Michael Somers

Apostasy

The theme of spiritual growth has been a focus in In the last three readings I’ve been assigned. Today is number four.

Three posts ago was, The 5 Essentials for Christian Growth from Philippians 1:9-11;
the next post was, The 3 Stages of Christian Growth (and how to avoid them) from 1 Thessalonians 5; where the topic was grieving the Spirit.
the last post was, Be Strong from 2Timothy 2:2-6, wherein Paul gave us four relatable examples of what we should grow into, the teacher, the soldier, the athlete and the farmer.

Hebrews 5 closes with a warning against apostasy. Having heard enough to be teachers of Christ, there were those in this congregation that were turning back to Judaism. (Hebrews 5:12) The Jews identified with being teachers, leaders of the blind, but here the writer rebukes them, essentially saying, you need to go back to the essentials. You need to start again at the beginning with the basic things.

We know from 1John 2:12-16 the three stages of Christian growth:

Babes. Babes in Christ know the name of Jesus.
Young Men. Young men in Christ are strong. They know the Word and use the Word (the truth) to overcome the deceiver.
Fathers. Fathers in Christ know God.

In my estimation, the writer was essentially saying, you think you are on stage three but you are obviously failing stage two (you are deceived).

This statement is made to the whole congregation as a preface to what the writer is going to share. In paraphrasing, he is saying, ‘I’m getting ready to go deep here. Get ready, and know that some of you aren’t going to get it because you’re self-deceived.’ The beginning of chapter 6 then wraps up the warning to those that have heard the truth and been led astray down paths of false doctrine. It is horrifying.

God, may we all grow in You and You alone. May we grow in Your Word and be strong, able to discern the truth and overcome the deceiver. God would you give each of us all a thirst for your Your Word? We need You LORD. Amen.

Be Strong

Today’s reading gives us the patterns of a Godly man. Paul is exhorting Timothy to “be strong” (v1), but Paul doesn’t stop there. He gives us relatable examples of what it means to “be strong”.

Paul gives us the example of the teacher, the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer, then he commissions Timothy to “think over what [he said]”. The examples are not long and exhaustive but Paul promises Timothy that “the Lord will give [him] understanding in everything” if he thinks over it. (2Timothy 2:7)

A wise man once said, “better to read little and think much than to read much and think little.” Today’s journal entry includes some thoughts and reflections on these short powerful examples. I would love if you would share some of yours in the comments or on facebook.

The Teacher. Christ instructed us to teach His commandments to all nations and modeled this for us through discipleship. (Matthew 28:20) . Discipleship is a chain. Position yourself in the chain, between someone who will disciple you and who you can disciple. Those you disciple should be carefully selected people who are faithful and trustworthy to carry on the chain. (2Timothy 2:2)

The Soldier. We are at war. The soldier is not confused about work-life balance. The two are integrated and his purpose is singular. Full of integrity, his life is whole and complete. There are no situations in which he changes modes or leaves something behind. There is no clocking out. A soldier at war is always on active duty. He does not concern himself with things of the world. His eye is single in the battle and pleasing his commander. (2Timothy 2:3-4)

The Athlete. It is a given that athletics require effort. Even though some athletes have incredible natural abilities, fans tend to cheer on an underdog who gives it his all over the more skilled athlete who doesn’t. Fans tend to gravitate to athletes who are ok with giving it their all and being beaten, even if it means everyone knows they could not have done any better or given an ounce more effort. An athlete looks at the cost of defeat and competes anyways. Humble athletes are fun to watch. Still, even though effort is a given for athletics, no matter the effort expended, if the athlete breaks the rules he is disqualified. (2Timothy 2:5)

The Farmer. The farmer is hard working. This word is from a Greek verb meaning ‘to labor to the point of exhaustion.’ Day in, day out the farmer works amidst circumstances outside their control. The farmer can not control the water, the bugs, the temperature, the sun, the clouds, or the shifting seasons, yet he works to the point of exhaustion in hopes that he might reap a harvest. A farmer is truly seasoned in the art of sowing to the LORD and trusting Him with the harvest. (2Timothy 2:6)

May we all continue to think over the Scripture and trust in the LORD to give us understanding.

Reading quote reference: Mastering Self: To Lead Self and Others by Chief Hanna

3 Stages of Christian Growth (and how to avoid them)

Quenching and grieving the Spirit is the topic today, but first a little context on the role of the Spirit in our growth as followers of Christ.

We learned from Philippians 1:9-11 that there are 5 essentials in Christian growth. We also learned that what sets this growth in motion is the Christian’s focus on God’s glory. Lastly, we learned that what aids this growth is the Spirit. If God’s glory is our focus, the Spirit will be at work in us – helping love abound in us, producing spiritual excellence in us, establishing personal integrity in us, and empowering genuine good works in us – all to God’s glory.

Simply put the Spirit’s work in us is to move us along a path to holiness. Holiness means separate. His work is to separate us further and further from sin, from temptation, from a preoccupation with the things of the world and thus closer to God. This is the sanctifying work of the Spirit.

Today’s reading issues a warning not to retard the work of the Spirit. (1Thessalonians 5:19) Today we will cover three things with a quick summary of each: 1.) the three stages of Christian growth, 2.) quenching the Spirit and 3.) stoking the Spirit.

The 3 Stages of Christian Growth:

Babes. Babes in Christ know the name of Jesus.
Young Men. Young men in Christ are strong. They know the Word and use the Word (the truth) to overcome the deceiver.
Fathers. Fathers in Christ know God.

12 I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. 14 I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. – 1John 2:12-16

Quenching the Spirit:

1Thessalonians 5:1-11 and 1Thessalonians 5:6-22 give us instruction on Christian living. In this instruction, there is a warning not to quench the Spirit. Throughout Scripture, the Spirit is revealed to us as fire. When a believer quenches the Spirit, the Spirit is grieved. (Isaiah 63:10, Ephesians 4:30) When the Spirit is grieved it slows the Christian’s growth. It is as if the Christian says “I’ve got this” to the Spirit by ignoring it and tosses a bucket of water on the fire.

Stoking the Spirit:

Stoking the Spirit is a term to illustrate the opposite of quenching the Spirit. Here are three simple steps to stoke the Spirit. The three steps for the recovering Christian:

Read the Bible. (reading the Bible feeds the Spirit.)
Listen to the Spirit. (quiet your life to be able to hear the still small voice and test what you hear against the Word.)
Obey. (Luke 11:28, James 1:25, if there were a fourth step it would be: rinse, repeat.)

Stoking the Spirit is valuing the Spirit. It is recognizing the Spirit as the source that empowers us to glorify God. The Christian’s heart seeks God’s Glory, the Spirit sees it through.

God, we need You. Fill us with Your Spirit LORD. May You reign in our hearts and may our eyes be Yours and Yours alone. Amen.

5 Essentials for Christian Growth

Have you ever seen a W.W.J.D. bracelet? If you’re wondering, it stands for ‘what would Jesus do?’ When I was growing up my friends and I all wore them. We had them in all different colors. We wore them inside out and upside down. We were all about our W.W.J.D. bracelets.

I always thought W.W.J.D. was a great reminder to do the right thing. Growing up there are so many choices that we are faced with. Finding the right answer was not always easy but this bracelet seemed to at least start us looking in the right direction.

As a Christian grows up they hope to mature in Christ. They hope to have the right answers and make the right choices more than they did when they were young. This is what happens when a Christian matures. Scripture is clear that Christ followers will grow (2Peter 3:18, 1Peter 2:2, 1Timothy 4:15, Ephesians 4:15, 1Corinthians 13:11, Colossians 2:6-7, 2Corinthians 3:18) From our reading today, Philippians 1:9-11 reveals to us the 5 essentials for Christian growth. That is, the 5 ways the Spirit works in us as we follow Christ.

Love

We love because He first loved us. (1John 4:19) It is no surprise that the first essential to Christian growth is love. After all, love is the greatest attribute of a follower of Christ. (John 13:35) In a world that tosses around this word seeking to destroy its meaning, it is always a good idea to return to the truth to test our definition of this defining characteristic of our faith in Jesus.

Agape is the word here translated as love. It is a self-sacrificing love. Later in Philippians 2:1-8, Paul gives one of the fullest descriptions of agape love in the Bible. One statement from this scripture stood out to me, “…but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” What would our lives look like if everyone’s interest were always placed above our own?

Love is not blind. Quite the opposite love is very perceptive, very discerning. True love produces obedience that requires knowledge of the truth. (John 14:15, John 14:21, John 14:23, John 15:10, 1John 3:24) Here is a list of 1236 commands from the New Testament.

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
Philippians 1:9

Excellence

Verse 10a begins, ‘that ye’ or ‘so that’ in the ESV, indicating that the first point is foundational to the second. The word here ‘approve’ is ‘dokimazo’, meaning to allow, examine, prove, and discern. The love of God, with its foundation in the Word (commands), not only helps us discern right from wrong but helps us discern what is best from what is only good. God’s will is not good, it is perfect. (Romans 12:2) Love and the Word help us find what is excellent.

When John Wesley went away to Oxford his mother wrote the following in a letter to him: “Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the delight for spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin.”

That ye may approve things that are excellent;
Philippians 1:10a

Integrity

Verse 10b also begins with ‘that ye’ or ‘in order to be’ in the ESV, again making clear the continued progression of the text. The word ‘sincere’ is ‘eilikrines’ and carries with it ideas of cohesiveness, oneness and unity. What would our lives look like if everything touched everything else and ‘gelled’ as it were with no offences? Does Christ touch every part of your life? Is there any part of your life that you are keeping for you?

that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.
Philippians 1:10b

Good works

Verse 11a begins with ‘being’ or ‘having been filled’ in the ESV, a perfect passive participle in the Greek indicating something that happened in the past and is continuing here and now. It is essential that we understand the progression of this Scripture. The fruit’s appeal is instant gratification but trying to skip ahead or jump right to the fruit is a lie. The fruit itself is not something to strive for in a direct sense. The fruit is the byproduct of the spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) Forced fruit without the leaven of love is legalism.

Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ
Philippians 1:11a

Glory of God

Verse 11b begins with ‘unto’ or ‘to’ in the ESV, this is the purpose clause, it answers the question ‘why?’. The most important essential is the glory of God. Indeed it is the reason for the others.

For a time I thought of reversing this list so that it would begin with God’s glory and end with love. Though I decided against it, the reason was that it all actually starts here, with the end in mind.

Our heart attitude is what sets all growth in motion, through the grace of Christ and the power of the Spirit. Glory to God. Glory to God is on the believer’s heart. If God’s glory is our focus the Spirit will be at work in us, helping love abound in us, producing in us spiritual excellence, personal integrity, and genuine good works all to God’s glory.

As I made my way through this study I realised that there was one simple answer to that question ‘What would Jesus do?’ Jesus brings glory to the Father.

unto the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:11b

God, may our eyes be single for You. Amen.

Study sources:

Men Who Want to be Pleased

As we transition from Paul’s letters to the Corinthians to his letters to the Galatians we might hope for a more peaceful episode. The Corinthian church, along with Paul directly, was attacked by false teachers. Paul’s letters to the Corinthians were tough to read, in the sense that it is uncomfortable to read about the church under attack. Though we might long to turn the page and find a pleasant account of everything going right easily, that is not what we get. The church is again under siege by false teachers. This time in Galatia.

Free from man-pleasing

Paul opens this letter and gets right to the point. In first-century letters, the first thing the writer did was identify himself. Whereas now, we identify the writer at the end of the letter. Paul fits in the point of his letter directly in the first order of business. This tells us how aggressively he pursued to cleanse the church in Galatia of man-pleasing.

Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) – Galatians 1:1

Paul is an apostle and he was made one by Christ, who God raised from the dead, not by anything of men nor by men. This opening chapter and this letter go on to lay out the doctrine first revealed in John 8:32:

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. – John 8:32

Jesus is the truth. The false teachers were holding on to a false position in legalism that placed them above others, claiming God through the law. Jesus sets his followers free from the law’s eternal wages. (Galatians 2:16)

Two types of man-pleasing

6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. – Galatians 1:6-19

There is so much here to discuss but I want to focus in on verse ten. The strait statement that if Paul should seek to please men, he would not be a servant of Christ. A simple if, then, statement of truth. If we seek to please men, then we are not serving Christ. Are we seeking pleasing men?

The first type of man-pleasing that comes to mind is the exhausting burden of trying to please people. The other day my business partner and I were at lunch discussing a seemingly difficult situation. After too much talk, he said, “What if we just focused on God’s glory and didn’t worry about anything else?” Amen! Amen! The weight was lifted and our trust in the LORD ushered in the peace that transcends all understanding. He is Good! He is worthy of our trust! He is trustworthy! Praise God for freedom in the truth!

The second type of man-pleasing is found in the introspection that there is another man who desires to be pleased. Self. It is not enough to let go of aiming to please others, we must also die to ourselves to be truly free. Here is another question that brings freedom, this time from self.

“What if we set aside all our goals, everything we desire, weather seemingly good or not, and focused on God’s glory, trusting Him with everything we desire?” Do we trust in God’s promises enough to commit all our goals to him and pursue His Glory alone? (Matthew 6:32-34, Proverbs 16:3, Mark 10:29-31, Luke 6:38 (what if we gave our desires to the LORD?), Matthew 6:10, Matthew 6:19-24, Luke 12:29-31, Colossians 3:1-4, Romans 8:5)

The last questions were in a different business conversation this past week as a friend and I wrestled with the “balance” of letting go and pushing/working hard. I have come to believe that there is no balance required when trusting in God. I am suspicious that any advice that points to balance as what is needed when considering priorities is faulty. God wants to be number one on a list of one. He wants us all in. (Luke 9:62, Luke 9:23-24)

God, may we have single eyes for You. May Your kingdom come reign in our hearts. May Your will replace our will. May our hearts and eyes be for You and on You always. May our desires be committed to You in thanksgiving and contentment. May we release them to Your care and loving kindness. May You be gentle with us God. We are sinners in the world. May we never be of the world. Amen.

Stewards of the Mysteries of God

Today’s picture is from a lesson to the Unit 5 Innovative Entrepreneur class. It was drawn to deconstruct a chapter on the leadership from Chief Hanna’s book Mastering Self: to Lead Self and Others.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 4, Paul helps us understand the responsibility and power of leadership. As I read through today’s chapter, Chief Hanna’s principles on the power of leadership continued to surface in Paul’s life.

Challenge: See if you can draw any similarities from Paul’s account and the image above as you read through the chapter. If you find any that you’d like to share, or any other scripture that comes to mind, put them in the comments.

I’ve included some takeaways from the reading below along with some other scripture that came to mind when reading it.

Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.- 1Corinthians 4:1-2

A follower of Christ is a steward of the truth. The mysteries of God have been revealed plainly to us in the New Testament. (John 14:26) The steward’s job is to protect the truth from perversion and proclaim it unfettered. (2Timothy 1:14, Romans 1:16) The Word of God saves souls so I can see why it is important to steward it well, (James 1:21) but what does it mean to be a faithful steward?

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. – 1 Corinthians 4:3-5

Perhaps the first step in being faithful is to recognize who we are to be faithful to. We are not men pleasers but God pleasers. (Ephesians 6:6-8) We are slaves of God and we seek our Master’s glory. We trust his Word and are not ashamed of it. God is the only one fit to judge. Comparison is empty if left to us. Only One can compare rightly. The Sprit compares us to God’s word. This is a personal gift to help us each individually. In the same way, we should not try to unwrap a friend’s birthday gift, we should not attempt to unwrap the Spirit’s gift of comparing others to the Word. We only need protect the Word and proclaim it.

And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. – 1 Corinthians 4:6-8

Perhaps the second step in being faithful is to admit our position. We own nothing but that which God has given us. God has given us everything to steward for His glory.

For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place; And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. 1Corinthians 9-13

Paul’s proper view of himself places him at the bottom which gives him the personal power to minister, save souls, and bring glory to God.

I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. For though ye have ten thousand instructers in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness? – 1 Corinthians 4:14-21

Paul’s example is faithfulness. Words would not do, therefore Paul sent Timothy as a reminder of the power of a life. Wisdom is not knowing things. Wisdom is shown in a life lived well. (James 3:13) Paul warns that he will inspect lives and discern the presence or absence of the power of God.

A Believer’s Battle with Sin

Sanctification is the separation of the believer from his sin. This separation is a believer’s ongoing struggle and a battle with himself. It is internal.

In chapter 7 of Romans, Paul’s internal struggle with sin reveals how sin wages war against the Christian. Do you struggle with sin? (God’s word says you do. Romans 3:23, 1John 1:8, Isaiah 53:6) If you are ready to admit that, the next step is to accept it.

The peace that comes with accepting how we relate to God (we are sinners that have turned away from Him and if we believe in Jesus our sins will be forgiven) will feel like a heavy load being lifted from you. Remove the expectation that you need to be perfect to become a Christian or that once you become a Christian you will no longer battle with sin.

It is not about you being perfect – it is about Jesus being perfect.

Those who follow Christ hate sin because they remember what it did. It crucified Christ. In a way when we sin it is like taking part in that. This is the Christians motivations to hate sin and flee from it.

Those who follow Christ hate sin because they remember what it did. It crucified Christ. In a way, when we sin it is like taking part in that. This is the Christian’s motivation to hate sin and flee from it.

Here are some notes from a sermon (first link in the resources below) on how sin battles with a believer:

It is within us. James 1:14-15
It is a battle of the mind, of our thoughts. Romans 7:23, 1Peter 1:13
Victory is in Christ.
1. Confess your sin to the LORD and ask his forgiveness. (1John 1:9, Proverbs 38:13)
2. Ask the LORD for the strength to refuse to entertain sinful thoughts. (2Corinthians 10:5, 2Timothy 1:7)
3. Avoid evil. (Psalms 1:1-6, Matthew 18:7-9)
4. Draw nigh to the LORD, pursue His Word. (Philippians 4:8, Romans 8:6)

Here are three great sermons that will arm you with the truth regarding separating from your sin:

Testimony 101

During Paul’s time in Israel, the law was that capital punishment was reserved for the Roman government, except for one condition. The Jewish religious leaders could execute a prisoner if the prisoner desecrated the Temple. Now Paul did not do anything to desecrate the Temple but since this was the only way to kill him they manufactured an accusation that he did.

Even though it was not the law that inviting a gentile into the temple was a capital punishment crime, their accusation that Paul had done this was a way to extended the requirements for capital punishment to Paul by association. That is, he brought a gentile into the Temple and the Gentile desecrated it so, therefore, Paul caused the Temple to be desecrated and so we can kill him. To put it simply they were out to take Paul’s life.

This is a tough situation to be in, yet Paul’s heart focused on the mob and desired to see them saved. To this end, he delivered His testimony.

And from this account we find a playbook for how he gave his testimony:

He accepted the situation was from God.
He created an opportunity to give his testimony. 21v37 & 40
He did what he could to create common ground and win his audience. 22v1-5 &12
He exalted the LORD so that if the people rejected, they were rejecting God, not him. He made it all about God, not him. 22v6-11
He avoided suffering. (this was a particularly interesting point. 22v25 (The sermon below talks about how Paul didn’t have what the pastor called a ‘martyr complex’)
Love governed his attitude. Throughout he was focused on what he could do for the mob.

I often listen to sermons to prepare for these posts. These 6 points are from Paul’s Arrest Part Four: the Attitude of Paul by John MacArthur

A Lesson from the First Missions Trip

Some believe there is a reason that in this account of the first great missionary move of the church there is both the presence of a false convert and a true believer. Perhaps one of the lessons here is that this is a reality of ministry. (Matthew 13:24-30)

Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them. (Acts 8:5) After hearing and seeing the miracles, Simon, the Sorcerer, having in the same city proclaimed to be great and having been given heed as the same, believed and was baptized proclaiming Christ. (Acts 8:9-13) Simon the Sorcerer, after witnessing a new miracle, the laying on of hands by the apostles that the believers might receive the Holy Spirit, desired this power for himself and offered to pay the disciples to procure it. (Acts 8:18-19) The Apostles exposed him as false and rebuked him. (Acts 8:20-23)

Here we see the intention of Simon’s heart. Apparently he was not interested in God because solely because he loved God in the true sense of the word, that is; loving someone for what you can do for them, but instead, for a selfish, lustful desire, that is; “loving someone” for what they can do for you. He seemingly was not interested in God except that he might procure the power of God. Except that he might then use this power for himself and sow to the flesh more and more. (Galatians 6:7-8) In this case, Simon the Sorcerer seemed interested in the power of God to fuel his prideful quest of being great among the people. It was found out that is was really all about him and not God.

Perhaps some good questions to reflect on and return to:

Do we love God for what we can do for Him (serve Him) or are we more interested in what He can do for us? Are we more interested in God or His stuff (blessing, etc.)? In your heart (your deepest and most subtle desires); Are you for God or is God for you? ‘For’ here being in the useful sense of the word.
Do we love others for what we can do for them or what they can do for us?

Painting: Rembrandt, The Baptism of the Eunuch, 1626

Glowing Box

Imagine a box in a dark room. Inside the box is a source of light that makes it glow. Now a pinhole is made in the box. The pinhole in the box gives off a thin beam of light piercing through the darkness of the room. You move to align your eye with the beam of light to peer inside the box. What you see, you see clearly, yet you can not see all the contents of the box, only what is within your field of view from the hole. What is shown is shown clearly but not all is shown. This is how I have come to understand a parable to reveal the truth. John 16 tells us that while Jesus revealed the truth in parables, He will send the Spirit that will open up the box completely and reveal truth plainly.

John 16 tells us that while Jesus revealed the truth in parables, He will send the Spirit that will open up the box completely and reveal truth plainly.

I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. – John 16:25

The word here translated as ‘figures of speech’ is paroimiais in the greek. Some versions translate this word as figurative language, some as allegories, some as proverbs and some as parables. A paroimiais is a pointed but veiled statement. Throughout His entire ministry, Jesus spoke in mashal which is the Hebrew word for the same veiled but pointed statements. These parables are very clear illuminations of the truth but they purposefully leave much hidden. (Luke 8:10)

An interesting fact, Jesus taught in parables, but from this point forward, from the end of the Gospels on, no one else ever gives a parable. After the cross, the resurrection, the ascension, and after the coming of the Holy Spirit, everything is unveiled. Everything is given to us plainly.

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. – John 16:12-13

When I think of the disciples being given one parable after another, I think of our glowing box and their having another hole made for them to see in. Their box had many holes from all of Jesus’s parables. So much truth yet so much truth still veiled.

Now imagine our box again. The four vertical corners of the box are split. The box now completely opened up, lays flat on the ground. Everything inside the box is now perfectly visible and accessible.

The Spirit has given us the perfect account of Jesus ministry in the Gospels, the beginnings of the delivery of His promises in His Church from Acts, the clear and plain explanation of His teaching we get from the theology from the epistles, and the complete unveiling of the future from Revelation. This is Jesus delivering on His promise to unveil all the truth. (John 14:26) This is the perfect and complete testimony of God revealed to us in Scripture. This is the box, the truth, completely opened and accessible to us.

God this morning we thank You for the gift of the New Testament and for revealing all the truth to us in plain ways. We praise You LORD God! God, we confess to not placing the proper value on Your revealed truth and ask that you would give us a strong desire to arm ourselves with your revealed truth and use it to Your glory. May Your Kingdom come LORD. On earth, as it is in Heaven. Amen.