The Wrath of Man and the Righteousness of God

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 01:19-20, NKJV).

James, the half-brother of Jesus, was transformed from a skeptic sibling to a “pillar of the Jerusalem church”.

He became one of the leaders of the First Jerusalem Council, and helped author the vitally important 1^st century encyclical that stands to this day, declaring that Gentiles do not need to become Jews to become Christians.

I suspect that his transformation in the Lord was stark and vivid, meaning that what kind of man he was before belief, versus afterwards, was obvious and very different. I throw this out there as speculation on my part, based on my studies in the books of Acts and James. You can just throw it out if you wish.

In any event, I believe that he writes about the wrath of man from the perspective of someone well-versed in his own anger, and his conclusion is that it is, in general, a bad thing. Paul echoes the same thought when he writes in Romans to “give place to wrath”, meaning to literally put it away where it belongs.

The Greek word for wrath in the focus verse above is more an action verb than a state of being. It is orge (or-gay'), coincidentally reminiscent of Ogre, a mythical man-eating giant of notoriously bad temperament.

Now this same active emotion, when applied to God, as it often is in Scripture, has an entirely different connotation, since God is of an entirely different nature. He is pure, holy and righteous, while we, at the very core of our natural being, are none of those things. In fact, we are their antithesis.

God's wrath is never separated from His judgment and rightful punishment of sin. It is held in check, for now, by His own choice, because He is long-suffering, and chooses to forestall pouring out His wrath until the appointed time; a future day and hour ordained from before the foundation of the world.

When that time comes, God's wrath will be sustained, inevitable, and utterly effective in accomplishing His purpose of cleansing the world of evil. His wrath will produce His righteousness.

Human wrath is altogether different. It is characterized by outbursts: uncontrolled (or barely controlled) explosions of self-serving anger that, without exception, produces bad results.

This is not to say that there is never cause for justified anger, but the difference between the two emotional contexts is crucial, and it is simply this - anger solely on behalf of oneself, for whatever reason, is what James calls the wrath of man and does not result in right behavior or outcomes.

Righteous anger on behalf of someone else, because they are being treated unjustly, leading to a controlled and judicious response, is good. It is what motivates humans to protect the weak and rescue the helpless.

Without that latter kind of anger, the world would be far worse than it already is.

Ironically, it is often the results of self-serving human wrath that necessitates responding with anger for the benefit of others. In large part, without the first kind, their would be little need for the second.

So what is the remedy? How do you and me inoculate ourselves from our own natural rage? In James words, how do we become slow to wrath?

Think “3 R's”: Recognize who we really are; Respond to provocation (real or imagined) on the basis of that recognition, and; leave whatever Revenge may be called for in the Lord's hands.

So who are we really? Depraved, debased sinners, so blinded by our own wickedness that we have no clue as to how bad we really are.

While this flies in the face of our own undeserved and delusional pride (which is, itself, a foundational part of our evil nature), the evidence of human depravity is incontrovertible.

History is filled to overflowing with it, like an ancient Roman vomitorium. Current events are replete with it, and unless you are insane, or incapable of perception, these statements are self-evident.

Collectively and individually, our thoughts, motives, and sinful actions are fueled by this depravity. While it is true that many of us are not as depraved as we could be, it is equally true, that given the “right” circumstances, even that thin veneer of civility and rationality can be ripped away like the gossamer strands of a spider's web.

What we are powered by is an almost unassailable sense of entitlement, when all we actually deserve is God's wrathful, righteous judgment against sin. For the wages of sin is death.

When we accept the Lord as our Savior and King, He begins to transform us into His image, refining us in the fire of His Holy Spirit indwelling us, but that process of sanctification remains unfinished until our death, or His return. Day by day we live at war within ourselves, old nature against new, and far more often than we realize, we surrender in that fight with little resistance.

So Recognizing who we really are leads to understanding what we really deserve, and puts whatever offenses that come our way in truthful perspective.

Someone cognizant of their own death sentence, or fatal disease (for that's what sin is), will be less inclined to lose self-control over what, in comparison to the ultimate judgment being carried out, turns out to be a minor slight.

In other words, in Response to our self-recognition, we can temper our natural inclination to outbursts of wrath. It is similar to the lesson an infant learns as he or she matures into toddlerhood and then older childhood.

As infants, everything is self. There is no differentiation between me and not me. My rage at unsatisfied physical and emotional needs as a baby is expressed in full force, without reservation, as if the world were all mine.

Toddlers with any sense at all, learn to mitigate that natural expression by taking a longer view. They know from experience and increasing self-awareness that unbridled rage at not getting what they want is mostly counterproductive, unless parented by weak-minded adults who themselves have no sense and retreat and surrender in the face of their little ones' tantrums.

Older children recognize their own limitations even further, and especially when given a truthful view of themselves and the world, understand that what they want, and what they actually deserve, can be two very different things, indeed.

(There is nothing more blessed than a child's sweetly reasonable response to being told, “No,” by a duly authorized caregiver.)

That leaves only those offenses and injustices that come our way that may, objectively, require retribution. How do we, in our own strength, handle the natural outpouring of wrath that threatens to overwhelm us at those times?

We who walk with the Lord can respond with this assurance: “'Vengeance is mine, I will repay!' says the LORD.”

That is the third R in the Recognition, Response and Revenge formula. Leave revenge in His hands. He is infinitely better at it than you or I will ever be, and He promises repeatedly to avenge the evil done to His children.

So rather than an debased, wrathful response to the world and others, we can Relax (the resulting 4^th R of the proposed spiritual equation), at least a little. And in the end, that's really all it takes, for when the metaphorical finger is removed just a little bit away from that hair-trigger of wrath, the Lord can work within us, taking our thought captive, and allowing Him to work through us.

It's like the gospel itself in a way, easy to understand, but unless we surrender to its truth, impossible to accomplish in our own strength.

A Spiritual Gift

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established-- that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. (Romans 01:11-12, NKJV).

There has been much controversy (argument) over the centuries regarding the topic of spiritual gifts, ranging from what they are, are they still extant (continue to exist), who can get them, Who gives them, and what are their purposes?

The old saying goes is that if you get three theologians in a room discussing these things, you will, if you listen long enough, hear at least five different opinions; some of them mutually exclusive.

The Apostle Paul will deal with spiritual gifts in greater detail in Chapter 12, but we are a long way from there, so his mention of them in the focus verse above is an opportunity to provide a brief introduction.

First, the Bible teaches that spiritual gifts are given by Christ to His people, as He wills, in order to benefit His church, and to affirm His loving oversight.

Depending on how systematically you choose to organize them, there are several broad categories of gifts listed in the New Testament, among them are the gifts of miracles (supernatural acts), teaching, healing, prophecy, mercy, administration (leadership), knowledge, exhortation (firm correction or guidance), helps, hospitality, angelic language (tongues), and encouragement.

If you expand your study into the Old Testament, the list becomes much broader, especially in the context of the divinely inspired construction of both the Tabernacle and the Temple of ancient Israel.

There you will find that God gifted a wide variety of artisans (skilled trade workers in the fields of metal or cloth), craftspersons (artists expert in various media), and construction workers (miners, builders, and architects) to exactly reproduce these two places of worship according to God's blueprints, delivered to Moses on the mountain (for the tabernacle), and then some 400 years later to King David (for the temple, which his son Solomon subsequently built).

Perhaps the most contentious question about gifts can be summarized by the debate that takes place even today: what gifts, if any, are operative in the modern era?

In a kind of hot-button subtext (an idea underneath a larger subject), are specific issues about the gift of tongues.

Much detail could be written about the human arguments swirling around these topics, but like many such things, the answer lies in the authoritative Word of God, and not in the minds of fallen men.

What does the Bible say? Spiritual gifts will exist until they are no longer needed, which will not occur until Christ ushers in the New Heavens and the New Earth at the end of the Millennium (the 1000 year reign of Christ that takes place after the Tribulation).

These are granted to Christ's people as He sees fit when He deems they are needed. Some of the more astounding manifestations (evidences or actions), like miracles, special knowledge, prophecy, and supernatural healing, appear to take place mostly in areas of the world where the Bible is not prevalent (widespread). Missionary reports from these areas contain many such instances.

This fits perfectly with the historical accounts in the New Testament, where we are specifically informed that these “signs and wonders” follow the preaching of the gospel in order to confirm its reality.

Once the Canon (officially recognized collection) of Scripture was closed (at the end of the 1^st Century), the only gift that ceased to be was the Gift of Special Revelation given by God to the 12 Apostles to form the written foundation of Christian Doctrine.

In other words, with the completion of the Bible, no new doctrinal (formal teaching) revelations were ever needed again, since the complete faith was once delivered to all the saints.

Aside from that, the other gifts, including speaking in angelic tongues, continue to operate where and when God sees fit. For more specifics also read 1 Corinthians 12 through 14.

Now some believe, incorrectly, that certain gifts must be evident as proof of salvation (being saved), but in truth, according to Scripture, there is only one spiritual proof necessary, and that is the Source of all the other gifts: the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Himself.

From Him comes all the other manifestations of a changed mind and heart, and a life walking with Christ that bears the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). Without these, no other “spiritual” manifestation, however sensational, has any meaning.

One final thought. Paul's desire to impart to the Roman believers some “spiritual gift”, as he writes above, aside from whatever else he had in mind, is a recognition that the ONLY gifts that will endure for all eternity are those pertaining to the spiritual realm.

All other bestowals (gifting) are temporal and material and will thus fade away. It is only those things that the Book of Hebrews says cannot be shaken - in other words, those things that originate and are maintained in the realm of the spirit - that will remain.

What therefore is the greatest gift? The Bible makes it unequivocally clear (without doubt or possibility of argument). It is agape love (1 Corinthians 13).

The same love that motivated God to create us, even though He knew our existence would require the death of His beloved Son on the Cross for our sins.

The same love that compelled Christ to go to that Cross as our substitutionary sacrifice.

It is the love that only God can pour out in our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Without faith in Christ, that love is not humanly possible.

So then what is the greatest gift that can be given by anyone, to anyone, especially a parent to a child?

It is simply the love and knowledge of God that leads to faith in His Son.

Love,

Dad

Longing

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established-- that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. (Romans 01:11-12, NKJV).

One of the most powerful human emotions in existence is longing. It can be described as the soul-deep, poignant (tinged with sadness and regret) desire for something that is heartbreakingly out of reach, like the company of a loved one who has died.

Or the missing of a child who has been taken away or is no longer present.

It is a powerful human emotion because it is a powerful divine emotion, for we are made in the image of God in the realm of emotions perhaps most of all. We are emotional beings because He is. We love because He is love.

We long for the company of those we love because He does, and it is that depth of feeling that the Apostle Paul expresses here, bearing his deepest thoughts so that the recipients of this marvelous letter can know the depths of his love for them; and by extension, the depth of God's love for them (and us), as well.

For our Heavenly Father longs for our company and fellowship, as amazing and incomprehensible as that may seem. He created us for His good pleasure, the Bible tells us, and He desires for us to be with Him.

That is why Jesus came to die so horribly on the Cross for our sins, so that afterwards, where He is, there we may be also... forever.

As your earthly father, I understand a bit more of this godly longing for your presence than I ever could before God gifted me with you and your sisters, and I have a far greater appreciation and depth of astonishment for how God expresses His love for us.

Think of it!

He who made all things and has all power and majesty and honor and glory is not satisfied until we miserable sinners are members of His family. To make that possible, He sent His Son to cleanse us and make us worthy of existence in Heaven; to transform us from our lowly earthly selves into creatures fit for an eternity in His presence in the new Heavens and new Earth.

It is impossible not to be utterly amazed at that truth if viewed in the light and clarity of Scripture.

There is something about us that God will not do without.

I cannot say with authority what that thing is, but I can with absolute assurance tell you that the Father sees us as a great and special treasure, a pearl beyond price, and as worthy inheritors of all the blessings that are His to bestow. And since He is God, He can (and will) give to us irrevocably (without possibility of loss), and for all eternity, all that is just and good and lovely and pure and joyful.

This is true not because of who we are, but because of who He is, and because of what we are in Jesus, His Son. The Apostle Paul affirms repeatedly in His Holy Spirit-inspired writings that for us to be recipients of God's grace and mercy, to enable Him to fulfill His longing for us, we must be transformed.

He must change us from sinners into saints.

We are completely helpless in this regard. There is no amount of good things that we could do to make us worthy of Him, for it is in our inherent nature (part of our essential make up) to sin, and God cannot abide nor look upon sin.

Yet, His longing for us has provided a means to overcome that helplessness and to take away our sin, but only at that great price of the death of His Son in our place.

Jesus sacrificed Himself to enable us to be with Him, not as sinners in the hands of an angry God, but as beloved members of God's family.

There is something indescribably noble and heroic about Christ's willingness to pay the price of our sin; for He who knew no sin to become sin for us so that we could become His righteousness.

In that one act of filial (family) obedience to the Father, He has brought us to God as a gift that satisfies the divine longing for our fellowship.

Unlike our own human longing, which is tainted by our selfish sinful nature no matter how pure we may think it to be, God's longing is solely for our good. He desires for us to be with Him, not because He needs us, but because we need Him.

And that is the motive behind Paul's expression of longing in the focus verses above. His longing for the believers in Rome was for their benefit.

We will look at what he specifically desired to give them in the next study. For now, just reflect upon the wondrous truth that God's longing for us is so powerful that He sent His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Love,

Dad

(Reprise) Dead Man: Dead Man Worshiping

I turned and saw His long, flowing, brilliantly white robe girded across the chest with solid, almost transparent gold. I could look no further as all else faded from view.

How can I put into words what it is to see even this much of the One by whom, and for whom, are all things?

How to describe the vast Presence of He who is before all things and in whom all things consist?

Before there was time or space or causality there was Him.

Before sight or sound, before thought, or whisper of words, there was Him.

And it was He who stood before me with a shining countenance of purest holiness.

He who is the Source of all beauty and nobility and strength and royalty and wisdom was utterly and completely there.

I was face to face with the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Lamb Slain Before the Foundation of the World, The Beginning and The End, The Word of God.

And all this flashed through my mind in the twinkling of an eye and I was immediately overwhelmed by His glory. It pressed upon me like the weight of the Universe.

Like all mankind in the chronicles of human history, when confronted with the Lord, I fell on my face as if dead, such was the terrible beauty of the Eternal King of Kings.

To lift my head for even a split second was an impossibly irreverent thought.

The impulse to do so died before forming, and I trembled in every aspect of myself, feeling that I would vibrate apart by the sheer majesty of His ineffable Being.

"Stand, my Son." He commanded gently.

I obeyed, but kept my eyes lowered. Suddenly, all of the incredible vividness of the Heavenly out lands, all the indescribable beauty of this Place, paled in comparison to Him.

"You are indeed upon Holy Ground, Dead Man, but fear not. I have made you clean. I have washed you in My blood, and what I have cleansed, you must not call common!"

"Lift your eyes, and see Me! It is what you have asked. It is your heart's desire. I have heard your prayer."

His Voice thundered as at the Dawn of Creation, like the sound of many waters, like an ancient trumpet that blasted throughout all existence.

It was all I could do to comply.

His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and I fell on my face yet again, once more a Dead Man.

Then I felt a hand placed gently on my trembling shoulder.

"Fear not," the Voice repeated, but this time it was the deep-timbered voice of a Man who spoke quietly, as if to a frightened child.

His Presence was as overwhelmingly powerful as before, but now there was something else, something that tempered the consuming Fire of His Deity, and I knew then without looking that He had veiled Himself in His humanity to protect such a one as me from the fierceness of His Being; an Essence that is an extravagance of sheer force that not all the stars in the Universe could contain or reflect.

He helped me stand, and lifted my chin to gaze into my eyes.

Oh! The inconceivable LOVE I saw there!

I could only bear that gaze for a moment before I was overwhelmed in great sobs of…

Joy!

Yes! It was joy that was washing away all sense of myself, that obliterated all awareness of everything but those eyes.

They shone with a depth of mercy and intelligence for which words had not yet been devised.

And their entire focus was locked so steadfastly on me in such welcome and reciprocal joy that had all eternity ended at that very instant it would have been more than enough!

This was the single moment that fulfilled all the desperate, inexpressible longing of my frail human heart. Being in His presence was the reason for my existence; the reason for all existence.

"I have been waiting a long time for this visit," He said with a smile.

© Bill Lilley 2011, 2013

(Reprise) Dead Man: A Dead Man Walking

After these things I was aware of two men traveling by foot on an ancient road.

I knew who they were somehow, as I also knew their destination. Although I was far from them, as before with the Magdalene, I overheard their conversation along the way.

They spoke of the One in whom they had hoped and whom they had followed, who had seemed to be the fulfillment of the longing of their hearts; for themselves and for their captive nation. Underneath their discourse was a deep despair. Where was God in all this darkness?

Then they saw Him but did not know who He was.

How often in human experience has that happened, I wondered, as I observed from the outskirts of Heaven. How many times have we remained unaware of the One who is Hope, and through stubborn hopelessness, been unable to perceive Him?

And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”

Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”

"What things?" he asked gently, referring to the momentous events of the previous three days. I could not help but note the irony of his question.

So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”

“O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”

I found myself astonished at the softness and grace of His rebuke.

And then as they walked along the road to Emmaus together, rather than excoriate them for their willful unbelief, He bestowed upon them a teaching from the Source of Wisdom.

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

I wanted to spend all the rest of eternity listening to His Words, marveling at the unending richness and depth of their meaning and purpose. Words that had the power to create all reality, or to destroy it. Words that gave life. Words that were life.

"You will," said my companion on the Balcony. "That is the destiny of all His children by faith."

I sighed in real sadness then, as the visions faded, and I was once more merely me, in my own mind. And I was so very, very tired. I would have thought that exhaustion was not possible in Heaven, and then I recalled that I was just on the Periphery, not very close at all to the Throne.

"Come, walk with me," he said.

I was reminded of what I used to say to my young children when they complained of being tired.

"Dad, I can't walk anymore! I'm too exhausted! It's too far to home!"

"Run!" I would say, "You'll get there that much sooner!"

And off they would go, trusting me enough to overcome their natural skepticism that increased effort would invigorate, rather than deplete, their store of energy.

It didn't work for me at that moment, though, even as I found myself along the same Forest path that he had brought me to earlier.

"I can barely put one foot in front of another," I whined. "I am so very tired!"

"I know," said a gentle Voice.

It was not my companion.

© Bill Lilley 2011, 2013

(Reprise) Dead Man: A Dead Man No More

But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb…

I see her and the two angels, who from my vantage point are infinitely far away, as if in another, unreachable dimension of existence, and yet so terribly near, like the sudden adrenalin surge of terror or excitement that slams your rib cage from the inside.

I almost felt her heart leap within her at the appearance of these magnificently radiant, other-worldly creatures, but not because of who they were, but because of Whom they were not.

“Why are you weeping?” they asked.

That these heavenly beings in glowing white robes spoke to her did not matter.

They were not Him!

She would not be distracted from her mission - to see her Lord one last time. It was the focus of her entire being, and the devotion of her heart would not let even the Host of Heaven stand in her way.

Her response was made with understated agony.

"They have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid Him!"

Since they gave her no immediate answer, she turned from them. Perhaps she heard the footsteps of the Man who suddenly approached. Mostly, it seemed she had little thought for them at all.

They were not Him!

In turning she saw Someone who had the appearance of a common day laborer, a gardener by the looks of Him.

“Why are you weeping, whom are you seeking?” He asked.

The unexpectedness of the question struck me. It was either purposely obtuse or indicative of a profound awareness.

Mary herself cared about neither, but leapt at the possibility that this Man might know something of the One she sought.

“Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”

She was not large, nor did she appear unusually strong for a woman her age, but the intensity of her longing was evident. It was clear she would have done anything to procure a final resting place for the body of the Man who was life itself to her; even if it meant transporting the dead weight of a fully grown corpse entirely by herself.

Nothing else mattered; not defilement from touching the dead; not the weakness of her frame; not the improbability of her success. Her grief-stricken heart knew no other course.

Then this Man spoke a single word to her.

"Mary."

It was the Voice of her beloved!

He spoke her name in that special way reserved just for her, as if she alone were the only other person in existence. It was the Voice of Love itself calling out to her as no Other possibly could.

Though I was mere spectator, my heart soared within me as I shared vicariously in the utter joy that was hers. The deepest, most intense longing of her soul was right there before her, against all logic and odds and probability; an impossible hope beyond all hope fulfilled!

What an astounding gift of grace and love!

She was the first, the very first, to see the Risen Lord on the planet He came to save, and He had called her by name!

"TEACHER!" she cried and flung herself at His feet, grasping Him with all her strength, as if to convey that she would never release Him from her desperately longing arms again.

I did not see His face at any time during this encounter, and especially at that moment, as He gazed downward at His maidservant from whom He had cast seven demons, and who was now weeping in ecstasy and joy in the Presence of Him whom she had thought stolen from her forever.

"Do not cling to Me," he said gently, "for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God."

She looked up at Him at those words, her face imbued with love and devotion beyond mere speech to describe.

I turned away then. I could not intrude on so intimate a moment between the Savior and His beloved.

He was Resurrected King, and yet Gentle Teacher. Lord of Lords Eternal, and yet intimate Friend.

In that momentary glance between that woman headed for death, and the One who died in her place so she would live, I saw all the purposes of Heaven from Creation to the Cross.

Had she been the only one to receive His gift, I believe in my heart He would have laid down His life for her regardless.

But she was just the first to see Him whom death could not destroy, nor grave hold.

And in loving and simple obedience, she obeyed.

© Bill Lilley 2011, 2013