Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good evening, dear ones.

The day is getting so close to the end that my head is wanting to turn off. Besides that, it’s been a rather full day. Once I press SEND I think I’ll head back to the house, feed the animals, and find that nice soft place for going horizontal. I’ll wait till tomorrow to line out my urgencies for the week. I think there’s a bunch of them.

Good night. Sweet dreams.

Love, Dad/Ray.

There is something a bit confusing in the record—yet poses no big difficulty to figure out. The last line of yesterday’s reading says, “Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him” (v. 30). Jesus obviously directs his words to that special believing group in the next two verses—“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (vv. 31-32). The potential confusion emerges from the recorded exchange that follows. It begins with, “They answered him…” (v. 33)—and a bitter argument ensues. “They” who? It couldn’t be those who were now believing and putting their faith in Him. It had to be the unbelieving antagonistic segment of the crowd who overheard what Jesus had just said to the believers—and they didn’t like what they heard one bit.

Herein is another representation of the conflict and tension over Jesus that remains to this day. I’m reminded of the illustration of someone unknown and unrelated to you reading your personal mail. Your letter from a loved one will not make much sense to an ignorant unfamiliar non-loved one.

It would appear that the trigger for this round of reaction and anger was what Jesus said to the believers—“…you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” That implied something very offensive to these people who judged themselves as so wonderful, being children of God in the bloodline of Abraham—implying that their “truth” was not adequate, and that they were actually victims of slavery. Jesus doesn’t mince any words and tells it like it is. “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (v. 34). What? Slaves to sin? That didn’t go over well.

Nor does the premise of the Biblical Gospel go over well today in the hearts and minds of those who are not willing to examine the adequacy of their own “truth”—or that they might unwittingly be in bondage to sin before an absolutely Holy and Sovereign God. Just like those angry opponents of Jesus in the scene before us, I’ve heard reactions to those who present the Biblical Gospel like, “How come you guys are so bent on judging me as LOST. I’m not LOST! I know exactly where I am.” (In contrast, I love that enlightened Christian T-shirt message I’ve seen somewhere that says, “LOST AND FOUND.” Read Luke 15 again.)

Here’s the deal that I think is worth repeating—Biblical revelation only allows for TWO KINGDOMS. I don’t claim to fully know how or why the Sovereign God allows a second kingdom to exist—especially when the main objective of the second kingdom is to oppose the First. But the Biblical record presents Satan as a fallen angel orchestrating and promoting the fall of all mankind. And because the first humans chose to join in that promotion, SIN was birthed, and the psycho-spiritual fatherhood of Satan was established—causing the DNA of SIN to be passed along. Paul articulates the effects of that fall this way: “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 2:1-2). If this is a valid overview, then it also offers an explanation as to how Jesus could say to those opposing Him, “You belong to your father the devil.” It also offers a view of the glory of the Gospel of Christ— and what it means to be BORN AGAIN. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13).