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“It Is Finished!”

Victims of crucifixion usually died exhausted and unconscious. The New Testament tells us that before he died, Jesus summoned the strength for a loud cry (Mark 15:37). This was unusual for a man dying on a cross after many hours of torture.

His final shout was a cry of victory over the powers of darkness: “It is finished!” He was saying that he had accomplished what he had been sent to earth to do. In this sixth statement from the cross (John 19:30), Jesus again alluded to the twenty-second psalm, a prophecy of his sacrificial death: “He has done it!” (Psalm 22:31).

What did he accomplish in his dying? He accomplished “everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man” (Luke 18:31; 1 Peter 1:11). He accomplished the requirements of God’s law. He was born and lived under the law, he fulfilled the law in his perfect life, and he bore the curse of the law in his death (Galatians 2:21, 3:13, 4:4). With perfect obedience he accomplished the purpose of the Father (John 17:4).

The Hebrew prophets, writing hundreds of years earlier, tell us that his death on the cross would be to “atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness” and that “the Anointed One (Messiah) will be put to death and will have nothing” (Daniel 9:24, 26). “They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He (God in Christ) has done it!” (Psalm 22:31). That is what he meant when he said, “It is finished!”

He was speaking to the Father in heaven: “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4). He was speaking to those who  would make up that growing worldwide congregation of believers throughout history: “I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you” (Psalm 22:22). He was speaking to himself: “After he (God’s Lamb) has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied” (Isaiah 53 :11).

The word “finished,” in the Greek language implies completed action with a continuous result. It has finality. The work of salvation is accomplished; the price of redemption is paid in full. This word was used in first century marketplaces where goods were bought and sold. A seller would write a receipt for a completed transaction with this word which means “paid in full.”

Rudolf Stier wrote, “There is nothing lying beyond the reach of this word. . . . Here is the center of the history of the world.” Nothing can be added to what Jesus accomplished to secure salvation for all who believe in him. “He has done it! It is finished!”

In his book, The Cross of Christ, John R.W. Stott wrote: “The loud shout of victory, is in the gospel text the single word tetelestai. Being in the perfect tense, it means ‘it has been and will forever remain finished.’ We note the achievement Jesus claimed just before he died. It is not men who have finished their brutal deed; it is he who accomplished what he came into the world to do. He has borne the sins of the world. Deliberately, freely and in perfect love he has endured the judgment in our place. He has procured salvation for us, established a new covenant between God and humankind, and made available the chief covenant blessing, the forgiveness of sins.”

Amen.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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“I Am Thirsty”

You understand thirst. You have felt thirsty. Have you ever experienced a burning thirst, a fearful life-or-death thirst, a dangerous thirst? Long distance hikers know the dangers of dehydration and the importance of locating water sources. They carry filtration systems for purifying water from streams, ponds or springs along the trail.

The fifth word of Christ from the cross came near the end when he said, “I am thirsty.” He knew that everything was about to be accomplished (John 19:28). He had been suffering the judgment of God for sin. This was to make possible our deliverance from the penalty for our sins. He identified with humanity in another way we all understand: “I am thirsty.”

Jesus had been hanging on the cross since 9:00 in the morning. It was nearing 3 pm. His physical sufferings were unspeakable. They were compounded by a burning thirst. He gave voice to a physical need. He had this is common with all humanity as when he experienced temptation, fatigue, sorrow, hunger and righteous anger. In thirst, common to all people, Jesus understood how it felt to be human.

The “I” in this statement opens another window on the person of the Savior. It is a reminder that this dying, thirsting man on the cross was also God in his very nature. Repeatedly in John’s gospel, our Lord Jesus identified himself as the “I AM,” who had boldly declared, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (John 14:10). John purposefully selected seven statements from the discourses of Jesus to affirm his divine authority: I am the Bread of Life, I am the Light of the World, I am the Gate, I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Resurrection and the Life, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, I am the True Vine.

Then in John 8:58 he said, “Before Abraham was born, I am!” Not “I was,” but “I am” the eternal One, the self-existent One (Exodus 3:14; John 1:1). Jesus, “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!” ( Philippians 2:6-8).

Think of it! The one who “was with God in the beginning” and through whom “all things were made” (John 1:2-3) inhabited and was dependent upon the creation he himself had brought into existence. The one who created the springs, rivers and aquifers to slake the thirst of living creatures; the one who sent the seasonal rains to water thirsty crops, to provide abundant harvests; the one who covered three-fourths of the surface of this planet with water to dissipate the heat of the sun and to make the earth habitable — this mighty creator humbled himself to die on a cross and before he died he said, “I am thirsty.”

The historic teaching of the Christian gospel is that Jesus is both human and divine, God and man in one person. Because he was man, he was able to bear our sins. Because he was God, his sacrifice was perfect. Because of his perfect sacrifice he is able to bring believers to Paradise. Let us say to Jesus, as Thomas did, with reverence and gratitude, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

 

 

 

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The God-forsaken Savior

It has been called the “cry of dereliction” or of “desolation.” Amid the unnatural darkness that fell over his crucifixion, Jesus cried out in the language of his people, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). He was quoting scripture, Psalm 22:1. It was a prophecy being fulfilled.

Angels had supported Jesus when he was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. They helped him as he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. The New Testament tells us a voice from heaven spoke approvingly of him on several occasions.

But on the cross no angels attended him. This time there was no voice saying, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11). Instead there was the pall of darkness at noon and the consciousness of being abandoned.

Jesus’ cry was not one of unbelief, despair or cowardice. At the last Supper and in Gethsemane Jesus had expressed his intention to  fulfill the Father’s will through his death. He had repeatedly predicted to his disciples the death he would die in Jerusalem. This cry of dereliction was a fulfillment of another prophetic word: “We considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4).

J.C. Ryle of England explained it this way, “There is a deep mystery in these words which no one can fathom. They express the real pressure on his soul of the enormous burden of the world’s sin.” His suffering was not merely physical, but spiritual. He was forsaken by God because he was bearing our sin.

The famous hymn of Isaac Watts describes it: “Well might the sun in darkness hide and shut his glories in/ when Christ the mighty Maker died for man the creature’s sin.” This is Jesus becoming a curse for us to redeem us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). Until then, he could always say, “My Father is with me” (John 16:32). But now he is absolutely alone, abandoned, forsaken.

Why? Because “We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). In suffering the abandonment of the Father, Jesus endured the very sufferings of hell. “God made him who knew no sin to be made sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Yet despite the desolation, we recognize his belief that the essential unity of the Trinity was not broken. Jesus never lost the knowledge that God was his God. Fellowship was broken by our sin, but not his relationship. Not long after these dreadful words were spoken, Jesus would call God his Father again, praying, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

This season of the year is an annual reminder of what our Lord endured for us in dying for our sins. As we meditate on his words from the cross, let us humble ourselves in grateful worship, deep faith and confident witness. He was forsaken so that we might be accepted. This is good news.

Years ago I wrote these lines: “How the glory once was muted / when upon a tree, accursed, / in the terror of earth’s darkness / Jesus took God’s wrath for us.”

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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“Here is Your Mother”

Compounding the agonies of dying by crucifixion, was the sorrow Jesus felt for his sorrowing mother. The tenderness of his care for her contrasts with the savage brutality of the scene. The gospel of John gives us our Lord’s third statement from the cross. “He said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother'” (John 19:27).

Think of the bravery of Mary, following the mob to Calvary, standing at the foot of the cross, watching her son being shamed and tortured. We can only imagine the depth of her anguish as she endured the mockery and hatred directed at Jesus. Surely this was a fulfillment of the prophecy of the aged Simeon, who, in Jesus’ infancy, had said to Mary, “A sword will pierce your own soul” (Luke 2:35).

The unnamed disciple is “the disciple whom he loved,” universally understood to be the writer of this story. The apostle John was a son of Zebedee, who owned a fishing business in Galilee. His mother may have been Salome, a sister of Mary. If this is true, then John was Jesus’ cousin. (See Mark 1:20, 15:40; Matthew 27:46; John 19:25.) This may help explain why the Lord entrusted the care of his mother to her nephew. John was familiar, staying with her now, supporting her in her grief. It is clear that the Lord Jesus was asking John to care for her as he would his own mother.

John 19:27 says John “took her to his own home.” The inference is that he took her away immediately to a dwelling he maintained in Jerusalem. We know Mary stayed in Jerusalem for many weeks after this because  later we find her in the upper room praying with the other disciples (Acts 1:14). The scriptures are silent about her remaining years. Did she return to Galilee? Did she accompany the apostle John to Ephesus, where tradition tells us he concluded his ministry?

The fact that Jesus did not entrust her to other family members is probably due to the fact that his half-brothers did not believe in him at this time. Yes, Jesus had brothers and sisters who were born to Joseph and Mary after he, the “firstborn son,” was born (Luke 2:7; Matthew 1:25). The scripture says that at first his natural brothers did not believe in him (Mark 6:3-4; John 7:5). After his resurrection, however, they became believers and joined the other disciples (Acts 1:14).

Jesus addressed her as “woman.” The expression may be close to the British “my lady,” or the common American “ma’am.” This is not the only time our Lord spoke to his mother this way (John 2:4). Devout Bible students have come to the conclusion that when Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit to begin his public ministry, something changed in his formal relationship to his mother. He was now committed to the work his Father in heaven had given him to do  (Matthew 12:46). He was carrying out his role as Messiah.

The emotional distance implied in this form of address meant that she must hereafter be subservient to him as Savior and Lord. This implies no disrespect toward his mother. But it indicates his recognition that she is now to be numbered among his followers. The mother/son relationship is now woman/Lord.

It was a great honor to John that Jesus trusted him for this sacred duty. It is a testimony to his loyal love. No doubt John considered it a privilege to serve his Lord by caring for his mother for the rest of her life.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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“With Me in Paradise”

Grace. Mercy. Acceptance. These come to mind as we read the words of the dying Savior to the thief on the cross next to him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Jesus’ words were in reply to the man’s prayer, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

You know the details of the story. Here was a dying man in agony of body and soul. He was a condemned criminal experiencing the cruelest form of Roman retribution, execution by crucifixion. The scene is a cacophony of mockery, cursing, shrieks of pain and groans of mourning. Amid the confusion, he has a moment of clarity: “Jesus, remember me.”

Luke’s gospel (23:40-43) tells us he feared God, acknowledged his guilt, and recognized the kingly authority of Jesus. A skeptic might dismiss this as a desperate man’s dying delusion. But seen in contrast to the  other thief’s obstinate rejection of Jesus, his plea for salvation is familiar to all who have faith in Jesus. He had faith, and it was faith alone that brought forth the Lord’s promise of life beyond death.

We do not know much about Paradise. In ancient history it was a word for a beautiful garden. In the Bible, Paradise is a synonym for heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2-4; Revelation 2:7).

Nor are we told much about the intermediate state of souls between death and resurrection. Jesus gives us this certainty: the spirits of the redeemed enter into conscious and happy fellowship with him. “Today,” tells us it is immediate.  “With me,” tells us that it is his presence that makes Paradise a state of blessedness. (John 12:26. 14:3, 17:24). “To depart and be with Christ … is better by far” (Philippians 1:23).

The dying thief had no opportunity to do good deeds. He did not benefit from any ceremony of religion. He could not make restitution for his sins. All he could do was ask, “Jesus, remember me!” And the Lord did.

Jesus’ second statement from the cross is a word for us. No matter who we are or what we have done, Jesus offers grace, mercy and acceptance. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). This is a word of assurance that death, for a  believer, is not the end of life.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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“Father, Forgive Them…”

We might be tempted to wonder, Why a sacrifice? Couldn’t God simply forgive sins without requiring the death of Christ? After all, God is love and it is his nature to forgive. Why was the cross a necessity?

An answer may be found in the first statement of the dying savior from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).  We cannot understand, any more than Jesus’ tormentors could, the depth of our sin or the height of God’s holiness. If we did, we would more fully understand the necessity of Jesus’ sacrifice as an atonement for sin.

A reading of the crucifixion narratives in the four gospels arouses our amazement. Jesus offered no resistance during his arrest, unjust trials, savage flogging, public mocking, and torturous crucifixion. We hear no cry for revenge. There is only empathy: “They do not know what they are doing.”

This fact did not relieve them of responsibility, however. Their ignorance was willful ignorance. They rejected him in the face of the overwhelming evidence that he was the divine Son of God. It was lazy ignorance, the apathy of indifference to the truth that he preached. It was blind ignorance because “they loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

It is the same for us. We must recognize that we, too, are guilty of sin (Romans 3:9-20). If not the same sins as of those who crucified our Lord, they are sins that are equally offensive to God’s righteous nature. His perfection requires the satisfaction of a perfect sacrifice in order for forgiveness to be possible. He must be true to himself (2 Timothy 2:13).

“He was numbered with the transgressors,” Isaiah prophesied (Isaiah 53:12). It is noticeable, then, that Jesus prayed for their forgiveness as he was dying on the cross. It was his death on the cross that accomplished satisfaction. It was on the basis of his sacrifice that Jesus was asking the Father in heaven to withhold his wrath. Yes, God is love, and he is willing to forgive sins. But his love is a holy love. His holy nature requires satisfaction (1 John 2:2).

Their forgiveness depended upon their response to Jesus’ sacrifice. One of the hardened Roman officers at the scene confessed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54). Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Jewish high council, had “become a disciple of Jesus” (Matthew 27:57). The faithful women disciples who had followed Jesus from the beginning of his ministry mourned his death amid the mockers at the foot of the cross.

This precious word, “forgive,” means to remove, to send away, to release from a debt. It refers to restoration of a relationship that is broken by sin. It involves two parties, the one offended, and the offender. There must be a granting and an acceptance of forgiveness. This acceptance involves confession and confession involves a change of outlook toward sin. This is called repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10).

What about those who deny their moral responsibility and who refuse to acknowledge their sin? Are they covered by Jesus’ prayer from the cross? Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus was not forgiven. Jesus said of him it would have been better if he had not been born (Mark 14:21). Caiaphas and his co-conspirators thought it would have been better for Jesus to die than for them to lose their political influence (John 11:49-53). They remained embittered toward Jesus and his followers (Acts 4:5-7). The criminal dying at Jesus’ left side joined the chorus of defiance against Jesus (Mark 15:27-32; Luke 23:39). These who rejected Jesus then represent all who now exempt themselves from the benefits of his prayer for God’s forgiveness.

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” shows us the compassion of the Lord Jesus, even toward those who reject him. It shows us God’s willingness to forgive those who confess their sin and trust in his Son. It shows us that forgiveness before a holy God is available for all who believe the message of the cross: “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” ( 1 Peter 3:18).

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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Seven Words of Love

In 1986 the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article detailing the likely physiological and psychological effects of the crucifixion of Jesus. In 2004 Mel Gibson produced “The Passion of the Christ,” a movie that graphically portrayed the extremity of the Lord’s sufferings.  The descriptions we have in the gospels seem relatively tame when compared to the violence and terror of the actual event.

We are approaching the time of year when Christians are called again to contemplate the cross and its significance. The writers of the New Testament must have felt a deep reverence and devotion as they described the crucifixion. But they were remarkably restrained.

To be sure, they reveal much in their telling of the scenes of mockery, flogging, hardened soldiers, condemned criminals, thorns, nails, and spear. But there is no lurid sensationalism or cheap emotionalism. Instead, their purpose is instructive, not merely descriptive. The writers want us to see beyond the physical horrors of the crucifixion to something deeper, its spiritual meaning and purpose.

This is evident in the recorded words of Christ from the cross. Students of scripture have always found in these statements a revelation of the divine-human nature of the Lord Jesus, and of the value of his redemption. For this reason, I invite you to join me in meditating on the “Seven Last Words of Christ” during the coming weeks.

I hope a re-reading of these seven words of love will attract us to the dying Savior. This was his intention. He said, “And I if I am lifted up from the earth, “will draw all people to  myself.” “He said this,” the apostle John reports, “to show the kind of death he was going to die” (John 12:32-33). 

This is the universal attraction of the gospel. It is for people of every nationality, economic status, and ethnic identity. People of all cultures can identify with the emotional, relational, physical and spiritual states reflected in our Lord’s seven words from the cross.

Beginning next Friday, in this space, we will contemplate his prayer for his tormentors, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). This will be followed by an examination of his promise to the criminal on the cross next to him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43)..

“Woman, here is your son,” spoken to Mary, and to the apostle John, “Here is your mother” (John 19:26-27), provided an earthly home for his mother, whom he entrusted to that beloved disciple who stayed with Jesus until he died.

The words “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) take us into the mystery of the Holy Trinity and the meaning of Christ’s sacrificial death. “I am thirsty” (John 19:28) is a stark reminder of the Lord’s humanity and his identification with the rest of humanity.

The final words are rich in spiritual and theological significance. “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” ( Luke 23:46) and “It is finished” (John 19:30), remind us that the Lord Jesus gave his life voluntarily to pay the debt for the sins of the world. This is the teaching of the New Testament.

Whether or not you were brought up in a church that observed the liturgical calendar of the Christian year (I was not), it can be spiritually edifying to use the weeks between Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday as a season of preparation. To meditate on the Lord’s death, remembering what he endured on the cross. To give thanks for his sacrifice. To worship the One who came to draw us to himself for salvation. To repent of our sins and deepen our faith in him.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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The Freedom of Forgiveness

Imagine a man who feels conflicted because of anger and resentments inside. They are all-consuming. He talks to his pastor about it. He seeks help because he knows he has to learn to forgive. His mental, physical and spiritual health depend on it.

Imagine a woman who does the opposite thing. Instead of releasing her hatred, she remembers every negative thing that anyone has ever said about her. For over twenty years she has nursed grudges by recording grievances in a little book.

Then there is the wife of an abusive alcoholic who keeps on loving and forgiving him. When she was asked how she could do this she answered, ” I cannot look at him without seeing the desperate captivity that holds him. My forgiveness and love are his only link to God. How can I withhold it?”

Whatever you may think about these real-life examples, Jesus offers a powerful antidote to the toxic effects of hatred and bitterness. He says, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25).

Forgiveness is what Jesus would do.

Our Lord’s teaching corresponds to one of the most frequently-emphasized themes of Jesus’ ministry. Over and over he said things like this. “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44). “So watch yourselves. If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them” (Luke 17:3-4).

Jesus lived what he taught. At the last supper he said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). As he was dying he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

We who believe in Jesus are called to imitate him. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

Forgiveness is costly and difficult.

Jesus’ words are broad and inclusive: “If you have anything against anyone.” Forgiveness is like the cancellation of a debt: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).

Forgiving another person is not fair. It is not cheap. It is done for God’s sake, out of obedience to Christ. Forgiving is not excusing bad behavior. It recognizes that individuals are responsible for their actions.

Forgiving is not forgetting. There will still be memories of the hurtful event. These memories may still cause pain. We may recall the hurt, but we choose not to relive it by rehearsing old grievances.

Forgiveness is not tolerance. When we forgive, we are not condoning the offense or letting the other person off the hook. The offender is not getting away with anything. Forgiving does not deny or trivialize the pain caused by the offense.

It may or may not lead to reconciliation. For reconciliation to occur, there must be evidence of sincere repentance and reestablishment of trust. That takes time. Forgiveness is something we do for Christ and for our own healing and growth, whether or not there is ultimate reconciliation with the offender.

Forgiveness is a process.

Forgiving is not a one-time act. It involves repeated actions and decisions. When Jesus told his disciples to forgive “seventy-times seven times” (Matthew 18:22), he was saying that this is a spiritual discipline that we have to keep learning. We keep forgiving because he has forgiven us.

Several years ago in Alabama, three members of the Ku Klux Klan were upset with a jury verdict that freed a a black defendant. They were so filled with racial hatred that they decided to look for a black person to kill. They encountered 19-year-old Michael Donald, kidnapped him, and drove him out of town. They beat him, cut his throat, and hung his lifeless body from a tree. Then they burned a cross.

The three were eventually arrested and brought to trial. One of the offenders, Henry Hayes, was sentenced to death. Another, Tiger Knowles, was given a sentence of life in prison. Six years later, in a subsequent civil lawsuit against the KKK, Knowles was brought into the courtroom from prison. He had become a Christian.

Knowles approached the mother of the slain teenager. He stood before her and said in a quivering voice, “Mrs. Donald, I want you to know if I could change places with your son now, I would do so. Will you forgive me?”

“Son,” she said, “I’ve already forgiven you.”

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

 

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Love Your Immigrant Neighbor

The immigration crisis is perceived as a security crisis. Perhaps it is. But it is also a political crisis. It points up the need for a comprehensive, humane and workable immigration policy, suited to our national interest.

It is a diplomatic crisis raising questions about U.S. policy toward neighboring countries in Latin America. In some of these countries, gang violence, human trafficking, and sometimes authoritarian governments, exploit the people. These factors prompt thousands of them to become refugees.

No person of compassion can fail to be moved by the plight of these people. If we still believe that human rights are a foundation of our American national character, then we will see this crisis as a humanitarian crisis.

Thomas Jefferson, in the Declaration of Independence, dated July 4, 1776, wrote the “self-evident” truth that all people are “created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,” especially the right to life and freedom. This is a reason we speak of American exceptionalism and greatness.

This understanding of human dignity is rooted in the teachings of the Bible. It says God created mankind in his own image. Human rights are derived from the fact that human beings bear the image of God. This is what it means to be human. Human rights, dignity, and equality are bestowed by our Maker, not by any government.

If we believe and live by the Bible, this truth will influence our opinions about foreign policy, criminal justice, the rights of the unborn, economic policy, and political platforms. Biblical values should, I believe, guide our thinking about immigration and the refugee crisis.

Jesus quoted the Hebrew scriptures when he taught us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Justice and compassion for foreigners were priorities of the laws given through Moses.

For example, the words of Deuteronomy 10:18-19 are restated in different ways throughout the Bible: “He (God) defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you. . . . And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.”

Jesus teaches his followers that they serve him when they show hospitality to strangers (Matthew 25:35). If this Christian ethic governs our lives as individuals, then it makes sense to me that this same value system should influence our national policy. After all, we are a government “of the people,” and it is the beliefs of the people that inform our response to issues such as immigration.

The Bible provides us with a way of thinking about immigrants and refugees. Of course, we should be concerned about border security and the rule of law. This too is a moral issue. But obsessive fear, ethnic bigotry, and inflammatory rhetoric are contrary to the Christian way of living.

Those who are willing to be guided by the teachings of the Bible will recognize that immigrants have the same God-given human rights and dignity as those who were born here. Whatever conclusions “we the people” come to about immigration policy, should be influenced by these truths.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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How to Have a Good Fight

Try this True/False quiz. (1) Some conflict in married life is normal. (2) Conflicts do not always result in arguments. (3) Unresolved conflicts damage marriages. (4) Each time an old conflict resurfaces, without resolution, the “problem” becomes more acute. (5) Managing conflict is a sign of emotional maturity.

How did you answer? In fact all five answers are true!

When I was pastor of Calvary Baptist Church of Covington, Kentucky, on two occasions the church hosted marriage enrichment conferences featuring Tim and Beverly LaHaye. They had an effective ministry to the hundreds of people who attended these conferences.

One of the reasons was their transparency. I was surprised when Dr. LaHaye admitted to the crowd that in earlier years he and his wife had struggled with unresolved conflicts in their marriage. He said that he’d had a problem with anger and she would respond with silence and withdrawal. “By the time we were 12 years into our marriage, we had become two strong-willed personalities of the opposite sex who lived in the same house, shared the same children, held the same spiritual values, but disagreed on almost everything else.”

He told how, through the ministry of Christian psychologist Henry Brandt, he confronted his anger, selfishness, and hypocrisy. As he surrendered to the Holy Spirit, God began to change their marriage from “joint bullheadedness” to love, joy and peace. LaHaye taught the congregation about the importance of facing conflicts with the help of the Holy Spirit and honest communication.

John Gottman wrote, “A marriage that endures is based on the ability of the husband and wife to work through the conflicts that inevitably arise in any relationship. Contrary to popular belief, it is no sign of marital health to claim, ‘we never fight.’ Growth comes through resolving differences.”

Stephen Covey wrote about a conversation he had with a man who was worried about his marriage. “My wife and I just don’t have the same feelings for each other we used to have. I guess I just don’t love her anymore and she doesn’t love me. What can I do?”

Covey asked, “The feeling isn’t there anymore?” “That’s right, and we have three children we’re really concerned about. What do you suggest?”

“Love her,” Covey answered.  The man responded, “I told you, the feeling isn’t there anymore. “Love her.” “You don’t understand. The feeling of love just isn’t there.” Covey said, “Then love her. If the feeling isn’t there, that’s a good reason to love her.”

“But how do you love when you don’t love?” “My friend,” Covey replied, “love is a verb. Love — the feeling — is a fruit of love, the verb. So, love her. Serve her. Sacrifice. Listen to her. Empathize. Appreciate. Affirm her. Are you willing to do that?”

He was right. It has been said that it is easier to act your way into a new way of feeling than to feel your way into a new way of acting. According to Covey’s explanation, and the Bible’s, love is an action. It is a sign of maturity to subordinate one’s feelings to unselfish loving actions. Feelings of love can be recaptured when we do that.

Our Lord gave guidance for when conflicts disturb our relationships. He said, “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

Jesus makes several important points. First, he is acknowledging that there will be times when brothers and sisters, and husbands and wives, will have disagreements and offences. He tells us what to do about them. Resolving conflict is better than retreating from conflict.

Then he says, “Go.” Take the initiative. Make the effort. For husbands and wives, it may mean hiring a sitter for the children so the couple can go on a date to talk through some issues. It may mean admitting, “I’m not satisfied with myself and our lack of time together.” It may require an apology for words spoken or offending behavior.

Third, Jesus said to make it a priority. Do it now. Set everything aside to make things right. Relational conflicts can hinder our worship of God. We should seek reconciliation with others before we come to God in worship. Managing conflict is a sign of emotional and spiritual maturity.

It’s work. But it works.

Pastor Randy Faulkner