The works of the flesh

Spring: When the ‘Bares’ Come Out 

“SEX SELLS!” That phrase is an advertising axiom. If you don’t think so, remember to take special note of the underlying tones - some overt, some very subtle - of advertisements in TV and magazines. Sadly, such is now common the world over and especially in our country. From making a person smell more attractive to driving a bigger car, advertisers know that by connecting sex with success, people will seek that which is pleasurable.  And, unlike times of the past, sex in its varied forms is easily attainable through various media.

The church is not immune; culture challenges Christians to conform. I recall where some of the men who served the communion went to the elders expressing their concern for some of the women’s dresses. They felt it very difficult to concentrate on the Lord’s Supper due to the tight, short, and or low-cut dresses of some of their sisters. Both men and women must be aware and cautious for the spiritual welfare of everyone.

To handle this challenge, one must not rely on the past, the mores of our society, or on one’s personal feelings. It is easy to slip into the “if it feels good, do it” philosophy of our society. However, the spiritual person relies on a standard, objective truth which is God’s holy Word, the Bible.

Thanks to the wiles of Satan, there is always a struggle between what is biblically right and what we feel. Paul described this in Romans 7:15-17, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me” (ESV). Does anyone think that any of us handles the carnal part of our nature better than did Paul? This was a struggle for him and it is for us as well.

When Paul wrote to the Galatians, he described the works of the flesh, “. . .for the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality . . . drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God...those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” Gal. 5:16-24 (ESV).

Given this challenge, how do we apply it? Let us remember that God created us with sexual needs. That is biology. But He also gave us the challenge to manage those needs and to exercise them in the manner He has ordained- scriptural marriage.

So, “we are new creatures,” “sanctify Christ as Lord,” “crucify the passions of the world,” and, “offer your body as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,” are not merely catch phrases or song titles; they shape who we are continually striving to be. We must never follow the alluring standards of society as we seek Him.

          -Ken Smith

 

Was Jesus' body broken?

THE BROKEN BODY OF JESUS

The question has been raised, “In giving thanks at the Lord's Table for the bread is it appropriate to refer to it as representing or symbolizing the broken body of Jesus?” Well-meaning brethren, with no intent of desecrating the body of Christ or of praying unscripturally, have, in their prayers, spoken of the bread as representing the broken body of Christ. Equally well-meaning brethren have sometimes been critical of speaking in such a way, contending that the Scriptures prophetically speak of the fact that “not one of His bones shall be broken” (John 19:36). Let us examine this matter in a little more detail.

Clearly the apostle John appropriated a prophecy from Psalm 34:20 in which David, in speaking of the Lord's care for the righteous, said, “He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken.” While David was not speaking directly about the body of Christ, the Holy Spirit nevertheless guided the apostle John to take those words and apply them to the crucifixion of Christ. Earlier, John had spoken of the fact that the Roman soldiers broke the legs of the two thieves crucified with Christ, then adds, “But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs” (John 19:32-33). He then declared, “For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, 'Not one of His bones shall be broken' ” (John 19:36).

Further, it is worth noting that in giving instructions to the Israelites for the killing and eating of the Passover lamb, they were told “nor shall you break one of its bones” (Exodus 12:46). Christ is our Passover (I Corinthians 5:7), and just as the bones of the Jewish Passover lamb were not broken, so neither were the bones of Christ, our Passover lamb, broken.

Yet, there is a obvious difference between the bones of Jesus being broken and His body being broken. Paul wrote: “For I have received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (I Corinthians 11:23-24, NKJV). The King James Version uses the same language: “...this is my body which is broken for you.” (Emphasis mine, hf).

Of interest is the fact that neither the American Standard Version nor the New American Standard speak of the “broken body,” but simply state: “This is my body, which is for you” (I Corinthians 11:24). However, in both versions there is a footnote or marginal note stating that “many/some ancient authorities/manuscripts read 'is broken for you.' ” Thus, from the biblical text itself there is a basis for believing that “the broken body of Christ” is acceptable terminology.

Further, the reality is that the body of Jesus was broken. He was brutally scourged, resulting in His flesh being severely lacerated. His hands and feet were nailed to the cross, and a Roman soldier pierced His side (John 19:34). None of these things could happen without the breaking of the flesh of the body of Christ. When Thomas doubted the resurrection, Jesus told him, “Reach your fingers here, and look at My hands, and reach your hand here and put it into My side” (yes, “into My side”!). When we think about it, how else could Jesus have shed His blood if His body had not been opened/broken in some way.

The bread in the Lord's Supper is broken each Lord's Day, and faithful Christians eat that broken bread. “The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” (I Corinthians 10:16b). Jesus Himself, in instituting the Lord's Supper “took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “ 'Take, eat; this is My body' ” (Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19; I Corinthians 11:23-24). In every recorded case of Jesus instituting the Lord's Supper it is said that He broke the bread and then declared that the bread was His body.

Thus, I believe it to be scriptural and therefore acceptable to speak of the broken bread as representing the broken body of Christ. The important thing is for us to recognize the importance and the significance of the bread and the fruit of the vine, to partake of them in a worthy manner, to discern the Lord's body and blood when we partake of these sacred emblems. What is important is to not forsake the assembly but to join with our brothers and sisters in Christ on the first day of the week to participate in this sacred meal because it is the supreme “fellowship meal”--table fellowship with our Lord and with our brothers and sisters in Christ (Acts 20:7; Hebrews 10:24-25; I Corinthians 10:16-17). What is important is to remember that “Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (I Corinthians 5:7). He made no excuses for not going to the cross for us. How hollow our excuses are for not going to His Table to remember what He did for us on the cross.

Hugh Fulford