How to Have a healthy & Balanced Faith
(2 cd/MP3, $12/set or MP3 $10)
Many Christians
think they are walking with God but are the most unhappy, cynical, and
hurt people around. Why is that? Because their faith is actually
in religion, not in God, yet they think they are being 'Christian' and
doing what God wants. How does a believer identify poisonous elements
of religion in their faith, and how can they return to a pure and simple
faith? This series identifies characteristics of poisonous faith and
points the way to simply loving God and walking with Him. You'll be able
to instantly recognize a religious spirit, know how to steer clear,
and know how to walk hand in hand with the Father and the Lord Jesus.
You may manage your subscription (change email, un-subscribe, etc) by clicking the link at the bottom of this page. And remember to use cwowi@aol.com to email me personally.
Hi all,
When
I pick Chris up from the group home one of the first things he does is
reach for my phone because on it I have a play list of children's songs,
and as we run errands we listen to those songs. They are from a variety
of sources including songs from 'The Sound of Music', 'Mary Poppins',
and also Barney, Dora the Explorer, Mickey Mouse, and Christian songs
from 'The Donut Man' and others.
One
day as he was holding my phone listening to Mickey Mouse and looking at
the album cover showing Mickey and his friends, he made this statement:
"Look dad, Mickey has ears like you!"
I understood
him to be making a joke, saying my ears were big and round like
Mickey's, but he could have meant Mickey Mouse has ears like any
person's ears. I replied "He does, does he? Mickey has ears like me?"
And he replied with a laugh saying, "Yep, uh huh" and laughed, and I
laughed with him. I think he was making a joke, but then again...
History, cultural, or God's command?
Both
Paul and Peter tell us "All scripture is given by inspiration of God"*
and "..holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy
Spirit." (*II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:21)
All
scripture was inspired by God, but it doesn't mean all scripture is the
command of God. When David went on his rooftop and saw Bathsheba taking
a bath*, that is for our information, not a command to do the same.
Some is history, some is cultural, some things are for us to live
by. *II Samuel 11
Discerning
which is which isn't always clear, as when Chris said Mickey Mouse has
ears like me - was he saying he has ears like everyone, or my ears
are big and round like Mickey Mouse's ears? His laughter suggests the
second, but without putting his comment in that surrounding context you
might never know.
So
when Paul says: "...I want women to adorn themselves with proper
clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or
pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good deeds, as is
proper for women making a claim to godliness...", is that command or
culture? We have to understand the context to be able to determine if
that was a command or just the culture of the day. I Timothy 2:9-15
In
the last several years I've been asked the question about women wearing
braided hair many, many times, and always from west African's. The
history of it is that several years ago one or more women claimed to
have been given a view of hell, and reported they saw women who were in
hell simply because they had braided their hair, causing great concern
is still being taught to this day.
How do we rightly divide the Word between command and culture?
The
foundational understanding is that Christ lives in us - that we are now
the temples of God. Paul said "From henceforth I know no man according
to man's standards, for if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation*."
And he told the Galatians "There is now neither Jew nor Greek, slave or
free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.* And,
"Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, only a new
creation.* " II Corinthians 5:16-17, Galatians 3:28, 6:15-16
That
means in terms of what Christ did for us, we are all equal, male and
female, from the highest of society to the lowest, we are all equal
because we've been saved by the same blood of Jesus and we are new
creations in Him.
Therefore
there is nothing we can do that can improve on or add to Christ in us.
We can't wear particular clothing or wear hair a certain way to improve
upon Christ in us. We can't give enough money to improve or add to
Christ in us. The Father gave us His Son who now lives in us by the
Father's Spirit; What can we ever do that could improve upon or add to
that? Nothing. So just live.
But
these spiritual truths must be applied within various cultures, which
means culturally there may be limits to those freedoms and equalities.
Paul
told the Romans* and Corinthians* 'an idol is nothing' but 'not every
person has this knowledge', so he said to be considerate of others who
are of a weaker faith by not eating food first offered to idols, or have
chosen to worship on one day rather than another, or be a vegetarian -
not to use our freedom to hurt our brethren for whom Christ also died
and rose. Romans 14, I Corinthians 8:4, 7; II Corinthians 10:23-33
So
it is he tells the wives in Ephesus not to braid their hair nor wear
precious stones, because the custom of the day for women of stature in
Roman culture was to braid their hair, and often add braided wigs on
top, interlaced with jewels. Sometimes they sewed jewels into their
clothing, as is done even today. (The book, "Caesar's Wives' by Annelise Freisenbruch is a good history including cultural use of braided hair/jewels)
Paul
was telling the women in Ephesus in I Timothy 2:9-15 to not flaunt
their wealth as was the custom of the day, but rather demonstrate their
'spiritual wealth' so to speak in their hearts and lives unto the Lord.
Note:
People claim to have all sorts of experiences and claim to have seen
all sorts of things, but even if those experiences are genuine, people
who are immature of age or character, or ungrounded in the Word, or
filled with religious tradition, relate to genuine experiences in the
Spirit through the tainted glasses of their age, culture, and religious
training. And that's if they are honest!
That's
how you get a 4 year old boy saying he saw all people in heaven with
wings, or a little girl painting a handsome and romanticized picture of
Jesus claiming that is what He looks like - and the little boy agreeing
with her. They are kids so they see things through the filter and
immaturity of childhood. (The closest I've seen to what Jesus looks like
is the reverse image on the Shroud of Turin. He isn't handsome, but is
very average looking and has a weathered look about Him.)
Veil and silence?
In
I Corinthians 11:1-16 Paul deals with the women in Corinth who are
experiencing freedom in Christ to the flaunting of the local culture,
meaning they were removing their veils because in Christ they have
freedom.
In
that day a veil was the equivalent of a wedding ring. It would be like
every married woman when attending (house) church, to take their wedding
bands off when they came through the door. That would dishonor
themselves, their husbands, God, the angels in charge of their marriage
and home, the people gathered, and the local custom! Paul said to put
the veils back on ladies, though you have the freedom to not wear them.
Three
times in that passage he refers to it being a custom, and for them to
judge it themselves*. He also tells the wives they may pray and prophesy
in the meetings as long as they are properly clothed.* People often
forget this fact when they read 3 chapters later and the subject has
changed to order and taking turns in the (home) meetings, when he tells
the wives if they have questions, for the sake of the flow of the
meeting to ask their husbands at home. Some take that to mean women
can't speak in meetings - wrong - look at context and culture and
history!
We
know from Acts 18 that 3 cultures - Roman, Greek, Jewish- were suddenly
gathering together in the house of a Roman named Justus, and that led
to confusion, thus Paul's instructions about order and taking turns and
politeness when a guest in someone's home. *I Corinthians 11: 5-6, 13,
16; 14:26-40
He
wouldn't tell them to pray and prophesy in chapter 11 and then tell
them they can't talk in chapter 14 - context and culture is everything.
That is the same for the passage in I Timothy 2:14-15 when he tells the
women not to flaunt their wealth by braiding their hair and wearing a
lot of jewelry, and then tells them not to usurp authority over their
husbands: Teaching, speaking, and prophesying in agreement with the
spouse in marital harmony is fine, but they were abusing freedom in
Christ at the expense of local culture, marital peace, and order, and it
was hurting them and the spread of the gospel.
Okay! I didn't get to the cutting of the hem, that and more next week,
Blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
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