Complicating a Simple Truth

For the most part, American politics has given us a choice between two parties, but to say the decision is between Republican and Democrat is way too simplistic an answer. In our current presidential campaign, there are divisions within each party, most notably between the establishment and anti-establishment candidates. But even that doesn’t tell us the whole story, because on the Republican side alone there are “yuge” differences between the two remaining anti-establishment candidates – Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. Today’s presidential election isn’t just a choice between Republican or Democrat. That is way too simple a choice, as the voters are proving. The same was true in Judah around 600 BC.

Jeremiah held to a very simple view of theology:

"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jer. 31:33-34).

Jeremiah said the day was coming when God would cause His children to do the right thing, they would know Him, and He wouldn’t even remember their sin. Pretty simple, right? God’s life would be within His people speaking and leading them in His ways. Jeremiah often reproved the multitude for not listening to the voice of the Lord their God. He condemned them for their hardness of heart, and lack of a simple trust. The crowning moment came in his famous Temple sermon where he prophesied its destruction. God would allow nothing to stand before His true love– His people! As we have said, these messages were picked up by Jesus and declared in the Gospels, especially Mark.

Jeremiah’s message of God’s life, leading and nourishing within His chosen, was never heard by King Josiah, nor the Jews. Josiah’s reform was built entirely upon obedience to a supposed written Law of God that was found within the Temple. However, many of the people rejected the King’s reform and continued worshipping an idol of the Queen of Heaven. There were three sides to this problem, not two. The crowd of that day didn’t understand, and neither does the crowd today. Josiah was just as wrong as the idol-worshipping crowd – neither heard the truth of Jeremiah.

There are several questions that we need to answer then:

1. Did Jeremiah agree with Josiah’s reforms? (I already gave my answer, but we will see why later.)

2. If he did not, what was wrong with the written Law?

3. What is the logical reasoning for God’s people forsaking Jehovah in order to worship idols?

We think we know the answers. Of course, Jeremiah and Josiah were on God’s side. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with the written Word of God. Of course anyone with half a brain would never worship idols! Yet, the body of Christ is falling prey to the very same mistakes that these “unenlightened” people did in Jeremiah’s day. Our understanding is way too simple. Let’s be careful because Proverbs repeatedly calls the simple, fools.

Just to get us started on the topic, let me remind us of something we’ve said before: Jesus never, ever said He was equal with the Father. He did say they were one, but He also went on to say that we were also one with the Father & the Son. If this is saying that Jesus is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, then we are too, in which case Ananias & Sapphira have a beef with God. But this is not speaking of that type of unity. In fact, Jesus said just the opposite – “the Father is greater than I.” As a side note, isn’t it amazing how fundamentalists insist that we should take all Scripture literally (except of course, the verses they don’t agree with). Although Jesus never called Himself, God, he also never corrected those that did. But let’s also remember that He called us gods as well (another verse that fundamentalists don’t quote too often). So our dilemma is this – Jesus is God, is one with the Father, yet is less than He; and, whatever answer you come up for Jesus, the same applies to us as well. This makes it pretty obvious that our current understanding of the Trinity is incorrect.

We’ll deal with these topics this Sunday, and in future blogs. God bless!