Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, dear ones.

Beautiful clear morning here. But it’s kind of chilly…with the feel of fall in the air. Becki and I have agreed to meet in about 10 minutes to do a walk/jog. Max is going to be elated…as he has missed that during the week we were away.

I need to get on with my plan to go to the Portland Teen Challenge to apply graphics to a couple of their vehicles…a bus and a van. Then I need to zip out a bit of cedar lumber…and get ready to apply graphics to a big rig truck. No room for boredom. I also want to slate the Camry for a timing belt replacement. Once again, I have no idea why I’m telling you all this. You never (almost) tell me what you’re doing. I guess it’s just friendly chit chat that goes on between friends and loved ones.

May your day be blessed…even though I don’t know what you’re doing. I guess it’s possible you don’t either. But I can’t imagine any idea more encouraging than that “the steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord.”

Love, Dad/Ray.

PS: On another issue that is big around us, I would recommend your viewing the movie documentary, “OBAMA’S AMERICA—2016.” Another documentary coming our way is, “THE HOPE AND THE CHANGE.” While we may not get on the “band wagon” of debate the same way others do, I still think it is beneficial to be aware of some of the facts…facts that mesh well with my Biblical worldview to affirm IT’S ALL RIGHT ON SCHEDULE!

Here is the blunt disclosure where the upstart Apostle Paul confronts the super-star Apostle Peter. Two things are noteworthy for me in regards to this case: (1) Paul had a clear, well-worded, and valid reason for his action. (2) Peter apparently had a good attitude that accepted the rebuke since there is no indication that the relationship between Peter and Paul ever broke down. Further evidence of this is that Peter states his respect for Paul and applauds his ministry in his own writing (2 Pet 3:15).

I think it would be good to read some of Paul’s speech to Peter and the other leaders from THE MESSAGE translation as Eugene Peterson captures some nuances of the encounter that offer clarity to the issues being addressed. We have to acknowledge that those same issues are still with us today.

“Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ in order to get things right with God, aren’t perfectly virtuous, Christ must therefore be an accessory to sin? The accusation is frivolous. If I was ‘trying to be good,’ I would be rebuilding the same old barn that I tore down. I would be acting as a charlatan.”

“What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a ‘law man’ so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not ‘mine,’ but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.”

“Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.” (Gal. 2:15-21)