Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 1081 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
God’s Tough Love – Wisdom Wednesday
Wisdom – the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.
Hello, my friend, I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase wisdom and create a living legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. This is Day 1081 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Creating a Biblical worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical worldview, you must also have a proper understanding of God’s word.
Especially in our western cultures, we do not fully understand the Scriptures from the mindset and culture of the authors. In order to help us all have a better understanding of some of the more obscure passages in God’s word, we are investing Wisdom Wednesday reviewing a series of essays from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. He has compiled these essays into a book titled I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible.
There are times when we are dealing with our children, or those who are very close to us, where we have to show love in a firm and disciplined manner, called tough love. This is required because it is best for those whom we do love. In today’s essay, we will explore passages that cover…
God’s Tough Love
It’s a common myth that God always brings us back to repentance. This myth is debunked in the first letter of John as John writes in 1 John 1:9,“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
We need to consider, though, that John also tells us that sometimes God never gives us another chance to confess our sins and be forgiven. In 1 John 5:16-17, the apostle gives us the other side of the sin-confession-forgiveness coin,“If you see a fellow believer sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you should pray, and God will give that person life. But there is a sin that leads to death, and I am not saying you should pray for those who commit it. All wicked actions are sin, but not every sin leads to death.”
Put simply, there are sins that Christians commit that don’t lead to death, but there are some that do. Is John talking about a divine law of cause and effect, where a specific sin irrevocably results in death? Not exactly.
We can be certain that John has no specific sin in mind because he never names a sin in this passage. John is saying there may come a time when God has had enough of our sin, and then our time on earth is up. We cannot know when such a time might come, so we shouldn’t be in the habit of sinning with impunity.
John had actually seen this happen. In Acts 5:1-11, Luke relates the incident of Ananias and Sapphira who lied to Peter (and to God) about the proceeds from a piece of property they had sold. They were under no obligation to give any of it to the church but pretended that they had given all the money to the Lord’s work. When confronted by Peter, both of them collapsed and died on the spot. Luke writes, “Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened,” Acts [5:11]. No kidding, can you imagine the impact?
No doubt this incident left an imprint on John’s mind. But John would have also known that there was Old Testament precedent for “sin unto death” as well. In Numbers 11, in response to the latest wave of complaining about their circumstances, the Lord sent the people of Israel meat to eat in the form of quails. In Numbers 11:33 we are told, “But while they were gorging themselves on the meat—while it was still in their mouths—the anger of the Lord blazed against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.”
John’s message to believers wasn’t, “God doesn’t judge like that today.” Rather, it was, “Stop sinning, because there is a sin that leads to death.”
Lest we think God is horrible and negative, we would do well to remember that it was John who penned 1 John 4:8, “But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
As with Ananias and Sapphira, removing a sinning believer from the church was (very) tough love. But the fledgling church was all the stronger and more committed for it.
That will conclude our essay for this week. Next Wisdom Wednesday we will continue in the New Testament as we look at Dr. Heiser’s next essay titled “Jesus Is God – The Name.” I believe you will find this another interesting topic to consider as we build our Biblical worldview.
Tomorrow we will continue with our 3-minute humor nugget that will provide you with a bit of cheer and help you to lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.
If you would like to listen to any of our past 1080 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.
Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.
As we take this trek together, let us always:
- Live Abundantly (Fully)
- Love Unconditionally
- Listen Intentionally
- Learn Continuously
- Lend to others Generously
- Lead with Integrity
- Leave a Living Legacy Each Day
I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!