As I normally do when I get upset, I turned to the Word. BAM! The faithful God demonstrated that He is God and kept his promise to me. The Spirit of God told me to go to the home page of biblegateway.com. I followed that direction and this is what I was shown.

Vesre of the Day

¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:12-13 NASB

In the post A Tangled Web, we saw a cleansing of a different kind. Just as we go out in the elements, our clothes get dirty and need cleaning. Likewise, our spiritual clothes get dirty too. When we sin, we are effectually getting our spiritual clothes dirty. We need cleaning too. We saw in  1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. The He in the verse is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only means in which we can be cleansed.

Titus 2:13b-14 says, “Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” Jesus represents T.I.D.E.: A Different Kind of Clean. T.I.D.E. is short for Trust In Divine Extraction. It was Jesus, who through His blood, pulled out sin cleansing us for God and removing God’s wrath from those who would trust in Him as Savior and Lord. We, who call Jesus Lord and Savior, are called to herald Him and His cleansing work on the Cross to all mankind because we are all polluted with sin. We need a different type of cleaning. Jesus offers that to us – when T.I.D.E.’s in; sin is out. Hallelujah!!!

about being caught up in the web of sin. “¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ² Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” The Word of God tells us to THROW OFF everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us. Sin is easy. It’s alluring and in many cases it is fun in the moment, but beyond the moment, there are grave consequences and the seemingly sweet marmalade turns into a bitter brew. Without doubt, we will get caught in the web of sin, but how we respond makes the difference. Equally important is how we respond when other believers are entangled in sin. Do we point the finger? Do we gasp in unbelief at the trespass? Do we ease away from the brother or sister leaving him/her to languish in the ramifications of being entangled?

In Galatians 6:1, Paul tells the Galatians and subsequent believers how we should respond when one is in A Tangled Web. Paul says, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” James (5:19-20) supports Paul in saying “ ¹⁹ My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, ²⁰ remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” Paul tells us that we should be gentle with the believer who has gotten “caught up”. It’s easy to think that we would never do such a thing, but that is the trap. Resist it. Paul tells us that we too will be tempted with implications that we too will be caught up.

Who do you know has found himself/herself in A Tangled Web? Be gracious to him/her. Lend them a hand reminding the believer of the grace, love and forgiveness found only in Jesus Christ. Remember 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  Lead them in confessing the sin and help keep them accountable for not making that same choice again lest you get caught in A Tangled Web.

Because of our sin, as Cool Hand Luke said, “what we have here is a failure to communicate.”  That’s probably the most quoted verse from the 1967 film starring Paul Newman. Isaiah 59:2 plainly tells us what is our problem. Sin has separate us from God and hidden his face from us. The result is that God will not hear. If separated from the source, any living thing will die. As man is separated from the creator and sustainer of life, man is dead. We were dead in our sins. As people dead in our sins, we were subject to the wrath of God because of our disobedience. God is holy and hates sin. As Isaiah 59:2 states, sin creates separation between God and man.  In Mark 2:7, everyone who knew the law knew that God alone could forgive sins. Man’s problem is that he needed to be forgiven of his sin. Since we know that God does not hear us because of our sin, how could we even get a word in to God for help. We can’t. It appears that we are doomed in the sinful state. Listen to what Paul said in Ephesians 2:1-3:

¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

The answer is found in what John the Baptist said in John 1:29, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Let’s look to the Word again for answers.

Colossians 2:12-14 - ¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

It is through Christ and Christ alone that man can overcome the effects of sin in his life. This is why we need to be reconciled. Without reconciliation, we are still at odds with God. In fact, we are enemies of God when we continue to live our lives for ourselves and not for God – James 4:4. Forgiveness is in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 “¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

Be reconciled and participate in God reconciling man to Himself.

It is clear from Rebuked to Reconciliation and today’s text, that the believer must confront any heresy they hear. That is consistent for the believer. In terms of reconciliation that relates to unrepentant behavior from heresy, Paul again models for us how to respond. As a reminder, a heresy is any opinion or belief that is or is thought to be contrary to official or established doctrine presented in the Word of God. In 1 Timothy 1 and 2 Timothy 2:14-19, Paul is telling Timothy how he should respond to men who were practicing heresies in the church. Hymenaeus is a heretic in which Paul mentions twice in scripture (1 Timothy 1:20; 2 Timothy 2:17)   Paul denounced him as a blasphemer. Hymenaeus’ heresy is not fully described in the Word; however Hymenaeus apparently was teaching a resurrection that was contrary to the imminent physical resurrection of the born again (2 Timothy 2:17-18), as taught by Jesus Christ in John 5:25-29 and by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. He claimed, instead, that the believer’s “resurrection” only happens in a spiritual sense, occurring at the moment one is born again.

Considering Peter’s experience in this matter, it is quite poignant that Peter says, “ ¹ But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.” (2 Peter 2:1). As a consequence, it is not a matter of if but of when we encounter a heretical person. In Titus 3:10 a “heretical person” is one who follows his own self-willed “questions,” and who is to be avoided. In fact, it is stated in Titus to have nothing to do with the heretic after he has been warned twice without repenting.

Now, we know the Word tells us to not reconcile with a person who persists in teaching contrary to the Word of God. I will admit that there are some circumstances where many may not have a clear stance on what the Word is espousing. I am not talking about those, but in circumstances where there is the clear understanding of what the Word is teaching; yet, that person refuses to adjust his teaching. Those are the ones where reconciliation is not possible.

In the new testament, there several Greek words translated as rebuke. epitimaō to tax with fault, rate, chide, rebuke, reprove, censure severely a) to admonish or charge sharply; amōmētos  that cannot be censured, blameless; elegchō to convict, refute, confute a) generally with a suggestion of shame of the person convicted; epiplēssō 1) to strike upon, beat upon 2) to chastise with words, to chide, upbraid, rebuke; ga`ar to rebuke, reprove, corrupt. Regardless of the word used, the context for addressing a believer is when they are proclaiming or acting in a manner in consistent with what the Word of God teaches. In Galatians 2, Paul rebukes Peter for teaching or at least practicing the heresy that all Gentile converts were to be circumcised according to Jewish laws. This had long been an issue among Jewish and Gentile believers. Jews, whom God called Peter to minister, faced the challenge of holding on to traditions from the way of Moses that is the Law. When the gospel began going to the Gentiles, some Jews imposed this tradition which was not conveyed, communicated or commanded by the Lord Jesus. In fact, this polluted the gospel message. This incorrect teaching or practice was something in which Peter was well acquainted; he knew better. Consequently, Paul rebuked Peter for his actions which led other Jewish believers in Christ astray.

Hear what Paul said in Galatians 2

 ¹¹ When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. ¹² Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. ¹³ The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

 ¹⁴ When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

 ¹⁵ “We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ ¹⁶ know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

 ¹⁷ “If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! ¹⁸ If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. ¹⁹ For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

 Peter really knew better. Read Acts 10 -15 to verify the matter. Remember, Peter had been locked up for standing up for this very fact. Remember the believers praying for him and cell being miraculously opened. Beyond all that, hear what Peter proclaimed in Acts 15:5-11:

⁵ Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.”

 ⁶ The apostles and elders met to consider this question. ⁷ After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸ God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. ⁹ He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? ¹¹ No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

Since it was clear to both Peter and Paul, that Peter knew the truth and acted contrary to the truth leading others astray, Paul rebuked him publicly among the believers to deal with the miscarriage of truth conveyed by his actions. How did Peter respond? Peter quickly repented from his sin and responded to the truth by realigning his behavior with the will of God. This is why God allowed him to remain as a leader in His church. It is how we respond to rebuke that determines whether we will be reconciled in the body of Christ.

There is so much to say here, but I only have your attention for so many words through the length of the post. When we sin, and we will, we must realign our thoughts and actions with the Word of God. If we do not, we run the risk of being cut off by the people of God and God Himself. Our refusal to obey the truth reveals a greater issue. It may be that we really don’t know the Lord as we claim we do. Watch out.

There will not be a lot of writing today as I would prefer for you to read how an acceptable conflict is resolved where reconciliation is reached. Tomorrow, I will write more about the reconciliation in a proper situation. The following day’s post will provide an example of when it’s okay to go separate ways without reconciliation. For today, please READ Galatians 2 which is the prompt for the title of the post today: Reconciliation between Christian Brothers as a testament of the changed life that Christ brings. This is the mark in which the world must notice something different in us.

When we are hurt by one whom all we have attempted to do is love, peace is the last thing that we may want, but if we ,who call ourselves Christians, really aspire to live out our faith, we must forgive even when it hurts badly. That is reconciliation. Let’s go to Luke 15 for our example today. This is the famed story of the Prodigal Son. In those days, a father could either grant the inheritance before or after his death, but it was usually done after. It was a rare exception that the inheritance was granted before the parent died. The wasteful son indeed asked for a special exception. Undoubtedly, this was an affront to his father. The son basically says to the father you are as good as dead as far as I am concerned. Give me my inheritance now! Like he deserved it. Wow, the audacity we have toward our parents and the Heavenly Father. The father of the spendthrift clearly illustrates God’s love in this passage. His love would allow rebellion and would respect man’s will even when he was utterly disrespected. As a relatively new parent, this would have been hard for me, but sometimes you have to let people learn from experience. As the elder, the father was well aware of what would happen to his son, but allowed him to go down his desired path nevertheless. Why? He surmised this was the only way the son would learn the lesson of love, obedience and reconciliation (forgiveness).

We know the story. The son lived it up for a while. He was, as we say colloquially, a big baller or high roller. He showed no restraint or wisdom in spending what he did not earn. The son so desperately wanted independence that he immediately abandoned the care and covering of his father; however, he quickly found himself in a pickle. He was in a worse situation than ever. He was now truly in bondage. Tell your teenager or young adult about that. Wow, that’s an indictment on how we are with the Father above. We want what we want that we quickly leave His covering and care for a pipe dream.

The son quickly ran out of money and found himself wanting in a deficit position. By the grace of God, he came to his sense, but when he did the son didn’t blame his friends, his boss, or the pigs. He realized his error, so he went back to his father recalling his father’s love. He knew he’d have a place with his father even if it was not as it was when he left. He was not concerned about what people would think about him. He wanted forgiveness; he wanted to be reconciled. To be reconciled, we must be willing to accept that we sinned and are not deserving of the forgiveness we are seeking. He understood this and confessed to his father his error, and his father forgave him even restoring him back to his former position. We must understand that as servants totally surrendered to the Father that we are bestowed the privilege to be sons of God with full rights to have access to Him and His promises to live a life worthy of His calling.

God even shows how he loved the eldest son affirming him despite his insistence that the father had never lavished or love him despite his seemingly obedient behavior. I believe God shows that none of us operates from a position of earning anything from Him. His love and forgiveness are gifts given by the father without respect to our perspective on our goodness. Romans 3:9-11 says “⁹ What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. ¹⁰As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; ¹¹ there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.”

“The truth here taught is just this: that mercy stretches forth her hand to misery, that grace receives men as sinners, that it deals with demerit, unworthiness and worthlessness; that those who think themselves righteous are not the objects of divine compassion, but the unrighteous, the guilty and the undeserving, are the proper subjects for the infinite mercy of God; in a word, that salvation is not of merit but of grace.” (Spurgeon)

Will you respond to God’s call to be reconciled to him? If you have, will you respond to God’s call to participate in God reconciling others to Himself?

A Reconciler

Over the past few days, we have posted about a Royal Reconciliation and Reconciliation Fit for a King as a means to illustrate that man’s deep need to renew relationships - with God and with one another. Reconciliation assumes there has been a breakdown in the relationship, but now there has been a change from a state of enmity and fragmentation to one of harmony and fellowship. In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, I want to draw reconciliation connections between the Jesus, the King of Kings and Dr. Martin Luther King. For God, the whole message of reconciliation is centered around the love of God and the death of Christ.

Dr. King saw the immense gulf between White Americans and Black Americans. For the most part, it was difference between how people of color were treated in unequal and incongruent ways. As Christ did, Dr. King believed that reconciliation was an extension of his faith in God. His faith was an important aspect of his life especially since his father and grandfather were ministers. Those experiences led to a operationalization of his faith. James 2:20 says,  ”faith without works is dead.”Dr. King’s faith was the fundamental foundation in the development of his leadership. His leadership was fundamental to extending the goals of the Civil Rights Movement. The movement’s success in ending the legal segregation of African-Americans in the South and other parts of the United States is a major accomplishment in bring reconciliation.

Just like Christ, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had an amazing life that spanned over three decades. Within that time, Dr. King was used by God to change our world. Like Jesus, Dr. King promoted nonviolent tactics, such as the massive March on Washington (1963), to achieve civil rights. Jesus’s disciples, Peter and Paul, made major inroads in reconciling Jews and Gentiles as it relates to God’s inclusion of all man in His salvation plan. Like the Father, Dr. King wrote dozens of books, walked in scores of marches gave hundreds of speeches. He was Time Magazine Man of the Year in 1963. In 1964, Dr. King became the youngest man to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Like Christ, Dr. King was used by God to bring peace in some circumstances filled by hatred and violence.

In regards to the American Dream, Dr. King was deeply American. Many attest that he had more confidence and faith in American democracy, in the constitution and in the principles of fairness and opportunities than nearly all of his critics. We know that Dr. King’s life ended in Memphis in 1968, but like Christ, his life and his work continues on because it was based on principles in God’s Word. We, like Christ and King, are called to participate in God’s reconciliation work. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation declaring the third Monday of every January as Martin Luther King Jr. Day – a to celebrate the man and what he stood for. We may not achieve such notoriety from man, but if we run the race of faith in Christ, God will reward us for all of eternity. Be a Reconciler.

As a matter of application, research his life and create a timeline of events that you think are significant. To go further, create a timeline that includes at least two events from your life and/or your child’s or student’s family history. Include the King events on your timeline. You may want to highlight those so as to distinguish between his and others. Share that with someone.

In the post Royal Reconciliation, we see King David honor God by demonstrating reconciliation with Saul’s grandson Mephibosheth. Despite Saul’s attempts to kill David, David kept his oath he made to Saul in verse of 1 Samuel 24. In 2 Samuel 9, we see that oath fulfilled and reconciliation extended to Saul’s grandson Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth received reconciliation that is a change in the relationship between man and man. Mephibosheth’s grandfather, Saul, had a heart filled with acrimony toward David; yet, David demonstrates how God wants us to respond in reconciliation.

From Isaiah 59:2, we know that sin separates. When our sins have caused our fellowship with God or another to be severed, God cannot hear us nor do others respond to us. Being reconciled to another is an image of what God has done for us through Christ, the ultimate King and King of Kings. God has decided that everyone called is extended Reconciliation Fit for a King. Woodruff captures the effect of reconciliation which is a change from a state of enmity and fragmentation to one of harmony and fellowship with God first then with man through the enabling by Spirit of God. Proverbs 17:9 tells us “He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.”

This is why forgiveness is so key. In fact, there is no reconciliation without forgiveness. In Colossians 3:13, we are commanded to forgive: “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” This was fit for Christ. This was fit for David; it is fit for you. If the two most noted kings in Christendom saw fit to forgive reconciling others to themselves, Reconciliation Fit for a King is also fit for us to demonstrate. When your spouse, child, friend, brother or sister in the Lord offends, forgive! Reconciling them to yourself just like Jesus. Then you will demonstrate Reconciliation Fit for a King.