Am I My Brother's Keeper?--Gal. 6

Am I My Brother's Keeper?--Gal:6

Galatians 6:2 says that we should "carry each other's burdens. Galatians 6:5 says that "each one should carry his own load." So which is it?

This is a good example of the need to look at the context of a verse in order to clear up any confusion or supposed contradictions it might seem to present. For the truth is that when we ask, "Which is it? Are we left alone to shoulder our own burdens, or are we to bear each other's burdens?", the answer is: both. And this is said without any contradiction, for it all depends on the aspect of the situation to which one is referring. Notice also that verse five says that each one should carry his own burden. But sometimes the one who should does not, because of sin. The context of the whole passage is made clear in the opening verse of the passage:

"Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin . . ." (v. 1).

Not only is the context one of someone failing to shoulder his own responsibility because of sin, but the very first word implies a broader load of responsibility: "Brothers . . ." In other words, though we are called to shoulder our own responsibility, we do not live this life of faith in the Lord solely on our own. It is true that each must stand individually before the Lord to be judged, but it is equally true that God has instituted the church and called us also as a family, so that we bear one another's burdens; neither can be dispensed with. We are both individuals and individually members of God's family.

Therefore, when one person fails to shoulder his individual responsibility to live as he should before the Lord, then other believers in the family of God should help him carry his load by praying for him and gently (v. 1) restoring him to the right path:

"You who are spiritual should restore him gently" (v. 1).

But all the while, we who restore our wandering brother or sister must be careful not ourselves to fall into the same sin as well: "Watch yourself, or you also may be tempted" (v. 1). Only then, after these preliminary cautions, do we come to verse two which tells us to carry each other's burdens.

While helping the other regain his pure walk with the Lord, he who would help him do so should examine his own walk with the Lord: "Each one should test his own actions" (v. 4).

If, after such examination, he finds nothing wrong in his own walk with the Lord, then the helper can take pride that God has enabled him to do that, protected him, without looking down on the one who slipped and fell: " . . . without comparing himself to somebody else" (v. 4).

For, in the end, no matter how much help one receives from others, we re each responsible for our own lives and the actions of those lives.

"You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat" (Rom. 14:10).

So, then, let us love our brothers and sisters in God's family and help anyone who needs help in carrying their burden. But let us also remember that each of us must stand alone before God for judgment. Therefore, let us help with fear and trembling as we work out our salvation in our lives (Phil. 2:12).

Black Holes and Hell: Surprising Similarities

BLACK HOLES and HELL

I have long been struck by the striking similarities between those mysterious objects of our universe called black holes and the place the Bible calls hell. In fact, the more I think about it the more convinced I am that black holes are a sobering reminder from God to us of the terrible reality of hell. The following is my attempt to share with you the many similarities between these two things from two different worlds: black holes in the physical world and hell in the spiritual (as well as the physical).

First of all, it is necessary to define or at least describe the two focal points under discussion.

Black hole: An area of space-time with a gravitational field so intense that its escape velocity is equal to or exceeds the speed of light.

Hell: The place of punishment of the lost or finally impenitent; the place of torment of the wicked.

Scientists might quibble over the black hole description given above; theologians, that of hell. But they are sufficiently accurate for our purposes here, which is to unveil the astonishing likenesses of the two. We begin.

REALITY
It was said that a black hole is an area, an object at an actual location in the physical universe. The Bible describes hell in the same manner, as an actual place:

"So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly" (Num. 16:30 RSV).

This is the Old Testament's description of Korah's rebellion and places Sheol, the place of the dead, beneath the earth. In the New Testament, we have this:

"The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done" (Rev. 20:13).

No effort will be made here to ascertain the exact location of this place called Sheol or Hades or hell, or even to distinguish between these various designations. All that is needed here is to know that the Bible does indeed portray hell or is equivalent as a real place, not just a state of being, although it is this as well.

NATURE OR ESSENCE

Listen to this description of a black hole: "One of the end points of gravitational collapse, in which the collapsing matter fades from view, leaving only a center of gravitational attraction behind" (Answers.com black holes).

What an amazingly accurate description of what happens to an unbeliever after death and the soul departs to hell. At the end point of such a person's life, he collapses under the weight of God's judgment and that which was his earthly body, his physical form, fades from view, as it rots away in the grave. All that is left of what once was that person is his spirit. The Bible says that the spirit within us is where our attractions arise.

"But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed" (Dt. 30:17,18).

"For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other" (Gal 5:17).

At death, all pretense is stripped away and that which is a person's true nature and character and spirit is revealed. That which is flesh, just as for a black hole, "fades from view, leaving only a center of gravitational attraction behind."

The person who rejects God will find, at his death, that his heart's desires, his true nature, will compel him to go to the place where that desire to be apart from God is fulfilled: His spirit is attracted to hell, for a person goes to where his heart is attracted.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Mt. 6:21).

There, in hell, as in heaven, all but the essence of the person fades from view; all is revealed, the true nature is known.

"For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open" (Lk. 8:17).

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Heb. 4:12,13).

THE DIVIDE

For both black holes and hell, there is a dividing line that separates it from the rest of all that exists. For a black hole, this dividing line is called the horizon, which completely encloses the collapsed matter. The horizon is an ideal one-way membrane: that is, particles and light can go inward through the surface, but none can go outward.

The Bible describes hell in a similar manner. Jesus once told a parable (Lk. 16:19-31) of a man in hell who desired to escape that horrible place of torment but could not because "a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us" (v. 26).

DETERMINED DESTINIES

A brief note on black hole formation: General relativity shows that any star above approximately three solar masses that does not lose sufficient mass within its lifetime must inevitably become a black hole; it has no choice.

The same holds true for those human beings who freely choose not to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. That free choice carries with it inevitable consequences resulting in the final one of winding up in hell, from which there is no escape because it is the final destination. In both cases, for black holes and for those rejecting God, once that dividing line of either the event horizon or death is passed, there is no longer any opportunity for turning back: Destiny has forever been determined.

"See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears" (Heb. 12:16,17).

THE MANY AND THE FEW

In the section above it was stated that a star of more than three solar masses that does not lose some of its mass by ejection or other means will eventually succumb to becoming a black hole. There are many stars in the cosmos that are above this mass limit. In addition, more massive stars evolve more rapidly, enhancing the rate of formation of black holes. These two considerations imply a vast number of black holes in the cosmos.

Now consider these words of Jesus:

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Mt. 7:13,14).

INCREASE IN SIZE

"The black hole solutions of general relativity, ignoring quantum-mechanical effects, are completely stable. Once massive black holes form, they will remain forever; and subsequent processes, for example, the accumulation of matter, only increase their size" (from Answers.com, black hole).

"Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond measure, and the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude go down, her throng and he who exults in her" (Is. 5:14).

INVISIBLE

Black holes are invisible, since light cannot escape from them to make themselves visible (hence the name black holes). So how do we know they actually exist? We know it because of their effect on the matter of the universe around them. The same is true for hell and evil and the devil: We know they exist both because the Word of God says so and because of their effects upon us and our world, just as the Einstein equations of general relativity say that black holes should exist and we see their effects on the matter around them.

More than one allied soldier, when participating in the liberation of prisoners in the axis concentration camps of World War 2, felt a sense of evil beyond that which human beings alone could produce. They might not have been able to see the dark spirit of the devil in those places, but they did see with their own eyes the horrible evil which his presence produced in those places of death.

But one does not have to go to those extreme places of evil to see this principle at work, that that which is invisible produces visible results. It happens everyday in the words which people carelessly speak.

"The tongue is a little member and boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature, and set on fire by hell" (James 3:5,6).

Yes, hell and its spirit of defiance of God may normally be hidden from our sight, much as a black hole is hidden from the rest of the universe, but each makes its deadly presence known by its effect on that which surrounds it. In each case, the only sure way not to feel the effects of the hidden trap is to avoid it all together, to flee from its presence.

"Avoid the godless chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge" (1 Tim. 6:20).

When Elisha was told by God to anoint Jehu king, he sent a prophet to do this and told him, "Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room" (2 Kgs. 9:2).

Just as a black hole affects the area surrounding it, up to the event horizon, so a man's companions affect him. Their words and lifestyle and attitude towards God cannot but affect his own life. Therefore, the one who would be joined to God must avoid wrong companions and go into the inner room of his own spirit and there have fellowship with God.

"They misled you and overcame you--those trusted friends of yours" (Jer. 38:22).

Peer pressure is always a huge issue with young people, but older adults are not immune to it either. Many are those who value what the world thinks of them more than what God thinks of them. The attitude of the heart may be invisible at first, but by a person's actions, that attitude is revealed.

"A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him" (Prov. 28:11).

"The purpose in a man's mind is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out" (Prov. 20:5 RSV).

"By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them" (Mt. 7:1-20).

FREEDOM AND ITS LOSS

Remember that it was said earlier that the event horizon is that place in space where any object that passes that point is doomed to be captured by the black hole. Further details produce a revealing truth about human beings, so first this quote:

"The event horizon is a completely normal part of space, with no special features that would allow someone falling into the a black hole to know when he would cross the horizon. The event horizon is not a solid surface, and does not obstruct or slow down matter or radiation that is traveling towards the region within the event horizon" (answers.com black holes).

The similarity in human beings and free will is chilling. A person can continue to make seemingly small decisions in his life that seem to produce no untoward effects and so continue to do so, not knowing that each decision takes him farther and farther away from God and closer and closer to that "event horizon" of his soul and life where, should he then die, he would go to hell, the black hole of the soul. The only hope for such people is that "God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will" (2 Tim. 2:25,26).

Just as a black hole captures forever all that falls into it past the event horizon, so does the human soul that has slowly been attracted to wickedness by its own desires eventually reach that point of no return in the event horizon of the human soul. When that happens, the final outcome is fully and irreparably determined, even though the person continues to live and has not yet died.

This hardening of the heart explains those instances recorded in the Bible where it is said that God hardened a person's heart to defy him (Ex. 9:12), such as the Egyptian pharaoh's heart. Read alone, out of context, such a verse might seem contradictory and inexplicable. But read in context with the preceding verses and the rest of the account of Pharaoh's defiance of God, there is nothing out of order, for he freely chose to continue his own hardening of heart many times before he had reached that point of no return. In God's hardening of that heart, he was simply extending Pharaoh's life for a short time on this earth before calling him to account after his death. Judgment had already been passed, but God has the right as God to let an evil person continue to live for a while for God's own purposes:

"For by now I could have put forth my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth; but for this purpose have I let you live, to show you my power, so that my name may be declared throughout all the earth" (Ex. 9:15,16).

When we read such accounts, or read descriptions of black holes and the irresistible force of their pull on matter once it has passed beyond the point of no return, the even horizon, we should tremble. The human soul is precious beyond words, and we should take all measures necessary to preserve our own, the most important of which measures is to surrender that soul to the Lord Jesus Christ for safekeeping for all eternity, to save us from ever falling into the black hole of hell. Today we are still able to move freely amidst all the black holes that threaten our existence, meaning those things in this world and this life that tempt us and draw us away from God to the pleasures of this world.

"Proud men have hidden a snare for me; they have spread out the cords of their net and have set traps for me along my path" (Ps. 140:5).

My prayer for all who read this is comparison between black holes and hell is the prayer of the psalmist, who said:

"But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge--do not give me over to death. Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers" (Ps. 141:8,9).

"I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2).

"'You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.' When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them" (Jn. 12:35,36).

I Am Narnia's Dawn Treader Dragon

I am the dragon of Narnia's Dawn Treader.

My heart cringes and I cry tears when I watch one scene in "The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader," as the boy turned dragon scratches himself after having been wounded by a sword and crashes onto an isolated, pure white island of sand in the ocean. The dragon claws at his skin, desperately trying to remove the skin and flesh of what he has become because of his greed and selfish nature. For he was once a human being, the boy Eustace, and now he is this loathsome, burdensome creature; his spirit has been imprisoned and entombed in this monstrous cage of dragon flesh--and he cannot free himself. So he claws in sorrow at what he has lost and desperately wants to regain. But it is no use. He is trapped and cannot free himself. His sin clings to him as tightly as the skin of the dragon that entombs him; it is a "weight, and sin which clings so closely" (Heb. 12:1 RSV).

Earlier, the night before, around a campfire on another beach, the dragon who was once the boy Eustace cries tears of great sorrow and hopelessness at his fate, a fate that he brought upon himself. Now, the sands on which he finds himself only make his predicament all the more grievous, for their pureness and the whiteness stand in stark contrast to the dark skin and darker heart of what he has become--and he claws in desperate desire to undo what he has done. But it is hopeless, and great sadness and terrible sorrow sweep over him.

I too cry tears each time I watch this poignant scene in the tale, for I am that dragon: I am the dragon of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader." I too was once trapped in a skin and body of someone I did not want to be. I was a sinner, victim of my own heart's desires that overwhelmed me and turned me into a monstrous caricature of myself, more beast than human at times.

"When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you" (Ps. 73:21,22 NIV).

But I am not the only one so afflicted, for we are told in God's Word that all human beings have fallen victim to the curse of the dragon's treasure, as did Eustace. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). We are all the dragon because of our self-centeredness and sin.

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6).

What wretched creatures we are, given the glorious freedom of human beings with the incalculable gift of free will--and we have used that gift wrongly, to our own harm and the detriment of the whole world. If only we could free ourselves, redeem ourselves . . .

Eustace, the boy turned dragon, had this chance for which we all cry out, for, though feared and hated by the crew of the ship, he wraps his tail around the dragon bow of the ship and pulls it out of danger in the windless region of the great sea to safety, one dragon pulling along another. Later, Eustace-become-dragon further rescues the crew by depositing the last remaining lord on board the ship, with his crucial last sword--and is rewarded by that lord throwing the sword at the dragon and piercing him with it. Eustace flies off in pain and anger; is this how his attempts to redeem himself are rewarded? Then what is the use of trying?

Though it is painful to watch, I love the next scene, where the dragon crash lands upon the isolated island. The literal crash is such a powerful and dramatic illustration of our own crash from any noble thoughts we might have of redeeming ourselves in God's eyes for the horrible way we have perverted his wondrous gift of free will. Like the dragon, we too crash down hard, completely bereft of any pretense that our own efforts have offset the harm we have done through our sin. We, like the dragon, have arrived at the end of our ourselves, the crash the final result and consequence of our own efforts to free ourselves from ourselves. It cannot be done. Eustace said as much in the rowboat, when it was all over and they were heading towards Aslan's country: "I tried and tried to do it myself, but I just couldn't do it." Or as another has said it:

"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?" (Rom. 7:21-24).

Wretched is indeed the right word to describe Eustace the dragon and ourselves at this point. We, like Eustace, may have tried our best to redeem ourselves, but it is no good, and now all hope is lost. No wonder the dragon slumps in terrible sorrow and frustration.

But wait! What is this? At the lowest point, when all hope seems lost indeed, a great lion shows up. Aslan himself appears on the beach. He has not abandoned us, though all else has, even hope. The dimmest spark of hope, the last chance to be saved, arises in the dragon's heart. Has not the great lion said somewhere, "A bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench" (Is. 42:3 RSV).

Aslan does not say a word. He simply claws the pure, white sand beneath his feet, just as the dragon had clawed at his skin in a vain attempt to remove it. But whereas the dragon's own clawing did nothing but injure himself further, Aslan's drawing brings healing and the beginnings of a wondrous transformation. For with each stroke of the paw's sharp claws, Aslan's actions bring a further deepening of that transformation: Fire and light break out upon Eustace the dragon and he is lifted up into the air and more and more surrounded in the fire and light, until it completely engulfs him and the dragon vanishes in an instant and the spirit within is freed and the boy Eustace drops from the air down onto the white sands, restored to his own self again.

Who will free us from our wretched state of imprisonment in the skin and flesh of the dragon sin? It is the great Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ!:

"What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Rom. 7:24,25).

"For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3 RSV).

Yes, Eustace is his human self again. But he is not his old self. That Eustace is gone, replaced by a new human being that now seeks not his own pleasures but whose sole purpose is to accomplish the mission which clearly is his: to return this seventh and final sword to Aslan's table so that the spell can be broken and the green mist destroyed. This is the very sword that once had struck and wounded him and which he had carried in pain to the white-sand island. Such is the way in which our own Lion rescues us as well: That which causes us pain and threatens to destroy us is the very thing that He uses to make us well again.

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed" (1 Ptr. 4:12,13).

The crucial thing on which all depends, concerning whether or not our experience will result in release or further bondage, is our spirit: Are we willing to admit our sinfulness, or do we refuse to acknowledge this truth? The spirit within us reveals what is in our heart. When all is restored and Eustace is back with the others in the small boat, headed for Aslan's country amid the floating white flowers, they ask him about his experience and transformation from dragon back to boy again. And Eustace admits that there was pain involved, but says that it was like a good pain, as when one pulls a thorn out of one's foot.

"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death" (2 Cor. 7:10 NIV).

Eustace admits that he was not such a great human being and was, in fact, better at being a dragon. We all are. It is very easy to give in to sin and we human beings are very good at it. Thank the great Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ, that he has not abandoned us to ourselves but has come and rescued us from our sin and ourselves. Thank you, Jesus!

Reality Bites!

REALITY BITES!

Your perception of reality is the most crucial thing in your life. Why? Because everything you do in life depends on this one critical thing. Therefore, if you have a false perception of reality, your life will literally be unreal; you will live in a fantasy world, out of touch in varying degrees with the real world, and you yourself will be less than real, less than you could be and are meant to be. Conversely, if you perceive reality correctly, as it really is, your whole life will be in tune with its surroundings because you will be true to the true nature of things. God's Word, the Bible, confirms this fundamental truth of our existence:

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Prov. 4:23).

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Mt. 6:22,23).

It is popular these days to scoff at such a pronouncement. Such scoffers say that there is no such thing as a single, correct way to view reality and that one person's viewpoint is no better or worse than another's, that each person's view of reality is just as valid as another. Such reasoning is, in itself, a false view of reality. It comes from the human soul and mind that does not want to submit to the reality in which it finds itself, which is a reality it did not create but which was created by God with that God as the ultimate expression of that reality. Since a self-centered created human being does not want to abide in such a reality, it creates illusionary realities of its own, where the creature is his own god, he thinks.

A person can live for a while in such fantasy worlds. Our world is full of people who do so, people who are, in some way or many ways, out of touch with the real nature of reality: Alcoholics, drug addicts, New Age practitioners or other occultists, or people who just refuse to face certain facts or aspects of life, such as faulty relationships, respecting others or even self--the list goes on and on.

Death, however, is always the one obstacle that interferes with these people's fantasy worlds. As said, they can live for a while, perhaps even a whole lifetime, ignoring the realities of life. But there in the end, there comes that one, inevitable event that cannot be ignored: Death puts an end to all their imagined worlds. But even here, masses of people pretend to be able to do away even with this one, universal obstacle to those who would be their own god, in command of the reality that was created by the only true God. They boast:

"'We have entered into a covenant with death, with the grave we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place'" (Is. 28:15,16).

But just saying words or even believing in them fanatically does not affect reality. Reality is not in control of man, not affected by his words or desires. Reality is stronger than man--and death is the universal evidence of this, for all must fall to its power. So, even though those afraid of death and seeking to do away with its power over them claim that they have discovered how to do this through secret arts and various means, God tells them:

"Hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place. Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the grave will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it. As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through" (Is. 28:17-19).

Hail is mentioned in Scripture as playing an important part in this sweeping away of the lies of men in the end times judgments of God:

"Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle?" (Job 38:22,23).

"From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible" (Rev. 16:21).

Like hail beating down all on which it falls, so God's judgment of man's refusal to accept the true nature of reality and the absolute God of that reality beats down all such rebels:

"Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the grave will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it. 19 As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through" (Is. 28:18,19).

At the end of this passage stands a most terrifying warning:

"The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror" (Is. 28:19).

Because the nature of this message is indeed so terrifying, many refuse to confront it and consider it. Instead, they choose to create their own, false realities that soothe their fears with false hopes of never having to face the absolute God who will judge their lives. In this life and this world, they are yet still free to do this, to plant the seeds of alternate realities in their minds and hearts and cultivate them there, even, perhaps, seeing those self-created ideas come into bloom in the real, external world--for a while--thus giving them further false hope that they really are in charge and masters of reality, their own god.

But God has the final say. He will cut short all such apparent challenges to his own garden of reality and pull up all others as weeds are pulled up from a garden:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' "'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'" 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" (Mt. 13:24-30).

"You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines, 11 though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud, yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain" (Is. 17:10,11).

Incurable pain. That is one way to describe the eternal torment of hell, reserved for all those who refuse to accept God's reality and choose their own. For now, in this world and this life, they are free to choose to continue in their refusal and rebellion. But that time of freedom to choose is not unlimited. The day will come when that time ends and is cut off. God warns all who persist in their stubborn rebellion against reality by choosing their own false reality:

"What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? . . . Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain" (Is. 10:3,4).

What will you do? . . . What indeed? The defiant tone of all who proudly reject God's reality for their own creations of the sinful human mind and heart will be beaten down in that day of judgment. Then, instead, these rebellious creatures will change their tune and say instead:

"They called to the mountains and the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?'" (Rev. 6:16,17).

Who can stand? Only those who submit to reality as God has created it, who acknowledge him as the Supreme God and Savior of those who must die for their sins but who also believe in the one way he has given them to escape his righteous punishment for their sins, his only Son, Jesus Christ. For that way is the way (Jn. 14:6), for only he is the true, one way to defeat death, not the supposed covenants with death that fearful mankind has imagined in its mind and heart.

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:55,56).

"But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him" (Acts 2:24).

Only Jesus, who is God, has the power to defeat death--and he did. But he did this not by making a covenant with death, and him who has the power of death, the devil (Heb. 2:14), but rather he refused to compromise his view of reality and steadfastly rejected the devil's offers to covenant with him in exchange for escaping death. This Jesus did three times in his temptation in the wilderness and his confrontation there with the devil (Mt. 4:1-10).

We who now live in this world have the same two choices presented to us. We can either accept the reality before us as the creation of God and submit to his way of dealing with that reality and living in it safely by faith in Jesus Christ, or we can reject that reality and choose to create one of our own that does not involve surrender of our very soul to Christ as Lord--though that is a false reality, which falseness will be thoroughly exposed on the day of our death and judgment.

Which is it for you, dear reader? Are you an honest and true person who accepts truth and reality as they are revealed by God in his Word, and who surrenders his or her soul to Jesus Christ as Lord? Or do you insist on going your own way--while you can, in this world--only to be confronted with a final rebuke from a stronger reality at your death and judgment by the true Reality above all imagined realities? I pray that you have chosen truth and reality, God and his truth, over your own imagination.

A Lesson On Perceiving Reality Correctly: Psalm 73

Psalm 73: Perceiving Reality Accurately

A right or true perception of reality is absolutely crucial in order for a person to be true to the call God has placed upon all whom he has created, and for a life that is meaningful and for life that is eternal. But it is all too easy to have a wrong or false perception of reality in a world that frequently seems to belie that reality. Those who follow their own distorted vision of reality and pursue evil frequently seem to suffer no ill effects from this self-centered way of living. They snub their nose at God and seem to get away with it.

In order to lift up those who are true to God and to the true nature of reality as he has revealed it to us in his Word, the Bible, and who are discouraged by this seeming victory of self-seeking and evil over God-seeking and good--to them God has given encouragement that his way triumphs after all and that the apparent victory of the false is only an illusion and a dream that vanishes in the light of the dawn of truth. All this is given by God to true seekers of truth in Psalm 73.

"Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart" (Ps. 73:1).

The psalm begins with an affirmation that sets the stage for what follows. For in the rest of psalm, the follower of God pours forth the confused, hurting thoughts of his heart as to why those who openly and defiantly oppose God and his ways seem to prosper when they do this. But before those questions are voiced, the psalmist first qualifies his comments by stating that despite all his doubts, he knows ("surely") that God is good and in control and does not abandon those whose hearts are pure with a love for the truth and love for him. Despite all that he will shortly say that seems to bring into doubt this premise, he knows in his deepest heart that it is not so, that the answer will be revealed and that that answer will show what he here states, that God is still good and still God:

"Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart."

However, even though he knows that this is true in the depths of his heart, he still has surface doubts about it because of things he sees in the world that seem to go against this truth. He has been standing firmly upon God's declaration that He is still God, but his stand is not as firm as it once was. It may all still be true for God, but for the psalmist. . . . He has almost lost faith that God's Word is the ultimate truth about reality . . . almost--but not quite.

"But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold" (Ps. 73:2).

But just what is the problem here? Why has his former firm foothold of faith in God and what He says about reality being true been weakened? What has the psalmist seen that threatens to make him fall from faithfully following God's way and pattern to following the world's way?

"For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked" (Ps. 73:3).

What a telling statement! The first thing the psalmist enters on his long list of what bothers him about following God in a world that does not is the matter of wealth and money. How human! Jesus spoke often about the temptation of money, for he knew how much the human heart desires to attain worldly riches for itself. But, truthfully, it is not the money itself that is so dangerous as it is the human desire to be its own god. It is true that the sinful human heart desires comfort for the body, but in reality, that is just another manifestation of the deeper desire in the heart to be the one in control, to be in charge of how one's life will be lived: to be god. The next two verses list just some of the desirable things the psalmist sees in those who are their own gods. They indeed display in their lives some of the characteristics of a god-like being who has power over reality and is not affected by the common assaults human beings encounter in that reality:

"They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong" (v. 4).

"They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills (in other words, they are godlike--v. 5).

But even though these things might indicate to them (and now somewhat to the psalmist as well) that they are godlike, other things the psalmist sees cast doubt on this premise. Though they may have some degree of godlike powers, their lives do not reflect the true nature of God. They are like God only in a very limited, external way; inside, in their character, they are definitely not like God.

"Therefore pride is their necklace" (v. 6). But God is not proud; indeed, he humbled himself, left his glory in heaven to become man and die for sinful, proud man (Ph. 2:7,8). Therefore, though their immunity to the common burdens of man make them think that they are above man and thus a god, that perception is false and a deception, for God did not sit back in ease in heaven, undisturbed by the plight of man, but had compassion on us and emptied himself of his protected sanctuary in heaven to join in our suffering here on earth, in his Son Jesus Christ. They may wear pride as a necklace around their necks, but Jesus wore humility as a wreath of sharp thorns around his head on a cross. No, in this they are not like God.

Also, "they clothe themselves with violence" (v. 6). In this they also fail to be like God. For God is a God of peace and kindness, not violence and war:

"I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war!" (Ps. 120:7).

God, who is holy and pure, had mercy on sinful human beings; his heart was tender and full of grace. But these . . . :

"From their callous hearts comes iniquity" (v. 7).

They care not for others, only for themselves. Their hearts are callous, full of iniquity, of ways to exploit others for their own benefit rather than helping them to attain their own privileged position in life. They do not want to share that blessedness but rather keep it all for themselves, thinking, in their conceit, that only they are worthy of such high position and rewards: They are gods.

"The evil conceits of their minds know no limits" (v. 7).

"They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression" (v. 8).

So much do they want to keep all their riches for themselves that they threaten oppression of anyone among the masses of less fortunate who would dare to seek some of the same for themselves. These arrogant lords of the earth thus think of themselves as gods both of earth and heaven:

"Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth (v. 9).

They seem to be in complete control and have great power, therefore many are they of the people who look to them for whatever they can receive from them and they emulate their ways.

"Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance" (v. 10).

Since these wicked, arrogant rulers and wealthy have defied God and gone their own way and gotten rich and escape the common ills of man, the people see this and say:

"'How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?' This is what the wicked are like--always carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning" (vs., 11-14).

But to speak thus and have such a false view of reality is to be deceived. It is only in appearance that any shred of truth seems to be associated with such a perception of reality. Reality itself is much deeper and does not sway itself to every false, ill-conceived vision of man's limited mind. The wise person knows this and refuses to succumb to such a false vision and refuses to add his voice to those who do:

"If I had said, 'I will speak thus,' I would have betrayed your children" (v. 15).

So the psalmist knows that the arrogant viewpoint and lifestyle of these rebels against truth and reality and the God of truth and reality is wrong, but still he is troubled by it. Why does God allow this?

"When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me" (v. 16).

If the psalmist had left the problem there and tried to solve it with his reasoning ability, he would never have been successful and would been in danger of joining the vast throng of those who abandon God for following their own ways. That is very likely what would have happened if left to his own resources.

But the psalmist was a dedicated, devoted, true follower of God and he knew where to turn to find the answer. So he did not stay within the confines of his own, limited human mind and reasoning powers, but went to the one place he knew he could find the answer. The mystery remained unsolvable only until "I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny" (v. 17).

Two things are worthy of note here. First, he had to go to the right place to find the right answer: the sanctuary of God. The world looks to government or society or education or the reasoning power of the human mind to find the answers to its problems and questions. But none of these are capable of answering the deepest questions of human existence. Only in the presence of God, in his sanctuary where he is, are the deep mysteries of life and existence able to be explained by the deepest mystery of all himself. That is why Mary wisely sat at Jesus' feet while her sister Martha busied herself running from here to there in a noble pursuit of serving God. But it was Mary who was able to discern the more noble quest yet. Knowing where to find the answer is the first prerequisite for actually finding it.

But the second point important to discern in this notable passage from Scripture is found in a single word, ultimate. It is extremely important to recognize the use of this one word here, for if we fail to see that there are levels and degrees of understanding of the deep depths of reality and God, we will fail to find the real truth that underlies all the surface truths that enshroud the most basic or ultimate truth of all.

For this world is full of lesser truths and lesser destinies. In his litany of inconsistencies of life, the psalmist at first noticed only the immediate destinies of people. He saw with his eyes that many who defied God and went their own way did, in fact, flourish; there was no use denying it. But it is fatal to true understanding to stop there, with the immediate results. In order to truly understand reality one must be concerned not only with the present and the immediate but the future and end result of one's actions and attitudes. Does he who drinks himself into a stupor immediately die of his foolishness? No, his body feels no pain and so he thinks he has escaped the natural retribution of his folly:

"'They struck me,' you will say, 'but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink'" (Prov. 23:35).

But the numbing effect of alcohol is temporary, and what is temporary is not the final verdict of what is true or not true. In order to judge accurately the real measure of what one sees, account must be taken of the end result, not just what is seen at the moment. So the psalmist says that in the sanctuary of God he saw their ultimate destiny; that is where the real truth lies. Just like the drinker's false vision of his own state of being is not real but leads him to think that yet more drink will assure him of continuing to conquer reality, when it is really reality that is conquering him and his false perception is leading him ever more downward to a final, ruinous destiny.

"Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin" (Ps. 73:18).

That is the final, ultimate fate of those who rely on what takes place now and what they see with their eyes instead of seeing with their hearts and the knowledge of God and reality that God places in all hearts regarding truth and life and himself. Now they may enjoy their false vision of reality, but it will not last long. There always comes the time of ultimate awakening:

"How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies" (Ps. 73:19,20).

God lets such rebels go their own way for a while--but only for a while. Even the existence and boasting of evil serves a purpose in the plan of God (Prov. 16:4). God is no more disturbed or alarmed by such evil and boasting than a lion by scavengers around his prey:

"This is what the Lord says to me: 'As a lion growls, a great lion over his prey--and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against him, he is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor--so the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights'" (Is. 31:4).

 
 
 
 
God lets such rebels go their own way for a while, for which delay of his judgment they erroneously deduce that he is either impotent to stop them or does not care or, possibly, that their success is proof that he actually approves of their ways, that he is just like them. After all, are they not the lords of their own domain? But God says to them:

"These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face" (Ps. 50:21).

"They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
'I said, "You are 'gods'; you are all sons of the Most High."
But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler.'
Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance" (Ps. 82:5-8).

This world is not the final, ultimate destiny of anyone. We live here for a brief time that is the determiner of where we shall live for eternity. The ultimate destiny is heaven or hell, not this world--and the judgment of God passes sentence on all in this world. If we fail to see this, fail to keep our eyes focused on eternity, but allow them, instead, to stay fixed only on what passes in this world, as the psalmist did at first before going into the sanctuary of God, we open ourselves up to sorrow and bitterness of heart:

"When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you" (Ps. 73:21,22).

But, praise God! even if this should happen to us, God does not abandon us to our sorrow and confusion, but steers us back to a right and true and proper perspective on life and reality and himself:

"Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds" (Ps. 73:23-28).

Thus the psalmist concludes his message to the people, fulfilling his promise to tell of all God had done in bringing him back to his senses. To this I add my own affirmation, for the Lord also opened my own eyes to this same truth of reality, and like the psalmist, I pass on to you, dear reader, the same joy and wonder at God's gracious gift to us of understanding how it all works together in accord with his wonderful plan for us.

"We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words" (1 Cor. 2:12,13).