Tag: arrogance

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Deuteronomy Devotionals

Purging the evil within us

Refiner's fire

You must purge the evil from you. (Deuteronomy 17:7)

Twice God repeats these words to the Israelites, first in respect to idolatry and second to arrogant sin.

For the Israelites, that meant death to those who committed these sins. In the New Testament church, it meant excommunication. (1 Corinthians 5:13)

But as I read those words, God reminded me that I need to purge the sin that’s within me as well. To put it to death, as Paul said. (Colossians 3:5-10)

I can’t take my sin lightly. I can’t arrogantly ignore God or those who would correct me.

With God’s help, and the help of God’s people, I need to purge my sin.

And so my prayer for the day:

Father, let me never take my sin lightly. Help me to purge it.

Let your Word be that cleansing fire in my life. Through your Word, let me learn to fear you and obey you in everything.

Let me never turn back to Egypt, to my old way of life.

That way is death. But your ways are life. You are life. And you are good.

So help me to love and honor you in all I do. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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1 Corinthians Devotionals

A willfully sinning “Christian”

1 Corinthians

“Don’t judge.”

“We must be tolerant.”

Those are the words of many in this world today.

There is a sense in which those words are true.

Jesus warns against hypocritical judging. (Matthew 7:1-5)

Paul warns against judging those outside the church. (1 Corinthians 5:11-12a)

But then he specifically tells us we are to judge those who claim to be Christians and yet live in unrepentant sin. (12b)

Specifically, he says,

Remove the evil person from among you. (13)

This is not to say that our primary response should be anger and self-righteousness. Rather, we are to grieve. (2)

We are to desire and pray for their restoration. (5)

But we are not simply to tolerate their behavior. Rather, we are to remove that person from among us.

The principle comes from God’s law in Deuteronomy 17:12-13. In talking about dealing with sin and judging God’s people, Moses said,

The person who acts arrogantly, refusing to listen either to the priest who stands there serving the Lord your God or to the judge, must die.

You must purge the evil from Israel. Then all the people will hear about it, be afraid, and no longer behave arrogantly. (Deuteronomy 17:12-13)

In those times, the punishment for such arrogance was death.

In these times of the church, the punishment is excommunication.

But the principal is the same: arrogant, unrepentant sin is not to be tolerated in the church.

Unfortunately, the Corinthians were arrogant. They were boasting about being so “accepting.” And so Paul rebuked them sharply for it.

It is one thing for a person to fall into sin and yet mourn over it and repent. It is one thing for a person to struggle with certain sins in their life, the key word being: struggle.

We are to help, pray for, and encourage such people.

It is another thing altogether to say, “I will live however I like, regardless of what God says.”

No person who says that can honestly call themselves a Christian. And God’s church cannot simply “tolerate” such a person.

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James

How true faith expresses itself (Part 8)

James

I think with this passage, James pretty much concludes his speech on how true faith expresses itself. And again, throughout his whole letter, he has focused on love, speech, and purity.

In these last few verses, I think he’s going back to the theme of purity and not becoming polluted by this world.

Part of that pollution is the love that people have for the things of this world. But part of that pollution is the arrogance that comes from having the things of this world.

Here we see Christians who were pretty successful in the world, successful business people and merchants. And because they were so successful, they were starting to forget their need for God. They had forgotten that all that they had ultimately came from him.

And so James says,

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Instead you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16)

In a lot of ways, this is connected to verses 10-12.

In those verses, James asked, “Who are you that you think you have the right to judge your neighbor, to despise him by slandering him and treating him like dirt?”

Now he again asks, “Who do you think you are that you boast as you do? You’re nothing. You’re mere mist, here today and gone tomorrow. You don’t even control how much breath you have left in your life.”

So what do we get from all this? Put away your arrogance. Draw near to God and humble yourself before him.

And stop despising others. Rather, get back to what Jesus commanded and start loving your neighbor as yourself.”

James then concludes,

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do, and doesn’t do it, sins. (17)

And so we come full circle to what James said earlier in chapter 2, that faith without works is dead.

For if you are walking in arrogance, judging others with your mouth, neglecting the needs of those around you, and living in adultery with the world, do you really have faith? Or is your faith mere words, an empty shell.

What kind of faith do you have?

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Job

God’s justice, our arrogance

Job

Many people today dispute God’s goodness, if not his existence, by saying, “If God exists, and if God is good, then why is there evil in this world?  Why doesn’t he just wipe out all evil from this world?  Since he doesn’t, either he doesn’t exist, or he isn’t good.”

It was an issue that Job touched on in chapters 20, 21, and 24 where he complained that many evil people do not get what they deserve here on earth.  But Elihu answers here,

It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice.  (Job 34:12)

And he makes a very salient point in verses 14-15 as he notes that if God were to exact perfect justice right now, no one would survive  (34:14-15).

As it is, we do see evidence of him punishing the evil.  And God shows no partiality to anyone.  All who sin will eventually pay for what they’ve done.

But if he does, in his mercy, remain silent for a time, how can we criticize him for that, when we too would have to be destroyed?  (34:18-29)

He then compares the humble man who repents before God for his sin, with Job who instead questions God’s justice.  And he says, “Should God reward you for this attitude?  You’re speaking like the wicked.”

In chapter 35, he then points out the contradiction in Job’s words.

On one hand, he’s claiming God will clear him if he could only face him.  But on the other hand, he questions God’s justice.

Either God is just and will clear Job if he’s innocent.  Or he’s unjust and won’t care if Job is innocent or not.  (35:1-2)

He then addresses the arrogance of those who would say, “If God’s unjust, why do good?”

Job, I must say, never actually said this in so many words, but Elihu points out that if what Job said is true, that the evil are not punished for their sin, that would be the logical conclusion.

But Elihu points out to Job that when God calls us to be righteous and flee wickedness, it’s for our good, not for his.

While he will judge us for our deeds and our sin does affect our relationship with him, our deeds affect us and the people around us much more than they do him.

And so when we choose to disobey his commands, we only end up hurting ourselves.  (Job 35:6-8)

On top of that, Elihu notes that though people often cry out in their suffering, many nevertheless don’t turn their hearts to God.  They remain arrogant in their attitudes in toward God and so God doesn’t respond to their cry.

He then criticizes Job for this very type of attitude, saying, “Should God answer you when you question his justice?”  (35:9-15)

Then in chapter 36, he reaffirms that God will repay the wicked according to their deeds, and that though people may be afflicted and the righteous suffer (something Job’s friends refused to admit), that God would eventually lift them up.  (36:6-7)

He then gives Job warning.  That if God is using this time of suffering to chasten him, God will not be silent as to the reasons.

(I think Elihu does indirectly acknowledge here that God has been silent towards Job as to why he has been suffering).

But he tells Job that if God does tell him that he needs to repent, that he should not be arrogant and harbor resentment for God’s discipline lest he perish for it.  (36:8-13)

He further warns him that his attitude of criticizing God’s justice could lead him into sin.  (36:17-21)

Finally, he closes by telling Job, “You are in no position to judge God and why he’s allowing your suffering.  He says,

God is exalted in his power.  Who is a teacher like him?  Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?  (Job 36:22-23)

And again,

How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.  (Job 36:26)

He continues,

God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.  (Job 37:5)

He then concludes by saying,

Tell us what we should say to him; we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.

Should he be told that I want to speak?  Would anyone ask to be swallowed up?

Now no one can look at the sun, bright as it is in the skies after the wind has swept them clean.  (Job 37:19-21)

In other words, “You want to confront God?  Your understanding is so small and darkened, you wouldn’t be able to make a reasonable case.  You’d be swallowed up by a wisdom and understanding that is far beyond yours.  By a holiness that is much greater than yours.”

What do we get from this?  It is sheer arrogance on our part to question God’s justice.  We know too little and are too sinful to question a holy God.  We are simply in no position to demand any answers from God.

So what do we do with our questions?  Hard though it may be, we need to humbly put them aside and put our faith in God.

Believe in his goodness.  Believe in his justice.  Trust in his wisdom.

And know that if we do these things, our faith will ultimately be rewarded.  As Elihu says to close his speech,

The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.

Therefore, people revere him, for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?”  (Job 37:23-24)