Monthly Archives: May 2020

Before Abraham Was, I Am

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Jesus had several interactions with the religious leaders of the Jews. They hated Him because He challenged their authority and often taught contrary to their own teachings. Sometimes, Jesus said things which they thought were simply blasphemous. The passage below is one of these instances.

Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. (John 8:52-59)

To understand what made the Jews so angry that they wanted to stone Jesus, we need to look to the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament). When Moses was called by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses basically asked God who He was.

And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (Exodus 3:13-14)

So when Jesus, in John 8:58, stated “Before Abraham was, I am”, the Jews knew exactly what He was saying. Jesus was stating, in no uncertain terms, that He is the same God who spoke to Moses–the great I AM. This infuriated the Jews because they understood that as blasphemy and deserving of death. This was further reinforced by Jesus’ conveying that He existed before Abraham.

Jesus was very clear. He is God because He is the I AM.

Baltimore Pastor Defies Government Order Against In-Person Church Service

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A pastor in Baltimore tore up a cease and desist letter the church received for holding in-person services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The church was threatened with a $5,000 fine.  The pastor cited Hebrews 10:25 as his reasoning for defying the order.

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

https://www.newsmax.com/us/baltimore-pastor-stay-at-home-church/2020/05/21/id/968353/

Now I don’t care that he wants to defy a government order.  That’s fine with me and I think he’s likely on good legal ground, although it may not sit as well with the community there regarding the church’s testimony.  That’s for him and the church to decide.  But I do object to misinterpreting and misapplying biblical passages.  Here’s my beef with using that verse the way he does. 

  1. The context of that passage is not a formal church service.  It’s provoking one another to love and good works and exhorting (coming alongside) each other in support.  This does not require a church service.  I would argue that this, very often, is best done outside of a formal service.
  2. The “assembling” simply means a gathering together in one place.  It does not refer to a specific number or percentage of people.  It’s just Christians getting together in any context which supports provoking to love and good works which should prevent God’s punishment for those who otherwise could fall into sin.  (Heb. 10:29)
  3. If he really believes that “so much the more” refers to church services, then I would ask him when he is adding more regular church services to the weekly church schedule.  The fact that he doesn’t proves my point.

My interpretation and application of that verse is that Christians should gravitate towards one another for support as our world approaches the end.  There are a few other details involved, but that’s the basic idea.  It has nothing to do with a church service.  As a matter of fact, the Bible does not specify what day or time that a local church should meet (contrary to popular opinion). 

In my reading of this passage, if Christians gather informally in a home, workplace, or at a restaurant for mutual exhortation, they likely are fulfilling Hebrews 10:25. 

Sermon Shorts from Spurgeon – Sermon 4: The Personality of the Holy Ghost

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But is it not said in Scripture, and do we not feel it, dear brethren, that it is the Holy Ghost who regenerates the soul? It is the Holy Ghost who quickens us. “You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.” It is the Holy Spirit who imparts the first germ of life, convincing us of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come. And is it not the Holy Spirit, who, after that flame is kindled, still fans it with the breath of his mouth and keeps it alive? Its author is its preserver. Oh! can it be said that it is the Holy Ghost who strives in men’s souls; that it is the Holy Ghost who brings them into the sweet place that is called Calvary—can it be said that he does all these things, and yet is not a person? It may be said, but it must be said by fools; for he never can be a wise man who can consider these things can be done by any other than a glorious person—a divine existence.

From the Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volume 1, Sermon 4 by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

https://ccel.org/ccel/spurgeon/sermons01/sermons01.iv.html

Forgiving Sins, Healing the Lame

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Here is another passage where Jesus’ words (and actions) demonstrated that He is truly God in the flesh. It involves His teaching ministry and the religious leaders of His day learned more than they could handle.

And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. 19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? 23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? 24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. 25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. (Luke 5:17-25)

First, notice the priority of the lame man’s friends. They had to get him to Jesus! And they weren’t above destroying the roof of the house to do it! This prompted an immediate response from Jesus.

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Sermon Shorts from Spurgeon – Sermon 3: The Sin of Unbelief

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Faith fosters every virtue; unbelief murders every one. Thousands of prayers have been strangled in their infancy by unbelief. Unbelief has been guilty of infanticide; it has murdered many an infant petition; many a song of praise that would have swelled the chorus of the skies, has been stifled by an unbelieving murmur; many a noble enterprise conceived in the heart has been blighted ere it could come forth, by unbelief. Many a man would have been a missionary; would have stood and preached his Master’s gospel boldly; but he had unbelief. Once make a giant unbelieving, and he becomes a dwarf. Faith is the Samsonian lock of the Christian; cut it off, and you may put out his eyes—and he can do nothing.

From the Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volume 1, Sermon 3 by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

https://ccel.org/ccel/spurgeon/sermons01/sermons01.iii.html