Tag Archives: seed

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Apologetics, ,

Although the Bible provides instruction and guidance for our lives as God’s children, it is not a textbook for every situation and subject of modern life. However, it does provide principles to follow if we are sincere in our efforts to walk in the truth.

Sometimes, we must dig deep into the Word to find these principles with the help of the Holy Spirit.

A question that pops up frequently in preaching and discussion is the issue of cremation. We must look for answers, not only in what the Bible does not say but, even more important, what it does say.

In my search for the truth, I have yet to read or hear any Bible scholar present what the Bible does say about the burning of bodies.

This way of dealing with the issues that affect us now, i.e., what the Bible does or does not say, is one of the differences between Roman Catholic and non-Roman Catholic teaching and way of interpreting Scripture. In my understanding, these different ways of interpreting Scripture remove or set boundaries around our behaviour as believers. According to this principle, we are free to do anything that the Bible does not specifically address (in Roman Catholic theology) or we do only those things which God’s Word instructs us to do ( in non-RC teaching). We look for the principles in keeping with God’s nature where there is no specific instruction.

Let’s look, for example, at what the Bible says about the popular practice of cremation. Most Bible expositors inadvertently take the Roman Catholic route. Since the Bible does not explicitly forbid cremation, they condone or approve the practice. Accordingly, it is up to the individual to decide on the method of burial.

Although the Bible does not devote a chapter to teaching on cremation, there are principles from which we can glean God’s intention.

The first principle leads us to look at the symbolism Paul uses for human death and burial. He likens our bodies to seed. Few seeds germinate in the fire. Those that do are not destroyed in the fire but released to grow.

Our bodies are like seeds that are sown in the ground when they die. Like the seed that germinates and grows into a new plant, unlike but of the seed that was sown, our bodies will rise again from mortality to immortality, perfect, unlike but of the body that was sown, like the resurrection body of Jesus.

It seems, then, that there are, according to practice, three possible places to be buried – soil, water, or fire, depending on the circumstances. The Bible’s best place is in the earth because it best fits the picture of the seed.

1 Corinthians 15:35-38 NLT
[35] “But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” [36] What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. [37] And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. [38] Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed.”

1 Corinthians 15:42-44 NLT
[42] “It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. [43] Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. [44] They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.”

The second principle is equally significant.

In the Bible, cremation was reserved for criminals. The Valley of Hinnom, outside Jerusalem, was the city’s garbage dump, burning constantly, like the fires of hell. Criminals were cremated in the rubbish dump of Hinnom, from which the body of Jesus was saved by the intervention of Joseph of Aramathea.

What does God’s word say about the burning of a body?

In Amos 2:1, God judged Moab for burning the body of the king of Edom. Although some translations imply or add the thought of desecration, dishonouring the body, the Hebrew word simply means ‘to burn’.

It seems, then, that the acceptable way to dispose of a dead body was to commit it to the earth. God said to Adam after he sinned,

Genesis 3:19 NKJV
[19] “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, ’til you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”

Cremation has become the disposal of choice because it is cheaper than burial and occupies less space than a grave. However, is this God’s prescribed way, regardless of our considerations?

True, the Bible does not forbid cremation, nor does it say how God will raise the bodies of those who were buried in fire or water. He does say, in Revelation 20:13, “The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead.” No mention of fire. However, it does tell us about His intention for the righteous dead, and what He prescribes for those who defy His holy instructions.

God’s instruction to Joshua when Achan stole goods dedicated to God after the fall of Jerico, is a case in point.

Joshua 7:15, 25 NLT
[15] “The one who has stolen what was set apart for destruction will himself be burned with fire, along with everything he has, for he has broken the covenant of the Lord and has done a horrible thing in Israel.”…
[25] Then Joshua said to Achan, “Why have you brought trouble on us? The Lord will now bring trouble on you.” And all the Israelites stoned Achan and his family and burned their bodies.”

Fire is the symbol and solemn reminder of the destiny of those who refuse to submit to God’s authority in all things.

Revelation 20:11-15 NLT
[11]”And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. [12] I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. [13] The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. [14] Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. [15] And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

We must make the choice and leave our instructions depending on our understanding of Scripture and our commitment to obey the Word.

DYING TO LIVE, THE LAW OF THE HARVEST – 16

Bible Study, ,

John 12:20-24 NLT‬
[20] “Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration [21] paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.” [22] Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus.
[23] Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. [24] I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives…. “

A request from some Greeks to see Jesus triggered in Him a forceful reminder that His presence on earth meant one thing – dying to live.

The Old Testament prophets predicted that God’s Messiah would come for Gentiles as well as Jews. When Greeks began to seek Him, their interest probably sparked by His reputation in Israel, it was time to move into the final drama of His human life.

Why did Jesus come? As a unique man, He could have lived a cushy life, to a ripe old age, and died a peaceful death in the presence of a loving family and friends. Of course, this reasoning is faulty since, as a sinless human, Jesus was not subject to death.

However, Jesus did not come to live a cushy life. He came to die. Dying was His purpose and goal, however, not just dying but dying to live.

How often in Scripture, the Holy Spirit applied the law of the harvest to the issues of life. Sowing and reaping is not only written into the work of a farmer. People are constantly sowing seeds and reaping the harvest from what they have sown. In fact, life in all its facets begins with a seed.

Take for example, the harvest we reap from the words we speak.

‭Proverbs 18:21 NLT‬
[21] “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”

What about the way we use our money?

‭2 Corinthians 9:6 NLT‬
[6] Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop….
[10] For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.”

Generosity to others will always bring a harvest in return.

‭Galatians 6:7-9 NLT‬
[7] “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. [8] Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. [9] So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

So, Jesus saw, not just His words and deeds as seed but far more than that, His own body, His life as a seed to be sown in the ground.

And the harvest He anticipated? He spoke of “many seeds”. A seed always reproducss itself. The seed of one plant cannot produce a plant of a different species. So, the Jesus seed, planted in the ground, would reproduce many seeds in its own likeness, in at least two ways.

First, Jesus’ death would reproduce many seeds like Himself in His nature. In this life, the Holy Spirit is transforming everyone who believes in Jesus into His likeness.

‭Colossians 3:10 NLT‬
[10] “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”

Becoming like Jesus requires a dying to self and identity with Jesus in His death, symbolised by our baptism in water.

‭Romans 6:3-4 NLT‬
[3] “Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? [4] For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.”

We then in turn, are also seeds that must die, through identity with Jesus, to produce new life.

Second, the body of Jesus buried in the ground, becomes the firstfruits of a harvest of millions just like Him.

‭1 Corinthians 15:20 NLT‬
[20] But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died….
[22] Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. [23] But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.”

There was no way Jesus could wriggle out of His destiny by dodging the death He would die. Death was not only His purpose to produce a harvest. Death, first and foremost was, for Him, the most powerful way in which He could draw attention to the Father.

[27]“Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! [28] Father, bring glory to your name.” Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.”

‭1 John 4:10 NLT‬
[10] “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”

There was no greater way for Jesus to reveal the extent of God’s love for fallen humans than to give Himself as a sacrifice for the sin of the world. Death was not Jesus’ good idea. Death was the ultimate will of the Father, and Jesus submitted to that will.

Many centuries before, Isaiah accurately predicted the nature and purpose of Jesus’ death,

‭Isaiah 53:4-5,10 NLT‬
[4] “Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! [5] But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed….
[10] But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.”

And Jesus submitted to that will.

‭Mark 14:35-36 NLT‬
[35]”He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. [36] “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

And the outcome?

‭Hebrews 5:7-9 NLT‬
[7] “While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. [8] Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. [9] In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.”

Mission accomplished!

GOD’S ABUNDANCE IN A SEED

Christian Life, ,

GOD’S ABUNDANCE IN A SEED

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest…. will never cease.” (Genesis 8:22, NIV).

God is abundantly generous but also very wise. He does not want us to live only from handouts from Him. He wants us to live in obedience to His ways so that we can grow in trust and dependence.

So, He built the amazing principle of seedtime and harvest into everything He does. Creation began with one of each species with the potential to reproduce through seeds. “God blessed them (the water and sky creatures – author’s comment) and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number…”” (Genesis 1:22). The harvest from which we eat, comes from seed (Genesis 8:22);children are born to us from seed (Gal 3:16);faith is given to us as a seed (Matthew 17:20);God’s Word is seed (Luke 8:11; 1 Peter 1:23);the kingdom of heaven is a seed (Matt 13:31);our Saviour was a seed (John 12:24); even ourmoney is seed (2 Cor 9:10).

When you look at an apple, what do you see, some fruit to eat or the potential of an orchard of apple trees? It all depends on your perspective.

As our Father, God has pledged to meet all our needs but, if we do not understand the law of the harvest, we will miss one of His most amazing and exciting principles. He wants us to partner with Him in everything we do, including releasing His supply of resources for our lives, so He put everything into seed form. Every seed, no matter what kind it is, has the power within itself to produce a harvest but it must be sown in the appropriate soil in order to release its power.

Our responsibility is not only to sow the seed, but to put it into the right soil; for example, money buried in the ground, or in the bank, will not grow, but given away to someone in need, will produce a harvest

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6,7, NIV).

Whatever our need might be, if we sow the appropriate seed into the right soil, we will reap what we have sown, according to the amount we have sown.

This principle applies to everything we do. If we sow friendship, we will reap friendship, if we sow love, we will reap love, if we sow conflict, we will reap conflict etc. The principle works for everything.

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:10-11

The outworking of this law has an even bigger purpose than just meeting our needs. Through the harvest, God not only increases our store of seed but also enlarges our harvest of righteousness. It is right to be generous and every time we give, we increase our capacity to be like God. Wow! That’s what God wants!

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THE KINGDOM OF “PAY IT FORWARD”

Christian Life, ,

THE KINGDOM OF “PAY IT FORWARD”

Many of you have watched the movie “Pay it Forward” and were moved by the idea and the sacrifice Trevor made to carry out the idea that cost him his life.

Did you know that “pay it forward” is built into the very fabric of our lives as believers in Jesus?

God’s people in the Old Covenant were constantly reminded to show their gratitude to God by ‘paying it forward” to their fellow Israelites and the strangers within their borders in response to God’s mercy to them.

Jesus confirmed the same principle in the New Covenant when He gave His “new commandment” to His disciples shortly before His death. “Love one another as I have loved you.”

However, it must not stop there.

God’s love is a giving love. He gave us Jesus and, with Him, everything we need for this life and the next. We show our love and gratitude to Him when we “pay it forward” by taking care of the needs of His children.

Let me share a testimony with you. As the Holy Spirit began to impress on me the responsibility of being a faithful steward of God’s goodness to me, He identified a little family that was in great need of help. I began to give towards the support of a precious little girl whom a dear granny had been given to care for and raise.

The family went through very difficult times during lockdown. By God’s grace, I continued to have enough and to share. We limped through the hard times and, when lockdown was eased, a new opportunity opened up for this loving granny, together with a new home and a lifting of the financial burden.

I wa delighted, when I received confirmation of my latest contribution, that this “pay it forward” principle is now a part of their lives as they share their blessing with another family in need. This news made me even more determined to continue my support because it frees them up to help another family by paying it forward.

“Paying it forward” sets up a current that keeps God’s provision flowing and opens the way for more of His goodness to come back to us so that we can continue to share our resources with others.

So, no matter how tough life is at times, we always have something for which to be thankful. As we express our gratitude to God in tangible ways, the current of God’s goodness will carry on and will also come back to us and enable us to keep that current flowing.

Apart from our tangible gifts to bless others, what is the greatest treasure we can share that costs us nothing in rands and cents but cannot be measured in terms of eternal value? God’s Word is that treasure and the insights the Holy Spirit gives us to put that Word into practice.

God’s Word is a seed. As we give it away, it takes root and bears fruit in the good soil of those who believe. What greater blessing can we impart as, we “pay” God’s Word “forward” and nourish the souls of those around us!

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – IT’S YOUR CHOICE!

Bible Study, , ,

IT’S YOUR CHOICE!

1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” Mark 4:1-20

It was never God’s intention to prevent people from receiving and believing the Word. Any resistance to the truth comes from the individual’s own choice to continue believing what prevents the Word from taking root in their minds and changing their lives. Jesus stated clearly that there are some people who hear and see with natural senses but never perceive the truth in the words they have heard. They have closed minds and hearts and truth simply bounces off and is lost to them.

Parables are a means to an end. Stories with a message achieve their objective in a roundabout way. The direct approach will only arouse more resistance whereas a story will arouse interest and provoke thought and even possibly a response.

Jesus’ stories were simple and direct, matter-of-fact and intriguing. He hardly ever applied the story to the listener, relying on their own imagination and spiritual perception to make the connection. When the disciples couldn’t figure out the meaning, they asked Him. Sometimes the meaning was glaringly clear as in e.g., the stories of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son.

Jesus’ stories were woven from the everyday experiences of His hearers; stories from the land, farming, animals, family life, scenes familiar to everyone, experiences the ordinary people could understand and identify with. He used whatever was appropriate to unlock truth and enlighten understanding. This was God in action, coming down to the people’s level, entering their common experience with truth that helped them understand the unseen dimensions of God.

The unseen realm of God’s rule began to take shape and bring meaning to the minds of people who practised religious rituals which did not seem to have a heart. Jesus was a genius, sweeping away unnecessary trappings to get to the core of life with God.