Quoting Rabbis and Missing Theology

Suggested Reading: Matthew 7:21-29

Because of my field of study, I have spent much of the last twenty years with biblical scholars and theologians. One of the good things about this group is the amount of reading they do and the number of ideas they are exposed to. Many pride themselves on thinking outside the realms of traditional theology, which can be a very good thing when tradition has wandered away from Scripture. But the other day I was talking with someone online and responded to his theological assertion by quoting a verse from 1 Corinthians and then by paraphrasing a verse from Ephesians and pointing out the tension between the verses. Mostly, I quoted those verses just to give him a hard time because they created some tension with his position and I enjoy ribbing my friends. But he responded by saying that I had missed Paul's theology on the issue. When I got the response, I thought, All I did was quote Scripture. How did I miss his theology? I wondered if he realized that I was simply quoting scripture. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, the guy had a Master's Degree in biblical studies. But his response left me wondering.

Unfortunately, people getting so wrapped up in theology that they forget scripture is nothing new. The rabbis of Jesus' day commonly taught by reading a passage of scripture and then quoting all the famous rabbis' interpretations. The people were so used to synagogue services filled with nothing but quotes from scholars that when Jesus finally came along, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, because he was teaching them like who had authority and not like their scribes (Matt 7:29, HCSB). Jesus didn't quote all of the theologians, he pointed at the Scripture and then laid out what God intended when it was first inspired.

As I say this, I know that we do not have the clarity of understanding that Jesus had about Scripture.   I can't give you a definitive declaration of what Scripture meant because it is always possible that I can be wrong. But what I can do is point you back to Scripture, to the words God preserved in the first place, the words that the Apostle Paul said were inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17, HCSB).

Theological study is good. I've spent more than two decades engaging in it myself. But never get so invested in your personal theology and theories that your first instinct is to explain away Scripture to preserve your theories and ideas.  Don't be more loyal to your denomination, or to your Bible study leader, or to those ideas that you like than you are to Scripture.  Every word is profitable to us, whether we know the latest theological trends or not.

Fearing God For His Forgiveness

Suggested Reading: Psalm 130

One of the bad things about vacation, especially if you have things planned to do, is that kids can get really tired and cranky. When they start misbehaving there is a fine line that parents must walk between being disciplinarians and extending forgiveness. If we don't discipline them when they misbehave, they begin to believe that it is acceptable to misbehave. If we are so harsh with our discipline that a transgression is unforgivable and they don't get to do anything they can adopt an attitude of "Well, I've already blown it, what is the point in trying to behave?" When we come down on our kids (especially on vacation), we want them to believe that they stand a chance at forgiveness so that we stand a chance at getting them to behave.

Psalm 130 expresses a similar situation between us and God. Psalm 130:3-4 reads, "Yahweh, if You considered sins, Lord who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared" (HCSB). At first, that sentiment seems a little odd. How does offering forgiveness lead to fearing God? But the principle is exactly the same as I described with my children on vacation. If God didn't offer forgiveness, what would be the point in fearing God? We have all sinned at some point, most of us before we truly begin to grasp the consequences. Without the prospect of forgiveness, there is no point in trying to obey God because we are already damned. But if we can be forgiven, then there is a possibility that trying to live right from this point forward will pay off.

As parents, employers, supervisors, and people in authority, there is a tremendous lesson to be learned here. Offering forgiveness does not mean we are weak. Offering forgiveness does not have to undercut our authority. In fact, not offering forgiveness may undercut our authority more. The possibility of forgiveness can be motivation for people to do their best because they understand that one failure does not mean disqualification from the benefits of living and working well. But refusing to offer forgiveness can harden people against us and de-motivate people because there is no longer any point in trying to do things the right way.

But this principle is also significant because it is a logical basis for us to remain grounded in the hope of God's forgiveness. There are times when we think we have messed up so badly there is no point trying anymore, when we think we have disqualified ourselves because we have done something so terrible that forgiveness is no longer an option. If that is where you find yourself, the psalmist reminds us that God offers forgiveness so that we might fear Him. God would rather forgive you and bring you back onto the straight and narrow than condemn you. God is more interested in you living right from here on out than in punishing you for the misdeeds of the past.

"Yahweh, if You considered sins, Lord who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared." God wants to forgive us. Will we accept forgiveness or harden ourselves for no reason? Will we offer this same forgiveness to those around us?

Fake ID's And Fake Pastors

Suggested Reading: James 3:1-12

I was excited when my daughter recently discovered re-runs of the 90’s classic series Saved by the Bell, a show about six high school kids as they hilariously navigate school, relationships, and growing up. One episode I watched with her featured a situation where the guys decided it would be fun to sneak into an over-age dance club. They created fake ID’s and waltzed through the doors like they owned the place. While there, they discovered Kelli’s boyfriend was cheating on her and hatched a plan to catch him in the act. By the end of the episode, Kelli had discovered her scumbag boyfriend’s cheating ways and Zack (the ringleader of the group) was found out by his mother who confiscated all of the fake ID’s and took them home, costing Zack a date with a college girl and a grounding. The episode was full of people pretending to be something they were not. Kelli’s boyfriend was pretending to be a faithful, nice guy. The gang was pretending to be much older than they were. And in the end it worked out badly for all of them.

I have also noticed a trend recently of Christian people pretending to be something they are not. Men and women who think that because they have been educated they can call themselves “pastors” when no church has called them as their shepherd. Know-it-all’s who aren’t allowed into teaching positions and so they pretend they are teachers, trying to force their “knowledge” down the throats of anyone who pauses too long in their vicinity or on their Facebook page. And while it may even be possible that these people feel called to ministry, they try to jump the gun, parading themselves around as something they have no claim to until a church agrees and actually calls them.

James 3:1 reads, Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly (NLT). With positions of authority and responsibility come a higher level of accountability. We are judged more strictly. Notice there is no qualifying statement there. We are judged more strictly. The passage goes on to talk about how words can change the courses of lives and spark destructive fires. But the statement about being judged strictly isn’t limited to our words. It isn’t limited at all! Those who are teachers will be judged more strictly. Period. We will be judged more strictly based on our words, our deeds, and perhaps even the places we allow our minds to dwell. We will be judged more strictly. And James warns his readers, Not many of you should become teachers because of this strictness. So why, knowing we will be judged more strictly, would anyone take on those responsibilities and pretend to hold positions of authority before God actually places us in those positions?

Pretending to be something we are not never works out well. For Zack and the gang, it meant being grounded. For Kelli’s boyfriend, it meant losing out on a wonderful girl. For people who pretend to hold positions of authority God has not yet given them, it might mean needlessly looking like a fool or even harming the very Kingdom work with which you want to help. Making a claim people can easily verify is inaccurate harms your reputation and your ministry. Trust God’s plan and only make claims to the positions God has actually placed you in. If God has truly called you to a particular ministry, God will eventually make it happen. Don’t bring stricter judgment on yourself until the appropriate time. Don’t pretend to be something you’re not. The consequences are never pleasant when you are found out.