The Approval Process

But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.  For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.  For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. – 2 Corinthians 13:7-9

Paul had a long, well-documented struggle with the Christians at Corinth.  They were unruly, trapped at times in carnality, egotistical, and confused.  They needed a lot of correction and guidance.  Paul was a man with apostolic authority and power.  However, he had no desire to exercise this power in order to show himself approved of God or superior to those in his care.  As we are with our children, so Paul was with those in Corinth, and so God is with us.  We want our children to be good, to be truthful, and to act out of who they are rather than being constrained by external forces or fear of punishment.  Paul wanted the Corinthians to do what was right on their own without being pushed by him. 

We are capable of consistently and routinely doing the right thing and making the right choices.  The Holy Spirit indwells us, and one of the things He, the Spirit of truth, does is lead us into all truth (John 16:13).  It has always seemed strange to me that Christians, all having the same Holy Spirit, would be at odds with one another, not so much in a Protestant vs. Catholic way.  I can understand variances in tradition and culture.  There are naturally hierarchical societies and naturally individualistic, more open and level societies.  Some are drawn to the traditional, structured, liturgical nature of Catholicism and Orthodoxy, some to more informal and more teaching-oriented meetings that characterize much of Protestantism; others seek the enthusiasm and primitive worship in the many branches of American revivalism.    

It does not seem to me that the Holy Spirit would very often be in disagreement with Himself.  Thus, if I am having a conflict with another Christian, the odds are that one of us is wrong.  The odds may be even better that both of us are wrong.  Paul wasn’t wrong, but he was willing to be thought wrong if the Corinthians were willing to do what is right.  We clash much more as a result of ego than theology.  The truth will, in the long run, take care of itself. 

Perhaps that is what Paul is thinking when he says he can only work on behalf of the truth.  He didn’t have to tell them the truth or confront them with the truth if they were willing to live by the truth.  Of course there are a lot of people today in the realms of politics, economics, academia, and the rest who do not believe in an objective, absolute truth.  Opposing or championing truth is meaningless to such thinkers.  They are the opposite of the Apostle who preferred truth to power.  Power and control are the only things that matter to them.  Their version of truth is determined by power, and truth, as they see it, serves power. 

In the end, such subversion fails.  While we oppose lies and deception, we know that the hope does not lie in our opposition, no matter how heartfelt and fervent.  The seeds of corruption and self-destruction are already sown.  The harvest will come.  If, for a time, we are rejected, derided, and persecuted for the truth, we need not worry about justifying ourselves.  Take of the truth, and the truth will take care of you.

Fort Defiance

For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.  – 1 Corinthians 4:20

Power here is the transliterated Greek word dunamis which often refers to miracles or the ability to do the miraculous, and it is often contrasted with another word that gets translated into English as “power” -- exousia, which refers to authority.  In the preceding verses, Paul offers something of a validation of his authority over the church at Corinth and a response to those in that assembly who are dismissive of him as a leader.  Paul challenges those of impressive speech to authenticate by power. 

I always take a mental step back when I read this.  It causes me to wonder if there is, by Paul’s standard, any authentic Christianity in this age.  I am not denying that miracles happen in our world of more than seven billion souls, probably somewhere on a daily basis.  The Church as a whole, though, seems mostly content with talk. 

If the kingdom of God consists of ability, mighty works, strength, force, even violence, as the word power connotes, where do we see that?  We seem more concerned with hoping that we can slip past the gate into heaven.  We have Christian motivational speakers, lawyers, doctors, financial advisors, bankers, politicians, etc., -- NTTAWWT, but we don’t seem to have many people living under an open heaven, walking in truth and power, and laughing at the rules the world would try to impose on us. 

I get the feeling Paul would have understood Boondock Saints -- not approving of the celebration of vulgarity or the depictions of the violent destruction of human lives but understanding the underlying “holy defiance” that says we have the power and the obligation to call out wickedness and expose it for what it is.  I am tired of hearing apologies for Christianity.  I am tired of attempts to justify the truth and our belief in truth.  It seems to me the people who are practicing and promoting evil should be the ones trying to justify themselves and begging for forgiveness.   I am not in the business of punishing people for their sins, of decreeing sentences, or of avenging.  When Jesus said, “Judge not”, that is what He meant.  What He most certainly did not mean is that we ought to avoid speaking and living the truth so that those around us might not be offended. 

This power of which the kingdom consists is the strength to do all things in Christ.  It is the ability to be at peace in all situations, the force of joy, and the gift of righteous living.  Jesus came to give us abundant life.  The flesh has no authority over us; we owe it nothing.  The only power the world has over us it that which we are willing to concede. 

Concede nothing.    

A Taste of Honey

And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people had tasted food.  Now when all the people came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground.  And when the people entered the forest, behold, the honey was dropping, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.  But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath, so he put out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes became bright.  Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food this day.’” And the people were faint.  Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey.  How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found. For now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great.” – 1 Samuel 14:24-30

This passage has always fascinated me, in part because I have always connected it to the phrase in Ephesians 1:18, “… having the eyes of your hearts enlightened.” 

Saul himself is worthy of study in depth, and his laying this rash and counterproductive vow upon his army is quite typical and telling with regard to his personality and motivations.  Saul behaved in a manner consistent with his view of God.  To him, the Lord was harsh, demanding and pitiless.  He thought God could be appeased like a vain earthly ruler by spoils and sacrifice and flattery.  He seemed a reluctant king, one who came to rule with a low opinion of himself, yet he often acted unwisely and even arrogantly as if he were striving to live up to his position in a pathological way.  He did not understand grace but at the same time thought he could substitute zeal, performance, spectacle, and sacrifice for obedience.  Saul missed his calling.  He would have been the perfect mega-church pastor.

He would have also made a pretty good Pharisee:  But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in (Matthew 23:13).  That entire chapter bears reading frequently. 

The honey that dropped to the ground, like the grace, mercy and forgiveness of God, was freely and readily available.  No one had to pause in the pursuit of the enemy to prepare clean food.  This was literally a God-send that the warriors would be given renewed strength and refreshed to continue the battle.  Saul’s prohibition cut off God’s provision. 

I cannot even begin today to express all that is in my heart regarding this.  The honey drops to the ground all around us all the time, and we cut ourselves off from it through legalistic thinking, through worldly thinking, through a conventional religious mindset that relegates God to specific situations, that restricts the work of the Holy Spirit to certain times and states of mind and emotion, that compartmentalizes our lives and tries to spare God from the rigors of daily interaction with all the grit and grime we face.  I am guilty.

God does test us and try us at times.  He challenges us to help us grow and become more fitted for the abundant life of the kingdom.  But He wants us to live victoriously right here, right now – to overcome our fleshly inner Philistines.  He makes the resources we need readily available.  He expects us to take advantage of what He offers us because it will be needed to accomplish the objectives He has set for us.  When we turn to God and ask for help in times of crisis, when we ask for mercy, when we ask Him to sustain us, we are not succumbing to temptation.  Some people seem to think that we just have to tighten up the belt and keep going to overcome weakness, otherwise we are somehow not really serving God.  It is not so. 

The thing is that we do have to begin the process.  The provision will be there when we need it.  The Israelites hit those woods at exactly the right point in their pursuit when they really needed renewal.  Over and over, Christians will tell how they received refreshing, provision, and deliverance exactly when it was most effective.  But we have to be out there on the trail, doing God’s will, making an effort to obey, to carry the fight to the enemy before we can reach that place of provision.  If I stay holed up in the cave, I’m never going to have honey dropping from the trees. 

Finally, not accepting what God offers us leads to sin and defeat.  As the Israelites pushed on, they came upon livestock abandoned by the Philistines (vv 31-35).  If they had not been ravenous with hunger, the pursuit and destruction of the Philistines would have continued.  As it was, they fell upon the spoil and began to kill and eat the meat “with the blood”.  Saul’s injunction had negative consequences in the lives of his people. 

We can expect God to provide for us, not just physically, but spiritually.  We can trust Him to give us what we need when we need it to strengthen and sustain us.  Self-denial and self-control are essential when it comes to physical desires.  Fasting is a good and beneficial practice.  The giving up of our little luxuries and comforts, now and then, helps us to keep God first in our lives, as He should be.  Yet the Lord will offer us comfort by His Spirit.  We will be able to recognize God’s hand in it because it will not conflict with the goal for which He has us striving.  Like eating that honey that fell from the trees, we won’t even have to break stride in order to partake of it, and we will emerge with enlightened eyes and a new power and determination to finish the course. 

Mighty Right vs. Mighty Wrong

The task must be to banish from mankind's thought the idea that anybody has the right to use force against righteousness, against justice, against mutual agreements – Solzhenitsyn

And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. -- Matthew 28:18

And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. -- Luke 15:20

We sometimes read Matthew 28:18 as “all power”, but the Greek word is transliterated as exousia, authority.  God is a God of authority – because He’s God.  He is not the God of compulsion.  If God compels everything then we are not free moral beings. 

When Jesus told the story of the Prodigal, it was in the context of two other parables in Luke 15, the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin.  These three stories share some common elements, but the last story differs in one critical aspect.  In the case of the lost sheep, the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and goes in search of the one to carry that sheep back into the fold.  When the woman lost a coin, she brought in lights and actively swept the floor seeking her lost treasure. 

When the younger son came asking for his inheritance, the father gave it to him and allowed him to leave home.  The father did not travel into the far country looking for the boy, nor did he send his servants out to find him and drag his worthless rear home.  There is no active intervention on the father’s part – until the son makes a decision to leave the pigpen and go home.  The father has been watching the road, sees his son and recognizes him at a great distance.  He does not wait at that point but runs out to welcome and embrace him.  Why didn’t he do that before?  Why didn’t he go after his son? 

A man is not a sheep or a coin.  We are God’s highest creations, given a free will, given a choice to rebel or obey.  The first two parables illustrate aspects of God’s love and concern for us, His longing for us, while the story of the Prodigal gives us a fuller indication of how God works in the world.  Never is it God’s will that there be rebellion and evil any more than it was the will of the father that his son abandon his home, squander his inheritance and wreck his life.  The father had authority, but he refused to use force or compulsion.    

There may be cases where God makes it almost impossible for a chosen one to “kick against the pricks”, as happened with Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus.  The Good Shepherd may go after a sheep and carry it in.  He may unleash the Hound of Heaven on our trail to rout us from our briars and holes.  But even then, He leaves us free to choose.  At the very least, we lift up our heads and utter a plaintive cry for release from the pit into which we have fallen.  We must take the first critical step away from the filth and muck, back toward home.  Certainly then His hand will be upon us to sustain us on that right path. 

The quote from Solzhenitsyn helps us realize that authority is no longer something in which the world is heavily invested.  The world recognizes only the perverted authority that flows from force – from the barrel of a gun, to put it in Marxist terms.  This seems to be the case with much of Islam, certainly with the dominant elements of political Islam.  Conversely, the Judeo-Christian worldview rejects force and compulsion and recognizes what we sometimes call “moral authority”.  This is a redundancy as, in reality, there is no other kind. 

We use force against compulsion in defense of righteousness and justice, life and liberty.  That is the only reason for it, the only justification.  When force is used in place of authority, when the government uses armed and armored intimidators to enforce compliance, we call it a police state. 

Of Arugula and Kings

The almighty, living God turned to Gabriel and spoke thusly. “Go, take these two portions of My being. There are two destinies waiting. To each of them give one portion of Myself.”

Carrying two glowing, pulsating lights of Life, Gabriel opened the door into the realm between two universes and disappeared. He had stepped into the Mall of Unborn Destinies.

“I have here two portions of the nature of God. The first is the very cloth of His nature. When wrapped around you, it clothes you with the breath of God. As water surrounds one who is within the sea, so does His very breath envelop you. With this, the wind that clothes, you will have His power – power to subdue armies, shame the enemies of God and accomplish His work on the earth. Here is the power of God as a gift. Here is the immersion into the Spirit.”

A destiny stepped forward: “This portion of God is for me.”

“True,” replied the angel. “And remember, whoever receives such a great portion of power as this is will surely be known by many. Ere your earthly pilgrimage is done, your true character will be known; yea, even revealed, by means of this power. Such is the destiny of all who wear and wield this portion, for it touches only the outward man, affecting the inner man not one whit. Outward power will always unveil the inner resources, or the lack thereof.”

The first destined one received and stepped back.

Gabriel spoke again.

“I have here the second of two elements of the Living God. This is not a gift but an inheritance. A gift is worn on the outer man; an inheritance is planted deep inside – like a seed. Yet, even though it is such a small planting, this planting grows and, in time, fills all the inner man.”

Another destiny stepped forward. “I believe this element is to be mine for my earthly pilgrimage.”

“True,” responded the angel again. “I must tell you that what has been given you is a glorious thing – the only element in the universe known to God or angels that can change the human heart. Yet, even this very element of God cannot accomplish its task nor can it grow and fill your entire being unless it be compounded well. It must be mixed lavishly with pain, sorrow, and crushing.”

The second destined one received and stepped back.

Beside Gabriel sat the angel Recorder. He dutifully entered into his ledger the record of the two destinies.

“And who shall these destinies become after they go through the door to the visible universe?” asked Recorder.

Replied Gabriel softly, “Each, in his time, shall be king.”

-- From the Prologue to A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards



I don’t know when Edwards wrote his little book. The copyright on my edition is 1980 and I first ran across it in the early ‘90’s. He could have used a better editor (pot, meet kettle), but, all its faults aside, it is an interesting work. Edwards wrote it in response to abuses of power in authoritarian evangelical churches. It tells the story of Saul and David, then David and his son Absalom as a way of illustrating how to properly respond to abusive pastors and church leaders, church splits, and Christian-on-Christian bashing.

For some reason I could not find listed my favorite response to abusive authority: grab ‘em by the tie and slam them against the wall while foaming at the mouth and screaming assorted profanities and vulgarities. This is possibly because – though it is extremely effective, at least until the cops handcuff you – a minimum sixteen-inch bicep is usually required, depending, of course, on the size of the authority to be elevated.

People who “do the Lord’s work” have a tendency let it go to their heads. Though there are innumerable servants of God who are humble and self-sacrificing, too many in positions of authority think they have a right to dominate and control while making unreasonable demands on the time and resources of others.

Notice what Edwards says: power unveils. That is not limited to the spiritual realm – or maybe I should say the spiritual realm is not limited to church. Just look at the vast majority of politicians and others with political power. The smugness of power can go from the presidency right down to the dog-catcher. Pick any ten police officers and you’ll find at least one who just can’t keep from showing people who the man really is. Pick any ten U.S. Senators and you will find ten like that.

I still say McCain will win, and win more electoral votes than Bush did in 2004. I predict that Obama will not get 49% of the popular vote. I’m calling it 51 to 48.5 for McCain, with Bob Barr getting most of the remainder. However, if I am wrong (for an exhaustive list of things about which I have been wrong, contact my wife), and Obama does receive the mantle of power, we will see a lot of “unveiling” in a hurry.