Pure Spiritual Milk

Posted on by korgrocker

“So get rid of all evil behaviour. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.”
1 Peter 2:1-3 NLT

Milk is a common food. It is freely available in many guises on supermarket shelves, and is still delivered to doorsteps in some places here in the UK. So we have skimmed, semi-skimmed and full fat. Then there is one of my favourites, a “gold top” variety approaching single cream in its consistency. We have the “lactose free” variants, for those with dairy intolerances.  I remember that when I was a small boy the milk wasn’t homogenised so a layer of thick cream formed at the top of the milk bottle, and was much prized when combined with the morning breakfast cereal. In recent years a variety of plant-based alternatives have emerged, based on soya, almonds and even oats.

There wouldn’t have been the same choice in Peter’s day, but milk then would have been available and his analogy for “pure spiritual milk” would have resonated with his readers. And Peter wasn’t alone – New Testament references also occur in the Hebrews letter and Paul makes mention in 1 Corinthians. So why is this connection between natural and spiritual milk such a good one? I have been blessed this year with two great-grandsons, and their mothers are both feeding them their own milk. And watching these babies thrive and grow is a joy to watch. The “newborn babies” in Peter’s letter would immediately create a picture in his readers’ minds of demanding children, not long born, and needing to be fed. The milk they crave for helps them live and grow.

We move onto the spiritual craving and ask ourselves if we are as demanding for the spiritual food as a new born baby is for their mother’s milk? And not any milk will do. Peter wrote that it should be “pure”. There is no other source of “spiritual milk” than the Word of God, the Bible. Just as a baby needs his or her mother’s milk, so a Christian needs to feed on the milk of the Word, the spiritual food that God has provided for us. And just as a baby graduates onto solid food one day, so must the new believer. Peter said that the “pure spiritual milk” will enable the new believer to “grow into a full experience of salvation”. It is interesting that Peter used the word “grow”. A new-born Christian cannot get off his knees of repentance and then carry on as before. He has to “grow”. Just as a baby starved of milk will fade away and die, so will a new believer die spiritually. There is no going back.

There are many helps available to encourage a new believer. Bible plans and notes. Apps for our smartphones to remind us of prayer. But new and quick fixes are not to be found.  Instant growth may be a modern expectation but there is no substitute for spiritual growth through the renewing of our minds. The Holy Spirit will lead and guide us. But in the end it is our self-will that applies. 

Peter also reminded his readers that the “pure spiritual milk” is necessary for the “full experience of our salvation”. Once again we are reminded that salvation is an on-going process. We were saved when we repented of our sins and believed in God’s saving grace (Justification). We are being saved as we consume the “pure spiritual milk” (Sanctification) and one day we will receive a full experience of salvation when Jesus returns (Glorification). No short cuts! But there’s no pressure. God isn’t a strict school master wielding a cane, expecting us to do well in exams and appear on the league tables of Heaven. We drink the milk. God will do the rest.

Father God. We thank You for Your Word, so necessary for feeding our inner beings. Please help us apply all the teaching and encouragement You provide for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Laws of Marriage

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now, dear brothers and sisters—you who are familiar with the law—don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living? For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.”
Romans 7:1-3 NLT

I don’t know why Paul used the illustration of marriage to make a point that “the law applies only while a person is living”. And in such a misogynistic way as well. Of course, we could write these verses from a man’s perspective as well, and they would be just as applicable. But we mustn’t be too hard on Paul – that was the culture of his day. His message, though, is a very unpopular one in today’s societies. It’s not just about the failure of a man or a woman to keep and honour their marriage vows. There is also the current societal preoccupation with single sex marriages. Paul used a straightforward example in his letter but I’m sure he never envisaged that it would open a “can of worms” on 21st Century Planet Earth.

To take the problem of marriages demanded between single sex couples, we first have to ask the question – do we believe that the Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God, or is it a book of writings that can be interpreted and ignored in the light of the society in which we live? My writings in this blog always assume the former position, the infallibility of Scripture, because that is what I passionately believe. If you, my reader, lean towards the latter then what I am about to write might not sit easily with you. Genesis 2:24, “This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one“. Right in the beginning of Genesis, God states two positions – marriage is a union between a man and a woman, and He also implies that there are only two genders (but that’s for another day in another blog). Jesus referred to this Scripture when He was asked about divorce. We read what He said in Mark 10:6-9, “But ‘God made them male and female’ from the beginning of creation. ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together“. 

In Deuteronomy 24:1-2 we read that divorce was allowed in the Israelite culture of the time – “Suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her, he writes a document of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house. When she leaves his house, she is free to marry another man“. Some Pharisees tried to trap Jesus with a question over divorce (perhaps it was just as hot a topic then as it is today), and we read in Matthew 19:7-9, ““Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?” they asked. Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful””. Jesus’ disciples were appalled by what He said, it seems, responding with, “ … If this is the case, it is better not to marry!”” (Matthew 19:10b). They took what He said very seriously.

So Paul, in his example about the law, stated that a marriage contract between a man and a woman could only be broken by the death of either partner. Then the remaining partner was free to remarry. There is another “can of worms” for our societies today over the marrying of a divorcee, but that too is for another day. Marriage is a legally binding contract in God’s eyes which ideally should not be broken. But we also have to balance this apparently dogmatic position with other Scriptures, such as God’s love and grace. We who are married pray for both our own marriages and for those of our friends and families. The devil is in the business of destroying marriages, as he is for anything that is God-ordained. Forewarned, we keep close to God and in difficult times we pray for more love and grace.

Dear God. You established an order on earth with two genders, who were to be joined together in a holy union. I pray for protection both for my own marriage, but also for the marriages of my friends and family. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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The Army of Heaven

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all Lords.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭19:11-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The events leading up to the final and bloody battle, Armageddon, were building. It all started with a rider on a white horse. But who is this rider? And why a white horse? The most likely person riding that horse is Jesus. The Son of God leading His forces into battle. And the colour of the horse, white, signifies righteousness. The cause Jesus was fighting for was just and righteous. In our verses today, the rider’s title was “the Word of God”, which was how Jesus was described in John 1:1, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

In John’s vision, Jesus was described as having “eyes … like flames of fire”. What else could that be other than Jesus having the capability of seeing through all situations, piercing the darkness, the lies, the sin, the wickedness, the ploys of the enemy. He could see far more clearly than any man-made radar or similar technology. The “many crowns” on His head refer to His lordship – He was and is the Lord of lords and the King over all kings. And His name, “that no one understood except Himself” indicates that Jesus was without description. He was far beyond that. The picture emerges of the Son of God, once a humble baby in a stable now coming as the victorious Ruler over all. 

Jesus’ garments were “dipped in blood”. Isaiah prophesised about this very event, which we can read in Isaiah 63:2-3, “Why are your clothes so red, as if you have been treading out grapes? “I have been treading the winepress alone; no one was there to help me. In my anger I have trampled my enemies as if they were grapes. In my fury I have trampled my foes. Their blood has stained my clothes.” And the righteous army was arraigned on their white horses, ready to do battle.

The language on John’s vision was highly symbolic, but we can somehow get the picture of a four-dimensional event. The usual battle picture, the army, it’s accoutrements, it’s vast numbers, forming a three-dimensional scene, but with a fourth dimension describing the background and characteristics of the main player, Jesus.

We pilgrims know what is going to happen. Jesus is “Faithful and True” and He has come back to earth for the second time, this time to judge all those who wronged Him the first time. His first-coming mission has been accomplished. Salvation has been freely available for all those called by God. As we read in Philippians 1:6, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” The work is finished. Finally and forever.

Dear Lord Jesus. We look forward to Your second coming, patiently but with great expectation. Judgement for all the wrongs committed against Your people at last. We praise and worship You today. Amen.