Father, Forgive Them... God's Call

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” [Luke 23.34] 

This is grace. It is God's will that all mankind be saved and understand the truth. God's forgiveness is His call to every human being.

As Luke records this, it takes place before the criminals crucified on either side of Jesus were even discussed. This is important.

What follows Jesus' exposé of undeserved grace “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” is a timeless look into saving faith (or the lack thereof). Faith is what separates the "called" from the "chosen."

One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” [Luke 23.39-43]

The criminals on either side of Jesus represent all of humanity for all time. They represent the "called."

“For many are called, but few are chosen.” [Matthew 22.14]

The scoffing criminal, in unbelief, challenged Jesus just like the religious leaders who sentenced Jesus to death. The other criminal however did not challenge Jesus, but in a simple faith-filled request said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And, as Jesus responded, this humble criminal was thereby "chosen."

The difference between Jesus and the two criminals is basic. The criminals were justly being crucified because of their selfish actions. Jesus was unjustly being crucified because of His selfless commitment to God (and mankind represented by the two criminals).

It is profound that the criminals were deservedly on crosses. The faith-difference in the two criminals however is found in one proudly rejecting his cross while the other humbly embraced his. The humble criminal, in effect, "took up his cross..."

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

For all the selfish motives that landed both of the criminals on crosses beside Jesus, it was the realization that he deserved to be there that resulted in the humble criminal's proclaimed faith in Jesus. This faith in Jesus, made evident in his request, forever secured the humble criminal's salvation.

We are just as guilty as the two criminals crucified on either side of Jesus. We are guilty of responding to Satan's lie that we should follow our selfish desires. The criminals, instead of giving up their own selfish desires, acted upon them and found themselves crucified for it. Like the criminals, we act upon the very same selfishness that was Adam's and Eve's original sin in the Garden of Eden when they doubted God's intentions in forbidding they eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3). Adam and Eve believed Satan's lie that God was holding out on them, and so, they took matters into their own hands. Adam's and Eve's guilt of taking matters into their own hands is effectively the same guilt of the criminals on either side of Jesus. It is our same guilt too. And, it is the reason "idolatry" is the first thing forbidden in the Ten Commandments because idolatry is the self-centric disobedience that leads to all other sin. Idolatry is man's way of taking matters into his own hands independent of God's demands. When man follows this his own way, making his own solutions, all manner of telltale disgusting sin follows. The Bible supports this exhaustively.

Idolatry is criminally taking from God His role of solely caring for us. Idolatry puts us in the same proximity to Jesus as the two criminals crucified on either side of Him. In that proximity, Jesus' prayer on the Cross covers us as it covered to two criminals, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” This is the undeserved grace-call of God extended to all. We have the choice to respond in humble faith embracing our criminal fate or to continue in arrogant selfishness rejecting and fighting against our criminal fate.

Like the men on the crosses beside Jesus, we are ALL criminals for trusting and pursuing anything other than God ALONE (ourselves, finance, insurance, medicine, technology, religion... all crimes of idolatry against God). Jesus' call to the Father, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” is God's call to us. We can only enjoy that forgiveness and all the blessings it brings when we humbly acknowledge we are criminals and in need of Jesus. We are not done following Jesus until we are with Him where He is. Neither are we done giving up our own way until that time. And, most relevant to the topic of this article, we are not done taking up our cross until we are fully united with Jesus in God's presence in heaven.

Our undivided faith in Jesus Christ is the only thing that renders us chosen. We should not wait until death is imminent upon us to exercise this faith - Jesus' life on earth was more than the Cross - and so, He demanded miracle-working faith of all who would follow Him. Whether it's faith to live or faith to die, only faith in Jesus pleases God because Jesus is the only Way to God.

The two criminals crucified on either side of Jesus give deeper meaning to:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

Father, my unwritten thoughts accompanying this article are more than can be articulated. It is sufficient today to understand Your call (the offer of forgiveness) and to respond in humble faith to receive it as I give up my own way, take up my cross, and follow Jesus. May I be found only in Jesus. So be it.

Live In Your Own Light - Warm By Your Own Fire (Good Advice??)

Who among you fears the LORD and obeys his servant? If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the LORD and rely on your God. But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. This is the reward you will receive from me: You will soon fall down in great torment. [Isaiah 50.10-11] 

What does it mean to "live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fire"? It actually sounds like something a modern life-coach might tell us to do. To best answer this question though, me might make a contrasting statement of what it is not! Obedience to God is living in His light and being warmed by His fire.

Living in God's light is living by His Word. Human reason, in this case, is the opposite of God's Word. Man's knowledge and wisdom have, through the years, increased exponentially but, at their very best, are still only darkness. Living in God's light is living in the fear of the LORD, obeying only Him regardless how circumstances might look.

In contrast, Adam and Eve (in Genesis 3), at Satan's suggestion, 'lived in their own light' (instead of God's) - they utilized their own reason (knowledge and wisdom) believing that they knew better than God about what they needed. He told them to stay away from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but they reasoned that they wanted and needed it anyway. And so, they ate - they disobeyed God because they "thought" they knew better. 'Living in their own light' was, in fact, disobedience to God.

Not ironically, Adam and Eve also 'warmed themselves by their own fire' after 'living in their own light': They sewed fig leaves together for themselves to cover their nakedness. As soon as anyone begins to live in their own light, thinking they know more than God, they are compelled to immediately set out to take care of (provide for) themselves. 'Warming ourselves by our own fire' is doing for ourselves what God said He would do.

Can we identify with 'warming ourselves by our own fire' and 'living in our own light' today? We can, but only if we know and accept God's Word for what it says...

Where do we start? The Ten Commandments! The first two commandments deal specifically with 'living in our own light' and 'warming by our own fire.'

God said:

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. [Exodus 20.2-3]

There is no possible way to 'walk in God's light' unless the 1st Commandment is given priority over every thought of our own. The phrase "God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt" is God's way of reminding His people of His single-handed provision for everything they needed. In the context of 'rescuing His people from Egypt,' God met their every need both during and after their exodus from there. God's provision for Israel is a long list of remarkable miracles attributable only to God and His power. In this way, being in 'God's light' leaves no need for our own light.

It is almost as if God knew exactly what man's tendency to 'live in his own light' would lead to...

“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.4-6]

'Living in our own light' ALWAYS leads to 'building our own fire.' Every idol of man is a 'fire he built for himself.'

It MUST be understood here that "bow down to" and "worship them" IS the equivalency of making idols. To make an idol is to bow down to it and worship it. Bowing down and worshiping is, in fact, receiving the benefit of the idol - receiving 'warmth from the fire.'

If we think about man's modern industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology, it only takes a moment to understand the undeniable truth that these are all 'fires man made for himself.' If we look long enough, we might also conclude that the modern institutional church is also a 'fire man made for himself.' As man receives benefits from these industries of his own making, he is effectively and conclusively bowing down to and worshiping them.

The tendency of anyone 'warming himself by his own fire' is to defend his actions. So brilliant are the Ten Commandments that God gave a preemptive rebuttal to man's proud defense that "God gave the ability to man to build his own fire." That rebuttal is the 3rd Commandment:

“You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. [Exodus 20.7]

Any true student of the Bible will concur that idolatry is a (if not "the") repetitive theme in the Bible. This fact proves the continuity of the entire Bible in the message of Jesus that is also found from cover to cover as the solution to man's repeated idolatry (manifested in all manner of sin). In perfect synchronization with the Bible's repeated identifications and warnings against idolatry, Jesus provided and declared the "simple" solution:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

To 'give up your own way' can mean nothing less than NOT living in our own light and NOT warming ourselves by our own fires. To 'take up your cross' can mean nothing less than that death cannot deter us from living ONLY in God's light and ONLY warming ourselves by His fire. Simple? Yes. Easy? No.

People today are nothing if they are not well-exercised in living in their own light and warming by their own fire. But, that has to change... Isaiah reveals that the end of that is great torment.

Father, in heaven, Your Word is amazing because You are amazing. I want to live by Your light!. I want to warm by Your fire! I want to give up my own way, take up my cross, and follow Jesus. So be it.

Nothing Has Changed

“Who is like you among the gods, O LORD—glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders? You raised your right hand, and the earth swallowed our enemies. [Exodus 15.11-12]

Israel's story is the story of God's people. In Israel's story, God's people throughout history (even to this day), find a picture of themselves as well as truths by which to live. The greatest of these truths is Jesus Christ.

The first and foremost truth of all Israel's history is, in fact, Jesus Christ.

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! [John 5.39]

The second truth I wish to point out, as has been my proclivity to do the last couple of years, is that idolatry was a prevalent antithesis to God, and therefore, an enemy of God's people: "Who is like you among the gods, O LORD..."

As the Scriptures timelessly point to Jesus (God With Us) as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, so idolatry is the timeless nemesis to Jesus being honored in that position. It was then, and it is now: nothing has changed.

In time, it would literally be "written in stone" that God demanded undisputed, undivided, and undiluted lordship in His people. God always intends to be distinct and to make a distinction in His people. God expects and demands no less in return from His people:

I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. [Exodus 20.2-3]

Everything to do with Egypt was slavery and idolatry as is alluded to in the subject passage above:  "Who is like you among the gods, O LORD..."

But God did not risk misinterpretation of His 1st Commandment knowing man would have the tendency (at Satan's behest) to do so. So, God identified idolatry as the first indicator of violating the 1st Commandment in the 2nd Commandment:

“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.4-6]

Who can guess what the first indicator of violating the 2nd Commandment above is? Yes, the 3rd Commandment:

You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. [Exodus 20.7] 

Satan's infamous words, "Has God really said..." (Genesis 3) should be remembered right here. God was specific in His instruction to Adam and Eve just as He is specific in His enduring instruction to us in the first two Commandments. However, Satan's same words, often cited in different form by God's own people, misuse God's name by willfully interpreting "no other gods" as "God uses [name any idol here]." This is, in fact, a blatant violation of the 3rd Commandment. Every such misuse of God's name is man's inglorious justification of his own ambiguous way for self-preservation and self-indulgence instead of God's specific way.

Unironically, Israel revealed just such a misuse of God's name in today's One Year Chronological Bible reading. Regardless what God had spoken through Moses (that Israel would be delivered from slavery in Egypt), in a "Has God really said" self-preserving, self-indulgent moment, Israel misused God's name in claiming the following:

Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’” [Exodus 14.12]

Then, before it was actually written, Moses indirectly pointed the people to the first two Commandments. He mentioned the LORD (1st Commandment) and he mentioned the idol of Egypt (2nd Commandment):

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” [Exodus 14.13-14]

The way to get the 3rd Commandment right is to abide by the 2nd Commandment.

The way to get the 2nd Commandment right is to abide by the 1st Commandment.

Now, watch this...

How do we get the 1st Commandment right? It's already been revealed above: Jesus!

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! [John 5.39]

And, in no less exclusive language, Jesus revealed His continuity with - His very existence as - the Word of God demanding every bit of the 1st Commandment as it has always stood:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

The Bible has never indicated anything other than this! In fact, nothing has changed! Wholesale violation of the 3rd Commandment has confused and confounded man's relationship with God. The prevailing end result is "dead religion."

So... what is the first indicator of violating the 3rd Commandment? It is violating the Sabbath. 

Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. [Exodus 20.8]

In the brilliance of God, the Sabbath is, or it should be said "He" is, Jesus, the very reality of the Sabbath of God.

So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. [Colossians 2.16-17]

Once again, nothing has changed! God's plan has never changed - His plan has been Jesus from the beginning and, in fact, before the beginning!

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. [Colossians 1.15-16]

When Jesus said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me" He meant it in all the scope and fullness of not only the first four Commandments, but all ten of them. Nothing has changed.

Again, the first indicator of violation of the 1st Commandment is idolatry. Let that soak in.

Father, Your Word is absolutely amazing. Jesus is absolutely amazing in that He commands all the same obedience as the Ten Commandments. As we see ourselves in the Ten Commandments, help us to understand that following Jesus allows idolatry in no way, shape, form, or fashion. Help us to get it right - to "just stay calm" to see that You (God With Us) fight for us relieving us of any responsibility whatsoever to self-preserve or self-indulge (Matthew 6.33). So be it.