There are many aspects about the so-called philosophical Problem of Evil which confront the Christian and a whole book would have to be written in order to answer the objections posed by the argument against the validity of Christianity. One philosophical argument suggests, partially due to and concluded by inferences upon Christian apologetics, God, if He exists must have traits of evil since evil exists. Though rejected outright by Christian theology, in an extra-biblical sense we ask how such an idea may be defeated. It can be countered on the grounds of the destructive power of sin and evil. God, and even the idea of God, necessarily brings being, while evil destroys being. Therefore, God cannot be evil since He is pure Being.
When examining evil and sin it cannot help but be observed they have corrosive properties on everything they touch, and because God, again brought being, and is greater than destruction in the world, and even decay, and because nobody will argue creative properties are lesser than destructive ones, it cannot be a part of God, if His nature is the great-est, which God must be by definition. Of course, God in His prominence does destroy things, or commands them to be destroyed, but though destruction be a thing God is capable of, it doesn’t necessarily indicate a destructive nature. God doesn’t destroy merely for the sake of destroying, but concepts like justice, and we understand justice is good, has a destructive or limiting property imposed on the thing which has done wrong. Justice somewhat implies this attribute. Something can evoke justice and remain good. God certainly cannot be innately destructive for we exist.
Since sin, evil, goodness, and holiness exist, and sin and evil are the lesser of these things, then what do we suppose happens when evil and goodness encounter each other? What occurs is not a democratic process. Ultimately, one must succumb to the other, or be destroyed, and this, in short, is how and why a Holy God can exist and not be in conflict with the presence of evil and destruction in our world. In another sense it refutes the infamous meme suggesting God exhibits or brings people unto His wrath because He arbitrarily demands obedience under punishment in this life or beyond. This meme fails in characterizing God accurately, and He does not demand as much as plead with us to come to Him.
This air of pleading is found prominently in the words of the Apostle Paul:
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
2 Corinthians 5:20
We need to point out this flaw whenever possible. It is through Christ we are reconciled and saved from the fate which will result from our uncleanliness being confronted with the utmost holiness. One will win out. Like two forms of matter, they cannot occupy the same space, and democracy will not be a factor. In order for our sinful nature to be washed away so we may dwell with a Holy God in the hereafter requires a cleansing of ourselves as provided by the blood of the Lamb.
One of the hidden benefits to debate or conversation with atheists and those who have shifted from more “traditional” doctrines, is within the research it prompts, many overlooked gems can be found. Even among the more “New Atheism” school, if one can transcend the inclination to be offended and be able to reduce the rhetorical arguments to their logical elements, they can be of great value to both doctrinal and historical understanding. One of these regards the oft-cited Old Testament command against the blending of fabrics in garments. This command is generally utilized by critics to imply the absurdity of the Bible, God’s law and the following of His moral or ethical decrees. Before the Christian gets too tripped up by this though, it may be worth keeping in mind the difference between the moral law of God and what is commonly referred to as the ceremonial law of God. One part of the law remains, while another has been done away with through Jesus Christ, but the discussion of this, I am afraid, would extend past the scope of our goal here. This is a fact conveniently ignored by the critics as some of the following images attest.
For example…
And example…
And example…and example….and example…
The command against garments with mixed fabrics comes from two places, both within the Old Testament.
Leviticus 19:19, “Keep my decrees. Do not mate different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven from two kinds of materials.”
Deuteronomy 22:9-11, “Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled. Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together. Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.”
It seems there are four main categories which pertain to answering the question of why this was included in the Scripture or why God decreed to not wearing a garment made of two kinds of material and, perhaps by extension, the commands regarding animals and crops. If one would kindly allow, these are:
Symbolism
Practicality
Reservation
Figurative
I will explain these briefly before we attempt to examine the theories more in depth. Symbolism infers God decreed these things to send a message to the Israelites about greater issues. A nomadic culture focused on agriculture, where any written word was unlikely to be able to be read by all, such messages were important to send through metaphor, analogy, and simile so the common man could understand and find application. Through these means the Hebrew or Israelite was encouraged to not blend things like their God with other false gods, their culture with other cultures, and intermarry with other nations, which would have the result of them falling away from God. Practicality suggests God decreed such things, particularly those which were ceremonial and pronounced a person clean or unclean from reasons stemming from things like health concerns, social integration, efficiency in duty, and responsibility. Third, and most interestingly, is reservation, which I use to refer to the idea God commanded these things to the people because it was reserved, in this case, for say, the high priests, or those who would minister before the Lord. The last, figurative, is the idea these commands were not to be taken literally, and their true meaning would have been understood at the particular place and time, to indicate the command to keep the Hebrews pure from those they were about to encounter in their travels.
The latter is related to the first (inasmuch as I apply the word to the principle), but takes it to the extreme and near supposes the application the Hebrews would have employed and their understanding is somewhat obscured by history. Another point of interest in this brief overview is the observation we can draw seeing the possible validity of all of these, or elements of them, being attributable to an answer. Each of these could have its place in the ultimate explanation, but we should extrapolate the issues which arise when supposing each answer.
Symbolism
We can safely say this one holds a lot of weight among those who seek to explain the ceremonial decrees of God found in the Old Testament. While in a certain context it seems to make sense and be an adequate answer, on the other hand it has a couple pitfalls which can present some difficulty. The New Testament is said to promote this answer through the words of the apostle Paul and the author of the book of Hebrews.
Romans 15:4, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
1 Corinthians 9:8-10, “Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.’ Is it for the oxen that God is concerned? Does He not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in the hope and the thresher thresh in the hope of sharing the crop.”
1 Corinthians 10:6, “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.”
1 Corinthians 10:11, “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”
We briefly note the repetition of this point as emphasis.
Hebrews 8:5-7, “They serve a copy and shadow of heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, ‘See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.’ But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant He mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.”
What these verses show is the decrees of the past were meant and written down to foreshadow what was to come and were very symbolic in nature. The aforementioned pitfall we run into is the question of whether God would command something, judge someone, or encourage judgment among leaders within the social fabric (pardon the expression) of the Israelites, just for the sake of symbolism? While what was being foreshadowed was unquestionably of great importance, the idea this reason was the sole one might leave the theologian feeling this answer isn’t complete. Some may very well conclude the symbolism is an attribute of these decrees and not the lone reason for them. Let us then move on to the next possible answer.
Practicality
While there are many commands made by God in the Old Testament and New Testament where God explains Himself, it must be admitted there are too those passages where the reason isn’t always ironed out to our satisfaction. It might sometimes seem “unfair” God doesn’t explain Himself to our satisfaction, or in particular explain why we ought or ought not do something before we are expected to follow, but if we allow for God’s existence, then any explanation could be seen as an act of graciousness. By virtue of its office, authority doesn’t always need to explain itself (Please note: I am not saying authority has a blank check to do whatever it wants without criticism). I once had an authority figure tell me, “When I tell you to do something, you do it. You can ask why later.” I bring this up because God won’t always tell us why He is doing something, or give us the reason, nor does it mean we cannot know or won’t discover it. Sometimes the reason becomes apparent by following or not following, or if you prefer, consequence often reveals reason.
Therefore, many have embarked to look upon consequence of not following these commands to discern the reason why it may be commanded and it has led to some proposed practical ones. Indeed, the ceremonial unclean foods, at this era in history, presented some great health concerns, such as shellfish (which ironically we will get to in another context) and eating pork. When these were consumed in ancient times, they lead to much more illness and disease than is evident today because of a contemporary increase in safe food handling and preparation practices. The unequal yoking of two different beasts of burden is practical as well as symbolic. You certainly wouldn’t want to put a different or missized tire on your car while going through a nice drive over a mountain pass. Such would be impractical and dangerous. I can’t speak to the danger of two different species being yoked, but I can conceive of it being quite impractical based on size, power, speed, and the inequity of all these.
There has been some extensive work done on the practicality of many commands found in Deuteronomy and Leviticus pertaining to ceremonial law which has practical use and symbolic representation. Yet, how does this pertain to garments made of differing materials? Again, we can see it as symbolic, but does it have a practical reason? As to be expected, there are a number of theories on this, including the garment’s inability to keep a person cool in the climate, to static electricity (linen and wool are both are frequent culprits), to promotion of disease, to difficulty in cleaning and being unsanitary.
The Jamieson—Fausset—Brown Commentary does much to address the practical reasons for why such things may have been commanded and borrows from the classic treatise from Charles Whitlaw, The Scriptural Code of Health: With Observations on The Mosaic Prohibitions, and On The Principles and Benefits of The Medicated Vapor Bath published in 1838. The Commentary reads:
“Neither shall a garment mingled of linen and wollen come upon thee——Although this precept, like the other two with which it is associated, was in all probability designed to root out some superstition [Note: Some materials in those days were assigned to pagan spirits in a form of animism and this belief was found throughout the Ancient Near East], it seems to have had a further meaning. The law, it is to be observed, did not prohibit the Israelites wearing many different kind of cloths together, but only the two specified; and the observations and researches of modern science have proved that ‘wool, when combined with linen, increases its power of passing off electricity from the body. In hot climates, it brings on malignant fevers and exhausts the strength; and when passing off from the body, it meets with heated air, inflames and excoriates like a blister’ [Whitlaw].”
This inability to keep cool, bring about weakness and possibly illness isn’t beyond the realm of possibility, and indeed, the need to keep cool, and the inability of such a garment to do so, is referenced in the book of Ezekiel and provides a good transition into our next possibility. It says:
Ezekiel 44:17-19, “When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes; they must not wear any woolen garment while ministering at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple. They are to wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them perspire. When they go out into the outer court where the people are, they are to take off the clothes they have been ministering in and are to leave them in the sacred rooms, and put on other clothes, so that the people are not consecrated through contact with their garments.“
Reservation
This theory suggests when God gave this command, He was referring only to the common man, and was allowing for an exception which was the High Priest. There is supposedly a bit of evidence for this which we should examine.
Exodus 28:2-8, “And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother for glory and beauty. You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aron’s garments to consecrate him for My priesthood. These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a shash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve Me as priests. They shall receive gold, blue and purple scarlet yarns, and fine twisted linen. And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twisted linen, skillfully worked. It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together. And the skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue, and scarlet yearns and fine twisted linen.”
Cited here is the ESV translation which refers to yarn, which is traditionally made of wool, and linen in the ephod for Aaron or the priests. Given this translation, some have proposed the argument the command was made because such a blend of material was reserved for priests. This isn’t unheard of and it is purported such a law was found among the Hittite people which made certain materials exclusive to their pagan priests. My gut tells me though this may not be the answer. It seems odd for God to command something for a group of people without decreeing the exception. It would certainly lead to charges among the commoner of spiritual impropriety among the priesthood, which would naturally result in a distrust which they struggled with already. In addition, in case you thought there would be no translation confusion, rest assured there is! There is a disagreement between gold, blue, purple, scarlet referring to the “fine twisted linen” or if it regards another material. Further, if it does regard another material, does it mean “yarn” as “wool”? If it doesn’t refer to wool, then what could it possibly refer to? Does it even mean “yarn” at all?
Some Hebrew lexicons, render it as bysuss along with linen and not wool with linen. Bysuss makes a bit of sense, and it is a lost ancient art which supposedly the last person to know how to weave in it has recently past. It is regarded as the rarest textile on earth and is also referred to as “sea silk.” It is of a golden color and highly valuable, and given God’s statement these garments are to be made for “glory and beauty” and sea silk being gold in color, it would certainly fit the context. Sea silk is made of the filaments produced by a species of Mediterranean muscle (pinna nobilis) which in ancient times was woven into gold garments. If Exodus 28 does refer to two substances, it is unlikely it refers to wool yarn, and something else.
Fan mussel-grande nacre (Pinna nobilis)
Yet, looking at the Hebrew interlinear Bible, the passage seems to suggest, or present the possibility, it could refer to one material dyed into different colors, and not a blend (this would defeat any charge of contradiction. Certainly, not wool given what Ezekiel tells us.
Exodus 28:3-8, “And you shall speak to all the wise-hearted whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom; and they shall make the garments of Aaron to sanctify him for his serving as a priest to Me. And these are the garments which they shall make: a breast pocket, and an ephod, and a robe, and a tunic of woven stuff, a miter, and a girdle. And they shall make holy garments for your brother Aaron and for his sons, even for him to serve as a priest to Me. And they shall take the gold, and the blue, and the purple, and the crimson, and the bleached linen. And they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, crimson and bleached, twined linen, skilled work. It shall have two shoulder pieces at its two ends; and it shall be joined together. And the band of the ephod which is on it, like its work, shall be of it, gold, blue, and purple, and crimson, and bleached, twisted linen.”
LITV
In all likelihood, “yarn” is a bit of an oversight in the translation. Thus, I don’t find the reservation argument to be sound, but I don’t necessarily find it to be impossible either.
Figurative
Honestly, I try to avoid figurative answers wherever possible, because it seems like such a generic excuse to say, “The Bible meant it figuratively.” Yes, both figurative and literal passages exist in the Scripture, but such a answer seems quite cliche and I would encourage anyone interested in the realm of apologetics to forgo this as an explanation whenever possible and stretch their minds and efforts beyond it. A lot of times, as may be in this case, the figurative explanation is akin to saying, “The Bible doesn’t mean what the Bible said.” Therefore, we should use such a explanation sparingly and I think context of book content plays a large part in whether something is truly figurative. For instance, a cited parable, or selection from a poetic or prophetic book is much more apt to have figurative language than a historical account. That being said, lest we follow this tangent to far, let us continue.
The main problem I see with this kind of argument is when we suppose it to be prominent in the Bible, we start to appealing to a form of acognosticism and presses upon us the idea our current generation can’t understand the real meanings within the Scriptures. To adhere to the literary form of Jacques Derrida’s deconstructionism when it comes to biblical exegesis is quite dangerous. All this argues is the Bible was written for those present at the time and we can really have no firm idea what has really been lost in translation and transition between languages and the ages. Of what kind of foundation is this where upon we can have and build faith? A flimsy one. As said, there is a relationship between the symbolic explanation and the figurative explanation. So, as much as it is foolhardy to rely fully on the figurative it is so too with the symbolic. As said before, I cannot conclude God commanded it simply for sake of symbolism, but I can conclude symbolism is reflected in the practicality.
Jacques Derrida
Conclusion
This is really where I think we are left. There are practical reasons why these ceremonial decrees were made, and within these decrees exists a symbolism and teaching which may or may not have been more apparent to the Israelites, but regardless it doesn’t mean it has no worth to us today, or that we cannot grasp it. These lessons, the symbolism behind the decrees, and also their relative uselessness under the blood of Christ is something the Early Church fathers like Paul stressed and extrapolated. Reason, cause, or meaning are not always the same thing. I propose God had very practical reasons to give these commands to the Hebrews, but in them also imbibed great lessons and symbolism which would extend throughout the generations long after the ceremonial law had passed. Even unto eternity.
2 Corinthians 6:2, “For [God] says, ‘In an acceptable time I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ Behold, now is the acceptable time! Behold now is the day of salvation.” (LITV)
Paul here quotes from Isaiah 49:8. It would certainly be beneficial to us to refer to this verse in Isaiah, and the previous one, so that we might understand what the acceptable time means.
Isaiah 49:7-8, “The LORD, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, says to the One who is despised and rejected by the nations, to the One who is the servant of rulers: ‘Kings will stand at attention when you pass by. Princes will also bow low because of the LORD, the faithful one, the Holy One of Israel, Who has chosen You. At just the right time, I will respond to you. On the day of salvation I will help you. I will protect you and give you to the people as My covenant with them. Through You I will reestablish the land of Israel and assign it to its own people again.”
This chapter in Isaiah is a prelude, foreshadowing or prophecy of what would eventually come to pass. Israel would be in state of enmity against God and His Holy Servant Jesus Christ. Verse 7 gives us insight into this strife, which is extant on man’s part alone, but despite the presence of unbelief and outright hostility against God and God’s Holy One, God sought it fit to impart grace upon mankind.
I would ask the reader to reflect upon the sublimity of these facts, that at one of the most hostile times in history towards God and His Holy One, that God somehow, in accordance with a grace and love far surpassing that of human-kind, purposed a time of His favor through that same Holy One, Jesus Christ. As William MacDonald mentions, the “day of salvation” mentioned, as it pertains to Jesus, “refers to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
“Resurrection of Christ,” by Carl Heinrich Bloch. c. 1875
Therefore, this “time of favor” can be said to be situated between the resurrection and Christ’s return. Philip E. Hughes, of the NIV Study Bible, says:
“[This is] an affirmation that is true in a general sense of all God’s saving acts in the history of His people, but that finds its particular fulfillment in this present age of grace between the two comings of Christ.” –Philip E. Hughes, NIV Study Bible
Hughes correctly points out that throughout history there have been manifest times of God’s favor. However, there is an innovative originality concerning the particular age we live in now, where this hallowed salvation is made available to all mankind. Yet, we say this in a general sense, for there is also an individualistic sense in which, by Paul’s words, is not only suggested this blessed grace or salvation, but also it serves as a warning. For we are told that it is a time of God’s favor, but one necessary condition of time is that it passes. The direct consequent, then, is that this time of “acceptability” will pass. Henceforth, we understand the urgency of Paul’s message, that ‘now is the day of salvation.’
The NIV Study Bible points this out when it states:
“[‘Now’] underscores the urgency of the divine invitation.” –Philip E. Hughes, NIV Study Bible
Time is somewhat of a relative term as it is used here. We should realize that time can mean, this moment, today, this week, fifty years from now, a hundred, or, indeed, eons from now. Of course, the verse applies its message for today. Paul does this in probably the full understanding that mankind, when it comes to salvation and holiness are the greatest of procrastinators. We tend to put off these things like obedience and faith because we fool ourselves into thinking that we will always have tomorrow, the next day, or the next, and so on, to come under the grace of our Lord. However, nobody is guaranteed tomorrow, nor ten minutes from now. This strikes me as a rather prideful assertion and delusional assurance, for all evidence points to the contrary. Rather than putting these things off, let us today put on the full armor of God, with its helmet of salvation, shield of faith, shoes to spread the gospel of peace, breastplate of righteousness and belt of truth. Let us put on the shining armor of right living, as the Scriptures tells us:
Romans 13:12, “The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.”
Ephesians 6:11, “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.”
Ephesians 6:13-14, “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.”
1 Thessalonians 5:8, “But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.”
Let us again consider the general and specific application regarding this “time of salvation” as it pertains to both mankind as a whole (general) and the individual (specific). We find the generality of the time of God’s favor to pertain to all man in this age between the appearances of Christ. It is in this age we are offered salvation by and through faith (in which obedience becomes an integral part) in Jesus Christ. Yet, as we have said, since it is mentioned in the context of time, it will not carry on indefinitely. Rather, this time supposes an end, so, let us run in haste and endurance that race marked out before us, while we still exist within this state or time, for we do not know the time when it will come to an abrupt end.
Here is our chance. Here is our opportunity. Let no man suppose that this opportunity will always be there, for if it was the case the Scriptures would not emphasize us coming to the Lord, or obeying His statues, “as long as it is still today.” The Scriptures say:
Hebrews 3:7-8, “That is why the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested Me in the wilderness.’”
Hebrews 3:13, “You must warn each other every day, while it is still ‘today,’ so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.”
Hebrews 4:7, “So God set another time for entering His rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: ‘Today when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts.’”
Psalm 69:13, “But I pray to you, O LORD, in the time of Your favor, in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.”
Isaiah 55:6, “Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.”
Psalm 32:6, “Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to You while You may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach Him.”
No, we must run for the goal, which is Christ Jesus, in all due haste. How I cringe when I hear Christians suggest by their words that they can always ask for forgiveness later. How I cringe when I realize I too have done this very thing. Now I am not one to put limits on the grace of the Lord, for this is beyond my scope of knowledge, but this attitude speaks loudly in a resounding tone of arrogance and disrespectful presuppositions. For it supposes God will always forgive us and that He is always willing to forgive. Frightfully enough, the Scriptures, though Jesus tells us if we seek we shall find (Matthew 7:7), Proverbs makes it clear:
Proverbs 1:24-28, “I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention. You ignored My advice and rejected the correction I offered. So I will laugh when you are in trouble! I will mock you when disaster overtakes you—when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and anguish and distress overwhelm you. When they cry for help, I will not answer. Though they anxiously search for Me, they will not find Me.”
Therefore, let us not suppose we are always fit to be found under the grace of the Lord our God. However, those of us who have been forgiven for our past sins let us rejoice and take a firm hold of the faith. For the Lord has granted us favor, and not by our own works, but by His grace which transcends all understanding of man.
“For to be sure, He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by God’s Power. Likewise, we are weak in Him, yet by God’s power we will live with Him to serve you.” -2 Corinthians 13:4
When we read the Scriptures, we cannot help but be impressed with the lengths Christ had to descend in His humility to accomplish the goal. Though Paul offers a great compare/contrast here, there is one major difference between the weakness of Christ and the weakness of mere man. The weakness of Christ was manifest due to His perfect obedience, while the weakness of man, is often made apparent by our disobedience. The weakness of Christ, and His humility, even to the point of death, is infinitely stronger than the greatest of man’s strength! He was perfectly obedient, for Christ was well aware of His mission on earth, and that it must be completed, lest none of us become saved.
Yet, as we realize that Christ was man, as well as a vital part of the Trinity, we see that Christ had His struggles. Not to the point of sin and disobedience, for if this were the case our faith would be meaningless, but rather, as a man, He dealt with temptation and even fear. We do not have a Lord who sits up on high, making commands from afar, with no personal understanding of the difficulty man has in overcoming sin. Instead, we have a Lord who became man, faced the very same challenges we face, and more, was crucified, and rose again victorious.
Thereby, it gives us hope to realize our Lord did wage war against sin, temptation, and looked upon His crucifixion with trepidation. This is, of course, to put it mildly. We are told in Luke 22:44, that during His praying within the garden of Gethsemane that He sweat as blood. This, and His prayer, in which He prayed God would take the cup from Him if it was His will, are some heavy indications of the turmoil and fear Christ must have felt in that part of His nature that was man. Yet, could He have sweat blood?
This rare medical condition is known as hematidrosis, or, hematohidrosis. Rather than some kind of obscure condition, though it’s rare, history, apart from the account of Christ, is full of examples of this occurring. In fact, Leonardo da Vinci, wrote the account of a solider who sweat blood before battle. I also recall hearing an account of a young girl who living in or near London during the blitz sweat blood out of fear. The blood vessels around the sweat glands rupture, the blood seeping into the glands, and it pushes the blood and sweat to the surface. The experience is said to be rather painful, for the skin becomes extremely tender.
Even to the point of shedding His blood in such a fashion, Christ was obedient to the Fathers will, and though He could have stopped the crucifixion, and indeed destroyed all of Rome, He did not. To be obedient to God, He appeared as weak, though in reality, He was strong, so that by what occurred at Calvary, we may all be saved by His strength and obedience, and that we may be clothed in it, even in our weakness, to serve God and others as Christ did. As the Father raised Christ, so too will we be raised, for like our sin was put upon Christ at Golgotha, His righteousness will be put upon even the weakest of those who come to Him in faith and persevere. To Him be all the praise and glory. Amen.
“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!” -Romans 5:10
There were times, and are times when I act more in accordance with an enemy of God than an ally. This is of course much to my shame, but this is essentially what sin is, battling against God and those perfect decrees He has made known through all creation. Yet, through the death of Christ on the cross there is offered reconciliation even for the likes of myself. Furthermore, if that what was accomplished through His death, how much more was accomplished by His resurrection? His death was the gateway into salvation and His resurrection the completion. It could not have been accomplished unless these two things were in complete unity. As 1 Corinthians 15:17 states:
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”
Thus, when we come to Christ in faith, we must believe upon Him, His death, and His resurrection. For in His death we die along with our sins, but in His life we arise as a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (see my note on, “On The Old Overtaken by What is New”) tells us:
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, and the new has come!”
Though we are made anew, this doesn’t necessarily mean we won’t contest with those things we allied to when we were enemies of God. In fact, those sins which enslaved our lives are more apt to be the ones we most struggle with in Christ. Yet, let us never tire of doing good, for despite our flaws, we are being renewed day by day (see my note concerning 2 Corinthians 4:16, “On Not Losing Heart Due to Sin”). This can be an esoteric truth to understand when one comes to Christ and it may serve the enemy to trip up those who are new to the faith. I once had a discourse with a messenger from Satan regarding this very thing.
I had found myself losing battles but striving to do what was right in sight of the Lord. The enemy came to me saying, “Are you sure this is what you want? In me is true contentment, lack of struggle and gratification.” I am not proud to recount that it was a temptation for me. Did I really want to fight against the flesh, isn’t it much easier to go the way of sin, than of righteousness? I found myself warring against myself and I prayed for some sort of guidance and delivery from the argument. This temptation was apparently very effective, for I almost buckled under the weight of it. I kept warring back and forth between ease of gratification and the difficulty of conviction.
Then the Lord began to answer me and the dark messenger. I found myself responding to the enemy, that even if I fail, even to the point of eternal condemnation, I shall rejoice that Christ has been victorious. By responding as such, the provocation subsided and I was astounded at the thought, to be honest, for like anyone I fear the fires of hell, but my fear was trumped by my love and praise. I began to realize, with the help of verses like the aforementioned one in Romans, that despite losing battles, the Lord is the one who won the war on our behalf. I consistently see new Christians struggle with this very thing, the associations of conviction and condemnation, but as this verse suggests, it’s not about the skirmishes that we may lose, but who we ally ourselves to. I began to see from a different point of view, that in conviction God doesn’t condemn, but rather uses it to produce better soldiers in His army.
Illustration for John Milton's, "Paradise Lost," by Gustave Dore, c. 1866
The Lord is putting us through a Holy boot camp, that we may serve Him to the best of our ability, and that our abilities may keep improving and developing. If one who has given their life to Christ, still finds themselves asking if they truly belong to Him, they must transcend the worlds idea of worth through action. One should seek inside themselves what side they really are fighting for and against, without taking their lost battles into account, for as I mentioned before, Christ has already won the war. Ally yourself on he side of victory and push beyond what you may conceive as easy, for as the Lord showed me at the end of my discourse with the darkness, effort is put in serving the sinful nature, just as it is in surpassing it. May you surpass it and receive the blessings of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
"Christ Blessing," by Simone Martini. tempera on panel, c. 1317
“I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” -Galatians 1:11-12
Here Paul refutes a argument common in his day, and likewise currently, that the gospel was made up by man. Paul’s own evidence is that he did not study under any of the apostles, and in fact didn’t meet them until three years after his ministry had begun. As it states in Galatians Chapter 1, Verses 18-19:
“Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. 19I saw none of the other apostles only James, the Lord’s brother.”
Cephas, which means “rock,” in this case is actually Peter. Some dispute this, but when one considers that Christ gives Peter this name in the Gospel of John, and that Paul says, “I saw none of the other apostles,” it indicates to us that he did indeed see at least one of the apostles, Peter, and stayed with him 15 days.
The main point of the passage, however, is that Paul, who himself used to be known as Saul, was preaching a gospel without former knowledge from any source apart from Christ Himself. It was from Christ that he received his new name and the message of reconciliation.
"The Conversion of Saul," by Michelangelo. fresco, c. 1542-1545
Yet, why all these name changes? It’s not meant to confuse, rather provide clarity and symbolism. When we come to Christ in faith, we are told we become a “new creation,” and that the old has gone (See my note on 2 Corinthians 5:17, “On The Old Overtaken By What is New”). Thus, our worldly name, and those of many people in scripture, are changed to symbolize that they indeed are a new creation. Our names too will change, according to Revelation, when we are finally removed from this tent and live in our heavenly dwelling with the Lord. Revelation 2:17 states:
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known to only him who receives it.”
The color white within scripture symbolizes, purity, righteousness, and refinement. We will be pure beings which will be represented by our new names. Furthermore, sometimes after we come to the Lord we can feel rather insignificant, that we are merely a small particular in an aggregate of believers and though we may have a relationship with the Lord, it’s nothing spectacular and may be commonplace in the vast sea of the faithful. Yet, this verse in Revelation is touching because it shows us that our individual relationship with the Lord is unique. In fact, the relationship you have, and will have, nobody else has. That’s how close of friends we are with Jesus Christ (See my note concerning John 15:15, “On Having a Friendship With The Lord”). This is an amazing thing to reflect upon and I encourage everyone to do so, and that in love, I pray your relationship with the Lord may grow deeper and infinitely more profound. Amen.
"Christ Pantocrator," by Master of Cefalu. mosaic, greco-byzantine style. Location: Cefalu Cathedral, Sicily, Italy. c. 1150
“Looking at His disciples, He said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God. 21Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. 24But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. 25Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.'”
If one has ears to hear, let him hear. Many verses containing the word of Christ, and indeed throughout the Bible, contain some passages that may look curious or downright scary at first glance. Furthermore, they may seem to contradict the rest of what scripture says, though with closer inspection this isn’t the case. Although this section provided me with a lot of comfort, it also alarmed me somewhat.
It seemed to say that to follow Christ I had to be in a constant state of misery. This obviously isn’t the case. When we look at the example of Paul for instance, we find that he was content no matter what he lacked or what hardships he faced. As he says in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions in difficulties.” Instead, he had a faith that produced a harvest of contentment and joy no matter what the circumstance. So what is Jesus saying here? Does it contradict the joy that Paul, the apostles, and we have? Not at all, for even Christ Himself tells us to rejoice and “leap for joy” in verse 23.
"San Paolo," by Pompeo Batoni. oil on canvas, c. 1742
2 Corinthians 5:4 says:
“For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.” (See my Note, “On Being Swallowed up by Life”)
Paul both groans and delights. Using these scriptures, what Christ really means in the aforementioned passage in Luke becomes clear. A Christian is not supposed to be void of laughter, or even prosperity. A Christian is warned in Romans 12:2 to, “not conform to the pattern of this world.” Though we are in the world we are not of the world, for now our eyes are focused on Christ. Our contentment rests not in the things of this world, and those activities and materials man chases after to pacify himself, but rather it rests on Christ. This being the case we ache, or groan, to be in our heavenly dwelling and away from the body and it’s meaningless desires, for we know the things of God are not momentary like those things people find “contentment” in within the world, but rather everlasting and more glorious than anything currently made up of the physical or based upon it.
We should not find contentment or delight in mere things, for as all physicality will disappear to be renewed, so will those things based upon material. In addition, our happiness should not be dependent on man. If one constantly chases after approval of man, then he shifts more often than shadows. Such a person is deceptive to both himself and those he seeks approval from. Contentment in this is just as fleeting, for man’s support will vanish from you at anytime. The reliability of superficial friendships is a farce and often self-serving, ironically to both parties. As it is said, no one can serve two masters.
Serve God, fix your eyes on His son and you will gain an eternal contentment and joy that is based on the everlasting, not given to decay and abandonment like the things of this world, but instead He who promises to carry you through all things. As Christians we will have heartache, hardships, and insults, but lo, how fleeting these things are, for when the physical as we know it now ceases to be, weeping will be transformed into joy, hunger to satisfaction, exclusion to inclusion, and a lack of possession into great riches within the Kingdom. To this we await and look forward to.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” -2 Corinthians 4:16
This verse is one that I personally need to repeat to myself daily. When one first comes to Christ and is covered by grace, it is often easier to accept it offers the nullification of the sins of the past than it is to understand that this very same grace covers the sins of the future. Now, I am not one who likes to consistently blame our sins on Satan directly, for to do so negates our own responsibility in sight of the Lord. Furthermore, since we are offered forgiveness in Christ, it testifies to our role in accepting and following the temptations or tricks of Satan.
Before one comes to Christ, Satan’s deceptions center around keeping man from accepting God or coming to Him. Yet, after we are covered by grace, it seems that Satan reaches into a entirely different bag of tricks altogether. One of his favorite tools is one of condemnation for believers.
"Lucifer in Hell," by Gustave Dore. engraving, c. 1861 (From Dante's "Divine Comedy," Canto 34 of "Inferno")
As I have mentioned before, Satan hasn’t created anything. He merely takes God’s purpose, His great deeds, and twists, manipulates or perverts them, offering them unto man in a way God hadn’t intended. Our responsibility is apparent when we choose to follow either truth, or the lies of darkness.
As Christians, Satan may now attack us in ways that belittle Christ’s sacrifice and/or our relationship with the Lord. When we come to Jesus and are baptized in His blood, we begin to gain a conviction of sin through the Spirit and we may feel guilty or sorrowful for our disobedience in sight of God. Yet, the enemy tries to twist this conviction into condemnation, again making a mockery of what Christ accomplished on the cross.
"The Darkness at The Crucifixion," by Gustave Dore. engraving, c. 1866
I am no stranger to this lie, and I remain quite convinced it is a common trick used by the enemy that Christians need to be aware of and refute using scripture. This is a verse the Lord led me too early on after my conversion and one that has allowed me to overcome the stumbling block of such condemnation. This is the very same condemnation Christ took upon Himself and freed me of and it is disrespectful to the Lord to say that what He did wasn’t good enough for me, when everything about the message of reconciliation says otherwise.
Yet, let us remember that we are not given a divine “get out of jail free card,” to continue sinning. For to rely on grace as an excuse to continue sinning is to trample on the blood of Christ and take advantage of God’s Son to indulge in your own evil desires. This is disrespectful and evil as well, and I urge all Christians to not fall into that trap. The grace of God is not a pass for sin, but an opportunity to fight against it. Sin still has the ability to easily entangle, that’s why the conviction of the Spirit is so important, not to condemn, but to warn or identify that area in your life that remains a stronghold.
Give thanks that God does not want you to take on these strongholds alone. It is important that one press on, ignore the taunts from the enemy, work on your relationship with the Lord, and pray He would mold your heart and guide you into victory. If God demanded perfection in man, then Christ wouldn’t have came. What He does demand however, is your love, faith, trust and loyalty.
Do not lose heart if you slip and fall, for Christ’s grace is sufficient for you, just as it was for Paul. As a river’s water is renewed day by day, Christ, the River of Life, will renew your water day after day, hour after hour, and moment by moment. Though our bodies age, decay and become marred by mud, sweat and blood, the internal self is not bound to such a sentence. Rather we can develop that side of ourselves which is unseen, and gain a richer relationship and understanding of our Savior.
Do not let conviction of sin, and even guilt, turn into condemnation, which is closely followed by despair, for this leads to death. Rather rejoice, not in your sin, but instead that the Lord by His Spirit is convicting you of it, and is therefore with you, and realize that if He couldn’t cover your sin, you wouldn’t have been granted the Spirit, a deposit guaranteeing what is to come, in the first place.
“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” -2 Corinthians 12:7
"The Conversion of Saul," by Gustave Dore. engraving, c. 1865
Let us not compare our Christian walk or spiritual gifts with anyone else in the Body of Christ. Romans 12:6-8 makes it abundantly clear that we differ in gifts and those godly manifestations expressed in the body. These are from God and are granted to us by His grace. This is important to realize, for even these blessed gifts by the Lord can be used by our sinful nature to feed our pride.
The enemy loves to turn our work for the Lord into something sinful. It’s not to say the work of the Lord in and of itself is sinful, of course not, but rather that we ourselves may sin in our efforts to be in complete obedience with our Lord. We may have the gift of prophecy and we may serve, teach, encourage, give, lead, or show mercy. Yet, a hidden danger might lie in wait, for instead of acknowledging the source, we may use these gifts to feed our pride. This verse suggests that Paul himself was tempted with this as he followed obediently to complete God’s great works.
"Apostle Paul," by Rembrandt. oil on canvas, c. 1657
Yet, God in His wisdom knew that this would hinder the great work He was doing through and with Paul. This partnership would have been spoiled if the apostle would have become conceited. So, there was given to Paul a thorn in his flesh, “a messenger of Satan,” to torment him. What this “thorn” actually was has been debated for some time. These range from a physical malformation or defect of some sort, to a sin that tormented Paul. Regardless of what it was, we know that this “thorn” kept Paul grounded with the Lord, and he eventually found that “thorn” to be a blessing, for without it Christ’s power wouldn’t be able to “rest on him” to the degree it did.
Outside Christ, who was perfect, even the most amazing men of God in the scriptures had grievous faults, which should give us some hope. It certainly does me. Moses for example was a murderer, had anger issues, was a stutterer, and was disobedient to the Lord. Though Moses was disciplined for this by not being able to enter the promised land, God used this faulty man to do an amazing work, as He can use us, as faulty as we are, to do great works as well.
"Moses Striking The Egyptian (detail)," Amsterdam Hagadah, c. 1695
When we come to the Lord in faith, He is not beyond bringing hardship, weakness, persecutions, “thorns,” and difficulties in our lives so that we may not loose sight of Him. If we are too prideful in our walk with the Lord and in the gifts He bestows in us, we should not be too shocked when, in His sovereignty, brings about a hardship to “ground” us.
Although I don’t like speaking for God, I do feel comfortable saying that God doesn’t want to encourage sin in your life. So if you haven’t been granted gifts to a fullness yet, perhaps if they were given unto you, the glory would go to the self and not God.
Let us pray for the understanding at only comes from the Spirit, that we may be instructed on how to avoid becoming to proud in our obedience and the gifts God pours into us. Let us pray that we will give credit where it’s due, that is, to the source of the gifts we are presented and indeed all things. Let us forever strive not to pervert that which is Holy or shift the glory of God onto the self. May He be forever praised. Amen.
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” -Romans 12:3
"The Confusion of Tongues," by Gustave Dore. engraving, c. 1865
In my earlier post concerning 2 Corinthians 10:7 entitled, “On Proper Pride and Humility,” I discussed a little about the relative aspects of pride and a few ways one can avoid this particular sin in their life. Yet, I feel some added clarification is required, that we may gain a deeper understanding of this sin, in order that it might be identified. Pride has great ability at concealing itself in ones life, by defining it with more clarity, we may illuminate it.
Pride at its very core is a lie and deceitful. To have pride in oneself, is to take those attributes one has been granted by God and embellish upon them so they become more than they are. As Paul urges, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.” This in essence it what pride is, to think of oneself more highly than you should, or to think about a particular attribute more than you should.
Therefore, if you stand in front of a mirror and suck it in and flex periodically, as I have been known to do, you are exercising that pride. Also, if you are a big, “Rock Band” fan and picture yourself in your minds eye playing in front of a crowd of screaming women, or men, this is also prideful. Do not use your mind and heart to exalt and exaggerate the self, for to do so is incredibly sinful. In addition, because you will fall short in this elaboration, this can lead to extreme depression, when one doesn’t match up to the conception offered up by the sinful mind.
In atheism, a popular argument against God’s being, is that if He existed or exists than He is an extremely prideful being. Yet, when we take Paul’s definition, we find this not to be the case at all. God knows exactly who He is and cannot be anything different. Furthermore, because he is the thing-above-which-no-greater-can-be-thought, as defined perfectly in St. Anselm of Canterbury’s Ontological Argument, He is perfectly worthy of worship. In fact, due to God’s knowledge of exactly what He is, this is humility.
"Sistine Chapel Ceiling (detail)," by Michelangelo. fresco, c. 1508-1512
Paul continues saying, “think of yourself in sober judgment.” This is what humility is when it is in, “accordance with the faith God has distributed.” This being the case then it negates the idea of God being a prideful, and thereby sinful deity. God cannot deceive Himself, for this would present an irreconcilable contradiction, for He would have to imagine Himself greater than He is, which is an impossibility when one applies the definition of God offered by Anselm.
This verse suggests something which may give some insight into what human nature consists of. We are told, again, to think of ourselves in sober judgment in accordance with our faith in Christ. Thereby, since faith plays such a roll in the sober judgement of self, the question arises if we can have any victory against pride away from Christ? I would argue we can’t for the world is based on the self and the flesh. This sin of pride is the very same that drove Adam and Eve from the Garden. In a world where even good actions are self serving and motivated by the self, this doesn’t seem like a complete absurdity.
"Adam and Eve Expelled," by Gustave Dore. engraving, c. 1865
To be in accordance with one’s faith, we need to realize that we are indeed imperfect and sinful. This is how Paul had such a lowly conception of himself without sinning. Paul realized how much of a sinner he was and how unworthy he was to both serve God, and be offered grace through Jesus Christ. Paul was completely humble in that he knew what he was and worked for God to serve all man and almost singlehandedly brought about the New Israel among the Gentiles.
Remember to use discernment and do not elaborately adorn yourself with things like makeup, clothing (but please do wear clothes), jewelry, and anything that you use to magnify your being. This goes for both men and women. Yet, at the same time, we do not need to look like we just crawled out of a gutter whenever we go out in public, but we should use, “sober judgement in accordance with the faith.” Do not attempt to hide the beauty of being that goes beyond mere appearances, but be modest. God has granted you many things and because God is perfect, they are perfect. Do not magnify it by means of worldly things to either please the self or others, for this is a stumbling block to both, and sinful.
Finally, God has distributed the Spirit to all those in the faith. I can’t address every context and every situation, for such wisdom and omniscience belongs to God alone. Pray to the Lord that He may reveal you by the Spirit of Truth, if such sin is present, and to what degree. Pray that He would help and instruct you how to walk that thin line between both pride and envy, that you may see yourself for who you are, a precious child of the Most High.
Brandon Devotional 