Law II: Ten Commandments

 Does your house have a "no playing football in the house" rule? If it does  how did you come to have that rule? More often than not, it's because someone was playing football in the house and something broke. How does God create laws? Surely He knows all things and makes them according to His personality and to His knowledge, but from our perspective He can also make laws that remind us of the past and our interaction with Him. This is certainly true of the most famous of the Old Testament laws: The Ten Commandments.
 First let's consider the first commandment: Have no other Gods before Him. This should immediately bring up thoughts of the creation narrative. In Genesis 1 we don't see any interaction with other gods, we only see the assumed nature that there is only one God. We also see that we aren't to have any idols for number 2. In Genesis 3 we see Eve and Adam make an idol out of themselves by trying to become gods themselves through the forbidden fruit. Paul tells us that greed amounts to idolatry, that certainly would be true of Adam and Eve.
 Next we seek that we shouldn't take the Lord's name in vain. Hopefully this brings to notion our relationship with God. We should know who God is, but also know Him personally. You cannot take His name in vain if you don't know Him. You might know the President of the United States, or you might just know who they are. This was broken when Adam & Eve ate the fruit, betraying God, whom they knew. The Sabbath should be plainly obvious being drawn from Genesis 1. Just as God rested we are to rest.
 Honor our parents should be obviously from both Adam and Eve's rebellion against their Father in Heaven. The next few, do not murder, commit adultery, or bear false witness are also seen in this part of Genesis. Murder is brought about through the eating of the fruit, and thus death entered the world. Adultery shows purity which was lost when Adam and Eve realized they were naked and then bore false witness to God by hiding and then casting the blame one after the other from Adam to Eve to the Serpent.

 Finally, the idea of coveting comes from Eve's looking upon the forbidden fruit. The serpent tempted her and she coveted being like God. So she coveted the fruit as it was desirious to the eyes, looked delicious to eat, and was boasted to give her wisdom.

 Hopefully this has shown that the 10 Commandments weren't arbitrarily formed, but rather God, through His wisdom ordained them based upon past human failures to show us His excellence, His standards, our shortcomings, but also God's foreknowledge and over-arching plan. May this encourage us to strive continually to be like Jesus, and have peace knowing that God is in control whether we succeed or fail.

Introduction to the Law

​When people think of God what attributes come to mind: omniscience, omnipresence, mercy, or wrath? Do people relegate some attributes to the Old Testament God rather than the New Testament? We Christians know that God is the same and does not change (the immutable attribute), but sometimes we fall into a worldly pitfall and think of God differently in Leviticus than we do in Romans. In order to understand the law and all its intricacies, we must first understand why we need a law in the first place. As with everything else, our reasons begin in Genesis. 

​In Genesis 1 we see the order in which God created all things. We see His omniscience when He names things like “Day” and “Night”, but we also see Him not name things like the stars and the planetary bodies. This is not a glaring oversight, but it is to show His sovereignty. False gods in the middle-east would name the stars or perhaps the stars would be gods themselves, according to their respective tradition. In Judaism and Christianity, outer space (also known as the second heaven) is considered almost unimportant, except to show the power and infinite nature of God. Everything of significance occurs upon either earth or Heaven (the third Heaven, where God is). 

​We also see in Genesis the fall of Adam and Eve. They were tempted by the serpent and gave in. First of all they gave in because they didn’t know the scriptures, but also because of their covetous desire. It was in their fall that sin entered the world, thus ensuring the need for a law. At their time they had only one law: do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The fact that this law was broken illuminates why every other law was broken from this time forward. 

​As we begin our study of the law it is important to keep these two things in mind, first that God is the same today as He was when He gave the law to Moses. Also that our salvation is contingent upon Messiah always and that keeping the law either during the time of the Old Testament or today will not assure you of salvation, only grace through faith in Jesus. Second, that we all fell in creation and that the law will be predicated upon the assumption of our knowledge of this. Job had no knowledge of Genesis, we however, do. Let’s use this knowledge to interpret the law through a historic and Biblical lens, to better understand what it meant for Old Testament believers and modern ones.

Prayer final

​We’ve been talking about prayer and what it means for Christians, as well as how to pray and prayer as a science. Today we’re looking at the culmination of these studies. For that, let’s look at the Lord’s Prayer for His Disciples in Matthew 6:5-13. This prayer should be familiar to most, if not all, Christians. This is the most quoted prayer and the most memorized passage of the scriptures with Psalm 23 being a close second. This is how Jesus taught to pray and so there must be plenty we can learn from this prayer, or rather that we have already learned. You see for the past ten weeks we’ve been studying this prayer.

​“Our Father who art in Heaven,” was studied in week 4 when we looked at incense and prayer throughout the Bible and where it culminates in Revelation. We know that our prayers last forever in Heaven and are a soothing aroma to God. We also know that we pray to God the Father specifically, who resides in Heaven. 

​Next we studied “Hallowed be thy name,” by looking at what it means when we pray in Jesus’ name. We concluded that it was as if Jesus was praying Himself. That it was stamped with His approval. Just as the Roman Centurion sent people in his name who were recorded as if he himself went, so too when we pray it should be as if we were requesting things precisely as Jesus would request and petition them. 

​“Thy kingdom come, they will be done , on earth as it is in Heaven,” was studied through the context of the Holy Spirit working within us. You see, when we walk by the Spirit we will not carry out the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). There are two options for people to be ruled by, either the flesh or the spirit. If we walk according to the flesh we will certainly sin. If we walk by the spirit, however we will do things according to God’s Will. The only time we can pray with confidence is when we pray in the spirit. If everyone were to walk according to the spirit, we would have Heaven on earth (spoiler alert: the Millenial Reign of Christ). 

​“Give us this day, our daily bread,” was studied in the context of what need both spiritually and physically. In Matthew 6 Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow, but to take concern for today. This should be the attitude of every believer. We are not to have worry, but to have confidence in God. He has and will continue to provide for us. This also equates to our daily knowledge and faith, just as the Israelites gathered in the Manna in the wilderness. We take as much as we need and none will be left over. All the more prescient that we read God’s Word and pray daily. 

​“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” was dealt with in the context of praying for others. We concluded that first we need to be walking the spirit, but also that if we are praying for someone they need to be walking in the spirit also. Our greatest and only prayer for nonbelievers then should be for their salvation. What use is it to pray for their physical well-being if their soul is on a fast-track to torment? Believers, however, should be prayed for spiritually, physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Their overall being is our concern as it is also Gods. The roadblock to all of this prayer however is sin. Sin prevents us from praying as we should. It also prevents non-believers from any prayer other than for Jesus’ mediation. Sin is pervasive and so we should pray that believers do not sin. 

​Which leads us to “and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” as we pray that sin would not affect us or keep us from doing God’s Will. We know that God tests us for our benefit. He knows how we will respond to tests, but we don’t. Temptations, however, come from Satan, the world, and our flesh and try to get us to walk according to the flesh, not the spirit. It is while walking in the flesh that we will certainly sin. Believers should therefore pray that no one give in to temptation but rather that they should flee from them.

​It is important to realize that this prayer is expressed in the plural. Believers are not meant to be by themselves, but rather they are meant to be in a group such as a church congregation. We are not individual beings, but rather part of the Bride of Christ. In order to fully carry out God’s Will we must be in a church. 

​Hopefully this study has been informative as well as enlightening. The goal isn’t for you to solely understand prayer better, but rather that you would pray better. Knowing the functions of prayer and how it all works is important, but not as important as praying itself. Please, please pray often for all your needs and remember just how holy God is, yet His great concern for you a sinner. We owe Him much more than our prayers can afford, so we should give Him our prayers in abundance. Take a moment now to pray the Lord’s Prayer and consider its ramifications.

Prayer IX: Prayer Against Temptation

​Last week we discussed how to pray for others. While this subject is quite vast and was not exhaustively covered, we did come to one definitive point: sin is pervasive and affects both believers and unbelievers and is a significant roadblock that bars our prayers. With this in mind, continuing with our theme of prayer, there are some questions to be raised about the sin in regards to temptation and prayer: What is the difference between temptation and trials/testing? Who is behind each? How do we pray for someone undergoing temptation?

​First off, what is the difference between temptation and testing? Well surely the main point is who is behind them. With trials/testing we know that they come directly from God. Temptation, however, comes from Satan, demons, the world, and our fallen sin-nature. The origin alone should highlight drastic significance to us. Next, the purpose of temptation is to get us to revert back to walking according to the flesh, which we talked about in Week VII. If we are walking in the flesh, we will surely sin. Testing/Trials however, are meant to prove to us how we are walking. God already knows the answer, but do we? It is God’s way of showing us where we need to improve or where we are succeeding. It is to ensure us of our walk in the Spirit. Before God entrusts us with more talents, he needs us to prove that we are faithful with the ones He’s already given us. Again, God knows whether we’ll be faithful, but it is for our benefit that trials/testing occurs. 

​So then how do we pray for someone who is often afflicted by temptation? First, we pray of their certainty that through God they can overcome and avoid all temptation. 

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. I Corinthians 10:13

Go will provide a way out or through the temptation. Our initial prayer for someone is that they will have the strength to walk by the Spirit. Next our prayers during their temptation should change slightly. In this case we pray that they should flee from temptation. In the initial prayer, we pray that they will seek God fully and walk according to His Will. While that is included during their temptation, our focus is more on their immediate escape through whatever means necessary. Paul tells us to flee temptation. We want all things to work out for God’s glory, certainly, but during temptation the main prayer is to avoid sin. 

​After temptation has seized someone there are two results; the first, that someone has given in to their sin. If someone has given into temptation our prayers for them are that they would be forgiven. Immediately after sinning man’s proclivity is towards shame and guilt (Adam and Eve), our prayers, then, are towards their forgiveness and knowledge that God is greater than all of their sin combined. 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9

After giving in to temptation the shame might compel men to continue to walk according to the flesh and continue to sin, thinking that because they have stumbled once they are defeated and so continue in sin. We should then pray that they would be restored to walking according to the Spirit and seeking God. Finally, we should pray that they would be strengthened against temptation in the future, thus turning back towards our initial prayer.

​Finally for those who resist temptation, including ourselves, we should pray first thankfulness towards God. It is through His strength and provision alone that we can resist sin. Remember unbelievers have no choice in sin; they must sin as their spirit is dead and they walk according the flesh. It is in this thanksgiving that we should remember our humility. It is certainly possible in resisting temptation to consider yourself strong, rather than God. This leads to pride and walking according to the flesh. We should pray then, that we would have humility. Lastly we pray that people who have resisted temptation would be able to guide and help others struggling with the same temptation. 

​In all of these examples people need to be in fellowship with others. Christianity cannot exist in solitude. Believers need the fellowship of others. We should be encouraging others, praying for their resisting temptation and praying for forgiveness when they succumb to it. We should also pray that believers would disciple others so that we can strengthen and encourage our future generations of believers. All this is only possible through God. He strengthens us, helps us escape temptations and tests us to prove to us how He is working in us. Prayer is at once both offensive and defensive.

But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perserverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I Timothy 6:11-12

Prayer VIII: Praying for Others

 When it comes to praying for other people, many things come to mind. Healing, safety/security, spiritual growth, blessings, strength, and other things of this nature. Is there a difference, though, on how we pray for people? Is there a distinction between how we pray for believers vs. non-believers? How about leaders vs. lay people? What are some barriers that get in between our prayers for others? To answer these questions, let's first look at how Paul prayed.
 In Colossians 1, Paul is praying for the Spiritual well-being of the church in Colossae. His prayer isn't a simple "bless them," but rather it is more personal. For their spiritual growth and continuation in the faith. Paul speaks of them with fond affection. Paul, however, has never met these believers. He is praying for a church he has never personally been to, and he's praying fervently, personally, and not at all generically. If Paul is praying for believers he has never met with such exuberance, how much more should we, as fellow-believers in Christ, pray for other Christ-followers?
 In James 5, we are told to pray for those believers who are sick. Also, if they have committed sin, to raise them up and the sin will be forgiven them. Why does James associate illness with sin? Is all illness caused directly by sin? No, not as such. But is all illness caused by sin entering this world and causing the fall of the entire human race? Absolutely! James goes on to say that we should confess our sins to another and pray for healing. Sin is an absolute roadblock to our praying.
 Consider if you have sinned recently and try to pray for someone else. If you have not asked for forgiveness, you cannot pray as you ought. You might be feeling guilty or you may still feel as if you're walking the flesh rather than the spirit. Sin is a roadblock between us and God, but also between us and fellow believers. Also if someone else has sinned and you cannot/do not forgive them, it is also difficult for you to pray for that individual. How can you pray for someone whom you hold a sin-induced grudge over?
 Finally, consider unbelievers. How are we to pray for them when their sin isn't forgiven? When it looms over them as a death sentence waiting to be fulfilled. In I Timothy 2:1-4 we are told to pray for all leaders of men and that all men should come to the knowledge of the truth. We cannot pray for someone's physical healing until their sin is dealt with first.

If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained. John 20:23

 Forgive your brothers and sisters their sins and pray for them, and they will return forgiveness in kind. Do not let sin affect your prayer life, Lord knows it has affected your lives too much already.

Prayer VII: Praying for Yourself

 What do people pray for when the pray for themselves? Healing, wisdom, maturity, the location of lost items, faith, to win the lottery? How do we know that these prayers will be answered? How do we pray for ourselves and make sure it is according to God's Will and it can be stamped with Jesus' name? If we are to pray without ceasing as I Thessalonians 5:16 says, how can we do that without running the risk of praying for things that aren't wholesome or pleasing to God? Should we pray for our lost car keys?
 Well, the short answer is yes. If we are to pray without ceasing and cast our cares and concerns onto God, then ultimately the lost keys would fall under that umbrella. But let's look further into what praying for ourselves really entails. Galatians 5:16-26 tells us that the flesh wars against the spirit. The flesh seeks worldly things and, ultimately, sin. The spirit, though, desires after the things that the Holy Spirit does. Remember, the Holy Spirit dwells inside us, and by nature makes us into a temple to Him. Therefore in man there can only be two sets of hierarchies with regards to submission.

 These hierarchies aren't in regard to greater or lesser, but in regards to submission. Either the flesh rules or the spirit does, but never the soul. In natural man, only the flesh can rule, but in the supernatural man, by the workings of the Holy Spirit, the spirit can rule.

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Matthew 6:24

 If we cannot serve two masters, and either the flesh rules or the spirit rules, we don't have much of a choice. We must walk by the spirit so as not to carry out the desires of the flesh (Gal 5:16). This chapter in Matthew goes on to tell us that God takes care of the birds and the lilies and so He will much more take care of you, His children; therefore, we need not worry about food or clothing. Does this mean we shouldn't pray for these things? Not at all! But rather that we shouldn't worry about these things. Pray to God for them and then be settled, knowing God loves you and will take care of you.
 The chapter ends with Jesus saying not to worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself and that each day has trouble of its own. Then should we not pray for today only? Also consider this: God's hierarchy of submission is Father - Son - Spirit. Again this is not a hierarchy of supremacy as God is infinitely supreme and the tri-unity is exactly that, united and equal. However in this supremacy of submission the Spirit is lowest. This allows God's Spirit to harmonize with your spirit, provided you are ruled by the spirit and not the flesh. Natural men's spirit is effectively dead until God quickens it, but once we have been made alive in Christ we can partake in the Heavenly realms, beginning with His Holy Spirit.
 So when we pray do not worry over anything. Especially do not worry what is a suitable topic for praying. The only suitable topics are ones you pray for in the spirit. If you are praying in the flesh the criteria of prayer doesn't matter, it is in vain. If, however, you pray in the spirit, the doors of Heaven are open to you and be the prayer trivial or colossal, God hears, listens, and answers. So pray without ceasing and let tomorrow take care of itself. Let the Holy Spirit guide your spirit to a height the flesh can never attain. Walk by the spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.

Prayer VI: Praying in His Will

 Have you ever decided you wanted something, but wouldn't allow yourself to have it? Maybe it was a purchase, another piece of dessert, or just saying no to a night with friends before an early morning. Well is God's wants different than His Will? They certainly are. God desires that none, should perish yet wide is the gate that leads to ruin. How then should we react to God's will. Is it similar to the clash between our wants and our will? Our Spirit versus our flesh? His Spirit versus ours? Let's look a little further on this subject this week.

 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. Romans 8:26-30

 In this passage, Paul is highlighting what the Spirit does in regards to our prayer. He intercedes, much like Jesus, our mediator. However does the Spirit intercede before we pray to tune our hearts to God so that we would pray better, or does He intercede on the prayer before the prayer reaches God, cleaning it and polishing it? Probably both. The Spirit's whole goal is to make the prayer presentable to God as soothing aroma. First the Spirit strives to conform us to the image of the Son, but second He makes intercession too deep for words before God. In this way He acts as both a proofreader giving suggestions to us, the petitioner, but also the copy editor making final changes before publication in Heaven.
 The Spirit's ministry is to conform us to the Son. This process is called sanctification and all believers are undergoing sanctification this side of eternity. When it comes to prayer, however, sanctification's goal, and therefore the Spirit's goal, is to have us pray as Jesus would pray. Last week we saw that when we pray in Jesus' name, we should pray as Jesus Himself would pray. Well good news! We need not (and cannot) do this on our own, the Spirit is there to guide us! He acts as our guide, our path, our friend, and helper to show us how to pray. One isn't born speaking fluent English, and neither is one born again speaking the deep matters of the heart conformed to God's will. The Spirit brings our stubborn selves along until we can pray as such.
 So then what is the will of God in regards to prayer? That we become conformed to Jesus' image. If, however, we stray from this, what is the consequences? Well for an unbeliever, they cannot pray according to God's will as the do not have God's Spirit. For believers, it becomes more tricky. First the Spirit will convict men unto repentance. But if a stubborn soul should persist, then God's will might pass them by. Consider Esther 4:13, Mordecai tells Esther that if she doesn't do this thing, God will raise up another. The same could be said for us, but may it never be! Rather strive to pray according to the will of God, for God's name's sake.
 This means putting off our old selves. Denying things that we may want. Things for good or for bad, but nevertheless, things not according to God's will. John the Baptist said "I must decrease, He must increase," this is even more true for us who are indwelt by His Spirit. The Psalms also speak of rejoicing to do God's will (Psalm 40:8), so we should not consider this a burden, but rather an opportunity to rejoice and learn. Ask God to to teach you His Will (Psalm 143:10)
 God's Will is that none should perish (II Peter 3:9). If that is so why do some perish? Why doesn't God destroy evil? Because He desires that none should perish and come to repentance and so He allows them a chance. If He eliminated evil, He would have to destroy all men who are not covered by His blood. However there will be a day that this is done, the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. In the aftermath, all that will be left is those who strive to pray according to God's will. What do we call it when everyone is praying in God's will? Heaven. Heaven will come to earth. Rejoice, brothers and sisters, as we have a Blessed Hope.