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Guilt, Shame, Regret…and Grace Part Five

Guilt, Shame, Regret…and Grace

Part Five

Bob Rakestraw

August 5, 2013

“The Benediction Project”

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

(This is the fifth and final entry in a series on guilt, shame, regret and grace. The series began April 1, 2013)

Someone has wisely said, “Speak kindly to everyone you meet, for each one is probably carrying a heavy load.”

The more we move along on this journey of life the more we see the wisdom and truth in this saying. A heavy load is a burden—something difficult to carry. Whether we think of our own life or the lives of those we know well, we have all experienced and/or seen this matter of burdens. We understand burdens not only as a concept or idea; we understand them personally.

 

Some people carry more than one burden and some burdens are heavier than others, but we almost all (perhaps all) carry some weight around with us. I am thinking primarily of adults, but unfortunately, large numbers of teenagers and children are weighed down as well. Furthermore, I am thinking here not of burdens as physical weights, even though the material aspects of life can surely be burdensome. I am referring instead to the mental, emotional, psychological, social and/or spiritual concerns that tend to weigh on our minds, pull down on our spirits and keep us from a positive and kind attitude to others.

When two people meet or do business together, which frequently happens several times a day, each one (usually) tries to be as cordial as possible to the other. This is a good thing, and is not the same as being phony. It helps to lighten and brighten the atmosphere where we are, and makes life a little bit easier for everyone. Yet the burdens stay with us, even though they may be hidden.

 

Many of the burdens people carry have to do with guilt, shame or regret, or perhaps two or all three of these. In the previous postings in this series I have tried not only to explain each issue, but also to point out God’s remedy for each of these burdens. With each one, God’s remedy can be summed up in the word “grace”—the most important word in the Bible except for the names of God. (This is my personal opinion, but I believe a great many Bible-believing theologians and students of scripture would agree.)

Definitions and discussions of God’s grace usually focus on his free, unmerited favor toward us because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the cross. Because Christ the sinless one died willingly for us in our place, and took upon himself the burden and guilt of our sin, the Father welcomes and forgives all who come to him in repentance and faith. If we have trusted Christ as our Savior and Lord, our guilt, shame, regret and the ugliness of all our sin is now forgiven—forever. God remembers it against us no more!

The above concept of grace is totally biblical and truly liberating. It is the answer—above all other answers—for the billions of people on earth who are trying to get free from their burdens and the sufferings of this life by man-made religious systems and rituals.

However, the truth of grace as God’s “unmerited favor” is only part of the biblical teaching on grace. There is another huge aspect of grace that is so closely entwined with the nature of grace as favor that neither can properly be considered without the other. This second aspect of grace is the power or energy of God on our behalf.

Our thinking of grace as favor and grace as power offers us two perspectives—two vantage points—from which to “see” into the one deeply loving heart of God. While our vision and comprehension of God will always be incomplete, because he is infinite and we are finite, God has revealed much to us in his written word about his heart of grace.

As we read the following scriptures (all from the NIV 2011) we may be inclined to think of grace as a “substance,” especially when the text is focusing on grace as power. I have done that at times as I have tried to grasp this truly amazing and mysterious concept. Yet grace is not something tangible. It is not a substance or a thing. It is rather, the very presence of God himself living and flowing within us and allowing us to experience his face shining upon us, his mercy consoling us and his power strengthening us for each task and situation we face.

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).” The scripture writer refers to the merciful, favorable nature of God’s grace, but then puts a special emphasis on grace as the power within us to accomplish what we need. It is good to see someone’s smiling face directed toward us and to sense their merciful spirit, but without the actual strength at work on our behalf the person’s favorable attitude is not very helpful. The same writer of Hebrews adds later, “It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace… (13:9).

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (I Corinthians 15:10). John Wesley wrote that when the word grace is used in the Bible with the idea of power or energy, we can just as easily read the “Holy Spirit” in its place.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

“And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them” (Acts 4:33).

“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble’” (James 4:6). This reminds me of a wonderful old hymn that includes the words, “He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater.”

To close this five-part series, I leave you with some remarkable words from the apostle Peter. Whether our burden pertains to guilt, shame, regret or some other matter that weighs heavily upon us, hear these words from “the God of all grace.”

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen” (I Peter 5:10-11).

Guilt, Shame, Regret…and Grace

Guilt, Shame, Regret…and Grace

Part Four

 

Bob Rakestraw

“The Benediction Project”

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

 

(This is a follow-up to the previous posting, in which we began to consider “regret.”)

We have all experienced regret, and perhaps are still suffering from this very painful condition of heart and soul. We may struggle with regret because we have done or said harmful things to others, or did not do or say the helpful things we should have. The apostle Paul had some initial regret over the doing of good, as we saw in the previous posting, and this was good regret. But what if we have regret over the doing of harm, and the committing of sin against God and others. How could we not possibly regret such things? 

Wouldn’t we be terribly calloused if we said, “I don’t regret having sold addictive drugs to young people. God has forgiven me and I live with no regrets. After all, I’ve heard people state their philosophy of life as ‘No regrets,’ and they seem to be happy.” 

People might say such things as “I made some poor choices,” or “I did not intend to offend anyone,” or, the most evasive of all, “mistakes were made,” but rarely do we hear “I regret” or (even more scarce) “I was wrong” or “I sinned.” 

It is true that regret for wrongdoing is, for people of conscience, difficult to live with. The starting point for help is, without hesitation, to come to our merciful Lord and ask him for forgiveness of those things that have grieved God and harmed others. Ask him, as I often do, to search your heart and show you the sin—past or present—you may not even be aware of (Ps. 139:23-24). 

Then we need to do or say whatever we can to help right the wrong. This is often no longer possible when, for example, the person we hurt has died. But if we can acknowledge our wrongdoing and our regret for it, and do what we can in specific ways to improve the lives and spirits of those we harmed, we should do so.  

One specific matter concerns decisions and decision-making. You may say, even after many years, “I regret that decision.” In some such cases you may not have asked God for guidance, either because you never thought of it or because you were in a place of rebellion against God. In other cases you may have asked God to lead you, but you already had your mind made up before. 

In situations such as these God does not berate us nor keep bringing up the past to torment us, but he does want us to acknowledge our failure and seek him with our whole heart in the future. It may not be possible to undo some poor decisions, but God has ways of turning ashes into beauty when we choose to live in faith and obedience from this time onward.    

There may be cases when you sincerely asked God for the wisdom to make the right decision and then chose what you believed was God’s will. But as time passed after your decision you found yourself thinking “I regret that decision.” You may have thought this, and perhaps still do, about such major matters as your choice of a marriage partner, your decision (consciously or subconsciously) to follow a certain philosophy of parenting, your heavy borrowing for an enjoyable but not very practical college education, or your too “day-at-a-time” attitude about pursuing the advanced schooling that you, for years, have wished that you had pursued. 

In such situations, when you sought God in submission to his will, open  to his direction, you are not pleasing God if you say, “I regret that decision.” The epistle of James (1:5-8) makes it clear that if we ask God for wisdom as I just described, we are to trust completely that the decision we made was the one God had for us.  

As you pray and make a decision in such situations, you are to do so with full confidence in the Good Shepherd who leads his sheep, knowing that your choice will be God’s choice. This is true even if you have some “fuzziness” about your choice at the time you make it. 100% certainty is not always present, but you should never move ahead with any serious doubt.  

Once again, there may be times—sometimes painful times—when, some time after you made a decision while seeking God’s will, you begin to feel that you made a bad choice. It is my conviction, based upon personal experience and over 50 years of Bible study as a seeker of truth, that you did make a right decision. (See also I John 3:18-22; 5:14-15.) 

Think of it: if you met the conditions of James chapter one and asked God for the wisdom to choose rightly, why should you dishonor him by doubting that he did what he said he would do? He knows we are very imperfect and that our motives may be somewhat mixed even when we desire them to be pure. He does not look for perfection in us but for a heart that yearns for his will, for his glory above all.  

Today, much of what we are and who we are is the result of our past decisions. None of these decisions can be re-decided, unless it concerns some choice made so recently that the consequences of the decision have not yet taken effect. Whether our choices were made while we were seeking God or not, we must move forward. In the former case, with regard to a specific decision, we are to live with the confidence that God did guide us. In the latter case, we are to repent once and for all of our failure to seek God wholly and ask him regularly for the “joy of the Lord” which will be our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Guilt, Shame, Regret…and Grace Part Three

 

Bob Rakestraw

“The Benediction Project”

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

(This is the third in a series on guilt, shame, regret and grace. The two previous postings considered guilt and shame.)

 

I think it is safe to say that all of us have done some things we now regret doing. We wish we had never done them. Also, we have said some things that we regret saying. Furthermore, we regret not doing certain things and not saying certain things that we should have. As with guilt and shame, regret can cause great harm in our lives unless we learn to understand it and deal with it properly.

The word regret can be either a noun (“Does the prisoner show any regret”?) or a verb (“I regret that I said that.”). As a noun it has the idea of sorrow, remorse, or a troubled feeling over what has happened, especially if we were responsible. As a verb it means to feel sorry or remorseful over something, especially one’s own words or actions. Whatever it is one regrets, it is usually spoken of with negativity or disappointment: an angry outburst, cheating on one’s taxes, not making an important phone call, or even regret that we could not stay longer nor attend a friend’s wedding.

The Bible seldom uses the word regret. It is not found at all in the King James Version and occurs only four times in the New International Version. Second Corinthians 7:8-10 contains the fullest discussion of our topic, and deserves our consideration.

The apostle Paul had written a previous letter to the believers at Corinth, one that had caused them sorrow. (This was probably not the epistle of 1 Corinthians.) He wrote, “Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (NIV 2011, italics added).

Paul writes that it is possible for us to regret, at the moment, the necessity of having to do something (because it will hurt someone for a while), but not regret the action itself once we see the good results from the action.  Paul also writes of two kinds of sorrow and commends the Corinthians for having the first: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”

This last verse strikes at the heart of our topic: there is a good, beneficial, godly form of sorrow (probably the key element of regret) and a bad, destructive, worldly form of sorrow. Worldly sorrow is not deadly because sorrow is a wrong thing in itself; it is deadly because it is so inwardly focused that it does not look to God in repentance and hope. Worldly sorrow, entwined with worldly regret, led Judas to hang himself. He was filled with remorse, not repentance, and he died in his sin (Matthew 27:3-5).

It is essential to realize that godly sorrow may have (and sometimes should have) a strong element of regret in it. Paul said that godly sorrow “leaves no regret,” not that it “involves no regret.” He had just written that he did regret having to write the letter—he felt sorrowful that he would cause sorrow—but it was sorrow that, in the end, “leaves no regret.” One admonition from this line of thought is that when we believe we should offer constructive criticism, we should not let the sorrow and regret of the moment keep us from doing the right thing. If we do hold back, we may experience more regret—long lasting regret with sad consequences for others and ourselves—than we would by offering the correction that was needed.

(In our next posting we will consider this matter of regret further.)

Guilt, Shame, Regret…and Grace Part Two

 Bob Rakestraw

“The Benediction Project”

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

 

 Many people, whether religious or not, struggle with guilt, shame or regret. Or they struggle with two or possibly all three. These are closely related and intertwined, and are such major issues that, if not dealt with properly, will hinder and maybe even destroy one’s stability and success in life as well as one’s peace of mind and will to live. In the previous posting we considered guilt. In this article we focus on shame.

Shame is generally understood as an unpleasant emotional reaction by a person to an actual or presumed negative judgment of him or her by others, resulting in self-depreciation in relation to the group. (This definition and certain other insights in the first part of this essay are from the article, “Shame,” by R. L. Timpe, in Baker Encyclopedea of Psychology, edited by David G. Benner, 1985.

 

Shame involves an objective act and a subjective feeling of the person. The objective act violates some social convention (which may or may not include a violation of God’s law in the thinking of the person) and, as a consequence, leads to the subjective feeling of condemnation and derogation. When we feel shame we experience it as a wound to our self-esteem, a painful feeling or sense of degradation aroused in us by the consciousness of having done something unworthy of our previous idea of our own excellence.

 Some examples may be helpful. If a piece of our clothing becomes loose and exposes part of our body inappropriately, or if we begin to eat our meal too soon among high society, where everyone is expected to wait until the ringing of a certain bell, we experience shame. We have committed a sort of “social transgression.”

 Guilt and shame are related but not the same. Some maintain that guilt follows transgression of prohibitions, whereas shame follows one’s failure to reach his or her goals or ideals. A similar view is that guilt arises out of wrongdoing, whereas shame comes from inferiority. I find these distinctions helpful in thinking about the two concepts.

 If I break God’s law of neighbor-love by shouting angrily at an innocent person in the company of others, I will feel (I hope) both true guilt, because I will know I did wrong in the eyes of God, and shame, because I will be aware that I offended not only God and the one I wrongly accused, but also because I violated societal expectations and (perhaps most painful of all) I violated my own ideals and expectations of myself.

 Shame may be either beneficial or harmful. Just as guilt feelings may help us or hurt us, so feelings of shame may benefit us (leading us to apologize, for example, in front of a group) or damage us (as in the case of parents shaming their children for spilling their milk or getting their clothes dirty).

In the Bible we read about Adam and Eve, who, as created, “were both naked, and they felt no shame” (Genesis 2:25, NIV 2011). Immediately after they sinned they obviously felt some kind of shame because they made clothes for themselves (Genesis 3:7-11). This kind of shame, while not something God originated at creation is, in itself, not a bad thing. It is actually good to have an inner sense of modesty and propriety. It is also good to have a sense of shame over our sins.

If we experience a feeling of shame it is important to consider whether the shame is due to a violation of God’s will or of social customs or of our own expectations of ourselves, or all three.  In the first case we also have (or should have) feelings of guilt, and thus need to confess our sin to God and ask him to take away our sin and our shame. In the second case we need to apologize to others if and when that is necessary and then try to learn from the situation.

The third case is often the most difficult to deal with. And it is here where Satan and his forces may work very hard to destroy us, or at least ruin our effectiveness as servants of Jesus Christ.

In this case we feel that we have let ourselves down and failed to live up to our own expectations of ourselves. It is very painful to admit to ourselves that we are not as good as we thought we were, especially when others come to know this about us (or we assume they know this about us).

Another huge aspect of this third source of shame is when there are ongoing—perhaps permanent—negative consequences, particularly in the lives of others, due to something we may have done. A person who killed a pedestrian while driving, or a parent who tried to train properly his or her now-adult child, who now lives a life of crime, is a prime candidate for Satan’s assaults.

Whether it be guilt feelings or shame feelings that rob us of joy, peace of mind and the ability to do our daily work well, we need to know that, if we have trusted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we may experience true and lasting liberation from the heartsick condition and downward spiral of guilt and shame.

If we have sincerely confessed (literally, “said the same thing about” as God) all known wrongdoing, from long ago or more recent times, and have accepted God’s complete forgiveness (1 John 1:5-2:2), then we now stand before God clothed in clean garments. Any feelings of guilt and shame we may still experience are from the evil one.

Satan is said to be “the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:10). In the book of Zechariah we read of “Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.” The very next words, from God himself, are, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan!” And then God said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you” (3:1-5). We also may say, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan. You are a defeated foe through the blood of the Lamb!” (Colossians 2:13-15). And then we can hear and cling to the words of our Lord to us:

“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth.… In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you, says the LORD your Redeemer” (Isaiah 54:4, 8).

Guilt, Shame, Regret…and Grace  Part One

Bob Rakestraw

April 1, 2013

 “The Benediction Project”

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

  

Not long ago a friend told me that the area of her biggest spiritual struggles concerns matters of guilt, shame and regret. She has been a faithful follower of Jesus Christ for many years, knows her Bible well and has a close daily walk with God. She is not living a defeated life, but the evil one knows how and when to bring certain issues to her mind in order to rob her of the joy and peace of the Lord.

As I thought of her remark I thought of my own struggles in these matters, and those of others I know or have known. Probably all of us have dealt with guilt, shame and regret at certain times in our lives, not necessarily all at the same time but quite possibly so.

The more I thought about this realm of the Christian life the more I realized—from long experience and decades in the scriptures—that these matters deserve far more attention than they receive in Christian preaching, writing and conversation. In fact, I recall thinking previously,  often, that this cluster of issues is one of Satan’s most powerful weapons for keeping sincere Christians from serving Christ more actively in  their churches, their neighborhoods and even in their homes. That weapon is the enemy’s constant whispering in our ears such accusations as: “you are not living as you should in order to serve God in an active way—you would be a hypocrite; you have sinned so much in the past that you are not qualified to teach, preach, pray, witness or be in any other way, in front of others; forget any thoughts of teaching your children about really knowing and following God by holy living, as you have been such a poor example to them.”

I believe that by considering these matters biblically, though briefly, we may come to live as “more than conquerors through him who loved us,” for “we are not unaware of [Satan’s] schemes” (Rom. 8:37; 2 Cor. 2:11).

The word “guilt” will be considered first. Here I am going to do something I have never done before in almost six years of writing these blog postings: I am going to quote extensively, verbatim, from an expert whose presentation I could never improve upon. Dr. S. Bruce Narramore is the author of the article “Guilt” in Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology, edited by David G. Benner, 1985. Here are his valuable insights.

“Guilt can be used either as a judicial term referring to violation of a law or to designate an emotion that follows judging oneself in violation of a standard. The first usage refers to an objective state or condition. When individuals break a civil law, they are objectively guilty whether they feel guilty or not. The second usage refers to a subjective experience. People may feel guilty even though they are not legally guilty.

“Objective and subjective guilt can be further divided into two types. Objective guilt can refer to one’s condition in relation to either a human law or to God. In reference to God all persons have been judged guilty (Rom. 3:23 Isa. 53:6) whereas only some people are guilty before human law. Subjective guilt can be divided into self-condemning emotions called neurotic guilt (false guilt, punitive guilt, or simply guilt feelings) and love-based corrective feelings variously called true guilt, ego guilt, existential guilt, or constructive sorrow.

“Much confusion has been created by the failure to distinguish among these four types of guilt. Theologians have sometimes been alarmed by psychologists’ efforts to eliminate neurotic guilt feelings because they were not aware that psychologists wanted to replace these punitive feelings with healthy love-based moral motivations. Similarly, some psychologists have viewed Christianity as a neurotic guilt-inducing religion because of its stress on humanity’s guilt before God. Not realizing the difference between objective and subjective guilt, they assumed that the concept of guilt before God meant that people should experience punitive feelings of guilt.  Unfortunately, some Christians have also failed to differentiate between objective and subjective guilt and have assumed that since they are objectively guilty before God, they should experience feelings of guilt.

************

“Guilt in the Bible. Although the Bible has a great deal to say about humanity’s objective guilt before God, it has surprisingly little to say about punitive feelings of guilt. In fact, not one of the three Greek words translated as guilt in the New Testament refers to the subjective experience of guilt feelings. They refer instead to our objective condition of guilt before God or to being under judgment or indebted to another person. This fact and the scriptural teaching on the atonement has led some (Bonhoeffer, 1955; Narramore, 1984; Thielicke, 1966) to conclude that guilt feelings are not a divinely ordained type of motivation. Since Christ has already paid for the believer sins and made us acceptable to God, there are no grounds for continuing to punish and reject oneself by feelings of guilt (Rom. 8:1).

“Since the believer’s sins have been paid for by Christ, any further self-punishment can actually be seen as a form of self-atonement, which is ultimately based on a rejection of the efficacy of Christ’s atoning death. From this perspective guilt feelings are seen as legalistic efforts to satisfy the demands of conscience apart from Christ. This perspective is supported not only by biblical teachings on justification and forgiveness but also by John’s explicit statement that ‘we shall know by this that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before him, in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart, and knows all things’ (1 John 3:19-20).

************

“Whereas punitive guilt feelings are a self-centered form of punishment designed to atone for one’s failures, constructive sorrow focuses on the damage done to others and the desire to make things right. Feelings of guilt are focused more on past failures, whereas constructive sorrow is oriented toward future changes. And feelings of guilt are based on anger, whereas constructive sorrow is motivated by love. Paul wrote of this type of motivation when he spoke of the sorrow that is according to the will of God ‘that produces repentance without regret in contrast to the sorrow of the world that produces death’ (2 Cor. 7:8-10).

************

“For Christians this constructive sorrow (or true guilt) is encouraged by God’s loving care and provision. Before Paul wrote of a godly or constructive sorrow in 2 Corinthians 7:8-10, he reminded the Corinthians of a number of God’s Old Testament promises (2 Cor. 6:16-18) and then wrote, ‘Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God’ (2 Cor. 7:1). His appeal was not to avoid the pain of guilty condemnation, since that issue was already settled. Instead it was to respond in love to the work of God. It is this positive motivation that is the biblical alternative to guilt feelings.”

Which Bible Translation?

Which Bible Translation?

Bob Rakestraw

 

“The Benediction Project”

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

 

Until Jesus returns, Christians will continue to make new translations, versions, revisions and editions of the Bible. (For the purposes of this essay I am using these terms more or less interchangeably, even though they have different meanings in academic studies.) On the one hand this is a good thing, in that it shows the great interest in and respect for the Bible. It also may indicate (and I hope it does) that those responsible for these new versions believe that as language changes and recent archaeological discoveries cast new light on the ancient biblical manuscripts and languages, we should be reading, studying and meditating in the most accurate Bible in our language.

On the other hand, since the Bible is the best-selling book of all time, many publishers—religious and otherwise—want a piece of the financial pie regardless of the message of the Bible. There are other motives as well for producing a new version, not the least of which are ideologies and agendas (such as how to render faithfully the original languages with respect to both male and female readers), and commitment to certain translation principles (such as literal, paraphrase or somewhere in the middle).

Every Bible version worthy of its name should have as its overarching goal the honoring of God. Second to that should be the producing of a Bible that is as faithful as is humanly possible to the intentions of the original writers as these may be discerned by careful study today.

Not every Bible version on the bookstore shelves or online sites needs to be in your personal book collection, no matter how “essential” or “indispensable” its promoters say it is. Such a requirement would take a good chunk of our income regularly and probably force us to build or buy more bookshelves. I’d rather have one or two excellent translations than eight or ten that are not of the highest quality.

Before I go on, however, I want to put your (possibly troubled) mind at ease. Whichever Bible version you have been using, in whatever language, as long as it was produced with God-honoring intentions, you will not be led astray if you are searching sincerely for God’s truth. The Lord said in the book of Jeremiah, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (29:13).

Throughout the millennia, God’s people all over the world have yearned for the Bible in their own language, since most people on earth do not know the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek in which the Bible was written. Many hundreds of translations, therefore, have been made in many (I hope all, very soon) languages, to meet this longing for God’s word. Some of these translations were not well done by today’s scholarly criteria. Yet multitudes have read them and have come to salvation through the Christ presented in their pages. And they have learned how to live the life of the Spirit as God intends.

For example, the Bible of the early church for most Christians was the Septuagint, a translation of the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek that is, except for the Pentateuch, not a high-quality piece of workmanship. As an illustration, the writings of the prophets are often rendered in paraphrase (a free-flowing departure from the original in order to make the meaning more clear, yet which often changes the original intention of the writer). Yet this was the Bible Jesus used when he referred to the scriptures in Greek, and this is the main Bible the Spirit of God used to “turn the world upside down” through his followers!

 Another example is from the time of the Protestant Reformation in the 16^th century. The Bible that God used to show Martin Luther the way to peace of mind and salvation through faith in Christ alone was an inferior translation known as the Latin Vulgate. And yet the Reformation—ignited by Luther—was another turning of the world “upside down.”

It is far more important to read and meditate in the one not-so-great Bible translation you may possess, with a heart open to hear and follow all of God’s truth, than to have a half-dozen excellent translations you never use or which you use only for intellectual pursuits. Ideally we will have both: an excellent Bible translation and a heart and mind yearning for God and his truth.

To conclude this much-too-brief introductory piece I want to mention the versions that I recommend and use most. My favorite by far is the New International Version, copyright 2011. I highly recommend the 2011 edition because it is a significant improvement over the earlier editions of the NIV. The same is true for a study Bible: the best is the NIV Study Bible, 2011 edition. I intend, as far as I know now, to use this study Bible as my main Bible for the rest of my life. I know two of the three editors well, and think highly of them and the third editor. You will always benefit by consulting this version, as well as the Study Bible notes (over 20,000 of them), even if you do not use this version as your preferred one.

Two other versions that I recommend are The New Revised Standard Version (a very accurate, reasonably literal translation) and the New Living Translation (also accurate and very readable, but using paraphrase more). If you use the NIV Study Bible (2011) and the NRSV (latest edition) for studious work, and the NLT (latest edition) for situations when an easier-to-read translation is preferred, you will likely do well for years to come.

There are many other worthwhile Bible versions and study Bibles on the market, and I think it is good for you to become familiar with as many of them as possible. But do not feel compelled to purchase every new, “must-have,” Bible version that comes on the market. There will probably be a new “indispensable” version within the next few years! We do not need more Bible versions, especially in the English speaking world. Revisions, of course, are beneficial as language changes, but the many millions of dollars spent every year to produce and advertise new Bible versions in English would be much better used to support the translation and distribution of God’s word where little or no Bible exists in the language of the people.

And remember always that our trust in and obedience to the scriptures is far more important than certain details of translation that do not affect the overall meaning of a text. May the grace of God be with you!

Sex and the Son of God

Sex and the Son of God

Bob Rakestraw

February 2, 2013

 “The Benediction Project”

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

 

Jesus was fully human. In the remarkable book of Hebrews we read: “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity …. [and] had to be made like them, fully human in every way …” (2:14, 17; NIV 2011). The wording is very strong and very clear. Not only was Jesus like human beings, but he was human. And not only that, he was fully human. And fully human in every way.

Because the truth of these words is unmistakable, and because sexuality is very much a part of being human, we know that Jesus was a sexual person. His sexuality was like ours, not only in our physical bodies but in our souls.

The “soulish” aspect of our sexuality is as significant as the physical if not more so. Our desire for closeness, our awareness of mystery and excitement, our sensations of bodily needs longing to be fulfilled—all of these would have been experienced by the holy Son of God. If this were not the case, Jesus would not have been a true human being.

And this error was exactly the doctrine taught by one ascetic sect (the docetic gnostics) in the time of Jesus. Because these false teachers believed that the human body and everything about it was evil, they said that the holy Jesus could not have had a human body.

In the thinking of the docetists, Jesus only seemed (the Greek word is dokeo, where we get docetic) to be human. Because this heresy was widespread throughout the Greco-Roman world, the apostle John, at the very beginning of his first epistle, emphasized the physical nature of Jesus. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. … We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard (1 John 1:1, 3).”

Since Jesus was fully human, we know he was tempted. And since one of the major realms of temptation faced by human beings is that of sexuality, Jesus would have experienced sexual temptation. In the book of Hebrews once again we read further revealing words about Jesus:

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then [because Jesus experienced these same temptations] approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).

This line of reasoning leads us to wonder how exactly Jesus felt the force of sexual temptation. It is obvious that since Jesus never sinned in thought, word or action, he never experienced the kinds of temptations that gather their strength from previously yielding to those kinds of temptation. In other words, if Jesus had been tempted to steal some delicious figs, yet rejected that temptation, then the next time the same temptation came, he did not have the weakened conscience and will of the person who did steal the figs.

With regard to sexuality the same is true. Jesus never experienced those kinds of sexual temptations that get special power because they have been yielded to previously. However, to say that Jesus never sinned once is not to say that his temptations were not as severe as ours. In fact, Jesus must have felt the force of temptation (in many areas of life) more than anyone who ever lived. Those who have given in previously to a certain temptation (perhaps to lie, to steal, or to yell angrily while out of control) will probably find it easier to give in again and again, especially if they have experienced no negative consequences from their sin.

In light of the above, then, Jesus face very strong temptations. Three of these are recorded in the gospels concerning the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (Luke 4:1-13; 1 John 2:16). He no doubt faced these same kinds of temptations—and many others—all through his life, because we are told that just after the three temptations, “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13).

We cannot know precisely how Jesus experienced and resisted sexual temptation. As a devout Jewish rabbi he knew his Hebrew Bible well, including the extremely helpful instructions in Proverbs, chapters 5 to 7. Perhaps he had memorized Proverbs 6:25: “Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes” (see the similar words of Jesus in Matthew 5:28).

We can be very grateful that the Holy Spirit of God inspired the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews to inform us that “we have one [a high priest] who has been tempted in every way just as we are—yet he did not sin.”

The immediately preceding and following words of the above text let us know why these matters are in the Bible:  “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses. … Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence [no matter what kind of temptation, nor how severe it is, nor how often we have yielded to it], so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).

 May our merciful and gracious Lord guide you and guard you always!

Ants

Ants

Bob Rakestraw

January 2, 2013

 “The Benediction Project”

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

 

There is an image I have had in my mind for many years, and I am glad for it. I picked up the idea somewhere along the journey of life, and it helps me greatly to see the big picture—the overall purpose of life on earth. I share it here because you, like me, may find it a powerful image to guide your days here on this planet, and to help you help someone else grasp the big picture.

Imagine that you are sitting outside on a rock, a hill or a chair, and you look down and notice a column of ants marching in single file, each carrying something to a hole in the ground where they disappear. Coming out of the same hole is another column of ants marching alongside of the first, but heading in the opposite direction, probably to the same food source.

The ants seem to be doing their work well, as their ancestors have been doing since the beginning of ant-life on earth. They eat, work, reproduce, sleep and occasionally repair or move their nest. Then they die. The seemingly-forever nature of this cycle of ant-life is, above all, to ensure the perpetuation of the species. The ants, of course, are not aware of this cycle of life; the instinct to carry on as the do is programmed in them from before birth. They never stand back and consider the big picture of their lives; they just do as their ancestors have done for ages.

These columns of ants remind me of the many people on earth who simply move through life from birth to death without stopping to give serious thought to why they are doing what they are doing—the overall purpose of their lives. They simply follow the line of ants in front of them, doing what the other ants are doing. And then they die.

There are many others, of course, who have considered such matters. They may have even accepted some big ideas about God and life after death. They now, however, either dismiss such notions as false or live as though their religious beliefs have little or nothing to do with their daily living.

There are still others who have thought—or been told—about the ultimate questions and have adopted or been indoctrinated into a set of religious ideas and practices that govern their lives in major ways.  Of this group, some are living (often sincerely) according to unbiblical religious systems while others are living, or trying to live, according to the One who said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”

All of these groups and categories need the grace of God through Christ and the Spirit. I am thinking, however, especially of those who know and accept something of the life and teachings of Jesus and his early followers. They may think of themselves as Christians, or even as faithful disciples of the Lord Jesus, and maybe they are. There are, praise God, many such in this world. They know that they, and all people, have been created in the image and likeness of God to be his representatives on earth, to reveal his mind and will to those living in ignorance of the truth.

Yet there are also many who call themselves Christians but live like ants. Of course, as humans, they have self-awareness, the ability to reason and the power of the will. These capacities obviously set them far above all animals. But as I observe them living they seem much the same as ants. They are not all marching in a fixed line, true, but their pattern of life appears to follow the customs, ideas and values of those around them.

They are heavily influenced by contemporary culture and majority opinions, and, except perhaps for attending church, they are driven by an established blend of worldly, materialistic goals and practices which they gradually have absorbed from others.

I am not making up this scenario. I wish I were. I have seen it. Children who grow up under the care of such ant-Christians often turn out to be the same as their parents or guardians. Fortunately and surprisingly, other such children recognize the shallowness and emptiness of the ant-life, and by God’s grace early in life, grow toward the way of the cross.

These may even notice their parents beginning to live lives that are less and less self-centered and more and more God-centered.  Such youth may not even realize that they are being used by the Lord to show their earth-focused parents a heavenly view of the big picture, just as God in the heavens may show his angels a view of all living things on earth, including human beings and ants.

The ants and the other creatures are doing what they are meant to do, but we human beings often are not. In this new year, on this pilgrimage called life, let us resolve to regularly lift our heads from their horizontal orientation and look up as well as out. Let us be willing to challenge the status quo, step out of the ant column, and move with the assurance and joy that God gives to those who think and live in harmony with the big picture designed by God almighty for those made in his image and likeness.

God-talk

 

 

Bob Rakestraw

December 1, 2012

“The Benediction Project”

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

 

A couple of years ago I read a piece from a churchgoing man that went something like the following (I can’t remember the actual words). “I find that one topic people in church rarely want to talk about is God! Why should it be so difficult—in church of all places—to find someone wanting to discuss things of God?”

This man was not saying that God was not mentioned in the church services, but that in the “free time” before and after services, or between scheduled activities such as a class and a worship service, or even in the midst of social “fellowship” times, people seem eager to talk about many things (such as their childrens’ school activities, their jobs or their friend’s recent diagnosis of cancer) but not about God—at least not in a personal way.

I had often noticed this pattern over the years but had never come across anyone who actually wrote or spoke about it. I myself have come to accept and participate in this type of conversation with people at church, and have often found it enjoyable and even beneficial. There is nothing at all wrong with such talk unless we knowingly quench the Spirit of God within—when the Spirit is prompting us to bring up a different line of thought.

I am not suggesting that, in the hallways, aisles, and foyers of our local churches we should be continually asking people such questions as: “How is your relationship with God these days?” or “What has impressed you lately in your Bible reading?” I would absolutely love to be asked such questions but I realize many people would be surprised or (in a few cases perhaps) even offended. I am suggesting, however, that we should be sensitive to the spiritual atmosphere if and when we become aware that our conversation partner might benefit from a word of encouragement or blessing (benediction) from us—not spoken in a paternalistic manner but in a genuinely caring way, from one weary pilgrim to another on the dusty road to the heavenly city.

Sometimes it is easy to bring up spiritual issues, especially when someone not in a hurry asks “How are you?” or “How are you doing?” Most of the time with me in recent years the person is asking about my health, since I have had—both before and after my heart transplant in 2003—serious medical problems. But, whether or not someone is asking about your health, you may wish to answer (and perhaps should, if it is true) with something like: “I have been spiritually dry lately, and I would really appreciate your prayers for revival in my heart.” The person might be quite surprised by your reply (since the expected answer, at least here in the United States, is “fine” or something like that), but they will usually be very glad to say that they will pray, and feel very honored that you asked them. All true Christians want to help others if they are able, if they have the time and if they are asked personally. It really is more blessed to give than to receive, as Jesus taught. Many of God’s choice servants know this “secret” of happiness!

In the situation just mentioned, however, the person might answer, “I am also spiritually dry, so I don’t know if my prayers will get through.” In this case you could agree to pray for each other, and perhaps do so right there, in the hallway, at the front of the church or wherever else you may be: two thirsty souls crying out for the water of life.

There are several reasons I am writing on this topic. One is that I long to grow in my Christian life and know many others do also.  Another is that I regularly need godly encouragement and know many others do as well. If someone is bold enough to bring up sensitive matters (their own or others) and/or introduce into the conversation specific scripture texts or other direct “God-talk,” the invisible barrier that  sometimes keeps even sincere Christians from discussing matters of the heart and soul suddenly falls away, and the Spirit (the one Jesus spoke of as the Comforter and Counselor) moves in and does some wonderful work. I have been fortunate for over twenty years to belong to a solid and loving church where this kind of mutual ministry often takes place.

In addition to our own needs and the needs of others, we should be eager to speak of God’s activity in our lives because it is biblical. There are numerous scripture texts that advocate this highly beneficial practice, and I will close with four of them. A most blessed and fruitful Advent, Christmas and New Year to each of you!

1.      “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

2.       “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).

3.       “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. …” (Ephesians 4:29-30).

4.       “Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard” (Malachi 3:16).

 

 

A Thanksgiving Story

 

Bob Rakestraw

“The Benediction Project”

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

 

When I started “The Benediction Project” in the spring of 2007, I had two purposes in mind. First, the blog would serve to inform people of my health condition, because so many were asking how I was doing since my heart transplant of November, 2003. Many were praying for me and wanted updates. And I very much needed their prayers.

Second, I desired to write materials that would be encouraging, concerning matters that I thought (and hoped and prayed) would bless and strengthen readers all over the world.

When I decided to call this new endeavor “The Benediction Project,” I realized that the underlying  project would have to be me—a project under construction, a work in progress. The focus would be, however, on the magnificent and compassionate Trinitarian God I love and serve: Father, Son and Spirit.

I was well aware that if the blog was ever to be a blessing to others I myself would need to ask God continually to make me into a living benediction. I wanted to be, as I responded in faith and obedience to God’s ongoing construction work, a benediction project in the flesh, while the blog, flowing from God through me, would be a benediction project in writing.

The decision to start a blog was not a casual one. I felt an urgency because I had just been told by two doctors that I probably had no more than six months to live. Since my immune system had been fighting so hard to reject this foreign object (my new heart) I now had a condition known as chronic (permanent) transplant vasculopathy. The 18 or so arteries that surround my heart and bring oxygenated blood to the heart tissue (it needs fresh blood too) were being silently and steadily squeezed shut by the disease.

This, of course, would block all blood—and therefore all oxygen—flowing to my heart. I would then have either one big heart attack or several smaller ones, or both, and my heart and I would then die. There was (and is) no medical means to overcome this disease other than a second heart transplant, which I declined.

I was now in hospice care, but able to live at home. My new sense of urgency to serve God arose out of the probable shortness of time I had to live and out of my personal desire and need to keep busy with some worthwhile project that would be an outlet for loving God and loving neighbor. As it turned out God gave me two projects and two valuable assistants—one for each project—to help Judy and me in these new tasks. Within a few weeks of being placed in hospice care both projects were up and running.

Abigail Miller (now Sengendo) encouraged me to start a blog and offered to set it up and manage it. Thus began “The Benediction Project,” now completing five-and-a-half years.

Jane Spriggs then encouraged me to write the book on prayer I had been considering but knew that I could not do without additional help. Jane offered to provide the editorial assistance and by the end of 2007 we had nearly completed Praying by the Spirit. The book was published in 2008 by Christian Growth Ministries in the Philippines. Jane and some very loyal friends revised it slightly and re-formatted it and in 2010 we self-published it in the United States as Heart Cries. This is the book whose cover appears at the top of this blog.

God has been pleased to bless others through both editions of the book as well as “The Benediction Project.” Judy and I are very grateful to God, and to Abigail, Jane and numerous others who have been, and continue to be, valuable co-workers and supporters in my modest writing ministry. I literally could not have this ministry without their encouragement, knowledge, skills and desire to join me in advancing the reign of Jesus Christ over the earth. Every day I struggle with health issues and the burden of life, and I so greatly value the assistance of friends.

If the original supposition of the doctors had become reality I would have gone home around the end of September, 2007. The doctors, however, released me from hospice that November—five years ago—and this month I celebrate my ninth transplant anniversary. I attribute my ongoing earthly life to God’s sovereign power and wisdom, Judy’s consistently helpful and understanding character, the prayers of very many (including some of you), the knowledge and skills of several excellent doctors, the medications and nutritional supplements I take, the personal encouragement and faithful labor of family and friends, and the sense of purpose God gives me in writing.

I am now writing my life story—a spiritual autobiography tentatively titled Grace Quest: A Theologian’s Search for Salvation, Spirituality and the Strength to Suffer Well. Since last year about this time I have been ably assisted in this new project by Kim Olstad and her daughter Jessie. I thank God very much for their encouragement and abilities. The book is approximately half finished and our tentative target date for completion is November, 2013. I have no idea whether I will live to finish the book, but I believe God wants me to continue working on it. I am also planning other projects for the years ahead, as God gives me the strength and the will.

Thank you for reading this piece of my personal history. Somehow, somewhere, for some of you this brief essay will, I trust, be a benediction—a blessing that will encourage you to move forward toward the celestial city John Bunyan wrote about in Pilgrim’s Progress.

Review some part of your personal history to create your own thanksgiving story. At some point in the future—perhaps soon—you may have the opportunity to bless someone with your account. You may not only encourage others, but also encourage yourself. Rich blessings always to you from the One through whom all blessings flow.

Alone - Part Two

Alone – Part Two

Bob Rakestraw

October 1, 2012

 “The Benediction Project”

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

This is the second half of my previous piece on being alone. Part One was posted on September 5, 2012. In the first part I considered the fact that, even though we very much need people in our lives to live well, each of us must learn to walk through life alone.

This then, still leaves us with the question of what it means to walk alone in this world. To me, it means that when the realities of life face me I need to know what it is, within my own mind and spirit, to consciously, obediently and confidently trust in the perfect power, love, compassion and wisdom of our merciful Lord.

It means that when you lie on your sick bed, pray for your lost child or friend, ask God for wisdom to make the coming difficult decision, seek to recover from the painful news you just received, or face a future that looks to your natural self as only bleak, bleaker and bleakest, you are in harmony with your indwelling Counselor, resting quietly in his very personal concern to do or allow only those things that are for your eternal benefit. It also means that, with the confidence described above, you go about your responsibilities, one at a time, doing what you are able to do each day and leaving the rest in God’s hands.

The lines above present a glowing picture of the soul at rest in God. I believe earnestly that such a life is both desirable and attainable for every child of God. I believe just as earnestly, by experience (mine, that of others I’ve known, and that of biblical characters and other historical figures), that such godly composure and trust is not easily attained. In fact, it is impossible to live this way by our own strength and will power.

Furthermore, no one else on earth can give you the necessary moral courage you will need, no matter how much others pray for you, read scripture to you, hold you, play music for you, or assist you in essential ways. All of these helps are important—very much so—yet no one but God himself can infuse into your total being the assurance that he does all things well for you, and always will, even as you walk confidently over the hills and through the valleys of life.

Why is it, then, that some of God’s children face their aloneness with a deep trust in God (although they may experience great suffering and tears), while others literally worry themselves sick. The latter may wave their arms and yell in panic or anger, searching for someone to blame or demanding that someone solve the problem for them. Why the difference?

Perhaps my brief account will be helpful. In my mid-fifties I was struggling with both serious heart difficulties and personal career concerns. In the midst of these trials it came to me: “I am alone; no one can solve these problems for me; no one can fully understand me nor really feel my pain.” I had to face the realities, try to understand the factors involved, accept my situation, and turn my concerns over to God every day, sometimes many times a day. I had plenty of friends, and had never (in my memory) felt lonely, but this sense of aloneness (which is, of course, different from loneliness) added a major new dimension to my life.

In addition to putting one foot in front of the other and doing my daily work as best I could, I tried to keep in mind three of my favorite scripture passages. If I was able to (sometimes I was not) I called these to mind deliberately and recited them to myself, with an attitude of trust, hope, and obedience to what God was saying to my heart through these remarkable words.

One text is from the prophet Isaiah: “You will keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (26:3).

The second is in Philippians, where the apostle Paul wrote from prison: “I can do all things through him [Christ] who strengthens me” (4:3).

The third portion states that God “will not let you be tested beyond what you can bear. But when you are tested he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (I Corinthians 10:13).

I trust that, for all of us, the stark truth of our human aloneness in this world will lead us to a quiet confidence and peace as we live our lives in this world, resting in the very being of God and supported by the presence of even one or two fellow pilgrims, because Jesus said he will be there—in our very midst (Matthew 18:20).

Alone – Part One

Alone – Part One

Bob Rakestraw

September 5, 2012

“The Benediction Project”

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

 

I am a strong believer in people being with people and people helping people. To live in this world we need one another almost as much as we need food and water. We especially need groups, whether they be local church congregations, study groups, book clubs, or support groups for those grieving, for addicts or for new parents. Groups of seven or under where the common desire is to know and follow God totally, are particularly beneficial to the participants. Even two or three people can constitute a strong life-giving support group.

I do not like to think of where I would be today if it were not for the many small groups, especially prayer groups, of which I have been a part during the nearly half-century of my Christian life. The picture would not be pretty. I am fairly sure that, without these groups in my life, if I still called myself a Christian, I would be a self-centered, prideful, opinionated, self-deceived, lonely and critical person, looking down on most people (and churches) and having little or no compassion toward the poor, the sick, the blind, the deaf, the lame, the mentally ill, the immigrant, the hungry, the jobless, the abused, and those who do not know Jesus Christ. I might have a strong interest in the Bible and certain theological issues and beliefs, but I would likely avoid (or be so blind as not to notice) the great amount of scripture that points Christ’s followers toward a holistic love of God and neighbor.

 It is an ugly and sad picture I just painted, and I give high praise to God that it is only hypothetical. The truth the picture brings out is that any of us who attempts to go through life on our own will wander through the dark streets and fields of a very bleak and lonely world, without light, without joy, without fulfillment, and being of no lasting benefit to anyone. People need the Lord, and people need people.

Having said all this, however, I firmly believe that each of us must learn to walk through life alone. Christian or non-Christian, strong believer or merely religious, everyone must journey alone on this path called life.

This sounds, I realize, like the complete opposite of what I just wrote about people needing people. But as I have lived my life I have learned that these are not polar opposites but complementary facets of one’s existence. Each is a vital truth that must be faced, understood accepted and embraced.

The apostle Paul brings these two aspects of life together nicely in his letter to the Galatians, chapter six. In the King James Version we first read, “bear ye one another’s burdens” (v. 2), but three verses later, “every man shall bear his own burden” (v. 5). At first reading it appears that Paul is contradicting himself, but this learned rabbi, a specialist in both the Hebrew and Greek languages, would surely not contradict himself in such a brief, tightly argued section of his letter.

It is helpful to know that Paul is not using the same Greek word for “burden” in these two verses, although their meanings are similar and overlapping. The word in verse two (baros), is used of “the burden and heat of the day” (Matthew 20:12) and other figurative kinds of the pressures of life. It refers to a heavy and oppressive weight, and here in Galatians it is referring to the weight of temptation and spiritual failure. Paul exhorts the spiritual believer in the community to restore gently those struggling with these issues.

The word in verse 5 (phortion) has a similar but not identical sense. While it is used to speak of “burdens grievous to be borne” (Luke 11:46) and the crushing weight imposed by the legalistic teachers and Pharisees (Matthew 23:4), it also has the sense of a lighter load, like a shoulder-pack, as a porter, peddler or marching soldier might carry. It is this word Jesus used when he said, “my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Even though we all must carry our own backpack, Jesus says it is light.  When Jesus says “my burden is light” he is teaching that even though we must carry it, if he packs our load and places it on our backs it will be light.

In the context of Galatians 6, then, Paul instructs us to bear one another’s burdens when their spiritual weaknesses are evident, but to be very careful not to consider ourselves superior to the fallen. We are to concentrate on our own lives and work, and in this sense we must carry our load alone.

I remember when, well into mid-life, the truth of my aloneness struck me. As far as I can recall it did not come from something I heard, some article I read or something from any human source, although I had thought about Galatians 6:5 many times over the years. At first this reality stunned me, saddened me and even frightened me. Even though I had a wonderful wife, two delightful daughters and their families, and great friends, there was not a single person on earth who could fully understand me nor resolve my deepest issues and concerns. These constituted my burden, even though the burden was given to me by Jesus. There was no one who could really meet my needs. Yet it is no exaggeration to say that this truth is one of the most valuable insights I have ever received from the Lord about living life successfully.

 Before I go on I need to say that I am speaking of human relationships, not our intimate journey with God who is our constant companion, guide, comforter and sovereign Lord. In this latter sense God’s people are never alone. Concerning his obedient followers Jesus spoke some amazing words:

If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor [or Comforter] to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. … Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you (John 14:15-20, NIV; see also I John 4:12-16).

God willing, I will complete this essay in my next posting.

As Close As It Gets

As Close As It Gets

Books That Have Shaped Me – Part Thirteen

Bob Rakestraw

August 1, 2012

“The Benediction Project”

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

15.  Rose from Briar, by Amy Carmichael (Christian Literature Crusade, 1973), 200 pp. First Published 1933.

 This posting brings to a close the series I have been writing on the 15 books that have most shaped me, primarily in my personal life but also in my professional life. These two spheres of life are so overlapping and entwined that I am not able to separate them very well. I trust that this series, which began with the June 30, 2011 blog posting, has been of benefit to you in your life and service for God.

The final book in the series is Rose from Briar by Amy Carmichael. The title may sound familiar to you because in the five years I have been writing this blog I have considered Carmichael’s remarkable little book twice before (April 30, 2010 and February 26, 2011).

 I wrote in my posting of April 30, 2010, that this has to be one of the top five books in my entire life, from the standpoint of helping me live well. It was written over 75 years ago, but I read it only within the past several years while I was experiencing an extended, intense period of suffering. It is not an easy work to read, not only because of the tight, sometimes turgid English (British) but because of the depth—true profundity—of the author’s understanding of suffering. If I had read this book in my earlier or middle years, even though I have suffered frequent piercing headache pain all through those years, I suspect I would not have benefited from it very much. But with the chronic health trials since my heart transplant in 2003, and with the growing realization that I was getting steadily worse, not better, I developed a much deeper need and longing to be understood and guided by one who had traveled this way before me.

Amy Carmichael lived from 1867 to 1951, most of her adult life (55 years) as a missionary to the Donhavur region of South India.  In 1901 she began a home for little girls who were taken and trained as dancing-girls for the Hindu temples, which meant a life of evil for them. Boys were also rescued from moral danger and taken into the home.

In 1931 Amy Carmichael had a serious fall and ended up as an invalid for the last 20 years of her life. She came to know God intimately through her sufferings, and she expresses the most helpful thoughts about physical, emotional and spiritual suffering I have ever read. Ruth Bell Graham, deceased wife of the famous evangelist Billy Graham, said, “By far the best I have found” on the subject of living with serious illness. Many books and tracts written to the ill are written by the well. This work is written to the ill by one who understands by personal experience the depths of illness. I keep this book close by my bedside.

The most powerful impact Rose from Briar has had on me (and thus has shaped me) is twofold. First, the author’s descriptions and analyses of her sufferings, both physical and (especially) mental-spiritual, are closer to those concerning my own sufferings of recent years than anything I have ever read. This is the basis for the title of this posting. I knew (and know) that someone actually understood the way I feel, and, to a person living with a serious chronic illness, this (other than immediate relief for excruciating pain) is the sufferer’s greatest need. At least in my case it has been, and continues to be. I deeply long to be understood, even though I know that no one but God can fully understand me. Carmichael “gets it,” however, and I am held captive by every page of her book.

The second way this work has impacted me flows directly from the first. Not only does the author describe and analyze her suffering (and mine) with greater depth than I have ever seen, but she offers—gently and by way of her own experiences—the most helpful thoughts about how to live with one’s sufferings. And not only live, but live triumphantly. I have no doubt that I will read Rose from Briar for the rest of my life, over and over as long as God allows me to read. I will do as I have been doing, reading one page or one brief chapter at a time, regularly but not necessarily every day, until I come to the end of the book, at which point I will start over. And so on, and so on.

I will close with one of many selections from the book that has strengthened me greatly.

“Those who have had that peculiarly piercing pain which is as though a nail were driven through the palm know how close it can draw the heart into a tender fellowship with Him whose two hands were pierced, not ‘as though,’ but in awful fact, by very nails of iron. There is a kind of solemn joy in coming in the flesh anywhere near the suffering flesh of our Lord. As a child I remember the thought of His Divinity so far overwhelmed the thought of His humanity that it was impossible to realize that He suffered being tempted. … The holy, pure and beautiful spirit of our Saviour suffered so much more than we can understand that words fall off, afraid to touch so profound a mystery; but there was also the sensitive flesh born of a woman. There cannot be a pang in our flesh that was not, and sharper far, in that sacred Body on the Tree. And so in a new way, as we newly understand even only a little more of what He bore for us, we draw near to Him.

“Sometimes in Donhavur we, who dearly love the little children about us (and the older ones too), have looked up from some engrossing work to see a child beside us, waiting quietly. And when, with a welcoming hand held out, to the Tamil ‘I have come,’ we have asked ‘For what?’ thinking, perhaps, of something to be confessed, or wanted, the answer has come back, ‘Just to love you.’ So do we come, Lord Jesus; we have no service to offer now; we do not come to ask for anything, not even for guidance. We come just to love You” (pp. 118-119).