Babylon and grace--an email
Hi C____,
Why is it hard to come together with the Lord’s people? Is it because they aren’t His people? C____, you aren’t the only one who feels this way toward church-going. And I’ve been there before. I’ve tried to analyze my thinking during that time and this is what I’ve come up with.
Babylon is interpreted, “the gate of the gods.” Basically, “almost heaven.” Isn’t that what church purports to be? But Moses interpreted the name of Babylon to be “confusion.” And we know in the end the church which is destroyed is called Babylon again. So the church in the end is full of confusion. From what? and has some of that confusion made its way into the Advent movement? Is it ever written that pagan worship came into Israel’s worship? Yes, many times. So should we be surprised if it happens again to us, “the Israel of God”? (Gal. 6:16).
What’s the obvious result of the confusion in the last Babylon? “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” (Rev. 18:2). Does that describe Fairfax SDA? Well, not entirely. But I believe we’re getting there. That would be one reason it would be hard to come there. Another big reason is that the grace of God is not being preached and taught much. God’s grace is the very center of Christianity, and its being ignored. I know in my case, I have a hard time seeing it in the Bible. I have to dig and search and pray in order to uncover it, or rather to have the scales fall off my eyes. Other people might be having the same issue. Some people may not even know they are supposed to do all that, and don’t even bother with grace.
If you’re like me, and I think you and I are very much alike, love and forgiveness and grace are the only reason to live. Communion and fellowship are the very purpose of religion. Paul made such a case of this when he continually pounded the Jews’ exaltation of the law above the promise of God’s love for them. We’ve fallen away from that. This, I believe, is the most basic reason the church is so laborious to so many people. Paul wrote, “If there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.” (Gal. 3:21). But the Law and everything else without grace robs us of life.
This is not to say that the Law is bad. “The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” (Rom. 7:12). God’s law is demanding. It puts a demand on us. It demands righteousness and obedience and perfect worship and praise. And we need demands. An atomic energy electric plant without a demand would be an atomic bomb. But the resistance of the Law, which gives us strength by using our spiritual muscles can only work if we’ve eaten and been filled with something good before the demands are placed upon us. Thus, the good and important effect of a demanding law breaks down if the gospel of God’s grace hasn’t been previously accepted and allowed to strengthen our trust in a loving God of grace. Thus, we need the promises God Himself gave us with an oath on top of them. “Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever.” (Heb. 6:17-20).
C____, what I’ve written here is not just theology. It is life or death. It is real life stuff. It is the very essence of hope just to get through each working day, and to get in close with Jesus and His people when they meet together. His promise to be gracious to us is an anchor to our soul. And I feel sorry for so many people who don’t have this anchor, outside of the church and inside. It must be our work to be anchored in His grace and then to help others get anchored in it.
I’ve got to go, C____, but be encouraged and go to God and ask Him to show you His gracious love for all His sinful children. A knowledge of His character will give you plenty of reason to join with your brothers and sisters and even to face the outside world. His grace toward you will bolster you up and make you give grace to everyone you meet. And that will be a new train of thinking to so many people you meet. Receiving limitless grace and love from you will be a new experience to everyone. But you will love to do it because you will have seen the limitless grace and love of God toward you.
Why is it hard to come together with the Lord’s people? Is it because they aren’t His people? C____, you aren’t the only one who feels this way toward church-going. And I’ve been there before. I’ve tried to analyze my thinking during that time and this is what I’ve come up with.
Babylon is interpreted, “the gate of the gods.” Basically, “almost heaven.” Isn’t that what church purports to be? But Moses interpreted the name of Babylon to be “confusion.” And we know in the end the church which is destroyed is called Babylon again. So the church in the end is full of confusion. From what? and has some of that confusion made its way into the Advent movement? Is it ever written that pagan worship came into Israel’s worship? Yes, many times. So should we be surprised if it happens again to us, “the Israel of God”? (Gal. 6:16).
What’s the obvious result of the confusion in the last Babylon? “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” (Rev. 18:2). Does that describe Fairfax SDA? Well, not entirely. But I believe we’re getting there. That would be one reason it would be hard to come there. Another big reason is that the grace of God is not being preached and taught much. God’s grace is the very center of Christianity, and its being ignored. I know in my case, I have a hard time seeing it in the Bible. I have to dig and search and pray in order to uncover it, or rather to have the scales fall off my eyes. Other people might be having the same issue. Some people may not even know they are supposed to do all that, and don’t even bother with grace.
If you’re like me, and I think you and I are very much alike, love and forgiveness and grace are the only reason to live. Communion and fellowship are the very purpose of religion. Paul made such a case of this when he continually pounded the Jews’ exaltation of the law above the promise of God’s love for them. We’ve fallen away from that. This, I believe, is the most basic reason the church is so laborious to so many people. Paul wrote, “If there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.” (Gal. 3:21). But the Law and everything else without grace robs us of life.
This is not to say that the Law is bad. “The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” (Rom. 7:12). God’s law is demanding. It puts a demand on us. It demands righteousness and obedience and perfect worship and praise. And we need demands. An atomic energy electric plant without a demand would be an atomic bomb. But the resistance of the Law, which gives us strength by using our spiritual muscles can only work if we’ve eaten and been filled with something good before the demands are placed upon us. Thus, the good and important effect of a demanding law breaks down if the gospel of God’s grace hasn’t been previously accepted and allowed to strengthen our trust in a loving God of grace. Thus, we need the promises God Himself gave us with an oath on top of them. “Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever.” (Heb. 6:17-20).
C____, what I’ve written here is not just theology. It is life or death. It is real life stuff. It is the very essence of hope just to get through each working day, and to get in close with Jesus and His people when they meet together. His promise to be gracious to us is an anchor to our soul. And I feel sorry for so many people who don’t have this anchor, outside of the church and inside. It must be our work to be anchored in His grace and then to help others get anchored in it.
I’ve got to go, C____, but be encouraged and go to God and ask Him to show you His gracious love for all His sinful children. A knowledge of His character will give you plenty of reason to join with your brothers and sisters and even to face the outside world. His grace toward you will bolster you up and make you give grace to everyone you meet. And that will be a new train of thinking to so many people you meet. Receiving limitless grace and love from you will be a new experience to everyone. But you will love to do it because you will have seen the limitless grace and love of God toward you.
posted by David | 7:13 AM
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