Month: September 2020

Resisting Arrest

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology2 Comments

The Song of the Mountains – Verse 39 – Resisting Arrest

Hollywood often depicts the enemy of our souls as an omnipotent being, too powerful and persuasive to resist. He’s not. The enemy is crafty. He knows the weaknesses common to all men, and how to stir up temptation. The disciple of Messiah can resist him, the Word promises this. We can resist the arrest of the enemy; and Messiah taught us how to pray for this deliverance. 

A conclusion. 

With the final petition of the Lord’s Prayer, we find in the second clause of Matthew 6:13, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” This petition concludes what came before it, “lead us not into temptation.” In my previous article on the Lord’s Prayer it was presented that Messiah is teaching us to pray in such a way that will enable us to avoid unnecessary pitfalls in life, or enduing trial, testing, and even temptation when we are not prepared, or spiritually mature enough to resist it. 

What do we learn? 

The immediate lesson of this petition is that evil exists – specifically a source of evil – the “evil one.” This does not have to be proven, rationalize, or argued. Evil exists. The question of evil, however, has caused many to reject faith; leading some to embrace atheism, or to question the existence of God as an agnostic – the apostle Paul has much to say on that subject.   

Admittedly, the existence of evil is difficult to fathom in light of the existence of a loving God. Nevertheless, the existence of evil does not disqualify His existence as He is presented in the Bible. Here I rely on the eloquence of C.S. Lewis, who wrote in his book The Case for Christianity,

“God created things which had free will. That means creatures which can go wrong or right. Some people think they can imagine a creature which was free but had no possibility of going wrong, but I can’t. If a thing is free to be good it’s also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having. A world of automata – of creatures that worked like machines – would hardly be worth creating. The happiness which God designs for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to Him and to each other in an ecstasy of love and delight compared with which the most rapturous love between a man and a woman on this earth is mere milk and water. And for that they’ve got to be free.” 

By adding “and deliver us from the evil one” to “and lead us not into temptation,” Yeshua is acknowledging that evil is present. After all, He resisted and withstood the enemy to his face (Lk. 4:1-13). He knows the difficulty we presently face. 

We have witnessed. 

We have all witnessed bad things, or to amplify, “evil things,” happening in or around our lives. Some have witnessed the perils of war. Others the effects of abuse, discrimination, or the apparent absence of kindness and compassion for someone in great need, by one able to help. Evil, sadly, is well-known to all of us. 

What’s the point? 

Part of faith is not knowing why God allows suffering, and yet believing despite this. The apostle John wrote of Yeshua’s coming, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (I Jn. 3:8). Yeshua acknowledged that evil was present, and that there was a need to be delivered from it. As followers of Messiah we are at war with evil, the evil one, and with, as Paul wrote, “principalities, powers and world-rulers of the present darkness” (Eph. 6:12). 

The heart of this petition is a prayer for deliverance. That Messiah taught us to pray in this manner, acknowledges that the Father is willing and able to deliver us. Paul personally prayed in such a way, as he wrote, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever” (II Tim. 4:18). 

Know your weakness. 

Bottomline: we are weak, but He is strong. The disciple who does not know his weakness can, therefore, neither pray this prayer nor experience God’s strength – he will always fall for the enemy’s schemes. The disciple who knows his weakness, and is a person of prayer, will be garrisoned by the Lord’s strength. 

It’s not an offensive.

Unfortunately, some disciples believe this to be an offensive battle – that we seek the battle out. It is, however, entirely defensive. Paul tells us in that when we have done all, putting on the armor of God, truth, righteousness, the Gospel of peace, faith, salvation and prayer, that we are to stand against the wiles, the schemes, of the devil (Eph. 6:11). The Kingdom of God will burst-forth, but under its own power, and momentum. 

The enemy. 

The devil attempts to overcome people with temptation, suffering and disbelief. He is called “the tempter” (I Thess. 3:5) in Scripture; therefore, we would be remiss if we considered this petition without considering both the evil propagated by man through the influence of the tempter and the tempter himself. The tempter loves: 1) to terrorize, 2) to tempt, and 3) to cause fear.

How are we delivered from evil and the evil one? 1) recognize that evil is at work, 2) refuse to dignify negative, self-defeating thoughts, and 3) resist temptation. The apostle James explains, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). All we need to do is resist – he is not as strong as we have imagined him to be.

Lesson from a hymn.  

Martin Luther wrote lasting words of wisdom regarding this subject, in his hymn A Mighty Fortress is Our God, “And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us. The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure: one little word shall fell him.”

The Promise. 

As Luther wrote, evil is doomed. This is part of the eschatological promise of the coming of Messiah Yeshua. Yet, while we are here on this earth, let us spread the light of Messiah over and against the evil that seems to surround us: the depression that so easily ensnares, the anger that so willingly reaches out, and the indifference that so frequently blinds us.

There is much that can discourage us. Discouragement often looks for remedy in all the wrong places – doors opened by the schemes of the enemy. Therefore, as we are filled with the hope of Messiah, let us shine in our homes, our relationships, our congregations, and in our communities in order to illuminate the hope that is found in Yeshua as the remedy for the evil of these days. This, in turn, will help to close the doors of the enemy, as the door of hope opens for those in need of rescue. 

Shalom. Be well.

“Lead us not…”

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied TheologyLeave a comment

The Song of the Mountains: Verse 38

I remember learning to swim. I never minded the shallow end. After all, I could stand up and get myself out of a frightful spot. It’s jumping in the deep end for the first time, or being out in water that we know is over our head that often stresses us. If you can relate in any way to this, you will have a better understanding to what Yeshua is teaching us to pray in Matthew 6:13; as we read, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” 

What?

This petition, “and lead us not into temptation,” is difficult to understand when considered in light of the Apostolic Scriptures. Would the Lord lead us into temptation? With as much temptation as we face, do we really need to pray that He not lead us into it? Consider the words of the apostle James, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed” (James 1:13-14). Temptation stokes desire. Desire drags us off course to find fulfillment. The fulfillment then ensnares. 

Paul illuminates this, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (I Cor. 10:13).

When we consider that God is not tempted, and that He does not tempt, but when tempted He will make a way of escape, what exactly is Yeshua/Jesus teaching us?

The text. 

Translators of the Bible face the daunting task of choosing words in their local, or receiving language to express the language of the original texts. These texts are thousands of years old, and culturally removed from the receiving language. Having only translated a small portion of the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible, I can attest to this difficulty. 

One of the issues causing confusion in Matthew 6:13 is the translation of the underlying Greek text for “temptation” in many English Bibles. πειρασμόν/peirasmos can be translated as temptation, testing, trial, or proving, and any of these would be suitable for Matthew 6:13. Yet, “temptation” in this context, as it is classically translated, leads us to believe that the Lord would tempt us; as the petition of Yeshua says, “lead us not…” 

Consider these alternative versions:

            “lead us not into testing…”

            “lead us not into trial…”

            “lead us not into proving…” 

Any of these would be more intellectually agreeable. Yet, we would miss the lesson. 

Going deeper. 

James encourages his readers to “count it all joy when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:2-3). How do we understand this petition before us then? 

In the Garden of Gethsemane, as Yeshua was praying, He instructed His disciples, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Matt. 26:41). If you notice, He did not say “pray and watch.” He said “watch and pray,” implying that before we pray we should already be looking out for danger, and potential pitfalls ahead of us. This helps us to understand with more clarity the meaning of this petition; allow me to amplify this point.

Amplify.

If we are honest, we all have things that tempt us. Some of these things are harmless in terms of ethical and moral transgression; while some may be harmful if overindulged in; or devastating if entered into at all.

On a personal note, there are many things that are potentially sinful for me, as they are temptations that once indulged in result in sin – and the same can be said for each of you. As an example, for some alcohol is not a temptation; but for others, it is such a strong temptation that it leads to destructive, sinful behavior. Obviously, this list of examples can be multiplied.

As we mature in faith, the Lord expect us to “watch and pray” about those things that can be unnecessary pitfalls, or entanglements in our lives – and in that “watching and praying” avoid those things that we know are temptations – to include avoiding where we know those temptations will be. 

It is possible to be tempted without sinning, as temptation is not the sin. Giving in to the temptation, and tasting of it, is the sin. Yeshua demonstrated this for us, as the author of Hebrews explains, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all the same ways – yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). This does not give us license to seek out the temptation, in order to “test” our faith, our strength, or our resolve: we will fail. 

Still, temptation is very much part of life. Our prayer should be that the Lord enable us, by His grace, to endure temptation in steadfast faith; as He promises the crown of life to those who endure, and persevere (James 1:12; cf. I Pet. 1:6-9).   

Do not blame Him. 

Time after time, people pray this petition, go out, find themselves in the midst of temptation, taste it, and then blame the Lord for having led them in that direction. This is neither the spirit, nor the meaning of this petition. 

Avoid, avoid, avoid. 

Stay away from places of temptation. Those places where we know it to be. Rather than God “tempting us” in those situations, we are “tempting God” by expecting Him to bail us out of a situation we entered ourselves. It is a challenge. One that He will allow us to learn, the hard way, from.  

Praying it another way. 

God may allow you to fall down. Yes, you read that correctly. He may allow you to have what you desired more than Him. Not out of spite, but out of mercy. We should pray “lead us not into temptation” ever aware of our weakness, but mindful that His grace operating in us is equal to the challenge. Praying, and pleading, “Please Father, do not let me enter a place of temptation.” 

Yeshua is teaching us to pray, through this petition, that we be spared falling into temptation, trial or testing, prematurely, unprepared or too severely. We know that trials, temptations and testing will come – we are praying that we are prepared in faith for when they do arrive.

Back to the pool.

I remember when I was learning to swim at my father’s house, I slowly began to doggie-paddle in the shallow end, but I would not venture into the deep end, and this avoidance lasted most of the summer.

One day when I was swimming with my cousins, my father picked me up and threw me in the deep end, and miraculously I began to swim. When I asked him about this years later, he said, “You were never in any danger because I was there with you, and I knew you were ready.”

Dear reader, as we pray this petition, let us pray it in faith, believing that when we do find ourselves in trial, temptation and testing, that our Father is there with us, and that He will strengthen us to overcome the challenge before us.

Shalom. Be well.