Known by Name

Known by Name

Carl Linnaeus may or may not be a name you recognize. He was the inventor of the modern system of classification for plants and animals. Maybe you have heard of Kingdom, Phyla, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. This nomenclature has been used since the mid-1700s as a scientific means of identifying various forms of life. It reminds me of Genesis 2:19-20 where God tells Adam to name all the animals. God created humanity to name things, and our desire to do such has not been impeded by the years since Adam’s first efforts.

carl name

You may not know me, but God does.

Naming things, however, does not mean that we give them purpose. Some have confused our ability to give things a name with giving things a purpose. God has given purpose to all things that exist, our naming them simply reflects the purpose that is already found within them. Science may be able to name and classify many things according to purpose, but ultimately science cannot name every particular living thing. God, however, is not bound by such limits.

God knows the number of the hairs on our heads and every sparrow that falls, and He knows us too by name! Isaiah 40:26 says, “Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.” This intimacy is comforting to the saint and troubling to the sinner. The saint will appreciate the fact that God knows him personally and is helping him to grow and develop. The sinner will be troubled that God knows all his sin and will hold him accountable. God knows you by name; will you get to know Him?

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1 Corinthians 7 Means What?

1 Corinthians 7 doesn’t mean what you think it does

There seems to be a rash of young men, (especially preachers), who have gotten addicted to pornography, which ultimately leads them down a path to adultery.

Having personally talked/counseled with several of these young men, it is my prayer that we can break this chain of addiction and focus on rebuilding Christian homes. Congregations need to be addressing this massive elephant in the room!

sex bible

A proper relationship lives with proper hearts.

Success in these marriages often comes down to pride. If the man is willing to humble himself and is truly repentant, then often the marriage can be saved. However, if pride rears its head—as it often does—then things get really ugly. And I mean really ugly.

For many of these men, they choose to place the blame for cheating at the feet at their spouse. Basically, they wield 1 Corinthians 7 like a club, saying their wife is not fulfilling her duties as a spouse (Never mind the fact that many of these individuals were hooked on pornography long before they said “I do”). The number of individuals caught up in this sin has grown to the point that I fully believe there will be a movement/group formed by these individuals, who,—using crazy mental gymnastics—will claim to be the innocent party in the future. Playing the role of victim, these individuals claim their spouse did not perform their marital duties, and thus, drove them into the bed of someone else.

If we lived in normal times, where men used reason and logic, I would not worry about Christians buying into such rubbish. But sadly, we do not live in normal times. We live in an era where emotions and feelings drive everything—while reason and logic are thrown out the window. Here’s the irony of this entire situation: Research reveals that in the sexually immoral city of Corinth there was a group of men practicing ascetic religion in which they believed abstinence made you more spiritual. Paul was actually rebuking the men for not having sexual relations with their wives!

And yet, today this passage has been twisted to mean something totally different. The passage was actually about forced celibacy, not sex-on-demand. 1 Corinthians 7 is often used by Christian husbands to bludgeon their wives for not being sexually receptive as often as they prefer/demand. Somehow Ephesians 5:25-33—loving your wife like Christ loved the church—gets forgotten as porn addicted men make outrageous demands from their wives—and then play the victim if their wife does not live up to be the porn star the husband is used to seeing on a screen.

Here’s a couple of points we need to consider:

Point #1: Marital intimacy is about more than just the sexual act. It’s about more than coercion or manipulation just to receive self-gratifying pleasure.

Point #2: A sex-starved marriage does not make pornography right. Period.

Point #3: A sex-starved marriage may be the result of YOU not cherishing your spouse outside the bedroom.

Point #4: A sex-starved marriage does not give one party the right to dishonor the marriage bed through adultery. You are still charged to keep the marriage bed pure (Hebrews 13:4).

Point #5: A sex-starved marriage is not grounds for divorce and remarriage.

Point #6: 1 Corinthians 7 is not all the Bible has to say about sex and marriage. Spend some time looking at what Ephesians 5, 1 Corinthians 13, and Song of Solomon say.

Point #7: Every person is responsible for their own sin. It is not your spouse’s fault if you choose to sin simply because your husband/wife does not fulfill you in the way you think they should.

Point #8: One way to fix the perceived “problem” is to stop focusing on yourself so much and consider the wants, needs, desires, of your spouse.

Point #9: Sex in a marriage should not ever be used as leverage or withheld as punishment.

Point #10: Your spouse is also not responsible for how you deal with temptation.

Are there cases where a spouse is not living up to his/her duties as a spouse? I’m 100% sure this occurs. These situations need to be discussed calmly and rationally, and counseling may even need to take place to address the root causes of this issue. But there is also the problem of men who are watching paid actors in a porn video and then expecting their wife—who has been home all day with two or three small children—to perform like the actress on the screen.

Friends, this is not why Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 7.God is the creator of sex. In the context of the marriage-bed it is a beautiful thing. Sadly, in our hyper-sexualized world, we have perverted that which was meant to be good and beautiful. Our culture has replaced intimacy with pornography. But true love—the love that Jesus shows for His beautiful bride—is a beautiful self-sacrificial image of Christ and His bride.

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Hearing or Listening?

Hearing or Listening?

The Bible places great emphasis on the importance of hearing, using the word “hear” over 500 times. Many times it is found in historical references, but when Jesus came He placed special emphasis on the way we hear. Since faith comes by hearing (Rom. 10:17), it is important that we make sure we listen when God’s word is speaking to us, building our faith and directing our lives.

hearing ear

Are you hearing His Word?

It is true that there are at least two levels of hearing. The first level is when we are aware that someone is talking and while we may hear the words we really are not listening. What parents have not said to an older child, “I just told you what I wanted you to do—did you not HEAR what I said?”  Obviously, the child heard, while at the same time they were not hearing what was being said. I wonder if God ever feels this way about us?

The importance of hearing on this second level is illustrated in the life of Mary as she raised Jesus. When the angel told her of the virgin birth, she was “…troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was” (Luke 1:29). There was no way she could understand the virgin birth, but having heard his words, she simply said, “Let it be to me according to your word.”

Her perplexity is seen again after the shepherds told her what had happened to them. “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). She was listening on that second level. When she heard young Jesus talk about being about His Father’s business, she “did not understand the statement when He spoke to them…but His mother kept all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:50-51). Our relationship with God depends on us, even though we might not fully understand, listening so intently that His words are kept in our hearts.

Jesus spoke so often about using our ears to hear (Matt. 13:9; Mark 4:23) and the importance of taking heed to what we hear (Mark 4:24). He added more when He spoke of the importance of taking heed how we hear (Luke 8:18).  However, there is one phrase which deserved special emphasis. “Let these words sink down into your ears” (Luke 9:44). When God speaks, His words must never just enter into our ears on that first level. We must let His words sink down deep into our ears.

We must do more than read the words of the Bible. We must do more than hear words in Bible classes. We must do more than just sit and listen to a sermon. Great spiritual growth will never happen until we let the messages from heaven sink down deep into our ears, and like Mary, keep all these things and ponder them in our hearts.

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Fret Not

Fret Not

Sometimes in our walk with the Lord we struggle simply because we do not understand the adversity that comes into our lives. It is not that we are about to lose our faith or leave the Lord. It is because we are perplexed about what is happening at the moment. It is remarkable how that at times like this, even the smallest troubles can cause so much stress.

Evidently, David had such times in his life, and his words can help us deal with frustration. The opening paragraph of Psalm 37 begins with the words, “Fret not.” Eight verses later, David again tells us not to fret over matters. How do we deal with the complexity of our lives? Between the two “frets” David mentions four actions we should do which can really help us.

“Trust in the Lord and do good” (v. 3). One fundamental aspect of our character must be that we trust God. He knows! He sees! He cares! We become depressed and turn inward. These words of David point us in the other direction. Instead of pulling back and magnifying our problems, David reminds us to become active in our lives. The best cure for our frustrations is to look outward and, to use the words of Paul, “As we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10).

“Delight yourself also in the Lord” (v. 4). Perhaps the cause of our frustration is that we have thought that true happiness comes from living a life without stress. A man once came to the Savior and was so troubled. Evidently his father had died and his own brother refused to share the inheritance. Think about these words of Jesus: “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). Yet, when we think that “things” are so important, we lose sight of the spiritual treasures and joy found in the Lord.

“Commit your way to the Lord” (v. 5). Remember Gethsemane. Jesus was so troubled with all that was happening, and He prayed to God. It is not wrong for us to pray even over the smallest matters. Yet, notice how Jesus ended His prayer. After asking God to remove that cup of suffering which lay before Him, the Lord said, “Nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). The fretfulness of stress is overwhelming when we think we know what is the best way for us.

“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (v. 7). Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you. Turn them over to God. Lay those burdens and patiently wait for Him. To paraphrase the words of Paul—do not be fretful about anything, but pray about everything and the peace of God will come to you to guide you (see Phil. 4:6-7). Wait for Him.

Brethren, hear His words—“Fret not.”

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Stand Upon the Word

Stand Upon the Word

Joseph stood upon the word of God. His own brothers hated, rejected, and conspired against him for it (Gen. 37). Joseph then went through many years of pain, suffering, isolation, and even false imprisonment because of it. But despite the cost, he still continued to stand upon the word, the will, and the promises of almighty God.

Jesus stood upon the word of God. His own brothers also rejected Him and His message as well; at one point even coming with their mother to get Him so as to silence His spreading of the word which God had given Him (Jn. 7:1-5; Mk. 3:21, 31-35). But despite the cost, He still continued to take his stand upon the word, the will, and the promises of almighty God as well.

In like manner, the Apostle Paul also took his stand upon the word of God, from the very moment of his baptism into Christ for the forgiveness of his sins to his last breath. His own ethnic and religious “brothers” so hated and rejected Him for it that they soon sought to take his life (Acts 9:1-24) – a process which would last years into the future and cause him unparalleled pain, suffering, rejection, and isolation (Acts 13:44-48, etc.).

Now, this is nothing new, nor should it ever come as a surprise to anyone who has chosen to stand upon the word of God alone, when it does. Jesus said it would (Mt. 10:27-39; Lk. 6:21-23; Jn. 15:18-25). It’s just part of the process; it just “goes with the territory” as it were. Just ask Joseph, Jesus, and/or Paul amongst others.

However, there’s another, far greater, and infinitely far more important and encouraging portion of this process which sadly, seldom gets mentioned in the same vein; and that is this: Whenever one takes their stand on the word of God alone, no matter how alone others may seek to leave them or subsequently make them feel, they are never alone – because God won’t allow those who have thus put their trust in Him and His word, to be alone without Him. Joseph wasn’t (Gen. 39:1-3, 20-23). Jesus wasn’t (Jn 16:32). Neither was Paul (2 Tim. 4:16-18). Nor will they ever be (Heb. 10:22, 39-40, 7:25; 2 Tim. 4:6-8). In fact, not only will such folks never be alone and without God, oftentimes “after [they] have suffered a while” (1 Ptr. 5:10), He has also been known to bring about circumstances whereby those who had initially rejected them for their stand on His word, were eventually brought around to rethink, reassess, and be reunited with/to them. Joseph’s brothers were (Gen 42-45). Jesus’ brothers were (Acts 1:14). And we have to hope that many of the Apostle Paul’s ethnic and former religious “brethren” were as well (at least, this was his earnest hope, prayer, and purpose – Rom. 9:1-5, 10:1).

This new year, let us all either determine, or re-determine, to continue to: stay the course, keep the faith, and stand on God’s word alone, no matter the cost or consequences. Let us do so for the sake of God, our own souls, and for the sake of others’ souls as well who need the light of our continued commitment to see and/or return to.

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