Our love of God can be measured. We can reflect on our lives each day and try to assess how much we love God. The way we love God, our Abba, can be seen and experience by others. Abba is probably the best word we can use to describe who God is to us more than any other. Abba is father and it is the way Jesus addressed his Father frequently and during the Sermon on the Mount Jesus called Abba, "your Father" and 
"my Father". I believe Jesus is attempting to get his hearers to understand the God, the God who sits in heaven in majesty and with great power, the one who commands deep awe and respect, is not just God, but is also their Father. Jesus is trying to bring them to a place where God becomes someone more to them, God becomes someone with whom they share a deep relationship. This is Abba.

​    A man asked Jesus a question in Mark 12, "what is the greatest commandment"? The man, a scribe, is looking for the shema as found in Deuteronomy 6 where God commands that Israel shall love God and Him only. In the Old Testament passage it declares, "hear o Israel", or "shema o Israel". But Jesus answers with something even further, he says their is a second commandment attached to the first which is to love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these. The scribe agrees, even though I am quite sure he was only looking for the first, and even steps up the conversation one more. The scribe not only agrees but adds that these are even more important than the sacrificial system. Perhaps Jesus answer recalls for the scribe Malachi 2 where the question is posed as to why Judah has been unfaithful to even its own. Maybe he is even thinking of Isaiah prophesying that coming judgment was not only for following after other gods, but because there was no justice. Justice meaning no care for widows, orphans, poor, sick, and the alien in the land. Elsewhere God found only bloodshed rather than justice and righteousness. God said that he was tired of their sacrifices and festivals. The scribe must have known these scriptures. 

   John, in his first letter, chapter 2, gives a "new commandment". This new commandment is not really "new", it is only new to his readers. New because John might have seen or heard that they were making wild claims about loving God while they still carried hatred for the brothers and sisters. John might be intending to limit this to certain group of believers, but we find more on this topic elsewhere. Paul also recited the Shema more than once, in different ways, but the intent is always the same, love others, all others. The song found in Philippians 2, about Jesus, is the shema of Jesus. Both Jesus and Paul declared that we are to love our enemies. How are we to love our enemies? The same way Jesus loved his, he went to the cross for them. Paul says we are living sacrifices for our Abba. We are not living sacrifices to atone for ourselves, we are such so that we can love as our Abba loves us. How does John say that we know who loves God, or is in the light? By their love.

   So, I can examine, or reflect, on each situation in my daily life and can know, how much do I love my Abba? According to Jesus, John, and Paul, I will know how much depending on how much I love others. Some might say it is easier to love God because of what his son accomplished, the love and therefor the gift. Even John says this, Abba was first, Abba initiates and we respond to him. This is a very important part of the believers life, the shema. Hear o child of Abba, he is one, and we love him with all of our heart, mind, strength, and all of our being, and we also love our neighbor in the same way we love Abba, completely. The shema accomplishes Abba's will on earth. I believe it is important for us to recite the shema everyday to remind us that we are chosen as separate from the world, we are lights that shine the love of God, of our Abba so the world might see him in us. The shema was not just for Israel, or Judah, or the Pharisee, it is for everyone. It is just what the world needs always, but especially wherever you are. 

​Shine!
 
    Do you shine like a light in darkness? Are we like a city on a hill, a shinning city that is so bright and desirable that others are drawn into the light? I often reflect on this, did I shine today, did I shine while I was talking to so and so? When I went shopping today, did I shine? This is important, we need to check ourselves against what is being asked of us. Am I asked to shine? Yes! We are asked to shine by Jesus, and the apostle Paul.
 
Matthew 5:14-16 NRSV
"You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
 
    Jesus, as he gives the sermon on the mount, does more than ask us to be lights, I believe Jesus is telling us, as a command, to shine. A city on a hill can not help but be seen at night as the collective light from each home and business are shinning as one. Flying at night was always fascinating to me because at 25,000 feet in the air it is dark. But as you look down and see some dark patches, mostly you will see were cities, towns, and villages are because the are very bright. If you fly over the ocean at night this is even more spectacular. In Jesus day it was even darker away from a city making the city even brighter. Jesus wants his hearers to shine. What is it like in the Kingdom of God? It is bright!
 
    There is something more to shinning. Jesus might have said shine so you can spread my message of repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand. We might say Paul tells to shine as lights in the world to magnify Jesus, the savior of the world. Some might say we shine with good works, brining light to sin or immoral works of the world. All of these are correct but there is more.
 
John 1:3-5,9 NRSV
All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.…The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
 
    Jesus life was the light. His life is what was shining. When Peter, James, and John saw Jesus glorified, shining incredibly bright, they were seeing more than bright light, they were seeing his life as it was beyond the fleshly body. Remember when Paul says later that we do not remember Jesus in the flesh any longer? I believe that Paul is recalling his own encounter with Jesus as a light so bright that he was blinded. That was the Lord Jesus Christ! This is the true light that came into the world, so bright that darkness could not wrap it up. Jonathan Mitchell’s New Testament translation brings out a wonderful idea about what this light was.
 
“Furthermore, the Light progressively came to be the life known as "humanity," and was for human beings…” -JMNT
 
    In Genesis 2, a man was created. That man, Adam, should have stayed around the garden a little longer. If he had, eventually, I believe, he would have been able to show us what being a human was all about. Instead, Adam and Eve chose to try and skip ahead of God and missed the rest of their growth. The results were staggering. Jesus came as a light to the world. Jesus light did not become progressively brighter. What is progressively revealed is that Jesus life was true humanity. I say “is” rather than “was” because I believe this progressive revelation is on-going, even today. Jesus came to show what it meant to be human, all the way to the cross. All of us arrive to this conclusion at various times in our lives, and we show it, shining bright, in various ways.
 
    The life of the cross was the pinnacle of what human existence should look like, perfectly self-giving.   

    “They just need Jesus”, a phrase, or one like it, is often said when everything goes wrong. When a person commits a terrible crime. When a person is experiencing deep sorrow. When the world is a mess, like in the United States right now. When someone is an addict. “If they only had Jesus”, what? If they “had Jesus” would things be so different? Maybe, it depends on so much, on so many people. Am I saying that Jesus does not make a difference? Not at all. Follow me here before you label me as a heretic.
​
    We must not think of Jesus as a miraculous answer to all our problems, to all the world’s problems. Jesus is the answer, but not how we generally think or wish. Knowing or having Jesus is only the first part of the equation albeit a particularly important part, because as Paul says, Jesus is the foundation of our faith. Jesus is the foundation, not the building. I, and you, are the buildings and how these buildings are constructed is important and will have direct and lasting effects on our lives, and the lives of those around us.
Jesus is a miracle, but just calling on his name will not suddenly solve our problems. Problem solving takes work, effort, blood, sweat, tears, and time, often a long and hard time. Jesus can help you through problems, but not by just making them disappear.

    Near my home, there is a city in turmoil. It is not pretty, people are angry, and when a mass of people act out in anger, or sorrow, things can look chaotic and not peaceful.  I will not turn this into a political discussion or talk about my feelings on the matter because my aim here is much different. I am quite sure that some, if not many, of the protesters are Christians, or believers in Jesus Christ. I am also sure that some police are also the same, as well as some on the city consul or government. Many criminals have Jesus. So, I must ask, has their belief in Jesus, their being Christians, changed anything?

    As I try to answer this question, please do not assume that I do not believe in protest, because I do. People have the right to make their voices heard. This goes much deeper than what is currently happening. The problem goes back much further than the birth of the United States. See, the world has had Christians in it ever since Jesus walked this earth, yet, the world always seems to be in chaos in some part, or in whole. So, if Jesus is in us, why are all the problems not fixed? Why don’t they just miraculously disappear? The answer is not that Jesus is not in all of us, that would be too easy.

    The answer is found in the writings of Paul where he says that we must endure with patience and grow in character. The character we grow into is that of Jesus our savior, and the savior of the world, it is of Jesus in action. Part of the problem is that most of Christianity believes that God is control of everything, and in that line of thinking nothing can be done, so why try? We do try, but our trying is usually limited and once it gets too hard, we stop and “put it in God’s hands”. That will not do if we want to live in peace and justice. We might say that we can change the world, but are we? Some are trying, without a doubt, and some are trying hard and giving it their all, but most of us are not. Most of us give a little, and sometimes only occasionally. We need to give more, much more.

    I will say that God is control because I believe God is at work in the world, drawing people to Jesus. God has a goal and in the book Isaiah it is said that those goals will be accomplished; this is echoed by the apostle Paul. In his letter to Timothy, Paul said that God desires, wants, wills, and will see the salvation of all. But what is happening now, while God is working? If God is truly working why do things often seem a mess? The initial answer is easy, God has us. God has placed his spirit in us, God is in us. We are God’s temple. So, what does God want us to do? Knock on doors and try to get people to be “saved”? Stand on the street corner screaming at people that they are “lost”? These are the means that Christianity have been trying, largely, to save the world, at least in the United States. We have massive churches with tens of thousands of members, TV preachers that reach audiences of millions, and fill football stadiums with thousands during “crusades” and tours. Yet the world continues with problem after problem. Worse, we place our trust in faith in the government and politicians thinking that they will set us right. No, we live in a kingdom, and this kingdom has one king, he is Jesus.

    So, do they just need Jesus, yes, and no. Why, no? Because many already have Jesus. The others do need Jesus but why would they want Jesus if those that have Jesus do not look like it? What does it look like to have Jesus? Read the Sermon on the Mount. Read the Gospels. Read Paul’s moral and spiritual edifications. Read the prophets and learn what God means by justice. Read Philippians chapter 2. The reason we have problems is not because we do not have Jesus. The reason we have problems is because we do not live like we have Jesus; we do not live like we are in his kingdom. Jesus said the kingdom was at hand, it was, and it showed up in full soon after his resurrection and ascension. The apostle Paul said we are transferred into the kingdom; we are in it; we are its citizens. We are not transferred to a kingdom in the sky or heaven, we are here, on earth, in his kingdom. The kingdom is right here on earth, as it is in heaven. The kingdom is here now, not coming. We need to stop longing for the future and focus on the present. The present focus is not trying to convert people; the present is to show who Jesus is by working with him in the world. “In the world” is the key; stop trying to pretend like at any moment you will be whisked away in the clouds and start acting like every moment we live matters. Paul also said it would be hard work, that we would suffer with Christ. People do need the gospel, but believers living the gospel rather than speaking it will lead to less problems in the world.

​    Live the gospel, this is the answer. Life is the answer. Life in Christ is the answer. Jesus is the answer, not only in word or prayer, but Jesus in action. Yes, people need Jesus, but having Jesus is not enough, they need to live like they have Jesus. We need to live like we have Jesus and it starts not on the state or national scene; it starts with you and those in your immediate reach as you interact with them not by clobbering them over the head with bible verses, but by living out those verses. Let them see and experience and they will someday be showing, and so it will spread, and then we will have less problems. 

Exodus 17:1-7 NRSV
 
(1)  From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. (2) The people quarreled with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?"
(3)  But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?" (4) So Moses cried out to the LORD, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me." (5) The LORD said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. (6) I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink." Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. (7) He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"
 
        Israel has been traveling for some time now. They are tired, hungry, and thirsty. They left a place where, though they were slaves and oppressed, it was all most of them ever knew. At least they had some access to food and water, the necessities. Now they find themselves wandering the wilderness, to them not much different than being in Egypt, a sophisticated nation and ordered society. They still felt oppressed but instead of man it was nature, the wilderness they traveled through was unforgiving, hot, arid, and dusty. It is easy to read this and say we would feel different, the thousands of years removed quarterbacks! I spent a short time in Saudi Arabia while in the Air Force and I can tell you that is extremely hot, in September and October. It is sand and rocks, lizards, spiders, and scorpions. I had regular access to all the modern amenities of food, water, and shelter with air conditioning. It is still hard for me to imagine such a large group of people, an entire nation, traveling as they were, with everything they owned. How many times would we have reached our ‘last straw’? The outcome seems natural, tempers grew hot, distrust became the norm, and they wanted answers.
 
        Moses is becoming the scapegoat. They vilified Moses. I imagine Moses was intensely afraid. Again, he is being questioned as to the purpose of this journey. Why are we here? Where are you taking us? They accuse him of having no plan, no idea to why they were in such an inhospitable land and position. Death is all that awaits us! They have no peace, no security, no hope. Have you ever wondered how much of God they even knew or understood? Obviously, there was something, but after years of slavery in a pagan nation there is no doubt that many did not know much about their God, Yahweh. They cried out from Egypt and were heard; Moses appears on the scene and great wonders and works were seen and heard of. Then finally they were free, and though they had God to follow, when something went wrong, it was Moses who they came to.
 
Trust Issues
 
        That was the error. They were relying on a man, a human being who existed in a broken human nature. A man who was still learning about their savior. Moses lost his composure with the people and in anger struck out against God. A defining moment in his relationship with Israel as a leader. A defining moment in his relationship with God. It is times like these a leader can lose leadership. Can you hear Moses in leaders that today begin to try and make sense of what is going on? They say things without thinking, they make themselves sound guilty and the more they talk the worse it gets. Moses, and Israel, are lost in the moment and there is not much that will ease the situation.  Can you hear them chanting against Moses? I am not sure how many they were, but it was in the high six figure range. Scary! Moses is truly frightened! He begins to try and appeal to their fear of Yahweh, it does not work.
 
        This is an important lesson we believer’s need to listen to. The mob mentality that seeks for someone to blame, at all costs. The threatening attitudes united in anger and hatred. Placing our trust and hope in another human being can lead to trouble, extreme trouble. Such situations lead us away from our Lord and into the state of the broken human nature (called the “flesh” by the apostle Paul) which readily takes over. Reason flies out the window and dangerous emotions take over. All of this can happen in varying degrees, whether the outcome is emotion or psychological pain, or physical harm and damaged property and communities, even death. On all levels, it is violence and chaotic, it is the opposite of the Spirit of God. We need to really on or savior and the Spirit given us for guidance and direction; this will always lead to peace and contentment, and any changes that need to take place will happen with trust.
 
They do not know God  
 
        After all the fledgling nation has seen of God, the miracles and wonders, the defeat of Egypt’s army, they still do not know who their real leader is. They still believe their leader is a man and not Yahweh. Moses was a great man, chosen by God to represent and lead them to their eventual home. Moses is similar the future judges, someone who calls out to the LORD for intervention and the people wellbeing. They lash out at Moses, and though they ask him where the LORD is, why isn’t the LORD here with us and taking care of us, Moses is the one in immediate view and the one who is about to take the brunt of Israel’s anger. If they knew their God, they would have approached Moses in a different way, with faithfulness and trust that God would provide. Instead it was in anger, and anger that transferred to Moses in his response.
 
The Response
 
        God responds, notwithstanding the anger and mistrust of His people, and provides them with water. The rock God used was a massive chunk of stone, it was no small boulder. Some believe today that a rock in the Sinai Peninsula, the rock at Horeb, found in the same wilderness that Israel was traveling through, is the rock that God made water to flow from. This might be possible, but I would not say for certain. The rock in question stands at 12 feet tall, 15 feet long, and 10 feet think. Moses struck it as instructed, and it split, pouring out water in quantities enough to water every person and animal.
 
        This situation should serve as a picture of Jesus and the future cross he was to bear. God told Moses that He would be standing before the rock. Just as God stood with His son on the cross. From that cross flowed streams of living water, just as would happen from the throne described in the book of Revelation. Jesus called to the festival goers in John 7.37, “all who are thirsty, come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink…”. At this point Israel had little belief, yet God showed grace and gave them living water.
 
The Cross
 
        Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10.1-4, that God feed them, guided them, and watered them. Paul says the rock followed them as they went and that the rock was Jesus. This was the second view of the cross in providing water, the first being at Marah, the bitter lake which Moses threw in a dead tree, and the water became sweet. This is how our Lord works, from the beginning of creation, with grace, mercy, and love. The book of John gives a few references of Jesus as the living water that humanity longs for and need. It is Jesus that we need. To the woman at the well Jesus said the water he gives
“will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." Water that we need not search for, it is always there, gushing in us.
 
        We need to search for Jesus throughout the entire bible. This is what Jesus told the two walking on the road in Luke 24, all the scriptures spoke of him. Jesus started with Moses and I have no doubt that this story was in their conversation.
 
God is with Us
 
​        God is with us, always. Jesus is with us, always. When do we quarrel with them? When we decide to join the mob (a mob of one, or a mob of many, the mentality is the same) and leave the water of life in the background. The way of the cross is the better way, always. This is what Israel never understood, even when the living-water stood in their midst, in physical form, as a man. They felt alone and abandoned, full of anger and resentment that was aimed at Moses. But God responded with grace, not anger. This was a missed sign; Moses would strike another rock, twice, in anger, for the same reason, in Israel’s near future. How could you do that Moses? The question should be how can we do that? Live in remembrance, drink from the gushing spring of Jesus, let him pour out of you to strengthen and draw others. Let us be who we are meant to be

         We are God's inheritance, just as Israel was during the old covenant. We are God's allotment, by the casting of lots, not by chance, but by and with purpose. God does not do anything without purpose, God is ordered ands does not wander aimlessly, everything has purpose. Everything is destined for purpose and reason, even when we yet might not understand what these might be. I believe the goal revolves around God being all and in all. Since humanity largely chose, and still chooses to live outside of God’s purposes, much of this goal is wrapped up in restoration. Restoration has been occurring in a slow and long transition since the first man and woman chose themselves over God.
 
            Paul says there were some where “the first to set our hope on Christ”. Who were these folks? I used to think we, the “church”, were the first. However, I now understand that we are a long way off from these people, and that their hope was to have immediate results and influence on those around them. Christ’s return was eminent!
 
Ephesians 1:11-14 NRSV
 (11)  In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, (12)  so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. (13)  In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;  (14)  this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.
 
              How were we made God's inheritance?  According to verse 11, we are made so “in Christ”. We could also say it is through Christ and his cross. We enter a union with Jesus, the anointed one. We enter a sphere of influence, so to speak, and this being permanent. This sphere of Christ allows us to enter union with the Father. The Father encompasses all, but we need to be in union with the Anointed one, Jesus, to effectually live and operate within the Fathers embrace. This how we are made, and receive an inheritance, now. But it was not always this way because before the cross, in the old ways or old realm of humanity, Christ had not yet come and accomplished this most important work.
 
            I believe it is important to understand the difference between the old covenant inheritance and that of the new. The reason of importance is the purpose of God behind the inheritance. God chose a man to begin God’s inheritance among humanity, for the specific purpose of brining the rest into God’s embrace. God embraced one man who eventually bore many, bore a great nation to be God’s inheritance. This nation, Israel, gained only part of their inheritance, land. They failed to reach goal and thus they missed out on their ultimate inheritance. But some, by faith, as Hebrews 11 proclaims, did reach more fully despite the absence of the cross, and as Hebrews says, they did not see the purpose fulfilled.
 
Peace with God
 
Romans 5:1-2 NRSV
(1) Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (2)  through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
 
                   We have peace with God due to the faith of Jesus Christ! Due to his work! Due to his suffering, his endurance, his character, and his hope! So, we can follow in his example of suffering, endurance, character, and hope- God's work in us, through Christ. This is our hope. So, there were some faithful in Israel, and they mattered. The question is this, did Israel have peace with God?
 
            If we read through the Old Testament, we find God’s inheritance was rarely at peace. God’s inheritance was continually fighting against their purpose and working hard to be just like everyone else. God was incredibly patient, seemingly forgetting about them at times. Searching for the word “peace” in the Old Testament, it is found primarily within the books of prophecy. Most occurrences are as a vision of the future, others warn of false peace. A few of those speaking of future peace, in Isaiah, tell of the coming Messiah. Unfortunately, Israel not only failed to understand these prophecies, they also murdered the Messiah as Peter proclaimed in the book of Acts. The unfortunate events of A.D. 70 were the result of their failure.
 
            It is no wonder that Israel could never find peace with God. They were given a law which they could rarely keep. I believe the law they were given was not difficult but that they added to this law. The additions became so complicated that they were destined for failure. The reason was that Israel was never satisfied with the system of heaven that God offered. Israel’s system was filled with contingencies that required their own doing, doing, doing. Our own times are not always vastly different. Despite the peace with God that is ours, we still devise our own systems because we can not just accept that the cross has done it all. Life in God is meant to be full of life and enjoyment of God and others, but it becomes competition and pits us against each other and God.
 
            Jesus was the manifestation of the very character of God on this earth. God is love and this is what Jesus ultimately displayed and characterized, love. Anything that is outside of love is not of God. Some will say that we cannot comprehend God's love. While agree to an extent, I also do not agree to a larger extent. If there is no possible comprehension, then how can I possibly have any idea of how to live a life that if after God? How did David become a man after God's own heart? We want, or should want, to be a people after God’s own heart. The story of the relationship between God and Israel is an example of what not to do if one wants to be after God’s own heart. Paul, in Romans chapter 9, warns us that we should take this example to heart and understand that we are as capable of failure as Israel was. There is however a shinning difference, we are in Christ! We are in the anointed and as a result are anointed.
 
The Law
 
Matthew 5:17-20 NRSV
 (17)  "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. (18)  For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. (19)  Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (20)  For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
 
            What 'law' did he come to fulfill? The law of God- love. The law on which every other law God gave hangs. The perfect law. The law that exceeds that of men. Any law that falls outside of the cross Philippians 2:5-11. I do not believe that Jesus came to fulfill the entire Mosaic law because it was not needed. The Mosaic law was never intended to be the absolute means of man reaching God. In fact, I believe much of this law may have been born in the hearts and minds of men rather than God. We have an example of this idea in the sermon on the mount.
 
 Matthew 5:43-48 NRSV
 (43)  "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' (44)  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (45)  so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. (46)  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? (47)  And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? (48)  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
 
            Who was saying this? God was saying this as we know Jesus said everything he said and did came from the Father. I believe that here we have an example of God saying what God has always said, love others completely and wholly. There is one God, the same in the New Testament as in the Old. There are no contradictions in the heart of God. Was Jesus then contradicting his Father? No! Humanity has contradicted God at every possible turn. Israel could not fulfill the purpose of their inheritance because they relied on man written defilements of God’s law. They lacked faith in God and instead placed faith in themselves and the rest of humanity.
 
Romans 9:30-33 NRSV
 (30)  What then are we to say? Gentiles, who did not strive for righteousness, have attained it, that is, righteousness through faith; (31)  but Israel, who did strive for the righteousness that is based on the law, did not succeed in fulfilling that law. (32)  Why not? Because they did not strive for it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, (33)  as it is written, "See, I am laying in Zion a stone that will make people stumble, a rock that will make them fall, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."
 
            I believe that we see the wrath of God at work in verse 33 of Romans 9. Israel’s need to follow their own desires, including laws that could never bring them to peace with God. God simply let them experience the outcome of their own actions and desires. Enter Christ Jesus and his cross, the end of the old ways, the ways of man. The beginning of the ways of God and Christ within us!
 
Romans 10:1-4 NRSV
 (1)  Brothers and sisters, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. (2)  I can testify that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. (3)  For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to God's righteousness. (4)  For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
 
            Humanity is not capable on our own. Humanity without God is not enlightened. There is no "peace with God" from our end. Enter Christ- Romans 5 (one of my favorite chapters in all of scripture), enter peace! Peace is now not only possible, it is a reality, for all.
 
Setting Their Hope
 
            The nation of Israel, corporately, did not set their hope on Christ. But some of them did, those that finally understood through the apostles and disciples who taught them through the scriptures that Jesus was their true King and that the Kingdom was present. They understood that they had peace, both Israelites and gentiles. The idea of a corporate Israel being an inheritance to fulfil the purpose of God ceased. A transitional period had come, the exiting of the old covenant had come. These who were the first to place their hope on the Messiah had an important place in the fulfilment of prophecy to gain as many as possible out of corporate Israel and draw them into the arms of the Father before the eminent return of Christ. They lived for the praise of his glory! A new day was dawning. As Paul proclaimed, there was now one new man, no longer was there Jew or gentile. God’s purposes would be fulfilled in this new glory. The final destruction of the old occurred and now we to can have this hope in inheritance.
 
 Ephesians 1:13-14 NRSV
 (13)  In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; (14)  this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.
 
            God chose a nation as His own inheritance with the goal of making everyone, all of creation, His inheritance. Has that goal changed? Israel was to be His people, but as Paul said not all Israel was of Israel. See, Israel was more of an idea than a nation. Today there is still a people of God with no divisions between them. That is us, and we are God’s inheritance with a purpose! All who believe are grafted onto the root, Jesus Christ. The result is a tree of incredible fruit which is ever growing and spreading over the entire world. God’s inheritance becomes ours, and the seal of the Holy Spirit is our pledge. 

I would like to look at the word "inheritance" as Paul uses it in his letter to the believers in Ephesus. This series of articles will be based on a series of sermons that I gave recently. Though the series had an end, it led to other questions which I hope to also turn into article form shortly.
 
        If we understand exactly what is being referred to, or what the desire of the writer is, we will gain a greater understanding of the work that God has accomplished, and is accomplishing, for us. As we will see, there can be differing thoughts on some passages of scripture. At times, it is the best we, as English-speaking people, can hope for. I believe this is o.k.! I also believe that as we are told, God will eventually give us understanding in all things, key word, 'eventually'. Differing thoughts can result in different translations of words and phrases which can help us gain a better understanding of what God is trying to tell us. We should not be afraid of this; we should embrace it. The lay person, like me, has access to an incredible amount of information to be used. This does not make us scholars, experts, or theologians, but it does help us to try and understand and to communicate, with God. What if someone comes up with a different thought than what we believe? Pray about it, search it out, and remain open, and do not rush to judgement. As believers, we have a uniting factor that outweighs everything else, that is the cross of Christ, the great unifier.
 
        Having said all that, I believe it is important to understand inheritance as Paul uses it as it involves thoughts of future or present glory regarding believers in Christ. Paul, as he said in Galatians, is a Hebrew. Paul was an apostle to the nations, but he always was addressing other Hebrews as well, some believers, others not. Often, examples Paul uses were found in the scriptures which were of course, the Old Testament and related to Hebrew folks. So, we will lean on the biblical understanding of inheritance as we progress.
 
        It is important that we ask, “what exactly are we inheriting?”. In Christianity we find many different responses to this question. I wonder if I took a poll, what would the answers be and what would be the diversity of opinions? If we are going to use this word inheritance, and make claims for ourselves, we should know. Are we inheriting crowns, gold, silver, precious stones and streets of gold? Is it a mansion just over the hilltop? Human minds in the physical realm will have predictable answers, seeking something we can touch and hold, things like riches. Will the better Christian inherit more than the one who lives less ‘perfectly’? These are valid responses and questions.
​
        Let us turn to the text in mind from Ephesians.
 
Ephesians 1:11-14 (NRSV)
 
(11)  In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, (12)  so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. (13)  In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; (14)  this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.
 
            This is from the NRSV. If you have access to multiple translations (which you should!), you will find the most popular English translations agree, in various ways, with the NRSV. But, some do not. So, we must ask the question, why? Why, is important to ask!
 
            Let us start off with the word itself, "inheritance". G2820.
 
From Strong’s:
From G2819; to allot, that is, (figuratively) to assign (a privilege): - obtain an inheritance.
 
From Thayer’s:
1) to cast lots, determine by lot
2) to choose by lot
3) to allot, assign by lot
3a) on to another as a possession
4) in NT: to make a lot, i.e. a heritage, private possession
Part of Speech: verb
 
            Thayer’s refers use to the TDNT. You can find this set for very reasonable prices these days though it used to be awfully expensive. This dictionary set seeks to expose biblical words in the most extreme way by finding as many uses of the word in written history as possible, in addition to the biblical text. So, Aristotle uses it as "to appoint someone by lot". To Philo the word relates to orderly apportionment in the natural and moral world. In the scriptures, in the New Testament, it is only found once, in our text. We can also use the LXX to find related uses in the Old Testament, for a better understanding. The Greek word “inheritance” found in Eph. 1:11 is the only mention found in the New Testament, but it is also found 6 times in the Greek LXX which is extremely helpful. I will reference just three of these since the other three are redundant in meaning and use.
 
Joshua 21:4 (NET)
 
(4)  The first lot belonged to the Kohathite clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen cities from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
 
            The first use of the word "lot" refers to the actual item used in "casting lots". Usually a piece of wood, with a name written on it. Several pieces would be used to represent all involved in the casting. Names would be written on or inside the lot which would be drawn in order to obtain the current assigned lot or portion. Sometimes stones were used and shaken in a container, the first to roll out was the winner of the assigned lot- for good or bad! Casting lots could also be used to assign a lot, or lots- not by chance, but given to a person or party, in this case, a tribe. The NET correctly states that the cities were "allotted", not by chance, but by assignment. Different uses today include: "it is my lot in life", meaning it was not chosen, it just is or that it was given for one to suffer or to work. Or property obtained, a lot of land. A parking lot is a property set aside for cars to park in. In England, or the U.K., as I learned from a gardening show, people can obtain an allotment to use for planting flowers or vegetables.
 
            So, the first lot was assigned to the Kohathite clans. The lot itself was given to the representative on hand as a means of the claim to the land which was tied to that lot. In this case, as the Levites did not directly inherit any land, their lot were thirteen cities found in the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. You can continue reading this passage for other occurrences of our word inheritance and find they are of the same usage.
 
            I will end here for now. The next article will move to Isaiah 17 for a further look into inheritance. This occurrence will expand the idea of inheritance and we will see how it is vital to our understanding of the idea being brought forth in Ephesians.

What does it mean to be human? A question I have seen posed in books, magazine articles and blogs, TV shows and movies. There are so many different answers. So, what does it mean?

Jesus came for one purpose, so many say. But I think there is more to the story. Jesus came to offer himself up on the cross, Jesus came to forgive sins, Jesus came to heal, Jesus came to be the light and the life for all, and much more. Jesus also came to show us what it meant to be human, and this was very necessary. 

Adam was a human being. Had Adam continued under God's direction and instruction, Adam would have been the human we all should have been. Instead, Romans 5 tells us, Adam chose his own road, we might say the road of humanity but I am not so sure. Maybe Adam chose a road that was not truly human. Maybe Adam chose a road that lead away from humanity and we have been on that alternate road for so long that we do not even know what the right road looks like. 

God tried to remind humanity of what it meant to be human many times. The offer was always there. God tried through individuals, God tried through a nation. God did not fail, humanity did, and continues to fail. We always chose our own way. Part of being human is the ability to choose. The first human chose and sent all the rest down the same road. It is the road that you sometimes look up from and realize that you are going the wrong way. At times when you realize you are going the wrong direction you might try to redirect or recalculate (like Google maps does, recalculating...). The problem is that we all recalculate with Adam's faulty directions. It is very hard, very difficult as seen in Romans 7. We forget, every day, that the realest human being already gave us directions. This man even narrowed it down to the simplest possible way. 

Jonathan Mitchell gives us an excellent view of John 1:4.
​"And the life was continuing being, and began progressively existing as, the Light of mankind (or: Furthermore, the Light progressively came to be the life known as "humanity," and was for human beings; or: Then the life was existing being the light from the humans)."

I have always loved that translation. Jesus came as a human being (Philippians 2:5-11) and not only that, but he progressively became human thereby showing us what it means to be human. Jesus became the perfection that Adam should have been. Jesus shows us, yesterday, today, and in the future, what the right choice was and is. He gives us the answer to the question, what does it mean to be human?

Being human is not undesirable. Any thought of a future escape from humanity is, in my opinion, the wrong answer. Just because we may be looking forward to, as Paul did in Romans 7, relief from the flesh, does not mean we will not be human. Jesus as a man in absolute perfection sits next to our Father in heaven. The flesh does not make us human, it is only part of our current existence. When God made man, God declared it was very good. The hosts of heaven shouted for joy. 

God knows what it means to be human, and God wants us to know as well. A written record has been provided, the map of the correct road.  

"You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come." 
(2 Timothy 3:1 NRSV)

Our fellowship recently received "homework"; why did Paul tell Timothy to consider what he said (2nd Tim 2:7)? We were only to use 2nd Timothy, no other sources whether biblical or otherwise. It was a fun study and yet it revealed a somewhat sad commentary of Paul's last days concerning the gospel he spread for Christ, and for those who believed this gospel (past tense). The aim of this post however is to look at chapter 3, verses 1-7. Please read them and think about your first impression.

Why did Paul tell Timothy "that in the last days distressing times will come."? Did Paul believe they were living in the last days? The last days as in the end? Christ was coming soon? The end of the world? The answer is no! Paul was not speaking of "the last days" as most of christianity thinks of it. Read the list Paul gives of the behaviors people will have. 

"For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,..." 
(2 Timothy 3:2-4 NRSV)

Lovers of self, lovers of money, arrogant, haters of good, slanderers, and many more. Do you think people already displayed such behavior in Paul's day? Of course! They practiced such things well before Paul was born, right? It would  be very accurate to claim that the human race displayed such nonsense going back to the first family! Were the days of Adam and Eve the last days? I read one commentator describe today's public schools and their anti-God curicculems as to what Paul was speaking of, attacking the "church". Another looked at the current state of christianity as the lesson as if Paul was telling Timothy of a coming future time.

The key is found in verse 5. "...holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power." Who would hold to an outward form of Godliness? Certainly Paul must be refering to believers! Read 2nd Timothy and find some of these even named in Paul's letter. Paul tells Timothy earlier in the letter that all of those in Asia have left him. The Asia Paul speaks of is modern day Turkey, where paul was born. Timothy was in Ephesus which is in Asia. Paul was well traveled throughout Asia. Though we only read of letters directly attributed to Ephesus and Colosse, Paul no doubt left believers who gathered in various ways throughout Asia. Look at a map of Paul's travels and you will see multiple stops throughout the region. In verse 5, Paul is speaking of people that either he himself had given the evangel or, others we read of who traveled with Paul spread the word. According to Paul they have "all" left him; most likely Paul is simply refering to the leaders and not every single believing soul in Asia.

Paul was telling Timothy that he was in "the last days" right now! Timothy was in them, he was about too experience them if he had not already. Paul is not prophecying about our current times or some time far ahead of us. Paul is not indicating to Timothy that some "rapture" is coming any day. Paul is bracing Timothy for what is about to happen in Asia as soon as Paul is executed by Rome under Nero. Those who became believers under Paul's gospel are not even waiting until Paul is gone; they are already moving in to completely change the revelations which Paul received from Christ. The "church" of Paul's day is about to collapse. 

I imagine Timothy meeting with folks from Ephesus, shocked by what he is hearing and witnessing. Timothy may begin to lose faith in the message Paul proclaimed as he is being singled out and attacked. This was Paul's point in this letter, get ready Timothy and hold fast, look for others who remain faithful to continue spreading the true evangel. It is encouraging to read Paul's closing words; he is confident that he has performed his best for Christ and exhorts Timothy to continue on in faith. Paul solidifies this thought in chapter 1.

I believe we should be careful when jumping to conclusions about "the last days". Yes, there are those among believers today who behave as Paul warned. There were those when Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, they were around before also. 2nd Timothy was a personal letter to Timothy! We are blessed to have access to this letter and it is filled with many practicle truths; "the last days" that many believe in today are not one of them. 

The letter of Paul to the Colossians is probably my second favorite next to Philippians, followed by Ephesians. For reasons I will not discuss here, I believe these 3 letters hold the key for today's believer in the Body of Christ. So much confusion and error is found by attempting to lump these three with the rest of Paul's epistles not mention integrating them with the gospels! Are we part of the Bride? No! We are of the Body! Two different spiritual entities with distinct purposes.

As I read today, Colossians, a small phrase jumped into my brain that I have not payed all that much attention to in the past. It occurs as Paul describes his prayers of thankfulness to God for the saints in Colosse. In verses 5 and 6 Paul is saying that they have heard the truth, the gospel, and that as a result of their hearing Paul hears of the fruit that has gone forth from Colosse. The phrase Paul uses as to how this has happened occurs in verse 6; "...from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God." 

​" Truly comprehended the grace of God."  Do we truly comprehend? Are we often silent because we do not truly comprehend? Are we not thankful for everything because we do not truly comprehend? Possibly so! Paul continues to say that they learned of this miraculous grace from Epaphras, obviously one who did truly comprehend and shared this grace eagerly with those from his home town. The saints of Colosse did not learn it from Paul, but from one of Paul's faithful students. At this time Paul had not been to Colosse and was writing from prison.

We have no firm writings that tell us exactly  what Epaphras used other than his own words and the spirit of knowledge and wisdom. No doubt he probably had some writings of Paul's with him, maybe some other scriptures as well. There is much doubt among scholars regarding the origins of Ephesians as some manuscripts lack any language attributing it's being to Ephesus. Some argue that Ephesians was actually a circular letter that was shared among the various churches of Asia and probably Greece as well. Is Ephesians the letter mentioned in Colossians 4? Maybe. Whatever the possibilities, they are encouraged to share letters with Laodecia. 

If we stay right in Colossians we can read of the grace that they truly comprehended. Chapter 2:11-15 talks well of the grace that they have truly comprehended; of course we could go elsewhere to find this grace as well but I believe that the most important and logical places to find it are in the prison letters. Paul repeats what Epaphras most likely has told them already, that they have been spiritually circumcised from the flesh through the baptism of themselves in Christ's death. They were subsequently raised with Christ and made alive with Him. All trespasses and legal failures have been removed, nailed to the cross! Not only this but Christ made a heavenly appearance and paraded this very grace publicly to the celestial rulers! That is grace to truly comprehend!

Not only do they truly comprehend, but in verses 6 and 7 of chapter 2 Paul tells them something truly rare. The saints of Colosse ARE "rooted and built up in Christ and established in the faith..". What a blessing and encouragement this must have been to Paul. It should be to us as well. Here is a group of folks who had limited access to scripture, who were surrounded by Judaisers and gnostics, yet they were living the gospel. We have full access to the scriptures and countless resources yet we are often lazy and lack this true comprehension. Due to such laziness or confusion many truly do not even begin to grasp what grace has been poured out towards us. 

I encourage you to read the three letters, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philippians. Stay there for a good bit with dozens of readings and contemplation. Do your best not to compare them with the gospels, general epistles or even Paul's other writings. These are loaded with your true reality in Christ now, today, and your future purpose!

Finally, imagine what grace Paul is speaking of in the closing of his letter! God is blessing you.