Did Jesus Really Say They Would Certainly Die?

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. …

And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 3:1-7, 22-24

Do you ever get confused about what Jesus really said? Do you ever question the severity of the consequences if we ignore what he said?

I have. I know others who have. It seems the serpent always begins with the same tactic ...

Did Jesus really say, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me”?

Well, who would want to believe that? Now the faithful adherents of every religion outside of Christianity are separated from God. But Jesus really said it (John 14:6). They will certainly die.

Did Jesus really say, “If you do not forgive others their sins, your father will not forgive your sins”?

I once had to teach this verse to a fifth-grader. We began by talking about some of the bad things that could happen to him in school. He carried on for a long while about his righteous anger at the suggestions and the many creative ways he would inflict his wrath on his enemies if such things came about. This verse stopped him cold. Jesus really said it (Matthew 6:15). Those who live in anger and unforgiveness will certainly die.

Did Jesus really say, “If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned”?

Not according to a few Bible studies I’ve attended. Once saved, always saved is a far more comforting doctrine and the easier the path to that label “saved” the better. After all, who wants to consider the possibility that our self-deceived loved ones who said the sinner’s prayer and then went right back to sinful living aren’t going to be with us in Heaven? But Jesus really said it (John 15:6). Those who do not remain in him will certainly die.

Did Jesus really say, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven”?

This verse came up at a Bible study I attended, and one of my friends was so unsettled by it that she decided to stop thinking about it and pretend it didn’t exist. But Jesus did say that (Matthew 7:21). There are those who think they know the Lord who will certainly die.

To some up all this dreariness, here’s what Jesus said: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

Without Warning

Peggy and I loved our first house, and like most first-time home buyers we eagerly got to work on making the place feel like “us.” Several coats of paint covered the baseboards and window frames, for instance, so we bought a heat gun to peel back to the natural woodwork. As I opened the package and scanned the instructions, what do you think was the very first rule on the list? “Do not use as a hair dryer.” I’m not kidding. Now, a paint-stripping heat gun can reach 1000 degrees, so I understand the manufacturer’s sense of responsibility, but what does this warning tell us but that someone, somewhere, had tried to use the tool for this very purpose?

Recalling this episode from 30 years ago, I recently snooped around a bit to see what other outrageous rules I could find. There were plenty; here are a few. Dashboard sun shade: “Do not drive with sun shield in place.” Dremel rotary tool: “This product is not intended for use as a dental drill.” Clothes iron: “Do not iron clothes on body.” And this one from a small-tractor manufacturer couldn’t have been more straight-forward: “Avoid death.” (Noted!) Why does the most brilliant species on the planet need such rudimentary rules to protect us from the obvious? Simple. It’s because common sense eludes us at times, doesn’t it?

We could look at God’s law the same way, couldn’t we? Think about it: Do not murder people. Do not steal other people’s stuff. Do not steal other people’s spouses, either. And don’t even think about making up other gods. I mean, why do we need warning labels for the basics of morality? Simple. It’s because, despite our best intentions, living in love can elude us, too. So, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus brought the matter home a little bit more. Don’t murder people … and don’t even hold a grudge against them. Don’t steal other people’s stuff … in fact, give to those who ask. Don’t steal other people’s spouses, either … in fact, don't even entertain the thought, but just move on. Jesus’ point? True love is selfless, no matter the cost, regardless of outcome.

Concluding the best sermon ever told, Jesus told the people this: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matthew 7:24, 25). He thus counseled all humankind to build our life on God’s love and truth, for real love needs no warning labels.

Jesus, your words are life. Fill us with your Spirit, that we would recall your counsel, internalize your truth, and live in the love that can only come from you. Amen.

Christ in me is wisdom.

[Click here to read today's Scripture in Matthew 7:24-29.]

Creed and Deed

[See today's Scripture in Matthew 7:24-29.]

Are you familiar with the “knowing-doing gap”? It is a common phenomenon in which people talk about an issue, perhaps learn a lot about it, but don’t do anything about it. Many meetings close with participants somehow thinking that, by discussing an issue, they’ve actually done something to address it, even though their contemplations never even approached a resolution, let alone an action step!

Wisdom has no knowing-doing gap. Knowing what is best and not doing what is best is really pretty silly. “Foolish,” we might say. It’s the opposite of wisdom. Solomon knew this. When God told the king in a dream to ask for whatever he wanted, Solomon requested “a discerning heart,”[i] for he needed understanding and insight to distinguish between right and wrong as he governed Israel. Wisdom to Solomon was for a purpose beyond mere knowledge; he knew understanding as something to be applied.

Jesus knew it, too. His Sermon on the Mount was wisdom from God concerning forgiveness, enemies, fidelity, possessions, judgment, faith, and several other life challenges. Then concluding his instruction, He specifically cautioned against any knowing-doing gap: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. . . . But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.”[ii]

Wisdom is both creed and deed; it is acting on what we know to be true. In fact, the apostle James said that if we hear the word and don’t do the word, it eludes us. If, on the other hand, we apply what we come to know, we are blessed.[iii] His simple advice? “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”[iv]

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[i] 1 Kings 3:9

[ii] Matthew 7:24, 26

[iii] James 1:23–25

[iv] James 1:22

[Today's blog post is an excerpt from: Christ in Me. Copyright 2016. Paul Nordman. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

What does the wolf say?

As children, my brother, sister and I were well loved.  While no parents are perfect, ours took daily initiative to teach us, to guide us, to read with us and to teach us about God.  They provided for us, listened to us and celebrated our successes, be they big leaps or incremental steps.

And because they loved us, our parents also warned us of life’s harsh realities.  Their tone could be stern and appropriately so, for their aim was to get our attention and protect us from the consequences of poor decisions.  Their vantage point was much higher and more informed than ours, and it meant everything to them that we not be naive, but wise to the ways of a world we had yet to experience.

It was in this kind of proactive protection that Jesus warned his followers, “Watch out for false prophets.  They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”  Why? Because they would lead us away from the Father and his will.

So how do we detect these fangs in fleece, anyway?  Jesus says simply to consider the fruit, for actions and words proceed from the heart.  If they don’t line up with those of the Word of God, what appears to be a outwardly ovine may well be camouflaged canine.  Here are some examples of false prophet-speak ...

The wolf says, “You have your ticket to heaven, so whatever you do is all right.”  The Good Shepherd says, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”  His point was this: true belief evidences itself in obedience to God.

The wolf says, “God wants you to be happy, so indulge in whatever feels right!”  The Word says, “We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”  Our sin nature only desires that which is contrary to the Spirit, so we are called to submit our words and actions not to our feelings, but to God.

The wolf says, “You’re too busy to serve.”  The Bible says, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who ... made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”  It’s putting “love your neighbor as yourself” into action.

The wolf says, “If you share the gospel, you might offend someone.”  The Lamb of God says, “go and make disciples of all nations...”  Aren’t we glad someone shared Jesus Christ with us?

Like the caring parents who know far more than their children, God warns us to beware the wolves among us, for they would lead us astray.  So we do well to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves.  And don’t cozy up to carnivores.

[Click here to see today's reading in Matthew 7:15-23.]

Closing the Gap

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall.”  Matthew 7:24-25

Have you ever heard of the “knowing-doing gap”?  It’s a common phenomenon in which people talk about an issue, learn a lot about it, but don’t actually do anything about it.  Many meetings close with participants somehow thinking that, by talking about a problem, they’ve done something about it, even though their conversation never even approached a resolution!

Jesus’ words in today’s text come at the conclusion of “The Sermon on the Mount.”  He had covered much ground: the blessings of the Beatitudes ... being salt and light in the world ... his fulfillment of the Law and the prophets ... guarding not only one’s actions, but also the heart ... loving others ... prayer and fasting ... building treasures in heaven ... choosing the narrow path that leads to life ... and being wise to false teachings and those who utter them. And he adjourned the outdoor meeting with this “knowing-doing” warning: “But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

In correctly observing that we are saved by grace and not by works, we sometimes err by downplaying the “doing” of the Word.  But believing and doing are joined at the hip, and doing is no less important than believing.  In Romans 1:5, we find this relationship between the two: "obedience ... comes from faith."  In Hebrews 11 – “the Hall of Faith” – we read, “By faith Abraham ... obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”  James tells us that “faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead.”  And Jesus asks, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

Throughout the Bible, God speaks to us both words of promise and words of command; we say “yes” to his promises by believing them, and we say “yes” to his commands by doing them.  We are saved in trusting in his grace; and our works arise out of obeying the voice of him who lives in us through faith.

Believing and doing are indeed joined at the Biblical hip.  In Christ, there is no “knowing-doing gap.”  In him, there is no such thing as “yes” to his promises and “no” to his commands.  In him, there is only “yes” and “yes.”

Make that “Yes!” and “Yes!”