The Penchant for Truth

When Jesus said, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32) he was talking about himself who is the way, the truth and the life. However, it was based on a larger principle that God expects us to be seekers of truth. God expects us to be truthful as well. As the debate with his opponents progressed Jesus made a frontal attack on the devil and all those who model devil in their behaviour: "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! (John 8:44). What characterizes those who follow Jesus and those who follow Devil? Those who follow Jesus have a penchant for truth while the opposite camp has a penchant for lies.

This is an observation I made recently while studying how conflicts, differences of opinions and crises are dealt with in Christian communities. It seems that there is a quest for "peace" at the expense of truth and I strongly feel that this is not what Jesus would do.

Let us consider a hypothetical case. Two Christian believers have a problem involving money. Mr A claims that Mr B owes him some money which B denies. Revd C (could be their pastor or friend) gets involved as a mediator to resolve this problem. C is kind and a lover of peace. He would like to resolve this difference between the two Christian brothers as quickly as possible with as less damage as possible. So he offers A the sum of money he claims B owes him. C is willing to part with that amount for the sake of peace. This sort of problem solving gets a great round of applause from all of us. Looks great! Peace and sacrifice, love for brothers all that are involved here. However, I strongly feel in the light of the Word of God that that is not the right way to resolve this problem. What is lacking in this approach is the penchant for truth which is the hallmark of Christian believers.

There is another way of solving this crisis. Revd C seeks to establish if B really owes A any money or if A is making a false claim. If it is a false claim then rebuke A in a Christian spirit. However, if A is right and if B is not willing or unable to pay the amount of money that he owes A, then C as a lover of peace and willing to sacrifice can offer that money to A. In this scenario there is peace, sacrifice, love as well as truth.

Many times crises in Christian communities are solved without any concern for truth. We hush up, demand silence from those who are crying out for justice and to be heard just because we do not have the penchant for truth. We think establishing truth could be painful and may cause problems. So we don't venture in to it but circumvent the truth. This only helps to breed lies as we provide cover for them. Exposing lies in the process of seeking truth could be inconvenient and sometimes painful. But we need to take that pain and inconvenience for the sake of truth. It is this lack of penchant for truth that has made our churches and organizations to make "lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place" (Isaiah 28:15).

Paulson Pulikottil Ph. D. is Professor of Old Testament at Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, India and Pastor of the COMMUNITY OF THE REDEEMED (CORe) a Full Gospel Church in Pune, India.

The Sin of Silence

There is an Indian saying: Silence is the glory of the wise! It means the wise person keeps quite and by implication it means the fool keeps talking (certainly all nonsense!). But silence at times could be malicious, dangerous and even a grave sin. So let us say that like tumors, silence could also be of two types: the benign ones and the malign ones.

In his vision of God Isaiah confessed: "Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty" (Isa 6:5).

The word "ruined" could be a mistranslation. It is equally possible to translate it as "been silent" though many modern translations still follow the KJV in this regard. The translation "silent" fits the context too. The sin of the people of Isaiah has to do with speech (unclean lips) and the cleansing that God does has to do with speech. Moreover, the commissioning that Isaiah receives is to speak! All this happens in the context of the "holy" speech of the Seraphim. So it is right in concluding that the sin Isaiah confesses is the sin of being silent!

The timing of this very clearly dated vision is also important. It is in the year that king Uzziah died. Though the phrase "in the year" does not necessarily mean after the death of the king, it is highly probable. There is only one another instance where Isaiah dates a prophecy by the death of a king (Isaiah 14:28). So this date is important for our understanding of the nature of Isaiah's sin.

The title of the book says that Isaiah was active in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah (Isaiah 1:1). The reign of Uzziah and that of Jotham overlaps since the former could not continue as king for health reasons and had to hand over the kingdom to Jotham who was the co-regent. We see Isaiah confronting the other two kings: Ahaz and Hezekiah. However, there is no mention of Uzziah or Jotham other than in the title (which is from the editor of the book) and in this passage (Isaiah 6) where the prophecy is dated.

The reign of Uzziah-Jotham was one of prosperity for Israel but was one of spiritual decline. It was not a reign that pleased God. However, the prophet of God was silent during this period of spiritual decline (2 Kings 15:34). He did not critique Uzziah's apostasy nor of the nation during this period. He just watched the nation slide down to apostasy, injustice and violence. So that later on Isaiah lamented on its capital city: "See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her-- but now murderers!" (Isaiah 1:21).

Isaiah woke up from his slumber during the days of Ahaz and Hezekiah who succeeded Uzziah. He challenged the kings and their religious and political decisions. Demanded that they return to God in full trust. However, he was silent during the days of Uzziah and Jotham.

That is the sin he confesses: being silent when he was supposed to speak up! That was a grave sin. His silence deprived the nation a voice that could have stopped them in their track to spiritual and social rot. His voice could have helped them to make an early U-turn, if he had the courage to speak out. Our malign silence could be equally or more damaging at times. Have we spoken out where we had to or kept strategic silence in order to protect our reputation, good standing with people. Did we hold our peace where our voice was crucial just to have more brownie points from those ungodly people and ungodly systems?

Isaiah realized his sin, he confessed and God was willing to accept his confession and commission him for a greater task. God hasn't changed and his Seraphim are waiting with burning coals in their hands. They are waiting for the words of confession from us so that the coal can touch our lips and release it to speak on behalf God.

Paulson Pulikottil Ph. D. is Professor of Old Testament at Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, India and Pastor of the COMMUNITY OF THE REDEEMED (CORe) a Full Gospel Church in Pune, India

Paulson Pulikottil Ph. D. is Professor of Old Testament at Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, India and Pastor of the COMMUNITY OF THE REDEEMED (CORe) a Full Gospel Church in Pune, India.

When the Idols fall

A proper perception of human beings will enhance our appreciation of God and lead us to praise him more meaningfully. In a Psalm of Praise of God (Psalm 8) the Psalmist exclaimed "what is man that you are mindful of him?" Which meant man is not anything that God should mind especially compared to the celestial bodies that God has created. However, he goes on to say that in spite of this, God still gave man a place of honor and glory since his position is just below the angels. Human beings are incomparable to God.

One popular metaphor of life is that of a journey: A journey that we start at birth and end in death. In this journey we meet people of all sorts and learn many things from them. It is possible that we are drawn to some people because we see rare virtues in them. They become our role models and even idols in our lives. We adore them, we follow them because their exhibited virtues and charisma. All idols are multi-dimensional or multi-faceted. There are facets of these idols that may disappoint us. When we discover those facets (for that we need to view the idols from more than one angle) of these idols we become discouraged and frustrated. Idols fall and we are confused not knowing whom to follow or in whom to be excited in!

Let me elaborate on this a bit! People marry each other after long courtships. They may have had courtships which helped them to get to know each other better and tried different persons before proposing to the one whom they really love and would like to spend their life with: as some say to love, grow together and get old together. But then why such marriages fall apart at the same speed to they came together and almost at the same rate? In some countries every fifth marriage ends up in divorce! Our knowledge of each other is partial and there are facets of personalities that we find despicable as life rolls on. This is true of friends, leaders and all sorts of human relationships that we can think of.

We live a world where there are no constants. Even the majestic mountains made of rock change as the rock crumble in the heat of the sun and tiny pieces are carried away in torrents or by winds. Anyone who looks for consistency in human beings will be terribly disappointed.

However, this unfolding knowledge of people on our journey of life certainly has a positive side if we don't let its negativities weigh us down. These inconsistencies point us to God, the one who is always constant. When I discover that the person whom I considered to be the person of highest integrity is the supreme example of dishonesty I am learning to turn my attention to God. When human dishonesty leads us to appreciate the integrity of an unchanging God, that is best antidote for frustration.

Discovery of human weakness which leads us to a comprehension of the greatness of God results in praise and adoration of God. Such redirection of our thinking is greatly rewarding. Otherwise, we will be crushed under the weight of our own idols that are fallen from their pedestals.

Paulson Pulikottil Ph. D. is Professor of Old Testament at Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, India and Pastor of the COMMUNITY OF THE REDEEMED (CORe) a Full Gospel Church in Pune, India.

Good Friday sans Pretensions

I just don't know why they call it Good Friday. It was a very bad Friday for the mother, siblings, disciples, friends and followers of Jesus. It was the day when Jesus whom they loved so much died at a very tender age at the hands of the Roman army as a criminal. Death brings an end to everything. Their sorrow was much deeper because they had no clue of what is going to happen on the third day. Though he had told them and though they have seen him bringing back dead back to life, they never imagined that he will be back to life. So with no ray of hope, their sorrow was even thicker.

While the people at the foot of the cross on that fateful day were genuinely sad, the people who were observing Good Friday ever since were simply trying to pretend to be sad; because they knew rest of the story already. On Good Friday, some people walk the stations of the Cross enacting the suffering of Christ. They have processions where they enact scenes from what happened to Jesus on that day by taking up the roles of Jesus, Simon the Cyrene, the soldiers or the crowd. Some were fasting on that day. They abstained from food till evening and some would drink bitter juices to identify with the suffering of Jesus. Some devotees allowed themselves to be flogged and even nailed to a cross for a while. Still they were pretending because they knew Easter is just another day away.

However, Good Friday is more than pretensions. Good Friday is a reminder of the place of suffering in Christian faith. On that day 2000 years back Jesus died a terrible death. It is a reminder that my salvation is not cheap but was very costly. It also reminds that there is suffering in Christian life because it begins with the sufferings of Christ. It explains why Christians in many parts of the world face persecution. There is no Christianity without suffering.

We wear a mask of sorrow on that day for the simple reason that we were taught that way. However, for every believer who has experienced the great liberation there is a smile behind that thin veil of sadness. He suffered pain, shame, and ridicule and died. I am not any way sad but rejoice that his death was on my behalf. Why should I be sad when I know that his pain brought me healing and his shame is the reason for my dignity? I am only proud and grateful. Yes, the adjective "Good" is not only grammatically correct but experientially too. It was for my good that bad things happened to him.

Prayers that God will not Answer!

The title of this article may startle the readers! Yes, there are prayers that God may not answer. It is hard to believe this in a world where there is so much of talk about miracles, deliverance and so on. We are made to believe that God answers prayers unconditionally. We are also made to believe that certain places and certain people have so much charisma that anything they pray for will be answered. So we tend to flock to these places and around this people to get our prayers answered. We are encouraged to subscribe to some prayer plans (quite similar to some saving plans) that for a small subscription our children will be prayed for from birth to their adulthood. Childhood ailments, successful education (a main worry for Indian parents), job security and marriage are all covered in these plans. All that we need to do is to subscribe, sit back and relax for the rest of your life!

However, God doesn't answer prayers unconditionally. He is not a slot machine, where the machine delivers what one want by simply inserting a coin or token without any questions.

God does not answer prayers when there is sin in our lives. God want us to receive his forgiveness and correct our lives before coming to him. God has moral demands and he insists that our lives be according to his will before he grants us our requests. King Saul prayed to God for help against the Amalekites, but he was terribly defeated. God did not answer his prayer because of sin in his life (1 Samuel 14:37, 1 Samuel 28:6, 7). David prayed for the healing of the child that was born in his illegitimate and sinful relationship. God did not answer, the child died. Though David had repented, it was God's will that he feel some pain of his sinful action (2 Samuel 12:13-23). However, God allowed the second child (Solomon) in the same wife to ascend to David's throne later.

God also doesn't answer prayers that are not in line with his will. His will is supreme above all our wills and his will is perfect and flawless. He knows what is best for us. So he answers prayers only according to his will. Elijah was a great man of prayer. Bible says that he could stop rain (James 5:17), he had brought down fire from heaven that burnt the sacrifice, dried up the water and even melted stones of the altar (1 Kings 18:32-38). However, God did not answer one of his prayers: He wanted to die but God did not allow him (1 Kings 19:4; 2 Kings 2:11). Because that was not in God's will that he die at the time he wanted. So was also Jonah who wanted to die but God did not allow him to die when he wanted to die (Jonah 4:3). Saint Paul was not a sinner and but though he prayed for healing of his physical ailment (we don't know what exactly it was) God simply refused instead gave him the grace to live with it (2 Cor 12:7-9).

Thirdly, there are things in our control that God will leave us to address than bringing it to him, especially matters that have to do with our character and our moral life. For example, God is not going to answer the prayers of those who pray that they will be more humble because being humble is in their control. If they want to be humble all that they need to do is to go ahead and be humble! If people pray that God make them more liberal, I don't think God is going to make them liberal in their giving because they just need to go ahead and start giving. Many times such prayers are used to shun human responsibility and put the blame on God! However, we need God's grace to live lives pleasing God. So, God is certainly going to grant the grace to be humble, more liberal in giving etc. Nevertheless, doing it with the grace that God provides is our job.

Now let us turn the question on its tail. Instead of asking what are the type of prayers God will not answer let us see how to pray in a way that God will answer. God answers prayers from hearts that are right with God. Secondly, God answers prayers that are according to his will and thirdly, God want us to do what we can do depending on his grace instead of using prayer as an excuse.

Personal Worship and Corporate Worship

Worshipping together is one of the salient features Christianity which it shares with its predecessor Judaism and is followed by its successor Islam. Most of the religions have individualized worship experience. Worshippers visit shrines on their own to pray to their deity and does not necessarily need the company of others. However, gathering together for worship in the church, synagogue or the mosque is important for the above religions besides the private time of worship. So the two terms: "Personal worship" which signifies the individual's act of worship and "corporate worship" which is the worship which individuals offer in the company of other believers.

Some people are very keen on corporate worship but at the expense of the personal worship. They are regular at church services, praise and worship meetings etc but may not pour out their devotion and adoration to God when they are alone. These people find it difficult to meet God alone; they need the company of others. There are people on the other extreme who have a dislike to worship God in public, in the presence of others and they tend to be very private in their devotion and adoration of God. They are in the habit of shunning the gathering together of the saints in worship (Hebrews 10:25). They are very private persons and have a dislike for people.

However, both these extremes are certainly wrong. Personal time of worship and prayer is essential component of Christian spirituality. Jesus spent nights in praying alone. He taught that we should pray in secret (Mathew 6:6). He also went to the synagogues for corporate worship and the bible says it was his usual practice (Mark 10:1). This was the practice of the early church as well (Acts 2:42). They gathered together for fellowship, to receive apostles' teaching, prayer and breaking bread together besides their personal times of worship of God.

Personal worship and corporate worship are the two wings on which Christians soar to the presence of God in adoration and praise. They are two aspects of one act called worship: the creatures adoring the majesty of the creator, the sinners pouring out his their profound love for their saviour. Personal worship leads the worshipper to corporate worship because the worshippers have reached a level of adoration which they cannot hold within themselves any longer and need to get it out of their chest! So they look to corporate worship as a place where they can share it with others and to receive from people who have something to share. In a similar manner, the corporate worship should be so rich an experience that the worshipper leaves the place of worship to continue the worship at a personal level until another time for worship arrives. Personal worship propels people from their prayer closet to the chapel and the chapel is so compelling that they return to their closet to continue the worship. They are mutually enriching experiences.

Road Map Approved by God

Sometimes we enter streets ignoring signs to realize later that it is a dead end and back track in embarrassment. Sometimes we enter one way roads and may not realize it until we spot the first vehicle in the opposite direction. In sum, we realize that we are in the wrong direction only when faced with the consequences. However, it is important if we knew where the road leads before took the turn to that road and before bumping into something that is disastrous.

Making wrong choices about the direction our life takes is much serious than the analogy used so far. It is okay in driving to enter the wrong roads and to realize that we are wrong direction. We can always take a U-turn or reverse. But life may involve choices of huge consequences as one of my friend recently found out. His family did not realize that the road they have taken will lead them to a financial ruin when they were close to their retirement. Each step in the path was comfortable, there was no warning signs until calamity struck them unaware.

The prayer of the psalmist in Psalm 139:23-24 is helpful here. Most of the translations agree more or less with that of TNIV: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." The word translated "offensive" could also mean "hurtful". These are ways that may lead us to situations that may hurt us.

However, we are limited in our knowledge to know what awaits us at the end of the road. Will it end in situations that may bring deep loss and sorrow? The choice is between ways that leads to sorrow and the one that is ever for good and pleasing to God. However, being lost as to what choice to be made the psalmist will leave it to God. For God is all knowing and all searching God. He has been there before us. That is how the psalmist has portrayed God in this Psalm: a God who knows us from the moment we were formed in the mother's womb. He has been in the world long before us. Just as trekkers would seek the advice of guide who has been there before, we surrender to the eternal God because he has been there much before us. He knows the territory well! Moreover, he can tell us what is going on inside us, in our thoughts!

Searching is a constant activity, each step and every turn in life we need to surrender to God's scrutiny and approval. That is the secret of life that has outcome which is eternal.

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