SS Overview December

Winter Quarter: Enduring Beliefs of the Christian Faith

December: Our Holy God and the Holy Scriptures

By Rev. Adrian Grubbs

Fools say in their hearts, “There is no god” (Psalms 14:1). Many people in the world question the existence of God: If there is a God, why is there so much tragedy and evil in the world? How do God’s people know that God is real? How do we know God? We encounter God in many ways, but Paul reminds Timothy of two ways: 1) through others (Timothy’s mother and grandmother) and 2) in the holy scriptures, the sacred writings (2 Timothy 3:14-15). Theologians have been so sidetracked by their arguments about the meaning of “inspiration” in verse 16 that they miss the whole point: the scriptures teach us, correct us, instruct us in the right way to live, and equip us for service. Of course, for Paul and the early Church the holy scripture was the Hebrew Bible, our Old Testament; the New Testament was being written at the time and had not been canonized.

The Hebrew Bible has three divisions: Torah, Prophets, and Writings. Psalm 19:7-9 uses six poetic terms for the Torah, which literally means “teachings, instructions” but is usually translated into English as “law,” which is somewhat misleading. For example, the Ten Commandments, which are part of the Torah, were not so much civil laws to be enforced as instructions for how God’s people are to conduct themselves as God’s people. Psalm 19 begins with different parts of nature praising God as Creator, then verses 7-10 employs six terms to extol God’s instructions, the Torah of Yahweh. In verse 9 “fear of the LORD” seems to break the pattern. Some Bible translators, instead, substitute “word of the LORD.” In the Bible the “fear of the LORD” quite often means “reverence, honor, respect” rather than “terror.” The question remains, though, how “fear” could be a synonym for Torah? What are your thoughts?

The Bible is a primary means for getting to know God our Creator, Savior, Companion.

The text from Matthew 6, which is part of the Sermon on the Mount, begins with Jesus saying that we cannot serve God and mammon (verse 24). According to the Bible, there is only one living God, all other gods are false and man-made. The first word of the Decalogue is “you shall have no other gods besides me” (Exodus 20:3). The chief gods of the world have always been Private Possessions, Political Power, and Personal Pleasure, though known by different names at different times and places. When God’s people turn to any of those gods, they break the first commandment. To bow to any of the world’s gods is an insult to the One, True and Living God.

Matthew 6:25-34 is about putting God and His Kingdom first and foremost in our lives. Jesus said that we need not worry about the essentials of life – food, drink, clothes. He was not saying that food, drink, and clothes do not matter; he was saying that our priorities matter. When one’s primary focus in life is God’s reign and doing what is right, then everything else falls into its proper place. But a worrier even worries about having nothing to worry about. Note, also, that even though God feeds and clothes the birds and flowers, they are not idle. God cares for the world He has created, and for the people responsible for taking care of God’s creation.

But who would worry about one lost lamb when the ninety-nine sheep were safe and sound (Luke 15)? Thank goodness, Jesus cares even for the most depraved and least significant persons, and searches diligently until they are found and brought home. All of heaven rejoices when one sinner comes to repentance – that includes even you, and me! As Paul wrote in Romans 5:8, God proved His love (agape) for us when Christ Jesus died on the cross for us while we still were lost in our sins. Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, embodies God’s love; He is God’s love-in-action.

Jesus told his disciples that when he is no longer with them physically, that the Father would send “another paraclete” to be with them always (John 14:16). The Greek word paraklatos means “one who stands beside you.” In Romans 8 Paul spoke of the Spirit, the Spirit of life, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of God who lives within those who belong to Christ. The Spirit intercedes with the Father on our behalf, “according to the will of God” (verse 27). The Spirit makes intercessions for us with “groanings too deep for words,” when we do not know how to pray (verse 26). The Holy Spirit, indeed, is at our side and within us as we struggle to serve Christ in this world. Paul used another word in this text that is not always clearly understood. When he speaks of “the flesh” he means thinking and acting in a worldly fashion (see Galatians 5:19-21).

In the Bible we know God in three ways: as Father and Creator, as Son and Savior, and as Spirit and Companion.