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To understand the tax collectors of Jesus’ day and how they were viewed by their fellow Jews, we must first gain some insight into the tax system in Israel. At the time of Jesus, Israel was under Roman occupation, and Rome exercised its authority over Israel by placing governors over some of its provinces (e.g., the Herods in Galilee and Judea).
Rome also installed a comprehensive tax system throughout its empire to fund the local and national governments, infrastructure, public building projects, markets, stadiums, and so on. Throughout the empire, taxes were levied on property, exports and imports, the use of roads, income, crops (wine, fruit, and oil), entrances into towns, the transportation of goods; and there were even taxes on salt, purchases (sales tax), animals, vehicles, and the selling of slaves. (The Jews were also taxed annually for use of their temple.)
Rome exercised little regulation over their tax franchises.
Rome eventually started to offer regional tax “franchises” to entrepreneurs who would bid for the opportunity to oversee a tax collection service in a given area. The entrepreneur would then hire local tax collectors to gather taxes from residents.
Apart from setting the required tax quota, Rome exercised little regulation over these franchises, so the Publican (a Latin term that referred to the owner of the franchise, not a local tax collector) was able to establish his own commission. By offering these franchises to the highest bidder and allowing the Publican to set his own rates, the system was vulnerable to fraud. These tax collectors were usually involved in collecting indirect taxes (tolls, customs, etc.) and were usually located at the entrance of major towns and ports of entry.
Jewish tax collectors in Jesus’ time were considered no better than thieves.
Jewish tax collectors in Israel were despised for at least two reasons. The first reason was due to their connection with a foreign power that was presently occupying Israel. For a Jew to collect money for Rome was to betray his own country and lend legitimacy to Roman occupation.
Second, tax collectors were known to be greedy, dishonest, and generally unethical in their work. The practice of overcharging and lining their pockets with the extra money was probably common, and fellow Jews viewed such a practice as double betrayal: tax collectors were funding a foreign empire while stealing from their own countrymen. In Rabbinic literature, tax collectors were considered no better than thieves, so it was morally acceptable to defraud them in return for their unscrupulous practices.
When we come to the New Testament, therefore, we can understand why tax collectors were so detested and why it was such a scandal for Jesus to eat with them (Luke 5:30) and go into their homes (Luke 19:5-6). It is likely the case that Levi (Matthew) was a local tax collector who collected customs on trade routes in Capernaum (Matt. 9:9; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27). Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, was probably a Publican who had purchased the right to tax a given area. He had apparently gained his wealth by taking advantage of the tax system and fleecing his fellow Jews (Luke 19:8).
Jesus met with tax collectors in order to call them to repentance.
While the religious leaders and the crowds openly despised the tax collectors and kept their distance from such rabble, Jesus ate with them and joined them in their homes (Luke 5:30; Luke 19:5-6). But Jesus didn’t condone their sin; he met with tax collectors in order to call them to repentance. Jesus did not dine with tax collectors and other flagrant sinners in order to coddle them in their rebellion against God. He spent time with them in order to turn them from their rebellion against God.
John the Baptist, Jesus’ forerunner, told repentant tax collectors that they should no longer collect more than what they are authorized to collect (Luke 3:13). Jesus even used the tax collector as an example of selfish, self-centered love (see Matt. 5:46).
In other words, Christ didn’t overlook the tax collectors’ sin; it was something from which they needed to genuinely repent. Nevertheless, it is regularly the case that those who are irreligious and blatantly immoral are able to more easily recognize their need for Christ, which is why Jesus responded to the Pharisees’ self-righteous grumbling by saying,
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32)
Jesus didn’t eat with tax collectors merely to “hang out” with them, but to call them to repentance and salvation (Luke 19:10).
Jesus’ model of evangelism, then, shows us that we must be willing to engage with the gospel those whom the world despises. But it also shows us that we are not called to merely spend time with flagrant sinners, nor should we engage with them in a way that condones their sinful lives or participates in their sin. Rather, we are to use these opportunities to lovingly call them to repentance.
Derek J. Brownis 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 atfromthestudy.com.
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Some people have concluded that complementarianism is of the big problems in Christian marital disfunction and Christian opposite-sex relationships in general. In brief, complementarianism is the view that men and women are equal in worth in God’s sight but have different roles, whereas egalitarianism holds that that men and women are equal with no differentiation whatsoever in roles or authority.
From what I can ascertain, the reasoning of those who find complementarianism to be problematic goes as follows: Whatever the Bible teaches about men and women can’t possibly imply that men are called to fill certain roles that women aren’t called to do and that for women to be respected they must be treated the same as men in all ways. They hold that marriage was actually meant to be egalitarian according to God’s original design in creation, and women should have the right to preach and teach authoritatively. We just have to read and interpret the Bible more carefully to see these truths.
And this brings me to a recent article by Anne Carlson Kennedy regarding She Deserves Better author Sheila Wray Gregoire’s assertion that the majority of married Christian couples who “believe in a power hierarchy in marriage. . . . do not actually act it out” and are less likely to divorce.[1] This has also been described as having a “functionally egalitarian” marriage. In her article “Why My Imago Dei Loves the Patriarchy,” Kennedy writes:
And I always wrangle with Matt on every single subject because I like him. I’m interested in who he is. But I don’t tell him what to do—except when he doesn’t know what to do and comes to me for help. And likewise.
Someone in the Twitterverse responded to Kennedy’s article with the observation that in the above statement Kennedy is essentially proving Gregoire’s assertion to be true.
In one sense Gregoire is right: healthy Christian marriages in which the husband and wife both hold to the complementarian view can appear to function in a non-hierarchial way. Yet, Kennedy makes a critical point in her post that we don’t want to miss. A strong Christian marriage is much more likely to exist where both spouses are loving and wise regarding biblical teaching on marriage. Anne and Matt don’t need to spend much time telling each other what to do because they are both responsible Christians who know their duties and strive to faithfully fulfill them out of their mutual love for Christ.
A healthy marriage involves both spouses taking personal responsibility to fulfill their duties faithfully for the good of everyone in the family and the glory of God.
A big reason healthy complementarian marriages appear egalitarian is because both spouses work as a team and understand they are each equal in value while fulfilling similar and different roles in the relationship according to God’s design for the marital union.
Most of us remember the scene in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Search for the Holy Grail where the supposedly actual cup Jesus drank from at the Last Supper is in a cave, mixed in with a variety of vessels, many made with intricate designs and expensive metals. The villain in the movie chooses the fanciest cup, not taking into account the fact that Jesus, while king of the universe, chose to live a humble life on earth. After the villain dies from drinking from the wrong cup, the knight guarding the place where the legendary grail is kept famously says, “He chose poorly.” Indiana Jones, remembering Christ’s life as a humble carpenter, chooses the correct vessel, drinks from it, and lives. The knight replies, “You chose wisely.” While the movie portrays an exceedingly graphic image of the consequences of good and bad choices in life, most people get the point that our decisions can make a huge difference for our future happiness.
Likewise, we need to exercise caution, discretion, and lots and lots of wisdom when choosing a spouse. We need to look past the flashy and instead look for the prized inner qualities that make someone a joyful and faithful lifetime companion in the covenant of marriage, an earthly union that points us to the mysterious union of Christ with his bride, the church (Eph. 5:32).
In a healthy marriage, both spouses are responsible, kind, and thoughtful of each other. My husband usually doesn’t tell me what to do, unless there’s something I need to do that I don’t know about without his telling me. Sure, like most people, I need some reminders from time to time, but after 41 years of marriage we have settled into doing what aligns with the personal strengths and abilities God has given us. We work as a team.
So, what are some things you should be on the lookout for in a spouse, the person you will be doing life together with until death parts you both?
Seek to marry a person who loves God and his or her neighbor.
I encourage you to look for the following attributes in a potential husband or wife:
A person who loves Jesus and has a strong and persistent desire to grow in godliness.
A person who attends a faithful church regularly and takes church membership seriously.
A person who is committed to building a godly family with you throughout all the ups and downs of life.
A person who consistently demonstrates outstanding character, including showing God-honoring respect and honor to you.
A person who is a responsible and hard worker and who also recognizes the importance of taking time to rest, refresh, and have God-honoring fun.
A person who is unselfish and consistently demonstrates sincere compassion for others.
For women, a man who is committed to loving you, protecting you, and providing for you to the best of his ability throughout your life together; for men, a woman who will lovingly respect your authority, only as is honoring to God, as the head of the household.
A person who is committed to caring for his or her personal health—mentally, physically, and spiritually—to the best of his or her ability throughout life.
A person to whom you are attracted and with whom you enjoy having a conversation on a variety of topics.
A person who enjoys your personality, finds your idiosyncrasies (yes, we all have them!) endearing, and has both a forgiving heart and a sense of humor.
A person who is temperate, wisely showing modesty and self-restraint in daily life.
A person who wants to help you to flourish and grow in spiritual maturity, developing your gifts to the glory of God in all things.
While the above list is not meant to be exhaustive, hopefully it provides some helpful thoughts on what to look for when choosing a Christian spouse.
Heed any warning signs you observe in a potential spouse.
Following are some big red flags in my opinion when it comes to someone being a wise choice to marry:
Be on the lookout for behavior that demonstrates a controlling nature beyond what we all normally fight against as sinful creatures. A potential husband should want his future wife to flourish in the areas in which God has gifted her and not unduly restrict her choices in her vocations, personal preferences and interests, and friendships. A woman should not be overly concerned about her potential husband spending all his free time doing things with her or doing things for her. She shouldn’t attempt to “mother’ him. Both men and women need some time and space to pursue personal interests that may or may not include their spouse.
A woman who is excessively concerned regarding how much money the potential husband has and/or his future income potential is a risky person to marry. She should, however, most definitely be concerned about both his potential for and commitment to being a good provider for his family. There’s a big difference between common sense toward finances and the coveting of wealth.
A man who micromanages his future wife, thinking he is supposed to review and evaluate everyday decisions his wife makes, such as what books she reads and how she spends her time, is a risky person to marry.
A person who is not trustworthy is a risky person to marry. Trust must be earned and being trustworthy must be evident in the person’s character and daily comportment.
If you are a trustworthy person, a potential spouse who still doesn’t trust you to be able to make both everyday decisions and big life decisions on your own is a risky person to marry.
Someone who displays a consistent tendency to be selfish, lazy, and/or disrespectful to you, or anyone for that matter, is a risky person to marry.
Someone who has shown himself or herself to be financially irresponsible is a risky person to marry. Having stated that, people can and do learn to handle money wisely as they mature. Just check out some of many helpful online financial channels to see examples of people growing in financial wisdom in real life.
Someone who has a cavalier attitude toward sin, including his or her own sins past and present and/or the sins of others, is a risky person to marry.
The problem is not biblical male headship; the problem is sin.
I included “mostly” is in the title of this piece because a Christian marriage is not actually egalitarian. Because there are both men who abuse their wives and wives who abuse their husbands, for many it seems to be the logical next step is to conclude the complementarian view of biblical male headship is bad and not what the Bible actually teaches.
The problem, however, is not biblical male headship; the problem is sin. Throughout history we see abuse of authority in government, the military, civil law enforcement, business, educational institutions, and all manner of societal structures. Wherever authority and submission exist in this world, the potential for abuse exists because we are all sinners. In marriage, husbands will struggle to lead lovingly, humbly, and sacrificially (Eph. 5:25-31; 1 Pet. 3:7), and wives will struggle to follow lovingly, respectfully, and gently (Eph. 5:22-24; 1 Pet. 3:1-6). We all need God’s grace as we seek to honor him in our marriages.
Because some people who hold complementarian views have promoted problematic teachings regarding authority and submission in marriage does not change the truth of Scripture. We need to go to the Bible and learn what God wants us to know about love and respect in marriage.
Christian men are accountable to the Lord, their church leadership, and the civil authorities for how they lead their family.
Where there exists a marriage of consistent mutual love and respect, there will also exist a desire to spend time—hopefully a lifetime—with each other joyfully in both sexual intimacy and daily conversation and activities.
A godly husband will want his wife to flourish; he will want her to excel in godly character; and he will want her to enjoy him. He will strive to love his wife, honor her, cherish her, and be willing to give his life for her. Headship isn’t an autocratic endeavor. Christian men are accountable to the Lord, their church leadership, and the civil authorities for how they lead their family.
The presence of authority in marriage is particularly delicate in nature; it is like caring for a priceless, irreplaceable work of art. To feel unsafe in a marriage is both crippling and terrifying. The union of marriage involves privacy, intimacy, and vulnerability. God-honoring trust in a healthy marriage cannot be minimized or marginalized, even by the smallest amount.
Christian marriage is egalitarian in terms of value, but not in terms of order or roles.
Though a Christian marriage may look “functionally egalitarian,” and is indeed egalitarian in terms of the value of each spouse in the sight of God, it is not egalitarian in terms of order or roles. In God’s good design the husband is the head of his wife, the wife is her husband’s helper, and in the marital union they are “one flesh” (Gen. 2:18-25). Even in the best of Christian marriages, times may come when the husband needs to make a decision with which the wife disagrees (such as a family relocation or a schooling choice for the children), and the wife will need to submit to her husband’s decision in the Lord. These situations will generally be quite rare in a relationship where sincere and mutual respect, honor, and love exist, and healthy communication has been encouraged and nurtured over the years. In the article mentioned above, Anne Kennedy makes this very point regarding her relationship with her husband:
We are always coming toward each other, trying to understand, trying to find communion, both limping from the wrestling with God and each other and ourselves. We are not the same. And yet we are both the same. We don’t have the same tasks, and yet we are oriented toward the single task of obedience to Christ.
It’s sad to see God’s precious order for marriage described as a “power hierarchy.” Overly focusing on the roles of each spouse can divert our gaze away from the incredible beauty of the marital union, which should ultimately direct our gaze to Christ’s union with the church, his bride. God’s design for marriage is, as theologian Claire Smith so poignantly describes, “a dance where the man leads and the woman follows, and yet together they move as one, in perfect harmony.”[2]
All the efforts your spouse and you put into making a Christ-honoring marriage are worth it, even if the fruit can’t be seen right now.
This post is not meant to be an exhaustive attempt to cover this topic and there is certainly much more to say on exercising wisdom in choosing a Christian spouse. Perhaps you haven’t chosen wisely and find yourself wedded to someone you now regret marrying. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, remember that God knew all along that this was going to happen. He is faithful to use your disappointments and struggles to sanctify both you and your believing spouse through the ups and downs of married life.
In stating this, I have no intention of diminishing the pain, frustration, and despair of being in an unhappy marriage. I do hope to encourage you to focus on doing all you can by God’s grace to build a marriage that glorifies your Lord, for this is your duty and joy as a follower of Christ. Strong marriages don’t happen overnight; they take years of patient nurturing and much prayer and growth in godliness, with many setbacks and struggles along the way. Learning to live together in love and humility as husband and wife is no easy work, but all the efforts your spouse and you put into making a Christ-honoring marriage are worth it, even if you don’t see the fruits of your devotion now or in the foreseeable future. As we struggle through all the ups and downs of married life in a fallen world, we can take heart that our loving and good God is in control and he will never forsake us.
In part two of this series, I will cover three main responsibilities of biblical male headship in the family.
Le Ann Treesis managing editor of Beautiful Christian Life.
NOTES:
[1] Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Lindenbach, and Joanna Sawatsky, She Deserves Better: Raising Girls to Resist Toxic Teachings on Sex, Self, and Speaking Up (Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2023), 128; see also Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Lindenbach, and Joanna Sawatsky, The Great Sex Rescue: The Lies You’ve Been Taught and How to Recover What God Intended (Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2021), 31-34.
[2] Claire Smith, God's Good Design: What the Bible Really Says about Men and Women (Kingsford: Matthias Media, 2012), 174.
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When saying the Apostles’ Creed, which is an historical, concise, and biblical summary of the Christian faith, we state that we believe in “the holy catholic church.” What does this mean?
The word “catholic” in the Apostles’ Creed refers to God’s people, including all believers throughout all of history from all around the world.
For Christians who are unfamiliar with the Apostles’ Creed, what often comes to mind is the Roman Catholic Church, but this would be an incorrect interpretation of of the meaning of the word “catholic.”
The Heidelberg Catechism, first published in 1563, is a highly regarded summary of the Christian faith. A portion of the Heidelberg Catechism is an explanation of the Apostles’ Creed, which begins each section with the words, “I believe.” In question and answer 54, the Heidelberg Catechism asks what we believe concerning “the holy catholic church”:
“Q. What do you believe concerning “the holy catholic church”?
A. I believe that the Son of God through his Spirit and Word, out of the entire human race, from the beginning of the world to its end, gathers, protects, and preserves for himself a community chosen for eternal life and united in true faith. And of this community I am and always will be a living member.” — The Heidelberg Catechism, Q & A 54.
Although the word “catholic” is not often used outside the context of the Roman Catholic Church, its meaning in the Creed is “universal.” In other words, “catholic” simply means the universal church of Christ Jesus, which consists of all believers in him from every time and place. All people throughout the ages who have placed their faith in Christ Jesus for salvation from sin and death are members of his universal (that is, catholic) church. This is the meaning of “catholic” in the Apostles’ Creed.
In the Old Testament, believers looked forward to the promised savior who is Christ, while today believers look back at the work Christ accomplished to save his people.
In Matthew 16, Christ said he is building his church which is his body consisting of all the people of God. We can rejoice that Christ Jesus draws his people to himself in every time and place. Even in the Old Testament, believers looked forward to the promised savior who is Christ, while today we look back at the work he accomplished to save his people. This is the universal catholic and everlasting church.
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Rev. 7:9-10)
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It is very easy to forget. Children do it all the time, and so do adults. When I was a child my mother would remind me that forgetting was not a good excuse for failing to do something she had asked me to do. But why is that? Perhaps because remembering goes hand-in-hand with following instructions, living out what has been placed before you.
The acts of God are always important to remember—they have life and death consequences.
Remembering is a choice that has to be made. While there are many things that vary in their importance (for example, remembering to put the butter in the fridge versus remembering to look both ways before crossing a busy street), the acts of God are always important to remember—they have life and death consequences.
Perhaps this is why the Lord instructs his people so often to remember his works of faithfulness to them. One of the things the people had a remembrance for was their deliverance from Egypt (Passover):
Then Moses said to the people, "Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten." (Exod. 13:3)
When true remembering of God's faithfulness doesn't happen, people can fall into idolatry.
The people were called to remember God's deliverance—the salvation, care, and love he had demonstrated toward them. And the remembering of these things was to cause their hearts to draw closer to God in love and faithfulness. Yet, this true remembering did not happen, for the people fell away into idolatry. And even though they knew the stories of God's goodness and power and salvation, the remembering was only surface-level and did not penetrate to the heart.
When you read the story of Gideon in Judges 6, you are struck by the fact that Gideon knows the awesome stories about God, which his parents must have told him, but at the same time his family is involved in idol worship. True remembering internalizes God's promises and faithfulness and issues forth a changed view of life and changed way of living.
If the people of Israel had truly remembered God's promises and faithfulness, they would have trusted him, obeyed him, and clung to him in their hardships.
We are called to remember Christ's work on our behalf, his broken body and shed blood so that we might have peace with God.
What about us? We are called to remember God's faithfulness and promises each week as we worship him every Lord's Day. We are to remember our redemption, salvation from the wrath of God and from the slavery of sin, and our new position as children of God. We are called to remember Christ's work on our behalf, his broken body and shed blood so that we might have peace with God. But does this hearing of the promises affect our mind and heart? Are we truly remembering? Is it changing our view of life and way of living?
Because we cannot become better through our own effort, as even remembering is a gift from God, we must ask God to help us through the power of his Holy Spirit. We must ask that we would live out of what we know about our great and awesome God, because knowing and growing in him have life and death consequences.
Below are a few gospel truths for remembering:
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thess. 5:9)
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. (Eph. 1:7)
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. (Col. 1:13)
Ayrian Yasaris associate editor of Beautiful Christian Life. This article is adapted from “Our Calling to Remember God’s Faithfulness” inBCL's June 2023 Newsletter:“Remembering God’s Faithfulness.”
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For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. — 1 Corinthians 14:33-35
This regulation from the word of God in 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 concerning women has enraged many in the church. Over the past 100 years or so, these few verses have been at the center of numerous church divisions and untold strife. In fact, so upsetting are these verses that many evangelical scholars have just erased them from Scripture, claiming they are a latter scribal addition in an attempt to make Paul orthodox. They think Paul could never write something that seems so bigoted and sexist. These critics claim to know better than Paul himself what Paul could or could not write.
The apostle is addressing authoritative speaking in worship to represent God’s voice.
Therefore, it is wise for us to consider what Paul is saying here, for there are few verses less popular in our day and age. First of all, when Paul says it is not permitted for a woman to speak in church, this speaking is limited by the context. All the speaking Paul has been dealing with in this chapter to this point is tongue speaking and prophecy; it is the authoritative speaking in worship to represent God’s voice.
In short, it is not permitted for a woman to participate in the official teaching and preaching of God’s word in corporate worship. Thus, Paul’s order for women to be silent doesn’t refer to congregational singing. It does not include the corporate voice of all the saints to respond to God; women can sing, confess their faith, and join together in corporate prayers.
The truth of the Old Testament supports Paul’s regulation.
Secondly, Paul grounds his command by saying, “as the Law also says.” The truth of the Old Testament supports Paul’s regulation. Yet, Paul does not refer here to any one specific Old Testament text; rather, this “Law says” reflects a general principle or truth found through the Old Testament. And what is this? Well, it refers to the fact that women were forbidden from the priesthood.
Women could not be God’s anointed king. And with the exception of a few prophetesses, all the main prophets of Israel were men. All the special offices of the Old Testament were limited to men. Thus, Paul says the New Testament church is consistent with this Old Testament reality. And Paul explained back in 1 Corinthians 11 why this is the case.
God has only revealed himself as male, and God is officially represented in worship in the preaching of his word.
There, Paul said man was the image of God, meaning he was the representation 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)
This meant God has only revealed himself as a man; Christ was incarnate as a man and not a woman. And in the offices of the covenant, God is represented. So, God is officially represented in worship in the preaching of God’s Word. This is why Paul says it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. To do so is for the woman to cast God as a female, which is not proper. It goes against God-ordained order.
Thus, this regulation about women has nothing to do with worth or ability. Women are equally created in the image of God. Women are equal partakers of Christ, full heirs. Likewise, women are just as intelligent as men. They can speak just as well, exegete Scripture just as well, and understand God’s word just as well. Paul very explicitly limits this command to being in church. This regulation does not apply outside church; it does not in any way prohibit women from being bosses, senators, or presidents.
We need to follow God’s order for the church that has been given to us in Scripture.
This is a regulation for the church where God is officially represented in the preaching of his Word and the shepherding of his covenant people. It applies to God’s spiritual kingdom of the church, not to the common kingdom of unredeemed humanity. And in the church, we need to follow this order, even if it is hard for us or we don’t care for it.
Sadly, many today measure the Spirit by their own experience rather than God’s word. It is whatever seems good to us. But this standard is merely to place our subjective thoughts over God’s word. But Paul gives us a rule for us to know the work of the Spirit—God’s written word. The apostolic truth, which is the Lord’s command, is a true measure of spirituality.
God has called for an ordered and true worship because he longs to love us in Christ as our true heavenly Father. This is how God cares for us. This is how Christ shepherds us. This is how the Spirit effects sanctification in us. This is how God’s love instructs us and encourages and comforts us in his love.
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We want communities and relationships that are healthy, joyful, full of peace and love, and—most of all—real. But how do we get there, and what are some deterrents to reaching that goal? Ephesians 2:3-4 says, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
The Community Killers: Competition and Pride
The apostle Paul exhorts us to avoid “selfish ambition or conceit” (Phil. 2:3) for good reason. Competition and pride are the killers of community and relationships because they are antithetical to true service. Both are intrinsically looking for accolades from people, and success means you have to outperform others through either superior achievement or putting them down in your mind or speech.
Instead, we are to act in ways contrary to competition and selfishness, treating others as if they had more value than we do and tending to their needs along with our own (Phil. 2:4). The first is actively putting oneself in a “lesser” position, and the second puts another person’s needs on the same level as ours.
True service seems absurd in the eyes of the world.
This type of service seems absurd to worldly thinking, which teaches that to survive we must push for our rights, demand what we feel we are owed, and climb the social and economic ladders by doing what is best for ourselves. But Paul teaches that this is not the way Christians should think when connecting with each other. In fact, our relationships with fellow Christians are especially to be marked by putting others forward and looking to serve them. Before you say, “how extreme is this!” note that Paul gives Christians the paradigm we are to follow by pointing to Christ as our example.
Christ’s true service is our example.
Christians are to set their minds and hearts on following the pattern of Christ Jesus (Phil. 2: 5-8). He was God, yet he became man—what a colossal change in status! God the Son took on corruptible flesh and became a humble man. The Word who created the world became a man, affected by the trials and sorrows of human life (John 1:3). The Son of God did not come to earth to have a good time; instead, he came to die. His whole life was one devoted to service, looking forward to an agonizing climax in death. While he was Lord of heaven and earth, he considered himself a servant to God the Father’s wishes—serving a sinful and broken people, even to his death (John 13: 4-5; Eph. 5:25). This is the type of example that Christians are to exhibit with one another (1 John 3:16).
What are some practical ways Christians can “take the hit” and also gain in the long run?
In practice, this type of service often looks like giving up to others’ needs: watching a movie you don’t particularly like but your spouse does; spending time with a friend who needs some companionship when you’d rather catch up on other tasks or relax after a hard week; going the extra mile to help a church member who hasn’t been particularly nice to you; or letting someone boast about an accomplishment when you know they didn’t contribute to the results as much as they think they did. Christians are to metaphorically die for their brothers and sisters (1 John 3:16).
Most Christians are familiar with Jesus' words, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Laying down our lives for others never means allowing them to abuse us—either emotionally or physically. It does mean that at times we will sacrifice our own wants and desires out of love for another person. Godly confrontation is another way of showing love and taking the hit, since people probably aren’t going to like you when you do that. Yet, it is another way of laying down your life for the well being of the person you are confronting who is sinning.
Whenever we emulate Christ’s life of service, we will lose. Whether it is a loss of control, comfort, or sense of superiority, we will “take the hit,” but we will gain so much more as we see communities and relationships benefit and be strengthened.
Ayrian Yasaris associate editor of Beautiful Christian Life. This article originally appeared under the title “The Absurd Way to Build Real Community.”
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I like new things. I enjoy the smell of new things. Sometimes, even the thought of something new is exciting, like planning a trip to somewhere I’ve never been or searching for a new house or looking at paint swatches for a new wall color.
As humans, we love to pursue what’s new. New technology, gadgets, and tools. New methods and strategies. New innovations and discoveries. We love stories of people reinventing themselves. We look forward to new days, new school years, and New Year’s Day.
We also look for the “new” in our spiritual lives.
While new things are helpful (and I often wonder how I lived before Amazon and smart phones!), we don’t need something new in our walk with the Lord. As we grow in our faith and Christ-likeness, we don’t need a new method. We don’t need an innovative strategy. We don’t need a new “10 Step Guide to Spiritual Growth.” We need exactly what God has provided for us. He’s given us everything we need, and it’s been available to us all along.
We need the means of grace.
God has provided ordinary means which he uses to strengthen and grow our faith. Theologians use the term “means of grace” to describe these means, though the Bible doesn’t use this phrase. In Berkhof’s Systematic Theology, he defines the means of grace as “objective channels which Christ has instituted in the Church, and to which He ordinarily binds Himself in the communication of His grace” (p. 604-605). These are the means God chooses to use, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, in our spiritual growth. God uses these means to draw us closer to himself.
What are these means? They are primarily the Word, the sacraments, and prayer.
The Westminster Confession Shorter Catechism puts it this way:
Q. 154. What are the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of his mediation?
A. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to his church the benefits of his mediation, are all his ordinances; especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for their salvation.
God doesn’t change, and the means by which we receive his grace hasn’t changed either. Generation after generation, God works in us using the ordinary means of prayer, the Word of God, and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. It is how he feeds and nourishes us spiritually. It is how we abide in him. It’s how we know him. It’s how we grow in him.
God feeds and nourishes us to strengthen and grow our faith.
We see the early church grow through these means:
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers….And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42, 46-47)
The phrase, “means of grace,” reminds us that from beginning to end, our life in Christ is all of grace. Our justification is by God’s grace, our sanctification is by God’s grace, and our future glorification is ensured by God’s grace:
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age. (Tit. 2:11-12)
It is not primarily our ability to read God’s word, or how well we listen to the word preached, or how beautiful our prayers, or how faithful we are to take communion that strengthens and grows our faith; it is ultimately the Spirit’s use of these means, by the grace of God and for his glory, that transforms us. Yet, we are also responsible to approach these means in a proper way.
We can trust that God will work through the means he has promised to use.
This doesn’t mean God never uses other means to communicate his grace to us. While these are the norm, it doesn’t mean God doesn’t use extraordinary means. Certainly, there are examples in the Bible of God doing so. But when it comes to the ordinary, daily growth of the Christian, we can trust that God will work through the means he has promised to use.
So while new things are intriguing and we are quick to ditch old technology for whatever is new, when it comes to growth in the faith, we don’t need something new. We need to read and hear the word preached. We need to seek our Father in prayer. We need the sign and seal of baptism. And we need to join our church family in the feast of the Lord’s Supper.
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When I retired from a career as an insurance executive six years ago, I was surprised at the range of thoughts and emotions I had. Even though I had planned for retirement for many years, I didn’t expect the self-reflection that would come. One day I stopped going in to the office, but I was still “programmed” to go somewhere. But just where that was wasn’t clear.
Yesterday I was shaping the sides of an acoustic guitar I am making. For this particular guitar I am using very curly Hawaiian Koa wood for the back and sides. After taking the thickness down to the point that it sounds like distant thunder when I shake them, or about 0.085 inches, I bend them in the shape of the guitar using a mist of water and heat, which creates steam and makes the wood willing to change shape when carefully pressed in a mold. It’s a risky process because Koa tends to crack unless you gently work with it and not force it.
Like the bending of the beautiful and delicate Koa wood, God’s gentle hands were pressing against his creation—me—as I somewhat painfully changed shape in a new chapter of life.
A new chapter of life brings new ways to serve God.
I committed to following Jesus as a child, and he has never let me wander too far from him, in spite of my own weakness to temptation or distraction. While still stumbling on occasion, his Spirit has put the desire to love others and do his work in my otherwise selfish heart. So whatever my new retirement gig was to be, I knew in some way it needed to serve him.
I need to disclose a little more to you to explain how I came to become a guitar builder. Before my insurance career, I was a professional musician and have played and studied the guitar throughout my life. I have also been fortunate to become friends with a world-renowned luthier who builds guitars for some of the best musicians in the world. I’m fortunate to have more than one of his guitars. I also love working with my hands. Before retiring, I had built a guitar kit and surprised myself with the result.
And I just love wood. I love the beauty, texture, and the musical tones that come from woods. I see them as God’s handiwork.
Building a beautiful guitar involves working with beautiful wood material.
A nexus formed in these loves; and while waiting for God’s direction for my new chapter, I found myself buying wood, designing guitar specifications with the help of my friend, and accumulating a few more tools. Before long, sawdust began to fly.
Getting back to the Koa, most acoustic guitars are made with hardwood backs and sides, while the tops, or soundboards, are made with lighter, less dense wood. Koa is one of the rarest and most beautiful woods on earth, growing only in the Hawaiian Islands. It actually gets some of its color from the lava rich soil, with the darkest wood coming from the youngest island of Hawaii. “Curly” Koa is extremely rare. Due to its interlocking, cross-spiraling grain, its color changes with the light and different angles of view. It looks three dimensional, which in wood talk is called “chatoyant.”
For this particular guitar I am using a top made of Alpine Spruce. I have a supplier in Germany who cut this particular tree in the Italian Dolomite Alps (South Tirol), 1600 meters above sea level in the winter of 2014/15. Hawaii and the Italian Alps are on opposite sides of the planet, and yet their wood makes a perfect pairing in this instrument.
I have lots of work ahead. I need to carefully thin the spruce down to about 0.115 inches thick and join two “book matched” plates together to make the top. I will inlay a rosette around the sound hole of paua abalone shell from waters off New Zealand.
Just like people need a support system in their lives to survive the many tensions they face, guitars also need strong structural support.
One of the countless steps I enjoy the most is carving the braces, the structural supporting pieces inside the guitar that keep it from collapsing under the string tension while still allowing the top to vibrate and release the tone of the wood and music of the guitar player. I make the braces individually out of red spruce from the Adirondack Mountains. Red—or Adirondack—spruce has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of all woods on earth, which is perfect for adding support for the top without dampening the tone. It’s the same wood Howard Hughes used when he built the Spruce Goose!
“And I just love wood. I love the beauty, texture, and the musical tones that come from woods. I see them as God’s handiwork.”
There is both science and art involved in carving braces. They are shaped like the Golden Gate Bridge in that they span across the guitar top, are narrow, and have towers, or nodes, to add structural support. The trick is to take away as much wood as possible, leaving just enough to support the top, and to place the nodes in the exact spots where the top will vibrate the least when the guitar is being played. I do all this work with very sharp chisels, slowly and carefully.
Like a guitar builder, God is revealing the work of his hands in his children.
In fact, it has been said that great guitar builders start with wood and carve away everything that is not a guitar. I like that perspective because I believe that God has hidden away great instruments inside of trees for some of us to carefully carve out. It also reminds me of his process of revealing himself in his children. He puts eternity in our hearts, and slowly everything that is not of God is shed away.
As I write this I am currently building five guitars. The Koa/Alpine Spruce guitar is bound for a Christian man who recently experienced the tragedy of losing both his son and his wife. Two others are bound for worship leaders in different churches.
I think of each of these people as I handle the wood, sand, carve, bend and glue. I think of how they will use the guitars in the years to come. I hope that the work of my hands can help bring joy where there are tears, praise from those who seek to worship, faith to those who seek to find, and even laughter and delight.
The book of Revelation tells us that there are harps (perhaps some of these are like guitars) in heaven used to worship God. It’s no wonder that he has hidden them in trees across earth for us to discover and use for his purposes here.
Inside of each guitar I build, I include a reference to Psalm 90:17. It reminds me that even in my post-career phase of life, a simple thing like building guitars can be used by God in ways beyond what I can see now. I rarely think of the office anymore, because I have found my purpose for today.
George and his wife of 40 years, Jane, live in Northern California. When he is not building guitars or making music, he is playing with his grandchildren, swimming open-water competitions, surfing, or bird-watching in the local hills. To find out more about George’s guitars and music, check out bowenguitars.com. This article was originally published on January 9, 2019.
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