March 11, 2024

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor… and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4.25a, 30)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD

In one of the venues where I dialogue concerning the word of God and how it speaks into our daily lives, someone posted a very important question which asked: “If Jesus died for all our sins, how can there be an unforgiveable sin?” And we know the passage of scripture which is brought to mind with that question. We can read it in Matthew 12. 31-32. Jesus makes no bones about what He lays out for all to hear. Be aware, mighty ones of God in Jesus Christ, Jesus spoke with eyes directly on those who called themselves ‘the righteous of God.” They were the Sadducees, Pharisees and Teachers of the Law. They placed themselves before God and community as the embodiment of the Holy Spirit have been called, ordained and anointed to be leaders in Israel. Of course, as we follow the history of Jesus’ day, there were those who served in the temple (even the High Priest) who were not truly Jewish and who held office by prospering the presence of Rome to reap benefit from “ruling over the people as the Gentiles did.” Little wonder, is it not, that when the question of “who will be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven” and “who will be true leaders among the followers of Christ” that Jesus would remind them that their leadership should not reflect “those who rule as the Gentiles do.” Hmmmm, could Jesus have meant that the disciples should not align themselves with the type of leadership they had grown up with and grown up under in their formative years which was the perverse leadership of Israel? Jesus, like His cousin John, did not mince words with “those” people. The echo of Jesus’ words “I have come to seek and save the lost and the sick, the well have no need for a doctor!” He was speaking to the very same people as they claimed they were not sinners, or at least they were not sinners like everyone else not of their ilk. They were “better than everyone else including Jesus, and especially including Jesus.” Remember, Jesus associated with sinners such as lepers, outcasts, demon-possessed, harlots and tax collectors. He made Himself unclean by their definition because He did not come from the right family, the right school, the right part of the country and He violated the Law and the Prophets, in particular, when it came to the commandment “Honor the Sabbath and keep it holy.” You would think that it was the greatest commandment of all even when they had to agree with Jesus’ teaching that the Shema was indeed the greatest commandment. What they said and what they meant were two different things. That, my friends, is the key to understanding what it meant and means “to not rule over others as the Gentiles do.”

It is the “double-mindedness” that Paul was speaking against as he gave instruction to the Ephesian community of faith in Jesus Christ on how to not lose “their first love.” He was not speaking of that puppy love moment or the moment when they had met the one they would share their earthly life with as a spouse. He was speaking of that love which truly loves us first, foremost, best and always. It is the love of God which has been made known to us in Jesus the Christ. The worst thing believers can do is to attempt to live that double life of being in the world and of the world and simultaneously being in the world but not of the world instead to be of the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven. Save for the grace of God, we would all stumble and fall short of the glory of God and remain there. We are, in fact, all sinners because we have stumbled and continue to stumble. But God’s grace is sufficient to redeem us and such redemption has been made possible through faith in Jesus as the Christ. However, if we deny that Jesus is the Christ even and especially in the light of so great a cloud of witnesses and by our own experience with God in this world which happens because of the Holy Spirit who is sent to lead, guide, direct, instruct, empower and protect us, then what does salvation and redemption mean? We cast it aside like useless salt and trample it under our feet. It is like having a banana only to throw the meat away and feast on the peel instead. Yes, there are other examples but that one fits as I sit here eating a banana for breakfast. You can plug in your own appetite within the same parameter and gather my meaning. Even the Word of God is useful and purposeful because it is “inspired.” That means that the spirit, intention and power of the word is not in its letters, sentences, paragraphs and speeches but in its spirit and truth. To deny the spirit of the law and be captured only by the letter of the Law is, and let’s use Paul’s words here, foolishness. So, if we deny the work of the Holy Spirit then how can we receive the gift of forgiveness and live by grace? We cannot. Thus, it is an unforgiveable sin because it does not recognize that one is a sinner in need of forgiveness. That would be those who were bound to espouse the Word of God and lead the people by it but who did so in practice only and not by the truth of the spirit of it.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, before we were conceived in the womb, You had already formed us in Your love and by Your Spirit spoke us into being. Each one of us is blessed with the opportunity of doing right, being good and producing the fruit of the Spirit so that others may be fed the truth of that same love so that the two will become one. It is our soul’s sincere desire to embrace the oneness You have in mind that we would know that we are Your people and that You are our God. Lead us in that discovery of the truth and the manifestation of that love for us all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.