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Saturday, October 1, 2011

From God, Through God and To God

Deuteronomy 1:5 (ESV)
Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this law, saying,

Moses undertook to explain this law.
It was fitting that Moses undertook to explain the Law, since it was he who gave it to Israel. Indeed, it was not Moses, but God was speaking His commandments through him, but it is generally accepted in scripture that the Law was 'given by Moses':
Mark 10:2-3 (ESV)
And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" [3] He answered them, "What did Moses command you?"
John 1:17 (ESV)
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
John 7:19 (ESV)
Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?

Therefore, Moses was the best person to interpret the meaning behind the Law, since it came through him. It was fitting that Moses do this, so that no future generation could interpret it or use it in another way. It would not matter if you were an elder of Israel or some great teacher, if your explanation of the Law was contrary how Moses has explained it, it would be wrong, because the Law did not come from you.

Likewise, God Himself is the best interpreter of the things of God. God Himself is the best Teacher of the things of God. Moses was God's pen, and as a pen he had an special understanding that was superior than others, but he is nothing compared to the Author of the Law. The Law came through Moses, but Moses is not the Lawgiver, nor the Judge. God is the Judge and the Lawgiver:
James 4:12 (ESV)
There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.


Jesus Christ came to the world to explain the Law to us, since He is God: the Author, Lawgiver and Judge. And not only the Law, but He came to open the entire Scriptures to us, that we may understand its true meaning and interpretation, since He is the one who wrote it. Moses explained the Law before he died, but it was when Christ rose again from dead that He began opening the scriptures to His disciples, revealing it better than Moses ever could:
Luke 24:25-27,32,44-47 (ESV)
And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! [26] Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" [27] And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
[32] They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?"
[44] Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." [45] Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, [46] and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, [47] and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

What Jesus Christ is saying in a nutshell, is that the Bible is about Himself: "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself". Jesus is the main theme of the entire Bible. Jesus is the theme of the Law, through all its sacrifices, ceremonial rituals, through the impossibility of keeping the moral law, etc. Jesus is the one prophesied by David through Psalms, and through all the prophets. Doesn't matter if you are the greatest theologian in the world, or the most famous pastor, if your interpretation of the Bible does not end with Jesus Christ, you are wrong, for you are contradicting the Author of the Bible. As it says above, until we realize that the Bible is about Jesus Christ, our hearts will be as cold and dead as a stone. If we seek the scriptures to find peace, joy and fulfillment for ourselves, our hearts will always be lukewarm, to be spat out of our Lord's mouth. But when we begin to see Jesus and the Gospel in scriptures, and in everything else we see the glory of Jesus, then "our hearts burn within us". This burning heart, this zeal, this passion, then, happens within us only when we come to know that everything is about Jesus Christ. True fire only comes when we know more about Jesus. What agendas do we have today? When we read scripture, when we do our devotions, when we serve in the Church, what is our agenda? There should be no agendas, but that we may know more about Jesus Christ and His Gospel. Christ, Christ and more Christ is all that we need and all we should be focussed on.

So then, we see that the Scriptures were written by God through man, and is interpreted by God through the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ Himself, and points to God; the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. It is as Paul says:
Romans 11:36 (ESV)
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.


If either of these From, Through and To are replaced with us, then we are heading for trouble. For let's say if we believed that FROM US are all things. We are believing that we, our power and strength, are the source of all things, that salvation was my decision, my faith, my willpower, my understanding, thus robbing God of His glory. Or if we admit that it was from God, but it is THROUGH US, we are equally heading for destruction. Because to believe this we are saying effectively, 'Yes, God saved me by grace, but it is ME that keeps the salvation, it is ME that makes me sanctified: my willpower, my resisting of temptation, my strength. Thus we are despising the Holy Spirit who is working all these things in us, and giving us, who have nothing good in us, good things everyday on the account of Christ's death. Or, if we say that, 'Okay, I will acknowledge that it is From God, and through God, but it is TO ME', this is also terrible. This is possibly the worst of all, for you are saying that the end of all things, of salvation, of ministry, of serving, is to ME: to my glory, to my fame, to my joy, to my satisfaction, to my reputation, to improve myself, to have the things that I want. This is using God for my personal gain. This is a rebellion against the very reason that Christ made us and saved us, that it was ALL for His glory alone.

How much are these three things spreading like a disease in Christianity today? Putting ME or US in any of those three things is what has been destroying the Church in the past few decades. How shall we restore it? We must declare with Paul that God takes place in all these three areas. We must not rob God's glory anymore. We must not worship ourselves any more. For you know what the devil says to himself: 'It is all from me, and through me and to me! It's all about me, me, me!' Yet the devil, and all who are like him will have their part in the Lake of Fire, because they give not their glory to God in these three things. Let us examine ourselves, and if we are violating any of these, let us repent, and give God the glory that He deserves:
Revelation 7:12 (ESV)
"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen."

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