Christ Church

A World Without Roe

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INTRODUCTION

On Friday, June 24th, the United States Supreme Court handed down its Dobbs v. Jackson decision reversing the 1973 ruling Roe vs. Wade. In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court had claimed that a woman had a constitutional “right to privacy” which included the right to abortion up to the point of viability (the baby could live outside the womb). While constitutionally and morally States had an obligation to ignore and defy Roe, they did not, and this led to one of the most permissive cultures of abortion in the world, rivaling communist countries like China and North Korea.

The Dobbs case originated in Mississippi with a 15 week ban, directly challenging the “viability” standard. Justice Alito’s majority opinion argues that there is no right to abortion in the Constitution and therefore, the issue must be decided by the states. This is a most welcome reversal, but for Christians, it is not yet the full-throated defense of pre-born life we are working toward. The constitution and declaration of independence everywhere assume the right to life granted directly from God, and therefore, it really should not be a matter of democratic vote. But we rejoice in this great deliverance, and we look to Christ to drive this bloody scourge fully from our land.

THE TEXT

“If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe” (Ex. 21:22-25).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

While there is some ambiguity in the text, this biblical law is not ambiguous about the fact that the child in the womb is endowed with a right to life and protection from its Creator (21:22). There are a couple of questions: in the first scenario the child is born, but does it live or die? Jewish tradition takes it to be an early miscarriage, and the Septuagint furthered that interpretation by translating it as “unformed child.” The other question is who/what does “no mischief” refer to? If it refers to both the woman and the child, then it could mean that the child is born healthy and there is no serious harm done to either one, and therefore the fine imposed would be for minor medical costs or loss of time. If the correct interpretation is an early miscarriage, the fine is imposed because it wasn’t obvious that the woman was pregnant. Greater knowledge implies greater responsibility.

In the second scenario, serious harm has come to the woman or the child, and the potential punishment ranges from life to limb to wound to stripe (Ex. 21: 23-25). Again, here, the Septuagint refers the harm specifically to a “fully formed child.” Some modern commentaries try to translate this law as though it is only talking about harm done to the woman (but then why bring the child up at all?) or else try to argue from the Greek translation, that the law is only protecting fully formed babies and somehow allows early abortions for an “unformed child.” But the fact that a fine is imposed even in the case of an early miscarriage demonstrates legal protections from the earliest days of life, and if the principle is knowledge, how much more culpable is a modern person, taking some hormonal forms of “birth control” or morning after pills designed to prevent implantation of a newly fertilized egg?

Commenting on our passage, John Calvin wrote: “…the unborn, though enclosed in the womb of his mother, is already a human being, and it is an almost monstrous crime to rob it of life which it has not yet begun to enjoy. If it seems more horrible to kill a man in his own house than in a field, because a man’s house is his most secure place of refuge, it ought surely to be deemed more atrocious to destroy the unborn in the womb before it has come to light.”

THE SANCTITY OF GOD & THE RIGHT TO LIFE

Properly speaking, we do not believe in the “sanctity of life,” as though life all by itself is sacred. We believe in the sanctity of God and the holiness of His Word, and because we hallow the Triune God and His Word, we are duty bound to protect the right to life of every human being according to God’s Word. But it is this same standard that permits the wise and judicious taking of animal life for protection, food, and as consistent with taking dominion of God’s creation. It is also this same standard that requires the death penalty for murder and allows for it in some other cases, when due process has been followed (Gen. 9:6, Dt. 19, cf. Lev. 20).

There is a fundamental divide between those who believe that certain rights are directly bestowed by God and those who believe that the state gives and takes those rights according to its own whims. The founders of our nation believed the former: “… all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. –That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men…” (Declaration of Independence). “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people” (Ninth Amendment). Securing fundamental rights is not at all the same as creating them or bestowing them. We are in struggle over this fundamental issue, and it extends from life to the nature marriage, parenthood, family, private property, and from there to all of society.

SCATTERSHOT POINTS & OBJECTIONS

Never forget that we confess the beginning of life at conception every single Sunday when we recite the Apostles’ Creed “… conceived by the Holy Ghost…” When did God become man? When He was conceived by the Holy Ghost in the virgin Mary. When did Jesus begin to exist as a human being? When He was conceived by the Holy Ghost. That is when human life begins.

In the aftermath of the Dobbs decision, some pro-aborts have been weeping and gnashing their teeth saying that the next thing on the chopping block is birth control. If by that they mean chemicals designed to prevent and disrupt implantation, yes, those are abortifacient drugs that should be outlawed. While the Bible says nothing about other faith-filled planning for children in order to maximize fruitfulness, Christians should reject all laws/rulings that divorce fruitfulness from marriage, as though you might enter marriage planning to be sterile.

Some, desperate for a text, have said that Numbers 5:11-31 allows for abortions. But Numbers 5 is a jealously rite that God allowed Israel to perform when a husband suspected his wife of adultery. Despite one bad translation, the text says nothing about causing abortions, only that in the case of a guilty woman, God will cause the woman to become barren (Num. 5:27-28).

You have no doubt heard by now that you cannot be pro-gun and pro-life at the same time. But this is nonsense. This is about as logical as saying that you cannot be pro-surgery and pro-life at the same time. The accidental or intentional misuse of something is not at all equivalent to the intentional murder of an unborn child. Related to this objection, is the occasional comeback that if you are pro-life, you must support every state-funded program the liberals have ever dreamed up. But that’s like saying that if you object to the thugs killing, you must at least hire them to take care of you. Absolutely not. If a lifeguard saves somebody from drowning, he doesn’t owe them food, housing, clothing, and a college education. We cannot get tired of insisting that health, welfare, and education are the primary responsibility of the family, and where there is no family, the church is the backstop, not the state (Eph. 5-6, 1 Tim. 5).

Incidentally, you’ve probably also heard lamentations about Christians not caring for orphans, but the stats prove that Christians are routinely twice (or more) as generous in charitable giving, and more likely to participate in foster care and adoption than unbelievers. And do not forget the thousands of pro-life pregnancy resource centers that have popped up over the last 50 years. Not ready for this moment? Not hardly. God has made us ready.

The common exceptions you will hear are for rape or incest or the life of the mother. We should outright reject the first two since we should never punish an innocent party for the crimes of another. And like other hard providences, God can bring blessing out of great tragedy and hardship (this same point applies to babies with disabilities). With the life of the mother, Christians need to be very careful since it can sound correct and be used for evil. In the very rare instances of an ectopic pregnancy, where a fertilized egg has actually implanted in the fallopian tube, procedures to remove the implanted egg are not an abortion since the goal is not to kill the child, even if we do not yet have the medical technology to save the life of the child. Therefore, we do not support abortion in cases where the life of the mother is threatened since we must always do all in our power to preserve life, and never take it intentionally.

CONCLUSION

We do not take this Supreme Court decision as proof that America has repented. No, that clearly must still take place, but we should take this decision as a demonstration of God’s power and goodness. We should be sitting on the edge of our seats, eager to see what God will do next, redoubling our prayer, singing, giving, voting, and sharing. And above all else, we should be rejoicing in the Lord. Those Christians who cannot or will not rejoice are not looking to Christ, but at men. We do not trust in horses or chariots, politicians or voting or judges, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Remember, at root, the unbelieving heart hates Jesus, and therefore we will also be hated. But we must not fear this sharp divide; this is where the light of Christ shines the brightest.

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Further Up #7: Maturity in the Arts

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INTRODUCTION

We have been indoctrinated by our culture in two great lies when it comes to creativity and the arts. The first lie is that there is no standard — beauty is purely in the eye of the beholder. The second lie is the flip side of the first one — you can create anything. But both lies deny God.

THE TEXT

And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work. And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work (Exodus 35:30–35).

OBJECTIVITY IN BEAUTY

Faithful Christians have largely held their ground on the objectivity of truth, and to some extent the objectivity of goodness, but we have largely sold the farm when it comes to beauty. We see the evidence of this in many discussions of worship, music, dress, jewelry, and it isn’t five minutes before the most staunch defender of the objectivity of truth, comes back with that great relativistic retort: “Who’s to say?” But the Bible teaches that God is to say. This applies to what is true, what is good, and what is beautiful. He is the ultimate standard. “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple” (Ps. 27:4). “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined” (50:2). We must begin here or else all the other discussions will devolve into pure subjectivism. We do not need to begin by insisting that we know exactly what is beautiful, what is less beautiful, and what is ugly. Rather, we must begin by insisting that there is a standard, and that the living God is that standard.

SUB-CREATORS

The next step is still not having some kind of exhaustive decoder ring or reference manual where you can look up “dissonance,” “color wheels,” and “pink hair.” No, maturity means giving some thought to what God has said and done to reveal to us what true beauty is. The first great revelation of that beauty is His creation. He created the world with all of its beauty and glory, and this means that all human creativity and artistry is fundamentally an act of discovery: finding what God has already put in the world. As JRR Tolkien put it, we are always “sub-creators” under the great Creator. Or else we are blasphemously competing for the job. As sub-creators, we certainly can discover and invent and create in ways that have not been seen or enjoyed before, but anything truly beautiful is merely discovering something that God already invented, something He already thought of. In other words, creativity and artistic skills are fundamentally a humble enterprise not an arrogant one, submission not rebellion.

THE SPIRIT OF CREATION

Darwinism teaches that beauty is random, accidental, and the result of millions of mutations. And that in turn drives a philosophy of creativity that is antithetical to Christ. This is the genesis of modern art, flinging paint, random musical notes, and dumpster diving fashionistas. All of this is the complete opposite of Christian maturity. Random accidents are not things you practice or study or learn (even though people try). But God’s artistic skill can be taught/learned (Ex. 35:34). This skill is not merely an emotional high or some kind of Zen, it comes from “wisdom, understanding, and knowledge” driven and informed by the Spirit of God — the same Spirit that hovered over the waters at creation (Ex. 35:31, Gen. 1:2).

One way Christians have added to their confusion on these topics is through a sub-biblical understanding of the Holy Spirit. While it is true that sometimes the Spirit works in extraordinary and miraculous ways, that isn’t the way the Spirit usually works. The Spirit was the breath of God that weaved the whole world together (Gen. 1:2). The Spirit groans in us for the redemption of all of creation, the restoration of the natural order (Rom. 8:22-26). The Spirit is all about the restoration of our bodies and souls, reason and senses. The Spirit is not irrational; the Spirit breathed out the Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16).

Closely related to these themes is the notion of fittingness. Just because something is good and beautiful objectively does not mean that it is fitting in any context. The Spirit created the universe in an orderly way, and part of our discovery and submission to His wisdom is the task of understanding what fits best where. “As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion” (Prov. 11:22). “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Prov. 25:11).

CONCLUSION: STRONG MEAT

It ought to be firmly fixed in our hearts and minds the difference between refugees from the world and apostles of the world. We should have all kinds of grace and patience for the former and none for the latter. Refugees from the world will have habits, preferences, and tastes that were formed by their former lives in the world, as we all do. But when we come to Christ, we are crucified with Him (Col. 2:20). Your favorite movies, music, clothes, jewelry, fashion – all of it is crucified with Christ and raise back up in Him. The point is not that God doesn’t want you to enjoy the world, or be beautiful, or make anything lovely. He is the God of all beauty, all glory, and at His right hand is the fullness of joy and pleasures forever more (Ps. 16:11).

Our problem is that our tastes have been badly damaged by the Fall. What we think is beautiful and pleasing and lovely is often badly twisted. As C.S. Lewis once said, “Our desires are not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” So we must trust God and His word, learn from our fathers and forefathers, those who have exercised their senses to discern both good and evil (Heb. 5:14). And at the center of it all must be Christ and His glorious cross. It isn’t what you expected or what you were looking for. But it is so good, so true, and so lovely.

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Light in the Dwellings of Israel

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The Text

“They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings” (Ex. 10:23).

Introduction

There is something glorious here for us. The pagans were struck with darkness and could not rise, could not go out, could not move for three days, but all the children of Israel had light in their homes. The text doesn’t tell us exactly how this worked. It doesn’t say if there was some kind of massive cosmic miracle taking place or if the darkness was simply less intense in Goshen, such that the lanterns and candles actually worked or whether there was some other supernatural light being given. But either way, this moment is glorious. There was thick, paralyzing darkness in Egypt, but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

The implication seems to be that there was still darkness in the land of Goshen, but that while Israel had to stay home, there was a relative blessing in the midst of the plague. Everyone was stuck at home, no one could go out, but where there was an additional darkness inside the homes of the Egyptians, all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. Everyone had to stay home, but there were two very different experiences of that darkness. In one experience, there was no variation, only darkness, inside and outside, all the way through, but in the other experience, there was significant variation. The darkness was on the outside, but there was light on the inside. All of the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

It is still unclear exactly what has happened in our land, in our world, and what is happening. Whatever your views of this current moment, whether you are more concerned about the virus, or more concerned about the panic, or more concerned about government overreach and loss of civil liberties, or if it’s some or all of the above, whatever your opinions, whatever your concerns, the message is that for those who know God through Christ, no matter the darkness outside, there should be light in your homes, light in your families, light on the inside. Whatever the darkness, whatever the hardship, whatever the cause, you can say it however you like, but your sentence should end: but all of the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. But all the people of God had light in their homes.

So my question is: if you call yourself a Christian, if you profess faith in Jesus Christ, is there light in your home? Is your home full of light? When the story is told of these days, will it be said of you and your family, that even though the world was full of darkness, the people of God had light in their dwellings? What is your home like? What is your family like? What is your marriage like? Is it full of light? Is it a joyful place to be? Is it a comforting place to be? Or is it fearful, biting, angry, grumpy, cold, or distant?

The Light of the Word 

The people of God should always have light in their homes because they have the Word of God in their homes. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Ps. 119:105). In Ephesians, it says, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light… Speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:8, 19-20). Do you want light in your home? Then you must have the Word open, and you must have no fellowship with the works of darkness. You must have no fellowship with the works of darkness on the internet, on Netflix, or in your heart. But rather you must expose them, hate them, repent of them. And instead you must read the word, sing the word, and obey the word. The Word is light. If you put a garbage can over a lamp, it won’t give any light. So open the Word. Open it and read it. Read it out loud. Let it shine. Read all of it. Commit to obeying it. Do whatever it says with joy. And sing the Word, or start learning how if you don’t know how. And notice that singing the word is how it dwells in you richly. That’s how you turn the dimmer switch up to full blast. Do you want the word to shine in your home brightly? Then sing the word loudly. Do it with thanksgiving always and for all things. When the Word is in your mouth and in your heart, your home will be full of light.

The Light of Fellowship

The people of God should always have light in their homes because they have fellowship with God and one another in their homes. “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not practice the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:5-7). Again, you cannot say you have fellowship with God and walk in darkness. You cannot serve God and mammon. You cannot love God and love the world or the things in the world (1 Jn. 1:15). If anyone loves the world, the love of God is not in him. And a bunch of church-going people really need to hear this word. You go to church, you sing in the choir, maybe you are even in leadership, but you do not love God. You love the world. You are full of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, and you do not know the Father.

How can it be that a land full of so many professing Christians is so corrupt and so thoroughly wicked? How can it be that cities full of so many church going people murder so many babies, by the thousands, every single day? The answer is that there are many people in this land who think they are Christians, but they are not. They are full of darkness and there is no light in them at all. They do not have fellowship with God, and they are walking in darkness. They are liars. And this is evident in their relationships with God and those around them. They have constant bickering with their spouse, tensions with their children and parents and co-workers. Why do they not have fellowship with those around them? Because they are walking in darkness.

But the promise is right here: If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. And many Christian people don’t even know what that fellowship is like. Do you know the joy of Christian fellowship? The peace? The glorious freedom of having no secrets, no bitterness, nothing to hide? Many people have settled for an average American home, which is not the same thing as a Christian home. A Christian home is full of light, full of joy, full of peace, full of fellowship.

And do not misunderstand: Christian fellowship is not sinless, but it is fellowship that is constantly being cleansed by the blood of Christ. And this happens by confession and forgiveness: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Do you want light in your home? Then confess your sins. Do you want light in your family? Then forgive your dad, forgive your spouse, forgive your brother, your sister. And get back into fellowship with God.

Conclusion: The Light of Christ

Of course, all of this is pointing ultimately to Christ Himself. The light we are talking about, the light we want in our homes, in our families, in our marriages is not some impersonal force, some mystical power, some religious experience or feeling. No, the light we are talking about is the presence of a person. And that person is Jesus of Nazareth. He is the Light of God. He is the Word of God, and since He is the Son of God, He is the One who grants us fellowship with God. No one comes to the Father, except through Him

If want light in our homes, we must have Jesus in our homes. And this is not just a nice religious saying. This is not me saying that you need traditional family values in your home. This is not me saying that you need to try harder or turn over a new leaf. No. We need Jesus in our homes. The reason Jesus has been largely banished from our public square is because we didn’t want Him there. And we didn’t want Him there because we have largely ignored Him in our homes.

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness did not comprehend it… That was the true Light, which lightens every man that comes into the world” (Jn. 1:4-5, 9). You cannot have a home full of light unless you have Jesus in your home. And if you have Jesus in your home, there is nothing that can make your home dark.

This is just another way of saying what Paul says in Romans 8: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am persuade that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:35-39).

And if you have that kind confidence, then your life will be full of light, your home will be full of light. How can you have that kind of assurance? How can you have that kind of confidence? The only way to have that kind of assurance is to have Christ dwelling in your heart, Christ living inside of you. Christ in you, is the only hope of glory (Col. 1:27).

But how can Christ, a man, dwell inside you? How can Christ be in our homes and in our families? The answer is Christ is risen from the dead. Christ rose victorious over all sin, all death, all decay, all tyranny, all guilt, all shame, all darkness. And He rose with healing in His wings. He rose with endless life and light to bring. He rose to make all things new. He died so that your sin might die in Him, and He rose so that you might rise with Him.

So the free offer of the gospel is that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, then you will be saved. His light will shine on you. His light will fill you. And Christ Himself will come and dwell in you and drive away all the darkness.

This is what we need our land right now. Do we want the public square full of Christian light? Then our homes must be full of Christian light. Do we want the darkness of abortion, the darkness of sodomy, the darkness of economic insanity, the darkness of government tyranny driven back? Then let there be light in our homes. That light is the Light of the Word, the light of fellowship with the Father and the Son, the light of Christ filling our hearts and our homes.

In the coming years, let it be said of these days, that though they were very dark, all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. All the people of God had light in their homes. The Christian homes were full of unexplainable joy.

And Amen.

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Bearing One Another’s Burdens

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Introduction

Most Christians are familiar with the exhortation to “bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2), but we often assume that this merely means we should have Christian friends we can share our struggles and hardships with. But Paul is actually exhorting Christians to practice the kind of spiritual authority and wisdom that flows from knowing Christ crucified and having His Spirit. We see this pattern of bearing burdens going back to the godly counsel Jethro gave to Moses.

The Text

13 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.14 And when Moses’ father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?15 And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God:16 When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.17 And Moses’ father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.19 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:20 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:22 And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.23 If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace . . .” (Exodus 18:13-27).

Summary of the Text

At the time of the Exodus, Israel was comprised of around 600,000 fighting men (Ex. 12:37, 38:26). So we may reasonably estimate that the total number of Israel was in the millions. Our text picks up a couple of months after the Exodus when Jethro comes with Zipporah and Moses’ two sons to meet Moses near Mt. Sinai (Ex. 18:5). After catching up and worshiping God together (Ex. 18:7-12), Jethro watched Moses judging the people all day long (Ex. 18:13-16). Jethro echoes God’s assessment of Adam being alone and says this is “not good” and is too heavy a burden for Moses to carry by himself (Ex. 18:17-18). Jethro counsels Moses to teach the laws of God to the people (Ex. 18:19-20), and establish judges who fear God, love the truth, and hate covetousness and set them over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens (Ex. 18:21-21). These men will judge the smaller cases, and the heavier ones can be appealed to higher courts, and the hardest cases will come before Moses, in order for Moses to be more efficient with his time and for the sake of peace in Israel (Ex. 18:22-23). Moses obeyed his father in law and established this structure of judges in Israel (Ex. 18:24-26).

Heavy Hands

Remember that right before this meeting with Jethro was the battle with the Amalekites. While Moses lifted his hands up, Israel was prevailing, but when his hands grew heavy and fell down, the Amalekites began to prevail (Ex. 17:11). So Moses sat down and Aaron and Hur stood on either side of him and held his hands up until Israel won the battle (Ex. 17:12-13). The same theme continues in our text underlined by the word “heavy” (Ex. 18:18), and the assistance of the judges is also described by Jethro as “bearing the burden” with Moses (Ex. 18:22).

Some Jewish commentators have estimated, taking the numbers very literally, that when he was finished Moses would have appointed 78,600 judges. But the principle is one of decentralization and localism: addressing problems at the smallest, most personal level first and then appealing the most difficult problems to higher courts as necessary. This is one of the biblical principles built into our civil governments and courts, separation of powers, and sphere sovereignty (family, church, and state).

Judging the Angels

In the review of this institution in Deuteronomy, Moses says that these officers were appointed by the people: “Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you” (Dt. 1:13). Clearly, there was collaboration between established authorities (Moses) and the people, indicating that there was to be accountability in both directions. And the Lord used this process to raise up qualified leaders. In the New Testament we see the appointment of elders in every city (Tit. 1:5, 1 Tim. 3:4-5), as well as deacons, following a very similar pattern of appointment (Acts 6:1-7).

Jesus also assumed the Jethro principle in his instructions for confronting sin: go and tell your brother his fault between you and him alone, and only involve two or three witnesses if necessary, and appeal to the church as a last resort (Mt. 18:15-20). Likewise, Paul insists that the Corinthians practice church discipline for unrepentant sinners (1 Cor. 5:1-5), but this means practicing in all the little things and not taking disputes between believers before unbelieving courts (1 Cor. 6:1). Since we will judge the world and angels, we should always rather be defrauded than go to court with a fellow saint (1 Cor. 6:2-7), while still submitting to the civil magistrate in criminal matters, who as a minister of God’s vengeance (Rom. 13:4). The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God, but those who have been purchased by the blood of Christ have been washed, justified by Christ, and sanctified by the Spirit (1 Cor. 6:9-11).

You Who Are Spiritual

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:1-2). We shouldn’t miss the fact that part of what it means to be “spiritual” was just explained a couple verses prior with the fruit of the Spirit, against which there is no law (Gal. 5:22-23). In other words, the fruit of the Spirit is for making godly judgements. And making godly judgments is how we bear one another’s burdens and fulfill the law of Christ. As Moses told Israel, this requires that we not “respect persons” or “fear the face of man” (Dt. 1:17). It means that the goal must be to win our brother, to restore our brother, and all in “a spirit of meekness” – but that description doesn’t seem accidental since Moses was described as more meek than anyone on the face of the earth (Num. 12:3). What’s this spirit of Moses?

In Numbers, right before this description of Moses, in the midst of one of Israel’s complaints, Moses cried out to God, “I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me” (Num. 11:14), and in response God said, “Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel… And I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it on them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee…” (Num. 11:16-17). So bearing one another’s burdens means applying the law of Christ with wisdom to the situations around you, and gladly working within the biblical structures God has established. You can’t do that rightly unless you have the Spirit of God, unless you are “spiritual,” and you do not have the Spirit of God unless you have been adopted into God’s family by faith in the Son of God (Gal. 4:4-7).

Conclusion

Bearing one another’s burdens is not just listening to other people’s problems. In fact, unless you are part of the solution, you may merely be making things worse. We’ve been inundated with the false gospel of “sharing,” but the Bible does not teach that there is any automatic blessing in merely “sharing.” Faithful are the wounds of godly friends, but the kisses of enemies are deceitful (Prov. 27:6). Flattery works ruin (Prov. 26:28), but where there is no talebearer, strife ceases (Prov. 26:20). And a faithful spirit covers many sins in love (Prov. 11:13, 10:12).

The Jethro principle is applied as God pours out His Spirit upon all flesh and establishes leaders in all spheres of authority who apply the word of Christ faithfully. If you have the Spirit of Christ then you are called to walk in the Spirit, in the fear of God, loving the truth, and hating all envy.

Christ sits in heaven with His pierced hands raised for us, never growing tired, so that we can always cast our cares upon Him because He cares for us, and therefore, we will win the battle.

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What It Means to be Genuinely Pro-Life

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Introduction

Those Christians who have spent much time in conservative Christian circles know that we are pro-life. That almost goes without saying. And we often have some of the basic arguments down, but we need to make sure that we have the true foundational issues down as well. That means, as you should instinctively know, that we have to ground our convictions on the Scriptures that have been given to us by God.

The Text

“If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe” (Ex. 21:22–25).

Summary of the Text

In this law that the children of Israel were given, we can quickly see the parity of the law. This is part of the Israel’s case law system, and so a particular scenario is described, from which we are called to derive the principle of justice so that we might apply it in other comparable situations. So two men are fighting, and if they careen into a pregnant woman such that she gives birth prematurely, but the child is all right, then the guilty party is fined what the husband determines and the judges allow (v. 22). But if there is harm (“if mischief follow”) then the penalty that is exacted is precisely the same as the penalty that is exacted when harm is done to fully grown adults (Lev. 24:17-20; Deut. 19:17-21; Matt. 5:38).

Some might want to argue that this is talking about possible harm done to the woman, but this is not consistent with the language of the law at all. If it were dealing with whatever harm the woman suffered, then the fact of her being pregnant would be entirely irrelevant. The law is plainly talking about harm to the baby.

Scriptural Consistency

This is not something that we find in one odd corner of the Old Testament. No, God’s word is consistent on this.When a child is being mysteriously formed in the womb, God is the one doing it (Ps. 139:13; Jer. 1:5; Job 31:15). The children of the covenant are the children of the Lord from the moment they began to exist (Ps. 22:10). When Mary came to visit Elizabeth, John the Baptist rejoiced over it in utero (Luke 1: 41-44). This was not a quaint superstition from the hill country of Judea, but was rather what Elizabeth said when she was filled with the Holy Spirit. And so we come to the fundamental pro-life passage—“Thou shalt not kill” (Ex. 20:13; Deut. 5:17).

The Mere Fact of Scripture

And so we see there are a number of Scripture passages that outline the Christian position on this issue. But there is an underlying issue, a deeper issue. And that is the mere fact of Scripture, the mere fact of an authoritative Word from outside the human race, a Word that we cannot alter, abolish, modify, amend, or repeal. God speaks to us, and He speaks to us from the Heaven of Heavens. His Word simply is. We may accept it or reject it. If we accept it, we shall be saved by it (because His Word includes the central message of Jesus crucified and risen). If we reject it, then we shall be judged by that Word we rejected. Not on the menu is the option of getting the Word to go away and bother somebody else. This fact of a transcendental Word leads directly to the next point.

What Is a Person?

As we are talking to non-believers, whether friends, family, co-workers, and so on, and we come to discuss this issue, we soon discover that we differ on what should be done. We believe that all human abortion needs to be outlawed. They want to keep abortion legal, although different unbelievers might go for various restrictions on abortion. This is the content of our disagreement. But let us go a step further and we will see where the real difference lies. When we ask what is a person?these two groups do give different answers. But why? The different answers arise from the fact that we are appealing to the legal codes of two different religions. One is the religion of man, and the god is Demos. The other is the religion of Christianity, and the God is Jehovah, Father of the Lord Jesus.

For the non-believer, a human being need not be a person. For the believer, the unborn child began to bear the image of his or her Creator God the moment the sperm penetrated the cellular wall of the egg.

Definitions Fight

Who defines a person? When we define according to the law of a particular God or god, then the definition is going to reflect the character of the god of the system. Because Jehovah is holy and immutable, this means that laws based on His Word are also going to be holy and unchanging. At this point of comparison, Demos the fickle god of the people, is unholy and is changing all the time—from one kind of unholiness to another. This shiftiness with regard to character is why secularism wants its authority over definitions to be kept murky and in the background. Remember what Chesterton said in this regard: “Definitions are very dreadful things: they do the two things that most men, especially comfortable men, cannot endure. They fight, and they fight fair.”

A Modest Suggestion

Pro-lifers are accustomed to speak of the sanctity of human life. But I would like to offer a way for us to improve this, and to make our meaning more clear. Rather, we should talk about the sanctity of God’s law, and the consequent dignity of human life. Human life does not provide the standard. Human life is what the standard—given to Moses on Mount Sinai—protects.

If we make human life the standard, then we have to spend time explaining why we are against abortion but support capital punishment. This objection canbe answered (we oppose executing innocents who have not been given a trial, which is not inconsistent with support the execution of guilty people who have), but it is cleaner to side-step it.

The Image of God in Man

Unbelieving man cannot reach God in order to fight Him, but would if he could. But failing that, like a rebel who cannot overthrow a hated king in a distant castle, he burns the king’s effigy in his own village—an image of the king that he canreach. Small children bear that image, and they are defenseless. We love the image of God in even the most helpless of our fellow men, and this is how we show our love for Christ, who is the ultimate image of the ultimate God.

 

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