Stranded and Dying in the Ocean

About midway through 1 Corinthians 14, Paul gives an example of a non-believing person witnessing a worship service in which the presence of God is evident (1Co 14:25). Throughout chapters 12, 13, and 14 Paul addresses the "gifts" of the Spirit. He explains that every thing in the Body of Christ should lead to edifying the believers around us. I see in my own life that Pride often fills my heart—like a slowly expanding bubble. At times, I begin to feel that I have such an intimate relationship with the Lord that I could speak Truth and lead anyone into a relationship with Him.

Whenever I get to that point, it is important to remember what the Bible says I am: absolutely nothing apart from Christ.

The truth that absolutely nothing I do can lead someone to faith in Jesus is at first, quite frustrating. That is only for Him to do (Heb 2:10). As people have said, we are merely called to take Jesus to others, and He will lead them to Himself. However, what at first seem frustrating soon becomes freeing as we place all trust in Him. But in order to do that, you must let go of yourself...

It is more important to be on our knees in prayer than it is to be bold with our faith. Orare est Laborare in Latin means, "to Pray is to work." As Christians, we rely too heavily on ourselves to be Christ-like, and we rely too little on the Spirit of God.

"For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." Gal 6:8

Just the other day I saw an image of a famous painting—luckily I took a couple of Art History classes in college so I was vaguely familiar with the piece. It was Theodore Géricault's The Raft of the Medusa. The painting shows numerous suffering men and women aboard a make-shift raft, desperate for rescue. Even in light of a fleeting hope that perhaps some distant ship could rescue the prisoners, there is nothing than anyone can do to help their condition. Apart from apparent political statements that Géricault was making about the French Government, this painting to me has always simply shown a horrible, desperate scene of hopeless people, drifting toward an inevitable death.

That is our mindset as Christians—because this painting is our reality. We still are in a world infested with sin, and we still posses bodies of flesh that long for self-gratification. We are floating helpless in this world and unless (not until) we realize that without God we truly can do nothing, our lives will have zero impact. For we will remain just like everyone else... obsessed with idols of this world. 

I must wake up each morning and fall to my knees pleading for the Lord to fill me with His Spirit, for apart from Him I am nothing. Nothing but a helpless dying soul on The Raft of the Medusa. 

The Raft of the Medusa, Géricault  1819

The Wager of Tongues

Consider:

1Co 14:4—“One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church.”

1Co 14:12—“So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church.”

This generation of believers is thoroughly divided over the issue of ‘the gifts.’ Primarily: tongues. On the one side, many people see the gift of tongues resulting of a second blessing—which I’m quite sure is rooted in the theology of John Wesley; on the other side there are those who [tend to take 1Co 13:8 out of context and] claim that the gifts have ‘ceased.’ The tragedy ensues that Paul’s beautiful epistle on the Unity of the Body has evolved into an axe: dividing the Body, enraging believers, and causing all of us at times to shift our eyes away from the Lord.

By no means do I consider myself an ‘expert’ on the issue of ‘the gifts,’ nor have I invested a great amount of study in this topic. However, I am a student of the Bible and am also familiar with Church History. In God’s Word, I see a great deal of passages on my necessity for humility; in Church History, I see a great deal of controversy surrounding the fogginess of tongues. We must proceed in humbleness, pursuing the unity of the Body.

[Excursus on Pascal’s Wager] In Church History, I also know of a character named Pascal. Pascal had a wager. A wager which is placed before all humanity. Either we will believe in God, or we will turn our back on Him and live as we please. Our decision is not based on the reality of whether or not God indeed does exists; rather our decision is based on our own will. Each person must make a choice. Pascal claims that based on our uncertainty either way—if God really does exist, or not—it is much wiser to live in such a way that God does exist. Thus, if you choose to believe and in reality it turns out that God does not exist, then in the end your wager matters not. However, if you choose not to believe and in the end He really does exist, well, then your wager turns out to be the greatest mistake imaginable, resulting in eternal Hell apart from a perfectly loving Creator. Nothing can fully convince a human heart that God doesn’t exist. And you must wager.

Concerning tongues, I think we all must make a similar wager. Although it may be quite minute compared to Pascal’s, it is nonetheless important. The wager is this: either we stand that tongues (the gifts) are still present today in the Church, or contrarily that they have ceased. I find evidence to support both sides. Consider the following wager: If I stand on the truth that tongues indeed have ceased, yet they have not, I do not feel that I am under a great judgment—rather I am simply missing out on a gift from God. When I stand before God, in Heaven I will still fall at His feet in worship, and will plead forgiveness for not accepting His love through the gift of tongues. But I do not feel like my suppressing of His gift has any sway on my salvation—again, I am merely missing out on a gift from God. Conversely, if I stand on the truth that tongues are present in the Church today, and yet they have ceased, this puts me in a completely different scenario. When I stand before God’s Throne it is not a matter of me rejecting a gift that He offered but instead it is me making a mockery of God’s miracles in the early Church. If tongues have ceased, to stand before God after a life of ‘practicing the gifts’ will be a wretched state to be in… if indeed I would find myself before His throne in Heaven whatsoever…

It is completely possible that the gifts are present and alive in the Church today. But I also see it to be completely possible that they have ceased. And if this is true, to what degree of intimacy do those who practice the ‘gifts’ really have with our Lord?

“…I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.”  |  Rom 16:19

“So that we will no longer be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”  |  Eph 4:14–16

And never forget…

“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  |  Mat 7:14

01—On The Atonement

Did Christ's Death Atone for ALL SIN?

If Yes—What then is Hell the penalty for, for the unbeliever?

If No—How do we understand that Christ died for the "sins of world?"—and other such texts: Isa53:6, Jn 3:15–16, 2Co 5:14–15, 1Tm 2:3–6, Tit 2:1, Heb 9:26, 1Jn 2:2, 1 Jn 4:14