No Fear Volume One Issue One February 01, 1995 1. February Introduction 2. Introduction to the Basics - Alan Koch 3. The Basics: Repentance from sin - Alan Koch 4. Theophilus Part Two - Alan Koch 5. Who Crucified Jesus? - Chuck (Mike) Pilato 6. Final Comments 7. February Member List - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1. February Introductory Comments - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2. BASIC DOCTRINES OF CHRIST -- INTRODUCTION In this article, I will enumerate those items which the Holy Scriptures identify as basic to our new life in Christ. These items will be our topic of discussion over the next few months as we aim toward the maturity that we are enjoined to pursue. It is my hope and sincere desire that each of us might learn from God's Word, and so be better equipped to please God in our actions and lives. The writer of Hebrews lists a set of "basics" in the final verses of chapter 5 and the first verses of chapter 6. He says: We have much to say about this (Melchizadek), but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instructions about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement. And God permitting, we will do so. Hebrews 5:11 - 6:3 In a nut shell, the writer is saying, "OK, the foundation has been laid; now let's go beyond that and begin to really mature in the faith!" Indeed, that is my intention. But I feel that it is important to assure that the foundation upon which we build is indeed strong. So I will review that foundation. At the end of the "Sermon of the Mount," Jesus proclaims, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house upon the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat upon that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation upon the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 7:24-27 So we see another piece of the foundation here. Not only must we learn God's word, but we must put it into practice! Just as not knowing the truth makes a person's life fruitless, knowing it and refusing to do anything about it is equally useless. Paul tells the Corinthians, "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:11) Of course, Jesus Christ, himself is our foundation, for withou His atoning blood, without His glorious resurrection, without Him, we are nothing. So, drawing from Hebrews 6:1-2, I propose the following list of "basics". 1. Faith in God, especially in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ, 2. Repentance from acts that lead to death, which includes putting God's word into practice, 3. Instructions about baptisms, especially focusing upon why we baptize, and what the significance of this is, 4. The laying on of hands, which deals with commissioning those for special service to the Lord, 5. The resurrection of the dead, how it is important to the gospel, and what it means to both the believer and the non-believer, and 6. Eternal judgement, how this is important to the gospel and not inconsistent with the nature of God. - AK - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3. THE BASICS: REPENTANCE FROM ACTS THAT LEAD TO DEATH In this article, we shall look into the first of the basics that are listed in Hebrews 6:1-2, "Repentance from acts that lead to death," or in some translations, "repentance from dead works." I pray that God would help all of us to recognize dead works in our own lives, and that He would give us a heart to put them behind us. This basic gives us two very important concepts to investigate; Repentance, and Acts that lead to death. We will look at each of them. Who needs to repent? When the people heard this ["God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ"] they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you, and your children and for all who are far off -- for all whom the Lord our God will call. Acts 2:37-39 Anyone who wishes to put their former life behind them and come to the Lord must repent. This is at the heart of salvation; that as God gives us the knowledge of our sin and the heart to turn from it, we must act upon that, and repent. "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 Just so there is no confusion; let us be explicit. Other than our perfect Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, no person who has lived on this earth is without the need to repent. No one's actions are righteous enough, and no one is without sin. Salvation is a very real need for every human being; and repentance is at its heart. After we repent and receive salvation, does repentance have any place in our lives? Yes! Look at what the Glorified Lord told the church at Ephesus: "Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first." Revelations 2:5 He told them to repent; to go back to the actions that were spawned by their first love for Him. Yes, those of us who have received God's salvation also find reason to repent. And not only some of us. Paul clearly outlined the dilemna that we believers find ourselves in: We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do -- this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord! "So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin." Romans 7:14-25 Even we who are saved still have the old sinful nature which continues to get in the way of obedience to our Lord. We all do wrong; and whenever we do wrong, we must turn from that wrong and repent. What is repentance? Upon examination, we will find that repentance is actually a series of actions or activities. Let's breifly look at each of them. 1. Conviction of sin. This is the process by which one becomes aware that he has done something which requires repentance. In speaking of the Holy Spirit who was to be given to us, Jesus said: "When he (the Counselor) comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgement ..." John 16:8 It is the Holy Spirit who makes us aware of sin. He opens our spiritual eyes to see God's righteousness and the vast degree by which we fall short. He shows us what we must do and inspires us to repent. 2. Acknowledgement of sin. After we have been made aware of our sin, we must agree with God! We must affirm that we are indeed sinful and in need of God's grace. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." 1 John 1:8-10 We must confess or acknowledge our sin, not only to God, but also to ourselves. And often, we must go beyond this! Jesus told us: "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." Matthew 5:23-24 If the sin of which we must repent has impacted anyone else, then we must confess the sin to them as well. This can be the most difficult part, but it yields the greatest fruit. It serves not only to clear our own conscience, but can also bring about healing of a broken relationship. Difficult as that may be, we are called to go even further and confess our sins to those whom we have NOT hurt! "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16 We are all dependant upon one another. Part of that interdependance is our need for each other's support and prayers. We must be "real" enough with each other to acknowledge our sins and seek support and prayer. So, we see the need to confess our sins to our selves, to God, to those we have sinned against, and to our brothers and sisters. Indeed, acting toward anyone as if we were without sin would be a lie. 3. Sorrow for sin. Acknowledging sin must bring about sorrow, if it is to be useful toward Godliness. Too many people in this world acknowledge their sin with great pride. Their damnation is in hot pursuit of them. We must, however, be careful to distinguish between Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. Godly sorrow brings about wonderful things in the Chritian's life; but worldly sorrow can be a devouring cancer. Paul talks about the difference as follows: "Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it -- I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while -- yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 The Bible is chock full of examples of both types of sorrow. For further reading see examples of Godly sorrow in Matthew 26:69-75 (Peter) and 2 Samuel 11:1 - 12:23 (David), and of worldly sorrow in Matthew 27:3-5 (Judas) and Genesis 4:3-16 (Cain). 4. Decision to eliminate sin. This is where Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow show themselves to be very different. Godly sorrow yields the fruit of change. This decision is the essence of repentance; not only that you abhore having sinned, but that you wish to never fall in the same way again. "See what this Godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. ..." 2 Corinthians 7:11 This is where we often fail; in not following through on change. God shows us the sin in our lives, not to beat us down or make us feel guilty, but in order to effect change. His desire is for us to mature and to more and more accurately portray the image of Jesus Christ in this sinful and dying world. This is not to say that we can eliminate sin from our lives by an act of our own will. That is clearly contrary to scripture, which teaches (as we saw earlier): "So, I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord! ..." Romans 7:21-25 Even though Paul truely detested the sin he committed, he recognized that he could not rid himself of it. Our only means of escape is through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It really is a matter of choosing to whom you will be a servant; the Lord, or sin. I align myself with Joshua, who said: "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15 So, in answer to our question, "What is repentance," we find that repentance is a matter of desiring and taking action to change that which God has shown us is sinful in our lives. What are "acts that lead to death?" Since we have defined "repentance," we will now go on the ask what it is that we are to repent of. Although most translations use some form of the shorthand phrase "dead works", I prefer the more accurate "acts that lead to death." This makes it clear that it is not the works themselves which are in danger of death, but the doer of them. It would be instructive here, to point out that "death" in this context refers not to the physical, but to the spiritual. Physical death is not an end, but rather, is a transition from this life to the next. Indeed, Paul uses the term "fall asleep" for death in his treatment of the subject. (e.g. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) The death that we are concerned with here, is refered to as the "second death" by John in Revelation 20:11-15. This death is complete and ultimate. It is the end to which the damned are destined. It is the death which none of us who are the Lord's will ever experience. Praise God! The "acts" which lead to death fall into several categories. The most obvious are those about which the Bible clearly says, "Thou shalt not!" For example: "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galations 5:19-21 There are many lists like this one throughout the Bible, and taken together, they describe the holy and righteous life that God expects of us. The Bible must always be relied upon as our *ONLY* standard of "right" and "wrong." Paul reminded Timothy: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Indeed, any time the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, we need look no further than the Bible for an explanation of our transgression and what we must do to put it right. God's Word must be our standard, and obedience to it must be our goal. But Jesus took the standard "Thou shalt not's" a giant step further by defining a second category of sin: "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultry.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultry with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." Matthew 5:27-29 He made it clear that evil thoughts and desires are just as damning as the actions, themselves. This was the basis by which he declared woe to the Pharisees; "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." Matthew 23:27-28 And then there is the third class; one which may be surprising to you. It consists of those actions which are, in themselves, good. Consider what Jesus had to say about them: Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" Matthew 7:21-23 Did these people really prophesy, did they really drive out demons, did they really perform miracles? Yes, they did! And they did them claiming the name of the Lord Jesus! But he calls them "evildoers". Why? Jesus made it clear in this passage that they were not commissioned by Him, and were not doing God's will. This is the definition of "evil!" 1 Samuel is peppered with the rhetorical question, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" It is obvious that he was (e.g. 1 Samuel 10:9-12), yet he was rejected as king and the kingdom of Isreal was torn from his hands because he neglected to do God's command. (1 Samuel 15:24-29) So, we see three classes of sin: evil actions, evil thoughts, and presumption. This squares with Solomon's wisdom, when he declared, "There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers." Proverbs 6:16-19 Of the seven, five are evil actions, but he is careful to include evil thoughts "a heart that devises wicked schemes," and presumtion "haughty eyes." All of these are things that God abhores. They are all things of which we must report, if we are to walk uprightly before our God. Conclusion There is most assuredly sin in your past. Have you repented of it? Have you acknowledged that it was wrong? Have you desired to rid your life of it? Have you expressed your sorrow to God and asked Him to cover that sin? Have you made the decision to alter your actions to avoid repeating it? If not, please do so now. You do not know when the hour of your death will be. This matter of repentance is too important to be left for another time. For those of us who belong to the Lord: Have we allowed our sinful nature to interfere with our fellowship with, and obedience to our precious Lord? Is there anything that is standing between you and Him, now? If so, then I implore you to agree with Him concerning its sinfulness, to seek His forgiveness, and to act by His power to remove that sin from your life. Jesus said: "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who receives the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfullness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." Matthew 13:18-23 I pray that each of us would repent of the rocks, and even the weeds in our lives, so that God's word has good soil in our hearts in which to grow, and we might be fruitful laborers in His kingdom. And if you are producing fruit, then let's go for 100! - AK - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4. The Theophilus Letters Dear Theophilus, "Then Jesus asked [the Jews], "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good, or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts ..." Mark 3:4-5a Here's an image of Jesus that we don't consider very often; "in anger and deeply distressed." Indeed, when we think of Jesus, we are more likely to think of the fruit of the Spirit (of Galatians 5); love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. How can we reconcile these images? How can the very one who is the source of this fruit exhibit anger and distress? But it is precisely this fruit that produced Jesus's anger and distress. For example: Love. Jesus, first and foremost, loved the Father. The Jews' blatant disregard for God's will and ways gave rise to His great indignation. Any time His Father was pushed aside, His anger would cry out for God to receive His proper glory. But Jesus also loved the Jews. It pained him greatly to see them disregard God's ways and condemn themselves to Hell when He would so willingly provide their way to Heaven. As a second example, consider Jesus's goodness. He was completely good in all respects. This includes a clear understanding of the difference between good and evil, and the will to see justice done. Justice would say that those blasphemers should have been struck dead on the spot. But His first sojourn on this Earth was not for the purpose of judgement, but to bring salvation. Judgement is for the next time around. But even back then, His spirit cried out for justice. So, my dear Theophilus, as we seek to follow our Lord Jesus, and to grow to be like Him, let us not lose sight of the things that distressed Him. It is too easy for us to grow tolerant of the sins that surround us in our society -- or even in our own lives! For example, - Do I react as Jesus would to sexual innuendo? Do you? - What about course joking? - Would Jesus value our possessions as much as we do? Our car, or house? - Would your acts of care for the needy please Him? - Do I pay more attention to rank and prestige than He did? I am sure you can add to this list (maybe even with a painful conscience). The point is that complacency toward sin comes naturally, but God can (and will) root it out of our lives. May God grant that as the fruit of the Spirit grows in our life, our hearts may also grow to be distressed by the things that distress Him. Let us pray that sin would so disgust us, that we would react to it as he did. That we would flee from it in our own lives, and encourage others to repent of it as well. For God's Glory, Theophilus footnote: The name "Theophilus", to which Luke addressed both his Gospel and the book of Acts is derived from the Greek words, "Theos" meaning God, and "Philos" meaning friend. Therefore, I join Luke in addressing what I write to all who are friends of God. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5. WHO CRUCIFIED JESUS? *CHINGGGG!!!!* The sound of metal forcefully striking metal still rings in your ears. You cannot help but be both annoyed at the clatter and inquisitive as to its origination. It is afternoon in the Middle East now, the sun heading toward its rendezvous with the western horizon over the Mediterranean Sea. You wonder at how beautiful that scenery is when the sun begins to-- *CHINGGGG!!!!* Horrid! This ghastly noise is breaking up your thoughts. You cannot seem to pay attention to anything consistently, as the current silence is sure to be shattered by the next impending bang. Just exactly what IS going on over there just beyond the side of this hill? Investigation leads to satisfaction from knowledge gained, but that satisfaction is soon overwhelmed by agitation at your helplessness in the situation. Why must they be so public about nailing together a pair of wooden beams? Surely there is someone whose occupation it is to prepare these crosses in time for the next execution. Surely there is-- *CHINGGGG!!!!* Hands envelop your head--clinging; covering; protecting it from audible disturbance. The hated consistency of it all floods your nervous system, while the builders continue their task. Soon the cross will be complete, and then surely there will be some peace after that. You rationalize the termination of all the racket, and soon find yourself-- "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Screaming! Why screaming!? Your attention immediately returns to the cross. You take note of the man they call Jesus who is now lying along the length of the cross, with blood swelling around the spike that has just been driven through his left hand. Your stomach begins to twist beneath the power of such an emotionally upsetting scene. You can almost feel the nail in your own hand; taste the blood that crawls down your face from the thorned crown He wears--public mockery of the man some thought would be the King of your nation. You recall the controversy that had captured the better part of this day in history, when Jesus-- *CHINGGGG!!!!* "AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!" The cries are shrinking now. His acceptance is beginning to set in. He was condemned to die, and there was no way to bypass that ruling now. Even if one could, there would never again be useful limbs on Jesus. His back was a bloody entanglement of flesh, bits of rock and glass partially submerged in the exposed muscular tissue. His executors were doused in blood, cursing His birth and the condition He was in. Foolish Jew, making His claims and having the audacity to shed His blood upon their decorated uniforms. Close your eyes, and become that Jewish onlooker at the scene of the crucifixion of Christ. Hear the sounds of the spikes being driven into first flesh, and then wood. If you have ever seen a spike from this era in Roman history, you instantly understand its most "redeeming" quality: the edges are pocked and torn. It is bulky in nature and those barbs resist its entranc into its recipient material, but utterly deny its removal. Imagine yourself in that position--lying on your back, your clothes removed in public, your beard torn from your face, your skin ripped, not cut or sliced, but literally torn into pieces. Now think specifically about His pain. Neglect His geographical position; His financial status; His philosophical standing. Excruciating pain would overwhelm the humiliation. You would do anything not to be where you are, up to and including suicide. Now think of Jesus. A quick glance into Luke 22:42 will give you just a small hint of how He felt. He was begging His Heavenly Father to "double-check" His motives. Jesus was human after all, God in flesh, but human nonetheless. Perhaps there was some celestial misunderstanding: "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." Think of the man whose job it was to swing that sledgehammer toward the spikes set in Jesus' hands and feet. Think of how you would feel with an occupation like that. Perhaps you had even secretly been a follower of Jesus' teachings. Now you have to silence Him, or lose your own life for treason. Regretfully, I inform you that you are, indeed, that man--that soldier. It was YOU who nailed Him to that cross. It was YOU who carried out the completion of His sentence--not even a truly legal sentence. This was a man that was found faultless by the highest rulers in the land, your superiors. Circumstantial situations and skeptical ethnic groups have now condemned this innocent man to such a painful death, and YOU are the one who "gets" to terminate his existence. Your intestines curl and wrench about as you raise that hammer for the next blow... On a cold and rainy summer evening, my path crossed that of my inebriated, estranged, and prodigal sixteen-year-old brother, who had not been home in almost six months. Memories of my mother's pain, of her mental torture, of her spiritual warfare, and of her physical decay quickly brought me to a boiling point. My anger flared, and I lashed out at my brother and his followers. Never before had I sought to take the life of another person, never since have I done the same. But for one long evening I repeated broke the commandment regarding murder. In my hatred of the results of my brother's sins, I sinned as well. And it was this realization, as well as other well- timed events in my life, that flung me headfirst into the above frame of mind. My sins, as well as those of the rest of the world, literally killed Jesus. I was reared in the knowledge that Jesus came to earth for the specific reason of dying for my sins. This truth was drilled into me from birth, iterated in my years in a Christian school, and now shown to me through years of experience. Through all this learning though, I have learned to think for myself, and with that ability I present to you this challenge to the theology the Church uses today: Jesus Christ died surely FOR our sins, but directly FROM our sins. I am a murderer, with my only hope of pardon lying the sunny side of the situation at hand--Christ did not remain in the tomb, but returned to earth, and eventually to His Father's right hand in Glory, so that I may never earn the true punishment of my murderous acts--my own crucifixion. And for this, I thank Him. C. Michael (Mike) Pilato - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6. FINAL COMMENTS (February) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -