Good Deeds and Contradictions

When reading or studying the Bible there is danger in grabbing a verse here and a verse there to support a desired conclusion. There's also danger in getting one's primary (or only) dose of Scripture and teaching via topical sermons delivered by an eloquent speaker (or worse, a bad one). When we're challenged or confronted with an argument about contradiction in Scripture, we can be taken completely off-guard.

One of the worst responses in this kind of situation is simply to say, "I just take the Bible on faith," and dismiss the challenge as being made by an ignorant Christian-hater. The fact is, most of the time it's not the Bible we're taking on faith. Often it's the teaching of someone who pieced together some verses to bolster a themed speech. One of the most familiar examples of this is Jesus' statement, "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." Jesus was not talking about Church services. He was addressing confrontation of sin among believers.

This morning my Scripture reading included Matthew 5 and 6. In those chapters there are two quotes spoken by Jesus in a single sitting -- the Sermon on the Mount. They're interesting when considered together (emphases mine):

"No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." (Matthew 5:15-16, NLT)

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you." (Matthew 6:1-4, NLT)

Following up on these passages, I read what I consider to be some rather poor commentaries trying to justify what seems to be a set of contradictory statements. One, for instance, took a few other verses and attempted to say that Jesus was not talking about works in 5:15-16 (you know, where He says "works"), but about His words. Voilà! No contradiction! I would be embarrassed to deliver that as a rebuttal to someone claiming the passages are contradictory.

There are several ways to explain the seeming contradiction, and some are fairly solid.

One way is to note that Jesus added the critical phrase "to be admired by others" in Matthew 6:1. This shows that our motivation is at least as important as the resulting deeds, if not more important.

Another explanation comes by looking at the Greek text and noting that in Matthew 5:16 Jesus said "good deeds" (καλὰ ἔργα) but in 6:1 He actually said "righteousness" (δικαιοσύνην). (The NLT unfortunately renders both as "good deeds," so this line of thinking is less obvious.) At this point we could draw a distinction between "good deeds" as something good to seen by others and "righteousness" as something we shouldn't try to show off in an arrogant and pious way.

But most wouldn't get as far as that last explanation, because Greek and Hebrew are thought of as the sole domain of scholars, teachers, and pastors, but not the ordinary layperson. However, given the absolutely amazing tools at our disposal in the modern world we can peer back into the original languages and study some specifics. A word of warning, though: it is very important to realize that, among other things, the average person is not a cultural expert on the ancient middle east, and therefore some points will simply not be clear without drawing on the knowledge and wisdom of others who have studied for years. However, we can find answers to many questions this way more often than not.

Considering that, going a little further into Matthew 5:15-16 and 6:1-4, I noted that the King James Version doesn't use "good deeds" or "righteousness" in 6:1. Rather, the KJV says "do not your alms before men," making this verse a statement about giving money. Now, that is decidedly different from -- and more specific than -- the other readings. It also happens to wrap up nicely with Jesus talking about giving to the poor in 6:4.

If you've read this far, I applaud you. I honestly might be bored by now if I were you. Are you interested in knowing the reason for the difference between the reading in the KJV and the NLT (and ESV, NASB, and most other translations)? If not, I shall move on to another topic next time.

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A Rosemary By Any Other Name...

I'm not above telling about the times I've done stupid stuff. An old post, Adventures in Yardwork, is a classic example of a story that might make you laugh at me and think about just how stupid I can be. Here's another (slightly longer than usual) story that may enable you get a chuckle at my expense.

My dad came up with an incredible pizza recipe many years ago; before I was born, I assume. When I was a kid I spied on him when he made pizza so I could steal the proverbial "secret sauce" recipe. Only it wasn't proverbial -- it actually was secret sauce -- and I didn't "spy," per se. I just asked him what he was putting in there.

Flash forward to the present, in which my wife and I are really getting into planting things and making food with fresh herbs, vegetables, and all that stuff. Not just because it's healthy (after all, chocolate chip ice cream with caramel topping is an evening staple for me), but food made that way tastes substantially better than it does when using dried spices or canned vegetables.

I was home alone the other night and had some work I needed to do on a project that's in the works. I decided to make a pizza so that my brain would be in a good mood for the job I had ahead of me. I went outside and clipped a couple of leafy stems off of the rosemary plant growing in a pot on our back deck. I sniffed the plant as if it were a really good-smelling herb, which it is. I took the stems inside, pulled the leaves off, and in gourmet style chopped them up to put into my sauce (and now I've just blown part of the secret sauce recipe).

Unfortunately I had to use dried spices for a couple of other ingredients because our plants aren't grown-up enough for me to go treating them like adults and pulling off their leaves. That was okay, because rosemary is the key spice.

Over the next 20 minutes or so I prepared what was to be an awesome dinner. I got my laptop set up in the living room and when the pizza was finally ready I cut two slices, sat down to start typing, thanked God for the food, and took my first bite.

Almost immediately I started Googling the term "sweet rosemary," because something was hosed up with my pizza. It tasted like I'd poured a cup (okay, maybe 1/3 cup) of sugar into the sauce. I wasn't able to find anything about a rosemary plant variety with the quality of "super-sweet."

Then, a minute or two later, I remembered pulling the little tag out of the plant when I transplanted it from its original pot into our pot on the deck. I remembered making a mental note that someone had apparently switched tags and put a "lavender" tag in the rosemary plant we'd purchased.

So I Googled "rosemary lavender" and found something interesting. Here's a photo I made this morning that may give you an idea of what I discovered:

It's a photo of a lavender plant and a rosemary plant together in the same pot. Can you tell which is which? I obviously couldn't. And to be honest, I can only barely tell by looking, even now that I have this awesome new botanical wisdom. But I do know that using lavender instead of rosemary in your pizza sauce makes for one nasty pizza.

In the process of making my culinary masterpiece nothing indicated that I wouldn't have great results. I made it the same way I'd always done, used a delicious, healthy-looking, fresh spice, tons of cheese, fresh mushrooms, and more, but I discovered that looks can be terribly misleading sometimes.

One of the first things that popped into my mind after finding out how Mother Nature had fiendishly deceived me was this shocking statement Jesus made to the scribes and the Pharisees -- people in charge of keeping up with the law and preserving religious tradition: "“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness." (Matthew 23:27-28, NLT)

Jesus said it far better (and much more concisely) than I have here. No matter how my efforts and good work look on the outside, if my intentions and motives are corrupt or wrong, the efforts are not just tasteless to my Father, but are repulsive to Him (just like a lavender pizza was to me). Along these lines, Francis Chan once explained Revelation 3:16-17 in a way that hit home for me. If you've ever picked up a cup of coffee, sipped it, and discovered that it wasn't hot but was room temperature, your reaction would likely be, "Gah!" (or something like that) and you'd want to spit it out immediately.

May the life we live and the way we serve and love in Jesus' name always be made of pure, genuine ingredients; not just sweet-smelling and with the proper appearance, but with a fresh, delicious, honest-to-goodness rosemary-flavored result.

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Loads of Love - One Year!

I've been a part of an effort (or a ministry) called "Loads of Love" for a whole year now! The text from one of our flyers gives a summary of what it is:

"On November 5 we invite you to Five Points Laundromat  (815 Wellman Ave, 35801) to wash and dry your clothes (up to three loads - for blankets and heavy items, one to two loads) free of charge or obligation. Just show up with dirty clothes and we'll provide detergent, fabric softener, bleach,  and the washers and dryers so they'll be clean when you leave."

Loads of Love was started both as a means of helping people without expecting any return and of team-building in preparation for a mission trip to Haiti that happened earlier this year. We do this to follow Jesus Christ and obey what He taught; not to make us feel good about ourselves. My friend Stephanie Newman has been the driving force behind LoL; she's responsible for conceiving it and for making it happen. Many thanks, Stephanie!

LoL happens on the first Saturday of each month and though our primary target group is Huntsville's homeless population, there are people from many walks of life that we're able to help. We started in November 2010. It was somewhat appropriate, then, that on our one-year anniversary Kay Campbell, the Faith & Values Editor for The Huntsville Times, visited us along with a gentleman named Robin (failed to get his last name), a photographer for the paper. Kay talked with several volunteers as well as a few clients yesterday to get a feel for what's been happening and how the ministry effort is making an impact on a little piece of our city.

We're praying and brainstorming about what to do next. We would love for more Christ-followers to be involved with this effort. Our next big need is a van and driver to make a stop at one homeless camp (we're limiting it to that right now) to pick up our clients and then to take them back after Loads of Love is finished. If we can get a few area churches to climb on board with this the "burden" would be spread out and would be quite easy to manage.

If you'd like more information, our would like to help or donate funds (we feed washers and dryers with quarters from donations), hygeiene products for the coming cold months, detergent, clothing, etc., please click here to send me an e-mail and I'll get you hooked up.

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How Do You Know? Part 2

This post and a couple that follow it will be reinforcing the first point, from yesterday’s post. Be patient. One device that Scripture writers used for emphasis was repetition, and we see this happen with the Word as a whole on certain principles.

2. You can identify a person by the works he produces (Matthew 7:20)

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
(Matthew 7:13-20, NLT)

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How Do You Know? Part 1

My friend Leroy and I have lately been considering the statement “Little actions reveal big things about someone’s character.” This thought was prompted by the observation of someone who’s a vocally-professing Christian being a total poo-head in a checkout lane at a store. Bad day? Probably. But that one event enabled us to look at ourselves. “Little” things in our own lives absolutely reveal major truths about who we really are.

If we’re sitting at a table together and I tell you I’m eating ice cream but you see a plate of oysters in front of me, you’re either going to think I’m joking (and you’ll marvel at my feeble attempt at humor) or stupid, or both. If I tell you over the phone that I’m eating ice cream and you happen to walk into the same restaurant I’m in and see a plate of oysters in front of me, you’re going to wonder why I lied to you.

It’s interesting that what we do in secret seems to carry more weight than what we know people are watching.

What do our actions and lifestyle reveal? Remarkably, and a very heavy truth, is that these things offer evidence that can give proof of our salvation.

With that introduction, this begins a series of posts on, believe it or not, the assurance of salvation. It’s a big topic and I don’t feel especially qualified, other than being a follower of Jesus Christ, which is more than enough to make me want to dig in. Before accusing me of teaching any heretical concepts here, I urge you to stay with me through the series. See if the Word harmonizes with itself. See if I correctly “dissect” (“unpack” is the current trendy word) the truth found in the Word. If I’m off-base, humbly and gently call me out on it. If I overlook an important element, bring it up. False teaching is serious sin.

I encourage you to click on every link in these posts (the different-colored text you’ll see), because a link will typically reference supporting Scripture passages.

1. One kind of tree can’t produce another kind of fruit (James 3:12)

And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.
(James 3:10-12, NLT)

James doesn’t leave his first sentence in verse 12 as a rhetorical question. The answer is simple: “No.” His rhetorical question in James 2:14, though, has the same answer: “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?”

Here endeth the first lesson. It leaveth a lot of things unanswered, and I hope to cover those things in the next several posts.

Questions? Observations?

IMPORTANT: If you talk about specific situations, my request is that you address observations about your own life; not about the lives of others. What I see in Scripture is that while we’re not prohibited from judging others in the Church, the overwhelming majority of instruction on the life of a Christ-follower is intended for the reader to take to heart for himself or herself.

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staying clean

Imagine a 10- or 11-year-old boy who does his best to stay clean. To that end, even though it's summer break he decides that he won't play outside or do anything that will cause him to get sweaty or dirty. He's very diligent about this, and for a week and a half he sticks to the plan, not venturing into the yard at all, but staying in the house without doing anything physically taxing.

But during that week and a half, he doesn't take a bath or a shower because he's been doing his best to stay dirtless and assumes that there's really no need.

How do you suppose he's going to look and smell? No matter how unsullied he's attempted to keep himself, he's still going to have accumulated some not-so-good odors, his hair will probably be greasy, and though his attempt was valiant and long-lasting, he will have been unsuccessful.

Just as the avoidance of doing dirt-collecting things isn't enough to keep a kid from stinking, the simple avoidance of wrongdoing by a Christ-follower isn't enough to live in obedience to Christ. "Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it." (James 4:17, NLT)

Paul wrote, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21, NASB) An integral part of not being overcome by sin is to overcome evil by doing good.

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Why the World is Not Reached for Christ Yet

Last year some time, a friend sent me a link to a blog post by Greg Stier, a preacher, author, and self-professed "twitchy revolutionary and a fanatic for Jesus." The post is called "Why the world is not reached for Christ yet" and is right down the fairway.

The most glaring point he makes (probably because I've been giving this a great deal of consideration lately) is his second one, from which I've pasted a chunk below:

2. The gospel that is being preached tends to be anything but.

The word gospel means “good news”. It’s the good news that salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone and not by good works. But many who preach the “gospel” today are adding all sorts of pre-conditions. Think about some of the add ons many Christians tag on to the simple message of Jesus:

“Just say this prayer…”

“Just walk this aisle…”

“Sure it’s by faith alone but you also must get baptized”

“Sure it’s by faith alone but you also must __________” (you fill in the blank)

“Turn from all your sin and then come to Jesus” (isn’t it the other way around and isn’t he the one who turns us from it?)

It links easily with Tony Moore's recent post of a Paul Washer sermon at the 2002 Youth Evangelism Conference -- required viewing if you are a believer.

I don't know if you'll agree with every sub-point that Stier makes, and likewise with the Paul Washer sermon, but I do know that the conclusions they draw (and the majority of the foundations they lay) are nearly undeniable.

We have led people to believe that commitment to Christ... isn't.

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