Opus 2016-113: Me Tarzan, You Jane?

I was formatting the following Bible verse.

(Isaiah 64:8 KJV)  But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

By that I mean I was going through and adding the italics that are in the KJV.  It then becomes,

(Isaiah 64:8 KJV)  But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

Why is this an issue?  The translators of the KJV put words in italics to show readers that the words were not in the actual Hebrew or Greek but were added to give clarity to English readers.  It is amazing how often the verb “to be” is not used in the Hebrew, but assumed.

If you leave out the “to be” verbs it becomes, “You father, me clay.”

Sounds like the movie version of Tarzan

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-105: Basic Beliefs: Imago Dei

I was listening to a hymn that spoke of “I am the Potter, you are the clay”.

This is an expression of two points of Christian belief that are paradoxical.

One is that we are nothing compared to God.  This is what the song was singing about.  We are the created beings.  He is the Creator.  That gives him the right to do with us as He pleases.  This is expressed in different ways in the Old and New Testaments.  An early expression is,

(Isaiah 64:8 KJV)  But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

Generally speaking the clay on the wheel doesn’t tell the potter how to shape it.

The other is that we are created in the Image of God.  This is the Imago Dei. 

(Genesis 1:26 KJV)  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

This is the reason that Christians can turn the other cheek with dignity.  This is why Christians can have a belief in the future.  Our God cares about us.  He has instilled something in us that is not in the animals, plants of rocks of the field.  We are a unique creation and that governs not only how we relate to the world but how we relate to each other. 

This is why Christians have been at the front of the battle against slavery and its modern jargon of “human trafficking”.  When a slave is declared to be your brother that means you must treat him as a brother even if the status of slave is legal.  You also know that if you don’t treat him right then the Father of you both will meet you behind the woodshed and He will not be happy.  That can be a powerful motivator.

This is why Christians have been the creative force behind ending slavery and creating hospitals, orphanages, food banks, and the rule of law. 

If you are a believer you need to understand this.  If you are not a believer you need to understand this.  It could make your day, or ruin it.  Or make it by ruining it.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-377: Batman, Stainless Steel, Righteousness

As I continue to work through the book of Proverbs I come across illustrations about purifying metals and smelting and removing impurities.  The clear teaching is that we are called to live moral and upright lives.  It also seems clear to me that such a life is possible.

The Calvinist, or as they prefer to be called, Reformed, branch of the Christian family likes to harp on no one being righteous.  They love to quote Isaiah

(Isaiah 64:6 KJV)  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

They ignore other passages in Isaiah such as,

(Isaiah 3:10 KJV)  Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

They ignore how we are constantly called on to be righteous and we are called righteous.  This creates a cognitive dissonance in me.  When I do a simple word search on “righteous” and “righteousness” in the Bible I find clear teaching that it is not only possible, it is required.

Think of the process of producing stainless steel.  It starts as red or orange dirt or rock.  The valuable iron is separated from the dirt and dross.  Then the refining really begins.  When you refine iron into steel and make it into stainless steel it becomes an alloy that really resists rust.  That is our condition when we have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit.  Stainless steel is mainly the element iron, but it has added elements to transform it and change its response to water.  In the same way our inner core has been transformed.  We now have a natural resistance to rust, or in spiritual terms, sin.  Does that mean that stainless steel will not rust?  No.  It can still happen if you abuse it enough but it means that it will resist rust.  Does that mean that the righteous cannot sin?  Same answer.

Don’t settle for less than resistant to corruption.  Don’t worry if you are not perfect in all ways.  God works with real, live people in real, live situations.  He has the patience and love to melt, mold or wait depending on what is needed.

This might be a good place to remind you about the verses of the Christmas carols that are often skipped.  Here is the third verse of “Joy to the World.”

No more let sin and sorrow grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.

As Robin might say to Batman, “Holy Righteousness!”

Merry Christmas.

homo unius libri