January 7 – Various Workings

       1 Corinthians 12:4-6 – "There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are varieties of service, but the same Master. There are varieties of working, but the same God works all of them in all people."

       I recently discovered (2026) among a pile of old books that belonged to my parents, an updated version of an old compilation by L.B. Cowman, called Streams in the Desert. It was first published in 1924 as a collection of short daily encouraging messages for Christians. Mrs. Lettie Cowman took some of her own writings and compiled them with various other writers' experiences in the Christian faith. I had never heard of this book, even though I have been a Christian for several decades. Apparently, it ranked in popularity among Christians with Oswald Chambers' famous book My Utmost for His Highest. (I had actually run across the latter and obtained a copy of it in the 1990s. I eventually read through the entire book and was inspired by Chambers' passion for living for Christ. Many years later I started to re-read My Utmost but found it uninspiring. What had changed? Well, I had changed in various ways.) I found the layout of Streams to be confusing, even after reading the explanatory introduction. Sometimes I could not tell which portions of the daily readings belonged to the compiler, which means that some of the daily readings had creations from more than one author. Sometimes the poems at the end of the readings had names attributed to them, and sometimes not. (Were the poem-writers the same as the prose-writers?) What I found in both books, however, were often short snippets of Bible verses, that were then expanded in explanations and in ways that sometimes didn't even point back to the verse itself.

       My reason for change in outlook and attitude toward these books is not the point, even though that would account for the way that I viewed these books (one the second time around). My point is that any accounting of one's experience in God, or explanation of his Word, or attempt at encouraging someone else to personally know and experience this living God, can be worthless to one and a boon to another, and even both at various times.

       It is God's Spirit who works his will and ways into our very being. God can and does use human activities, experiences, and writing for the benefit of others. That is the lesson in 1 Corinthians 12, as mentioned above. Romans 12 also explains this same topic, with an important caveat. Verse 6 states "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to us..." God's grace is exhibited among us believers in various ways and depths of comprehension. His body consists in many parts, each performing various tasks that support its entire health and usefulness. Just because I can't feel what my pancreas is doing, doesn't mean that is useless. It is quite vital to my overall health, as are many other organs. (You'd be surprised to know how important your small toe is.)

       Furthermore, Paul explains this measure of grace in Romans 12:3f – "By the grace given to me, I say to you all: do not think of yourself more highly than you should, but with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith that God has given to you." So, when you read the writings of people, from the early church "fathers" to "nobodys" like me, remember that nothing is worthless if offered in service to our Master Jesus Christ (see 2 Thessalonians 1:11). While chewing on someone's grace, swallow what you find palatable, and spit out what you find disagreeable, knowing that someone's gruel is another's ice cream sundae.

August 24 – The Meaning of "Abolish"

     Matthew 5:17 – "Do not think that I [Jesus] have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them." (NIV)

     Ephesians 2:14, 15 – "For he himself [Jesus] is our peace...by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations." (NIV)

       There seems to be a surface contradiction when reading the above verses side-by-side. Did Jesus abolish the Old Testament law or did he not? The answer is more simple than is thought. However, a couple of ideas need to be established. While one CAN completely find God's truth in his written word, one cannot put one's faith necessarily in particular words in any given translation of God's word. According to the Quora website, there are approximately 900 English translation of the original Greek canon of God's word, in whole or in part, originating, at least, since 1526. The above verses are a good example of what happens when words, concepts, and definitions are not completely understood or clearly explained within a given translation.  Sometimes, one has to dig deeper into the original languages to get a more complete picture. 

       The King James Version does also not give a clear translation of Matthew 5:17, using the vague word of "destruction", instead of using "abolish". (The explanation of the word "destruction" is for a completely different discussion.) However, the meaning of "destruction" is much closer to the Greek idea, than is the word "abolish". Let me explain.

       In Matthew 5:17, the Greek word used in translating "abolish" is "katalusai", from the root (καταλύω) . It means literally to "loosen down", whose practical usage means "to disintegrate"; hence the KJV's rendering as "destruction". Jesus did not come to pulverize into dust the Law, but to fulfill (to fill completely or to end the task) the Law. And don't forget the Prophets, which are also mentioned in this verse. Jesus was fulfilling everything written about himself within the Law of Moses, as well as the succeeding prophetic writings. I would add that Jesus also showed us the proper way of interpreting the details of the law, especially when it came to following the letter (the external) of the moral laws, versus the internal motivations of the heart in doing so. (See Matthew chapters 5 and 6 for examples.)

       In Ephesians 2:15, the Greek word used in translation of "abolish" is "katargesas", (καταργήσας), which means to annul, nullify, or make void (as in a contract). Paul states that the Mosaic law has been nullified, been made obsolete, or no longer in its surface usage. He also describes the hidden purpose of the law in Galatians chapters 2 and 3, as being a slave master over all humans, showing us how wicked we are, and revealing that we are not able to obey God's commands within our sinful nature. Paul was writing this to an amalgamation of Jewish and Greek persons who were confused about how to live within their current/former culture's milieu. Don't forget that the rest of the world, which included millions of people not even remotely familiar with the Jewish law, still had God's moral unwritten laws to keep, understanding that those laws existed before and apart from the Mosaic law, and internally recognized by our consciences. See Romans 1:18-20 and 2:12-15 for further explanation.

        Perhaps we should use words like "disintegrate" and "nullify" to distinguish very important differences in concepts.  No one is helped when the waters are muddied.  A clear stream means clarity in understanding.