The Comforter

John 14:26, But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

In this passage, Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to His apostles (and ultimately to the whole world). He described the Holy Spirit with the term parakletos, (παράκλητος, Strong's Number 3875). 

Parakletos is a compound word: para (παρά, Strong’s Word 3844) which means near or beside and kaleō (καλέω, Strong’s Word 2564) which means to call or to bid.  The term is translated many different ways including Comforter, Helper, and Advocate. Its parts literally mean, “Called beside.” This paints a picture of the Holy Spirit as One who stands beside us, helping us, encouraging us, and comforting us. It’s a marvelous picture of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.

As I was reading 1 Thessalonians 4, where Paul mentions the Rapture of the Church, Paul concludes his thoughts with this, “Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).   The word comfort sort of leapt out at me.  I looked up the Greek word being used and saw that it was parakaleō (παρακαλέω, Strong’s Word 3870) which is the verb form of parakletos (the same way “drive” would be the verb of “driver” in English).  

I thought it was interesting that the same word used to describe the Holy Spirit would be used to command Christians how to act.  What He is to us, we are also commanded to be to one another: helpers, comforters, and advocates. We are to stand beside them, encouraging them, just as the Holy Spirit stands by us. To be sure, we are poor shadows of the True Spirit but we are called to comfort, help, and encourage notwithstanding.

So how do we go about this task? I suggest we should let the Spirit be our Guide. See again what Jesus said of the Spirit:

He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Wow, Paul’s instructions are similar to what Jesus said of the Spirit: “Comfort one another with these words.”  That’s how we can be a comfort to others, by reminding them of the words of Jesus.

Do you know someone who is struggling in a relationship?  Tell them what the Bible says!

Is there a parent in despair over a wayward child?  Tell them what the Bible says!

Is someone convicted by sin in their life? Tell them what the Bible says!

How simple. When people need to be comforted or encouraged, we need only remind them of the words God has given us! 

Why I’m a cessationist… sort of

Mark 16:15-18, And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Jesus promised His disciples that, when He ascended to the Father, He would send a Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who would dwell inside them and abide with them forever (John 14:16-17).  Acts 2 describes how the Spirit appeared to the Apostles as “cloven tongues like as of fire” and descended upon them like “a rushing mighty wind.” Being filled with the Holy Ghost, the Apostles began preaching to the crowd gathered for Pentecost, speaking in new languages (tongues) and declaring the wonderful works of God.  In Mark 16, cited above, Jesus promised that similar signs - like speaking in new tongues or healing the sick - would follow the believers in the new covenant once they accepted Christ and were filled with the Spirit.

Today, many churches still practice “speaking in tongues.”  There are still churches that practice “faith healing.”  There are even a few churches that practice snake handling because of this passage from Mark.  Yikes!  However, there are many other churches that believe these signs don’t continue anymore.  They do not speak in tongues, they don’t practice faith healing, and they certainly don’t handle snakes!  The question, then, is this: which view is correct?  Do the signs promised to the early church continue or don’t they?

The idea that the signs given to the early church have ceased is called cessationism.  It’s the belief that God would sometimes give the ability to do miracles to His prophets, with the understanding that it was a unique and temporary ability meant to demonstrate that the prophet was speaking with the authority of God.  

We see the giving of signs first used with Moses in Exodus 4.  When God had commanded Moses to go free His people, Moses raised this objection: “But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee” (Exodus 4:1).  God gave Moses 3 miracles to perform, and if the people doubted he was truly sent by God, he was to perform these miracles in front of them.  After all, anybody could say he spoke for God but not just anybody could perform miracles to prove it.  If a person could do something miraculous, it was evidence that God was with him.

We see this same thing in John 3, when Jesus was speaking with Nicodemus.  In John 3:2, Nicodemus confirmed he knew Jesus was sent by God because of the miracles Jesus performed; in his own words, “Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.”  

Jesus Himself attested that His miracles testified to His own authority.  He demonstrated that He could forgive sins when He healed the paralyzed man (Mark 2:5-12).  He demonstrated that He was the Resurrection and the Life when He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:17-44).  Jesus told the Pharisees that the works He did testified that He was sent by the Father (John 10:25).  These are just a few examples of how miracles are meant to be signs for unbelievers.

Jesus also gave the ability to do miracles to His apostles when He commissioned them and sent them out to preach the good news.  Mark 3:14-15 says this: “And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils.”

So we see that, time after time, miracles were given by God as a sign that the person performing them had the authority of God behind him.  They were used only at certain times and special circumstances.  When Moses went to the Jews in captivity, for example, there was no Bible.  It was only because of the miracles they’d seen Moses do, that they received the Five Books revealed to him by God which became the first Bible.  Later, as other prophets came, they added more books revealed by God.  Eventually, the entire Old Testament was canon.  

After Jesus came, the New Testament began being written by the Apostles like Paul, John, Peter, and Matthew.  They had been given the gifts of miracles so that people would receive their teachings.  But, just as in Mark 16, the subject verse of this post, God also gave signs to all new believers.  He gave them the authority to speak in tongues and prophesy.  As the New Testament was being compiled, God gave believers a supernatural ability to preach the resurrection of Jesus and speak of the wonderful works of God (Acts 2:11).

But just as in all the instances of miracles in the history of the Bible, I believe these gifts were given for a limited time for a specific purpose.  In 1 Corinthians 13:8-10, we read this:

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

The word perfect in the Bible typically means, complete or finished (teleios, τέλειος, Strong’s Word #5046).  Though there is some debate among Christians, it is my interpretation that the “perfect” thing being discussed in this passage is the Bible.  Paul had his revelation.  John had his revelation, as did Peter, James, and Matthew.  They each knew, “in part.”  Now we have the complete Bible, the entire revelation from God.  There is no more need for tongues, prophesy, or knowledge like there was for the 1st century church.  Neither are there any more prophets nor apostles.  That which is perfect has now come!

But wait a minute - why do I say I’m “sort of” a cessationist?  It’s because there continue to be gifts of the Spirit.  I Corinthians 12 tells us that there are diverse gifts of the Spirit that all work together for the edification of the Church.  Paul used the analogy of the members of a body that all work together.  Verse 12 says, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.”  

Paul lists several examples of charismatic gifts including, “first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” If we say there are no more apostles or prophets, do we also say there are no more teachers or helpers?  You can see how that becomes problematic.  I think the understanding lies in what is meant by these terms.

APOSTLES

If God appoints some to be apostles, we could say, “Yes He does and He named 12 total!”  That does align perfectly with Scripture and needs no further explanation.  However, the term apostle literally means someone who is sent (apostolos, ἀπόστολος Strong’s Word 652).  Jesus appointed the first Twelve (the 12th being Paul, by the way, not Judas) to go and preach the gospel.  Yet even today, churches still send people into different parts of the world to preach the gospel.  We normally call these people missionaries, but I wouldn’t object to them being called apostles as long as it’s understood they don’t have the exact same authority Christ gave the original 12.  I mean, they can’t write epistles that we later make canon! 

PROPHETS

In English, we often think of prophecy as telling the future.  Many times in the Bible, prophets would talk about the future but, in the most fundamental sense, a prophet simply is someone who spoke the words of God.  Prophets often began their messages with, “Thus saith the LORD….”  Again, it is the messages of the prophets that were written down and eventually became the Old Testament.  

Today, there are no more prophets in the same sense as Moses or Daniel.  However, there are still people who speak God’s Word.  We call them preachers.  If you want to say preachers have the gift of prophecy, again, I’m fine with that but they can’t give new revelation which is equal to the authority of the Bible!  I would say the role of a preacher/pastor/prophet today is to boldly speak the Word of God and his message must comport with what has already been revealed in Scripture.  

TONGUES

There is a lot of misunderstanding about the gift of tongues.  In Acts 2, when the apostles first began speaking in tongues, it’s clear they were speaking in a language that the people hearing could understand.  Acts 2:7-8 says, “And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?” 

God was able to help these poor fishermen, from the backward area of Galilee, preach the gospel to Asians, Africans, Arabians, and Greeks with the fluency of a native.  The gift of tongues helped the apostles preach Christ’s message all around the world without any type of language barrier.  

Today, people are still called to go into other countries with the good news.  I believe the Spirit still helps some people learn the new language quickly and fluently - though perhaps not instantly like the early believers.  We also translate the Bible into many languages so the gift of tongues continues to allow us to tell other people in the world about the wonderful things of God.  

Tongues were always about sharing the gospel in a language the hearer could understand.  It was never the meaningless gibber we sometimes see in churches today.  

In conclusion, if miracles were ordinary, they would no longer seem miraculous.  This world is not our reward.  The Holy Spirit was given as the down payment of the inheritance we have waiting for us in heaven (Ephesians 1:10-14).  The gifts of the Spirit and the signs shown by the apostles, prophets, and early believers are the evidence that the promises they made are true and that our eternal reward is sure.  Let us not be like the ungrateful crowds who, after being fed when Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish, demanded still another sign before they would believe (John 6:30).  The record of all the signs is right there in the Bible already.  What else do we need?!

Jesus wasn't plan B!

Genesis 2:15-17, “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

This passage has been a puzzle to many Christians and the subject of much criticism from unbelievers. The question often asked is why would an all-knowing God put the Tree in the Garden if He knew Adam would disobey and bring the Curse on all of creation? If there were no tree, Adam could not have eaten of it so would not have sinned by disobeying God. No tree means no Fall, no Curse, and no history of death in the world. In other words, if God knows everything, why didn't He just not put the tree in the garden and spare the world generations of misery?

Critics sometimes exaggerate the dilemma, hoping to raise doubt on the omniscience of God or the plausibility of the Bible. Such criticism could have a chilling effect on the gospel. It tries to make it look like God made a mistake and then had to come up with the cross as a way to fix it. Jesus was a sort of “plan B.”

There are a few bad assumptions behind this criticism. First, it's completely non sequitur as an argument for atheism. I'm not sure exactly how it follows that, because people die, there can be no God. You could try to make a case that He's not a loving God or that He's not the God of the Bible but there's no reason we must necessarily conclude that death means there's no God. It goes back to a point I made a few months back: people have a false idea of how God should act and, when they can't find a god who acts that way, they conclude there must be no god at all.

The other flaw in this criticism is the assumption that eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was the only sin Adam could have committed. Removing the tree does not necessarily mean Adam could no longer sin. Adam still had free will and so could have disobeyed God in other ways. For example, God also commanded Adam and Eve to multiply; Adam could have refused. We have to ask if it is even possible for God to create a creature with free will but not the ability to choose to disobey Him? It's sort of like asking if God could create a square circle.

I certainly can't claim to completely understand God. Indeed, if a finite, simple man like me could completely understand Him, He wouldn't be a very big God. But after having thought about this and looking into His word, I think I have an inkling of why things are the way they are.

We like to say that God can do anything. Of course, there are things even God can't do. God cannot lie, for example. He cannot even be wrong. And here is another very important thing – God cannot stop being God. He will always be the Infinite One, the Eternal One, the Perfect One. Logically speaking, it can be no other way.

Isaiah 46:9-11 says, “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executes my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.”

Like this passage says, there cannot be anyone like God. In logic, there is an interesting paradox called the Irresistible Force Paradox. Essentially it says that irresistible force and an immovable object cannot exist simultaneously. One must yield to the other. The same is true for God. Not only must there be only one supreme power, He must also have supreme authority. You cannot have 2 beings with free will unless the will of one of them yields to the other. Think about it – what would happen if one god says, “this will be blue” and the other says, “no, this will not be blue”? One of them must yield to the other.

When God made man, He could have made us like robots who only can do what He programmed us to do. That isn't what God wanted. He wanted someone with whom He could have fellowship - someone who would have emotions and reason similar to His. So, He created us in His image. Yet, even though we are like God, we cannot be just like God. God wanted us to have fellowship with Him. He created us with free will and the ability to genuinely love Him. But by giving us free will, it was inevitable that we would disobey him. If we have free will, there will come a point that what a man wants will conflict with what God wants. Obviously, God would have known all this.

God is love (1 John 4:7-8). Because of His perfect love, He desired an object to love. However, His perfect justice would not allow Him to suffer the disobedience of His creation. So when He purposed to create us, He simultaneously would have had a plan to reconcile us to Himself again, once we disobeyed Him. His plan was the cross!

Revelation 13:8 refers to Jesus as, “The Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world.” In dutiful obedience to the Father, Jesus created the entire universe and shaped man with His own hands, knowing that the cost would be His own blood. It's overwhelming to think about it. It reminds me of a moving passage from that famous hymn:

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin!

God didn't make a mistake. He didn't create us without realizing the cost. Jesus wasn't plan B. He was always the plan!

The significance of the Greek participle in Matthew 5:27-28

Matthew 5:27-28, Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Some translations of the Bible are better than others.  Of course, there are a few translations I wouldn’t recommend but, among mainstream translations, each has its pros and cons.  One strength of the King James Version is that its translators had the very clever idea of identifying participles with the ending in “eth.”  Examples would be believeth, thinketh, or, as in the verse above, looketh.  

In English, many people mistake participles for verbs.  They usually have a verb root and end in “ing.”  So, words like jumping, swimming, running, and looking are all participles even though they’re describing an action.  They don’t act like verbs; instead, they act like adjectives, adverbs, or even nouns (when a verb is used as a noun in English, it’s technically called a gerund).  

If I said, “Do you see the man standing by the door?,” I’m using the word “standing” as an adjective to describe which man I’m talking about.  I’m not necessarily concerned with what he’s doing - I’m pointing out who he is.  He’s the man standing by the door.  Get it?

In Greek, participles act in ways very similar to how they act in English.  In the subject verse, the word looketh is the Greek word blepōn (βλέπων, present participle of βλέπω, Strong’s Word 991).  It means “looking” but it is used with an article so a literal translation would be “The one looking.”  Just as in my English example, the participle is used here to point out  who this person is.  He’s the person who looks at women in order to lust after them.

Later in Matthew (Matthew 7:16), Jesus said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.”  In other words, a person isn’t defined by his actions; rather, his actions reveal who he is. A person who looks at women to lust after them, is an adulterer.  It's not “looking” at women that makes a man an adulterer because an adulterer already. When he looks at a woman to lust for her, he is only doing what adulterers do.

By way of analogy, consider dogs: dogs aren't dogs because they bark; they bark because they're dogs.  I remember hearing a pastor tell a story about a mean dog who always tried to bite people.  Whenever anyone visited, he would have to muzzle the dog so it couldn’t bite people.  The dog never bit anyone again but the muzzle didn’t make it a good dog, did it?

In that same way, adulterers look at women in order to lust for them.  It doesn’t matter if they never commit the act - they’re still adulterers.   They’re like the bad dog who wears a muzzle.  Maybe they don’t commit adultery because of social pressures.  Maybe they’re afraid they’ll get caught.  It could be that they think the object of their lusts doesn’t feel the same way - otherwise they would!  Whatever the reason he doesn’t commit the act, Jesus made it clear that he’s already an adulterer.   

Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”  Who we are on the inside is revealed by what we do. In other words, adulterers lust, murderers hate, thieves envy, liars tell lies, etc. We’re not sinners because of the sins we commit. We commit sins because we’re sinners!

Some people think of themselves as basically “good” because they haven't committed any “major” sins. That's because they don't consider their lusts, envy, or hate to be major sins.  What they don't understand is that these are symptoms of who they really are. It doesn't matter how good these people think they are – the Bible makes it clear we are all adulterous, thieving, lying  murderers who need a Savior.