Posts from the Study in Contrasts series

A Study in Contrasts: God, who is rich in mercy

Study in Contrasts God rich in mercy title graphic

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, Ephesians 2:4 (ESV)

Today we finish up our study of contrasts in Scripture, marked by the conjunction ‘but’. We’ll consider perhaps the greatest contrast of all. Ephesians is a rich, deep book, worthy of slow, serious study. Paul left Aquila and Priscilla in Ephesus during his second missionary trip (Acts 18:18-19) and the couple founded the church. Paul pastored the church for three years, his longest tenure anywhere. After Paul, Timothy led the church and the Apostle John also pastored the church some years later. One of Paul’s major themes in the letter he wrote to the church was that they understand what an amazing gift salvation is. It’s in the middle of this discussion that we get to chapter 2.

Ephesians 2:1-3 describes who we were.

There’s not much need for comment or elaboration. Let’s just look at what Paul says.

We were spiritually dead in disobedience and sins, lots of them.
We lived in sin. It was our lifestyle, our frame of reference, our worldview.
We obeyed the devil. In fact, he was actively working in our hearts.
We gave in to whatever desires, inclinations, bad habits we wanted. Self-gratification was our driving force.
We were destined to be on the receiving end of God’s wrath.

Hold up here for a moment. That’s a lot of depravity right there. For many of us, our first reaction to that list is, “Yeah, but I wasn’t that bad.” Be honest. Granted, it is difficult for us, now that we have been redeemed, to re-imagine that mindset that made us enemies of God. But a failure to recognize our utter lostness and hopelessness prevents from grasping the wonder of what God did for us. Paul describes it verses 4-7.

It is into that darkness that the light of the glorious gospel bursts forth.

God, being rich in mercy. His mercy defines Him. He is a mercy-aire
His boundless love motivates moves Him to action. He cannot stand by and watch as we are condemned by our own rebellion. He chooses to get involved.
First, He makes us alive. He reverses the spiritual death that doomed us.
That spiritual life is an eternal thing. We will live forever, and so He made a place for us in heaven, in His dwelling place. See, He wants us with Him, with Christ Jesus. This is possible through the death and atonement of Jesus.
Why does He want us in heaven? So that He could explain to us how much He loves us, how His great mercy is and grace were poured out for us in the death of Christ to save us.

This is where words begin to fail. We rebel. But He redeems. We audaciously turn our backs. But He lovingly opens His heart. We deserve the justice of wrath. But He, being rich in mercy, delivers the grace of reconciliation.

So what do we take away from this?

Embrace the superabundant love of God, His delight and His grace. Do not listen to the whispers of the enemy who would try to convince you that you’re on probation, or it’s all a mirage.

Remember it’s all His work and none of ours. Serving Him now is the response of gratefulness not the obligation of debt. The debt is paid.

Ensure those still in darkness know that there is a way out, but only one way.

Want to study more of Ephesians? Study Tip: Ephesians

Read more from the Study in Contrasts series.

A Study in Contrasts: Greatness

By Paula

We are continuing our look at contrasts in Scripture marked by the conjunction “but.” We’re going to finish up with a couple in the New Testament then we’ll turn our attention toward Easter. Today let’s look at Jesus’s words about greatness.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (ESV)

In this passage, Jesus responds to a request from James and John to be seated on Jesus’s right and left hand in His glory. He deflects their request, but not before it becomes a source of indignation with the other ten disciples. Jesus takes the opportunity to teach His guys a critical lesson they would need, especially after He was gone.

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. Mark 10:42-44

There are several notable ‘buts’ in those verses as well. Then our focal verse demonstrates Jesus is modeling this for the Twelve. Let’s break down Jesus’s words and see what we can learn from them.

Power may get you ahead in the world, but it does not equal greatness in the kingdom of God.
We are in an election season in the US and day after day, we see candidates who will say anything, spend anything, align themselves with anything and advocate for anything in pursuit of power. Jesus turns that completely on its head. Servanthood is the mark of greatness. Jesus says this in a culture where servants had few, if any, rights. They had very little agency and opportunities for anything else were essentially nonexistent. Jesus raises their status by becoming one Himself.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve
The name Jesus uses for Himself is very telling. The Son of Man. One of us. He identifies with us, with our needs with our helplessness. He came, not to be served, which was His due. Jesus Christ is God Incarnate and all worship and glory and honor is due Him. It is His right. But He voluntarily came to serve. Read the gospels closely. See how many times the crowd pressed Him. See how many times He healed the sick until late at night. Notice when He taught for hours, track Him as He walks miles and miles preaching in every village and town. He surrendered His agenda, His priorities and His energy to accomplish the Father’s purposes which meant serving those He encountered. That is greatness

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not advocating for exhaustion and burnout in the name of the kingdom. I firmly believe we need rest and refreshing. We are not divine and do not have supernatural stores of energy and endurance. But seeing Christ’s example should cause us to question our priorities. Are we self-centered with our schedules and resources? Have we been ignoring a Holy Spirit nudge to invest ourselves in a ministry or in a person?

Are we humbly serving in our churches? I have watched as a church member who noticed a wad of paper at her feet call for another member to come pick it up. Some members are the type to tell you the toilet is backed up and some are the type to head in with a plunger. If you pick up groceries for an old lady, she can’t return the favor. If you change the oil in a single mom’s car, she can’t pay you back. That’s not the point. Jesus calls us to serve.

But to give His life as a ransom for many
This is the ultimate act of selflessness. Christ did what we could not, cannot do. Nor can we give our lives for the salvation of another. However we can give our lives, our time, our treasure to ensure everyone hears the gospel. That is our singular focus. I love Bible study, but the gospel comes first. I say this as someone who is completely uncomfortable initiating a conversation about the gospel and under full conviction for the words I write, God help me. Jesus purpose was to give His life. Ours is to bring others to Him.

As we reflect on Jesus’s words, let’s resolve to achieve greatness in the kingdom, to selflessly serve, to commit to God’s purposes.

A Study in Contrasts: Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael

By Paula

Study in Contrasts Hananiah Azariah and Mishael title graphic

Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael responded, But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Daniel 3:18

We are continuing our look at contrasts in Scripture marked by the conjunction “but.” Today let’s look at a story we’ve known since preschool. Three young men, who were friends of Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, were officials in the Babylonian government of King Nebuchadnezzar. They weren’t “children” any more than the “children of Israel” were. They are tremendous examples of courage and faith. That “but” is the high point of their testimony.

As the account begins, the king had erected a giant statue on the plain at Dura. Its dedication was set to be a great celebration and all the government officials from all the provinces were summoned. The program was straightforward. The court musicians would play an anthem which was the cue for all the officials to bow down and worship the statue, and by extension, the king. In short, it was a recognition of the deity of the king.

You know what happens. The young men refuse to bow and they are brought before the king. He gives them another chance. “But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” (Daniel 3:15) The king asserts he is the most powerful deity around.

The first commandment the LORD gave His people at Sinai was “I am the LORD, your God. You will have no other gods before me.” And the second, “You shall not make any kind of image for yourselves to worship.” Nebuchadnezzar’s statute and the requirement to bow down and worship were clear-cut violations of these first two commandments. These young men resolved to disobey the king rather than Yahweh. It’s easy to skim over that commitment but let’s think about what these guys had been through.

The first Babylonian captivity in 605 BC saw Daniel and his friends taken to a foreign country as prisoners. Their parents are never mentioned and its not unreasonable to think they were murdered by the Babylonians. The goal was to disrupt Jewish society, to induce terror and eventually submission. So the people of God, the ones with the Law, with the priesthood, with the Temple, had seemingly been abandoned by God.

We have to remain faithful to the sovereign God in spite of the events around us.

That’s the first lesson we can take away. We have to remain faithful to the sovereign God in spite of the events around us. So many of the Jews in captivity settled in, adopted as much of Babylonian culture as they could. In fact, after the seventy years of captivity, the majority opted to stay in Babylon rather than return to their homeland. Perhaps they were strengthened by God’s faithfulness to Daniel. But I suspect it was more their own personal commitment to God.

The young men answer the king. Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18

Being faithful to God doesn’t mean being disrespectful to unbelievers.

Here’s a second lesson. Being faithful to God doesn’t mean being disrespectful to unbelievers. Our current culture is one of rank disrespect to anyone who doesn’t see eye to eye with us on everything. But we don’t have to be like the culture. In fact, Proverbs tells us, “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (16:7) Let’s strive to be that kind of believer.

The king is enraged by Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael’s resolve and they are thrown into a furnace, probably the one used to prepare and refine the metal for the statue. Not only do the men survive but they are joined by a preincarnate Christ.

Sometimes God does not deliver us FROM the fires. His purposes are better served by having us go THROUGH the fire, but when that is the case, HE is there WITH us.

That’s the third critical lesson. Sometimes God does not deliver us FROM the fires. His purposes are better served by having us go THROUGH the fire, but when that is the case, HE is there WITH us. The last words Jesus spoke before He ascended were, “Remember, I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20)

That promise still holds.

A Study in Contrasts: Choosing a King

By Paula

Study in contrasts choosing a king title graphic

You may remember from beginning grammar that conjunctions are words that connect words or ideas. “But” is the conjunction that joins contrasting ideas. When “but” appears in Scripture, it highlights something God wants us to notice, to learn from. We’re looking at some of these contrasts. Let’s consider choosing a king.

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

In a familiar story in 1 Samuel 16, the prophet Samuel travels to the home of Jesse in Bethlehem because God has told him to anoint one of Jesse’s sons, the one God would choose, as the next king over Israel. So, when Jesse’s oldest, Eliab, was presented to the prophet, Samuel thought, “This must be the one!”

God stopped him, though with the words in verse 7. Man looks on the outward appearance BUT the LORD looks on the heart. In that simple statement, the Lord teaches us quite a bit about Himself, and about us. Let’s looks at some of those lessons.

We are limited. God is not.
Our knowledge is limited to what we can tease out with our physical senses. And we are dependent on being able to correctly interpret that data. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen forms during my early morning run that turned out to be trash cans or mailboxes once I got a little closer or got a better perspective. And I’m sure many of us can recall situations where we would have made a different choice if we had all the information available.

God is not limited in any way. His eyes don’t play tricks on Him. He doesn’t get foggy-headed when He lacks sleep. He doesn’t make rash decisions in the heat of the moment. Because of that, we can have complete confidence in Him and His leading.

God sees us for who we really are.
We can fool a lot of people, including ourselves, but God always sees our true selves. In some ways this is unsettling. No excuses. No cover-ups. But it can also be reassuring. He is privy to the absolute worst in us … and that hasn’t caused His love for us to waver the slightest bit.

God also knows our real intentions when someone else might get the wrong idea. He knows the burdens and pain we carry that maybe no one else does. Because of that, we can rest assured of His unfailing love for us and His care of us.

We need to learn from God’s example.
We can’t suddenly become mind-readers (or heart-readers, for that matter) but we can recognize that there is much more to the people we encounter than what we see on the outside. We can treat others with the compassion God demonstrates.

While we may never have to choose a king, we do make decisions about people all the time. (Note, that’s decisions, not judgments.) We choose who we do business with. We choose who to form relationships with. We choose who gets our vote. Like Samuel, we need to depend on the Holy Spirit to guide us when we make those kinds of decisions rather than relying on the ‘eye test’.

In fact, James reminds us, we have that wisdom available to us.
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. James 1:5-6

Here’s another post about choices: Q: Did I Not Choose?