The Two Most Important Words in the Bible

            They are arguably the two most important words in all the Bible. The sweetest words to the Christian’s ears. Two words we could never read enough or be reminded of too much. The famed preacher, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, once said, “These two words, in and of themselves, in a sense contain the whole of the gospel.” James Montgomery Boice claimed that “if you understand those two words . . . they will save your soul. If you recall them daily and live by them, they will transform your life completely.” What are these two most important words? They are the words, But God . . .”

            The word, “but,” often means a turnaround or contrast to something else that has recently been stated. Sometimes that may not be a good thing. When you are told that someone would love to come to your party or get together to be disappointed to hear that BUT they cannot because of this, that, or the other. Or the doctor says that your health is looking pretty good BUT there is one major concern that he or she has about it. Kind of like when Jesus in the book of Revelation has John write to those seven churches commending them on several things that are going well with the congregation only to follow that with the statement, “BUT I have this against you” (2:4, 20) or “BUT I have a few things against you” (v. 14). However, often when the word “but” is coupled with God and something He has or will do, it signifies a much needed divine intervention in the midst of our perilous plight and desperate situation or circumstance.

            We are told that after God had destroyed every living thing on the earth in the flood and Noah with his family were stuck on the ark as the flood waters remained for 150 days, “BUT GOD remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided” (Genesis 8:1). When things looked pretty grim for Joseph as he had been sold to a man named Potiphar to serve as his slave, we have “BUT YAHWEH [or the LORD] was with Joseph, so he became a successful man” (39:2).  Likewise, later when the young man finds himself in prison falsely accused of wrongdoing, “BUT YAHWEH [or the LORD] was with Joseph and extended lovingkindness to him and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer” (v. 21). And then looking back at the end of his life, he is able to say to his brothers, “as for you, you meant evil against me, BUT GOD meant it for good in order to do what has happened on this day, to keep many people alive” (50:20). We read of David, “And Saul sought him every day, BUT GOD did not give him into his hand” (1 Samuel 23:14). And regarding ourselves and our salvation, “For one will hardly die for a righteous man, though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. BUT GOD demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8). “For consider your calling, brothers, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble. BUT GOD has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may abolish the things that are, so that no flesh may boast before God” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). “No temptation has overtaken you but such is common to man, BUT GOD is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). After pointing out to the saints in Ephesus that “you were dead in your trespasses and sins, Paul shares the wonderful good news, “BUT GOD, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved-and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6).

            Oh, what hope these two words bring us! That God will not forget us Noahs who have been saved by His grace and preserved from His wrath. When we find ourselves in less than ideal circumstances such as Joseph in slavery to Potiphar and in prison for a crime he never committed to know that in the middle of all that God is with us working out His greater good purpose. That God will not give us into the hand of our enemy, the devil. Or in the moment of temptation when the pull to sin seems so strong to be reminded that God is faithful in not allowing it to get to the point of overwhelming us where we cannot fight against it and even providing the way out so we don’t need to give into it. The times where we may think that God would not want us or desire to use us since there is nothing special about us according to the world’s standards we can be assured that we are exactly the kind of person He chooses. That when no else would even consider to die for us not being a good person or a righteous one, God sent forth His Son to. And that we are not left in the deadness of our sins receiving what we deserve for them. All because of these “BUT GOD’S” in the Bible.

            Think about the difference these “BUT GOD’S” make. Without the truth of these words, Noah never would have been able to get off of the ark. Joseph could never have went from Potiphar to prison to Pharaoh to the palace where he and his family, God’s people from whom the promised Seed would come, would be saved. David would have been killed by Saul. None of us would ever have been chosen to be a part of God’s family. We each would still be dead in our sins with no one willing to die to remove those sins and pay the penalty they entailed. No spiritual life being given to us. Temptation would always get the upper hand without any way for us ever to escape it.

            None of these things of the “BUT GOD’S” are things we can do ourselves. Noah didn’t have the power and strength to blow the waters of the flood to cause them to subside in the least little bit. It is unimaginable that a Hebrew like Joseph could curry such favor with Egyptians in such a short time left on his own. Young David, as fit and strong as he was, may not have stood a chance against the older King Saul and his forces. We do not have the power to overcome temptation on our own. In fact, we fail at such every time we try. In and of ourselves, we can no more breathe spiritual life into our deadness than a corpse can breathe life back into itself. Than Lazarus or the old dry bones in the valley of Ezekiel’s day could without the Spirit’s working through God’s Word in each of those cases. We cannot save ourselves or earn our salvation in any way. We are not able to go even a day with keeping the Ten Commandments God has given which reveal His righteous standard.

            These two words remind us of God’s grace. God would have been fully just to leave Noah on the ark among the flood waters or even to have him perish with the rest of wicked humanity in the flood. After all, we should not forget that Noah and his family were just as much sinners as the rest were. Keep in mind that the statement of Genesis 6:5 is universal without any exceptions given. The evil of man in general was great on the earth and that EVERY intent of the thoughts of his heart was ONLY evil CONTINUALLY or ALL HIS DAYS. Noah would have been included in that statement being a part of sinful humanity and a descendant of Adam sharing his guilt and sinful nature. And we read about his sinful drunken nakedness after the ark as well (9:20-21). The only reason Noah and his family were spared the flood of God’s wrath was the same reason any of us are spared such; God’s grace. Remember that we are told that “Noah found favor [literally “grace”] in the eyes of Yahweh” (6:8). Not merit on account of his own righteousness. The mention of his rightoeousnness and blamelessness FOLLOWED him finding that favor or grace in God’s eyes (v. 9). As is always the case, it is the result of such and not the cause of it. On account of our sins and unrighteousness, we certainly don’t deserve God to intervene in sending His Son to die in our place and to make us alive in Christ. In fact, we give Him every reason not to. Whenever we read these two words in Scripture, we should remember God’s great grace in our lives and be amazed by it.

            D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones also said in a sermon one time, “Thank God for the ‘buts’ of the Bible.” Certainly, we should especially thank God for the “But God’s” of the Bible and the difference they make in our lives and praise Him for each of them. Be sure to pay attention to them the next time you come across one in your Bible reading and give thanks.

Celebrating the glorious truths of the “but God’s” with you,

Pastor Lee

A Proper Perspective During Election Season

            We find ourselves now in yet another very contentious presidential election season. You can’t turn the TV on, listen to the radio, or even watch a YouTube video without some sort of political ad popping up. The billboards and yard signs supporting one of the two candidates are inescapable as we drive around. (Of course, it doesn’t help that we live in one of the biggest swing states they are saying may just decide the election.) We keep hearing how if the other candidate would get elected, it very well could be the end of our nation as we know it and only the one is able to save our nation and ensure it has a future. How many times do we keep being told that this is “the most consequential election in our nation’s history”? (Never mind the fact that they say this every four years.) It is so easy to get sucked into it all and allow ourselves to get so worked up and worried about what might happen if the wrong person would get elected and the damage that would cause. However, as Christians, we have no reason to be such. I think that when we become overly concerned about this election, it is because we have forgotten about a number of truths. My goal in this article for the month is to help us keep our head in all the waters of the election fervor. And I aim to do that by reminding us of those very truths.

First, we must not forget that God is sovereign over all things, including who serves as president. Ephesians 1:11 states that He “works all things according to the counsel of His will”. Who winds up occupying the Oval Office as a result of the election would be certainly be counted as part of that “all things” Paul mentions. Jesus tells us that not a sparrow will fall to the ground apart from the Father (Matthew 10:29). What is true of each small sparrow must also be true of every great king or leader. Daniel acknowledged in his prayer that God “removes kings and establishes kings” (Daniel 2:21). King Nebuchadnezzar was brought to realize “That the Most High is the powerful ruler over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes and sets it up over the lowliest of men” (Daniel 4:17). And Paul makes clear in Romans 13:1 that “there is no authority except from God, and those which exist have been appointed by God.” There is no way around the fact that God always has the final say so in whatever takes place down here.

God even can and does work through the election process to appoint the individual He sees fit for the office for such a time as this. He will use the citizens’ votes to accomplish it. And sometimes we need to recognize that the sovereign appointment of certain rulers very well may be for the purpose of judgment of a nation as well. John Calvin put it this way, “When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers.” We have seen cases of this throughout biblical history. Just read through the books of 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles as well as the prophets. And if it is a good leader or the better leader of the two choices we are faced with, then we have to realize that to be God’s mercy towards us as a nation as we certainly don’t deserve such in light of our many sins and wickedness.

            And regardless of what happens with this election, it will not hinder God’s work to grow and complete His kingdom as He has promised. His kingdom will come and replace all the kingdoms of man on this earth. The dream given to King Nebuchadnezzar indicated such with the rock representing the Messiah’s kingdom striking the statue symbolizing a number of the major earthly kingdoms in the near future of Daniel’s day and bringing them all crashing to the ground (Daniel 2). His kingdom “will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself stand forever” (v. 44).  Revelation 11:15 pictures the result of the victory of Christ’s kingdom over all others when the angels will declare, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.” While the outcome of the election very well may have a major impact on the future of our nation, it won’t for the future of God’s kingdom. And we can be sure that whichever candidate does win, he or she will not be able to stop Jesus from continuing to build His church which is the visible manifestation of His kingdom now on this earth. Not even the gates of hell itself will prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).

Second, we must not forget that no politician can ever save us or the country. Oh, sure, they may speak like they can but we should know that’s not the case. They’re not Jesus. In fact, they are far from Him. Scripture warns us not to trust in princes but to trust in the Lord our God. Psalm 146:3-5 could not make this any plainer. “Do not trust in nobles, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; in that very day his plans perish. How blessed if he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in Yahweh his God.” Know that your preferred candidate is going to let you down. It’s inevitable because he or she is a sinful human who is bound to make their share of mistakes and not always do the right thing. If you wind up placing your hope in him or her, you will get disappointed. However, if your trust is in the Lord, you will not be disappointed no matter who winds up being in the White House come the end of January. You can be assured He won’t fail you and He alone has the ability to save the individuals in this nation which will in turn have a transforming effect on society.

Third, don’t forget that in light of eternity, every election here, no matter how significant it might seem at the moment, will only be a small tiny blip in history. When we get to heaven, we will look back and wonder why we got so worked up over someone who was placed in charge of our country for a maximum of eight years only to be replaced by someone else who in turn will be replaced by someone else only eventually to be read about one day in a history book.

Fourth, don’t forget your real citizenship. “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). Our true home is not here. Like the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, before us, we should confess ourselves to be “strangers and exiles on the earth” “looking for a city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God”, aspiring to a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:10, 13, 16). As the old hymn puts it, “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through.” Don’t allow yourself to get so caught up with the things going on down here that you lose sight of the “better home awaiting” yet to come for you. Yes, it matters who is in charge of this nation and there could be long-lasting consequences with it. But you are not going to be here forever and ever without an amen. Eventually, you are going to go to your true home to be with Jesus. Also, eventually, this world as we know it will be destroyed by fire to make way for the new heavens and new earth Jesus will create upon His return (Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 21:1). We need to make sure that our greater concern is found in preparing ourselves and others for that kingdom instead of this kingdom which WILL sink by the time that the better kingdom sails in. And, who knows, depending on how the election may go, God may intend to create in us an even greater longing for our true heavenly home and keep us from becoming too comfortable here where we won’t want to leave.

And so you don’t think that I am implying with all this that we should just forgo voting and have nothing to do with the political process at all, my last reminder to us is not to forget to seek to promote the welfare of the city we reside in while here on this earth in our voting. In his letter to the exiles just before they were taken to Babylon, Jeremiah wrote that they were to “seek the peace of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to Yahweh on its behalf; for in its peace you will have peace” (Jeremiah 29:7). When Dwight L. Moody was asked why he was taking a strong stand on a specific political issue of his day since he was a citizen of heaven, he answered, “Indeed, I am a citizen of heaven; but right now I am voting in Cook County, Illinois.” That voting was significant since it was a way he could seek to benefit the city in which he lived and love his neighbors by supporting policies which would be for their good and not their detriment. Voting is significant for us for the same reason. We want to love our neighbor and benefit the place where we temporarily reside as we work to keep our focus on our heavenly home yet to come. Praise God that in His good and all-wise providence we live in a country where we do have a say-so in its laws and policies through the democratic process the founder of the nation designed for us under God! Let’s make sure that we take advantage of that whenever we are able to promote the peace or welfare of the city in which we live.

And when you’re in Babylon, you are going to have to vote for the least problematic of the two Babylonians. We’re not going to have an ideal candidate to choose from. That would be Jesus and He is not on the ballot. (Yes, I have seen the bumper stickers and yard signs that read “Jesus 2024. Save America.” Thankfully, He doesn’t have to run for office because He reigns over every individual to ever serve in that office. And, technically, He is not the One needed to be elected. We are but that discussion is for another time.) And, let’s be honest, there are problems with both candidates from both parties. We must vote for the one who promotes policies more in line with God’s Word and who would be better for our country, our children, our neighbors, and their future.

            So, be sure to go vote for such a candidate in November, entrusting the results of the voting to God in His sovereignty and keeping in mind that neither candidate will be able to save us, in light of eternity this is nowhere near as consequential as it is made out to be, and we vote as citizens of heaven looking forward to the day of our Lord’s return when all this will be a distant memory and we will be enjoying our close intimate fellowship with Him. This is the only way we will retain our sanity this election season and honor God in our civil duty of voting.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Lee

Concerning Cremation

            One of the questions I get asked often is whether or not it is a sin to be cremated. Usually, this is in response to a family member who has just passed that decided to be cremated or someone contemplating their own plans for burial. Certainly, cremations are becoming more popular now with the rising cost of a traditional burial. One of the local funeral directors just confirmed that for me in a recent discussion with him last week. Should a Christian make arrangements for being cremated after their death? Is that even a biblical option? Does it really matter?

            The first thing I do when I get such questions is to reassure the person asking that what happens to their loved ones body or what will happen to their own body has no bearing whatsoever on where the person’s soul will spend eternity. What one does with Jesus by God’s grace determines that. Not what takes place to their body in life or in death. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Not by preserving or destroying our body. And having one’s body scattered into ashes will have no effect on the new resurrected body he or she will receive at the return of the Lord because God can easily bring all of those ashes back together again, regardless of where they may be at that moment. I like how Richard Phillips put it when he wrote, "We may trust God, who made everything out of nothing, to sort out the molecules when it comes to the coming resurrection of our bodies." And God will need to do so anyway for someone whose body may have been destroyed in a fire or blown up in an explosion as well as for believers who were burned at the stake for their faith many years ago. Depending on how long it is until the Lord’s return, most believers’ body will have be transformed from decay and decomposition, even with all the embalming that has been done and the preservation in a nice casket. Part of the curse is that as man was created from dust and dirt, to dust and dirt we will return in death (Genesis 3:19). The issue is over whether we should speed up that process with the burning of our bodies or allow God to naturally have it take place. So, don’t worry or stress out over the condition of your loved one who may have been cremated. If they knew the Lord through faith in Him, they are fine now and will be just as fine when it comes to the resurrection of their body on the day of Christ’s return. The cremation itself makes no difference as to that.

            With all this said, I do think that a proper burial best fits the practice, pattern, and picture we are given in Scripture regarding death and the future hope of our resurrection in Christ. Much better than is communicated with cremation. My goal here is not to make anyone feel bad or guilty due to decisions that have already been made for those in their families but to help us think through and consider how Scripture may direct us in this matter. Perhaps to help some of you who may be considering cremation or wondering if you should. Or to equip you in answering this question about cremation whenever you may get asked it. If nothing else, you will understand why it is I typically counsel and encourage burial over cremation, even if you wind up disagreeing with me about it.

When it comes to what was done to one’s body after death in the Bible, we see early on Abraham purchasing a plot of land to bury the body of his beloved Sarah after she had died (Genesis 23:3-20). Later, Abraham himself is buried there by two of his sons, Isaac and Ishmael (25:8-10). Jacob buries Rachel following her death and puts a pillar over her tomb; an early gravestone (35:19-20). Esau and Jacob bury their father, Isaac, in the family grave site which Abraham had bought, where Jacob also requests to be buried at as well (v. 29; 50:29-32). Then, we have Joseph who makes his people pledge to take his bones with them to the land of Canaan when God would fulfill His word to bring them back to the land He has promised to give them. He has himself embalmed and place in a coffin there in Egypt until that time (50:24-26). Such showed his faith in God to keep this promise (Hebrews 11:22). Sure enough, Moses takes Joseph’s bones with him in the exodus (Exodus 13:19) and they are buried in Shechem once the people had been brought back to the promised land of Canaan (Joshua 24:32). God Himself even buries Moses’ body instead of consuming it with fire (Deuteronomy 34:5-6). And we can’t neglect the care and burial of our Lord’s body after His death. Rather than having His body cast aside in the burning heap as was common at that time, Joseph of Arimathea offers up his own tomb for it to be laid in, wrapping it in a clean linen shroud (Matthew 27:57-60). With such care and concern being shown to Jesus’ body after His death, what does that indicate about our own?

            On the other side of things, we notice that the denial of a proper burial of the body and a burning of it was many times a sign of God’s judgment. The prophet Jeremiah speaks of “those pierced by the LORD on that day” who “shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall be dung on the surface of the ground” (Jeremiah 25:33). The Moabites are even punished by fire for their burning of the bones of the king of Edom (Amos 2:1-3). Others were burned up or consumed by the fire of God’s wrath (Numbers 11:1-3; 16:35) or commanded to be burned as a consequence for certain sins under the old covenant (Leviticus 20:14; 21:19). We’ve seen this recently in our study of Leviticus with Nadab and Abihu when they offered up “strange fire” to the Lord in their worship (10:1-3). Clearly, the practice and pattern of Scripture was a proper burial for one’s body. The burning of it not seen to be or treated as a positive thing. While there is not an explicit command for us not to burn our bodies in cremation or that we must properly bury them, I think the consistent practice and pattern we find throughout Scripture should factor into our own consideration of this. Furthermore, do we really want to subject a believer’s body to what has become a symbol of God’s wrath and anger, knowing that they have been graciously spared from such for eternity through their faith in Christ?

There is a respect and dignity shown in burying a person’s body rather than burning it as well. Just as you wouldn’t dream of intentionally mauling or harming a loved one’s body while they are alive, why would we want to do that to them once they are dead? It’s still very much their body. They are just temporarily separated from it. As I remind people during the committal part of a funeral service at the gravesite, this body is the one we got to know our deceased loved one through. The body we shared with, embraced, and kissed. The body of one we spent so much wonderful time with. Isn’t caring for that body and laying it to rest a way we can continue to express our love and respect for the person even after their death? And there is something about taking care and honoring the body God has given you even in your own death. Many of us for that matter could do better at doing such now in life with proper exercise, better eating habits, and avoiding those things which we know will do harm to our bodies. Don’t worry. I’m also talking to myself here! Ouch!

The burial of the body also communicates our faith and hope in the future resurrection of the body. The traditional words for the committal service from the Book of Common Prayer states, “Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother/sister here departed, we therefore commit his/her body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself.” The picture is that the body is being laid to rest until the day of it being physically awakened in resurrection at our Lord’s return. Both Jesus and Paul speak of the body being like a grain of seed planted in the ground to rise again to the same likeness with the flower that results from it (John 12:24; 1 Corinthians 15:37). Such a seed is buried, not burned. The metaphor the Bible often uses for the death of a believer is that of being asleep (Matthew 9:24; 1 Thessalonians 4:13). The body appears to be sleeping as it is buried in the ground lifeless with the hope that it will wake up in life with resurrection. Those pictures are lost with cremation and the destroying of the body into ashes. I mentioned Joseph earlier desiring to preserve his body in light of the coming fulfillment of God’s word to bring the people back to the promised land of Canaan. Likewise, there is a sense where we want to preserve our bodies in light of the coming fulfillment of God's promise of a future resurrection of the body. Just as that served as a demonstration of Joseph’s faith in God’s Word, a proper burial does for us as well.

I remember as a young 20 year old serving as an intern at a church for a summer while in college sitting with some ladies who were discussing their funeral plans. They each spoke of what kind of burial they wanted or if they desired to be cremated and what would happen to their ashes. When they came around to ask me my thoughts, I naively said, “I don’t care what is done with my body. I will be with Jesus. They could throw it over a bridge for what it mattered!” I now realize that it certainly does matter what happens to my body after my soul or spirit departs to be with Jesus awaiting its reunion with my renewed and transformed body on resurrection day. It matters to others who love and respect me both body and soul. It matters how I view and treat the body God has wisely designed for me and given me. And it matters as a witness to my faith in the future resurrection of my body promised by Jesus. It of course doesn’t matter as to where I will spend eternity or ultimately in that sense. We must always keep that in mind. However, I think these other matters should be considered and weighed when making such a decision as we seek to honor and respect the bodies the Lord has given us in both life and death.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Lee