2008 September

Greetings to all on 11 SEP 2008

Word for the Day
Teleos - At its most simple, it means arriving at a goal, but it hints at maturity, completeness, even perfection. It encompasses a sense of arriving at an inescapable conclusion, an uttermost limit. [1]

Quote for the Day
He meant what he said. Those who put themselves in His hands will become perfect, as He is perfect - perfect in love, wisdom, joy, beauty, and immortality. The change will not be completed in this life, for death is an important part of the treatment. How far the change will have gone before death in any particular Christian is uncertain. [2]

Website for the Day
www.tokensshow.com
This is Lee Camp’s website.

Thought for the Day
In Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount, there is a puzzling verse that calls for us to “be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” [MAT 5.48] In my upbringing, this verse was typically explained away by saying that the word perfect (teleos) meant complete or mature. While that is true, I always wondered if we conveniently explained away too much of what this verse said. This month, we’ll look at two authors’ perspective on accepting a more life-changing interpretation of this verse.

Ray Vander Laan’s teaching has led me to conclude that Jesus led his life as a model for us. While we would all readily accept that concept; most of us have stopped far short of actually acting on the belief that we can be like Jesus. Paul said in Philippians 2.5-8 that, “Jesus did not take equality with God as a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” RVL says that if we take those words at face value, then everything Jesus did on earth, he did as a fully human being.

Now, of course, the Ruach HaKodesh counseled and comforted Jesus. But, as we saw last month, that same spirit also dwells in us. What if Jesus’ ability to read the hearts of others was because he was such an ardent student of human nature? What if his ability to say the right words was because he was so tuned in to the feelings of others? What if his source of inner strength was not supernatural but came from his close relationship through prayer with his Father? What if the reason we can’t do some of these things is because we have convinced ourselves that we can’t? And we can’t - based on our own power.

Think of it this way. Do you believe that there were instances where Jesus knew that (as a human) he could not face the task or trial of the moment? Did he, in those cases, reach back and grasp some of that “equality with God?” He either did or he did not. Your answer makes all the difference in how you view Jesus’ life on earth. I was brought up to believe that Jesus was 100% human and 100% divine. I guess as an old math teacher, that never did add up. Neither does it square with the passage in Philippians. Now I believe that he showed us the ideal - as a human who could lead a pure life. He expects us to do the same.

These thoughts originated years ago when I read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. Hopefully, you read the quote at the top; here’s the paragraph just before that one.

“The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said that we were “gods” and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him - for we can prevent Him, if we choose - He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly His own boundless power and delight and goodness.” [3]

My favorite phrase is “idealistic gas;” try working that into the conversation sometime! Lewis begins this section with one of my favorite illustrations, which he admits borrowing from George MacDonald.

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” [4]

Now that’s the perfect dream house!

May God Bless
Mike Toole
Lori Moores, ed.

1. found on www.teleos.net

2. C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, Macmillan Publ.Co., New York NY, 1979, p.175

3. ibid., p. 174

4. ibid.