Studying Genesis continues be a rich challenge. It is challenging for a number of reasons, the most significant being the implications for our lives that are evident in the text. These practical lessons are often discovered in obvious ways, at other times they come in some of the most subtle ways through meditation and thorough research (which I really wish I was better at doing).
In the teaching I have prepared this week I noted a progression of sin’s pattern in the generations of men. If you read Genesis 4:17-22 you will find the generations of Cain. In this text there are some subtle, yet important lessons for us to grasp.
If you recall, in Genesis 4:12, the LORD curses Cain for the sinful act of murder. In that Curse he tells Cain, “You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” I have always imagined that Cain wandered throughout the land, a nomad, having no place to call home, having no permanent place that his children could be raised.
However, as I have realized, my understanding was incorrect. The wandering that Cain experienced was one of spiritual wandering, in which the emotional and physical impact emphasized the alienation he experienced when he rebelled against God’s earlier warning (see Gen. 4:6-8). Upon examination of Cain’s dialogue with the LORD we find that Cain admitted understanding that he would never again see the face of the LORD. This may have been an admission of his enmity with God and his continued unwillingness to repent. Logically, if one is at enmity with God, there is a removal of His protective care. Thus, Cain’s concern for his safety was as much a result of his spiritual condition as the physical living conditions he would face.
When we carefully examine Cain’s reaction to the curse he earned by his rebellion we should note that he did everything he could to overcome the consequences of the curse. Notice that it wasn’t as if he merely resigned to nomadic living. Instead we find that he attempted to overcome the curse he faced by physical means. First, Cain moved and settled in a land called “Nod,” which literally means, “wandering.” It is almost as if he called the land he settled in “wandering,” as a sarcastic attempt to dismiss the curse. Second, Cain “knew his wife.” By engaging in this physical relationship, it is possible that he was attempting to prove that he was able to circumvent God’s curse. Not that God said he couldn’t marry, but taking a wife and conceiving a child is an attempt to avoid loneliness and isolation. Do you recall that phrase, “misery loves company?” I believe that this summarizes Cain’s attitude as he leverages his family in denial of his curse.
To further understand his attempts to overcome the curse, consider what Cain names his first son. We read that he gives him the name Enoch, which means “consecration.” One commentator suggests that is “because he regarded his birth as a pledge of the renovation of his life.” Thus he names the city after his son. It is the place in which he will “neutralize the curse of banishment” by settling his family and building a unified people attempting to compensate for the loss of God in his life.
Before we judge Cain too harshly, we should be quick to weigh our own thoughts, hearts, and motives, for we aren’t really very different. In an age of technology, where Facebook and Twitter reign (don’t get me wrong each of these have redemptive purposes when used properly), are we really all that different. We want connectivity in relationships. We think busyness will provide community. We want to surround our lives with people. Let’s face it, if you have a Facebook account, you know you keep track of the number of friends you have, it means something to you. So don’t aim at Cain too quickly with any stones, or any finger pointing, because none of us are really all that different. We all want security from the relationships around us and oftentimes we replace God with imitations though we don’t admit to or recognize them as replacements.
You might be saying to yourself, “This assessment is a bit critical of Cain’s spiritual condition.” Please read a little further and allow me a chance to express why I believe my assessment is right on about his continued attempts to overcome the curse, revealing his spiritual condition and enmity with God as his motivation for his actions.
About 5 generations later in Cain’s lineage the Bible tells us about a man named Lamech. The account first identifies him as a bigamist (evidently uncommon at this time for it is noted and must be an exception to what is right norm). Both of his wives, Adah and Zillah, were evidently very beautiful (evidenced by the meaning of their names, Adah – pleasant, ornament, or beauty; Zillah – shade – perhaps for her lovely hair; even his daughter Naamah, means loveliness). It is prideful community focused on vanity of outward beauty, for inwardly they were promoting sin and vain religion.
Lamech commits a crime that he boasts of by writing a song or poem to memorialize the action. I imagine that he had heard the accounts of Cain’s acts, had seen his ancestor, and possibly as a young boy even asked Cain about the unusual mark that kept him safe from harm. When he did he probably heard the account of the cursing followed by Cain’s assessment of his ability to overcome the LORD’s promise of curse. Lamech lived in a city that was an ongoing attempt to establish the goal of Cain’s overcoming life according to a worldly plan.
And so, Lamech, raised to believe himself invulnerable, just as his ancestor, murders a young man who wounded him, possibly as they were wielding the weapons fashioned by Lamech’s own son. And in testament to his lineage, Lamech boasts of his ability in a song, most likely played on the instrument his son fashioned. Do you sense the pride of this man? Can you sense his denial of the sovereign God? Do you understand how he all but establishes himself as a god?
Thus ends the account of the lineage of Cain. The Lord evidently wants us to understand the disparity between ungodliness and godliness. For Scripture introduces us to a new son of Adam, Seth, and a phrase that describes Seth’s heritage, “At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD.” This phrase quickly distinguishes the two men and their progeny.
For us the question remains; do we pattern this same behavior and attitude that Cain possessed? Does pride get the best of us? Or, do we call upon the name of the LORD in humility, acknowledging the point that sin lies in our heart, so that we repent and rely on the cleansing work of God in our lives. As a parent, I sure hope that I train my family in godliness so that the severity of sin’s progress doesn’t impact more generations.
Stay Tuned … the next blog installment will be an examination of the meaning of this phrase and its significance for us today.
Showing posts with label pride. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pride. Show all posts
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Cautions About Division
Earlier I wrote about the importance of unity in the church. There were several areas that were considered to be of great importance. Today I want to focus on a few areas that could create and/or allow division to impact a church.
One matter that can divide a church is heresy, that which is against the generally accepted beliefs. Throughout the New Testament one of Paul's repeated instructions regarded a caution against false teachers. 2 Corinthians 11:13 reads, "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen disguising themselves as apostles of Christ." (ESV) Paul writes the following in Galatians 1, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” (Galatians 1:6-8 ESVS) Then in 2 Timothy Paul warns this young pastor with the following statement, “But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.” (2Timothy 2:16-18 ESVS) (I am not going to examine the many heresies that exist, there are several addressed in Scripture itself, and more that have crept into the church throughout history. A study of church history and the numerous councils that have met regarding doctrinal matters would be a worhty pursuit if this interests you.)
There is no doubt that the truth of Scripture and the orthodox message of Jesus has always been under attack. Sometimes this attack is a result of a low view of Scripture and an uneducated church. Michael Craven writes, "The church in America is in crisis . . . This crisis is quite clearly the natural consequence of biblical illiteracy, theological ignorance, doctrinal apathy, and our subsequent conformity to the spirit of the age." The church today must be committed to the sound teaching of the Bible. Leaders are called to teach the Word, so that unity will be protected. When orthodox matters are taught the result is a people who will be equipped for every good work. Timothy was instructed consistently to teach the Scriptures (1 Tim 1:10; 2:13; 5:17; 6:3-5; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:14-17). The most sobering warning is given to Timothy in chapter 4:3-4, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2Timothy 4:3-4 ESVS)
We must pay careful attention to the message of the gospel and protect it with great care. The leaders among the church are given a serious charge to teach truth and avoid error. Therefore, carefully consider the lives of those who are the leaders in your church, for one of their foremost responsibilities is doctrine. This means the leaders in the church are to be considered carefully, they must know the Scriptures and as Paul says, be able to teach.
In 3 John 9 a man named Diotrephes is introduced. Unfortunately there is not anything positive shared about this man. Evidently he was able to influence those around him. He may or may not have held a position in the church, but his influence over people is noted by John. He is described as a man who likes to put himself first; he was a prideful man. In his pride he also failed to acknowledge the authority of the Apostles. Recently a friend made a wonderful assesment regarding the danger of authority without accountability, it leads to pride.
Mark Driscoll said this about proud people:
One matter that can divide a church is heresy, that which is against the generally accepted beliefs. Throughout the New Testament one of Paul's repeated instructions regarded a caution against false teachers. 2 Corinthians 11:13 reads, "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen disguising themselves as apostles of Christ." (ESV) Paul writes the following in Galatians 1, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” (Galatians 1:6-8 ESVS) Then in 2 Timothy Paul warns this young pastor with the following statement, “But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.” (2Timothy 2:16-18 ESVS) (I am not going to examine the many heresies that exist, there are several addressed in Scripture itself, and more that have crept into the church throughout history. A study of church history and the numerous councils that have met regarding doctrinal matters would be a worhty pursuit if this interests you.)
There is no doubt that the truth of Scripture and the orthodox message of Jesus has always been under attack. Sometimes this attack is a result of a low view of Scripture and an uneducated church. Michael Craven writes, "The church in America is in crisis . . . This crisis is quite clearly the natural consequence of biblical illiteracy, theological ignorance, doctrinal apathy, and our subsequent conformity to the spirit of the age." The church today must be committed to the sound teaching of the Bible. Leaders are called to teach the Word, so that unity will be protected. When orthodox matters are taught the result is a people who will be equipped for every good work. Timothy was instructed consistently to teach the Scriptures (1 Tim 1:10; 2:13; 5:17; 6:3-5; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:14-17). The most sobering warning is given to Timothy in chapter 4:3-4, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2Timothy 4:3-4 ESVS)
We must pay careful attention to the message of the gospel and protect it with great care. The leaders among the church are given a serious charge to teach truth and avoid error. Therefore, carefully consider the lives of those who are the leaders in your church, for one of their foremost responsibilities is doctrine. This means the leaders in the church are to be considered carefully, they must know the Scriptures and as Paul says, be able to teach.
In 3 John 9 a man named Diotrephes is introduced. Unfortunately there is not anything positive shared about this man. Evidently he was able to influence those around him. He may or may not have held a position in the church, but his influence over people is noted by John. He is described as a man who likes to put himself first; he was a prideful man. In his pride he also failed to acknowledge the authority of the Apostles. Recently a friend made a wonderful assesment regarding the danger of authority without accountability, it leads to pride.
Mark Driscoll said this about proud people:
Proud people think they are very important and delight in airing their opinions, expect to be consulted regarding their opinions, and get very angry when they are not obeyed. Proud people love the church because in it they are prone to find nice polite people who are easy to take advantage of and push aroudn. Proud people act like leaders whether they are or not. Proud people like to say things such as "God told me," as if they are the mediator between God and people areoudn them. Proud people only think aobut themselves and their family and conveniently overlook the fact that the earht has other people, some of whom even have different last names than theirs. Lastly, proud people love to tell others what to do, but when conronted about the own sin of prid, they welcome correction as warmly as a cat does water. The most special kind of proud people talk about how you hurt their feelings, and they get really sad, sometimes even cry, so that you will talk about their feelings instead of their pride.
Unfortunately we all have some of those tendencies and we must be quick to discipline ourselves, putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and instead we should pursue humility before the Lord and others. When pride is the norm for people in the church the result will be division; it will be division of friendship, division of families, and division of mission because the glory due Jesus is being divided between himself and his followers.
Another matter that can cause division is the loss of the mission. Have you ever listened as the players in an orchestra warm up before a concert. It is one of the most awful sounds. I have at times even thought to myself, "Why do I sit and listen to this, its simply awful?" The obvious answer is the eager anticipation of the sound that will result at the cooperative effort as all of the instruments play. However, could you imagine listening to a violin concerto only to have one of the players suddenly break out into the climactic fiddle solo of The Devil Went Down to Georgia. It would be a most jarring experience, one you would talk about the rest of your life, but probably not for the masterful decision on which the lone player acted.
Often there are people in the church who pursue a mission that is contrary to that of the local church. They would be much like that lone musician. When they pursue something contrary to the overall plan, they are creating division. It can occur on a large scale as they might pull people into programs and insist on things that the church is not able to accomplish. It can occur on a small scale when an individual choses to teach a different lesson than what was scheduled for the week in the area of Sunday School. For the mission of the church to be protected there must be a commitment to communication, clarifying questions, a genuine understanding of roles and responsibilities, and a submission to one another for the glory of Christ. This means we must be committed to the character qualities that were already outlined in Ephesians 4.
Finally, division can occur when change is avoided or prevented. Mark Driscoll writes, "A living church must change in the same way that a living person gorws and changes, hopefully toward maturity." This means that individuals must realize that the church is dynamic, it is the body of Christ. People should be reluctant to take ownership of anything in the church, whether an object or a program, for we are only stewards. A healthy church will possess a willingness to change, just as a healthy exercise regiment consists of a varying routine. Later in Ephesians 4:13 we discover that the goal of the church is for people to mature in Christ. When maturity is occuring the body grows and builds itself up in love.
My prayer is that our local church be devoted to pray in these matters so that division will be prevented and unity fostered; the glory be given to Jesus and not any man; that the mission of sharing the love and good news of salvation in Jesus be our banner; and that our maturity be the result as our love for one another grows.
Unfortunately we all have some of those tendencies and we must be quick to discipline ourselves, putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and instead we should pursue humility before the Lord and others. When pride is the norm for people in the church the result will be division; it will be division of friendship, division of families, and division of mission because the glory due Jesus is being divided between himself and his followers.
Another matter that can cause division is the loss of the mission. Have you ever listened as the players in an orchestra warm up before a concert. It is one of the most awful sounds. I have at times even thought to myself, "Why do I sit and listen to this, its simply awful?" The obvious answer is the eager anticipation of the sound that will result at the cooperative effort as all of the instruments play. However, could you imagine listening to a violin concerto only to have one of the players suddenly break out into the climactic fiddle solo of The Devil Went Down to Georgia. It would be a most jarring experience, one you would talk about the rest of your life, but probably not for the masterful decision on which the lone player acted.
Often there are people in the church who pursue a mission that is contrary to that of the local church. They would be much like that lone musician. When they pursue something contrary to the overall plan, they are creating division. It can occur on a large scale as they might pull people into programs and insist on things that the church is not able to accomplish. It can occur on a small scale when an individual choses to teach a different lesson than what was scheduled for the week in the area of Sunday School. For the mission of the church to be protected there must be a commitment to communication, clarifying questions, a genuine understanding of roles and responsibilities, and a submission to one another for the glory of Christ. This means we must be committed to the character qualities that were already outlined in Ephesians 4.
Finally, division can occur when change is avoided or prevented. Mark Driscoll writes, "A living church must change in the same way that a living person gorws and changes, hopefully toward maturity." This means that individuals must realize that the church is dynamic, it is the body of Christ. People should be reluctant to take ownership of anything in the church, whether an object or a program, for we are only stewards. A healthy church will possess a willingness to change, just as a healthy exercise regiment consists of a varying routine. Later in Ephesians 4:13 we discover that the goal of the church is for people to mature in Christ. When maturity is occuring the body grows and builds itself up in love.
My prayer is that our local church be devoted to pray in these matters so that division will be prevented and unity fostered; the glory be given to Jesus and not any man; that the mission of sharing the love and good news of salvation in Jesus be our banner; and that our maturity be the result as our love for one another grows.
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