want to go in the same direction as he is. I want to feel his love. I want his strength to hold me up and keep me going.

As we will see, the book of Proverbs urges us to do exactly this. It calls us, lovingly and loudly, to walk arm in arm with Wisdom himself, Jesus Christ the Son of God, our Creator and Redeemer. As believers we walk close to Jesus in our marriages, our friendships, our child-raising, our work, our finances, our food and wine, our speaking, our old age, and our final hours and breaths.

In Proverbs 3:5-6, we hear Jesus call us to walk arm in arm with him through every path of life:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight. (All passages from NIV)

The medium is the message.

Here are four lines arranged in two couplets. This careful structure is designed to help us better interpret the meaning of the words. Notice the general plan:

This is what to do;
This is what not to do;
This reiterates what to do;
This is the consequence of doing.

Reread Proverbs 3:5-6 with this plan in mind, and its meaning will already seem clearer and stronger.

Now look at how the structure ties certain words and ideas together in such a way that they mutually explain each other. Notice how “trust” and “lean” and “submit” go together. Trusting is like leaning, and leaning is like submitting (or knowing, as we will see). Notice also how “ways” and “paths” go together.

Jesus is the hero of Proverbs.

Proverbs personifies Wisdom, showing her creating the world and calling to us on the street corners (ch. 8). Wisdom is manifestly Jesus himself. He is the wise Creator. He is the wise Teacher, out in the streets and fields, calling and instructing with the kinds of stories and pithy sayings that characterize Proverbs. And he is, of course, the LORD, Immanuel, God come to be close to his people—to save them and lead them with love, mercy, and justice.

Going back and reading Proverbs 3:5-6 through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we know that it is the LORD Jesus himself calling us to trust him with all of our heart. Keeping in mind the structure of Proverbs 3:5-6 and its deep-rooted Christ-centeredness, let us ask three questions.

1. What does the LORD Jesus require of us?

In short, he requires us to trust in him instead of ourselves. The word “trust” (bātach) doesn’t need a lot of explaining. It means to have faith in, to believe, to rely upon, to depend on, to have confidence in, to count on. The same word features in Psalm 22:9, “You brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast.”

Is there any more beautiful and compelling picture of trust than an infant lying against her mother’s breast, feeding with languid tranquility and satisfaction? The Hebrew preposition “on” strengthens this idea. Trust “on” Jesus. Rest yourself entirely on him.

Image from Wikimedia Commons; British 55th (West Lancashire) Division troops blinded by tear gas await treatment at an Advanced Dressing Station near Bethune during the Battle of Estaires, 10 April 1918, part of the German offensive in Flanders.

Exactly a hundred years ago World War One was coming to its final ghastly end. We have all seen the haunting photos of the walking-wounded survivors of chlorine gas attacks. Chlorine turns to hydrochloric acid in the moisture of the eyes and lungs. It blinds and liquefies the lungs’ delicate membranes. The eyes of these men in the image above are rough-bandaged, and they stagger as they struggle to breathe. They lean heavily on their more able-bodied compatriots. They had to lean. They could not move without leaning. They were blind, and the supporting strength of their friends was utterly necessary.

Jesus commands us to trust in him by leaning on him. For by sin's noxious fumes our eyes are blinded, and our strength is shattered.

When I returned to the church in my early twenties, a friend criticized me: “Jesus is just a crutch for you.” The longer I have walked in life, the truer this seems to me. Jesus is my crutch, my support, my “hope and stay.” I lean utterly on him for forgiveness. I lean utterly on him for every step that I take toward my heavenly home. Yet, he is more than a crutch—he is my life support, for I cannot survive a moment without him.

Notice how “trust” and “lean” are linked to “submit” in the third line: “In all your ways submit to him.” Most versions translate the celebrated Hebrew word yāda as “acknowledge.” The word yāda means basically “to know,” and “acknowledge” has the advantage of conveying that sense of “knowing.” In everyday speech, however, “acknowledge” is an insipid word. If I say, “I acknowledged my old teacher across the street,” I am saying, “I nodded to him. I tipped my hat.” In fact, it often conveys reluctance: “I had to acknowledge that he was fitter than I am.”

The Hebrew word yāda on the other hand means “to experience,” “to know intimately,” “to be in close relationship with.” Thus “Adam knew (yāda) Eve his wife, and she became pregnant.” Thus David “knew (yāda) how to play the harp,” for he had mastered the harp with thousands of hours of practice. (The idea is captured more or less by the French connaître, to know personally, as opposed to savoir, to know about something.)

“Submit” has the advantage over “acknowledge” in that it conveys a deeper and more serious connection. “Submit all your ways to him, put all your ways under his strength and rule.” Perhaps a better expression to capture the true idea of yādawould be: “In all your ways keep very close to him.” In short, “Walk arm in arm with him wherever you go.”

“Lean not on your own understanding” strengthens this. I remember when my daughters turned three. At this advanced stage of maturity and understanding, they no longer wanted me to put their shoes and jumpers on. “I do it!” became their battle cry. Mastering skills and learning to do things independently is a happy and healthy thing. But true maturity means depending on others for things that I simply cannot do on my own: depending on others to mend my teeth, to install electrical fittings, to fly me to Western Australia, to build the car that I drive, to bake the bread that I toast, to make the music that sweetens my days, and a million other unnoticed things.

Jesus says, “Don’t walk through life alone. Don’t be self-reliant. Don’t ultimately depend on your own muscle power, your own experience, your own brainpower and knowledge. Don’t depend on yourself for salvation. Walk arm in arm with me. Rely on my strength, my wisdom, my knowledge, my promises, and my love.”

2. How are we to walk arm in arm with Jesus?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” The word “heart” is a metaphor that transcends many cultures and languages. In English the heart represents the center of a person and his or her deepest longings and desires. I put my heart into preaching, which means that I give it the best of my working time, energy, passion, and ability. I love my wife with all my heart, which means that I would rather die than see her hurt or betrayed.

My heart’s desire is to see my children saved, which means that this is my deepest and strongest desire for them—far stronger than my desire that they be well-educated, married, and successful in their vocation. The French cœur carries the same freight, as does the Greek word kardia and the Hebrew word lēv. In the Old Testament, the heart is the center of a person’s will and desires.

I feel great love for Jesus when the whole church sings a rousing version of Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah! or Behold Our God! I feel great love for Jesus at the communion table. I feel great love for Jesus as I proclaim his love and grace from the pulpit. And I lean closely to Jesus in those terrifying Sunday morning hours before I preach, or when my children face a crisis.

Yet, what about when our planned trip to Europe all seems to be coming together? Or when the tax return is higher than expected? Or when I am lolling in front of Netflix? Or what about when my feelings are hurt, or I am getting cross with a difficult teacher? In these times of good and ill, I tend to walk life’s path alone. I tend to call for Christ only when things are unbearably good, or just unbearable. I trust in Jesus with some of my heart, or with all of my heart sometimes.

Israel was perennially tempted to lean on their strong fortresses, their horses and chariots, or their occasional alliances with Egypt. And I tend to lean on the fortress of job security or the horses and chariots of health and energy or my alliance with my house and land.

With these words Jesus calls you, urges you, goads you, and cajoles you to walk always arm in arm with him—to always lean entirely on him. How foolish to lean on self! Sick, stupid, stumbling, sinful self! How fatal! Lean on him, entirely on him! He is wise, strong, loyal, and good.

Walk arm in arm with Jesus and listen to him as you read his Word. Walk arm in arm with Jesus and talk to him in prayer. Walk arm in arm with Jesus with his other children. Walk arm in arm with Jesus and feast with him at regular communion.

3. What will be the result?

“He will make your paths straight.” The word “path,” like “heart,” is a universal metaphor, and the Hebrew derek may be translated “way,” “journey,” “undertaking,” “conduct,” or “situation.” Walk arm in arm with Jesus, and he will keep you on the right path, the path that brings contentment, joy, and peace, the path that leads to eternal life with him.

Walk arm in arm with Jesus, lean entirely on him, and he will take care of you. He will take care of your children. He will love your wife or husband much more and better than you do. He will give you your daily bread. He will wound you where you need to be wounded. He will cripple you to make you lean on him more. He will stay close when you are betrayed or abandoned.

Jesus will forgive you when you sin and wash away your guilt and filth. He will allow the world to abuse and hurt you, but he will stand with you and give you the words to say. He will thrash you severely and mercifully when you need correction. He will knock away the temporary supports you tend to lean on: strength, financial security, a secure job, or even a loving spouse.

When your heart fails, he will be standing to receive you. And at the end of time he will call your dusty corpse from the grave and clothe you with a renewed body that will never grow weary, thirsty, hungry, or sick. He will always love you. He will never let go of you.

Walk arm in arm with Jesus. He will take you down the best and hardest path and will carry you to the end.

Campbell Markham has been a pastor in the Australian Presbyterian Church for over twenty-two years and lives in Perth, Western Australia. He blogs at Campbell Markham: Thoughts and Letters.

Monday, June 26, 2023

Can I Date an Unbeliever?

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

Ever since my first ministry post as a middle school ministry director in 2003, I’ve dealt regularly with Christian folks who want to know if it is acceptable for them to date an unbeliever. Often (but not always), those who are pondering this question readily acknowledge that the Bible says a Christian cannot marry a non-Christian. Nevertheless, they believe they can move down this path because (1) the Bible does not forbid dating an unbeliever; (2) their romantic relationship can serve as a means of evangelism to the unbelieving boyfriend or girlfriend; (3) their situation is unique; or (4) a combination exists of some or all of the above.

Is Dating in the Bible?

In answering the question whether a Christian can date a non-Christian, it is important to first note that the Bible, strictly speaking, does not forbid Christians from dating non-Christians. That last statement might cause a few biblically-minded Christians to stumble. But we need to be precise at this point, so that we do not attempt to protect a clear commandment (you cannot marry an unbeliever; see 1 Cor. 7:39) with an extra-biblical rule (you cannot date an unbeliever). What God has spoken he has spoken, and his Word is sufficient.

Nevertheless, we also must consider the fact that during the time that Scripture was penned (approximately 1400 B.C. to A.D. 90), there was no such thing as modern “dating.” There were marriages, betrothals (similar to, but not the same as, modern-day engagements), and singleness. In recent times, “dating” has come to refer, at best, to a process by which a young man and a young woman spend exclusive time together with a view toward marriage.

This intentional movement toward marriage doesn’t characterize many dating relationships today, however, even though couples often engage in marital privileges like sexual intimacy and living together while in these relationships. When the dating relationship ends, the “break up” is like a miniature divorce, because the couple has “acted” like a married couple during the course of their dating relationship.

Dating for Marriage

For the Christian, romantic relationships can only be pursued for the purpose of moving toward marriage. Why? Because God has created men and women to come together in physical, emotional, and spiritual union in marriage (Gen. 2:24). To engage in a romantic relationship is, by design, intended to lead to this union.

This does not mean that a Christian must marry the first person they date. Nor does it mean that you must be convinced you want to marry someone before you start dating them. Indeed, the dating process helps confirm or discourage your desire to marry a particular person. But it does mean that you must protect the physical, emotional, and spiritual purity of the one you are dating during the entire course of your relationship. To engage in physical intimacy before marriage is to defraud each other sexually, and to cultivate romantic feelings toward each other without the express purpose of marriage is to defraud one another emotionally and spiritually (see 1 Thess. 4:3-8).

If dating is meant to lead to marriage, therefore, it would seem that dating an unbeliever is, if not directly disobedient, at least incredibly foolish. But we might be getting a little ahead of ourselves here. In order to answer the question not directly addressed in Scripture (can a believer date an unbeliever?), it is always best to answer any related questions that are directly addressed in Scripture. By examining why a Christian cannot marry a non-Christian, it will become increasingly clear, I believe, why dating an unbeliever is not only unwise but probably an act of disobedience, even if Scripture never specifically forbids it.

Let’s consider why a Christian cannot marry a non-Christian.

The New Testament Commands

The first reason why believers cannot marry unbelievers is that the Bible forbids it. There are two primary New Testament texts that speak to the issue of marriage between a believer and an unbeliever. In his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul says, after a detailed discussion of marriage and singleness, that a woman whose husband has died “is free to marry whomever she wishes, only in the Lord” (1 Cor. 7:39; emphasis added). The principle in this text is that where legitimate marriage can occur—the believer has never married, or they are released from their previous marriage by the death of a spouse—it can only occur between two believers.

The second text that offers clarity on this issue is 2 Corinthians 6:14 where Paul says, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.” The phrase “unequally yoked” uses farming imagery to illustrate how counterproductive it is to link oneself intimately with an unbeliever. Like coupling two animals who are incompatible in strength, size, weight, and plowing skill, there will be constant friction, frustration, and futility for two people who enter into marriage with foundational spiritual differences.

But Paul is also interested in underscoring the folly of this kind of partnership. With a blistering volley of rhetorical questions, the apostle undermines any hope that genuine intimacy—the kind of intimacy that married couples are intended to share—can exist between a believer and unbeliever. Paul asks,

For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? (2 Cor. 6:14-16)

The answer to each question is obvious. There can be, by definition, no partnership, fellowship, or portion between righteousness and lawlessness, light and darkness, Christ and Belial, a believer and unbeliever. Of course, Paul does not mean that believers are to have no relationship whatsoever with unbelievers. For the sake of the gospel and out of love for our neighbor we must have relationships with those who do not know Christ (see especially 1 Cor. 5:9-10).

The phrase “unequally yoked” refers to a close, intimate partnership—like marriage—where each person is meant to be “plowing” in the same direction, at the same speed, with the same purpose. Such a scenario can never occur for the Christian and the non-Christian. For a Christian to enter into marriage with an unbeliever, therefore, is not only an act of disobedience against their Lord, but it is also foolish.

The Folly of Being “Unequally Yoked”

Christianity is not a “religion” like any other that one can “choose” or “decline.” Christianity is the truth (John 14:6; 17:17; 1 Tim. 3:15), and to believe in Christ is to believe in one who is real and true, and to come into relationship with the Creator of the universe (John 17:3; Gal. 4:8-9). When a person becomes a Christian, they actually become a new person, and an ontological, irreversible change occurs at the deepest level of who they are (2 Cor. 5:21). Consider how this change affects every area of the Christian’s life and what basic differences now exist between you and your unbelieving boyfriend or girlfriend:

You have opposing masters (Matt. 6:24; Eph. 2:2).
You have opposing worldviews (Col. 2:2-8).
You have opposing sources of wisdom (Prov. 1:7).
You have opposing aims in life (1 Cor. 10:31).
You have opposite eternal destinies (Matt. 25:31-46).
You are in the Spirit; they are in the flesh (Rom. 8:6-9).
You are a slave to righteousness; they are a slave to sin (Rom. 6:20-23).
You are led by the Spirit; they are led by the god of this world (Rom. 8:14; 2 Cor. 4:1-6).
You are alive in Christ; they are dead in sin (Eph. 2:1-10).

None of these spiritual realities can be a cause for boasting (see Luke 18:9-14), for you did not achieve these things by your will power or intelligence. You are a Christian by sheer grace (1 Cor. 4:7). Nevertheless, the fact remains that you are, at a basic level, different from each other and therefore unable to share true intimacy in marriage. Furthermore, there are countless testimonies of men and women who have married unbelievers who, after years of struggle, say that it was an unwise decision. They are both “sadder and wiser” now, and we should listen to them.

Why, then, would you ponder the possibility of dating an unbeliever? If you are like many I’ve known who try to work around these clear biblical principles, you are left with two objections. Let’s consider each of these.

Objection #1: My situation is unique.

You may think the circumstances of how you met, or your boyfriend or girlfriend’s spiritual “sensitivity,” or your love for each other despite your differences qualifies your relationship as different from those who are or who have been in a similar situation. Yes, you understand that Scripture forbids marrying an unbeliever, and yes, you know that most of the time the unbeliever doesn’t eventually believe in Christ (or if he does, it’s out of a desire to preserve the relationship so that his “faith” fizzles after a few months or years); but your situation is unique.

The question we often fail to ask is, unique to what? Unique in the sense that things will turn out different? That cannot be guaranteed, nor is it, given the testimony of others, a probable outcome. Unique in the sense that somehow you are exempt from obedience in this case? Any assumption that connects exemption from obedience to particular circumstances is usually a sign that you are in the throes of self-deception. Unique in the sense that no one has ever been faced with this kind of decision? No, this temptation, like all others, is one that is common to man (1 Cor. 10:13). The truth is that your situation is not unique at all.

Objection #2: If we break up, my boyfriend or girlfriend may never have another Christian influence in their life.

Let me be clear: Your desire to see the salvation of your unbelieving boyfriend or girlfriend is a good desire. But you must remember that God has not pitted his commandments against each other. In other words, the instruction is clear: you cannot marry an unbeliever. And this commandment will always work in harmony with God’s other commandment to evangelize the lost and make disciples of all the nations (Matt. 28:18-20). You must learn to obey the Lord, trust that his commandments are good and harmonious, and that he is sovereign over your boyfriend or girlfriend. It is not ultimately up to you whether your boyfriend or girlfriend is saved. And you don’t need to date or marry them in order to evangelize them. Pray for the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest (Matt. 9:38).

Conclusion

So, is it wrong to date an unbeliever? In light of the above principles, I find it difficult to see how a believer can enter into a dating relationship with an unbeliever—a relationship that is romantic by nature and designed to lead to marriage—in faith. Although the Bible does not address the dating question specifically, it does tell us that everything we do in the Christian life must be done in faith; that is, everything we do must be carried out with a good conscience and be something for which we can thank God. Whatever is not of faith, Paul reminds us, is sin (Rom. 14:23).

You may fear loneliness and the potential of never being married. I get that. But a good conscience and a happy walk with Christ is infinitely better than what grasping at romance will get us. Let’s trust the Lord and his plans for us, for “no good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Ps. 84:11).

Derek J. Brown is Academic Dean at The Cornerstone Seminary in Vallejo, California, and associate pastor at Grace Bible Fellowship of Silicon Valley where he oversees the college and young adult ministry, online presence, and publishing ministry, GBF Press. Derek blogs at fromthestudy.com.

This article was originally published at fromthestudy.com.

Sunday, June 25, 2023

10 Words Every Christian Should Know (and Be Able to Explain)

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

Here are 10 words every Christian should know—and be able to explain—in order to "be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15).

1. Faith

Saving faith is not, as is commonly believed, a blind faith. There are three aspects of saving faith:

knowledge of Christ and his salvific work;
agreement that the claims of Christianity are true;
hearty trust in Christ alone for our salvation.

Faith is the instrument through which, by God’s grace, Christ’s perfect righteousness and atoning sacrifice are credited to us. It is God’s gift, not a work of any kind (Eph. 2:8-9). For more on the definition of faith, please click here.

2. Grace

Grace is one of God’s attributes. According to theologian Louis Berkhof, the grace of God in our redemption in Christ

is God's free, sovereign undeserved favor or love to man, in his state of sin and guilt, which manifests itself in the forgiveness of sin and deliverance from His justice. (Systematic Theology, p. 427).

There is nothing we have done or could ever do to merit God’s grace. We receive it by God’s sovereign choice alone (Rom. 11:5-6).

3. Peace

There are two aspects to peace—objective and subjective. Just as two countries have a status of peace with each other through official agreements, so Christians are declared at peace with God through Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1). This means that we still have the status of peace with God regardless of how we feel or how well we keep his commands at any given time.

It is normal for Christians to still feel anxious in this troubled world and to feel a lack of peace from the sin in their lives. These feelings should spur us on to trust in God, repent of our sins, and seek to live in such a manner that honors our Lord. Christians should always be exceedingly thankful and find unfathomable comfort in the fact that the blood of Christ sufficiently atones for all their guilt and sin.

4. Cross

God in his perfection must uphold all his attributes. We cannot separate God’s love from his holiness, or his mercy from his justice. God must be true to all his attributes, because to do otherwise would be to deny his own self.

As theologian Michael Horton so aptly states in his book The Christian Faith, “God would not be God if he did not possess all his attributes in the simplicity and perfection of his essence” (229). Jesus was born in the flesh so he could fulfill the whole law and be the perfect sacrifice on behalf of all who put their faith in him (Heb. 10:11-14).

At the cross Jesus offered up his life as the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice for all who trust in him for salvation (e.g. John 10:14, 15). According to Horton we observe, "the clearest evidence of the complete consistency between God's goodness and his sovereignty, justice, wrath, and righteousness in Christ's cross" (p. 266). At the cross we see God's “righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26).

5. Law

According to theologian R. C. Sproul, the law is like a mirror: it shows us our sin, but it can do nothing to save us. In fact, the law condemns everyone who is not in Christ. Jesus was born in the flesh in order to be the perfect Son whom God had promised since the fall of Adam in the garden (Gen. 3:15).

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Rom. 8:3-4)

Jesus kept the law perfectly on behalf of all who trust in him for salvation, and they are counted righteous in God’s sight through faith alone by God’s grace alone.

The law also serves the purposes of restraining evil and showing us what is pleasing to God. Christians should also strive to keep God's law in joyfully thanksgiving for all God has done for them in Christ, although they will do so imperfectly in this life. For more on the "three-fold use" of the law, click here.

6. Gospel

The Gospel is the good news of what Jesus did to redeem his people (his birth, life, death, and resurrection) and inaugurate the kingdom of God and the new creation (1 Cor. 15). It is good news because we are unable to save ourselves, as all our works are tainted by sin and we are all guilty in Adam (Rom. 5:12-21).

Without Christ being born in the flesh, keeping the law perfectly, and being the perfect once-for-all sacrifice for sin (Heb. 10:11-12), we would be without hope. Because of God’s love for the world in sending his Son, there is a way to peace with God: it is the narrow gate that is through faith in Christ alone:

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matt. 7:13-14)

There is salvation in no other name, because only the God-man could save us from ourselves (Acts 4:12).

7. Justification

Without understanding how they are justified in Christ, Christians may wrongly think their own works, good or bad, could keep them in or out of God’s kingdom. The Bible says that we are declared righteous in Christ—this is a legal verdict and not something that God sees inside of us:

And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. (Rom. 4:5)

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (Rom. 5:8-9)

Christ has taken upon himself the punishment we deserve, and he has earned life for us by his perfect obedience to God’s law.

Believers will never have to face God’s just sentence for their sins and spend eternity in hell separated from God. Think of someone in a courtroom who is guilty of a horrible crime and deserving of the severest punishment, but is instead declared innocent because someone else paid the penalty for them—and even made them coheirs with him, sharing in his vast wealth. This is the joyful justification every believer has in Christ.

8. Sanctification

Not only do Christians have the benefit of being justified in Christ, they also have the benefit of sanctification. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer and is at work conforming them to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). According to the Heidelberg Catechism, sanctification in Christ consists of two parts:

the dying of the old self (mortification), which consists of a "heartfelt sorrow that we have offended God by our sin, and more and more to hate it and flee from it" (Q. 89);
and living unto God (vivification), which consists of "a heartfelt joy in God through Christ, and a love and delight to live according to the will of God in all good works" (Q. 90).

Christians should be diligent to grow in godliness and be confident, as the apostle Paul writes, “that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

Sadly, the Roman Catholic Church has turned around the teaching of justification and sanctification, erroneously teaching that our justification comes some day in the undetermined future, after we have completed the process of sanctification via the sacraments of Rome and purgatory. The truth is that all believers are coheirs with Christ, and sanctification is God’s gift to all his children. As the apostle John declares,

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)

9. Imputation

The doctrine of imputation is one of the most under-taught teachings in the church today, and every Christian needs to know it. God credits to us the righteousness of Christ, and this comes through faith alone, which is also God’s gift to us in Christ (Eph. 2:8-9). Additionally, our sin is credited to Christ, who, though he knew no sin, was punished for the sins of all who trust in him for salvation (2 Cor. 5:21).

Martin Luther called this the Great Exchange: Christ’s righteousness counted (credited) to us, and our sin counted (credited) to Christ. You can also think of this double imputation as a balance sheet, with Christ’s assets on one side and our liabilities on the other side. God doesn’t look at our hearts and judge us as righteous based on our holiness; rather, we are judged as righteous because of the perfect work of Christ that is imputed to us. We don’t have to be punished for our sin either, because God imputed the punishment we deserve to Christ who bore it in full at the cross.

10. Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is our greatest hope, since it showed that our Savior conquered sin, death, and the devil at the cross, and the grave could not hold him. We can also take great comfort in knowing that we, too, will have resurrected bodies like Christ one day. We won’t always be separated from our physical bodies but will one day be reunited with them, and we won’t be able to sin anymore! Praise God!

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Cor. 15:20-22)

One day suffering, pain, evil, and death will be no more, and all believers will behold the beauty of their Savior at last and for always:

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Rev. 21:4-5).

Friday, June 23, 2023

7 Reasons Why God Makes a Crook in a Christians Lot

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

“Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked?” — Ecclesiastes 7:13

You may be wondering why God has allowed various afflictions in your life. In an introduction to eighteenth-century Scottish pastor and theologian Thomas Boston’s book The Crook in the Lot, J. I. Packer describes a “crook” this way:

But in Thomas Boston’s usage the crook is the crooked, that is the uncomfortable, discontenting aspects of a person’s life, the things that the Puritans called losses and crosses, and that we speak of as the stones in our shoe, the thorns in our bed, the burrs under the saddle, and the complaints we have to live with; and the lot is the providentially appointed path that God sets each of his servants to travel. (Thomas Boston, The Crook in the Lot: Living with That Thorn in Your Side, pp. 7-8)

It is helpful to consider God’s purposes in your adversities so that you can respond in a manner that brings glory to him. Here are seven reasons according to Boston why God makes a “crook” in a person’s lot, along with related Bible passages:

1. The trial of one's state, whether or not one is in the state of grace.

Even though we know from reading the book of Job that God allowed Satan to tempt Job to curse God through all the calamities Job faced, including the loss of his children, his wealth, and even his health, Job was not privy to that knowledge:

And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” (Job 1:8-11; see also 1 Pet. 4:12)

2. The excitation to duty, weaning one from this world, and prompting him to look after the happiness of the other world.

The apostle Paul, once a persecutor of Christians, came to a place in his life where he knew it was better to be with the Lord when his work in this world was finished:

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. (Phil 1:21-24)

3. The conviction of sin.

Joseph’s brothers were convicted of the sin they thought had been hidden for years when coming before the governor of Egypt (Joseph, although unbeknownst to them) to buy grain because of the famine.

Then they [Joseph’s brothers] said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” (Gen. 42:21)

4. The correction, or punishment, for sin.

While God forgave the repentant David for his sins of adultery and murder, David still faced consequences for his actions.

“Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.” (2 Sam. 12:9-10)

5. The prevention of sin.

Joseph had cause to be prideful when he was young because his father favored him, and dreams indicated that his brothers would bow down to him (Gen. 37:1-11). Although his years spent as a slave and a prisoner were great trials for Joseph (Gen. 39-40), he learned humility of spirit during that time, which would be needed for the work the Lord had for him to save God’s people from the famine to come. After Joseph asked Pharaoh’s chief cup bearer to speak to the ruler about his unjust imprisonment, he still remained in prison for two more years:

“In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh's cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit”….Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him. (Gen.40:13-15; 23)

6. The discovery of latent corruption, whether in saints or sinners, for the due humiliation of sinners.

Even Moses, who spoke with God face-to-face, failed to obey perfectly. After Moses struck the rock at Meribah to bring forth water instead of speaking to it as God commanded him to do, God did not allow Moses or Aaron to enter the promised land (Num. 20:7-11):

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” (Num. 20:12).

7. The exercise of grace in the children of God.

Paul had a crook in his lot that he asked the Lord to take away, but God refused in order to show the power of Christ in Paul’s weakness:

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Cor. 12:7-9)

Christians do not need to fear the “crooks” God allows in their lives but can instead rest in God’s faithfulness. Boston reminds us to keep our focus on God’s grace, even in our suffering:

The truth is, the crook in the lot is the great engine of Providence for making men appear in their true colours, discovering both their ill and their good. And if the grace of God is in them, it will bring it out, and cause it to display itself. It so puts the Christian to his shifts, that however it makes him stagger for awhile, yet it will at length evidence both the reality and the strength of grace in him.

While we will not always know why God has made a crook in our lot, we can always trust that he is using it for good and his glory in the lives of his beloved children.

The Crook in the Lot by Thomas Boston

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Thursday, June 22, 2023

5 Women Who Helped Topple Pharaoh and Save Gods People

Moses’ Mother by Alexey Vasilievich Tyranov; image from Wikimedia Commons; . — *Moses’ Mother* by Alexey Vasilievich Tyranov; image from Wikimedia Commons; .

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In the first chapter of Exodus, we discover that Pharaoh, the great king of Egypt, had a pest problem. The Hebrews were multiplying, and this minority group within his kingdom was starting to count as the majority (Exod. 1:8-10). Pharaoh had to do something about it to get their numbers under control. He wanted them to shrink, not to swell.

Pharaoh sought to get the Hebrew population under control.

So, he pulled out his population control toolbox. First, he imposed on the Hebrews the arduous tax of forced labor (Exod. 1:11). Surely, job accidents will be an effective birth control, but it didn’t work. The Hebrew numbers kept going up. Pharaoh reached back into his toolbox and withdrew slavery—steal their freedom and feed them with the whip (Exod. 1:13-14). Yet again, it didn’t work. Instead, the more Pharaoh oppressed the Hebrews, the more they increased.

Next, Pharaoh summoned the midwives (Exod. 1:15). He called to his court the two Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah. Now, the text is ambiguous at this point. Hebrew midwives could mean those who served as midwives were ethnically Hebrew. Or it could mean they were non-Hebrews who worked as midwives for the Hebrews. Which one it is we are not sure.

On one hand, if they were Hebrew, it seems pretty foolish for Pharaoh to employ them. Surely, Pharaoh wasn’t this stupid. Yet, their names, Shiphrah and Puah, are Semitic, which means they hailed from Palestine. The evidence slightly tips toward them being Amorite or Ugaritic, though we can’t be sure.

Either way Pharaoh employed them in his new population reduction program of infanticide (Exod. 1:16). When the Hebrew mothers were giving birth, if it was a boy, the midwives were to kill the baby. But, if it was a girl, they were to let it live. Pharaoh mandated that these midwives become his executioners. Yet, why does Pharaoh choose midwives?

Pharaoh was implementing an incognito program of infanticide.

Well, midwifery was a profession that was considered honorable and distinguished. It was also a job that was open only to women. In fact, until modern times, being a midwife was exclusively a female vocation because it was regarded as a violation of the code of modesty for men to be in the labor and delivery room. Even male doctors were forbidden. Thus, the selection of midwives was part of Pharaoh’s secretive designs.

Pharaoh was implementing an incognito program of infanticide. He mandated that the midwives act as his abortion doctors in disguise. During the throes of labor, they could murder the baby boys, and in an age of high infant mortality rates no one would be the wiser—just another tragic misfortune during the dangers of giving birth. This was Pharaoh’s clandestine policy to murder every Hebrew baby boy.

God made a covenant promise to raise up a Son to be the Savior of his people.

Additionally, Pharaoh chose to abort the boys and let the girls live. In reality, wiping out either the boys or girls would work as population control, so why the boys? Well, whether it was intentional or not, Pharaoh’s scheme targeted God’s promise more sharply.

The covenant promise was to raise up a Son to be the Savior of God’s people. Daughters were essential to the life of the covenant, but the hope of a deliverer fell upon a son to be born. Therefore, Pharaoh again showed himself as raising his hand against heaven. Under the cover of darkness, he hoped to murder the covenant promise before the umbilical cord was even cut.

Pharaoh had put these midwives in a pickle. Their job was to save lives; they took an oath to do no harm. But now, they had been ordered by Pharaoh to perform partial-birth abortions. What a terrifying predicament! Yet, these midwives were not cowards. They had eyes for an authority higher than the king of Egypt.

SHIPHRAH AND PUAH

Shiphrah and Puah were willing to become criminals in Egypt in order to be obedient towards God.

Shiphrah and Puah feared the Lord. They cared for doing what was right in God’s eyes over obeying some earthly monarch. Thus, the midwives did not obey Pharaoh (Exod. 1:17). The first recorded account of civil disobedience goes to these midwives. They blew off Pharaoh’s commands as if it were a little thing. They let the Hebrew boys live.

The midwives risked their own lives to save the Hebrew baby boys, for they trusted in God to be their reward. They were willing to become criminals in Egypt in order to be obedient towards God. With heroic fear of God, the midwives became the saviors of God’s people. Pharaoh had his own intelligence service, though, so he soon found out about the treason of the midwives.

He called his court to order and laid his charge before these women: “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” (Exod. 1:18). He assumed their guilt, but he wanted to know their motive. What in the world could possess these midwives to disobey the great Pharaoh? And more than likely, this charge was a matter of life and death for Shiphrah and Puah.

As wise women Shiphrah and Puah exploited the ignorance of Pharaoh.

These two women’s lives hung in the balance. The executioner was polishing his axe in the corner. Well, the midwives were not just courageous for God, but they also were smart. As wise women they exploited the ignorance of Pharaoh. They pulled both the gender and race cards:

The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” (Exod. 1:19)

The cultural differences between Egyptians and Hebrews are obvious. Of course, Pharaoh was going to believe this. But then there is gender. These Hebrews are vigorous, very vigorous. Hebrew mothers are their own midwives. Their water breaks, but before the midwives can even arrive, the moms are nursing. This, of course, was a lie, but in times of war deception is a virtue, as the enemy has no right to the truth. And under Pharaoh’s clandestine scheme of infanticide, this was a war between Egypt and God.

Moreover, what did Pharaoh know about Hebrew women, especially their habits with childbirth? The midwives played to the too-much-information card Pharaoh likely didn’t want to know about Hebrews giving birth; thus, he believed the midwives. He accepted their excuse and didn’t punish them. The midwives were guilty of high crimes against the crown, but they walked out scot-free.

Through the courageous disobedience of the midwives, the Lord furthered the covenant fruitfulness of his people.

The midwives were wiser than Pharaoh, and the Lord blessed them (Exod. 1:20). First, the people of Israel continued to increase and multiply. Through the courageous disobedience of the midwives, the Lord furthered the covenant fruitfulness of his people. And next, the Lord blessed the midwives themselves (Exod. 1:20-21). He made for them families—he granted them husbands, children, and a lasting family line. The midwives saw their grandkids to the third and fourth generations. And such a family blessing aligned these midwives with the blessings of Israel. Whether they were Hebrew or not, the midwives were matched with God’s people.

Nevertheless, even though Pharaoh was a fool, he was a persistent one. The midwives spoiled his clandestine strategy of infanticide, so he took his agenda public. In frustration Pharaoh made a universal injunction:

Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.” (Exod. 1:22)

And this went out to all his people. This means Pharaoh had just conscripted all Egyptians to be his baby-killers. It was now the duty of the public at large to throw newborn Hebrew males into the crocodile-infested waters of the Nile. Now, every Egyptian worked for the crown as agents of Egypt’s SS to murder babies with a watery grave.

In a split second, pregnancy had become a terrifying chance at death.

This was a true reign of terror where all the Hebrews were prey to all others in Egypt. Pharaoh legalized violence against babies, and Egyptian thugs could be going door to door listening for crying babies. Crime bosses could be paying for babies tossed in the river.

Gangs might be hunting in the Hebrew neighborhoods. No place would be safe. As a pregnant Hebrew, your giving birth to a boy had just been criminalized. In a split second, pregnancy had become a terrifying chance at death. To give birth to a boy made you an outlaw. Hebrew couples were surely thinking twice about getting married.

Pharaoh just created the most compelling abstinence program ever. Exposure and certain death for baby boys? Talk about an effective form of birth control! And yet, as all these horrors flood our minds, the text is completely silent. It tells us nothing about the effects of this genocidal edict. How many babies died? How long did this last—years? How violent were the Egyptians in their obedience to their king? Did the Nile’s crocodiles grow fat? Yet, the text leaves us shivering in silence. Instead, we are told about a Levite man.

THE MOTHER OF MOSES

The infant’s mother hid him for three months after he was born.

There is nothing particularly special about this infant’s father; he was just your average Levite. He was sweet for a Levite lass, so he popped the question and she said yes (Exod. 2:1). What would typically be ho-hum normal, as people are always getting married, became bold and risky. Was this wise?

Next, he went into his wife. For a moment of pleasure, they were taking the risk that their son would be murdered. Where was their sense of prudence? Under the infanticide policy, having sex was like playing Russian Roulette. And sure enough, his wife became pregnant and had a boy. This new mother had just become an outlaw. The very life of her boy was a felony.

The mother looked at her beautiful and healthy boy and hid him (Exod. 2:2). She would not obey Pharaoh; instead she chose the criminal life. This Levite lady was now guilty of treason, and with blood-thirsty Egyptians lurking, concealing a new baby is no easy task. After three months, the mother could no longer remain in the shadows. Yet, she had a plan.

Because she trusted the Lord to save her son, Moses’ mother built for her infant an ark.

The mother of Moses made a basket out of papyrus and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She laid her sweet man-child in it and set it afloat upon the Nile (Exod. 2:3). This scheme, though, is significant on several levels. First, in one sense, the mother obeyed Pharaoh. He ordered that baby boys be put into the Nile and this is what she did.

Yet, where Pharaoh commanded the boy to be tossed violently into the Nile, she very gently tucked her boy into a sea-worthy vessel. Secondly, the buoyant basket is literally called an ark. It is the same word for Noah’s ark that sailed through the flood; it reveals the mother’s faith and hope. She built an ark for her infant in the hope that it would carry him safely through the deathly waters.

The mother of Moses would rather be an outlaw to Pharaoh than a criminal with God.

This ark was her trusting the Lord to save her son. This mother feared the Lord just as much as the midwives. She was also disobeying Pharaoh. She would rather be an outlaw to Pharaoh than a criminal with God.

Next, we learn that the baby’s older sister was on the lookout to see what happened to the ark, and this sister was actually Miriam (Exod. 2:4). Her watchful eye hints that mother and sister had other schemes up their sleeves. These ladies were giving providence a helping hand. And sure enough, Pharaoh’s daughter was nearby. The princess of Egypt was washing up in the Nile (Exod. 2:5). The time and place of the princess’ bath hardly seems to be a coincidence.

The princess spotted the miniature ark. Her maids collected it for her, and she opened it to see a crying baby boy. And note well what the text says about the princess’ reaction. She had pity on the baby (Exod. 2:6). Her heart was full of compassion and mercy, and this tenderness is the heroic love of humanity. By this warmth, an empire will fall.

The mercy of her heart wins out, and the princess chooses to be an outlaw.

The princess knew no confusion. She immediately recognized the infant was Hebrew. He is a Hebrew boy (Exod. 2:6). And this information made her fully responsible. The princess knew this child had to die. She felt the duty to obey Pharaoh, to honor her father. If the lowly Egyptian had to obey Pharaoh, how much more his own daughter!

The moral conscience of the princess was screaming to sink this ark, to drown the baby’s cries in the Nile, but the mercy of her heart won out. As a woman, she couldn’t bring herself to harm a forsaken baby, so the princess chose to be an outlaw. She committed treason and sided with the forbidden baby. This princess feared God as well.

MIRIAM, THE SISTER OF MOSES

Miriam, the spying sister, is smart and her timing is perfect.

The princess got some help in her outlaw lifestyle. The spying sister was smart and her timing was perfect. Miriam asked the princess if she could go fetch a wet-nurse for her (Exod. 2:7). She assumed the princess would keep the boy, so she would need a wet-nurse. The princess loved the idea and off went the sister.

And who did she find but the baby’s mom! (Exod. 2:8). You can’t get a better wet-nurse than the mother. The princess was either ignorant or she went along with it, for she made a deal with the mother:

And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. (Exod. 2:9)

The mother was getting paid for a chore! Nursing your own child is a supreme chore—it is duty not a job. But in the too-good-to-be-true providences of God, this mom got paid with Egyptian money to nurse her illegal son. The princess used royal funds to support her criminal lifestyle. Yet, this deal was actually a contract of adoption, which was common in the ancient world. A person would discover a foundling child and pay a wet-nurse until the kid was weaned.

THE DAUGHTER OF PHARAOH

The Egyptian princess loved the illegal child as her own son.

And the payment was the guarantee of adoption. Thus, the princess concealed her crime by adoption. Her compassion for the baby was so pure that she had to make him her son. The princess loved the illegal child as her own son. Therefore, when the child was old enough, he was brought to the princess and he became her son.

Hence, the naming privilege went to the adopting mother. The princess got the honor to name the boy. Note that up to this point the baby had gone unnamed. The daughter of Pharaoh named the boy found on the Nile, Moses (Exod. 2:10). And what a name! For one, Moses is an Egyptian name, so she concealed his Hebrew nature behind an Egyptian name.

The princess was furthering her criminal lifestyle. Yet, she explained the name with Hebrew. I drew him out of the water, or more literally, the one drawn from the water. She saved this child from the death waters. Yet, there is a twist here. She explained the name as passive, one drawn from water, but the form of Moses’ name in Hebrew is actually active—he who draws others out of the water.

Pharaoh with all his pomp and power was no match for the devotion of women.

The princess is probably unaware, but the narrator here foreshadows Moses’ destiny. He would be the one who draws his people out of the waters. He would save Israel through the waters of the Red Sea. Hence, the compassion of the princess would be the downfall of Egypt. The one she illegally saved would save all the Hebrews from her father and her father and his army would perish in the waters.

Hence, we see that Pharaoh made the wrong choice. He selected the boys to die and the girls to live. Surely, the boys were more of a threat, as they grew up to be soldiers. Yet, here at every turn Pharaoh was defeated by women. The midwives foiled his clandestine infanticide. Moses’ mother defied Pharaoh and with hope entrusted him to God. Moses’ sister kept a watchful eye and bravely took action quickly to ensure her brother would have his own mom to nurse him.

And Pharaoh’s own daughter became a traitor to the crown by adopting the Hebrew baby, whose very life was criminal. Because these women feared God, they chose to be outlaws and by their criminality the son was born who would topple Egypt and save God’s chose people Israel. Pharaoh with all his pomp and power was no match for the devotion of these women.

The birth of Moses foreshadowed the birth of Jesus.

And in this way, the birth of Moses becomes a picture and foreshadowing of the birth of our true Savior and Redeemer. While Rome had no infanticide policy against Hebrew boys, Herod the Great did massacre all the boys under two years old in Bethlehem. Nevertheless, the unlawfulness of Christ’s birth started before then.

Mary ended up pregnant out of wedlock. Virgin births were not exactly common within God’s promises. When an engaged girl ended up pregnant, there was no other conclusion than pre-marital sex. The community shamed Mary as a loose woman. She brought such dishonor on her family, and this is why Joseph planned to break off the engagement.

Because he was an honorable man, he was going to do it on the down low. Yet, he was still going to divorce her, which would have left Mary a single teenage mother in the first century. Mary had good reason to believe that her father might kick her out on the street. Thankfully, the angel corrected Joseph and he stayed with Mary.

Jesus was born under a cloud of scandal and shame.

But, to remain with Mary was essentially a public confession of guilt. Joseph was saying, The child is mine; we messed up. This means that Jesus’ birth was considered by the public as a product of sin. Jesus was born under a cloud of scandal and shame. He came into this world, the Holy One of God, like one born of sin.

Moses’ birth was illegal, and Jesus’ birth appeared immoral. And the criminal accusations against Jesus didn’t stop with his birth. Even though Jesus lived without a speck of sin, despite being the very Righteous One of God, charges of sin kept being lobbed at him.

He didn’t keep the Sabbath correctly. Jesus failed to wash before meals. Jesus forgave sins as if he was God, which was blasphemy of the highest order. Jesus spoke evils against the temple. He didn’t keep his disciples in line with fasting. The Pharisees would not stop painting Jesus as a criminal under the Mosaic law. And it got so bad that the high priests convicted him of deserving the death penalty.

Jesus entrusted himself to the Father, and he obeyed God over man.

The Sanhedrin convinced Rome to execute Jesus for treason. The words “King of the Jews” were nailed over his head. He was a threat to Caesar that had to die. The world shamed Jesus as an outlaw, a rebel, the worst sort of criminal. Yet, despite all the testimony of the world, Scripture teaches us that he was truly one who feared the Lord.

Jesus entrusted himself to the Father, and he obeyed God over man. What the public judged as unlawful was actually Jesus being obedient unto death. The alleged criminality of Christ was his fulfilling all righteousness. No even deceit was found upon his tongue. And because Jesus willingly obeyed, his instrument of execution—the cross—became his altar.

The voluntary submission of Jesus made him a pure and holy sacrifice for our sin and salvation. Jesus’ death as a criminal in the world’s eyes made him our redemption, our atonement, our life. Moses saved Israel from the waters of the Red Sea, but Christ delivers us from the lake of fire. By his death, Christ draws us up from the waters of death and curse.

The challenge, the dilemma, of obeying man over against God will come our way.

Yes, Jesus Christ is our only Savior because he loved you to the point of dying like a criminal. And how the world viewed the Master is how it will also view the servants—us. Indeed, the fear and faith of these women mimicked Christ from afar. So also, these women set the pattern for our lives.

For loving Jesus, we will be those whom the world will seek to outlaw. The challenge, the dilemma, of obeying man over against God will come our way. We aren’t called to seek out such ultimatums. Scripture tells us to obey human authorities. Our normal disposition is to love our neighbor and respect those over us, for the Lord’s sake.

We don’t want to be criminals. Yet, times will come when the powers-that-be turn bestial, tyrannical. The world may force us to act against our Lord; it may outlaw our fear and obedience to Christ. And when such a time comes, we must fear God. We must be loyal to Christ first and foremost.

May we ever fear the Lord, no matter the cost.

We must not love our lives even unto death, but be willing to expose ourselves to loss and death for the honor of Christ. And our courage to do so comes straight from Jesus himself, for Christ has earned for us a better homeland—a richer inheritance in heaven. The grace of Christ enables us to let go of house and home, of family and friend, of this very life, because he holds us in his hands.

So, let us keep entrusting ourselves to the Author and Perfecter of our faith. May we ever fear the Lord, no matter the cost. And may we ever rejoice that our salvation is found completely and forever in Christ who died for us.

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Sacred Bond: Covenant Theology Explored (Second Edition) by Michael G. Brown and Zach Keele

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Thursday, June 29, 2023

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God is a God of order.

Head is an organic image.

The church has a dress code for men.

Besides copying pagan worship, the Corinthian men also were copying female clothing by covering their heads.

The church has a dress code for women.

Paul was addressing the “new women” of the first-century Roman empire.

Paul grounds his point about dress in worship in creation.

Ministers represent God.

The wife reveals the honor of her husband.

Christ upholds the created order in his kingdom.

What is Paul saying about angels in verse 10?

Paul’s point about hair length has to do with gender differences in the Corinthian culture.

Paul affirms the equal worth of men and women.

How should Christian men and women dress today?

Christ uses his headship for our good.

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Wednesday, June 28, 2023

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Some Christians can add requirements that the Bible doesn’t dictate.

Christians may also add unnecessary rules by taking a Bible verse out of context.

We should not impose restrictions on Christians where God has given his children liberty.

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Tuesday, June 27, 2023

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Two people arm in arm are going somewhere, helping each other on the way.

The medium is the message.

Jesus is the hero of Proverbs.

1. What does the LORD Jesus require of us?

2. How are we to walk arm in arm with Jesus?

3. What will be the result?

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Monday, June 26, 2023

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Is Dating in the Bible?

Dating for Marriage

The New Testament Commands

The Folly of Being “Unequally Yoked”

Objection #1: My situation is unique.

Objection #2: If we break up, my boyfriend or girlfriend may never have another Christian influence in their life.

Conclusion

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Sunday, June 25, 2023

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1. Faith

2. Grace

3. Peace

4. Cross

5. Law

6. Gospel

7. Justification

8. Sanctification

9. Imputation

10. Resurrection

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Friday, June 23, 2023

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1. The trial of one's state, whether or not one is in the state of grace.

2. The excitation to duty, weaning one from this world, and prompting him to look after the happiness of the other world.

3. The conviction of sin.

4. The correction, or punishment, for sin.

5. The prevention of sin.

6. The discovery of latent corruption, whether in saints or sinners, for the due humiliation of sinners.

7. The exercise of grace in the children of God.

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Thursday, June 22, 2023

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Pharaoh sought to get the Hebrew population under control.

Pharaoh was implementing an incognito program of infanticide.

God made a covenant promise to raise up a Son to be the Savior of his people.

SHIPHRAH AND PUAH

Shiphrah and Puah were willing to become criminals in Egypt in order to be obedient towards God.

As wise women Shiphrah and Puah exploited the ignorance of Pharaoh.

Through the courageous disobedience of the midwives, the Lord furthered the covenant fruitfulness of his people.