Meekness

Interpreting and comprehending Jesus’ identifying ‘the righteous’ with ‘the meek’ in Matthew 5:5 is the subject. Consider the following:


“The second word [meek] belongs with his own characterization in Matthew 11:29: ‘I am meek and lowly in heart . . . ‘ The word (praus in Greek) means one who makes no claim, but –having rights – nonetheless waives them. It denotes absorption of evil, rather than its requital in retaliation. ‘Do not resist evil’ (Matt 5:39) does not imply that wrong is never to be opposed, but rather that evil is not allowed to involve us in its resentments. Instead, for example, of the lex talionis (the right to exact one’s rights) by which the evil comes round full circle and persists in retaliatory being, ‘the meek’ stay (arrest) it in themselves and thereby purge the situation of its enmity. In so doing, they take the context into creative renewal and cause the goodness of the earth to be repossessed, whereas the contrary stance confirms its evil, serves its cynicism, sides with its contentiousness and justifies its despair. Only in the redemptiveness of which meekness is the nerve and fiber is the earth held in righteous trust.” (Kenneth Cragg, Jesus and the Muslim, 133)

It is important for those of us who claim to be Christians to grasp what Cragg is identifying here. Once understood, the imagery of relationships that begins to form in our minds should then grasp us and carry over into our actions. Read the paragraph again, then consider his points in light of the following verses. Think well on Matthew 11:27-30 and try to put words to how Cragg’s views above can facilitate soul rest. Christ’s yoke is his government. The rest he offers had previously not been available. Now it is. Enjoy thinking through this.

God’s best.

Carl


“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt 5:5)

“All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle [meek] and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt 11:27-30)

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.” (1 Pet 2:21)

See Romans 12:15-21

“He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (1 Jn 2:6)

Hugh Binning on Humility Concerning the Individual and the Body of Christ

“Humility makes a man compare himself with the best, that he may find how bad he himself is, but pride measures by the worst, that it may hide from a man his own imperfections. The one takes a perfect rule, and finds itself nothing; the other takes a crooked rule, and imagines itself something.

But this is the way that unity may be kept in the body, if all the members keep this method and order, the lowest to measure by him that is higher, and the higher to judge himself by him that is yet above him; and he that is above all the rest to compare with the rule of perfection, and find himself further short of the rule than the lowest is below him.

 If our comparisons did thus ascend, we would descend in humility, and all the different degrees of persons would meet in one center of lowliness of mind. But while our rule descends, our pride ascends. The Scripture holds out pride and self-estimation as the root of many evils, and humility as the root of many good fruits among men. Only through pride comes contention (Prov. 13:10).

There is pride at least in one of the parties, and often in both; it makes one man careless of another and, out of contempt, not to study equity and righteousness towards him; and it makes another man impatient of receiving and bearing an injury or disrespect. While every man seeks to please himself, the contention arises. Pride in both parties makes both stiff and inflexible to peace and equity; and in this there is a great deal of folly; for by this means, both procure more real displeasure and dissatisfaction to their own spirits.

But ‘with the well-advised is wisdom.’ They who have discretion and judgment will not be so wedded to their own conceits but that in humility they can forbear and forgive for the sake of peace. And though this may seem harsh and bitter at first, to a passionate and distempered mind, yet, oh how sweet it is after! There is a greater sweetness and refreshment in the peaceable condescension of a man’s spirit and the quiet passing by of an injury than the highest satisfaction that ever revenge or contention gave to any man. ‘When pride cometh, the cometh shame; but with the lowly is wisdom.’ (Prov. 11:2).”

Hugh Binning, Christian Love.

Thoughts on God’s Chastening: Hebrews 12:11

“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Heb 12:11)

My friend,

Surely this verse gives us encouragement that God our Father works for our good; and, also that He is working for the good of all His children across the world, for those who are born from above. If one’s view of God is wrong and He is not trusted, His wisdom not yielded to, His Fatherly care not wanted, then the divine discipline that He intends for good may certainly go unrecognized. It could even be disregarded. And, if His chastening comes upon someone possessing unbelief and a partially hardened heart, the training and potential benefit may be wasted or even scorned. Those who do not understand that God works through chastening position themselves to miss out on an education that God wisely manages and which He declares is for our good.

We might say that if a Christian has not already experienced training by God’s chastening, then that person will not have the discerning eyes to know additional lessons which come in this same way. We, as individual Christians, participate in this divine action. This may seem obvious—Of course we as Christians participate in God’s chastening!—but, I assure you, I rarely encounter any Christian going through God’s chastening, so why should I think it actually goes on? Personal knowledge of this divine work requires going beyond only possessing informational understanding of it. One must render a personal interpretation of one’s life as having actually been through one or more episodes of it. To truly know the goodness of God through chastening, one must experience His discipline directly, come through it and be able to see the process and the good fruit it yields. I assume one can talk about what God did in their life and what came as a result. The difference we are pinpointing is between one knowing about something without having experienced it and one knowing it having experienced it. The way Hebrews 12 presents God’s chastening, it should be something each Christian both knows about and knows personally.

Some Christians who access the scriptures regularly will come across this text and they will be able, with the Spirit’s aide, to interpret their experiences as this divine training. They will recognize God’ role and the blessing of God’s direct involvement in their lives, and they yield willingly to all God desires of them.  But others there are who need to be instructed that this is a foundational way in which God at times works to teach His children many lessons about their lives of faith. It is needful and helpful for Christians to understand how and why God works this way, so they can know Him better and understand their lives in light of His works.

This training from chastening, like “the shaking” of God mentioned later in the same chapter, comes to us in the context of dealing with sin. The record of these two divine actions declares how God works in people’s lives with the result that their lives conform to Gods, and that their lives are being prepared to be with God through eternity. Working through these topics in chapter 12 we enter chapter 13 where we are encouraged to love others. My view on this theme development is that if we do not follow scriptures call to forsake sin, then we will not love others. To help us forsake sin, God our Father lovingly and wisely disciplines us. As we grow through discipline, He also gives us understanding of our end with Him. Knowing our end, and having His careful work in our lives now, we become more like Him. This likeness is manifest in how we relate to others, and love is the chief quality.

It is imperative that we as Christians view our lives through what scripture declares. Christians with trained eyes see and understand what comprises their lives moment to moment, event to event, and they understand where it all leads. Others cannot see because they do not believe what God has said. Some have no or very little knowledge of His word. They neither see nor know their end, thus they cannot understand their present. Then, there are others who tend to believe strongly in themselves, in their wisdom, in their judgments, in their self-righteousness, in their power, and in their rights. They may not see this about themselves. Living this way is natural to them, and they do not discern their true condition. They live as gods, desiring self-rule. Categorically, there are others who having direct access to God’s word will learn on their own with the aide of the Spirit. And I know we will meet people who need much prodding and guidance. If a person does not have direct access to God’s word or demonstrates a lack of understanding, we need to inform them and lead them in the way. We, ourselves, also need to be led by those God provides to counsel us.

One conclusion from these many points is that because of the universal work of God the Father in the lives of His children, each child of God should be aware of this work unfolding in their lives. Some Christians are. Some Christians aren’t. All should be. One reason as to why any particular Christian may not be aware of God’s disciplining work in their life is because, in general, the church does not teach this or it fails to assign proper value and importance to God’s direct involvement in the process of personal holiness and sanctification. The subject of discipline itself has suffered by being redefined and marginalized into something that, at best, may happen only when church leadership address a gross sin in a member’s life. But discipline as a virtue of the Christian life, as it pertains to self and sin, is hard to find. This absence creates the needed environment for self to live secure. It is not looked at or talked about, and it takes cover and concealment from shallow and external religion. People do not know what to look for and they do not know how to deal with self and sin if they catch a glimpse of them in their lives.

The passage above makes very clear God’s discipline produces a pain. This pain is associated with God’s discipline and with the process of forsaking sin. The presence of pain lets a Christian know that God is working in their life. It is a specific type of pain, and it is a pain only experienced by Christians and only discernable by Christians. All true Christians are supposed to experience God’s chastening and this pain, but perhaps in different ways. Hebrews 12:8 provides the statement declaring the universality of Christians experiencing this divine work. The pain, I believe, is the sensation we Christians acknowledge within as we are transitioned degree by degree from being of the world to being of God, in Christ Jesus, by means of God’s pruning and chastening. God is separating out to Himself what is of Him in us, fashioning what will be fully in His presence and what will remain with Him everlastingly. This pain stems from a tearing of the heart, which alone is sufficient enough for us to endure. But, because this work is God’s work there is the issue of sin to deal with as well. Pain from sin comes by our seeing and acknowledging our commitment to self and sin, and the ramifications of this commitment as it affects other relationships. But this pain from sin also comes when we understand how it reveals what we think of God, and the offence He bears in relating to us. The pain from God’s chastening is unique. It is multifaceted. It reveals and redirects. 

Do you remember from previous letters my reference to Ephesians 1:4, and that I consider this passage one that reveals the end God has set for us?  And, do you recall how I believe that if God has set that as the end, then I argue that He also sets the means of shaping us along the way to that end? If we believe God has redeemed us, and we believe we will be with Him for eternity, then we had better see something of His work in our lives as we near that time when we will transition to being fully with Him. Holiness, blamelessness, and love are qualities of God and His environment. He fashions us here to be fit for there. Consider these verses:

“just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.” (Eph 1:4-5)

“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight. “ (Col 1:21-22)

“that He might present her [the Church] to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” (Eph 5:27)

God’s righteousness by and through Jesus Christ is the all-in-all for our standing outlined above. God does this marvelous work and He is praised and glorified through age upon age! The divine work of preparation for eternity is a wonderful, good, and necessary task. Knowing this, we should thank God for this work and that He has not left it up to us to design and carry out our sanctification. What human could know the requirements to fashion a life to be fit for the presence of God? I dare not pretend I do. God does, and I trust Him. The apostle Paul does admonish us to work out our salvation, and he says for it is God who works in us. Thus, even here, our response to the divine initiative is declared. The way Paul presents this implies we can discern what God’s work is so that we know what to work out and how.

Now, permit me to circle back to the notion of that pain that accompanies God’s chastening or discipline. This passage is discussing Christians. There are Christians who have hardened hearts and who do not believe in what God declares. (I assume this view does not come as a shock to you.) To Christians in this category, the pain is also very real. It is magnified many times over because of their response. These Christians, committed to self, are not moved to confession and repentance. They are committed to life in themselves instead of life in God. Therefore, when the pain comes they move away from God. They do not understand what is going on. This movement seems to bring strength and security, because every thing resonates with self, but it actually increases frustrations that plague the mind and life. That peace which quiets the person and sets the person in a more God-ward fashion is not theirs to know.

Rejecting God carries an unpleasant edge into the person’s life that defines movement away from God and this edge cuts into life in a way that brings about additional hardness of heart. One is naturally fortifying self. As a person truly rejects God’s work in their life (even though they may not understand this is what is taking place), they cannot discern God’s work. Darkness increases. They lose ability to see and discern. They are functionally moving away from the Tree of Life toward the outer boundaries of the garden or out of the garden and functionally into the cursed and godless world. They live as without God. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is death.” (Pv14:12) I am convinced that God will retrieve such a one, but when and how we don’t know. What I do understand is that I myself, due to sin and hardness of heart, I could find myself relationally moving away from God and back to self, sin and the empty crumbs of the world, and life could appear fine because “I” and not God am defining life. This potential I know about myself. And, my friend, perhaps you also share this possibility with me. Therefore, our need to talk and encourage one another becomes obvious.

Self-rule and self-justification not only lead one to reject and repel the divine advance intended for good, but the ungodly one manifests the opposite of a peaceful end. There would be increased tension, unsettledness, confusion and anger, because life in this condition gets harder and harder to manage and control. It seems that someone in this condition is destine for being totally out of control! Instead of the peaceable fruit of righteousness manifesting in relationships, warring and destructive powers of self-interest deliver to the person severe blows that must plague one’s life if God is not acknowledged as God. The very same work of God experienced by to two different types of people can bring life from the pain of correction for one and increased pain leading to further distancing from God (i.e., death) to the other. It is by God’s mercy and goodness that He tells us chastening or disciplining is to be expected and that it is for our good. He tells us the goal of manifest peace is something He works in our lives. God wants us to manifest that which is of Him as we pass through this world on our way to Him. We must believe that the end is real or we will not be able to rest in God concerning the means He uses to achieve that end. We must realize that God does this work on an individual level and on a corporate level collectively as the church. I will address below.

I find it remarkable that as you and I read and meditate on this passage, that we understand each Christian across the globe, at various times, and all under the Master’s crafting care, all are constantly undergoing the detailed work of God. Maybe the degrees and depths of the work vary over different periods, but God seems intimately connected to us in this way. Do you have any doubt that God is bringing many to Himself and He uses those things in our lives (illumined by His Spirit and His Word) to cause us to think and pray and pursue holiness?  We must interpret life this way, and we must help others see and know that God is always working in their lives. We must help others desire the good work of God, have discernment to see it, and to talk about it with us and others. Sanctification, separation, is a major element of the Christian life, and I fear that it is not addressed as a central Christian element with direction, conviction and passion! With its absence comes a lack of transformational activity in Christian lives. The tendency is to focus on gaining information, and lots of it, but the inside never undergoes change. Internal transformation comes through godly discernment, confession of sin, repentance, faith, and living in God’s presence. The danger the church faces is that people will not fully understand this divine work from chastening and shaking and, therefore, do not deal with sin in their lives by God’s provisions and power. They do not and will not yield to God. People naturally tend to still view themselves as better than God says they are, and they by default trust in themselves. (And I include myself!) I have one additional element pertaining to this topic to mention.

My comments regarding God’s intimate involvement through discipline thus far have been with reference to God our Father. He is the one behind the chastening and the shaking in Hebrews 12. I am passing over addressing the shaking now for the sake of brevity, but what it is and how it benefits us must be understood. Consider its placement in connection to the topic of sin at the beginning of Hebrews 12, followed by chastening, then comes the shaking, and once prepared we move into chapter 13 which begins with loving. There is a life process outlined here. I trust you recognize it.

Jesus Christ is Lord over all. He is priest. He is king. He is head of the church. He exercises his right of rule over all creation. Earlier, I referenced Ephesians 5:27: “that He might present her [the Church] to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” (Eph 5:27)

Consider this passage:

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.’” (Rev 3:1)

We find here, in the context of a specific church being addressed, the notion of being dead if not submitting to divine command and instruction, and with a deficiency related to godly works. The church spoken of was not living out a faith relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ the Lord by the Spirit. But, it seemed to them, and perhaps others around them, that they were. Jesus being head over the church owns the church. He knew the truth about this church, and he knows the truth about us. The Father has given him all authority to rule. (Jn 5:27) Because he has this authority, Jesus Christ chastens or disciplines this church. I see no reason to assign the addresses to the churches in Revelation 1-3 as pertaining to the primitive church only and somehow the church today escapes the ministry of its Head.

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” (Rev 3:19)

We have seen that the Father chastens. The Father has given all authority to His Son. Jesus Christ also chastens. He does this because of his love for the church; his bride. As priest, Jesus Christ intercedes for the church. As King, he exercises his right to rule his kingdom and bring all under submission. If the Father chastens from love and the Son chastens from love, and the Spirit works for our holiness, (thus, the Trinity is unified in this marvelous work!) where is the open and active proclamation of the fact of these realities in the church today? Where is the confession of these most intimate and all ruling realities? Where is the open discussion of these things being fact, taking place, and unfolding in my and your life? Where are the private self-reflective pursuits of these things on bended knee before God our Father and His Son? Why are we, as a church, so caught up in things that do not really matter and do not address and deal with the sanctifying work of God in dealing with sin and moving the body along to be renewed in the image of Him who created new creatures in Christ Jesus?

I have much more to say and many questions regarding this, my friend. Perhaps we can find time to talk about them later. I have more on the mind, but I need to close this letter and send it to you. Pray with me about these things, what they mean and for what God would have us also do.

God’s best.

Carl

Sibbs on The Bruising

“We love to wander from ourselves and to be strangers at home, till God bruises us by one cross or other, and then we ‘begin to think’, and come home to ourselves with the prodigal (Luke 15:17). It is a very hard thing to bring a dull and an evasive heart to cry with feeling for mercy. Our hearts, like criminals, until they be beaten from all evasions, never cry for the mercy of the Judge.


Again, this bruising makes us set a high price upon Christ. Then the gospel becomes the gospel indeed; then the fig-leaves of morality will do us no good. And it makes us more thankful, and, from thankfulness, more fruitful in our lives; for what makes many so cold and barren, but that bruising for sin never endeared God’s grace to them?” (Richard Sibbs, The Bruised Reed)


Lord, if I know not which description above applies to me, then as I read through those words again, and perhaps even again, show me who I am. And Lord, if the words “unthankful” or “unfruitful” emerge in my mind and conscience, then most surely may I cry to You for mercy, and may I know Your graces such that my prideful and devilish self-will would exhaust itself in confessing Christ as my true and only satisfaction, and as my all in all! My Lord, if I do not understand and manifest the truth of the relationship between Your mercy, my gratitude and bearing fruit, then would You have mercy on me and lead me in the way where my life would overflow with kindness to others as a testimony of Your kindness and mercy to me. Amen.

Meditation

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah

I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him. You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you. 

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!" (Psalm 32)

Hugh Binning on Peace

“I think that, since we obtained the mercy to get a peace-maker between us and God, we should henceforth count ourselves bound to be peace-makers among men. And truly, such have a blessing pronounced upon them (Matt. 5:9), ‘Blessed are the peace-makers.’ The Prince of Peace pronounced it, and this is the blessedness, ‘They shall be called the children of God’; because he is the God of peace, and to resemble him in these, first  in purity, then in peace, is a character of his image. It is true, peace will sometimes flee so fast, and so far away, that a Christian cannot follow it without sin, and that is a breach of a higher peace. But charity, when it cannot live in peace without, it does then live in peace within, because it has that sweet testimony of conscience that, as far as did lie in it, peace was followed without. Divine wisdom (James 3:17), ‘is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.’” (Hugh Binning, Christian Love, 53-54)

From Carl H von Bogatzky

"Have mercy upon me, O lord, for I am weak.Psalm 6. 2. Strengthen thou me according unto thy word. Psalm 119. 28.  Divine Answer: My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12. 9. The Lord delighteth not in the strength of a horse; he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. Psalm 147. 10, 11. The Lord our Strength, mighty God and Immanuel, will give strength unto his people. Psalm 29. 11.

In whatever part we are weak, and most beset by corrupt nature, we may yet be strong enough, through grace, to come off conquerors; therefor, hope against hope; hope, and despair not of overcoming by the power of God, be thy corruptions within, and thy enemies without, ever so strong and obstinate. I am weak indeed, but Christ is strong; I am poor, he is rich; I am sick, he the Physician of the sick, I am a sinner, he is the Saviour of sinners; consequently, he suits me, and I suit him, extremely well. But let me look to him daily, seek his face earnestly, and grace to help in every time of need." (Carl H. von Bogatzky, The Golden Treasury)

Let me but hear my Saviour say, "Strength shall be equal to thy day;" Then I rejoice in deep distress Leaning on all-sufficient grace. I glory in infirmity, That Christ's own power may rest on me; When I am weak, the I am strong; Grace is my shield, and Christ my song. I can do all things, or can bear All sufferings, if my Lord be there; Sweet pleasures mingle with the pains While his left hand my head sustains.