Context | Knowable Word

Context Matters: By Grace You Have Been Saved

January 11, 2019 By Peter Krol

If you have trusted in Christ and now follow him, you’ve likely heard that you’re saved by grace through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God (Eph 2:8). But do you know what these things mean? And how did the Apostle Paul expect you to perceive and apply these truths?

Context matters. If we learn to read the Bible for what it is—and not as a collection of independently assembled proverbial sayings—we’ll discover that some of our most familiar passages have even more to say than we’ve always assumed.

Salvation By Grace

The doctrine of grace is both astounding and alarming. It is astounding that sinners can receive a righteousness from God, which they do not deserve, and be adopted as his sons and daughters. And it is alarming that they can do nothing to deserve such favor. All they can do is trust the one who makes it so.

Few places define this doctrine more clearly than Ephesians 2:1-10. A skeletal outline of the text shows Paul’s flow of thought. You were…But God…So that…For…For…

YOU WERE (Eph 2:1-3): dead, following this world and its prince, living for our own desires, children of wrath like the rest.
BUT GOD (Eph 2:4-6): made us alive with Christ, raised us up with him, and seated us with him.
SO THAT (Eph 2:7): he might display you as trophies of his grace.
FOR (Eph 2:8-9): you have been saved by grace, not works.
FOR (Eph 2:10): we are his workmanship, created and prepared for good works.

How It’s Possible

In the previous section, Paul describes his prayers for these people. He asks God to give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation (Eph 1:17) so they might understand:

the hope to which he’s called them (Eph 1:18),
the riches of his inheritance (Eph 1:18), and
the immeasurable greatness of his power (Eph 1:19)

That power is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated him in the heavenly places and put all things under his feet (Eph 1:20-22). This raised, seated, and authoritative Jesus is God’s gift to the church (Eph 1:22-23).

The content of this prayer provides the context for Paul’s remarks about grace that follow in Eph 2:1-10. Though God’s people have been blessed with every spiritual blessing blessing in the heavenly places (Eph 1:3), the greatest blessing is the gift of the raised, seated, and subduing Christ.

This gift is God’s grace to an undeserving people. First, Jesus is raised from the dead and seated in heaven (Eph 1:20). Then, his people are raised with him and seated with him in heaven (Eph 2:6).

Why It Matters

But why is it so critical that we understand the nature of grace and the gift of the Lord Jesus? What does Paul want us to take from this doctrine?

We must observe the word “therefore” in Eph 2:11. In the second half of the chapter, Paul does not change the subject. He applies the doctrine of grace to the life of the church. Even a skeletal outline of the text shows immediate connections to the chapter’s first half. Remember that you were…But now in Christ…So then…For…For…

REMEMBER THAT YOU WERE (Eph 2:11-12): separated, alienated, and strangers; having no hope and without God. (In other words, you were dead in your trespasses and sins…)
BUT NOW IN CHRIST (Eph 2:13-17): you far-off ones have been brought near by the blood of the one who brings peace, breaks down hostility, abolishes the ordinances, creates one man, reconciles both to God, and grants equal access to the Father. (In other words, you have been made alive, raised with Christ, and seated with him and with his people.)
SO THEN (Eph 2:18-22): you’re not strangers, but fellow citizens, being built into a new dwelling place on the proper foundation. (In other words, you now show off the riches of God’s grace through your new community.)
FOR (Eph 3:1, 14-21): Paul the prisoner of Christ asks the Father to strengthen his people through this indescribable grace and immeasurable love.
FOR (Eph 4:1-32) Paul the prisoner of Christ urges you to walk in the good works that you’ve been created and prepared to do.

The main thing to catch is that the structure of the argument of Eph 2:11-4:32 follows the same structure of the argument of Eph 2:1-10 (with the possible exception of Paul’s mid-sentence digression in Eph 3:2-13). That repeated structure, together with the opening “therefore,” indicates that Eph 2:11-4:32 describes the implications, the ramifications, even the point of the doctrine laid out in Eph 2:1-10.

Conclusion

As presented by Paul, the glorious doctrine of grace serves a rather practical purpose. We are not saved by grace so we can feel great about ourselves or maintain an insider club. We are saved by grace so we can be built up together as a new temple, where members of all races are involved in one another’s lives and growing together in faith and good works. This shows the world how astounding God’s grace truly is.

Perhaps our generation might find greater help with race relations and reconciliation within the church by looking harder into the doctrine of grace.

Context matters.

For more examples of why context matters, such as the widow’s mite, the love chapter, and all things work together for good, click here.

Context Matters: The Love Chapter

October 5, 2018 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard that love is patient and kind (1 Cor 13:4). That it does not envy or boast. I’m willing to wager you’ve either seen these words on a plaque or heard them at a wedding, or both. And what mood do these words create when you hear them read? Comfort? Security? Compassion? Warmth? Mood really matters as something we ought to observe in a text. And if we take a passage like 1 Cor 13 out of context, we’re in danger of missing the mood. Which may cause us to miss the point.

Scripture as Art (2014), Creative Commons

Paul’s Mood

While 1 Corinthians is not Paul’s harshest letter—that honor would fall to Galatians—it comes pretty close. He has nice things to say about the Corinthians at the start (1 Cor 1:4-9), but he quickly moves into one criticism after another.

They have a reputation for quarreling and divisions (1 Cor 1:10-11).
They boast about themselves and their teachers (1 Cor 1:12).
They forget where they came from, that they were nothing special (1 Cor 1:26-29).
They have acted like unspiritual, fleshly people (1 Cor 3:1).
They are but infants in Christ (1 Cor 3:1).
They have deceived themselves (1 Cor 3:18).
They boast about their gifts (1 Cor 4:7).
They need to be admonished like children (1 Cor 4:14).
They don’t have much spiritual guidance (1 Cor 4:15).
They tolerate extreme immorality that even pagans wouldn’t tolerate (1 Cor 5:1).
They boast about their perceived maturity (1 Cor 5:6).
They are suing one another over trivial matters (1 Cor 6:7).
Their knowledge puffs them up, causing them to sin against others’ consciences (1 Cor 8:11-12).
They engage in idolatry (1 Cor 10:7).
They engage in sexual immorality (1 Cor 10:8).
They put Christ to the test (1 Cor 10:9).
They grumble (1 Cor 10:10).
They think they stand secure, but they really don’t (1 Cor 10:12).
They are contentious (1 Cor 11:16).
Their worship gatherings are not for the better but for the worse (1 Cor 11:17).
Selfish, factious people are being struck dead under the judgment of God (1 Cor 11:30).
They are impatient and don’t wait for one another (1 Cor 11:33).
They claim to be self-sufficient, not needing one another (1 Cor 12:21).

When we read the letter as a letter, and not as one independent chapter after another, we see that Paul is building a case, scaling a mountain. And chapter 13 is the peak. We rightly laud this chapter, but often in the wrong way.

Paul’s Climax

In the immediate context, Paul is addressing their questions “concerning spiritual gifts” (1 Cor 12:1). He just told them to “earnestly desire the higher gifts” (1 Cor 12:31). But there is a still more excellent way.

They can have the flashiest, most popular, and most coveted spiritual gifts. But if they don’t have love, they’re only making a cacophony (1 Cor 13:1-3).

Then Paul describes this more excellent way, the way of love. And what he says about love directly and explicitly corresponds to what these people are not.

Love is patient and kind. They are not (1 Cor 11:33).
Love doesn’t envy or boast. They do (1 Cor 1:12, 4:7, 5:6).
Love is not arrogant or rude. They are (1 Cor 10:10, 12).
Love does not insist on its own way. They do (1 Cor 6:7-8).
Love isn’t irritable or resentful. They are (1 Cor 1:10-11; 10:9, 10).
Love doesn’t rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. They tolerate much wrongdoing, ignoring the truth (1 Cor 5:1).
Love bears all things. They don’t (1 Cor 11:16).
Love believes all things. They don’t (1 Cor 12:21).
Love hopes all things. They don’t (1 Cor 11:17).
Love endures all things. They don’t (1 Cor 10:12, 11:30, 12:21).

In other words, it’s as though Paul is saying, “Love is everything you are not.”

Paul’s Assessment

Love will get them farther than the “best” spiritual gifts ever will (1 Cor 13:8-10). Then comes the kicker: Paul, too, was once a child. But he eventually had to grow up (1 Cor 13:11). That’s what it means to love; it requires us to grow up and become mature, which is something these infants (1 Cor 3:1), these children (1 Cor 4:14), have yet to do.

The next chapter tells them that spiritual gifts are not bad (especially prophecy). But they must desire them only in proportion to how much they are willing to “pursue love” (1 Cor 14:1). Chapter 14 is filled with instructions about how to exercise gifts in a way that is kind and loving to others.

Then Paul caps off the letter with a call to endure in faith (cf. “love believes all things…endures all things”) in light of the greatest expression of God’s love in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a foretaste of our own resurrection (1 Cor 15). The thinly veiled insults of chapter 13 are not meant to crush them but drive them to draw grace from the deep well of salvation, revealed in the resurrection of Christ. Then they can become like their Lord, expressing their love and unity with the suffering brethren in Judea by contributing to their needs (1 Cor 16:1-4). Love never ends; it never fails—when it is derived from the right place.

Conclusion

1 Corinthians 13 may be one of Paul’s most eloquent chapters. Perhaps only Romans 8 or Philippians 2 can rival it. But the mood is absolutely not a warm and fuzzy one. Its character is one of sustained rebuke, not one of pleasant encouragement. To miss this mood may be to miss the point.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t put it on plaques or read it at weddings (in fact, I’m preaching it at a wedding in a few months). But to get the message right, we must be sure to capture the tone of warning, rebuke, and satire. May it resound, as Paul intended, as our mandate to grow up and act no more like selfish little children.

I drew inspiration for this post from a talk on “Context” given by David Helm. Click to see more examples of why context matters.

Context Matters: Your Body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit

September 28, 2018 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve been told that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). And perhaps this declaration came in the wake of an argument against drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, piercing a part of your body, or getting a tattoo. This go-to verse has kept countless multitudes in reverent submission to a variety of cultural expectations. At least until many of those submissive masses come of age. When many inevitably rebel against the behavioral expectations set for them, are they rebelling against the word of God?

Heart2 (2011), Creative Commons

The Verse

It appears rather straightforward. I’ll even go as far as to quote two verses:

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Cor 6:19-20)

Easy, right? If you profess to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, your body has become a temple for his Spirit. Therefore, it is not appropriate for you to put harmful substances (alcohol, tobacco) into it, or to mutilate your body with excessive piercings. Glorifying God in your body requires you to abstain from such harmful behaviors.

Consistency

Let’s just make sure to follow that line of thinking all the way into the station. If this verse prohibits alcohol, tobacco, or piercings, then how much more does it also prohibit caffeine, chocolate cake, bacon grease, late nights, failure to bathe, steel factory employment, vasectomies, and drivers’ licenses? Each of these things either 1) introduces harmful substances to the body, 2) puts the body at significant risk of harm, or 3) makes permanent bodily changes for reasons other than preserving health.

Charles Spurgeon understood the absurdity of this logic. The story is told¹ of the time he met Dwight L. Moody. Upon being greeted by the Prince of Preachers chomping on a flaming stogie, Moody exclaims, “How could you, a man of God, smoke that cigar?” Spurgeon advances on Moody with pointing finger aimed at the latter’s seriously overweight gut: “The same way that you, a man of God, can be that fat.”

The Context

But we need not rely on witticisms or sophistry to make the point. The context is more than adequate to the task.

The main idea of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is that the church of God, set apart in Christ Jesus, must live in harmony and not with factional infighting (1 Cor 1:2, 10-11). He first addresses how factional thinking betrays the world’s wisdom and is contrary to Christ’s wisdom (1 Cor 1-4). Then he turns to matters of sexual conduct.

In 1 Cor 5, Paul addresses a serious matter with serious words. The Corinthians must not tolerate sexual sin, especially not sin that even pagans would refuse to tolerate (1 Cor 5:1). This leads Paul to clarify what sort of people they ought to dissociate from: not all sinners, but those who walk proudly in sin while bearing the name of Christ (1 Cor 5:9-11). The church has a responsibility to judge those inside her community (1 Cor 5:12-13).

This topic of sitting in judgment on offenders leads Paul into a tangential discussion of lawsuits (1 Cor 6:1). His point is that we should be able to trust the church to be competent in rendering justice, as we will one day judge the world (1 Cor 6:2). The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom (the authority to judge the world), but the righteous will (1 Cor 6:9-10). Some of you were in the former group, but now you are in the latter (1 Cor 6:11).

In 1 Cor 6:12, Paul is back on his main topic of sexual misconduct. He deals with what must have been a common saying among Corinthian Christians: “All things are lawful for me” (1 Cor 6:12). But he clarifies that things are lawful only insofar as they are helpful and not enslaving. He questions another saying they have about food (1 Cor 6:13) before homing in on his main point in this part of the argument: “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body” (1 Cor 6:13).

At this point, he moves into his metaphor of the body as a “member” of Christ (a part of Christ’s own body). He applies this to the sin of prostitution (1 Cor 6:15). One who joins with a prostitute becomes one flesh with the prostitute (1 Cor 6:16), when that person ought to be one spirit with the Lord (1 Cor 6:17).

His application? “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Cor 6:18). To support this application, he uses the metaphor of temple to describe the body. Your body is the Holy Spirit’s temple; therefore, do not offer that temple in union with an illicit sexual partner (something well-accepted in Corinthian culture at the local pagan temple, considered an act of worship).

After prohibiting ungodly sexual ethics in 1 Cor 5-6, Paul moves on in chapter 7 to promote a godly sexual ethic. This rounds out the discussion of sexual ethics, and connects it back to the main theme of living in harmony for the good of the community.

The Linchpin

Tucked right between the application (1 Cor 6:18a) and the temple metaphor (1 Cor 6:19) is a crucial clarifying statement: “Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body” (1 Cor 6:18b). Paul explicitly excludes every other sin from his temple metaphor. Therefore, we are not authorized by the Lord—in fact, we abuse his word—if we use it to address any other sin besides sexual immorality.

Conclusion

Please note: In this post, I am not arguing for drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, getting a tattoo, or piercing your body. Those topics are complex and require more discussion than I’ve offered here. I am simply throwing 1 Cor 6:19 out of the discussion. When discussing anything besides sexual immorality, “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” is out of bounds. Part of your training for making wise ethical judgments is coming to understand this fact (1 Cor 6:2).

Context matters.

¹I say “the story is told” because I have not been able to track down an original source for this story, so it may be spurious.

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Thanks to Matthew Bair for the idea for this post. Click to see more examples of why context matters.

Context Matters: The Living and Active Word

September 14, 2018 By Peter Krol

This is a guest post by Josh Alley. Josh is a graduate student in political science at Texas A&M University and a member of Declaration Church.

Perhaps you’ve heard that the Bible is “living and active.” This phrase comes from Hebrews 4:12, which says that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

We rightly cite this verse as evidence of the power of God’s word. But do we grasp the scope of this power or the intention God has in wielding it? In particular, God employs his powerful word both to expose sin and to offer mercy. By answering these questions, the context increases our joy in God and his gospel. The living and active word that removes any hope of earning salvation through works simultaneously offers mercy.

Exposure

The first way God wields his powerful word is to expose us.

Heb 4:12 starts with “for,” so we must connect it to the previous verse. Heb 4:11 exhorts readers to enter God’s rest and Heb 4:10 says that “whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”

What does it mean to enter God’s rest? In short, it means to believe (Heb 4:3). Those entering God’s rest are those who have placed all their faith and trust in God.

Pauly (2013), Creative Commons

The author exhorts his readers to enter God’s rest “so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience” (Heb. 4:11). Here, disobedience refers to how Israel heard God’s voice and still rebelled against it (Heb 3:16-19). In response to their rebellion, God swore that a generation of Israelites would not enter his rest in the Promised Land. That promise is repeated throughout these chapters (Heb 3:11, 18; 4:3, 5). God punishes those who hear the word and fail to follow it.

Heb 4:11 implies that without entering God’s rest, disobedience is inevitable. People either enter God’s rest or fall. So the power of the word is, in part, a power that either enables people to rest or illuminates their disobedience.

In “discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart,” the word exposes all disobedience. It pierces every denial and obfuscation, and it exposes all the sin in the human heart. Heb 4:13 reinforces this point, as “all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him [God] to whom we must give account.” Anyone who fails to keep one part of God’s law has violated the whole law (James 2:10), and the scriptures uncover every sin.

Being cut open by God’s living and active word is painful, as I know from personal experience. When I arrived at college, I thought I was a good kid. But as friends read the Bible with me, I saw that the law demands perfection. My striving was inadequate. Having this sin exposed is uncomfortable, but subsequently resting through faith is far sweeter.

Mercy

But that’s not all. The second way God wields his powerful word is to grant mercy. If all the word shows is the hopelessness of obeying God, the power of the Scriptures will terrify. But God made another way—we can rest from our works through faith (Heb. 4:3). Jesus intercedes before God as a “great high priest,” so when we place our faith in his perfect works and in his payment on the cross for our sin, we no longer need to strive. Through faith, believers are justified in God’s sight because Jesus’s perfect righteousness covers our disobedience.

Thus, after warning about the consequences of disobedience, the author of Hebrews encourages his readers to draw near with confidence to the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). This is astounding. Though God’s word exposes all our sin, he offers us mercy and grace.

Due to the power of the Scriptures to expose sin, we can please God only by faith. God calls us to rest from our works through faith, and when we do, we find not condemnation but mercy. So God’s word is powerful enough to cause us to delight in salvation through faith in Jesus.

Context matters.

Context Matters: All Things Work Together For Good

September 7, 2018 By Peter Krol

Perhaps, when you went through a tough spell, a friend or mentor reminded you that all things work together for good for those who love God. Perhaps you’ve reminded others of the same thing in their tough spells. And such comfort may be in line with what the Apostle Paul hoped to achieve in Romans 8:28. But do you understand why? Do you understand what is the “good” for which all things work together? This verse is not a promise to remove or alleviate suffering. Nor does it require us to take a noble or pious perspective about suffering, as though, if you love God, all things that happen to you must be seen as “good” things.

Because context matters. If we learn to read the Bible for what it is—and not as a collection of independently assembled proverbial sayings—we’ll discover that some of our most familiar passages say something slightly different from what we’ve always assumed.

Basic Observation

Let me first address one wrongful use of Romans 8:28. I’ve sometimes heard people refer to this verse to suggest that all things are good for those who love God, as though we should be happy or pleased with the suffering we endure. As though suffering is a good thing.

But the verse doesn’t say “all things are good for those who love God.” It says, “all things work together for good for those who love God.” Simple observation should clear out our thinly veiled reincarnations of stoicism or asceticism. Your suffering is not good. It will not last forever. One day, every tear will be wiped from your eyes, if you love God and have been called according to his purpose. Your suffering is bad, a product of living in a fallen world.

But God still uses it to work together for good. But how?

Train of Thought

To understand Paul’s argument in this part of Romans 8, we need to see that he’s talking about not only suffering but also glory. Rom 8:18 tries to compare the present suffering with the coming glory—and finds such a comparison be not worth our time. Rom 8:30 ends with the sure result of God’s calling: not only justification but glorification. These two references to glory (Rom 8:18, 30) create an inclusio that marks off a unit of thought for us. Let’s trace it accordingly.

The main idea (Rom 8:18): Our present suffering is not worth comparing with the coming glory. (Note: This unit unpacks Paul’s conclusion from the previous section (Rom 8:17): that we who are children of God are also his heirs, if indeed we suffer with him in order to be glorified with him.)

Julia Manzerova (2010), Creative Commons

How does Paul prove these things aren’t worth comparing? First, he addresses the present suffering we can see.

The creation suffers (Rom 8:19-21): It waits, it endures futility, and it’s bound to corruption.
- The creation groans (Rom 8:22): like a woman in the second stage of labor, groaning that she’s got to push this baby out!
- So also we groan (Rom 8:23a): inwardly, despite having the Spirit as the firstfruits of God’s promise
So also we suffer (Rom 8:23b-25): We wait with patience, we anticipate final redemption, and we can’t yet see what we hope for.

Second, he addresses the hope we have for glory we can’t see.

We do not groan alone (Rom 8:26-27): The Spirit, who knows both our desperate weakness and the will of God, takes our concerns directly to the Father on our behalf.
We do not suffer without purpose (Rom 8:28-30): God determined before the ages began to make his people like his Son. This means they don’t only suffer with him; they’re also glorified with him.

In the rest of the chapter, Paul gives 5 questions we should ask (“What then shall we say to these things?”) to help us appropriate the unseen, coming glory in the midst of our visible, present suffering:

If God is for us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31)?
Won’t he also graciously give us all things with his Son (Rom 8:32)?
Who can accuse us (Rom 8:33)?
Who can condemn us (Rom 8:34)?
Who can separate us from Christ’s love (Rom 8:35-39)?

Conclusion

Romans 8:28 does not say that suffering is a good thing. Nor does it promise to alleviate suffering here and now. Rather, the verse gives us a sense of purpose in our suffering: It shows us that God is making us to suffer like Jesus now so we can be glorified in resurrection like him on the last day. Jesus’ life sets a pattern for those who love him. This is God’s good purpose, which he is working out while we, along with the creation, wait patiently for the redemption of our bodies and the revealing of us as heirs of God.

Context matters.

Context Matters: Ask, Seek, Knock

August 24, 2018 By Peter Krol

When you hear those 3 short words—ask, seek, knock—what is the first thing to enter your mind? If you cross paths with the statement, “Ask, and it will be given to you,” you don’t even need the context, right? You know beyond a shadow of doubt that it’s talking about prayer. Can’t we just get right to application? Why bother asking the interpretive question: What does it mean?

The Text

What does “ask, seek, knock” mean? My answer to the question depends on which text we’re looking at. For the sake of this post, I’m focusing on Jesus’ words in Matt 7:7-11, deep within the Sermon on the Mount.

Marco Verch (2017), Creative Commons

The Problem

The problem is that the paragraph also appears, nearly verbatim, in Luke 11:9-13. And the context there clearly refers to prayer:

“Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).
“And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say…'” (Luke 11:2-4).
“How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask for him!” (Luke 11:13).

So I would be wrong to say that “ask, seek, knock” is not about prayer. Certainly it’s about prayer…in Luke 11.

And so we take this clear teaching on prayer in Luke’s gospel, and we assume Matthew means the same thing in the Sermon on the Mount. I’ve even seen commentaries on Matthew that take “the Holy Spirit” from Luke 11:13 and import it into Matt 7:11, as though “the Holy Spirit” must be the “good things” Jesus wants us to ask for in Matt 7.

Now I affirm that Scripture interprets Scripture. But we must not forget that each Scripture has a context. We have no trouble remembering this fact when we try to reconcile Paul’s teaching on justification by faith with James’s teaching on justification by works. Similarly, Matthew 7:11 meant something to the original audience of Matthew’s gospel, who probably didn’t yet have access to Luke’s gospel. So how would they have understood Matt 7:7-11 within its own context?

An Analogy

Different biblical authors can use the same event for a different purpose. We have endeavored to show this fact with respect to the feeding of the 5,000 and the resurrection of Jesus.

And if they can use the same event for a different purpose, why can’t they also use the same sayings for a different purpose?

The Sermon

I’ve already argued for reading the full Sermon on the Mount as a single speech. And I’ve explained the sermon’s big picture, along with the main theme of Matt 7:1-12: reciprocity.

Matt 7:7-11 fits squarely within this train of thought:

Matt 7:1: First reaction to tension or conflict among kingdom citizens: Don’t judge. Let it go.
- Matt 7:2: Your standards of sizing others up will be reciprocated against you. Implication: Be as generous as possible in your assessment, so others will be generous in their assessments of you!
Matt 7:3-4: If you can’t let it go, your second reaction is to evaluate yourself first.
- Matt 7:5: Otherwise, you will not be able to see your sibling’s issue clearly.
Matt 7:6: Not everyone is a fellow kingdom citizen. Those outside the kingdom are not strong candidates for correction.
Matt 7:7-11: [The text at hand.]
Matt 7:12: Conclusion: Do to others what you wish they would do to you.

Catch This Train

So, when Jesus tells you to keep the principle of reciprocity in mind (doing to others what you want them to do to you), and he applies it to cases where we find ourselves in the midst of disagreement…

Wouldn’t it be marvelous if he gave us some direction about how to resolve those disagreements?

Now that I’ve discerned that my antagonist is a brother (Matt 7:3-4) and not an outsider (Matt 7:6), and I’ve confessed my part in the conflict and have taken full responsibility for it (Matt 7:5a)…how do I now help my fellow Christian to get the speck out of his or her eye (Matt 7:5b)?

Jesus’ conclusion is clear enough: I should approach this person in the way I would want him to approach me (Matt 7:12). So how would I want someone to approach me if they’ve got a problem with me they can’t overlook (Matt 7:1)?

I would want them to ask for my perspective on the matter instead of making declarations about how terrible they believed my motives to be.
I would want them to seek to understand my perspective and not merely dismiss it as foolish, immature, or idolatrous.
I would want them to knock on my door, gently respecting how sensitive the issue might be to me. I would not want them to force their way in with their side of the story.

So perhaps I ought to approach others in the same way I would prefer to be approached.

What the Father has to Do With It

As a father, I understand these principles of gentle and compassionate reciprocation. If my son asks for bread, I won’t give him a stone (Matt 7:9). If my son asks for a fish, I won’t give him a serpent (Matt 7:10).

And my Father in heaven is even better than I am at giving good gifts when I ask (Matt 7:11)! So we do have, after all, an oblique reference to prayer. But this prayer in Matt 7:11 is not the paragraph’s main idea. It simply supports the larger argument that it will go better for you if you ask questions instead of making demands.

Jesus does something here that he’s already done in chapter 6 of this sermon (which Ryan carefully explained a few days ago): He links our relationship with God to our relationships with one another. In Matt 6:14-15, he explains that a failure to forgive others is evidence that we have not been forgiven by God. And now in Matt 7:11 he suggests that if we can trust God to give us good things when we ask, and we can trust our evil selves to give good gifts to the children we love, so we can trust God’s people to give us good things when we ask as well.

Conclusion

What better thing can we ask others for than peace, unity, understanding, and mutual respect, especially when we have offended one another?

In other words, the way to remove the speck of a fellow Christian is not to come at it with a shovel and dig it out. You do it by asking questions, seeking to understand the person’s point of view, and knocking on the issue respectfully until the person is willing to open the door and let you in. Isn’t this exactly how you wish people would treat you when they have a problem with you?

Context matters.

Note: I readily admit I could be wrong about this. Perhaps Jesus really is changing the subject to prayer in Matt 7:7-11, and then again to a broad principle for relationships in Matt 7:12. As one example, perhaps John Stott is right when he says, “Matthew 7 consists of a number of apparently self-contained paragraphs” (Stott, J. R. W., & Stott, J. R. W. (1985). The message of the Sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7): Christian counter-culture (p. 174). Leicester; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.). The issue is that Stott—an otherwise keen observer of the Bible’s train of thought—does not in this case argue his point from the text; he merely assumes it and exposits the text accordingly.

So I wrote this post in an effort to allow the genre and train of thought—more than widespread assumption—to drive interpretation.

Thanks to Adewale Odedina in Nigeria for suggesting I tackle these verses.

Context Matters: Judge Not, Golden Rule

August 17, 2018 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve seen someone defend their wicked or foolish behavior by misquoting Jesus’ immortal command, “Do not judge.” And perhaps you’ve seen fine and thoughtful explanations of the verse (Matt 7:1) that clarify Jesus’ oft-dismissed intention: to prohibit not all judgment but merely hypocritical judgment (Matt 7:2). But let’s also track the flow of Jesus’ argument, the key to which lies in another oft-misquoted verse: The Golden Rule (Matt 7:12)—to guard against possible over-correction to a real problem.

A Sermon is a Sermon

These verses from Matthew 7 are part of what we call “The Sermon on the Mount.” And we must not ignore the fact that Matthew presents these verses as part of a sermon (see more on this in my post on Matthew 5).

A sermon has a point. It makes an argument. It seeks to persuade an audience to believe a certain thing or to act a certain way.

A sermon is not…a collection of independently assembled proverbial sayings. So verse 1 is not an independent statement; it’s part of an argument (or series of arguments). The same goes for verse 2, verse 3, and so on. Even verse 12.

Especially verse 12. Which is clearly stated as the current argument’s conclusion: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

The Big Picture

The entire Sermon on the Mount is about citizenship in the kingdom of heaven. Chapter 5 describes the type of person who enters the kingdom (Jesus’ later speech in chapter 13 will expand on this theme). Chapter 6 describes the religion and values of those kingdom citizens (Jesus’ speech in chapter 10 will expand on this theme). A glance at chapter 7 as a whole now shows us that Jesus moves onto how citizens of his kingdom relate with one another (Jesus’ speech in chapter 18 will expand on this theme)—we’ve got not only the judgment and conflict resolution between brothers in Matt 7:1-12; we’ve also got guidance to discern true from false brothers in Matt 7:13-23. Then Matt 7:24-27 concludes the entire sermon.

With that flow in mind, we can take a closer look at Matt 7:1-12.

An Argument Involving Reciprocity

Nearly every sentence in Matt 7:1-12 has a sense of reciprocity. What you do to others will return on you. The way you treat them affects the way they treat you. Somebody does something, and somebody else does something back.

Judge not, that you be not judged (Matt 7:1).
The judgement you pronounce will be pronounced on you (Matt 7:2).
Don’t obsess over the speck in your brother’s eye, while neglecting the log in your own eye (Matt 7:3-5).
Don’t give holy things to dogs, or they will turn and attack you (Matt 7:6).
Ask, and it will be given, etc. (Matt 7:7).
Everyone who asks receives, etc. (Matt 7:8).
When sons ask, fathers give good things (Matt 7:9-11).
So/Therefore…do to others whatever you wish they would do to you (Matt 7:12). Implied reason: Because what you do to them will eventually return to you.

Nicolas Raymond (2013), Creative Commons

Why We Should Care About Reciprocity

When it comes to our relationships, our conversation, our demeanor, and our fighting style, Jesus wants us to hold this one idea paramount: What goes around, comes around. We ought to anticipate this and “pay it forward.” Do to others what you would like them to do back to you. Don’t expect them to act any differently toward you than you have acted toward them.

He’s not talking mainly about salvation, forgiveness, or acceptance by God, who—praise him!—never treats those who are in Christ as their sins deserve. But he is talking about human communities, personal bickering, hurt feelings, pet peeves, and the astounding dynamic that exists when the blinded try to lead the blind. Citizens of the kingdom of heaven are more righteous than the Pharisees (Matt 5:20). They are even expected to be as perfect as their heavenly Father (Matt 5:48). But they’re clearly not there yet.

They need to get their religion (Matt 6:1-18) and values (Matt 6:19-34) straight. They should not be surprised when they bump into other sinners like themselves (Matt 7).

And when they do, they must be prepared to distinguish between a true—albeit wrong or sinful—brother (Matt 7:1-5, 7-12), and a pig-dog, or false brother (Matt 7:6, 13-23). And the most important thing to remember is: What goes around, comes around.

Reciprocity in Practice

This point is quite simple to grasp but excruciating to put into practice. Yet we must settle for no less (Matt 7:24-27). What is it that Jesus wants us to not only hear but also do?

Don’t judge (Matt 7:1). This should always be your first reaction. If you can let it go, then let it go. Find any way possible to cover it over in love. Don’t you wish other people wouldn’t size you up so much (Matt 7:2)?
But Jesus knows that’s not always possible. So your second reaction must be to look at yourself first to see what you have contributed to the tension or conflict (Matt 7:3-4). There is always something. And if you can’t see it, you will not be able to see your brother’s issue clearly (Matt 7:5).
Remember, though, that not everyone is a brother. There are those who are outside the kingdom (Matt 7:6, also Matt 5:20, 6:7, 6:32), though we learn in Matt 7:13-23 that, outwardly, they might look just like true brothers—unless we know to look at the right bits of evidence. Don’t try to fix non-brothers! Don’t bother to help with their specks. The only result will be your own demise. In this, Jesus taps into the wisdom tradition of Solomon (Prov 9:7-9). (To be more direct: I’m suggesting that the “holy things” and the “pearls” in this verse are rebuke or correction!)

Wouldn’t you love it if others treated you this way? If they didn’t size you up? If they didn’t jump all over everything you did wrong or that hurt them? If they introduced the topic by confessing first how they had failed you? If they trusted you enough as a sibling in Christ to respect you and try to help? If their help came not with accusation but empathy and compassion, respecting your boundaries and hot buttons, and resulting in greater effectiveness for you in the faith?

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

What’s Next

I’ll stop there for now. But next week, I’ll discuss how the verses in Matt 7:7-11 fit into the argument. Before then, can you take a look at it yourself? Please don’t assume he’s suddenly changing the topic to prayer, and try to see for yourself how those verses advance the argument. I’d love to hear what you come up with. (Note: In Luke 11:1-13, Luke repackages this teaching to give it a clear context of prayer. But Matthew seems to have something different in mind. Let’s not read Luke’s point back into Matthew.)

Context matters.

Context Matters: The Most Commonly Overlooked Life Advice

August 3, 2018 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard about the famous Bible verse for graduates: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer 29:11). I’ve heard that this verse comes up often in commencement speeches. And why not? It’s packed with inspiring vision and hope for young people about to proceed into young adult life. Sure, people sometimes criticize the way this verse tends to be read (for example, see The Gospel Coalition and Relevant Magazine take it on). Such critics talk a lot about context…exiles…70 years in Babylon…blah blah blah. But if we could only free our minds from these shackles, we’d see that the common usage of this verse doesn’t go nearly far enough.

Context matters. If we keep reading the Bible as a collection of independently assembled proverbial sayings, we’ll discover that we really can look deep within our hearts for ultimate meaning and get whatever we want out of life.

Why Jer 29:11 Doesn’t Go Far Enough

Sometimes people offer a vision for life, prosperity and wellness from that lone verse, Jer 29:11. But it might be good to consider an even more helpful verse, which comes just a few chapters earlier, and therefore clearly applies in the same sort of situation (life advice for young people experiencing a momentous milestone). Jeremiah must have intended this verse for 21st century graduates of Christian high schools. And if I ever have the privilege of speaking at such a school’s commencement ceremony, I will make sure to cover this crucial verse.

Here is the verse:

Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink, be drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more.’ (Jer 25:27)

Daniel Filho (2006), Creative Commons

Let’s Not Be Merely Hearers of the Word, but also Doers

Here is the word of the Lord! I am prepared to obey God by saying this to them. I hope they are prepared to obey God by living according to it. It doesn’t matter how scared or confused they are about the future; God has spoken his will with utmost clarity. May they not be like the foolish builder, who built his house on the sand. Such is the person who hears the word of God and fails to do it.

If they won’t listen to me, the next verse tells me just what to do:

And if they refuse to accept the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: You must drink!’ (Jer 25:28)

All we have to do is read a single verse, on its own, as though it had been addressed directly to us, and we, too, can enter the third heaven. We don’t even have to wait for our next major milestone. We can put it into practice, and have the time of our lives, this very weekend.

Context matters.

Context: Children and Parents

August 1, 2018 By Peter Krol

Mike Leake shows us why context matters in the letter of 2 Corinthians. Some might see a universal principle in 2 Cor 12:14: “Children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.” But the historical, logical, literary, and biblical contexts show us the limited scope of what Paul meant.

Leake does a great job showing us how to approach the text of Scripture with caution and care for the context.

Check it out!

Context Matters: You Have Heard That it was Said…But I Say to You

July 27, 2018 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard about Jesus’ disagreement with the Old Testament. The people of Israel had received a set of laws through Moses, but Jesus trumped them in his Sermon on the Mount. An extreme version of this view might say that Jesus disregarded the Old Testament law and put a new law in its place. A softer view might say that Jesus took the outwardly focused OT laws and added to them an inward dimension, focused on the heart. But perhaps we should take a closer look.

My goal in this post is not to develop a comprehensive theology of Old and New Testaments, nor to explain what our thinking should be on the OT law. My aim is more focused. I want to look at just one passage that some might use to claim that Jesus either set aside, or in some way added to, the law of Moses.

The Pertinent Formula

I’m referring to Jesus’ repeated formula: “You have heard that it was said…But I say to you…” (Matt 5:21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43). Seems clear enough, right? You have heard what Moses said—you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, and so on—but I have something new and/or different to say. Moses was great, but I am greater. The old has become obsolete and is ready to disappear; the new has come. The law of liberty. The law of love. The law of Christ.

ajshain (2011), Creative Commons

The Immediate Context

But look at where Jesus just came from. Remember that the Sermon on the Mount was a sermon. It was all spoken at once. In fact, what Matthew has recorded to us could be spoken out loud in about 10 minutes, and it’s highly unlikely that such large crowds would have gathered on a mountain for only a 10-minute speech. So Matthew has likely condensed and summarized all that Jesus actually spoke that day. But the point remains: Don’t break it into tiny pieces. Read the sermon as a unit.

And right before Jesus launches into his sixfold “but I say to you” formula, he makes the following introductory comments:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:17-20)

Jesus could not be more clear about the fact that he did not come to abolish the Law. Certainly, we can debate what exactly it means that he came to “fulfill” it. But there is no question that Jesus did not come to abolish it (Matt 5:17). Heaven and earth will pass away before the tiniest stroke of the Law passes away (Matt 5:18). And Jesus has no goodwill toward anyone who would relax “one of the least of these commandments” or teach others to relax them. The great ones in his kingdom are those who do the Law, and who teach others to do it (Matt 5:19). And to even enter Jesus’ kingdom, we must have a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt 5:20).

Interesting. Note all the contrasts lined up in a row:

Jesus came not to abolish the Law :: Jesus came to fulfill the Law
Heaven and earth will not pass away :: The Law will be accomplished
Anyone who relaxes even a single command, and teaches others to do so, is least :: Anyone who does the commands, and teaches others to do them, is great
Scribes and Pharisees [presumably, by the sentence’s logic] will not enter the kingdom :: Those more righteous than scribes and Pharisees will enter the kingdom

So Jesus contrasts his purpose (fulfill) with what is not his purpose (abolish). And he contrasts right use of the law (do) with wrong use of the law (relax). And he contrasts those who get into the kingdom (more righteous than scribes) with those who don’t (scribes).

And then… He works through 6 more contrasts, 6 case studies, having to do with the Law. “You have heard that it was said…. But I say to you….” The context therefore suggests that the 6 contrasts of verses 21-48 are following on the theme of verses 17-20. In other words, they are contrasting those who abolish or relax the commands with those who do them and teach them.

The Quotations (OT Context)

But that doesn’t make sense of the fact that Jesus actually quotes the Old Testament laws! The thing he is negating is the Old Testament text. The OT Law. “You shall not murder,” “You shall not commit adultery,” and so on.

But there is more here than meets the eye.

For the first two (murder and adultery – Matt 5:21, 27), Jesus quotes Exodus, and then he goes on to talk about heart-intentions. But I’ve written before (e.g. here and here) about how the law in Exodus was always about heart-intentions. This is nothing new.
The third quote (on divorce – Matt 5:31) is from Deut 24, which permits divorce only on the ground of “indecency” (i.e., sexual immorality). Jesus is not disagreeing with Moses but simply reiterating what Moses said.
The fourth quote (on swearing – Matt 5:33) is drawn from Lev 19:12, Num 30:2, and Deut 23:21. But none of those passages say anything about swearing “by heaven” or “by the earth” or “by Jerusalem”or “by your head” (Matt 5:34-36).
The fifth quote can be found all throughout the books of Moses (Matt 5:38), but never in support of vengeance. In fact, this stipulation exists to prevent personal vengeance and to limit what sanctions civil courts may impose.
The sixth quote…is no OT quote at all (Matt 5:43). It has a ring of truth (“You shall love your neighbor”). But you can spend all day looking up “and you shall hate your enemy” and you will not find it.

This sixth “quote” is the linchpin that alerts us to something significant. Jesus is not quoting the Old Testament laws to correct them in some way. He is quoting what these people have heard their teachers say about the Old Testament laws.

He is quoting those who have, in fact, relaxed the commands. Those who teach others to do the same. Those who abolish what God has required of them. Those whose righteousness is like the scribes and Pharisees…. Actually, we have much reason to believe he is quoting the scribes and Pharisees themselves.

Matthew’s Broader Context

Chapter 5 is not the first place in Matthew where Jesus quotes the Old Testament. Look at how Jesus chooses to refer to the Old Testament itself:

“It is written” (Matt 4:4)
“Again it is written” (Matt 4:7)
“For it is written” (Matt 4:10)

Later in the book, he will incredulously ask the scribes and Pharisees “Have you not/never read…?” (Matt 12:3, 5; 19:4; 21:16, 42; 22:31). He will command them to go and learn what the Scripture says (Matt 9:13, 12:7). He will accuse them of setting aside (relaxing) the word of God for the sake of their oral tradition (Matt 15:3, 6). He will curse them for not entering the kingdom (Matt 23:13) and for missing the point of the law (Matt 23:23-24).

My point: When Jesus refers to the Old Testament, it is the written word. When he mentions what “you have heard that it was said,” he is talking about the Pharisees’ oral traditions.

Conclusion

In Matthew 5, Jesus is not setting aside the Old Testament law in favor of a new teaching. He is upholding the full standards of the law, as intended by God. He identifies those who obey the law and adhere carefully to the written word according to its original intention, and he contrasts them with those who relax the commands, who abolish them, to hold to their own accumulated teachings about the law.

Context matters.

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