1 John 1:1-4 (study part 2)

1 John 1:1-4

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

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"...For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us..." - For the definition of "life" in each instance, you really have to look at the context, because thus far, almost every time, if not every time, "life" has referred to Christ Himself. The Word, Jesus Christ, is life because He gives it to all who believe on Him. Jesus lived a physical life and died a physical death, and (obviously) He has lived and will live for all eternity. He had to die to pay the penalty for our sins, but He did not die spiritually or eternally. God required the shedding of perfect blood to cover the sins of His people, and Christ fulfilled that requirement. The price has already been paid. Because He was our substitute, He can now offer this gift of eternal life to all people. Because it was God who offered Himself for His people, that blood payment is so large that it can easily cover the stains of all people. Though, sadly, so many reject this offer and therefore must pay for their own sins, seeing that Jesus is our only other option. John 14:6 says that "I (Jesus) am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh to the Father except through me." In order that this purpose might be fulfilled, Jesus (the life) was manifested. This means that He was made clear/shown to the world/revealed to the world as the Son of God, Savior of those who believe in Him. John states again that they (the disciples) saw Him; therefore they now bear witness and testify that Jesus was/is the Son of God, the Life.

"...That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you..." - John makes it clear that he and the other disciples witnessed Jesus Christ first hand. Second or third hand witnesses are harder to trust because the story may have gotten messed up in the multiple re-tellings; but when you hear a story told from one who was actually there, and the person is trustworthy, you should easily and rightly believe them. The gospels and really, the whole New Testament , are written about Jesus by direct witnesses; the book of First John is no exception, this book was written by an eyewitness of His majesty.

"...That ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ..." - When you share knowledge with someone, you are then able to talk with them about it. For how can one talk with another if one is not familiar with the subject at hand? When one becomes a believer, they enter into the family of God and can therefore truly fellowship with their new adopted brethren. Fellowship is spending quality time with someone or multiple people. Fellowship with the Father can only be obtained after one becomes a believer for before one receives Jesus Christ, they are utterly separated from God, but because of Christ and His work, we have been brought near and may fellowship with God because we have been covered by the blood of the Lamb. Fellowship with God implies fellowship with both the Father and the Son; and the Holy Spirit is constantly with us, helping, guiding, comforting, and leading us where God wants us to go. 

"...And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full..." - This is the second reason why John wrote this letter; the first was: "that ye also may have fellowship with" God and all believers. The word "joy" implies a lot if you think about it, for you can take/have joy in many things. Joy, as I understand it, is more than happiness - for even happiness can be easily faked by some. Joy is like a true, or pure, or utterly real, happiness. In the book of James we are told to joy in tribulation. We can only do this when we draw our joy from Christ; who, we know, works all things together for good for His people. We may not always feel an earthly happiness about trials, but we can have honest joy in it if we are relying on Christ. In this certain passage, however, John is not writing of joy in tribulation, but rather, joy in the knowledge of what Christ did. Same kind of joy, drawn from the same place. I think it interesting that John doesn't just say "that you may have joy", but he says: "that your joy may be FULL" (emphasis mine). I believe the implication of that is clear: John knows that the love of Christ doesn't just bring joy, but that is is so vast that it overflows ones heart with an immeasurable amount of unspeakably huge joy. The joy that Christ brings fills you up to absolutely overflowing! More than enough to fill your life and more share with the world! Allow Christ to fill you with His joy daily so that all may see Christ through you as you bubble over with His great, priceless joy!

I must admit that this exact thing is something I am working on right now. Finding joy in not only daily tasks and work and life in general, but also in trials. I pray that God may teach me how to find joy in Him!

Oh praise God for blessing us so richly!

In Christ our Rock,

Buttercup

1 John 1:1-4 (study part 1)

1 John 1:1-4

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was  manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

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John begins this epistle with an introduction. Unlike Paul and James, John does not start the epistle by confirming his identity and telling his name, but rather, jumps right in and starts talking about Christ and the apostle's relationship to Him and how they really were "eyewitnesses of His majesty". 

"That which was from the beginning..." - He begins describing Christ with this phrase. John makes it clear by doing this that Jesus Christ was/is indeed God. He seems to be referring back to John 1:1 which says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Jesus Christ is the Word, and is therefore God, and was in the beginning. He is eternal and immortal, higher and more powerful than any other being, for He created all other beings. Before all else, was God.

"...Which we have heard..." - John states here that they heard Jesus. Looking back at the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John),  we can see many times where Jesus verbally taught and spoke with His disciples, the Jewish leaders, and the people. According to John 20:31, Jesus did many other signs and wonders which were not written down, this more than likely also refers to other things that Jesus said and taught that were not written down. Matthew 5:2 - "...and He opened His mouth, and taught them (the disciples) saying..." Jesus taught the disciples many things verbally.

"...Which we have seen with our eyes..." - Not only did Jesus teach His disciples verbally, but the disciples also learned by seeing what Jesus did. For example, the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus' disciples got to see Him multiply a tiny bit of food into enough for thousands of people right before their very eyes. It was the same with all His other miracles, too. They were "eyewitnesses of His majesty".

"...Which we have looked upon..." - The disciples gazed in utter wonder at their Lord. And as time went on, they respected, honored, worshiped, and glorified Him more and more as they learned more about who He is. Multiple times in the first four New Testament books, we read the disciples saying that He truly was the Son of God. They already knew this, but the more it was reinforced, the more clear it became.

"...And our hands have handled..." - The disciples not only heard and saw Jesus, but they touched Him. After His resurrection, the disciples might have touched Jesus' wrists, feet, and side. Before His death they probably touched Him in other ways, although the Bible does not mention an occurrence such as this, we can guess this simply because it is something all humans do. Whether its a hug, a tap on the shoulder, or the like, we all touch each other. The disciples touched Jesus, they knew he was physically there. What a comfort. Now the Holy Spirit is our Comforter, and although we can't physically touch Him, He is always right there beside every believer.

"...Of the Word of life..." - He was (and is) the Word. He proclaimed the words of life, that He was the Only Way that they might have life eternal. Referring back to John 1:1-2, we see that there also, He is referred to as the Word. Going down a few verses we see that the word had "life, and that life was the light of men." This Word, if He had not conquered death and rose again, could not have been called the "Word of life"; but because He did, He gave us proof both of His identity, and power. He that giveth life, must be alive himself. He truly is the "resurrection and the life" and he who believes in Him will never die.

How great it would have been to have walked and talked with Jesus, we may think to ourselves, to see Him and touch Him...But we can. We forget how, because of His death and resurrection, we can indeed walk and talk with Him whenever we want to - in prayer and in the reading of His word. May we never forget how blessed we are to be able to walk and talk with the Saviour!

In Christ our Rock,

Buttercup

Study of 1 John Begins

Hello my dear readers! 

I can't believe my eyes when I go away for months at a time and I come back and to my surprise I have over 40 hits a day without posting! Of course, although this is great, it isn't very fair to go away without telling you, I have simply not had much time. 

But no more excuses, for now, I am going to begin posting here my own personal study of my favorite book of the Bible - 1 John. This book is my favorite for a few reasons, first, it is a book of love - God's love for us and how we ought to love others as He loved us - and it is also a book of assurance, John writes tests for your faith so that you might be sure that you are in Christ. In times of doubt I always turn to 1 John 5 before anything else. 

So, I hope you enjoy this study, but please don't take what I say without question, I am wrong a lot. What I say is simply what I believe to be what John is trying to get across to us in this epistle.

Hope you are all having a most blessed summer!

In Christ our Rock,

Buttercup :)

James - part 12 - Engrafted Word

Dear readers,

Last time I wrote of God's great love for us, His adopted children, and how we can show our love for Him to the world through how we act, what we say, and how we do things. This time, James is going on with what he just wrote, expanding on the topic.

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James 1:21-22

Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

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James once again starts with "wherefore". What is this "wherefore" here for this time? (Tip: when you see a "therefore" or a "wherefore," look at the text that came before it! For the author wishes for you to read that which comes next in light of that which came before!) What happened in the previous verse? James wrote of how we must be slow to speak, quick to listen, and slow to wrath; so in regard to that, he now exhorts us to separate ourselves from those things that are bad and receive (or encourage and do) that which is good.

Wherefore, now that you've got a simple grasp on how to live so that others may see Christ in you and that you might continue growing in Christ, here are some tips to REALLY live for Christ! The whole core of it - the basics - are being slow to speak, quick to listen, and slow to wrath. Do all that and you are in pretty good standing. But James goes on to expand and explain a little bit so that we have a better idea of what exactly we are to do.

"Lay apart" - this means that you set it aside. If you lay apart a certain blanket from a stack of them you are separating that one from the rest of the group. In many cases, this phrase is used to imply a rejection of that which is laid aside. Not only are you separating it from the group, but you are REJECTING it also. Laying aside in the way James is using it is a complete separation and rejection. A metaphorical brick wall, you may say, between the two groups. But what is it that we are to lay apart?

"All filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness" - this is what we are to lay apart. ALL does not mean some. ALL does not mean certain or chosen ones. ALL means ALL. To say anything differently is to be reading it biasedly, for ALL means every single cotton pickin' one. Filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness are super awesome ways to say evil and sin. You may think of it in this way: God is perfect, clean, white. Sin is dirty, black, and evil. Sin is filthy. Who honestly likes to be filthy? (Sometimes I think my brother does, but I think he just does that cause he's the only boy with five sisters.) It's dreadfully uncomfortable unless you are just totally used to it (which, sadly, is what happens with sin too. By sinning and searing your conscience continually you are getting used to the dirty blackness of sin and sooner or later your sin will not provoke guilt, but it will become comfortable).

I think the word "superfluity" is awesome. According to dictionary.com it means an excessive amount. So, we are to lay aside, all excessive amounts of naughtiness. That's kind of oxymoron if you just read it fast. But really, I think that James used the word "superfluity" to emphasize how great our sin is. He knew our sin was excessive, he knew that all people sinned so much, so often, so consistently, that it was superfluitous (Note: that's not a word but it gets my point across) for everyone. Therefore he said to lay apart ALL of your superfluitous naughtiness.

"And receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls" - This phrase is packed with meaning, so be careful to take it a word or two at a time. Receive - although Calvinists say differently, this word implies a choice. Receive is the opposite of reject and by using one or the other you are implying an option. I won't go into depth about this right now because I'll start ranting and the next thing we both know is that this post will be ten miles long, so I'll just say this: I believe in free will; that God knew beforehand who would choose Him, but that He loves us so much that He gave us the choice of either receiving or rejecting Him. (If you would like to talk about this I'd be more than happy to talk with you, just be forewarned that I can/will argue my point till the cows come home...)

I think it interesting that James put the two word phrase "with meekness" after the word receive. By doing this he makes it obvious that receiving Christ is not something you do (or even can do) pridefully. By receiving Christ, truly, you are saying that you know that you cannot save yourself but that you need Christ to save you. "With meekness" you must receive Christ.

When something is grafted in, it is placed into something that is not like itself. A perfect example of this is in horticulture - sometimes people will let a certain kind of tree grow, and when it is big enough they will cut off one limb and put in it's place a limb cut off from another kind of tree. This new limb, apparently, will grow with the tree. Granted, I've never tried it and it doesn't make sense to me, but that's the way I understand it to work. James refers to receiving with meekness the "engrafted word". This means that the word, or Jesus Christ, which is THE WORD, is not a natural part of the Jews life. He offers salvation, a totally unnatural concept, to those who did not have it beforehand.

To gain good fruit, you must first prune of the bad branches so that the good branches get all the nutrients. To live a godly life, you must first do away with (lay apart) your ungodly life (your sinfulness). So, James writes, do away with all evil and sin and receive with meekness the engrafted word. This engrafted word is Jesus Christ, and HE is able to save your soul.

James now warns us: Don't be just hearers, but doers also! You can hear something all day long every day of your life, but if you do not act upon it then it does nothing for or against you. You can hear about Jesus Christ and His love and sacrifice all day every day all of your life, but if you do not receive Him then you will still have to pay for your own sins by spending eternity in hell. Hearing does you no good unless you act upon it. Don't just hear stuff, ACT on it!

Beware! Don't take this as a verse that promotes salvation by works. Many people take things out of context and get crazy doctrines from it. But when taken in context, we can see that it is by RECEIVING Christ that we obtain salvation, not by working hard and "being good" because we can't do it, no matter how hard we try.

By hearing and not acting we may possibly be deceiving ourselves. We would be deceiving ourselves because we somehow got the notion into our own heads that we are Christians on the inside and we do not need to be Christians on the outside. Well, if you are not a Christian on the outside then it's probable that you are not a Christian at all. For being a Christian means that Christ is your Lord, your God, and should be your number one priority. In Luke 9:23 Jesus says that to follow Him you must carry your cross, deny yourself daily, and follow Him. He demands all or nothing. If you are only willing to give Him part and not all then you are rejecting His insanely huge offer of salvation.

Don't just claim to be a Christian: act like one. Be one outside as much as inside. The outward attitudes, words, and actions of every man and woman betray that which is in the heart.

For His glory,
Buttercup

James - part 11 - Love is a verb

Dear readers,

In my last James study post, I wrote of how we are adopted by Christ, this time we will talk about what we should do as His new children.

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James 1:19-20

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

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"Wherefore" - because we were created and adopted by God. This should tell us something. What James is doing is saying that BECAUSE of what I just said, THIS is what comes next. 

The verse comes to mind: "...what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God." (Micah 6:8b) Salvation is not of works, but to show the world that we have faith we must use works. This is kinda sad when you think about it. Remember what Jesus did? "Many signs and wonders" according to the apostle John, and yet, some STILL didn't believe. Jesus said that blessed are those who do not see, and yet, believe! As human beings we like proof. We like tangible proof of things. Many take this to the extreme and worship idols that they can see instead of the true God who they cannot see. Therefore, in order to show God's power, Jesus worked many miracles to show the people, to give them tangible proof, that He was indeed the Son of God. 

Now, we as believers, His hands and feet, must also give tangible proof. We do this by our words, actions, and attitude. Our prayer and desire should be that God would give us the words to say, the courage to say them, and that His light would CONSTANTLY shine through us in everything we do and say. I have written before on the topic of being a "inside only" Christian and being an "outside only" Christian, and the truth that only those who are both are true Christians. Granted, there are times when Christians must go into hiding "faith-wise" to save their lives and the lives of others in the face of persecution, but when you look deep you can see that they would be living out their faith to the whole world if that's what was best for those around them. At times like that, the best way you can be a witness is to do it in secret so that you can reach more people singularly before you are possibly caught.

Okay, that was an insanely long rabbit trail. Let's get back on the track...

James then exhorts his brethren (brothers and sisters in Christ because of our adoption): let every man be swift to hear - listen first, listen carefully, be polite, learn from others. Slow to speak - think about what you are going to say before you say it, make sure all your words are God glorifying. And slow to wrath - don't easily get into fights or get angry, be patient and loving. If you think about it, that covers just about everything. It covers just about every situation I can think of. In many tough situations, we tend to explode, and overall, we tend to do the opposite of all three of these exhortations. We want to be the only ones speaking (swift to hear), not letting anyone else get word in edgewise; we want to say everything we want no matter what it is (slow to speak); and we explode in anger and frustration (slow to wrath). This isn't what God wants for His children. Situations like this sadden our Father just as a naughty child saddens his father. When we do things against the nature of God, things against HIM, sinful things, we cause Him grief. 

This saddens me. It makes me sad to think that I made my adoptive Father so sad by doing things I know I shouldn't have done. It makes me sad to think that He loved me so much that He gave His only Son to die in my place so that I could live with Him, and then I disregard all that and do what I want again. This is sad. 

Instead of doing those things that sadden God, we should, as good children, do those things which make Him happy, those things which glorify Him and exalt His name. Out of gratitude alone, should we do this. Not because we feel like we have to, but because we LOVE Him. It's like a child who cleans up the house for his parents, when it is done out of love it is done with a good attitude and it brings a smile to his parents faces. On the other hand, it is like a child who cleans up the house just because his parents told him to, in many cases this command makes the child go through with this with a bad attitude. 

People who are generally quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to wrath are the kind of people that are enjoyable to be around. These three attributes are those things which generally draw a line between believers and unbelievers. Why? Because believers love God and wish to do HIS will and not their OWN will. For this reason they are less self-centered and more God- and others-centered, they usually care more about others than themselves, and they wish to do what is pleasing in God's eyes. 

You have probably heard the phrase "love is a verb", but have you ever thought of that phrase in light of your love for Christ and His love for you? His love was made manifest for you through His death. Now it's your turn. Does your love for Christ show through your words, actions, and attitude? Hmm. Might want to think about that one a bit.

James also adds that "the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God". Being angry does not help you learn more about God and bring glory to Him, therefore, it is not beneficial, but rather, it can be very hurtful both to you and to others. Being angry does not show the world the glory of your adoptive Father, but rather it hides that identity behind your old sinful nature. That is not good. It not only denies you the opportunity to live for Christ, but it also causes you to cease growing in God/growing more like Him. Throughout our lives, yearly, monthly, weekly, daily, hourly, and minutely, we should be growing more like God as we grow closer to Him. When we sin we cause a rift in that relationship to form. This isn't good. This does not bring us closer to Him.

I hope you have really thought about the things spoken of in this post. This is a very important thing that every Christian should recognize consistently as they strive to live their lives for the glory of God. To Him be the glory, and may His light shine through us!

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

James - part 10 - Adopted by Him

Dear readers,

Last time we were reminded of how great, powerful, and fantastic our God is, this time, we will be taking a look at a slightly difficult verse to understand. But don't let that scare you away!

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James 1:18

Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

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"Of His own will..." implies that this was His plan. His will was that He would have adopted sons and daughters - believers. 

"...begat He us with the word of truth..." Begat. When you produce children, you have begotten them. They are your children. God begets believers "with the word of truth". This word of truth is the gospel. We hear the gospel, we receive it, and we become God's children. Adopted children, but nonetheless His own children. Just as a (good) parent loves the adopted child as their own, so God loves us as His own. 

So, why would God want to adopt us? Why save us from our sinfulness and pay for our salvation with His own flesh and blood (so to speak), His own Child? Its as if a King, who had but one Son and loved him dearly, when seeing the plight of His people and knowing that only if His Son gave His life, would the people be saved - and He gives His only Son for His people who have sinned against Him. This is the great love of our King and our King's Son. This is the price that was paid for our adoption. 

But, do we have to be adopted? You may ask. No. The King, in His great love, allows us to remain in our sin and in our plight if we so desire. Sadly, many people do reject this offer. This offer of life, this offer of a home, this offer of salvation.

"...that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures..." This is a strange phrase, and I don't really understand it. My best guess is this: "we," as we have seen by the first part of this sentence, is referring back to believers. "His creatures" are either all living things He has created, or just human beings. I'm not sure which is the correct interpretation. In the case of it being all human beings, which I am leaning towards, this would mean that we (believers) are the firstfruits (or the first fruits produced in each batch) of His creatures. The firstfruits are those that are taken to the lord and owner of the land for him to see how things are growing. Believers are those who are taken to be with the Lord. Although this continually confuses me, this is my best guess.

I hope this served to get your mind working around one of those seemingly impossible to understand verses of the Bible. Some verses are just so hard to understand! But man, not being able to understand them serves to keep me humble - seeing as I cannot explain everything! Praise God for this blessing! And, oh so much more, thank God for adoption!

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

James - part 9 - That's one fantastic God!

Dear readers,

Last time we talked about lust and how it turns into sin, which then turns into death. This time is better news...

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James 1:17

Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

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Every. All. No other.

James states here that all good and all perfect gifts are from above. That means that no perfect, or even good, gift can come from anywhere else. Everything of value, everything of worth, comes from above, comes from God. That implies that all the "good" gifts that people give here on earth don't even compare to the gifts given by God. He loves us more than anyone else ever could. He loves us more than we can even fathom.

But James doesn't end there. Not only do they come from God and they're the greatest gifts in the universe, but James describes God as the Father of lights. In Revelation, when John tells of the New Jerusalem, he says that there are no sun, stars, or moon, but God Himself lights the city. God doesn't need physical light like we do. He CREATED light! He is the Father of lights. But, is this what James means? Is James speaking of physical light, or something else?

I think James might be thinking of something else...

Perhaps James is not speaking here of His physical light, but rather of His constancy. Natural light is constant if you think about it. Yes, clouds, trees, buildings, and even the earth, get in the way of the sun - our source of light. But does the sun ever really "set"? Does it ever fail? Does it ever just cease to shine? Does it ever just leave? No. It's the same with God. He never fails to love us. He never fails to care about us. He never leaves.  He IS perfect. He IS love. He IS faithful. Just like with the sun, sometimes we can't see the love of God because things get in the way. Perhaps this is what James is speaking of.

"With whom is no variableness." God doesn't change. Yes, He repents of things, and He does listen and respond to our prayers. It is recorded in the Bible that He has changed His mind. I don't want to go into this much right now, mostly because I am honestly trying to figure this out myself. But you can hold onto this: God's character doesn't change, and neither does His Divine plan for us and the entire world, but - He does change His mind on occasion in accordance with our requests and our sinfulness. Think, for example, of the Flood, the Bible says that God repented that He had made man on the earth. Think also of the multiple passages that tell of Him rejecting Saul as king of Israel and putting David up there instead. God put Saul on the throne, but later He repented that He had done so. Do not think, however, that God repented because He was wrong, He is perfect and therefore cannot be wrong. God simply made His already perfect plan for the world better.

"Neither shadow of turning." I think that James is saying here, that just as God doesn't change, He doesn't even think about changing. He doesn't even contemplate making a decision that goes against His character. Why? Because He is eternal and all-knowing. He is God. He doesn't change, and He doesn't even think about it. 

Now that's a God you can rely on! One who's plan for YOU was laid out thousands of years before you were born. One who knows EXACTLY what's best for YOU.

That's the God I trust.

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

James - part 8 - Lust

Dear readers,

The last James post was really short, I know, but I felt like I could do that without feeling bad because it was so important. Many times, I think, we blame God when bad things come, but it's not His fault. He allows hard times to come so that when we go through them our faith might be strengthened.

Let us go on to verses fourteen through sixteen, which are still speaking of temptations.

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James 1:14-16

But every man is tempted, when he is driven away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.

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Temptation originates in your heart. James is clear with this in verse fourteen. He says that "every man is tempted when he is driven away of HIS OWN lust, and enticed. It's not God, it's YOU. God does not tempt you, you are tempted when you are driven away by YOUR OWN lust. You have no one else to blame.

Stop now and think of one time you desired to have something. Shouldn't be too hard. It happens many times to each of us every day. Have you thought of something yet? Did you ever want a new cell phone? Corvette? Chocolate bar? Don't read on until you've got one thing in your mind.

Got it yet? Okay.

What did you think of in relation to this thing? You probably wanted whatever it was pretty bad, right? For some of us, a beat up Jeep is the last thing we'd want; but for some of us, that's our dream. The reason for this is simply personality. We all like different things, we all dislike different things. We were created different and unique. Nothing wrong with that.

What is wrong, though, is lusting after something. Obviously, if you hate chocolate, you're not going to lust after a bar of it. But you may lust after a beat up Jeep or brand new Corvette.

But how, you ask, am I supposed to keep these lusts out?! How in the world am I to NOT think about things like that. I don't have power over things that just pop into my head!

Well, no you don't. But, yes you do.

Thinking, "oh, it would sure be cool to have that", and thinking, "oh, I would really LOVE to have that!" are two different things. They are different mind sets. Different levels, you might say, of lust.

Just thinking that something is cool isn't bad; and it's not sin. Lust is sin. Lust is thinking about it often, wanting it, looking towards it as something very important. Dictionary.com uses the words "passionate" and "intense" and "overmastering desire" when defining lust. Lust is a thing that eats up your energy, time, love, and attention.

I like how James started verse fifteen - he writes that when lust has "conceived". A good word for this is "formed". When lust has formed...This implies the prior building up of it. The nurturing of it. The "forming" of it. Clearly, this lust wasn't taken care of when it was small, but has now grown.

James goes on to say that once lust has conceived, it brings forth sin. Here, he uses the analogy of human life. Lust, once conceived, brings forth sin. When lust is allowed to grow and form, it will eventually cause you to sin. So, is lust in and of itself sin? Or does it just make sin happen? Say, if you want a candy bar long enough and you allow that lust to conceive, will you go steal one? I don't think this is correct. Granted, in many cases, if you lust for something long enough you will more than likely act upon it. But I don't think that is what James is implying.

In the original Greek and Hebrew, the languages in which the Old and New Testaments were written, the words for lust and covet are very similar. They mean basically the same thing. One of the ten commandments was "Do not covet". It made the top ten! Clearly, this is something that does not bring God glory.

But, there's one more step. Sin, James says, then brings forth death. The wages of sin is death. The payment for sin is death. Not physical death, mind you, but spiritual death. Eternal separation from God. Eternity in the worst place of all - hell. Eternal torture. Eternal death.

But, you may ask, you didn't answer your own question! HOW am I to NOT lust? Answer this question yourself. Think about it. If your mind is filled with these lusts, how do you get them out? In the same way, if you have a pool full of water that you cannot tip or drain, how do you get the water out?

By replacing the water with something else.

Go to God's word. Go to Him in prayer. When you fill your mind with other things, things more important, you replace what was in your mind previously. You can replace your lust.

Ask God for guidance. Ask Him for help. Fill your mind with things of Him. Fill your time with things that glorify Him. Live every moment for His glory alone and you won't have any time left over for things of this world.

1 Corinthians 10:31 says that in everything we do - whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, we need to do ALL for the glory of God!

Finally James writes, "do not err my beloved brethren". James loves his brothers and sisters in Christ as we also ought to love them. He is human also, he knows what they are going through for he goes through the same things. He feels their pain. He warns - do not err. Don't do what's wrong, do what's right. Those believers then, as well as the believers now, are our "beloved brethren". Our brothers and sisters whom we love in Christ.

I think we can pull one last thing from this section. James' love for his brethren. He loved them enough to take the time to write this letter to them. He loved them so much that he took the time to instruct them in the word of God. Do we love our brothers and sisters that much? Do we love them enough to set aside what we want to do to take time to help, edify, and encourage them?

Do you love your brethren?

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

James - part 7 - Hard to blame a perfect God

Dear readers,

In the last James study post I asked you a strange question...who's chicken are you? I hope you have honestly answered that question for yourself. It may sound like a pretty stupid question, but the answer is vital - who (or what) would you lay your life down for?

This time, we will continue on in the subject of temptation.

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James 1:13

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.

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In this verse, James is very to-the-point. He begins by telling us what not to do, then gives us the reason. Short and simple.

What NOT to do: don't blame God when you are tempted. Don't throw a pity party and lose your head and start blaming the God of the universe.

Why? Two reasons. Number one: God absolutely cannot, under any circumstances, be tempted with evil. He is holy. He is perfect. He is the greatest, most powerful, highest being in all the universe. Evil can't even come NEAR Him, much less tempt Him. For example: why would a twelve year old boy (in his right mind) be tempted to buy nail polish for himself? They are utter opposites. They completely contradict one another. It's the same - but to a much, much higher extent - with God and temptations. It doesn't even phase Him. Number two: God doesn't tempt anyone. Temptations are only given out by the devil and our own evil desires (as we will see later). But under no circumstances does God tempt us.

Hard to blame a perfect God? You betcha. Don't blame God when you are tempted - it's not His fault.

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

James - part 6 - Enduring until the end

Dear readers,

Last time, we found that James encouraged those who were poor to rejoice in that they were exalted and he encouraged the rich to rejoice in that they were humbled. Did you find which you were? What is your attitude?

This time we will be looking at temptations and the reward for enduring until the end.

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James 1:12

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.

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James starts out this by saying that the man that endures temptations is blessed. What does it mean to endure temptations? To me it means not giving in when your friend is asking you to go help him steal something. It means standing strong and immovable through the ridicule you will face for "being a chicken". Well, who's chicken are you? The world's? or Christ's? Being called a chicken is a derogatory statement used to taunt the person to do something outside of their comfort zone, or in some cases, their "belief zone". If you are the world's chicken, then you won't do anything for Christ that takes you outside of luxury and comfort. Obviously, if you are not a believer then you won't be called a chicken by believers if you refuse to do something for Christ - for example, taking the word of God to a cannibalistic jungle village. Why would you risk you life - waste you life - for this God you don't even believe in or worship? If you are Christ's chicken, then you will strive to do His will, which implies doing things that the world thinks is cool, but is against your Lord. An example of this might be like my earlier example - you may not be afraid to steal something (worldly speaking), but you know it's wrong, so you refuse to do it. You may look like a coward in the eyes of the world, but in the eyes of Christ you're doing what's right.

Getting back on track...He that endures, stands strong, doesn't fall into all the evil schemes of the devil and desires of his own flesh - that man is blessed. Sounds easy, right? Not if you've ever resisted a temptation! Or, better yet, fallen into one! The trick to not falling into temptations that I have found, is loving God more than anything else. When your number one priority is doing HIS will, then doing YOUR will will be further down on the list. That probably wasn't a great way to put it - the trick to it - because it's really no trick, just the truth. When you love God more, everything else becomes less important - even your own desires.

But, being blessed isn't the only reward. That man will also "receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to them that love Him". See! Told you! Loving God more = wanting to do His will instead of your own. It's all a loop, isn't it? Loving God more = wanting to do His will = not wanting to do your own = resisting temptation = loving God more.

Giving into temptations results in sin. Giving in and going to steal something with your friend results in sin. Deciding to get drunk "just this once" results in sin. Lying to cover your tracks is sin.

Don't give into temptations. Strive to know God more. As you get to know Him more, you will love Him more - guaranteed.

Who's chicken are you?

In Christ alone,
Buttercup

James - part 5 - Rejoice!

Dear readers,

Last time we looked at the man with wavering faith and how you cannot expect to receive anything of the Lord if your faith wavers. This time we'll be looking at the rich and the poor and how that impacts your decisions.

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James 1:9-11

Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted but the rich in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

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The main thing I see in this passage at a glance is how contradictory it is to this world. The world is so lost that most of the time, the doctrine of the world and the doctrine of the Bible contradict, usually quite obviously. Here, James exhorts the poor to rejoice in that they are exalted and the rich rejoice in that they are made low - or humbled. In the eyes of the world, this is exactly the opposite!

REMEMBER: James is writing to the Jewish believers.

For the poor, this exaltation is because he knows that even though he is poor on earth he is rich in heaven. James is exhorting them rejoice in this as a testimony of what God has done, is doing, and will do for them. Do you often see a happy beggar? Or are they sad and melancholy? I have seen both. Granted, I never spoke with them, so I don't know if the happy ones were Christians or not, but they did stand out in the crowd. As believers, no matter rich or poor, we should be different than everyone else - we should stand out in the crowd, we should not blend in. Christ has not called us to be like the world, but to be completely different! To let His light shine in this dark world!

For the rich, this rejoicing in their humility is to keep them from exalting in their riches. For the"love of money is the root of all evil". You can be rich and not love your money, this is how the rich believer should be. Putting God first, and money last. James compares the rich man to the grass and the flowers. As soon as the sun rises (as it does quite often) the grass withers and the flowers die, for they cannot stand against the heat of the sun. Like the grass and the flowers, the rich person will fade away. "Where you treasure is, there your heart is also." If the man is his riches, if that is his love, his life, his purpose, then when the sun rises, he will wither and die. This is not to say that rich people are evil, it truly depends on where their heart is, and ultimately, their treasure. Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not corrupt and where thieves don't break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart is also. Therefore, it is not the riches that will fade away, but the rich person himself if he is not 100% following after God.

This is not to say, however, that all poor people are believers! On the contrary, many are not. But by being poor you are eliminating one of the biggest obstacles that stand between you and Christ - money and possessions. Rich people can be believers and poor people can be believers. Both are equal in God's eyes. But as the scripture says, "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God...who then can be saved?...With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Riches and pride, I believe, are the biggest obstacles that people have to get around before they can be true believers. We may not all have riches, but I guarantee you that we've all got pride.

Put God first.

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

James - part 4 - Don't waver

Dear readers,

In the last section on James, we looked at asking God for wisdom. This time, we'll be going on with that subject.

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James 1:6-8

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering: for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

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Going on from what James wrote in the previous verse, he writes that the person who asks for wisdom should ask in faith, an unwavering faith, a perfect faith, a faith with no doubts. Here, there are two extremes - faith and no faith. The reason I say this is because when it comes to faith, you can either have complete faith and jump out that window, or you can have no faith and stay in the burning building. Halfway faith is impossible, as is kinda-sorta-maybe leaving the window sill. You can either trust God, and have an unwavering faith, a solid faith; or you can have no faith.

This may sound harsh. I mean, how about when you really, really want to have faith and trust God, but you rely more on yourself because you don't know in your heart if God is trustworthy. I hear you, I know it. I've been there myself. Trying to trust God, but somehow always falling back on trusting yourself. This happens when one has too tight a grip on their own life. When one has such a tight grip, it's hard to let go, it's hard to let go of what you think is solid to grab onto something you know is solid but it's also something you can't see.

It's as if you were trying to do the monkey bars in a thick fog. The bar you've got both hands tightly attached to is about to snap, but you hear from your friend down below, who can see the bars clearly, that the next bar is completely solid. Do you let go of the breaking bar that you have a tight hold on to reach blindly to the solid one? It's the same thing with faith. It's an all or nothing leap.

Of course, it's not quite as black and white as I make it out to be. There are times when you have doubts, there are times when you wonder if God can take care of something as big as your problem. But friend, God is bigger than the biggest problem, the biggest trouble, the biggest trial you will ever face. And He can take care of you a whole lot better than you can! And He will when you just let go and trust Him.

The person who's faith wavers, James writes, is like a wave of the sea. Waves are driven to and fro by the winds. The waves themselves have nothing to do with where they are or where they're going, they just let the winds take them where they like. The person who has wavering faith is like this. They let the troubles and cares of this world batter them and toss them to and fro. This doesn't sound good to me, and it shouldn't to you either. The person who's faith and life get tossed around like this are liable to get into big trouble. They might think that they have faith, but when they see the storms coming, and when the storms are upon them, they lose what little faith they might have had because they think that God has abandoned them.

People with wavering faith, James writes, should not think that they will receive anything from the Lord - wisdom included. A good example of this is the workplace, a good business would not hire someone who came into work only half of time - you can't rely on a person like that. Instead, a good business would hire someone with a good reputation, someone who they can rely on to be there every time they are supposed to be there. Going back to faith and wisdom - why should God grant wisdom to someone who asked for it but didn't really believe that God would give it? Do you think that they would believe that God actually did grant that wisdom and glorify Him, or would they simply glory in their new found wisdom that God had nothing to do with? He that asks for wisdom, or anything else, must believe that God can actually do it. Why ask your Dad for something you know he can't give you? In the same way, why ask God for something you don't believe He can give you?

The person with wavering faith is also called a "doubleminded" person. This literally means that they have a wavering mind, that they are "undecided", they don't know for sure. A person who is "undecided" in their faith is a person who doesn't know whether to trust God or themselves. There is only one kind of person who is like this - the person who has too tight a grip on their own life and who doesn't know God well enough. Once you know who God is, you become willing and eager to let go. And as you grow to know God more and more, you rely more and more on Him. You learn in His word and in your everyday life about His attributes - His love, His justice, His mercy, His grace. Your faith gets strengthened by learning more about what it is based upon.

The last point James makes is in verse 8, he states that not only is a double-minded person unstable in his faith, but he or she is unstable in all things. Faith is the base of your life. What you believe changes how you act, what you do, what you say, and it severely impacts your decisions. What you believe is who you are. A double-minded person is unstable and wavering in everything they do because their foundation is wavering, not solid.

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

James - part 3 - Lacking wisdom? Ask God.

Dear readers,

I hope you all thought real hard about that last one. That is such a hard, yet important, thing we've got to grasp. Counting your trials as joy...phew...that's something you don't learn overnight. It's something you must learn as the trials come - I personally guarantee it.

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James 1:5

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.

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James now exhorts that those who do not have wisdom, should ask God for it. Okay, that sounded kind of weird. But it's really not. What this means is that when we are in need of guidance/wisdom, that we need to ask God for it. When we are lost and don't know what to do, ask God. When we don't know how to communicate the gospel to someone, ask God. When we want to do His will and not our own, ask God. When we lack wisdom, ask God. When we lack guidance, ask God. I know I'm constantly praying for guidance, especially right now with Mission Minded Teens - praying that God would lead my co-leader and I to make the right decisions, and praying that God would show us what HE wants to do with the team.

After encouraging us to ask God for wisdom, James comforts those who are afraid to ask by stating that God gives to all, without finding fault. Ask God for wisdom. Ask God for guidance. He's not going to push you aside. Asking for guidance and wisdom for your own life shows that you want to know what He wants you to do.

He's the one who has the blueprint and plans for your life, ask Him what He wants you to do next.

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

James - part 2 - Counting it all joy

Dear readers,

I hope you all got something out of part one, and I hope you enjoyed it! What surprised me was how much information you can get out of such a short, and seemingly boring, introductory verse! Let's get on with part two!

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James 1:2-4

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

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James starts the body of his letter by referring to his readers as his brethren. This tiny phrase emphasizes the fact made in the first verse that who James is writing to are believers, fellow laborers in the faith, his brethren, our brethren.

James then exhorts them to do something out of the ordinary - consider trials as joy. Joy, to me, is spending time with friends and family. Joy is learning something new in God's word. Joy is playing with a new camera. Joy is diving into a new book. Joy is sculpting a little person out of clay. But James says to count our trials as joy. When you read this you probably stopped and thought something like "whoa!" or "no way!" or "nu-uh!" This idea is repulsive to us for one reason alone - we're human and we like comfort. We naturally dislike pain. We naturally dislike hard times. We naturally do what's best for us and for our comfort and our enjoyment. Anyone who says differently needs counseling.

This idea of counting your trials as joy doesn't make sense unless you read verse 3 (one example of why context is SO very important!) - "knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience." So, knowing that the trying of our faith teaches us to be more patient, we can honestly and truly count it all (even the hard times) as joy because we know that the reward at the end it greater than the pain you have to go through to get it. But, that is still an awfully hard thing to swallow. How can we really count trials as joy? I mean, yeah it may sound easy, but is it really? Can you really go through a time being rejected by everyone? Can you really lose your best friend and still trust God to do what's best?

The only way to get through these trials is through the strength God gives us who trust in Him. We (you) must believe that it is because of Him that Romans 8:28 stands. "And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." By trusting Him - by putting our lives in HIS hands and letting him take control - we can joyfully go through any trials that come our way. The trying of our faith makes patience grow.

Verse four - Now that we have a bit of patience, after we learn to joyfully go through some trials, we must keep having patience. Patience with each other, and in with our circumstances. It's not a one time thing. If you're human, I promise you that you will have one trial after another your entire life. You never get a break. But you know what? As you grow in Christ, it gets easier - easier to be joyful and easier to get through those trials, especially the hard ones, without breaking down.

Easier said than done? You betcha. I can't imagine losing one of my best friends, much less, losing my best friends and counting it as joy! If it came down to it, be honest, if you had the choice to keep your best friend and reject Christ, or to lose your best friend and remain in Christ, which would you choose? Ultimately, the question comes down to this: who do you love more?

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

A study on the book of James - part 1

Dear readers,

I don't know about you, but I'm excited about this! Just as a note, I will be changing some of what I originally wrote in my notebook for different reasons; the main reason being that I now understand it better and can further expand on it.

Let's begin, shall we?

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James 1:1

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

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The first thing that stands out to me is that James is bold in his faith, for he proclaims it. He doesn't hide that he is a believer. He doesn't even just hint at it - he proclaims it. He humbly proclaims himself a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Proclaiming such a thing in his day, where he was, was probably a dangerous thing. Many were out to kill the Christians - Jews and Romans (for different reasons). Therefore, by proclaiming such a thing, and knowing that if someone who hated Christians got a hold of it and somehow found him he might very well be killed, we can see that James loved Christ more than life. We can see that he wasn't ashamed of his Lord. This reminds me of Romans 1:16, in which Paul writes that he is not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is power of God for the salvation of all who believe. Paul wasn't ashamed. And neither was James.

His mission, as the servant of God was to preach. Specifically, it sounds like James' sole job was to teach and encourage "the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad". These are the twelve tribes of Israel - but more specifically, they are the true Jewish believers. But, why were they scattered? Those Jews who had become Christians were probably resented by their own people who were against Jesus. Not only were they resented, but probably persecuted and killed for their new found faith. Therefore, to remain alive, they had to scatter. They had to hide.

In those days, when the believers received letters from the apostles, they were passed from family to family and group of believers to group of believers so that all could be edified and encouraged. They couldn't simply have one person read it out-loud to everyone all at once - it was too dangerous a time to do that.

So ends James' introduction to his letter to the Jewish believers who were scattered abroad.

Don't be ashamed of your Lord - have courage, have faith, love HIM more.

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

Starting over the study of James

Dear readers,

Well over a year ago, I began a study of James. And that's all I did - begin it. As you can see, only one post made it on my blog, and I only got through the first four verses. But this time it will be different. For a few months I've been personally going through James verse by verse and have been writing down my thoughts in a little notebook, now I will post what I have been writing.

I pray that this new study would encourage and challenge you. James is a magnificent book - actually it's a letter, but we'll get to that later. In the meantime, I encourage you to start reading through James on your own. Jot down things that stand out to you. Look at cross references. Study it. These don't just have to be blog posts if you don't want them to be, you can turn it into a study time.

I encourage you to join me on this study! I think it will be good. :)

In Christ alone,
Buttercup

Contradictions in Scripture?

Have you ever been reading your Bible, and you come across a passage that you know contradicts another? Or have you heard a child's Bible being read, and it had a different story than what you've read in the Bible you have? I have.

Are there contradictions in Scripture itself?

I do not believe so, and here is why:

1. ALL scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16)

2. ALL true prophecies about Jesus came true

3. It was written by over 40 different people

4. It was written over a very long period of time

Now we shall look a little at these four things...

1. ALL Scripture is God-breathed

Scriptural backup: 2 Timothy 3:16 - All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (For a bit more study of this verse, see part nineteen of my 2 Timothy Study).

God breathed it! The whole thing is His Word! And God cannot lie or contradict Himself. (Titus 1:2 - In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.)

2. All true prophecies about Jesus came true

For example:

Isaiah 53:4 - Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried out sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Compared to:

Matthew 8:17 - That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias (Isaiah) the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

See this page to find a bunch of references to them.

3. It was written by over forty different people

Moses

David

Isaiah

Ezekiel

Hosea

Joel

Amos

Obadiah

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Paul

Peter

James

Just to name a few!

4. It was written over a very long period of time

From the time of Moses till the time of Paul, that's a very long time! I'm not sure how long, but I know, a few thousand years!

__________________

So what kind of "contradictions"* are there? I have personally found one, and I have heard of another, I'll write both down here:

1. The death of Judas Iscariot

(Keep in mind! No one knows exactly what happened, so we don't know for sure. These are just educated guesses, or, in my case, just guesses.)

Matthew 27:5 - And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

Acts 1:18 - Now this man (Judas Iscariot) purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

So here, we have two "contradictions"*.

1. Did he throw down the silver in the temple or did he purchase a field with it?

Both! He bought the field, then threw down his payment.

2. Did he hang himself or did he fall and burst open?

Both! He hung himself on a tree that was hanging over a cliff (the normal thing to do back then, or so I've read) and when he, uh, his body, was, well, decapitated, or in regular English, had his head disconnected from the rest of his body, he kinda, well, fell, and uh, "burst asunder". *shudder* gross.

No contradiction there!

2. The Withered Fig Tree

Mark 11:12-22 - ¹²And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: ¹³And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. ¹⁴And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. ¹⁵And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; ¹⁶And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. ¹⁷And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. ¹⁸And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. ¹⁹And when even was come, he went out of the city. ²⁰And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. ²¹And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. ²²And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

Compared to:

Matthew 21:18-20 - ¹⁸Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. ¹⁹And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. ²⁰And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!

Here we have one "contradiction"*:

Did the fig tree wither away right before their eyes, or did it wither away while they were gone, and then they saw it when they came back by it in the morning?

On this one, I am not really sure. A few different things could have happened.

"Presently" means soon, or immediately. So according to what we find in Mark, the fig tree withered away right before their eyes. But according to Matthew, Jesus commanded the fig tree to bear no fruit, and then they left before it happened. Now, you must be thinking, "one is wrong". But that is not possible! Both are correct, for both are the inspired word of God, and God doesn't lie, or forget what happened! So what did happen? I don't know. But my only guess would be that the fig tree started to wither while they were there, and then when they came back the next day, it was completely dead. But I am not sure. What do you think?

Have you found any "contradictions" in scripture? Have you figured out why both (or more) are true? For they must be true, no matter how much they seem to "contradict".

God never lies. Nor does He forget. Nor does He contradict Himself. The Bible is the inspired Word of God, so we can trust it. It is the only book we can trust. It is the only map for life that we can trust. "His word IS truth!" (John 17:17)

In Christ,

Buttercup

*I did quote marks because they are not really contradictions.

God is like unto a Rock

Hey Everyone! I wrote this for Go Ye Therefore, a magazine that me and a friend are starting, but I thought I'd give you a sneak peak on the article. :) I'll post the whole thing after we send the magazine out, which will hopefully be around the end of this month. So, here's your sneak peak...

...Multiple times in the Old Testament, God is referred to as a “Rock”, such as the ones on this page. In the book of 2 Samuel it says: “Who is a rock, save our God?” and “...neither is there any rock like our God.” and in Deuteronomy: “He is the Rock.” Our God is the one and the only Rock! Who else can we stand upon other than God? No one, and no thing. He is the only rock...

Well, there's a bit of it. :) If you want to read the whole thing you will have to wait! lol. Be sure to subscribe to the magazine! Find out how in the post directly under this one!

Buttercup