Teachings of Jesus: Let Your Yes be Yes
The teachings of Jesus are amazing. Many of them are simple and all are more than noteworthy. One teaching that struck me growing up comes from Matthew 5: 33-37 which says:
5:33 Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation, ‘Do not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not take oaths at all – not by heaven, because it is the throne of God, 35 not by earth, because it is his footstool, and not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. 36 Do not take an oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no.’ More than this is from the evil one. -NET
Jesus’ words hit me extremely hard when I became a believer because of my fascination with lying. I would lie about the smallest things just to see if I could get away with it. To this day I still have those temptations. A white lie here just to make myself look better. a white lie there to get me off the hook for a minor screw up. Sometimes, I even get the temptation to lie simply for the sake of lying. As I got older and more mature in Christ the temptations got less frequent but never the less I am still wrapped in flesh and sin is still a battle. These words are an important reminder for me in my struggle against lying. Not only that, it is a reminder to be a person that others can consistently trust.
In verse 33 Jesus makes reference to Numbers 30:2 which says:
If a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath of binding obligation on himself, he must not break his word, but must do whatever he has promised.
These were the words of Moses and it was a call to stay true to the covenant that the people of Israel made with God. However, like many other teachings, Jesus takes the Old Testament law to another level when he says:
34 But I say to you, do not take oaths at all – not by heaven, because it is the throne of God, 35 not by earth, because it is his footstool, and not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. 36 Do not take an oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black.
Jesus makes it abundantly clear that making oaths should be unnecessary for those that are going to follow him. Remember my admission of being a constant lier when I was younger? Well, even when I was telling the truth people, especially my mother, wouldn’t believe me. I had to swear on everything under the sun to prove my honesty. I would pinky swear, promise on my life, and even cross my heart but Jesus doesn’t want us to live this way. Instead Jesus says:
37 Let your word be ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no.’ More than this is from the evil one.
If you say yes then you should mean yes. If you say no then you should mean no. This is a command from Christ that all of us should heed. Jesus then heightens his command with the sentence, “More than this is from the evil one.” As Christ followers we are held to a higher standard. This standard is difficult to uphold but we all should strive to take Christ’s words seriously and follow them. And when it comes to this teaching I need to hear it more often than most.
Thanks for reading.
2 Peter 3:9 vs. Calvinism
Many people say that Calvinism is unbiblical and a key verse they will use to prove this is 2 Peter 3:9. For most people just quoting the verse will end the discussion but it shouldn’t. Here is what 2 Peter 3:8-10 says:
3:8 Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice, that a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day. 9 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid bare. -NET
The people quoting this passage will emphasize the phrase, “because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” When this phrase is isolated it could mean what the Arminian/non-Calvinist wants it to mean. They want us to believe that the atonement of Christ was “unlimited”. The atonement of Christ was for every single person not just for a specific group of people. The problem is this phrase isn’t isolated.
First, we need to recognize that this passage is addressing the second coming of Christ. Peter is highlighting that people were persecuting believers by saying:
‘Where is his promised return? Forever since our ancestors died, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation.’ -2 Peter 3:4
Peter’s response is, “a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day.” That is the main concern that Peter is addressing. The coming of Christ is delayed for a reason. God said that he is coming soon but that doesn’t mean he is coming soon in the way we use the word. Soon could be any finite number to God. When someone quotes this passage we need to make sure the main purpose does not get lost. Now, some may say, “Yes this is about Christ coming back but Peter still said that God wants, ‘all to come to repentance‘.”
My response to that is, “God wants all to come to repentance. But what does ‘all’ mean?” That is the question that needs to be addressed. I have heard many times from preachers who say, “All means all and that’s all all means.” Well…uh…yes…all does mean all but all can be, and most often is, limited. Let me give you an example:
Hey Josh, give me all of those books.
Josh would never think that I am asking him for every book ever written. “Those” modifies “all” in this example. In the same way “all” in 2 Peter 3 is modified or limited. Lets quote verse 3:9 again:
The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
Here we see Peter is responding to the question asked by the unbelievers when he says, “The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness.” Then, we have Peter limiting the range of all in the next phrase when he says, “but is being patient toward you.” Who is the “you”?
The “you” are also called “dear friends” in verse 8. Peter is addressing believers. The “you” Peter talks about are the elect of God. The point Peter is making is that God wont come back until all of his elect are brought to repentance. “You” modifies both “any” and “all” in verse 9 just like “those” modified “all” in the example I gave earlier. If “you” refers to believers, also known as the elect, then it follows that “any” and “all” would refer to the same thing. Jesus’ return is delayed because he wants every single elect person to come to faith before he returns.
Think about it. If Jesus came back in the time of Peter you and I would never have been born. We would never have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We would not be saved. That is Peter’s point in this passage. Taking into account the argument I made allow me to clarify the passage for you:
The Lord is not slow concerning his promise to return, as some think of slowness, but is patient toward you, because he does not wish for his elect to perish but for all to come to repentance.
I want to emphasize that this is not to trump the Bible, rather, it is to highlight Peter’s point.
Many believe that this passage goes against the Calvinistic teaching of limited atonement but, in reality, this passage affirms it. God has his people all around the world and in every generation. And we should all thank God that he is patient towards us.
Thanks for reading.
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The Hope that We Have
In 2008 America fell in love with Barack Obama. Many thought he was a wonderful speaker. Many thought that he was going to transform the nation because of his constant references to “change”. The slogans were short but inspiring. Slogans like:
Change We can Believe In,
and,
Yes We Can,
were constant sayings in Obama’s speeches. These slogans seemed to resonate with folks who were displeased with the Bush administration. These sayings may be nobel phrases in themselves but nothing was more saddening to see, as a Christian, than the “Hope” posters that featured Obama:
Why was this poster so saddening? Because any hope outside of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is worthless. For far too long Christians have relied on the government to provide “hope” to the masses. God calls us to care for the widow, the fatherless, the poor, the needy, the down-and-out, the hurting, and the lost. Instead of doing the leg work ourselves we allowed the government to implement food stamps, unemployment benefits, etc. We, in essence, have placed our hope in a system that has disavowed its duty before God. Last election people chose to place their faith in a man the promised “hope” and “change” instead of the Gospel that provides it.
Romans 5: 1-5 says:
5:1 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory. 3 Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance, character, and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. -NET
The Apostle Paul makes it clear that hope comes from Jesus Christ. We have “the hope of God’s glory” because of Jesus’ work on the cross. That work on the cross declares those that believe in Jesus to be righteous. Jesus’ work on the cross brings peace and comfort. Even in the midst of suffering we can have hope in Christ because, unlike the false promises that any human can make, the hope we have in Christ will never disappoint.
We have entered another election year and again we are seeing the promises of hope:
‘This election is also about hope and about change. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to be in the slogan,’ said David Axelrod, Obama’s message guru and senior campaign strategist. -Reuters, “Obama’s slogan: looking to replace Hope and Change”
And even though the Republicans will undoubtedly offer a rejoinder to President Obama’s slogan with another promise of hope; we must not forget where our true hope comes from. Our hope comes from the amazing work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Our hope comes from his resurrection which displayed his power over death. And that hope is surely one that will never disappoint.
Thanks for reading.
