It was during a conversation with a friend of mine the other day that this verse was brought to my attention. Some versions of it ask how long we will falter between the two opinions. It's the Hebrew that points us to the limp. Another way of saying it would be, "How long will you all these two opinions to cripple you?" That is what I want to address with you today.
Elijah's question was to allow Israel to make a difference between God & Baal. You would think their decision would be simple. However, they didn't answer him a word. The question for us today is not quite as simple. What we are dealing with is a complex issue. We have brothers & sisters in Christ who believe God to be one way & those who believe Him to be quite different. How do we solve this problem? How do we understand the true nature & character of God?
When faced with this kind of question, it has been my experience to say what I need to know about God, I will find the answer in the person of Jesus. How did He reveal the Father? How did He express the nature & character of God? If Jesus is the exact representation of His nature, and He is, then it's imperative that we understand the Father through the Son. He is the Word made flesh. While there were a great many people who were devoted to God, sought to bring an understanding of Him, and believed they were believing the right things about Him; Jesus challenged their way of thinking. He didn't mind saying, "You have heard it said, but I say to you..."
For time purposes, I want to share with you one verse that I believe can cause us to stop and really think about the nature of God. In Luke 6:36, we read Jesus' statement "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." I want you to hear these words. I want them to sink down deep into your spirit. YOUR FATHER IS MERCIFUL!!! While grace is often touted as one of the greatest attributes of God, I want you to consider the merciful nature of our Heavenly Father. He is, according to Old Testament Scriptures, a God who DELIGHTS in mercy. The Apostle James even tells us that "mercy triumphs over judgement." In Lamentations, Jeremiah proclaims that "His mercies are new EVERY MORNING." I mean, what does God need to do to prove to us once & for all that He is GOOD? What does God have to do to prove that He is LOVE? What does God have to do to prove that He is FOR YOU not against you? Maybe the problem isn't with God. Maybe the problem is with us and our perception of who He is.
You want to know why I talk about the finished work of Christ so much? The answer is quite simple. Too many people are living between two opinions of God. They are trapped between a God of the Old Covenant & the Jesus of the New. They see two drastically different expressions of the Godhead. While many of them are persuaded by the gracious nature of Jesus, they cannot get the other thoughts about God out of their mind. It's the good cop/bad cop scenario. Which opinion do we trust?
Jesus tells us to be merciful because our Father is merciful. Let me go ahead & say that God is not going to ask you to be more righteous than He is. He is not going to ask you to be merciful if that is not in His nature. He is not going to ask you to love your enemies, if that is not a part of Himself. He is not going to ask you to forgive, to make reconciliation, or to give grace if He is not already doing that for us. It's high time for the church to stop being crippled between these two opinions. It's time for us to see the Father through the lens of Jesus once & for all. Are you ready to make up your mind?
I have talked to many people who are in limbo. They feel as though they are trapped between the Abba of Jesus they want to embrace & the God of their upbringing. While they see in Jesus a representation of God that offers true & lasting freedom, they are stuck in an understanding of God that demands adherence to a list of rules. While they see in Jesus a God who loves, a God who gives, a God who is compassionate; they struggle with an understanding of God whose goodness is based upon our performance. I want to assure you that when you make up your mind, when you stop limping between the two opinions, when you choose to believe in the goodness of God for you & others, you will be ushered into a greater experience of who He is. Can you trust in His nature?
"For God so LOVED the world that He gave..."
This verse does not say that God wants to judge the world so He gave.
This verse does not say that God is angry with the world so He gave.
This verse does not say that God is ready to condemn the world so He gave.
NO...It's because of His LOVE that He gave.
Paul was so convinced that the Cross was the ultimate expression of the love of God that he declared "even while we were sinners....Christ died for us." What else does God have to do? What will it take for you to be convinced? When will we stop faltering, limping, & being crippled by two opinions? I'm telling you that you can be secure in the Abba of Jesus.
Ask yourself this one last question: Which understanding of God gives you the greatest peace?
It's time to stop limping.
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