Clean Forever

Leviticus chapters 11-15 deal primarily with being "clean" and "unclean".  God details what causes a person to be "unclean" before the Lord, unfit to stand near God's presence.  Deliberate actions can cause uncleanness in God's people, but what is striking about these chapters is how pervasive, how commonplace uncleanness will be in Israel.  The ordinary course of life will inevitably cause the Israelites to be unclean, unfit for God's nearness, in need of cleansing.

Based on these chapters, it would be impossible for a person to be permanently clean before the Lord. This, indeed, is the point.  Mankind is dirty before the bleached-white holiness of God.  This pollution is not only on the basis of deliberate sins, not only the result of scandalous acts of depravity.  To be unclean is to be normal, to be human.  In our pluralistic culture, we sneer at the standard of ritual cleanliness presented in these four chapters.  But it's actually easier to be "Levitically clean" than to be spiritually clean before God.   By God's standards, every human, walking a "normal" course of life, is unclean, dirty, unfit, unworthy, in need of cleansing.

This background makes the New Testament sing.

And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  Matt 8:1-3

But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor. 6:11

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Heb. 10:22

that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,  Eph. 5:26

For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 2 Peter 1:9

The Lord Jesus has cleansed us, rendering us clean in the sight of God.  No matter how unclean we are in our past or present sins, in him all of our guilt and shame is washed away.  

The Deadliness of Ungratefulness

Gratefulness is too frequently neglected in our picture of Christian maturity and in the evaluation of the health of a church.   Yet in Scripture gratefulness is an indicator of spiritual life and ungratefulness of spiritual decay.  Heaven bound saints are a grateful people; hell-bound sinners walk in perennial ungratefulness.  It seems to me that the gravestone of many dead churches might have had the following epitaph.

Here Lies _________, the ungrateful church.  

1. Our ungratefulness resulted in prayerlessness.   We did not remember the works of the Lord from the past, and we soon saw no need to pray for his work in the future.

2. Our ungratefulness heightened judgmentalism and division in the church. We were not intentionally thanking God for his grace at work in his people, and we gradually began to focus on their failures and dismissed their value.

3.  Our ungratefulness turned a warm and welcoming church into a reclusive and exclusive club.  We dismissed the purpose of witnessing to an uninspiring gospel. 

4. Our ungratefulness led first to duty driven service and giving as a tradition, then to an absence of serving or giving at all. We saw no need to sacrifice our time, energy, or money for a gospel we weren't thankful for. 

5. Our ungratefulness turned a love for holiness into legalistic Pharisaism and the freedom of grace into belligerent license. 

6. Our ungratefulness precipitated spiritual apathy.  Before our heart was hard, it was cold. 

7. Our ungratefulness revealed a neglect of Scripture.   We did not emulate Paul or David or reflect any of the Scriptural emphasis on thanksgiving. Ungratefulness then became the breach into which a general neglect of Scripture began to flow. 

8. Our ungratefulness then set the table for outright heresy.  Neglecting thankfulness for the truths of God's Word and his gospel exposed us to the lie of a "better", or "higher", or more "appealing" belief system.

9.  Our ungratefulness increasingly misrepresented heaven, where saints and angels constantly ascribe to the Lord the glory and goodness of his salvation. 

10. Our ungratefulness to God invited his discipline; our ungratefulness for discipline expressed defiance toward his wrath. (Rom. 1:21) 
 

Gratefulness is not an optional extra for a maturing Christian. Let us consider thankfulness a crucial mark of evaluation for the health of our own spiritual lives and our churches. Let us give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  1 Thess. 5:16-18

Levitical Fire

The chapter break between Leviticus 9 and 10 is unfortunate; it can conceal an important contrast. 
At the end of chapter 9, fire comes out from the Lord to consume the burnt offering, indicating God's acceptance of the offering in place of his people. Their sins are atoned for.

Immediately following,  in chapter 10,  the second generation priests, Nadab and Abihu, seek to approach the Lord without an offering of atonement.  Again, fire comes out from the Lord. This time, the fire consumes the two brazen priests. 

Leviticus  9:24 And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

Leviticus 10:2 And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 

The fire of God's holiness will blaze against sin, obliterating it from his presence.  There are only two options.  Either we will approach God with an offering, consumed in our place. Or we will approach him directly, and we will be consumed ourselves.

Let us draw near to God full of faith in Christ. God's wrath was poured out on Christ; the offering was accepted and we face the fire of holiness without danger.  Let us tremble for those who dare approach God without Christ, for our God is a consuming fire.

The Assurance of Leviticus

Are you struggling with uncertainty about God's forgiveness today?  Are you wondering if he really has passed over all of your sin, if he really will choose to remember your transgressions no more?  Allow Leviticus chapters 4-6 to encourage you.  Here's the message.   God provides a way for atonement to result in forgiveness.  And even more comforting, if God forgave those who offered mere animals as atonement, as an expression of their faith in him,  how much more will he forgive those who have trusted in the perfect atonement of His Son. 

Thus shall he do with the bull. As he did with the bull of the sin offering, so shall he do with this. And the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.  Lev.  4:20

And all its fat he shall burn on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. So the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin, and he shall be forgiven.  Lev. 4:26

And all its fat he shall remove, as the fat is removed from the peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. And the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven. Lev. 4:3 

And all its fat he shall remove as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it on the altar, on top of the Lord's food offerings. And the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed, and he shall be forgiven. Lev 4:35  

Then he shall offer the second for a burnt offering according to the rule. And the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin that he has committed, and he shall be forgiven. Lev. 5:10

Thus the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed in any one of these things, and he shall be forgiven.   Lev 5:13 

He shall also make restitution for what he has done amiss in the holy thing and shall add a fifth to it and give it to the priest. And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven. Lev. 5:16

He shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent for a guilt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him for the mistake that he made unintentionally, and he shall be forgiven. Lev. 5:18

And the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and thereby become guilty.” Lev 6:7 

Our priest has made atonement for us. And we have been forgiven.  

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Heb. 10:11-14

 

The Three Faces of Unbelief

Unbelief probably has many more than three faces, but I see these clearly lurking in my heart. 

1)  Independence.  I choose not to believe in God's power or goodness because I don't need to.  Who needs God when I have myself?  Who needs the gifts God gives through people, leaders, counsel, encouragement, or correction, when I have my own thoughts to keep me company?

2) Fatalism.  All that happens would have happened whether I prayed or not, whether I obeyed or not, whether I believed God or not.  Since God is sovereign over all things, I'll just do what I want and walk through life experiencing the pain and joys I was always meant to experience.

3) Cynicism.  Even my best efforts are unworthy, so God is probably looking for new ways to punish me.  I may pray, but God will not listen.  I may obey, but God will not be pleased. I may trust, but God's anger will get me in the end.

All three of these faces turn away from the invitation of faith. Faith says:

1) Trust.  I am dependent on God for all things.  I need the people he has placed in my life. I am glad to feel weak so that he can demonstrate his power through me.  I trust the all-powerful God.

2) Trust.  I will pray and obey without understanding how a Sovereign God can "respond" to prayers, or be pleased with a choice he ordained me to make.  I don't need to know how prayer, obedience, and sovereignty are reconciled.  I trust the all-wise God.

3) Trust.  I am unworthy, but God sees me in Christ.  I may fail, but God will use even my failures for my good and his glory. I will stumble, but God will preserve me till the end and will present me blameless in the day of Christ Jesus.  I will trust the all-good God.

The faces of unbelief mask a heart that doubts the character of God.  The heart of faith finds God's character an endless source of wonder and confidence, fully worthy of our trust. 

Levitical Violence and the Precious Son

I read Leviticus chapter 1 today, and was confronted by the immediate violence of the book.  Male animals without blemish are to be slaughtered before the Lord.  Birds are to be decapitated and torn nearly apart before being offered to the Lord.  The gritty details of the passage pressed into my mind: real human beings took real live animals, slaughtered them with their own hands, and offered them in burning sacrifice, all to atone for sin.  This is not just a story. This really happened. 

These gritty, violent details pressed a more startling reality into my soul.  This same violence was done to Jesus.  He was brutalized, his flesh was torn, his soul was flayed by the wrath of God. My sins were transferred to his head and he became a bleeding sacrifice in my place, to atone for my sin. This is not just a story. This really happened.

The cross of Jesus Christ was not a quiet, tempered place of calm endurance.  It was a scene of crushing pain and bruising punishment, of agony and horror.  Jesus did not just invite me into heaven; he was slaughtered, like a Levitical animal, to bring me the free gift of salvation.  The cosmic treason of sin can only lead to a violent death.  The precious Son endured that death for me.  And by his punishment we have received eternal peace with God.

Lord Jesus, thank you for for bearing my guilt and dying my death.  Receive my adoration, awe, and thankfulness to your eternal glory, and keep me always near the cross.

But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.  Isaiah 53:5

See from his head, his hands, his feet 
Sorrow and blood flow mingled down 
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown? --Isaac Watts, 1707

Does a Church Need Other Churches?

Does a church need other churches?

How a pastor answers that question will define his pastoral leadership. If his answer is, "no, there is no real need for other churches, simply an option of partnership when helpful" then his connections to other churches will wax and wane over the decades, influenced greatly by the present cost or benefit of each partnership.

I would answer that yes, churches need other churches, at least if they desire to prosper over the generations. Here are a few reasons why.

Churches need other churches because:

1. New testament churches existed in partnership with one another.  Corinth and Thessalonica owed their existence to the sacrifice and obedience of Antioch. Jerusalem needed the financial provision of the Gentile churches. Galatia needed the reassuring direction of the Jerusalem counsel.  Countless churches benefited from the support the Philippians sent to Paul.Chritians and churches are made to be dependant. To say we do not need partnership is to say we don't need what the New Testament churches needed.
 
2.  Churches need the wisdom of the wider body of Christ. All children of the reformation will affirm Sola Sciptura, and the priesthood of all believers, but of course they did not discover those doctrines for themselves, but because they have been handed down, defended, and articulated by other churches.  For a congregation to assume that its pastors, both in the present and future, are immune to all doctrinal seduction is extremely unwise and sooner or later will lead to the downfall of the church. For pastors to assume this of themselves is to be wise in their own eyes. In my own view this motivates toward a certain established structure of partnership since the pastor who is currently dabbling in doctrinal disintegration is unlikely to pursue, at that moment, the evaluation and critique of other leaders. Previously established structures provide speed bumps and guardrails when we are slumbering at the wheel.

3.  Churches are called to serve other churches in mission.  People born of the Spirit are called to give their lives away to others.   As crucial as local service is, there can be a kind of mutual benefit to servanthood within a local church.  But when a church serves another church, either in establishing a church plant or in contributing to their mission, love as joyful sacrifice is practiced and the mission of the universal Church is advanced.  We grow more and accomplish more together than apart.
 
4.  Churches need counsel and encouragement in local crisis.  Faithful pastors will certainly prepare for local conflict by teaching about godly speech, forgiveness, suffering, patience, faith, and love, but no amount of teaching can eliminate the possibility of some seasons of strife or trial in the future.  Wolves, after all, will rise up from among us.  The culture will always denounce Biblical principles. The flesh wages war against the Spirit. Even the best of spiritual shepherds will feel weak and vulnerable in any of these moments. Churches in crisis need more than the generic comfort of acquaintances; they need friends who are not ashamed of them, who are willing to sacrifice time and resources to help.  A word of encouragement, timely counsel, a public commendation, a financial gift, solidarity in the face of persecution: these are life lines to a church that otherwise would be left to flounder in storms alone.

Partnership with imperfect churches means imperfect partnership. Friendship toward imperfect friends means sacrifice. Just the place for a church like ours.  Does a church need other churches?  Every true church will be sustained ultimately by the Lord, His Word, and His Spirit, but the Lord works through the partnership of faithful but imperfect churches to uphold his Church, to conquer the gates of hell, and to proclaim the gospel of grace.
 

Reproach Resistant

Psalm 15:1-3 O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

Thank the Lord for imputed righteousness, that the Lord Jesus has fulfilled this standard, and in union with Him we may dwell in the presence of the Lord.  Knowing that truth, I am motivated to increasingly reflect his righteousness in my own life, demonstrating my heavenly destination.

All of these descriptions are provoking, but the one that stood out today was the last one.  To take up a reproach, to hear it, perpetuate it, agree with it, to quickly join the crowd of accusers, is not to reflect my union with Christ, my inheritance in heaven.  Heaven is not a place that celebrates those who are quick to take up a reproach.

Clearly this cannot eliminate appropriate private correction or even public rebuke through the process of Biblical church discipline (Matt. 18, 1 Cor. 5). However,  this verse does have in view the whispered, reproachful conversation among those who have no involvement in a Biblical process of discipline.  This targets a person who is willing to hear and believe an unproven criticism against one who is their brother or sister in Christ, especially one with whom they have walked in the faith.  Such a purveyor or receiver of reproach is not hoping all things, believing all things, is not steadfast in trial, and surely is not loyal in the face of adversity.

Whenever I take up an unproven or unbiblical reproach against a friend, I am not reflecting heaven, but aiding hell.

Lord, forgive my countless careless and sinful words.  Forgive the many occasions I have continued to listen when I should have stopped. Forgive me for the delight I feel in hearing a morsel of reproach against a friend in Christ. Thank you for representing me with your perfect speech and holy listening. Far from taking up a reproach against me, you bore my reproaches and my guilt on the cross.  Change me to reflect your righteousness.  Purify your church so that we exhibit your image.