Made Whole in Christ

 

Torts are civil wrongs recognized by law as grounds for a lawsuit. These wrongs result in an injury or harm constituting the basis for a claim by the injured party.

There has been a great deal of talk this week about torts, or civil wrongs, both past and present.  Examples include an oil spill in the Houston ship channel that closed the port for several days.  Those who rely on goods imported to and exported from the Port of Houston may have grounds to sue.  This is reminiscent of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, exactly 25 years ago last week.  Exxon had judgments placed against it for a huge sum of money, but a federal judge and later the US Supreme Court reduced the judgement against them.  Many of the fisherman in Alaska say that the number of full-grown herring in the affected area have decreased significantly from the volume that had been there prior to the spill.

Another example is the recent mudslide in Snohomish County, Washington.  To date, 26 people are confirmed dead and many others are still missing.  This brings to mind the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster, and the losses it brought to New Orleans and surrounding parishes.  The litigation is still ongoing, as people are blaming their losses on shoddy engineering practices, negligent maintenance of the levies, and officials "looking the other way."  No one knows if the victims of the Washington mudslides will be able to successfully litigate, as they were aware of the risks of living there, and decided to build homes there anyway.  But you can bet that lawyers are busy now trying to find a responsible party with deep pockets.

A third news item this week involved certain cars that were finally recalled by General Motors, after 13 deaths have been attributed to faulty ignition switches.  It has come out that GM knew of this problem for more than a decade before deciding to do something about it.  This issue calls to mind the 2009 recall done by Toyota centered on unintended acceleration.  Several deaths were attributed to this engineering problem, and Toyota last year settled the pending cases for 1.1 billion dollars.

Many of you know that my day job is in the insurance industry.  I make indemnity benefits to claimants who are injured on the job.  If you will bear with me, here is another legal definition. (I promise to get to the point soon).

indemnity n. the act of making someone "whole" (give equal to what they have lost) or protected from (insured against) any losses which have occurred or will occur. (See: indemnify)

I am sure that the fishermen in Valdez, Alaska do not feel "made whole" by the reduced monetary judgement against Exxon.  Certain families in New Orleans are still homeless after almost 10 years.  And no amount of money offered by Toyota could counter the overwhelming sense of loss felt by the families of those killed.

Yesterday I was going about my business in my office, and the words to an old hymn came to mind.  "Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole..."  I haven't sung this hymn in ages.  In fact, I had to look up the words online to recall the rest of the song.  But somehow it fit--I was going about the business of indemnifying people for losses suffered, sometimes for accidents they themselves caused (although my state does not compensate for intentional acts, Workers Compensation is a no-fault insurance--it does not penalize for accidents caused by stupidity), and some who were injured through no fault of their own.  Yet the limits posed by the laws of the various states mean that no one is ever really "made whole" in terms of restitution.

The 5th chapter of Romans talks about the "first" Adam, through whom sin came into the world, and contrasts him with Jesus, the "second Adam" through whom comes redemption.  We are all intrinsically more like Adam than like Christ--we are all born with a sin nature. "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned." (Romans 5:12.)  Some lawyers might argue that this was a manufacturer's defect, but God, the perfect judge, would strike down that argument, since we were all created in His image.  Sin is a choice made by each man, although we are predisposed toward it by heredity. "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)

In other words, we are broken.  The template (Adam) was flawed.  But as the song goes, we all long to be made whole.  We have a strong desire to be perfect.  In ourselves, it is impossible; but with God, all things are possible.  He sent Jesus, the "second Adam", to be a new template, a better man. We can jettison the old man, and take advantage of God's grace to connect with the New Man, Christ Jesus.  By accepting His sacrificial give of atonement, we can be redeemed into a right relationship with God, not through our own righteousness, but in His alone.  "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men." (Romans 5:18)

How do we turn in our old selves and become new?  Jesus answered this in John chapter 3: we must be born again.  We must step out of the darkness and into His light.  We must choose to follow Him. "Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of God's one and only Son." (John 3:18). We cannot assume that God will replace our brokenness, redeem us, indemnify us, if we refuse to take His free gift.

We often see television commercials and billboards about joining a Class Action Suit if we think we were harmed by some defective product or service.  If you were harmed, but do not join the Class Action, then you are barred from receiving the benefit.  It does not come automatically--you must act.  In the same way, we must consciously put aside our sinful nature, and take on the grace of God through an act of faith.  It could be a public profession, or it could be a private prayer.

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;
I want Thee forever to live in my soul.
Break down every idol, cast out every foe;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow.
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, let nothing unholy remain,
Apply Thine own blood and extract ev’ry stain;
To get this blessed cleansing, I all things forego—
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the skies,
And help me to make a complete sacrifice.
I give up myself, and whatever I know,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat,
I wait, blessèd Lord, at Thy crucified feet.
By faith, for my cleansing, I see Thy blood flow,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

Lord Jesus, Thou see that I patiently wait,
Come now, and within me a new heart create;
To those who have sought Thee, Thou never told “No,”
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

The blessing by faith, I receive from above;
O glory! my soul is made perfect in love;
My prayer has prevailed, and this moment I know,
The blood is applied, I am whiter than snow.

Refrain

---

Rescue me!

Rescue me! Oh take me in your arms
Rescue me! I want your tender charms
'Coz I'm lonely and I'm blue
I need you and your love too

Come on and rescue me
Come on baby and rescue me
Come on baby and rescue me
'Coz I need you, by my side
Can't you see that I'm lonely
Rescue me

Come on and take my heart
Take your love and conquer every part
'Coz I'm lonely and I'm blue
I need you and your love too

Come on and rescue me
Come on baby and rescue me
Come on baby and rescue me
'Coz I need you by my side
Can't you see that I'm lonely

Rescue me! Oh take me in your arms
Rescue me! I want your tender charms
'Coz I'm lonely and I'm blue
I need you and your love too
Come on and rescue me

 Now that I've planted that song in your mind, imagine Aretha Franklin (or Fontella Bass, if you're a bit older) singing this as a gospel song.  It's easy, really.  Take out the word "baby" and insert "Jesus", and you get the idea.  Go ahead.  Look back at the lyrics.  I'll wait.

This idea hearkens back to the original meaning of the term Salvation.  We are Saved by God's grace to good works (Ephesians 2:10).  Yet more recently, Christians seem to have lost sense of the term.  They are more apt to think of themselves as "saved" as in set apart, like pennies in a jar, for redemption at a future date.  We should all instead act as if we have been redeemed, and get out in circulation in the world.  Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! (Psalm 107:2).  Like Job, we can all say with assurance, "I know my Redeemer lives." (Job 19:25).

The two terms, Saved and Redeemed, really go hand in hand.  If you think about the two terms together, it really opens up the Word.  First, we are saved by grace.  This is a true statement.  God desired fellowship with us, so He graciously provided a way for it to happen.  But the mechanism of His grace was rather messy and very violent--it cost His Son his life.  So we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus.  Paul wrote to the Galatian church that Jesus Christ "gave himself for our sins, to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father." (Galatians 1:4)

Second, we have salvation from sin and hell.  The sacrifice of God's Son is the key to our deliverance.  But it is by  redemption that we do not have to follow the letter of the law to escape punishment.  "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.'  He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit." (Galatians 3:13-14).  We were rescued from the curse of the law.

Third, we are saved to eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.  What joy heaven will be!  We want to keep ourselves holy, so that we are rewarded in heaven, and we can lay our crowns at Jesus' feet.

"And a highway will be there: it will be called the Way of Holiness.  The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there and the ransomed of the Lord will return.  They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads.  Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."  --Isaiah 35:8-10.

Colossians 1:13-14 says, "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." By the act of redemption he rescues us from sin and its consequences--the blood of Jesus (the Sinless One) covers us by grace--not only to avoid eternal damnation, but to enter into the presence of God for all of eternity. And all God's people said--"Amen!"

Redeemed—how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child, and forever, I am. 

Redeemed, redeemed,Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;Redeemed, redeemed, His child, and forever, I am.

Redeemed and so happy in Jesus,
No language my rapture can tell;
I know that the light of His presence
With me doth continually dwell. (refrain)

I think of my blessed Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long;
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song. (refrain)

I know I shall see in His beauty
The King in whose way I delight;
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps,
And giveth me songs in the night. (refrain)

.

The Luck of the Irish

"Here's champagne to real friends, and real pain to sham friends." --a toast attributed to Irish artist Francis Bacon

St. Patrick's Day, as celebrated in America,  is a sham holiday, with its emphasis on green beer and four-leaf clovers supposedly bringing the bearer good luck.  Green is a reference to Ireland, known as "the Emerald Isle" because of its verdant landscapes and lush greenery.  Four-leaf clovers, because usually clovers have three leaves, and finding one with four leaves is unusual.  The four leafed variety occurs in one out of every ten thousand or so, so the chances of finding one are slim.  If you do find one, you are said to be lucky.  The same cannot be said, however, if you find a man with six toes on one foot, or an albino goldfish.  If you are given a two dollar bill in change for a purchase you make, it is unusual; but you wouldn't be tempted to go spend the two dollar bill on a lottery ticket.  In this case, unusual does not mean "lucky."

In fact, many in America erroneously believe that the term "Shamrock" refers to a four-leafed clover.  Thus its association with good luck.  Good luck is an over-riding theme in our culture.  From the hope of good luck in the New Year's celebration, to superstitions such as wearing a "lucky" garment to an interview, or taking a talisman ("good luck charm") with you to the casino.  We even end our meals at a Chinese food restaurant with so-called Fortune Cookies, hoping that they will bring good luck. (This is a very American tradition: an American entrepreneur from New Jersey has gone to Beijing and opened American-style Chinese Food restaurants, which delights American-born residents, but he must always explain the Fortune Cookie to his native Chinese customers.)

In reality, the original Irish Shamrock (traditionally spelled seamróg, which means "summer plant") is said by many authorities to be none other than white clover (Trifolium repens), a common lawn weed originally native to Ireland.  According to legend, the shamrock was a sacred plant to the druids of Ireland because its leaves formed a triad, and three was a mystical number in the Celtic religion, as in many others.  St. Patrick used the shamrock in the 5th century to illustrate the doctrine of the Holy Trinity as he introduced Christianity to Ireland.

Christianity is not based on luck.  Luck is a "sham" rock.  Luck is not something you should use as a foundation for living.  In Biblical parlance, luck is like shifting sands.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the wind blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. --Matthew 7:24-27

Life happens.  It is not "bad luck" when storms come.  The Bible says that the Lord sends rain upon the just and the unjust.  The difference in outcome is not the severity of the storm.  It is the foundation upon which your life is built.  If your hopes of a solid financial future include winning the lottery, then you probably won't have a solid financial future.  That is what I mean by "sham" rock.

Instead, our lives should be built upon the Solid Rock, which is Christ the Lord.  Deuteronomy 32:4 says, "He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He."  2 Samuel 22:2-3 says, "The Lord is my Rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my Rock, in whom I take refuge."  Psalm 92:15 says, "The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."  Isaiah 26:4 says, "Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the LORD, is the Rock eternal."

Historically, when people wanted to be associated with their family, or their father, they would us a surname with "son of", as in "Son of William", which became the surname "Williamson".  In Ireland, the traditional surname was "Of the House of...", or simply "Of"; this, of course, became the basis for the surname prefix O', as in "O'Grady" or "O'Roarke".  We who identify with the House of God, through the lineage of Christ are called Christian; it could very well have been "Christson" or "O'Christ".  God, through his Son Jesus Christ, should be the Cornerstone, the foundation upon which you build your life.  Do not trust in sham promises, bogus beliefs, false faiths.  Place your faith in the real Rock of Ages.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

Refrain

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

Refrain

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

Refrain

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Refrain

In whatever you set your hands to do, do all for the Glory of God

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.  By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. --Hebrews 11:7

There is an old, old joke about a woman stuck in her home during a flood.  Fervently she prayed for deliverance, and believed in her heart that God would rescue her by His own hand.  At first, a large truck with four-wheel-drive and enough ground clearance to avoid flooding the exhaust drove up.  The driver offered to take her out of harm's way.  "No," she said. "God will save me."  As the water rose, she was forced to the second story of her home.  A boat floated by, and the boatman offered to let her float to safety with him.  "No," she said.  "God Himself will save me."  The waters rose still higher, and she was forced onto the roof of her house.  A helicopter flew by, and the pilot hovered over.  They dropped a rope ladder for her to grab hold of, to be flown to safety.  Adamantly, the woman shook her head.  "God Himself, by His power, will save me."  Finally she was overtaken by the rising water, and she drowned.  She stood before God, and he welcomed her to heaven, for she was a faithful Christian.  As grateful as she was, she couldn't help but ask, "Lord, why didn't you save me from the flood like I asked?"  God turned and said, "I tried three times.  You wouldn't take my help."

This story was recounted by a radio preacher I heard, who was preaching on Hebrews chapter 11, the Hall of Fame of Faith.  He spent a few moments on Noah before going on to other heroes of the faith also mentioned in the chapter.  The points he made were right on target:  God had promised to destroy the world, but He had provided an escape; Noah acted on God's command in order to save himself and his family, as well as all the animals; and no matter how hard it was to stay in the ark for 120 days (fighting seasickness and the stench of all those animals), neither Noah nor his family ever decided to bail out of the ark and swim for it--as hard as it was, it was better than being under water with the world.

As I am wont to do from time to time, I began to mull over the truths I heard in the sermon, ruminating on different ideas that came to my mind from Scripture I had read.  Expanding on what the preacher said on the radio, I looked for other examples of God giving a Plan, of man building the thing according to God's plan, and then after the thing was dedicated to God, man used it for his good and God's glory.  Along with the Ark of Noah, I thought about the Altar of God's Temple, and the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark of Noah
Building the ark took faith.  It took foresight.  It cost Noah his friends.  Yet Noah was so faithful to God that he believed the problem that God posed to him--the world had become so wicked that God decided to wipe it out and start over.  Noah overcame this hurdle. (Face it, what evidence was there that the whole Earth would be flooded? Had it ever happened before? No.  Were there meteorologists around back then exclaiming that a tropical vortex would sweep in from the sea, and dump several meters of water in what would have been the "storm of the millennium"? No.  God said it; that was good enough for Noah.)

But after that, he did not panic, and take matters into his own hands.  I think I might have done that.  I like to run around like a headless chicken, wringing my hands and saying, "What shall I do?"  and then doing something stupid.  (I am being facetious--I don't like doing that, but it happens more than you know.)  Noah didn't get ahead of God.  He knew that God was faithful; He would not give us more than we could bear.  God would not warn us of a peril without providing a solution for it. That is God's nature.  Whenever He pricks your conscience, it is not to bring condemnation on you; it is to motivate you to do something different.  Stop living in the suburbs of sinfulness, stop hanging around the outskirts of shame, and start walking with Him.  Noah waited for God's direction, and he followed God's plan to the letter.

God was very specific in his instructions.  The ark was to be so high and so wide and so long, and made with this specific wood, and covered with pitch.  You couldn't follow those directions without breaking a sweat. You couldn't do it without getting your hands dirty. But Noah never threw up his hands and said, "God, it's too much--I quit!"  He didn't take shortcuts that would have endangered the mission of the ark.  He was faithful to God's commands, and God blessed him for it.

The Altar of the Temple
There was another time and place in the Bible where mankind had a need, and God had a plan.  Moses was the point man for the nation of Israel, and God spoke with him directly.  But the people that Moses represented were sinful.  They needed a way to be reconciled with God, or else they would be separated from Him--either in the present world, being like all the other nations who followed gods made with wood or stone, or in the afterlife where they would surely miss His heavenly presence.  So God instituted a system of sacrifices.  These sacrifices could not be done just anywhere.  God commanded that they be done in a Tabernacle--a portable structure that resembled the future Temple in Jerusalem (which, in turn, resembled the altar that is in heaven).  The Tabernacle had all sorts of instructions and measurements, and furnishings, and only certain people could serve in it.  I'm not going to spend time here going into all the requirements of the Tabernacle, but I would like to describe the Altar which God commanded them to build.

Moses, and the priestly tribe of Levi, knew that God was sinless. That separated Him from the people, who were sinful.  God allowed the people to transfer their sins to an animal--a bull, or a sheep--that by the shedding of that animal's blood, the people's sins would be forgiven. "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin." (Hebrews 9:22).

Exodus 27:1-8 gives explicit directions on how to build the ark--what it is to be made of, the dimensions, the decorations, even how it is to be transported.  It served a vital function in the spiritual lives of the Jews, and it required an expert craftsman to construct it according to God's plan.  The craftsman could not take artistic license, and do with the design whatever he wanted to do.  And when putting the altar to its intended use, the priests were commanded to be hands-on.  You could not offer a sacrifice to God without getting it on you.

Now that we live in the New Covenant, where the Blood of the Lamb covers us, and we no longer need a priest to offer a sacrifice for us, we are still called to be hands-on followers of God.  He still has a list of instructions He wants us to keep.  If we mess up, we are forgiven.  But it is because of that very forgiveness, and the blood that was shed to secure it, that we want to follow closely in His footsteps.

The Ark of the Covenant
Again in Exodus, this time in chapter 25, there are explicit directions on how to construct a box, called an ark, that would serve as a memorial of God's precepts, His provision, and His promise for generations.  Inside this box, they were to put the ten commandments, the stone tablets that God had written with His own hand and that Moses presented to the people.  They were to put the rod of Aaron, that grew buds and flowered as a sign to Pharaoh and the magicians in Egypt that God was greater than their gods.  And they were to put a jar of manna, the bread of heaven provided by God for food to them as they wandered in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land.

This memorial was so important that only the priests from the tribe of Levi could carry it.  It was not always kept in the Tabernacle, or the Temple later on.  On more than one occasion it was taken into battle as a token of God's victory.  More than once it was captured by the enemies of God, and placed in heathen temples.  But always it signified  Divine Providence, even when it was misused by people.

How has God shown His promises to you?  How has He provided? Is there a place in your heart dedicated to the memory of those provisions?  Don't ever lose sight of the fulfillment of His promises to you.  Some religions construct shrines as a memorial.  Some wear talismans to keep them from forgetting.  Others carry beads or memory stones, so that they will remember His words as they hold them in their hands.  Hebrews 8:10 says, "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord.  I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be my people."

Let God the Father be your Ark of Noah, keeping you afloat in a world of sin.  Let the Cross of Christ be your Altar of the Tabernacle, a place where you lay down your sins and are covered by the blood, so that your sins will be seen no more.  Let the Holy Spirit write God's laws on your heart, and keep those promises sacred, just like the Ark of the Covenant.